[CLOSED Backlog] - Remnants of the Past, Part 2

[steel_mistress]

Character(s): Tenten [Light Blue] and Gaara [Red]
Date: Tenten at age 15, Gaara at age 13; Spring 1655
Setting: Caribbean, Merchant ship owned by Gaara's father
Summary: Heading out on a hunt with an unknown pirate, Shirou leaves his daughter in the care of an old friend where she meets and spends time with Gaara.
Warning(s): PG-13, I guess [They're only 13 and 15 O_o]



Crunching bones echoed in her ear, only a backdrop to the rabbit's soft screams of pain and anguish. They would no doubt haunt her for the rest of their stay in this port and perhaps the rest of her journey in the Caribbean. It was one thing to hear of stories about creatures having their flesh eaten right clean to the bone, having their organs and muscles ripped from limb to limb to satisfy the hunger of another animal. But it was another matter to witness it happening right before your very eyes. The struggle it was putting up in Gaara's grasp and the panic in it's desperation was almost unbearable, and she had to stop herself from turning away for fear of looking too weak in the face of this scene unfolding before her. The thrashing of the water slowly tainted the liquid in a red hue, the carnage of what was happening spilling out as a result, feeding the blood-lust of whatever manner of monster laid underneath the surface of the water. In all her years, she had never seen such a horrific thing in her life. That could have been her.

Ribbons of crimson blood flowed down stream, her head turned and her eyes watched as it was carried away by the current. It was as if nature was making its own efforts to cleanse the world of that one moment of destruction. And thus continued the cycle of life and death, a timeless wheel of events that was both terrible and majestic. Deadly and beautiful. And not once during the whole ordeal did Gaara flinch or seem at all effected by what was happening.

He had saved her life, or at the very least kept her from having to live on as one of the outcasted cripples that were forced to struggle their way through the world. true, her father would have still loved and cared for her as any father would. But she would have been nothing but another burden for him to carry on his back, just as he carried the weight of responsibility for all who were under his trust and guidance. Shirou had done enough for her already. "....You...why?"

"All things die, it is only a matter of when and where." He stepped from the bank he was leaning over, the grave of the creature that only moments ago alive and healthy now not even a scrap of it's meat remained. He moved towards her in a single stride, rabbits head still in hand. "Weakest will die, it is a fact of nature. This was just a demonstration of natures fury against each other." Of course he was speaking from his own experiences, his father was at the top of the food chain leading Gaara to believe he was at the very bottom. The circle of life will continue and he would live on so long as his guardian the dictator over his measly existence felt it not in his right mind to kill his own son.

He took another step tossing what was left of the head back into the pool, the fish flapping about the surface fighting with one another for the last possible scarps of meat, tainting a ring of crimson in the shallow end of the pool, only to be washed away like the rest. "Nature is cruel, so is life and what is handed to us. The weak will die in time, while the strong live on, it's undeniable fact." He huffed raising his chin higher to her, satisfied with his speech, there was no way anyone in their right mind, even a pirate princess would dare to object. And even now staring back into honey eyes, a hint of what was recognizable as fear? Of what he had just done? Maybe.

"It's best if you want to bathe or at least get wet to head to the cliff under the falls." He turned to glance over his shoulder, raising a dirty finger to the water flowing over the top of the rocks, like a curtain of water. Points to where larger rocks had merged out of the side of the hill as the, rush of the fall draped over them in a perfect picture of beauty. But even such beauty had their dangers, cautious is the way to act in these parts as much of the life here hard to distinguish what was alright and what was evil.

Confused, she turned to where he pointed towards the beautiful falls that had first drew her attention to this place, so quaint and peaceful, but nothing more than one layer among several that made up the body of all nature's creations. Nothing was ever what it seemed to be, she should have known that. She was living that truth every day of her pointless life as the daughter of a powerfully respected man. And to the world according to his eyes, she was still a child that needed to be protected at all costs. That was the reason why she had been saved, she supposed. The only reason. Only that could justify Gaara's quick actions. Coming to that conclusion, she was not sure how to feel about it all. Relieved? Offended? ...Weak? And it was that answer that she scorned the most, because what good was spending all those years learning the skills if she was not trusted to use them. And yet, they had been useless.

Her eyes darted to the waterfall once more, sweeping over the easy flow of the water as it washed and crashed against the rocks to make a steady stream of sound to drown out any and all other sounds that would see fit to disturb the harmony of the forest. Nature, as does all things, existed in a balance of forces, working together in order to maintain the course of the world and the universe. And she had to believe that maybe the universe had decided to spare her life this time for a reason, that it saw it fit that Gaara would be the one to exact its will. Tch. Or perhaps she had read too many fairytales in her younger years.

