Crimson Gates

Chapter One: Crimson Eyes

He awoke. After what had seemed like millennia after millennia, he finally opened his pale crimson eyes to a new world. The cool, soft air twirled freely around him as he lay semiconscious on the ground, trying to understand, trying to take it all in. This was not what he had expected. It was different, but at the same time he was relieved, for he had prepared himself for the dark crimson skies and the rivers of hot blood. Instead, the earth was muffled by a thin layer of what seemed to be snow, and crystals laced the skies like clouds.

He stood up and walked.

His mind swirled with thoughts; would she be here? Uncertain, he kept walking, past streams of ice and trees of crystal. Eventually he came across a river that stretched beyond his sight, so far and wide that he knew no matter how much he swam he would never cross it. Dismayed, he sat down at the river's edge and hesitantly dipped a finger in. Immediately he felt chilled to the bone. It was not water; he could not tell what it was. It was silvery instead of clear, and dripped off his fingers like honey. Standing up, he noticed a lone figure standing on the other side of the river.

It was her.

The young man's eyes widened in both disbelief and unfathomable joy. It was the first real emotion he had felt in decades, and it shocked him. It had all seemed so far beyond his reach, until now; now it felt so close. It was definitely her. Had she been waiting? She was so close… and yet the river separated them. There was no way to get to her. Another emotion, sorrow, and yet another, guilt, suddenly rushed into his heart and wrenched it into a million pieces. Unable to retrieve the pieces of his shattered soul, he let out a cry of horrible anguish. He had never felt pain like that before. But then… he knew. He knew; it was her. Unsure and uncertain, a single word slipped out of his mouth.

"Mother."

From across the river, the lone figure gasped.

The young man waited for a response. But instead, the sky suddenly turned black, and he yelped and ducked as countless flocks of ebony swallows suddenly blurred into view and glided across the river.

Their wings made a bridge.

The young man watched, awed and incredulous, as the figure started to cross the river, her feet stepping lightly across the backs of the swallows. The man stayed rooted to the ground, too afraid to move or breathe lest he disturb the birds and she fell. As she drew nearer, he saw her face. She was exactly as he remembered her to be, with raven hair that fell to her shoulders and a young face that radiated with youth and kindness. She looked to be in her late twenties or her thirties; and with a pang of sadness the young man realized that she was so close in age to him. When she reached the bank she stepped off, and the swallows chirped softly and took to their wings again, flying higher and higher until their feathers faded into the black.

The young man stood up nervously, shaken at what he had just seen, but the girl was smiling, and had a kind face. "Sasori-kun… you remember me." The young man nodded, and suddenly he found hot tears burning his eyes and he lowered his head. "Mother… I'm sorry. I came to be with you. I love you. I've always loved you." His mother felt his emotion, a ripple of grief through his heart… and inwardly she smiled. He had finally understood. "Saso-kun... I know. I love you too. And I forgive you." Sasori's reached out his hand to her, to touch her, but she pulled away. Alarmed, he let out a cry of dismay. "Mother…" But as he lowered his arm she drew near again. "Sasori-kun… My Saso-kun… I cannot touch you. You are not yet where I am. You are not staying here." Sasori's eyes widened in alarm. "No! W-what do you mean? But… then… where am I going?" The girl motioned downwards with one finger.

"Back to earth."

Sasori's eyes bulged in his head. "What?! B-But… I can't… I'm dead." His mother nodded knowingly. "I know, Saso-kun. You will have a new body, for I could not salvage all the pieces of your first one. But there are still things left undone in your world. You must go back." Sasori's head spun with confusion and frustration. "What are you talking about?! And… why are you talking to me like this? I turned your body into a puppet. I thought you would hate me forever." His mother's eyes softened. "Saso-kun…" she whispered, her eyes clouding over. Silently she strode to the mouth of the river and beckoned for Sasori to follow. Kneeling beside the stream, she suddenly reached out and touched one finger to the water. From the disturbance the ripples burst, but they did not stop, even after several heartbeats. Instead, they sank deeper and deeper with every vibration, until the sheet of water parted entirely and Sasori could see right through it.

And what he saw he would never forget.

Through the shimmering silver shell of the waves he could see the face of his former partner. Deidara. The golden-haired boy's eyes were red and his face was stained with tears from crying. Through the water Sasori could hear his voice. "Danna… why did you leave me, un? Danna, I miss you! Please come back… please, un…" suddenly he broke into sobs and leaned his head against something pale grey and stone-carved. Sasori gasped, and horror surged through his entire body, stroking his spine.

It was his tombstone.

Unaware of his Danna watching over him, Deidara continued to weep, his face hidden by his golden sun-touched hair. "Sasori… please be my guardian angel, un… I love you, Danna. I love you, un, I love you…" Then his face slowly faded into the silver waters as the sheen of the river surface replaced itself.

A million thoughts swirled through Sasori's head like nervous butterflies. His breath froze in his throat, and clenching and unclenching his fists, he lingered, staring into the waters, searching for Deidara's face again.

A single tear splashed into the river.

So Deidara feels the same way… "Now I see," he murmured, and his pale crimson eyes veiled with a strange, distant mist. His mother's voice was laced with sympathy. "I saw… Saso-kun, I saw you die." Sasori's eyes widened again. His mother continued. "I saw… what had become of my body, and I saw you hesitate to avoid the fatal attack. I knew why. You missed me." She waited for Sasori to give his response, but there was a bulge in his throat and he could not swallow it. He merely nodded. "You wanted to see me, to touch me again. You knew I was still your mother. And you longed for it. All you ever wanted was one last embrace, even if it killed you." Am I not right?" Sasori could not speak. Instead, all he could do was nod numbly like a child, and bow his head as the ground caught every tear he cried. "Mother…" he sobbed, shaking uncontrollably, unable to control his emotions. The girl could not touch him, but she drew as close as she could and whispered into his ear. "Saso-kun, you died because you understood. I died because of you, and you died because of me. In the end, you finally understood. You have pushed every drop of emotion away from yourself for twenty years, but now I am here to give it back to you. This is why I am giving you a second chance to make things right.

"Because I feel too."

Sasori lifted his crimson eyes into his mother's pale jade ones. "I don't want to leave you," he murmured, his voice flowing freely like the river that swam beside them. But him mother merely smiled. "Do not worry, my Saso-kun… I'll never leave you. I promise. Until you come back to join me, I'll find you in your dreams. I'll never leave you. I'll never leave you.

"I love you, Sasori. I'll always be your guardian angel."

Sasori felt a delicate warmth rush into his body as he understood his mother's words. As the swallows dove down and spread their wings across the river, he felt an aching tug at his heart, half unfathomable joy, half unbearable sadness. He watched silently as his mother waved to him and gently stepped onto the backs of the birds, crossing to the other side of the river. "Mother…" he murmured, but she was already too far away to hear.

Suddenly as the swallows soared upwards, Sasori felt the air above him start to spin, and his heart thumped painfully in his chest, threatening to shoot up his throat. Frightened, he clutched at the ground, afraid that he would fall into the sky. Gradually a blazing white overtook his senses, and he called out blindly to the shattering wind. It was all suddenly too much. The light got more and more intense, until every muscle in Sasori's body screamed in chaotic protest as the blazing heat burned his vision, and unable to close his eyes, he threw himself to the ground.

The entire world erupted in a glorious blaze of light.

Alive!

End of Chapter One

Hey everyone!!! Hope you enjoyed- and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!!! I LUVS REVIEWS!!! You know the deal: 5 reviews, new chapter. So hop to it!!! Bwahahaha =D

~Gabrielle