Hello everyone,
it's weakend so I have time to update.
Thanks for the reviews, so you get the next chapter already.
Disclaimer: Nothing of Naruto belongs to me.
I yawn and stretch my arms. I am on a mission. Or rather my way back. My job was to steal a document, done. And bring it back to Konoha, not yet done. I was told that in this forest live some bandits but I hope they are not that stupid to attack a ninja of Konoha. A fight would be troublesome. Damn solo mission!
It has been three months since we found out about Sasuke. In the check-up they determined he was about one and a half months along and it was progressing fine. Right now, nearing the end of his fifth month Sasuke starts to get seriously nerve-wracking. Mood swings and strange cravings. I really don't know how Naruto puts up with it.
Other news are that Hinata and Kiba got married last month and she is pregnant as well, a bit over one month. Sakura has finally agreed to go out with Lee and Choji is slowly approaching Ino. What I want to say with that? Nothing special actually, but to me it looks like everyone is finally finding their partners. Well, everyone despite me. Temari has asked, yes, but I don't want to have anything to do with her anymore. Actually I still can't get over Neji. When I'm on mission I try to look out for him, even now, nearly two and a half years after he disappeared. I guess I am as persistent as Naruto was with chasing Sasuke, though while Sasuke was for sure alive, Neji most likely isn't.
Unfortunately because of my musing over my past lover I forgot to check my surroundings and am caught off guard when two kunai shoot directly through the air at me. I can barely dodge them. One scratches my skin on my right shoulder. I jump back into the woods for hiding as I hear a laugh.
"Look what we got here! A Konoha ninja daydreaming! Pathetic!"
I am surprised by four figures jumping out behind me. I roll away, landing on my feet. Hurriedly I form the signs for one of my shadow jutsus but before I can finish them I have to dodge a sword swung at me.
"Oh no, we won't let you do that! You will have to fight without your stupid tricks!"
Shit! I am no close distance fighter! Even though I got better thanks to Neji, my strong point are still nin-jutsu. This here is not my terrain (and I was mostly too lazy to train for tai-jutsu). Now I need someone like Lee or Hinata… or Neji. Damn, not now! Concentrate on the fight!
I am doing a good job at avoiding the attacks but I can't get any further. It's five against one without nin-jutsu and even I can't come up with a plan to get out of this. Plus I notice by their movements that they are not simple bandits, probably even missing nin. I dodge another weapon when suddenly my vision blurs and I sway for a moment. What was that? As a result of my insecurity I feel a searing pain when a sword goes through my left leg. I scream.
"Now, now. It appears that the poison is starting to show effect!" The same taunting voice as before.
Poison? When? I didn't get hit, did I? Then I remember. The kunai from earlier! Shit! Another laugh.
"Don't worry, the poison isn't deadly. It won't kill you… We will!"
Oh yes, very reassuring! I try my best to continue avoiding hits but with the poison and a wound in my leg it's nearly impossible. And soon I fall to the ground, bleeding from several wounds. The leader of the group grins evilly and stabs his sword directly through my stomach. I can't even properly scream out because of the poison numbing my tongue. I know that if no miracle happens I am not going to survive that. And I don't believe in miracles. So that's the end. Well at least I can see Neji again and maybe explain me to him.
Just as I come to that resolution a new voice sounds from somewhere above. I am close to unconsciousness, so my vision is extremely blurry and every sound comes very muffled to my ears. Due to that I can only guess what the person is saying.
"Oi, stop that immediately! Leave him alone! He has done you nothing!"
The leader answers taunting. "Oh, big black ninja guy has come to safe his damsel in distress! What are you gonna do?"
Okay, that's too much! Even I refuse to be called a 'damsel in distress'! I am a jounin for goodness sake (okay, a pathetic one at the moment, but still) and male! So I pry my eyes a bit further open and try to awaken my senses. I feel a great chakra enveloping the clearing we're in and see the bandits back off from whoever is emitting it. It reminds me a bit of Sasuke's for some reason. I hear a thud and see a figure landing not far in front of me. I can't see much of my saviour and not only because my vision is that blurry. I can't even determine whether it's a male or female, though I would say male because of the brought shoulders. He is wearing wide black clothes all over being only tied at the waist, even fingerless gloves. Around the head he has wrapped a long dark blue scarf, covering everything, the ends of it swaying with every movement.