With a sigh, she stood up on the rock and slowly made her way to shore, the rabbit forgotten in its watery grave. In her hand was his book, the book he had dropped the night before when the merchant captain had caught the two of them reciting pages of text from The Iliad, and she handed it over to him as she stepped by, heading toward the rushing water spilling over the cliff face. But even so, there was still one question that lingered in the dark corners of her mind. And so she paused and turned her head just enough to indicate that she was addressing him. "...Why are you here?"

He had eyed her brief inward, but notable struggling thoughts in her facial expressions. Thoughts no doubt of his words trying to decipher a rebuttal to him, as she was very much the posh pirate lords daughter and had to be right about everything, as he had seen from high ranking individuals before. But surprised she handed him the book, he holding both hands out to rest it in his palms and fingers closing over it. The book he had dropped before he was dragged below decks, his lips pressed together unintentional resembling a faint pout at the feel of the rough texture of the surface. His eyes turning with her as she moved gracefully, in a gentle flow like the river, around him. Arching his chin up at the question, and sworn a snarl at her ungrateful mention. Why was he here? To save her pretty little neck. But without fear of the monster at the top of his food chain would some how hear, and instead of finishing the job which Gaara had wished for many times, he would just cause enough pain for the boy to feel the harsh cruelty this world had offered him, his tongue began to spill in a harsh rebuttal.

"Besides saving your neck, great princess of a pirate lord." He mocked in a low tone, following behind her as she walked towards the falls. The misty spray catching in each their hair, casting a light breeze to pass through thin fabric of his dirty cloths, and her beautiful garment that hugged lovely to her form. She was lovely, but he could not help but envy who she was...and What she stood for. Her father was a lord of the eastern seas, he was a free man. To be uncaged in his life was nothing but a passing dream in this life for Gaara, he was a merchants son treated like an animal, he would remain a merchants son until the day he would pass. Whom would die first would be up to the forces God had chosen for them. "I always come here, to bathe since I don't get much of a chance." He stated rather embarrassed, but the fact that his father had baths as often as he liked but the one and only time Gaara had asked was a night he ended up blacking out and forgetting much of what happened after that. "and I read here too. I found this place when we first stopped in Tobago when I was younger. It's where I can be alone and forget."

She would ignore his constant use of the term princess in reference to her; there was nothing that could be done to change his opinions, skewed though they were. That was how he viewed her and in all truthfulness, that was what she was. The daughter of a pirate lord would honor her with certain privileges that others could only dream of, instant courtesy and feigned respect from all those who wished to be in his circle of allies or at the very least friendly acquaintances. But as with all things, the title, for lack of a better term, was a double-edged sword. She would be a prime target for her father's enemies who wished to gain some sort of leeway over his decisions. And she would have his reputation to live up to when Shirou finally passed over to the great ocean that laid beyond the noose that was to strangle them all from this life. Judgments were already being placed on her because of her gender, comparisons had already been made in contrast to her father. Though she was free to live her life as she chose, it would forever be chained to the life her father had lived. And no matter how hard she tried, she would never be able to escape from it, forever bound by blood and name.

She looked over her shoulder at the young boy, his blazing red hair even more fiery in the sunlight while he claimed this place for himself, and stating a logical reason for doing so. When traveling as much as merchants do, there was ever little chance of bathing or managing the level of dirt that clung to one's body after a day of heavy work on a ship. No doubt the swift rush of the water cascading over the edge of the rocks would do well to scrub away the grime that had collected over time. A slow blink was all that she gave him when their eyes met before she turned her back to him once more. "Then I suppose we both had the same idea. Forgive me for intruding, I'll simply come back later."

It was not a suggestion nor a negotiation, fore she was not making either. But she was growing weary of the bickering that they both had chose to perpetuate, at least for the moment, as she was almost certain he was as well. They had both come to this place in search of peace. And so she would at the very least insure that it was achieved for the both of them. There was still more exploring for her to do in any case, never having been here herself, so she resigned herself to doing that while he bathed. She left her shoes there to pick up later when she returned, and stepped out through the underbrush to see what other nugget of nature's treasures she could find. "Forget to your heart's content."

His eyes cast to the side to the slight mist collecting from the falls disappearing into a deep aqua pool. He really hadn't meant to come off in telling her to leave. She must have had her own reasons for being alone, but the young red head as never good with kind words, words in general had not come easy to him in a verbal sense even though he was very well spoken due to the reading he engulfed himself in. He pulled the second book from where it lay tucked in his pants setting it on the bank laced in white sand and huffed, letting the soft gust of hair pass his lips causing a lift of red bans from his forehead.

