Perfect Worlds
World 2: A Mother's Lullaby
Gaara found himself falling, crashing down from the sky through the trees. His pale teal eyes widened as the ground came rushing up to him, and his hand reached down to attempt to bring his sand around to prevent him from getting hurt, only to find nothing happening. A branch scraped against his arm, tearing at the fabric and into his arm before slapping into the ground.
The teen let out a groan, attempting to sit up. Nausea washed over him, his eyes clamping shut, wondering what just happened. His lips opened as he tried to move, but he found himself unable to move right away. Eventually, after a few minutes, he stood up, heading over to nowhere. His body tilted slightly to the side, his body tipping slightly as if something were missing.
Leaning up against the tree, Gaara pulled his arm up, wondering what Shukaku would say about this matter. Only, the tailed beast said nothing, making the young shinobi's eyes snap open. "Shukaku?"
The fact Shukaku wasn't there hit hard, but so did the feeling of being alone. Gaara went down to his knees, his body weak. He remembered the time he wanted to kill everyone so he could be alone, and yet now he realized this was his greatest fear. His body slid down, shaking and wondering what was going on. His eyes fluttered shut, his energy draining quickly.
~V~
"What just happened?"
Karura took a deep breath, as her husband steadied her. Glancing over, she saw that he nearly fell over as well, and Yashamaru had managed to fall. Her brother stared at the waterfall. "I don't know. That seems like, well, one of those weird artifacts which do strange things."
"Wonderful…" Rasa turned to look at his wife, his face twisting down in his usual sternness. They softened upon seeing the paleness of Karura's skin. "How about I take you back now?'
"Um, yes." Karura let her husband help her back, and she sat down in the rickshaw, thinking. She heard her husband say something about gathering supplies for dinner but paid no heed. She pressed her lips together. She felt her mother's instinct kicking in, and after a few minutes of rest she stood up.
Yashamaru noticed. "Sis…"
"I've got to go and use the restroom. I'll be back soon." In her mind, she knew she wasn't going to come straight back. Walking weakly, she started through the forest, heading in the direction she knew she needed to go. It would be a few minutes before Rasa or Yashamaru would come looking for her. She continued walking until she came across the small figure sitting in an area, branches around him broken. She knelt down, noticing the auburn colored locks of hair which cascaded around the boy's face.
Her hand reached over, brushing the hair away from his forehead, catching sight of the scar which read love. The person stirred, their eyes opening up, the black rings evident around the child's eyes. This was different from the child she knew, as the eyes contained no black rings, and yet the color was right. "Hello, Gaara."
~V~
Gaara's eyes opened upon feeling someone touch his forehead. His eyes felt heavy as he looked at the sandy-haired woman in front of him. "Hello, Gaara."
The young shinobi opened his mouth to say something but found himself unable to talk. His eyes closed back up, wondering why his body felt so weak.
His mother cupped his face in her hands, rubbing her fingers across his cheeks. "Don't worry. Mama's here."
"I killed you." The teen watched as tears began to fall from her eyes, yet she also smiled.
She touched her forehead to his, taking a deep breath. "You are so precious to me."
Gaara's eyes closed and opened. "Precious…"
"Yes. You're precious."
"I'm a monster." The boy closed his eyes, remembering how his existence killed this woman who was now being kind to him. If she only knew that, and the fact he'd killed her brother. Then there was the issue with his father, how he'd been so much of a failure to the man.
~V~
He was most definitely precious to her. She listened to him carefully, before tilting her head to look at his arm. Karura's eyes narrowed, taking in the long tear in his clothing, noting the long scratch running from his wrist to half way between his shoulder and elbow. His other hand clutched his side, his lips pushing together as if he were in pain.
"How did you end up here? I wish I had medical supplies." Glancing back up, she watched his facial features tighten up, and she reached up to touch his forehead. "How did this happen?" No answer came. "Gaara?"
The boy remained silent, his eye narrowing. He didn't open his mouth or move. She noted though he was physically in distress, his breathing coming in a labored manner. He also seemed uncomfortable with her touch, his eyes darting around as if something was going to attack him, so she started to hum the lullaby she used with Temari and Kankuro as a child and watched him settle down.
~V~
Despite all of the emotional thoughts running through his mind beating himself up. Gaara couldn't help but find himself calming in the presence of this woman. The fact Shukaku wasn't there, which tore him up inside as much as the thoughts of what he'd done, melted away. His eyes closed as the lullaby filled his ears, and yet as a shinobi, he couldn't let his guard down, particularly since some genjutsu were sound based. For all he knew, he was in some kind of illusion.
If it were an illusion, though, he wouldn't have sensed that particular danger. Somehow, he always knew where that person was at all times, something that at times made his stomach sick. The anxiety and fear that came from being around that person cropped up, and he knew that when he opened his eyes that he would see that person.
