Sleep, Dream, Weep
By Rikku9314
Lay down your sweet and weary head
Night is falling...you have come to journey's end.
She lay on the grass, the once green stems stained and wet from her blood. Her fingers clawed the blades, so different from the ones that were taking her life. No, these blades were soft and gentle with the freshness of spring, not hard and steely like the ones she worked with every day, her specialty, and her downfall. Each breath brought her closer to a promising rest. It was only a matter of time, she thought. Only a little while longer...and then she would be free. No more tears, no more suffering...just night. Her vision began blurring, colors mingling together into a mesh of hues and shadows. She was shaking involuntarily, each shiver causing sharp splinters in her chest. The metallic liquid poured from her mouth and nose onto her already crimson clothes. Aching lungs begged for reprieve as the same red fluid slowly drowned her from the inside.
Sleep now, and dream of the ones who came before.
They are calling from across a distant shore.
One last breath, one last smile, one last sigh and she slipped into tranquil slumber. Lighter, softer, she seemed to float above the battle strewn clearing, towards the sun that promised warmth. She could see below, far below. She could see the twisted form of the Rain ninja that lay breathless, the one that she had felled seconds before her injuries had overtaken her. She could see her own battered and bloody body a few feet away, lying on its back, empty eyes staring at the nothingness above her. Miles above the battleground, she could see each individual blade of grass bend as a white figure rushed towards her corpse. Who is that?
Why do you weep? What are these tears upon your face?
Soon you will see all of your fears will pass away.
Fresh salty liquid poured from the distraught man's lavender eyes, the angel saw. His face, crumpled and white like a used sheet, stared down at her corpse which he held in his shaking arms. Why does the man weep? I've not gone...I'm right here. Her brow furrowed in confusion as she tried to figure out the cause of the young boy's distress. What are these tears upon his face? Doesn't he see...that I am free? She blinked two bright honey-auburn eyes before realization struck her. He cries for himself, not I...
Safe in my arms, you're only sleeping.
What can you see, on the horizon?
His eyes were beginning to sore from the tears that flowed freely, creating salty rivers on his face. His once ivory shirt was now tainted with blood, though not his own. No, his blood still coursed through his veins, not freely and openly to create a pool at the bottom of his feet like hers was. Cold, still, silent she lay in his arms. You're safe now...I have you...no one will hurt you anymore. I've got you... His body shook from the wretched sobs that wracked his entire body. Thinking of her smile, her determination, her friendliness and honest nature, the crying subsided. She had always been there. Always encouraged him, always kept him safe. Now, there was no one for him to take sanctuary in. You're gone...gone...gone... And the tears began anew. Smiling, he stroked her cheek and hair. I wonder, is it better there? Where you are? High above the clouds? I wonder, what can you see? Can you see me? High above the clouds?
Across the sea, a pale moon rises.
The ships have come, to carry you home.
He had sat there for hours...or had it only been minutes? Seconds, days, months? Losing track of time had not dulled him. Cradling her broken form in his weakening arms only seemed to give him comfort. Morning turned to afternoon. Pastel tones of violet, red and orange faded to a bright blue and yellow. The sun shone brightly through a break in the clouds, beams accenting his rocking form. Afternoon turned to night and the bright blue and yellow mingled into darkening oranges, violets, and reds before finally fading into a deep royal blue. The sun sleeping, the moon awakening, a chalky orb rose above him, washing both him and her in an ethereal light that seemed to almost alleviate his pain. For the first time after finding her, he looked overhead. The clouds parted, revealing the speckled white blanket that watched over him. The stars have come...they'll take her home.
Hope fades into the world of night.
Through shadows falling out of memory and time.
Too late...too late...too late to save her. He began rocking her again, humming a song she had sung they'd first met. It had been summer then, as it was now. The night deepened and the blue darkened into black. Shadows fell upon the clearing, only a fraction of it lit only by the soft pastel of the moon, her visage haloed in its light. Her face was a contrast to the way she had fought...fierce and proud during battle, beauty betraying the skill within. Memories would haunt him. He was her lion and she his lioness. Beauty in both, talent all in one, incomplete without each other. For she...had always supported him. And he...would never have the chance to repay it. Gone...gone...gone...He began rocking again.
Don't say we have come now to the end.
White shores are calling. You and I will meet again.
Don't worry...it's not over. We have not yet met an end. She floated down gently, softy, tenderly before him. He had not noticed her, nor would he. Never would he see her blemish free figure, one that would never age as her earthly body would have. She was free...free from time's slow decay. Never would he see her softened face haloed in a tender heavenly light, never see the purity of her gown that flowed about her, billowing though there was no wind to stir them. Never would he see her wings glittering, each shimmer glistening about her in a cascade of softly falling diamonds. Never would he see her...never again... I have to go now...but don't worry. We will meet again someday...when they call you home too. And so the angel faded...for now.
And you'll be here in my arms, just sleeping.
Sleeping...hush little one, don't you cry...I'll sing you a lullaby. The tears had stopped long ago, his body long dried out. Light was coming, night almost over. The black had already faded to dark blue, the blue lightening to soft pastels. Violet, red, orange. Had it been a day? Two? Three? Just awhile longer...I won't leave you yet...I'll stay awhile longer...You're sleeping...I'll protect you. And so he stayed 'til morning's light enveloped them. Stroking her face one last time, stroking her hair one last time, he memorized ever part of her. She would not always stay like this. He had to remember, had to remember every strand, every speck on her body, before she disappeared. He had to remember her as she had been before...before the steel had damaged her, before the blood had begun to spill. He had to remember when she had smiled, when she had looked at him through her eyes that gave off a hint of brightness, even during the saddest times. Eyes that had given him hope. Eyes now empty. Sleeping...
All souls pass.
Years had gone. A decade...two...four...six. His body had begun wilting after the fifth, wilting like an old rose. But no...it had been years ago...since she had left him that he'd begun to decay. Even he had known...even he had known he had begun to fade. Time passed...and now it was his turn. Sleeping... He faded. Lighter, softer, he floated high, high above. He could see far below him, could see his aged body lying on the hospital bed, a flurry of activity around him as they tried in vain to revive him. But no, they could not. For he wanted to go. He knew what awaited him. He stopped on the clouds, his wings spreading out behind him, his pale eyes fixed on only one thing: a white figure in front of him. The ivory robe fluttered around the slim form, the wings surrounded by a cloud of dancing glitter. She turned slowly to meet him. Chestnut eyes met his pale violet eyes. The figure smiled. Tenten.
Hello Neji. I've been waiting.