"No, you can stay, there are far worse creatures on this island than piranha I'm afraid." He followed taking a step on a suspended rock, his first step in climbing the great wall that would lead to his refreshing sanctuary. He paused in his movement turning to face her with his chin tilted down. Which slight hesitation in his bold action his hand extended to her, offering her aid in the climb to follow him. His head tilted in wonder, the thought that she would actually accept the offer and how he would react to it. Or would she shove him away like the rest, to leave him in his loneliness to dwell in his own thoughts until it was time for departure. "Some poisonous enough to stop a man like Boagrius to his death in seconds." referring back to a character at the beginning of the poem the night before they had recited to one another. "serpents, as colorful as they are, deadly." And as much as he would deny to admit to her face, he would not wish such a fate on someone who had stirred a sense of excitement? Or true beauty in those brown eyes of hers. He would plot secretly to keep her near, just to have more time with some one who made him feel.... Like a 13 year old instead of a boy acting beyond his years.

She was unsure of what to say, pausing in her steps just on the outside of the riverbank that connected to the grand wall of water that cascaded over the rock formation. Her head shifted to the side in thought, eyes lowering to mill over the greenery of the grass under her feet, tickling the arch and sprouting out between her toes wherever she stepped before finally turning to regard his mannerism. He looked so sure of his decision with his hand stretched out to her as he did, and for a moment she considered accepting his offer, kind and selfless as it was. She had even took a step towards him before stopping herself from reaching out to take his hand. But she had taken enough from him. First the respect of his merchant father, something she only earned by association. Then it was his words and his only sense of freedom on the ship, resulting in only punishment for wanting to know more than what his father was willing to give. She could not take this from him either. This had been his long before she had ever arrived to the Caribbean, long before she had entered into his life. Thin brows furrowed together, and she sighed in response to his offer. "I'll be careful. I'm sure you would want your privacy while you bathed, Gaara..."

And with that, she took another moment to pause again, more in realization this time as the sounds of nature surround them with its harmonic music. That had been the first time she had mentioned the young boy's name in his presence out of her own free will without cause or reason that did not wrap around the thread of concern or shock, having only mumbled it the night before when he had been so violently dragged below deck to be dealt with and moments before when he had saved her life. "...Being on a ship does not allot much time to yourself. I know how much you must value that."

And there it was, the all too familiarity of rejection spilling from her flawless lips. He crinkled his nose as he glanced down at his dirty hand.... maybe it was because she was so clean that she feared touching him in getting her pretty dress full of filth. Though with each passing word in her voice was like a razor, that had sliced even deeper than any cut or bruise, he felt his chest fill with an unimaginable pain. An odd feeling of an awkward lump in his throat begin to ache, and the water started to force it's way to the surface at the corners of his sockets.

He stared long and hard at the open palm in front of him, wondering briefly if maybe he had brushed some soot from the fine creases she would reconsider. But frustrated with this strange uncomfort in his chest he decided against it, and turned anything thoughts of her being the slightest bit interested in being his... friend?...who would want to, really. He nodded to himself in silence, dropping his eyes to his feet in shame before turning swiftly to continue his climb. A climb that would eventually take him high above into the dim, damp cavern behind the fresh water falls.

The look in his eyes, the way he stared at his empty and outstretched hand seemed almost heartbreaking to watch, because she was watching him and how he responded to her reply. It was as if her answer had...hurt him even more than all the beatings and mistreatment his father had seemed so adamant in giving him because he had found enough strength to come all the way here after the display last night. All the noises that had come from below deck, the ominous quiet that settled afterwards while the crew held her back from going to see how the young boy had faired. Could it be possible that he actually wanted her to...but that was unthinkable. The way he acted around her and the crew, especially where his father was concerned, made it seem as if Gaara welcomed the solitude, to escape the harsh reality that everyone else could bring, just as much as she did while on the deck of her father's own ship. But then there was the other side to that story, the loneliness that would no doubt settle in after long hours of solitude and rejection. That was the reason why she turned to her books so wholly and completely as she did, because they provided a constant companion she could rely on.

Was Gaara in that same situation she had placed herself in? And once more, was he reaching out to perhaps break that cycle for himself and extending that possibility to her? Holding up her hand, she rubbed her fingers together to feel the grit of dirt between the pads of her fingers, lingering traces of when she held on to the cover of his book. It had been worn with use and age, his imprint clear and readable even on the yellowing pages. And now a little bit of it had transferred onto her, like she had been touched by a magic fairy dust of his essence from simply having contact of something that belonged to him. It was symbolic to every person she had ever met in her life, every person that had made a remarkable impression to the timeline of her existence. Gaara was no different.

