Story by: Iamghost
Disclaimer: i do not own Naruto or any of its characters.
Darkness….all he could see was darkness, nothing else, just a dark void. Was he dead? Was he already in hell to pay for all his sins?
No…He was not in hell, for he couldn't hear the devilish voices, or feel the torture he would be by now suffering. So...if he was not hell, then where was he?
He tried to move, but something like a warm cocoon embraced tightly his numb body, preventing him from doing brusque movements. His body was immobile and resting on something soft. The temperature was pleasant, not too hot nor too cold. For a while he rest, content just by laying in that soft cushion.
But being the impatient creature he was, he tried to move a hand but it didn't obeyed his command, then he tried to move a leg but a very sharp pain spread all over his body like poison before something moist lubricated the brim of his eyelids.
Then he tried to start by moving a finger, but the damn appendage wouldn't budge. Then he tried to open his eyes, but as much as a joke it sounded, he couldn't even open one eyelid, both were as heavy as lead.
He growled in annoyance, was the great Gaara being teased by his own body?
There was a soft yelp and a racking sound and then he felt it. Something warm tickled the sensitive skin of his eyelids, darkness turned into an orange glow and he groaned, trying to shut the light out.
"Cousin…is he awake?" he heard a soft little voice ask in a hushed tone. He furrowed his inexistent eyebrows. That voice sounded too real and earthlike to be the mocking voices of demons.
He stirred and fluttered open slightly his eyes only to try to shield them from the blinding light coming from god knows where.
There was another light yelp and the warm orange glow dimmed considerably and another voice, this one more pleasant than the last hushed a soft "get out" and there was silence, which was only interrupted by a grinding sound. Little by little he opened his eyes; heavy dark red eyelashes gave birth to bright aquamarine jewels. He squinted and narrowed his eyes, trying to see more than just blurred distorted spots of white and black, only to fail.
His impertinent fists collided against his eyes in a frantic scrubbing motion, and he was more than surprised to find that it improved his eyesight dramatically.
He realized just then that the cocoon was only a bunch of crumpled bed sheets, and the blinding light came from a window with flimsy curtains.
An urgent desire to laugh invaded him because of his silliness, but it disappeared quickly when his eyes fell on a feminine body staring at the opposite way.
Soft dark hair gently pulled into a long ponytail fell over sculpted shoulders that narrowed into a small waist and then widened to tempting hips.
He sat down as careful as he could, being especially tender to his left leg. Sensing the rustling of the sheets, the figure tensed and turned around swiftly, revealing a mortar and a pestle resting on his arms.
The redhead's eyes widened considerably, his intense lime green eyes staring at the beautiful face; it was the epitome of grace, almost to the point of divinity.
He corrected himself. He was not in hell; he was in heaven, for there was no such refined beauty in hell.
"Are you alright?" a soft unearthly voice left thin rosy lips. He nodded, wordless and breathless. Those alluring lips stretched into a delicate smile, barely visible; but what really took away his breath were those eyes, he couldn't tell if they were white or grey, but one thing was for sure…they were captivating.
The silver-eyed boy placed the mortar and pestle on the small nightstand to his left and poured water on a glass from a pitcher and leant slightly on his knees, offering him the glass of cold water, which the redhead took gladly and muttered a rough thank you, draining the needed liquid along his sore throat before it pleasantly cooled his insides.
"Are you alright?" the young man hovering above him asked and he nodded slightly, taking in his disheveled appearance offered by a naked mirror hanging from the opposite wall.
"Where am I?" he asked in a raspy tone, looking at the rather empty room before him. The brunette took away the empty glass and returned to his work at hand, grinding some mysterious green powder. "You're in the land of Alba" the young boy said, pouring the powder into a stone basin filled with water.
"I may as well ask your name, for all I know about you is that you crawled all the way here, to the brink of death, yet strong enough to live". The redhead winced slightly as he removed sweat-drenched locks of red hair from his upset eyes, scrapping a small wound above his eyebrow.
"My name is…" the redhead gapped his mouth like a fish out of water and his eyes widened to the size of saucers, dread filling those beautiful eyes. "I…my name…" he mumbled. His gray matter was trying hard to remember anything about his identity, but his mind was blank. His head started to throb, as if an invisible hammer was trying to tear his skull in half.
The brunette raised a delicate eyebrow while drenching a discarded rag into the bowl.
"Who am I?" the redhead asked himself silently, his eyes lost. The brunette touched the redhead's forehead and he was not surprised to find a fever building up. A small frown marred his perfect features as the redhead shivered away from the cool touch.
"Now, I want you to lay still and close your eyes…I'm going to cleanse all the wounds in your body" the brunette informed him, peeling the sheets from his sweat-drenched body. The redhead felt awfully exposed as the chilly air caressed his body. "Don't worry, this is not going to hurt" with those words spoken, the young man shed off the bandages on his chest and dabbed the multiple bruises and lacerations not too gently with the rag. The redhead's eyes shot open with agony as he squirmed. "Crap! Not going to hurt? My unholy arse!" he cursed colorfully, making the brunette chuckle under his breath. "Hush and sleep, you need to rest".
As soon as the brunette had finished cleaning and dressing the redhead's wounds he exited the room, coming face to face to a frail older version of his. His smile dropped into a thin line as he faced the older man. "He's asleep now" the man nodded, sitting on the nearest chair. "How is he?" the brunette shifted his gaze to his younger cousin. "He lost his memory, but he'll survive" he stated. The older man nodded silently before reaching out for his cane. "Perfect, I'll go to town and ask for his reward, but we need him healthy if we want to claim the reward; and you…- he pointed to a young woman sitting silently by the dining table, her pretty grey eyes fixed on the floor. –keep him well fed or I'll make sure to punish you." With that being said the man walked with difficulty out of the door.
The girl stood up violently, her upset eyes holding tears of regret and anger. "I cannot do this, Neji!" she cried, her timidity thrown out of the window. The brunette was shocked beyond comprehension. There she was, standing out, telling that it was against her goodwill, determination gripping her eyes. He always thought that she would be as docile as ever, but it seemed that he was wrong. "Bite your tongue, woman" he said coldly, ready to turn around and leave, but her once sweet and small voice that was now loud and shaking stopped him dead on his track. "You can tell me to shut my mouth, but you will never tell me what to think about it…you, murderer!" said man turned around swiftly and angrily smacked her across the face, sending her tumbling back. Her eyes widened with shock and humiliation while their youngest cousin was looking between them, terrified and weeping silently into her hand. "Shut up and do as you are told, we can't do anything else. It's his welfare or our own, do you understand?!" he shouted, his beautiful face contorted with pure anger. The young woman was about to retort when the girl cried out, telling them to stop. Seeing his youngest cousin sobbing made his stomach lurch with regret. "Hanabi, go to your room" he said quietly before walking away, leaving both his cousins to cry and hold each other on the dining room, helpless.
AN: i know i might be too greedy for my own good, but...keep reviewing!!! D