"We gon' sit here and wait all day?"
"If that's what it takes, yes."
Kurama sighed. They had found Sasuke's house nearly three hours earlier, but they hadn't attempted to get close to him. They knew he'd just get enraged and drive them away again.
Instead, they had stalked around the house for a couple of hours before finally settling down on a low branch of a nearby tree.
"There's no need to sigh," Naru frowned. "We'll get down when he decides to move in on the thief. Since we have no idea who stole his bow, and he won't let us help him, we'll simply follow him."
Kurama's smile grew at her logic, but Naru was too focused on the small house to notice. She had plugged her nose to block out the intense smell that surrounded the house, but she could hear Sasuke stomping around inside, and she knew he was preparing to go and retrieve his bow. The occasional sound of metal scraping against stone indicated he was sharpening a knife, which only purpose could be to kill the thief.
"We promised we'd help him," Naru said curtly when she sensed Kurama was about to say something. "We might be pirates, but we're not thieves."
Kurama parted his lips to protest, but his voice was drowned from the sound of the house's door opening with exaggerated force. It slammed against the opposite wall, making the windows rattle.
"He looks mighty pissed off, dont'cha think?" Kurama whispered and leaned over the branch to get a good look at the raven haired.
"Yes, he does," Naru agreed and a small grin graced her lips. Sasuke was indeed looking more furious than before, and Naru found it somewhat amusing. The plants underneath the man's feet seemed to bend away from his presence alone.
"Time to go," she said and jumped down to the ground. She landed gracefully on all four a bit from Sasuke, who flinched and whirled around to glare at her.
"What're you still doing here?" he growled and closed the door to his house, his eyes narrowing when Kurama appeared next to her. "I told you to piss off, didn't I?"
"So you did," Naru smirked. "But who made you the master of me?"
Sasuke opened his mouth to speak, but changed his mind. He turned his back to them both and started moving away from them, towards the village.
"We're gonna follow you until we find an opportunity to help," Naru stated as she trotted after him. "So you might as well tell us what to do."
"It's none of your damn business."
Naru's smile widened at the badly suppressed anger in his tone. This guy had some serious problems managing his anger, and Naru wondered how many times it had gotten him into trouble. And how badly he was teased for it.
"Come on, Sasukr, you'd just save yourself some time," she said tantalizingly.
"Don't call me by my name when we don't know each other," Sasuke snapped without looking at her.
"You're pretty old-fashioned."
Silence followed this statement, and Naru sighed. "Did I hit a nerve?" she asked.
A soft chuckle made her glance over at Kurama, who had been quietly following them. "Something funny?" Naru asked.
"I think the reason he ain't answerin' yer question or lookin' at ya is because ya stuffed yer nose full of paper," he jingled. "Sorry ta say, but ya look ridiculous."
"I'd rather have that than feeling like constantly being shot in the nose," Naru grumbled, but as soon as they were out of range of the overwhelming scent, she removed her nose plugs and inhaled deeply. "That's better," she hummed. Her eyes focused on Sasuke's back, and she frowned when she saw all the knives he had tied to his belt.
In a matter of minutes, they reached the edge of the forest, and Naru sped up and grabbed hold of Sasuke's wrist. "You're really not gonna let us help?" she asked.
A sound of frustration rolled through Sasuke's teeth and he turned around, but before he could even begin to free his limb, Kurama placed his hand on Naru's shoulder and pulled her backwards.
"Leave him be, cap'n," he said. "It'll be much faster ta just follow him, never mind what he wants."
Naru sighed, but complied. She released her hold on Sasuke and was surprised to see him stare at her with wide eyes. All the anger seemed to melt away, quickly to be replaced by what Naru interpreted as disbelief and curiosity.
"What... what did he just call you?" Sasuke asked of her.
Naru exchanged a confused glance with Kurama before responding. "Oh, you mean 'captain'?" She grinned and proudly straightened her back. "My name is Naru," she said. "That's Kurama. We're pirates."
"Pirates..?"
For almost a full minute, Sasuke stood completely still, staring from Naru to Kurama and back again. Then, he shook his head, the usual scowl appearing on his face again. "Yeah, right," he huffed. "A crew of two men, huh?"
Naru crossed her arms over her chest, her smile widening. "I don't need you to believe me," she said simply. "I know who I am, and that's enough for me."
"Don't go all philosophical on me," Sasuke said and spat on the ground between them. "Someone like you could never be a pirate. You're just a shitty little liar."
The grin disappeared from Naru's lips and she grabbed hold of Sasuke's wrist once more and yanked him closer, so that there was only a few inches of space between them. "You know, you're entitled to believe what you want, and I'll respect your choice," she growled. "But let me give you a piece of advice that might one day save your life; keep your thoughts to yourself when you don't know who you're talking to, because disrespecting a pirate is something you really don't want to do."
Sasuke parted his lips to speak, but nothing came out. He seemed to shrink a little under Naru's gaze, and when he finally released himself from her hold, the rage had vanished from his features. They glared at each other for a few more seconds before he turned on the heel and started walking towards the sign.
"Quite hotheaded, the both of ya," Kurama said gleefully. "But at least it seems he's lettin' us follow him now."
"That was the point," Naru said with a smug grin. "Let's go."