Lifting her head to the young boy once more, she stepped forward and reached out to him this time, taking a cautious and light hold of his elbow before he climbed out of reach so as not to startle him too much. And she waited for their eyes to meet in a moment of clarity before she spoke. "I would not wish to intrude on your time alone because I know how precious that can be to a person...but if you are really offering..." She hesitated, unsure of how to explain and simply settled on speaking from the heart where all truths resided. "...Let me see what the Caribbean has to offer...show me your world."

He was sure he felt the pit of his stomach drop to his feet at the sudden touch of her fingers gripping around him. It was like a fine threaded rope binding him in place, and her sweet tone like music. His chest lifted slightly from the harsh pain that had pierced through his walls only moments ago. Even feeling a dreamy fogginess to his mind and thoughts as his dark sockets had slid shut or a brief moment as if it clear himself before his tongue began to speak pure dribble. His chest heaved against the warm breeze of the falls, draping over the rocks as it rushed to the pool below, his closed eyes and focusing thoughts picking up the sounds around them in perfect harmony. Could this be what was spoken in 'Dante's Paradiso?' when they speak of a journey to a place of beauty and grace. A world of joy? It was then, he wondered when the harsh reality would finally come crashing down, that she was fibbing like nearly all pirates he had (anyone for that matter) known throughout he years had done to get their way.

He glanced over his shoulder, could she really handle his world? Not only the beauty that scattered his part of the world, but also the sin if it as well. It was a final reaction from the warning argument in his head of friend or foe, he turned just enough to reach with his other hand to grasp around her wrist and tugged her to the rock he was standing with the greatest of ease. Odd, how of a feather she had felt in his arms and how natural he felt leaning against him if even for a moment. He turned his mouth to the side in a pout, as the remark brewed in his head... Eyes turned upward to avoid contact, he was joyed... Perhaps a little too much, but his emotion would forever remained hidden until the proper time.

"You need to eat more, you are far too light." He nodded agreeing with himself, turning to skip to the next rock even higher than the last.

There was honesty in her eyes and a genuine want to explore the beauty of the Caribbean, because she was still too naive to lie about such things in the presence of someone she had only known for a few days. She had gotten a taste of it when she came upon this place, a rare glimpse of nature's elegance amid the harsh reality of man and she only wanted to see more. It reminded her of the places of her ancestral home, in Singapore, in China. It was there that nature and all that it had to offer had been a cherished tradition, something to be respected and cared for. But with the spread of these new worlds and strange people who would wish to only use the land for their own benefits, she had seen such things ripped apart and replaced. And for a moment when she was suspended in the air with only the grip of his hand keeping her from falling, it felt good to know that some treasures were still able to survive.

With a smirk, she ignored his comment on her weight and leaped out to the next rock nearby, shifting her bare foot against the surface to test the mossy overgrowth that coated the edges to see exactly how careful she should be. He was only one among a handful of men she had met to make that same comment though it was of little use because her frame and stature was of a biological make up and not one of her own choosing. As a woman, she would be more petite than the men who lived and worked around her. But despite all that, she was a force to be reckoned with, more than making up for her size with skill and cunning.

Holding out her arms a bit to keep her balance, she jumped forward again, following behind Gaara with every step wondering just where exactly this adventure would take her, him, them.

No words could describe the unbelievable uplift in his heart, not one person on the boy's travels had anyone ever wanted to spend time with him in such a way. It was true he came here alone to think when ever the merchants ship made port to be alone, without the hustle and bustle of people, engulfed in their own self satisfactions. It was true that he came here to avoid further confrontations, to hide from the world he had lived his entire life. But to have someone like her, someone whom knew the importance of the written word to enjoy it as he did was a rare find.

"Sometimes it gets lonely, having someone once and a while isn't a bad thing." He assured her, between labored breaths as he made his way higher and higher, turning occasionally to offer a hand to see if she needed his help. "Besides, I person can go insane with too much silence." He stared down at her, tugging her up to the final rock that would lead them into the damp hollows of a cavern behind the falls. His words were truth, he had not known to what extent it would until his adult years.

He took his first step inside, hearing loud echo ringing through his ears of the water rushing, slapping against the surface of the rocks. The cavern despite being slightly darker than the outside world, was still very much in it's own natural beauty. The different tropical flowers, angling down from the entrance, and scattered throughout, like a curtain of rainbow colors ranging from pink to purple and yellows. Vines of lush green stemmed from everywhere fit for a fairy's dwelling, and the reflection of the sun passing through the clear flow of water casting a shadow leaving much of the small sanctuary visible to the human eye.

"Watch your step." His voice bounced off the walls in a hallow echo. "It's slippery in some parts.

