Suna no Mugetsu Re-ku

Forgotten Memories

"Lord Kazekage, you really should eat something."

"I'm not hungry."

"Lord Rasa..."

"I said I'm not hungry." The person in question lay on the ground with his arms over his eyes, and he tried remembering whatever he forgot this time. A flicker of a visual memory made his thought process stop as he remembered a particular red haired child. "His smile. It's just like hers." The man let out a sigh, and sat up and looked at the Shinobi who spoke to him. "How do you decide a child's worth?"

"This question again?"

Rasa closed his eyes as the frustration from the other man became all to obvious. The fourth Kazekage pulled one leg up so he could lean on said leg. "Yes, that question again."

"Lord Kazekage, do you at least remember that you shouldn't use your magnet release in this place." The other person was quick to change the subject, as if there were a reason to avoid the subject.

The man looked up, and opened his eyes. "The use of my magnet release powers has the effect of causing nausea, and painful headaches, but it also makes me loose my memories. Did I use my powers again?"

"Yes." The other man gave Rasa a look of worry. "That's why you should eat something, even though you're likely feeling some form of nausea. It will help you recover from the fatigue faster."

"The question..." Rasa looked at the ground. "The question I asked is important."

"The answer I gave you the last time you did not like."

"Just spit it out."

"In our society they only type of child that is useful as a Shinobi is one which can be used as a pawn."

The forth Kazekage felt his hands clench, and he bit down on his lip. "This doesn't sound the right answer. What was the answer Sarutobi gave me? He always talked about the way of fire, and remained cryptic, the old geezer. Not that I was very upfront with him with why I was asking the question. I was a fool really not to be more specific." Rasa refused to look the man in the eye. "What happens to a child whose not able to be used as a pawn, or even be a Shinobi."

"They die. In our society they die."

Rasa let his eyes snapped shut. "That is not the answer I want. Gaara is worthless to me dead, and the death of that child is actually of detrimental value. I know this, but I can't justify my reasoning. I've not figured out some physical worth that gives weight to what I know is true." A calloused hand reached up to rub the back of his neck. His throat felt dry, and he couldn't make out the reason why he felt so frustrated.

One of the other Shinobi came over. "Lord Rasa?" When his head darted up to look at the man, the forth Kazekage saw the worry in his face, and his tense facial muscles relaxed slightly. "You know as well as I that children in our society die because they're weak. Sometimes it is because the child dies in battle, but other times it's because said child doesn't have enough food, or isn't protected from the elements like they should be. Some children simply can't thrive, let alone survive."

A deep breath escaped Rasa's mouth. "If that's the case, why not place them into a situation where they could thrive." The man's eyes sparked with a bit of animosity for some strange reason, but then softened almost in the same manner a guardian's would for a child under their care, which in turn irritated Rasa slightly. "Not that they can't help it. I've lost a good deal of my memories due to this accursed place whenever I use my powers, and some I've lost multiple times. They've got to step lightly around me, and not say the wrong thing."

"You know full well that wasn't an option with your youngest child, as there are circumstances which prevent you from simply giving him away to a loving family." A look of sadness washed over the man's face. "I wonder if things would be different if that had been possible."

"Politics..." Rasa hated them. "I'm going for a walk." The man stood up, but then realized one of the men was missing. "Wait, where is..."

"Despite his injuries, we think he managed to get to the other side, and was able to go get help. You helped in that matter, which is why your memories are shaky like they are again."

"Did he have enough supplies?" Rasa rubbed the back of his neck. "Never mind. What grows down here is nasty. I'm going to go for that walk."

"But Lord Rasa..."

"Don't worry. I'll stick to the inner circle. It's only the outer circle that we need to worry about." The man started walking out of the room into the maze, and a man hurried after him.

"Still, Lord Rasa, when your memory goes you don't always remember the paths we've mapped out, so one of us needs to go with you at all times."