"What will I do?" I hear the smirk in his voice. "Well, how about I beat you guys up and if I win you vanish from this forest, this time for forever!" The voice has turned cold now.
"You won't be able to defeat us! You won't be able to use your tricks either and without them you're useless!"
"We will see about that!"
And with that he dashes of to the bandits and my consciousness finally fades. My last picture is the stranger fighting against the four. His moves are fast and graceful, he is close combat specialist. The long ends of the scarf around his head are following his every move and my hazy mind creates the illusion of Neji fighting there instead of that black ninja. Seeing him alive makes me smile and everything around me goes black for quite some time.
The next days are a blur. I will later not remember much of it and what I do, mostly makes no sense to me. Only some impressions stick.
Pain
Hot
Someone next to me
Cool hands bandaging my wounds
A voice, strangely familiar, calling my name
Longing
Pain again
Something tickling my cheek
Brown silk
A smell of a flower
Blurry memories
Sadness
And the returning pain
Soup, being fed it by someone
The cry of a very small child
A curse
An angry voice
The same voice, gently singing a lullaby
A breeze
Pain, every day
Sunlight burning on my eyelids
Fever
Memories of a different sort of fever
Steps
Someone lifting me up
A soft voice speaking my name
How do they know it? being my first coherent thought after days of fever
And more pain
As maybe noticeable not even half of it made sense for me at that time. I couldn't even figure out what was real and what a dream. I was later told I slept nearly two weeks until I first open my eyes again. The sun coming from my right burns in the eyes so I shift my gaze to the left. A simple wall made out of wood is the result. Nothing more, simple but practical. As far as I can see in the small room, I am in, is nothing more than the futon I am lying on and some drawers, apparently containing medical stuff. I hear a creak and the door in the wall opens. My saviour steps in. He is wearing different clothes now. A long-sleeved shirt with same wrappings yukata do with bright rims. It is reaching until his tights and has a belt around the waist, holing it together. Underneath simple black trousers ending in bandages like ninjas do it. His hands are covered by white bandages disappearing over his wrists into his wide sleeves. The scarf is still wrapped around his head concealing everything of his face and hair, even overshadowing the eyes. He sets the tray he is holding down next to me and says something but I can't understand since I am drifting into unconsciousness again.
The next time I wake up it's not as bright as the last one (it's two and a half days later). I feel much better than last time so I look around, this time to the right as well. I see an open wooden door leading out onto a small porch. Suddenly I hear steps and pretend to be still sleeping for a chance to find out something about my mysterious saviour. The sounds come closer outside on the porch until they halt in front of my room. I hear a sigh and some rustling, guessing the person turned away. So I slightly move my head to the right, carefully peeking from under my eyelids. The man actually has his back to me facing the world outside. My vision still isn't the best so I can't make out details. I hear another sigh and some murmuring I can't identify.
But then he suddenly lifts his hands up to the scarf covering his head and starts untying the knot at the back. When it's open he rips the fabric off in a swift, elegant motion. And for a moment I question my judgment, considering this person male, but I soon discharge that thought. Long chocolate hair cascades down until the waist, open, moving in the motion and the slight breeze. Even though just now freed, the strands look silky and simply beautiful. This hair reminds me of the one person I don't want to think about right now because it would add emotional pain to the one from the physical wounds who haven't healed yet.
I continue watching the stranger as he turns a bit, revealing pale, slightly calloused skin to me. Even his profile reminds me of Neji. Goddamn! But what really shocks me is when he opens his eyes. Bright orbs like the ones which have ever so often looked back at me with love in them. I involuntarily gasp and he shoots around, hastily gripping his scarf. The brief moment I see his face before my eyes close going back to pretending sleep I am sure to see Neji, slightly older and appearing a bit worn out and sad, but him. What I am not sure of is, whether it was real or just some kind of illusion my brain made up to comfort me.
I ponder some time over that and come to the decision that I have to risk it and ask him. But for that I have to gather more strength to speak for longer than some seconds.
The next days are a constant changing of waking and sleep for me. Nothing mentionable happens though once I overhear 'Neji' talking to someone, a woman I would guess, at the front door. I can't understand what they say. But what I think to hear is a young child happily shouting 'chichi' which means 'father' over again. Does Neji have a family? But I haven't sensed any other presence than him and me in this house.
That's it for today. Thanks for reading.
So there he finally is. Took only four chapters. But he will be there more later, don't worry.
So please keep on reviewing.
Hope to see you next chapter.