She took his help when it was needed, but most of the journey was made on her own strength and skill, always refusing to portray the weaker role many would expect of her even though she knew he was offering more out of kindness and courtesy than a lack of faith in her ability to keep herself out of danger. What, in all the time she had been with their crew, had she done to prove herself and earn that sort of respect from them? Nothing save a nightly reading from her books with added flare and entertainment for the crew, something of little worth when it came to the pirate career that was to be her inherited legacy. She was more than that. But if not for her father's reputation, she doubted that she would have even been gotten the opportunity of their consideration in the first place. And where would that have taken her then? "I know what you mean..."

His hands were rough when she took them in her grasp, not unlike her own but of a different variety. While hers were sculpted through the practiced use of weaponry and combat, his were molded through years of a hard day's work on the ship, earning his keep alongside the crew like a indentured servant instead of the son of the Captain. And the demanding labor had done well for the muscles in his lithe body, feeling him lift her up with the greatest of ease for the last time as they came upon the entrance to the cave that existed behind the falls, the sound of the water crashing against the rocks below amplified by the hollow curve in the back.

A spray of water misted her hair and skin with tiny droplets as she entered silently, taking in the hidden beauty that laid beyond the elegance of the falls and the dangers of the rocks below should one be careless enough to slip on the mossy edges. And then came the smell from the flowers that carpeted the ground and walls, stealing her breath and leaving her to stand in awe of the mystical and somewhat magical dwelling. "Amazing..."

"Yes," He answered, reaching is hand out under the falls, letting the forceful rush pound against the dirt that and made a home in ever fold and crease of his skin. “Utopia..." The last word came out more of a shy whisper to himself, turning his eyes upward to the ceiling of the cavern, laced with green vines extending in an artistic twist of contrast against the darker walls. Rubbing his fingers together before pulling a clean hand back out. He paused a moment shifting a gaze to her from the corner of his eye.

Her eyes wide in amazement, the delicate lift of her hair as it swirled around her like a draping curtain swaying in the light breeze. The daughter of a pirate lord, what did it mean exactly to them to take on such a life of dishonesty, blood, booze and riches. But to look upon a man of great power as her father was, Gaara could not help but want to dig into the meaning of a pirates life further. He would look for books the next time he is in Trinidad, hopefully he would be able to slip past the book keeper again without detection.

He hesitated a minute his hand shaking reaching behind his back punching the fabric of his off white shirt, a natural reaction as he had done it many times before without the presents of anyone around to visually pray upon his bare skin. But she had known regardless, anyone whom worked on the ship knew so there was not much point in hiding it. With a swift tug the shirt pealed off and tossed to a dry rock. Wincing slightly at the sticking fabric of the dry blood that had linked the two together, opened the wounds once more. He pressed his lips together, embarrassed to show her pretty almond shaped eyes such things, he half wondered when she turned to see him would she turn away in disgust? Laugh at the scraps and bruises of his weaknesses?

Everything seemed to sparkle and shine with the light refracting against the crystal clear water of the falls that fell in sheets over the lip of the rocks to cover the mouth of the cave paradise and stand as a sort of fourth wall. Small rainbowed-tainted beams decorated the walls to further add to the elegance of the scene before her eyes. The fast rush created a soft breeze where the wind otherwise would not have been able to reach beyond the barrier of water, rustling the light fabric of her dress and giving a gentle sway to every vine, petal, and stem preserved within this bubble of beauty. Truly this was an untold paradise hidden from the world and created for only those brave enough to risk all in order to stand a witness to it.

She knelt down in a bed of flowers, and caressed the vibrant garden of colors in the petals, feeling the softness. She leaned in to smell the sweetness of their nectar, closing her eyes to better envision the life that they had lived in secret in this once forgotten patch of wonderment. So much like her own life, she noted. Always hidden behind a veil of secrecy, they were kept from the harsh dangers of the world by the falls, like a protective father looking after his charges. But in that one act, they were also cut off from the grand adventure that the outer world would have to offer, forever trapped and allowed to be seen by a selected few.

It was then as she turned to pose a question to the young boy that she saw him pull off thick fabric of his shirt to reveal the harsh imperfections of the night before that were hidden underneath. Her eyes widened just a fraction in shock at the scars and welts, but she kept any verbal reaction to herself, only allowing a small and soundless gasp to escape past her lips at the sight. His skin was riddled with deep red cuts and scrapes, some still bleeding or reopened from the movements he had made in taking off his shirt she supposed. She had seen enough blood and injuries in her lifetime fore it was she who tended to the injured men on her father's ship, being well versed in the healing arts from her time in China (tea and herbs held great healing properties as well as served to make a tasty refreshment for weary travelers). But never in one quite so young and so undeserving.