Rasa instead ignored the man, and tried focusing on the fact he wished he could grip onto the memories, but something else told him that he didn't wish to remember. He placed his hands behind his head in annoyance, wondering if his men would actually keep him around if it weren't for the fact his powers were useful against the creature that roamed the outer circle as they'd come to call the area. He stopped short as he and the person in question rounded the corner, and caught sight of another Shinobi of Suna.

"Except he's not one of my men..."

The man next to him reacted quickly, and kunai were thrown at the man pinning him to the wall. Rasa blinked a couple of times, noting that the man had a look of fear across his entire face upon seeing him. Rasa stepped forward, his arms moving to cross his chest. "You look like you've seen a ghost." These words made the corner of the man's mouth twitch. "How did you get here?"

"Lord Gaara, we came with him."

Rasa's eyes widened, and a sinking feeling hit the pit of his stomach. "Gaara? My son is six years old, and he's here?" The man's teeth ground together, and he grabbed the man slightly so his clothing tore away from the kunai which pinned him to the wall. "Where is Yashamaru? When I get my hands on him, I'm going to kill him for being irresponsible enough to bring a child here. Seriously..."

"Lord Rasa... you already killed Yashamaru." The man's words made the forth Kazekage stop speaking, and the sinking feeling worsened. "He's been dead for eight, nine years now."

"Eight or nine... we've been gone that long?" Rasa's eyes darted in the direction that the man came from, which was towards the outer circle.

The man swallowed as Rasa minds whirled. "Lord Rasa, is it possible you're being effect by the same thing Lord Gaara is being effected by?"

"How is that even possible?" The Shinobi who traveled with Rasa spoke up. "None of the Lord Kazekage's children inherited his kekkei genkai. So..."

Rasa swallowed. "We learned of the kekkei genkai through studying Shukaku. Thus it stands to reason..." His eyes continued to look in the direction the man came from. "Gaara has my kekkei genkai, and it's being used twenty-four seven." The man's head darted back to the Shinobi who followed him. "I need you to go back and prepare that concoction we discovered that prevented me from using my kekkei genkai."

The forth Kazekage started towards the outer circle. "Lord Rasa, the outer circle is in that direction."

"So's Gaara. I'm going after him, and I'm going to need some of that medicine for him. Take this fool with you." Rasa turned on his heals quickly, and ignored the appeals of the Shinobi pinned to the wall to wait. His steps quickened as he headed in the direction the man came from, not knowing what to expect. He turned a few corners, and caught sight of two figures in the torch lit hall ways.

The one standing up he recognized as Baki. The man stood against the wall, and had his eyes on the other person, a young red haired Shinobi. Rasa's eyes widened upon seeing the youth, and relief washed over him when he realized the boy was safe. "Gaara?"

Baki and Gaara's heads shot up at the sound of Rasa's voice, and the man quickly noticed the fear appearing in the eyes of the two. Baki's jaw dropped, and it looked like the man was breaking out in a cold sweat. The look of fear in Gaara's eyes sent a shudder down Rasa's spine. "Why? Why is he afraid of me, his own father." The memory attached to the thought came back then. "Because you tried to kill him, because things got out of hand. His worth..."

Gaara's reaction was quicker then Baki's, and the boy stood up, and used a movement to get away. Baki's head turned as Gaara took off. "Lord Gaara, stop!"

Rasa stepped forward to go after Gaara, but to his surprise Baki stepped into his path, and took the stance indicating he planned on using his wind blade. "What are you doing Baki?"

"Apologies Lord Kazekage, but my loyalties to you are trumped by the promise I made to Lord Gaara to protect him from you with my life."

"So I did do things in the past that made Gaara fear me. But still..." Rasa narrowed his eyes. "There isn't time for this Baki. Either you choose to deal with the danger in front of you, or you deal with the danger that Gaara's running to right now." The man stepped forward as Baki's stance wavered, and Rasa moved to deliver a blow to the man's chest knocking the air out of him. "Personally I'm far more concerned with Gaara tangling with that thing."