:P:P:P:P:P::P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P Nekomi stared at the fire she had started upon entering the cave. After a few minutes her eyes began to grow heavy. She had used up most of the energy she had recovered after the accident healing the boy. She would need to sleep soon. Her head nodded, but she jerked it back up. It would get cold if the fire went out and the blonde boy was still wet. He would catch cold. She didn't want to have to go through and heal him again. Healing took too much energy.
Outside the cave...
Gaara stood, looking in the direction of the cave, trying to make up his mind. Finally he shivered and started walking. When he stepped foot inside the cave, he paused. There was the other boy laying on the floor and the woman was sitting, but slumped. Was she asleep? He walked closer and jumped as she spoke "I am awake. I see you decided to join me."
Gaara didn't answer. After a few minutes of silence, he noticed her fall forward. He caught her with his sand and lowered her to the ground. He frowned as he went over to her and bent down. She was alive. He smiled, then frowned again. She was the only one who wasn't afraid of him, who didn't hate him. Why?
A few minutes after dawn the next morning...
Nekomi looked around confused. Where was she? Then she remembered, the cave. She looked around. The blonde boy was still sleeping and the red haired one was looking at her. She saw the fire was smoldering. She asked "Have you kept that going all night?"
He nodded "I don't sleep."
Nekomi thought this strange, not sleep? Then she took a closer look at him. Those marks around his eyes and now she noticed marks about the other boy's face as well. She had suspicions as to who they were, but she would ask them, once they were both awake. Then she heard the other boy yawn. He sat up. Nekomi rose to a standing position. "It looks like we're all awake now."
The six year old blonde boy looked at her "Did you save me?"
Nekomi nodded.
Naruto asked "Why?"
Nekomi said "I couldn't let you die."
Naruto cried "Why?! Why do you care?" Nekomi could see the question echoed on the other boy's face as well as the look of confusion.
She brushed off her hands on her skirt and sat down on a rock. She said "I believe introductions are in order, now that we're all awake. My name is Nekomi. What are yours?"
Gaara and Naruto looked at each other.
Nekomi said "You first" She gestured at Naruto.
He said "I'm Naruto...Uzumaki Naruto..." He looked down, then up to catch her reaction. It was obvious he thought it would be negative.
Nekomi thought 'So, this is the boy the Kyubbi was sealed into from Konoha. I thought so.' "That's a fine name."
He looked at her in shock. He said "That's it? How come you don't hate me now?"
Nekomi frowned, sadly, she had heard of this boy's life.. He was treated as if he was the nine-tailed fox reincarnated. She studied him. No, he was just a sad little boy. She looked at the other one.
"And you?"
He didn't answer. Naruto sniffed. Nekomi said "Let's move out of this cave. It's stopped raining for a bit." They went outside. Nekomi looked at the partly cloudy sky and wondered at it. An omen perhaps? Then she felt herself being raised up and crushed by sand. She looked at the boy.
Gaara cried "I am Gaara and I am a monster! I don't know why you're being nice to me, but you're scared of me like everyone else! See!" He squeezed it tigher in empasis.
Nekomi shook her head, with a sad smile "Gaara, I thought that was you. There are few other red heads outside of my clan." She coughed as the sand squeezed tighter.
Gaara was very confused. She didn't hate him, she didn't fear him. Why?! He couldn't understand it. He cried "Why aren't you afraid? You could die!"
Nekomi said "I do not fear death" She said this simply, and in a calm tone.
Gaara looked at her in astonishment and took this for bravery. The truth was that Nekomi did not fear death because she would have welcomed it. She woud be reunited with her family. Gaara released her.
Nekomi coughed. She healed her cracked ribs. Then she sat, looking at Gaara. "Why did you stop, Gaara?"
Tears were in the boy's eyes "Because you're not like the others!"
Nekomi nodded and looked at the other boy, who looked scared. "Tell me your story, Naruto. How did you come to be here?"