She reached out a hand as if to touch those marks, and perhaps offer to help heal them, but quickly pulled away. And for the briefest of moments, earthy brown eyes locked with the hard gaze of jaded stone before she pulled away, not out of discuss but for his sake of privacy. "I'm sorry...I shouldn't stare..."

He stood in awe of her, hardly even noting the way she was moving slowly towards him with a stunned look in those beautiful eyes of hers. She looked like a angel in the garden of Eden, or so he had read in a few different stories of such things. The bible was one considering it was the main source of reading for the crew, possibly the only book they knew of enough to pick out words here and there. Gaara had read through the book himself, finding it interesting in the section of revelations and the second coming of the son of God. Another myth, a story to entertain the hopes of man in their afterlife another way of controlling their minds with fear of a higher power.

He tilted his head to stare blankly at her words for a moment, thinking of how to answer. After all many of the crew knew of what went on, seeing much to the damage to his outside shell and spirit from within. But, Gaara just figured he'd deserved whatever was handed, it was his fathers way of showing he cared? Wasn't it? He had read of different kinds of love maybe this was just it's own type that has not been written about.

"Well," He shrugged "It doesn't hurt all that much. They will be gone in a few days, although bones take a little longer... I can usually heal quite fast." He assured her. He mouth pouted to the side in thought. "How long does it take for you to recover after you get struck?" It was a rather innocent question, almost naive and childish of him. But he'd honestly figured if he was going through such trauma because his father loved and wanted him to becoming stronger, a better seaman... He could only imagine what Tenten had to go through being a pirates daughter and all. But the look of her glowing skin, soft looking and pale to the reflection of the sun passing through a wall of water, she looked as through she had never been touched by man in a violent way, even looking as if never fallen and scrapped a knee while playing. This making the small red head all the more confused.

He looked so small, or perhaps it was just a new perspective of Gaara that made him look a bit more diminished than before. The way he responded to her reaction was so innocent and casual, as if the whole of his back weren't ripped to shreds and left to heal on its own with no medicine or aid to help it heal faster. Blood still beaded out from his wound, reopened when he had moved to strip off his shirt, she supposed as she eyed the dried crimson blots on his shirt. And for him to talk about it so nonchalantly as he did only told of the frequency that these incidents occurred. Only one accustomed to routine found no fault in the actions.

The question that had been lingering on her lips died at the sight of it, and a new one came swooping in to take it's place. "But...how could that not hurt?"

She took a cautious step forward and held out her hand to him once more, slow so as not to alarm him and giving the young boy every chance to move away if he did not wish for her to touch him. Pausing once again, she looked into his watching eyes one last time before letting her fingers lightly brush, barely touching along the tattered skin of his back. Her brows furrowed when she felt the bumps and welts that covered the expanse of it, and slid over the new blood slowly collecting on the surface to replace the scabs that had been ripped off with his shirt.

He paused himself a moment in thought to her question, mauling it over in his head. He had nearly forgot she was even there he was so lost in how to answer. It did hurt, small needled of pain tingling through each wound as the blood ooze to the surface in self heal. The bruises a dull ache even as her delicate fingers brushed over his back he had found himself flinching against the non threatening touch. His frame shivering slightly, nervous but willing to allow her to explore his pain as she pleased.

"You learn to block out pain after awhile." He stated idly, with the slightest of quiver in his voice, still very much unsure still flashes in his mind of the events that would happen if they were found at this very second. "like I said, it will be gone in a few days and it will look as though I had not been touched. The only thing he had given me that scared my body pertinently was..." He stopped in mid sentence before drawing his fingers to graze over the course skin above his left eye. "Is this. Now that was painful." He followed trying to sound a little more light hearted, but failing miserably.

The stray strands of her hair fluttered wavered about her face, dancing to the gust of wind from the falls they knelt beside, behind in this hidden world that was just a small piece of paradise in the middle of all the chaotic reality that they lived in. And even despite the wonder and magic of its beauty seemed untainted, a little bit of the world had still managed to leak through the barrier of water and rock. The frown on her face was noticeable, though she was not sure if he was looking because her eyes were trained solely on his back. She did not even turn to look when he indicated the scar on his forehead, because indeed it was the only mark that she had seen on his body until now. Ribbons of red and pink streaked across his marred skin with the simple touch of her fingers.

Something snapped in her head in that moment, deepening the frown and furrowing her brows even further. And wordlessly she reached for the hem of her light, flowing dress and began to rip off a substantial amount of fabric from the bottom while still keeping enough to keep her looking modest. Folding it up in her hand, she reached out into the falls to soak up the makeshift rag, settling herself on her knees before carefully dabbing the wet cloth to his skin to wash away the blood and clean his wounds.

