Disclaimer: I don't own the characters.

-

Chapter Two: Mystic Land

-

-

In a vast land of greenery; different tall trees stood strong. Grass, flowers, and small plants swayed at the winds command. Birds twittering on top of the trees, eagles soaring high in the sky, butterfly landing on flowers, small animals running about, and small insects made cricking noises.

And with the natural flow of nature, in the middle of all these, was a pink haired girl walking slowly with a basket clutched in her hand. The basket was half-full of flowers. She was walking aimlessly yet silently so to not disturb the animals.

Sakura would stop once in a while to inspect some wild flowers and to play with the small animals running about.

She was sitting in the middle of the flowers, almost hiding her feet to the waist when she felt that nature itself and also the animals were getting restless. Sakura squint her eyes as she slowly scanned her surroundings, checking if there was any danger coming.

Another minute and she saw no suspicious movements nor noise, only the gush of wind and the noise of the animals. But despite the assurance that there was no danger, Sakura heightened her consciousness as curiosity got the better of her. There was no way the animals would act strangely if there was nothing wrong.

She stood, forgetting about her basket as she walked near the forest, she could feel a faint aura, almost dying. Sakura walked cautiously.

She was walking for a while until she was almost near the clearing.

When she finally stepped out of the forest and at the clearing, her eyes widened in surprised and awe.

At the side of the clearing near the part with semi-large rocks, rested a young man. Sakura bet that he was the same age as hers or a year older than her. The young man's torso was lying on the rocks as his hands were thrown around it while his lower body was still on the water.

Sakura frowned worriedly when she noticed that something red was mixing to the flowing water and some dripping on the rock; she bet that it was blood. His blood.

She could still not see his face but she knew that he was beaten up badly, and add the impact from the water.

"What happened to you?" Sakura whispered as she slowly made small steps toward the unconscious guy. "Why are you bleeding so bad? No wonder the animals were restless, they worry about you…"

Sakura knelt down next to the unconscious body as she slowly brushed his dark and wet hair. She stared at him with wonderment as she saw half of his handsome yet bruise face.

A trace of a blush and a small smile appeared on Sakura's face. "What an enchanting young man." She whispered as she kept stroking his hair. "Who could have done this to something so wonderful?" she kept on talking in whispered tone. "Ahh…too bad you're draining out of your life force…" she sighed. "But don't worry, we're not beings from this mystic land if we cannot revive you. It would be a waste to let someone so gorgeous as you to just wither away…"

Sakura moved him carefully a bit so he could end up half-resting on her lap. Once he was settled, she brushed the stray strands of hair out of his face before lightly caressing his bruise and chaffing lips with her fingers. After a second of hesitation, Sakura brought her lips down to his as she gave him a light kiss before she nibbled on his lower lip a little. She stopped for a while when she felt him groaned but she didn't remove her lips to his. When he nibbled and kissed her back lightly, Sakura grabbed her chance to deepen the kiss a little more. As he kissed her back deeply, Sakura's lips gave off a golden aura and passed it to his lips. When the transfer was complete, Sakura began to kiss his lips lightly once again before she moved away from him. He tried to chase her lips, Sakura giggled.

"Uhnn…." He groaned as he slowly opened his eyes.

Sakura gasped as she saw his deep-penetrating pool of onyx eyes. He's really enchanting. "Boy, what's your name?"

"Sa…suke…"

"I'm Sakura."

"What….happened?" he asked, still dazed and confused.

"You're near your last breath that was why I transferred some life force to you, to prevent you from dying." She explained.

Sasuke blinked a few times.

"So, what happened to you? Why are you all beaten and bruised and almost dead on the water?"

Hearing those questions, Sasuke's eyes widened as he recalled what happened just a few hours ago. He sat up brusquely but he ended up dropping on Sakura's lap again as he winced in pain.

Sakura shook her head, "Tsk, tsk, tsk…I told you I transferred some life force to you to prevent you from dying but I never told you that I already healed your hideous wounds."

"But….my----" his eyes squinted with anger as he thought about his brother.

"Shh…" Sakura traced his lips lightly again with her fingers. "You'll be fine. You're in good hands." She smiled. "Go ahead and rest, once you wake up again you'll feel much better. Trust me."

