The warm wet darkness surrounded me as I contemplated what was going on. The warmth lasted an uncertain amount of time before I suddenly felt immense pain all along my body; it was after the pain faded that I heard a voice whispering in my head. None of what it said was pleasant.
I spent what must have been months but could have been days in before I first heard voices other than the dark mutterings of what I assumed to be my mind. They were indistinct at first but eventually I began to recognize the language. Japanese, Which helped me not at all since I couldn't speak the language.
I called out and struggled as my hand ran into a soft barrier. I couldn't hear my voice in the liquid but I felt something rest itself against the other side of the barrier on my hand. Then I heard what was distinctly singing. It soothed my mind and helped keep the darker thoughts away.
Time passed and being as bored as I was I started meditating, I used to do this a long time ago, but I'd stopped after finally getting a job. Things were normal at first as I meditated, but things became weird when I caught a glimpse of a blue orb with sand colored streaks in it. Focusing on it I imagined gripping it with my hands and then the world seemed to explode with energy.
I was on a sandy dune, with more sandy dunes as far as I could see. Turning around as I felt a hot breath on me, I came face to face with a tan tanuki with blue makings all over itself.
I stared. It stared. I smiled nervously and waved. "Hello." It grinned evilly. It spoke then, but I couldn't understand a word. It took it about five minutes of talking before it realized I couldn't understand it. It let out another huff and swatted me with a paw. There was no pain, but when I came to I was back in the darkness.
More time passed and then a pressure appeared around me, pushing me down, it got tighter before it suddenly loosened and I felt cool air on my skin. I felt the need to breathe but I couldn't. I opened my eyes and could make out blurry shapes as hands picked me up. There was a sudden pain on my behind and I gasped, able to breathe. I was handed to my mother, because that's what she must be but I was quickly taken away by a man with red hair as she gasped in pain. "Gaara." He said something else as well; but I still diddn't know the language. But the fact he'd said Gaara and I remembered the Tanuki as well (now that I thought about it) my situation became clear. I was Garra of the Sand.