His ears perked to the sound of ripping fabric, watching as her hand extended to dampen the self made cloth. His eyes widened in almost panic, completely oblivious until the feel of the coolness had refreshed his sore skin. It was the first time a woman had tended his wounds, in fact, the first time anyone had in such an intimate way. The sailors had tended to him, just in bring food and water when the boy was unable to move for himself at times. But nothing had prepared the boy for something of a feminine, gentle touch. It was far different than the brutal hands upon him for most of his childhood.

He curled into a ball, his arms wrapping tightly around his legs his back arching to her hands fluttering gracefully over his flesh like a butterfly. "Tenten?..." He questioned in a more solid tone, a quiet voice. The smug arrogance of the young man had melted with a simple kind gesture, something that he rarely experienced. Feeling the comfort of her presents, to be in the grace of her aura.. To feel cared for?...Was Being a pirate nothing like what he had read in books... Was it wrong?

"What's it like to be a pirate?"

Her hand paused a moment to mull over his question before the resumed with their careful work. Every so often she had to wring out the moisture from the rag and wash it clean of the blood before continuing with her careful work. The skin looked a bit better without the blood marks splotched here and there around his opened wounds. And she could tell that a good amount of healing had already begun from the night before, though still not enough save him from her concern, though his curious question was enough to distract her from it for a moment.

Was she really the right person to answer that for him? Her life had been somewhat sheltered compared to a great many others who had grown up in the profession because of her position as a Pirate Lord's daughter. The respect that he demanded and the power that he held over all who sailed the South China Sea had assured that she would not have to face dangers without a gang of men at her back that would follow his command to protect her. But that only meant that she had had to work harder to gain their respects as well. She was viewed like one of those pampered gentile women of the nobility, only among a much lower class of citizens, and with less of the finery and without the strict social codes that had bound the rest of her sex into submission.

"It...really depends on your experience if you want to be honest." She reached deep into her memory of the past six years when she had first arrived in Singapore, weeks after that tragic night when she had left her own mother in fate's hands. Cold and alone, she had went to the only place she knew there would be help. And she had nearly died getting there. But she was a survivor, just as all pirates had to be in order to live such a life of danger and adventure, skirting of the line of life and death on a daily basis, fighting from being brought to the gallows to be hung for their crimes against a society that had no place for them. "It's hard most of the time from what I've experienced, finding the means to stay alive when there's no treasure to sustain you and the Royal Navy is constantly nipping at your heels."

And then, at a fond memory, her lips quirked up in a gentle smile. "But with the freedom that comes with such a life...I'd say it's worth it."

His thoughts seemed lost in the song of her voice, to listen to such words were all to familiar. A pirates life was not that much different that his own, he was the pirate his father the navy. But the men that engulfed themselves in such a life had something that he did not.

"Freedom...." He repeated after, his deep tone fell to a whisper of thoughts to be carried away with the sound of the elegant rushing water, and brushed to the side with the gentle sweep of her hand nursing the wounds that had already began to heal. To be free? From pain? From hiding in fear? What would that be like? And in this thoughts he envied the pirate life, it was in that moment his decision was made.

To be a pirate was to be free, and one day knowing this when all said and done, no longer in the grasp of the one he feared he would give up this life of solitude and spread his wings like a butterfly breaking from it's cocoon. The rising excitement at the mental image of himself standing next to the great pirate lord, her father with his hands on his hips and a boyish smile across his face.

"I've read stories about pirates." Forgetting completely of her kind gesture of cleaning his battered skin he leaped to his feet, jumping to the side grasping a near by stick holding it as a sword. He held it as he had been taught but the members of the crew, mainly when his father was passed out in slumber or attention being diverted from the young man by a whore. "furious fights adventure and buried treasures" He stabbed the air in a forceful thrust. "Riches beyond your wildest dreams. And the feel if the salt air in your face with not a care but what lay between you and the open sea."

Fingers remained clasped around the rag, hovering in the air where she had been tending to his cuts, she watched him from where she knelt, finding it hardly possible to keep the small smirk from forming at her lips. Such delusions in his excitement, believing that the life she lived was all glamour and excitement, endless adventure and wondrous hunts for treasure around the world. But that was only one part of the story. There were much darker aspects that were kept out of the books, simply because they were untold truths that none dare to say aloud. "Stories and real life are two completely different creatures."