"But…" he still insisted.

"I promise I'll be around when you wake up."

Sasuke, still tired from all he'd been through, closed his eyes to rest without any argument.

000000000

Mystic's Village, The Hime's and Sama's Mansion

-

Sasuke groaned before he opened his eyes after blinking a few times. He looked about his strange surrounding, noticing that he was inside a huge room, the colors were mostly red and gold. He frowned when he saw himself lying on a huge bed when he remembered before he followed Sakura's orders that he has to rest that he was lying on the ground.

'Sakura!' the moment he remembered her and her promise, Sasuke threw his blanket and got out of the bed, but to his dismay, as soon as he stood he fell down on the floor.

"Kuso!" he growled, wincing slightly because of his bandaged wounds.

At that same moment, the double doors to his room opened and in came three ladies wearing light brown sarong-style clothing's.

Sasuke raised his brow when they stopped in front of his pathetic state and bowed before helping him back to his bed.

"Sasuke-sama shouldn't be out of bed." One of the ladies said.

"Who are you?" he asked with confusion. "How did you know my name?"

"Sakura-hime told us your name and asked us to mend your wounds and look after you." Another lady said. "And we are the dama's, we're like normal helper's but unlike the normal one's we're the most trusted of helper's and almost part of the clan."

"Where's Sakura?"

"Sakura-hime would see you later, but now she's with one of the elders, they were talking over tea." The third one answered.

"She promised!" he muttered as he glared stubbornly.

--

At the same moment

Sakura just finished training and already on her way to see Sasuke when her grandfather called her as he saw her and offered her tea. She smiled and obliged.

"So, Sakura, I heard that you brought a young man here yesterday?" her grandfather asked conversationally as he poured her tea.

"Hai." She nodded before accepting the tea.

"Ehh…and no one told me anything around here anymore. I wouldn't have known if I didn't hear it to one of the dama's." he frowned.

Sakura smirked. "Admit it grandfather, your ears are getting useless."

The old man chuckled before he turned serious. "So, you like him very much, I see." He nodded as if knowing something she didn't.

"Eh!"

"Admit it. You wouldn't give him a life force if you don't like him. Giving life force is like giving a person a part of your own. It's too personal to be shared lightly."

Sakura blushed before she drank some tea.

"Do you know anything about him other than his name?"

Sakura shook her head. "I was actually on my way to see him and talk to him."

Her grandfather would have ask some more but one of the dama's came rushing to them.

"Is something wrong?" Sakura asked as the dama stopped in front of them as she panted.

"Gomen, Sakura-hime, Jungjin-sama," she bowed respectfully. "But Sasuke-sama was becoming more difficult as the minutes passed by. We asked him to stay on bed and yet he still tried to stand many times and he keeps on creating havoc while yelling about your promise to him…" she explained. "We are all getting scared around him especially when his eyes dilated and the pupils turned blood red."

Jungjin furrowed his brows, "An eyes turning blood-red? Hnn…interesting…" then he started getting up from his chair. "Maybe I should visit him on his quarters, ne?"

"Iie, Jungjin!" Sakura hurried past her grandfather. "I'll see him now then maybe you could just see him later."

"But Sakura, he could be a threat."

Sakura smiled, "He won't be hurting anyone, I assure you, grandfather." She bowed politely before she almost ran towards Sasuke's quarters.

The dama bowed also before she followed Sakura while Jungjin was left with an amuse smile.

00000

Sasuke stopped creating chaos inside the room as he heard the double doors to his room opened then some hurrying steps followed. He calmed a little as he once again saw the pink-haired angel who saved his life. He put down the chair on the floor that he was about to throw outside the ceiling to floor window.

"What's this mess?" Sakura asked in surprise as she saw the room as if a tornado had passed in it. She saw Sasuke standing not too far away to the window, she could see some of his bandaged wounds were bleeding again. "What's up with you?" she asked as she walked towards him.

Sakura stopped a few steps as Sasuke looked at her straight in the eye and she saw his blood-red eyes. Her eyes widened in curiosity and wonderment.