Naruto said "It was the anniversary of the defeat of the Kyubbi and I didn't want to go into town, but I was hungry..." He sniffed.
Nekomi asked "Why did you not want to go into town, Naruto? Didn't you live there?"
Naruto sniffed "Not since they kicked me out of the orphanage, really. I haven't had anywhere to stay and...I didn't want to go into town because..." He looked down.
Nekomi asked softly, "Why, Naruto?"
Naruto sniffed again "Because they beat me worse then. They always beat me."
Nekomi frowned "Continue."
He said "When I got there, I found a bowl of Ramen... but there were villagers and they found me and made me run and I ran and ran until I couldn't run anymore and then..." He sniffed "It really hurt right here." He put his hand on his chest. "Then the next thing I remember is waking up in the cave."
Nekomi scowled. There was no excuse for treating the child this way. If the child truly was the Kyubbi, there would be a lot of dead villagers. But no, the boy took it, took beatings. She noticed him flinch.
She said "I'm not scowling at you. I'm mad at them. You shouldn't have been treated like that. You're not a monster." Nekomi frowned at something else. She realized that she was forming maternal bonds with these boys disturbingly fast. She was becoming attached. The thought was broken up when Gaara walked closer to her.
She shook her head, deciding to ignore it and said "Tell me what happened to you, Gaara."
Gaara said "Father sent Yashamaru to kill me. He drove me here." He sniffed, looking like he was about to start crying again.
Nekomi asked softly "Who is Yashamaru?"
Gaara sniffed "He was the only one to ever be nice to me." He cried "But he hated me too and you're going to hate me!"
Nekomi's heart panged, but for the boy this time. She said "No, I won't."
He looked at her. She could see him battling with himself over whether he should trust her. These boys. They had been treated so harshly, for no reason. They had had no one to stick up for them. No real family, in Naruto's case, none at all. Nekomi frowned.
Naruto asked "What do we do now?"
He looked at her, hopefully. Nekomi saw Gaara look at her too. She thought 'one of their first bonds of trust. I cannot break it. I'll just take care of them until someone comes for them...' She had to convince herself of this. There must have been at least one person...the possibility that they had lived without anyone to love their whole lives hurt too much.
She said "I don't know. I suppose we should get something to eat."
Naruto asked "Where do you live?"
Nekomi's face saddened. "I no longer have a home."
Naruto asked "Do you have a family?"
Nekomi grasped her chest with her hand and looked down, pained "No. I am alone."
Naruto said "Like me." Nekomi looked up.
Gaara said "And me. Are you hurt?" He looked at her hand on her chest, worried.
Nekomi smiled a sad smile as she sat on the grass. She said "My body is not injured, but I hurt."
Gaara looked at her and put his hand on his own chest "Me too."
Naruto sniffed "So do I."
Compassion flooded Nekomi. Tears filled her own cheeks. Young ones should not have to suffer so. She said "Listen. This is a song I learned when I was young." The boys looked at her. She said "Come, sit." They sat closer to her. She pulled them into her lap.
She sang "Oh, it was spring as I was walking in the orchard and a curious thing i saw."
Naruto asked "What did you see?"
Nekomi smiled and continued "I saw a baby bluebird learning how to fly." She paused, seeing they were paying attention.
"So I stopped and took a look."
Naruto asked "What happened?"
Nekomi smiled and continued "The baby bird looked around, took a hop and got knocked down."
"From the tree?" Nekomi nodded.
Gaara asked "Was it ok?"
Nekomi said "That is something you will have to answer yourself, as you grow." They turned around to look at her.
Gaara asked "Are you going to run away?"
Nekomi frowned, slightly for a moment, then said "No," with a smile smile. That was the defining moment that changed all of their lives, for at that moment Nekomi decided that she would stay with these boys and protect them with everything she had. She'd never abandon them. As long as she lived, they would never be alone again.
:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P So, tell me what you think, guys? Still going good so far? Suggestions are welcome as always. Jiao.