"Scared?" Sasuke taunted.

Sakura pouted before rolling her eyes, "Shush! You never answered any of my questions."

Sasuke walked and stopped right in front of her, their gaze still lock on each other. "Are you scared? You have no idea what my sharingan could do to a person."

Thinking that he would not answer her unless she answered his question, Sakura sighed before speaking. "No."

"Why?" he raised a brow.

Sakura gave a nod to the dama's to let them know that they could leave and she would be alright. The dama's bowed before leaving and closing the door after them.

"Because I saved your life out there, and I could tell that you're not the kind of person who'll hurt or kill someone who just did something good to you." She answered. "I could tell that you're a good person."

Sasuke blush a little before he glared at her.

"And shy too." Sakura laughed.

"You're wrong! I'm not a good person!" he protested.

"In denial I see." She took one of his hands and led him to the bed, they both sat on the edge of the bed facing together. "So, care to answer my question now?"

Sasuke broke eye contact as he looked down in shame, his eyes returning to its onyx color, "I….uhh…you promised that you'll be around when I wake up." His face starting to reddened.

"So, you act like a baby just because you didn't see me? Ohhh…how sweet!" she squealed like a little girl.

"That's not the reason!" he denied as he glared again. "It's just that you're the only person I know here and I didn't saw you when I gained consciousness, I didn't even know where I am."

Sakura smiled as she nodded, "I'm just kidding." Though a little sad at what he said. "So tell me what happened to you? Why are you so beaten up?"

"None of your business."

"I saved you, I have the right to know."

Sasuke stood, "I'm thankful about that, but my problem is none of your concern."

Seeing that he would be stubborn about the whole thing, Sakura decided to press him for answers later, maybe making him feel welcome and at home would make him tell her.

Sakura reached for his hand as she tugged him back to bed, Sasuke didn't object as he let her tug him. "Hmm…how about we attend to your wounds…"

"Why?" he frowned. "They're already bandaged."

"But you made them bleed because of your temper." She smiled, almost patronizingly. "Besides, I'll let them heal for real."

"You could do that?" Sasuke asked in disbelief.

"Hai, but you have to be awake so you could accept the healing faster, that was why the bandages were like temporary healing methods."

Sasuke wordlessly took his bandages off that were covering almost all of his torso and arms. Sakura blushed seeing his naked chest despite the wounds.

"What? Never saw a half-naked guy before?" he mused with a smirk.

Sakura snorted before she became serious. She gathered some healing energy between her enclosed hands before she let her hands roam the injured part of his body. Sasuke watched in amazement as his wounds were healed in a flash, not even leaving any sign that it had been there.

"Whoa, Konoha would give anything to have a medic nin like you." He muttered.

Sakura smiled as her hands traveled to his injured leg. "I don't usually heal anyone personally, the dama's or anyone here in mystic valley could heal any injuries."

"You mean I'm special?" he asked with a hint of a grin.

"Well, in this case since I'm the one who saved you, might as well heal you too."

"Great, my debt kept on piling." He muttered before he squint his eyes in thought. "Wait, did you say mystic valley?"

"Uh-huh."

"Never heard of this place before."

"I would be surprise if you did."

"?"

"Mystic valley is a hidden land. Nobody could see it unless we invite a person here in our land. You could say that it was some kind of mythical land like Mount Olympus." She explained. "For example, It was like our land is just right behind you and yet you could never see it."

"How did I end up here then?"

Sakura shrugged, "It's the fact that you're near-death, maybe the land allowed you to see this place to heal. You see, people with no intention to harm this land could sometimes see its location. Add the fact that wherever you fell was connected with the stream here."

"So, you're saying that you're a fairy or magical being?" Sasuke asked with a frown.

"No. We're still human beings but our race is powerful enough to conceal our land and to heal the wounded." She patted his leg after finishing her healing. "You're good as new. Later the elders would like to see you."

"Hn."

000000000000000000000

to anime59, sukarou, UV Rei, kawaii sasuke, flames of sadness hurt and betrayal thanks for the reviews and for the correction, appreciated it so much. Glad you guys liked this.

Here's next chapter. Onegaishimasu.