"Yes, there are treasures and there are battles, adventures beyond your wildest imaginations to places you thought you could only see in your dreams." Slowly, she stood from her spot and in a few small steps stood in front of him, gripping the stick in his hand and gently lowering it to level with the curve of her hip. Still the wet cloth was in her hand, dripping with the pink tinted liquid that was a deluded concoction of his blood at the water from the falls, like so many rags she had used, like so many wounds that she had cleaned. The men of her father's crew had faced death many times, and always she had been the one to pick up the broken pieces, saved those that could be saved and brought comfort to those who could not. "But there are two sides to every story, just as there is in real life. People die daily living such a life. It is just as much a game of luck and chance as it is a game of skill and cunning."

His expression turned from an excited one to a soft frown, her hand lowering the stick so she could step forward closer. He shifted from one bare foot to the other as pale eyes followed her every move. Ears flickering to her every word, wondering if she had any clue as to what his life and the life of the crew he had stood next to through blood sweat and tears.

"I don't fear death, but I am unable to live life. I think it is good to live a life without fear of death to truly experience what it has to offer." He nodded once, dropping the stick from his hand letting it fall to the floor in a hallow thump echoing through the cavern with a bounce. He did not fear death because he himself had stared Satan in the face more times than he could count, finding their often meetings enjoyable as the demon laughed an inward bellow of eerie death. The boy was strong and stubborn, his soul was already broken with the exception the written words seemed to protect him like a shell.

"I will become a great pirate someday." but he feared even saying the final part, if only in his stories, his dreams he would become well known throughout the Caribbean as a gracious pirate as her father was. But the boys personality tenancies had already marked him for the type of man he will grow to be, even as he refused to believe he would never become the merchant in the flesh reborn. He stepped from the rock back to where the water draped the rocks, leaving her to stand staring at the empty spot where he once stood. "Maybe you will hear of me again." With that he dipped his head under the rushing falls, his fingers racking through crimson strands getting the dirt and soot that had collected over time, cleaning himself from the dry blood that had stuck in an uncomfortable scabbing layer.

Shining brown eyes followed drifted off in thought while she listened to his words, his ambitions, goals she knew he would achieve once he set his mind to the idea. Gaara held the hearts of his father's men. Their loyalty and devotion to him was great from what she had seen of them in the few days she had been a guest on their ship. But she had seen a great many characters turn dark under the influence of the life, good intentions slowly bleeding into a necessity and eventually corrupting into greed. To see such a spirit as his become just that, and knowing what it could do to a man...she worried of what would become of him should he choose that path.

She glanced at the rag in her hand and decidedly tossed it over the side, down the falls to let it drift in current and wash up on the riverbank. And for a moment, her eyes could see nothing else but the swift moving droplets of water cascading down the rock face in a curtain of rainbowed beauty, her thoughts wrapping and coiling around his words until a soft response came pouring out of her lips. "It's not a matter of fearing death, everyone does no matter what they say. It's something inevitable, unstoppable, so fearing it would be a waste of a life." Carefully she reached out her hand to touch the sheet of liquid crystals, watching it pour through her fingers and wash away the lingering traces of blood from the cloth. "Everyone dies eventually, even the great Immortals of the ancient Greek legends."

Her eyes swept to where he stood, cleansing himself of the dirt that had collected from the hard work of maintaining a ship out at sea. "But everything comes at a price. Every day you are hunted, always fearing that one day they'll catch you and put you back into the cage that will surely be the end of you...all because those that wish to chain you back into your place believe your ideals to be strange, rebellious, and thus wrong. Can you live such a life, Gaara?"

"Yes" He agreed sure and immediately, knowing this life he lived was far from the one he wished it to be. Wanting to be free to do as he please, to walk in the open without shame. But would he really have the self strength to do such a thing? "Anything is better than this." He remarked calmly frantically washing the dirt from his hair pulling away allowing the drops of water flow over his face, down his cheeks to his chest. Next sticking his foot in one after the other washing away the long days work on the merchant ship like it was nothing but a layer of thin dust.

"Maybe someday." turning to her with a playful tug at the corner of his mouth, Tenten looked far too dry to be standing and talking behind a cavern blanketed in water... Far too indeed. As with one long stride carrying his small frame behind her, his nose pointed to the bare skin of her shoulder allowing the cool drops from the tips of his red hair to fall, in a cool relief from the stifling hot weather. In a light hearted move his wet arms found snaking around her dry cloths pulling her into a rather gentle hug, obviously it was a attempt to gave her squirm away from the water, not once passing his mind that it would have been him she would try and escape. It was odd, but bold move as he had never acted this way around anyone, the crew had known him to be quiet and a book worm. But she made him open up, to explore this unknown that was hidden. She must have been something to be able to unfold the boys personality, to break down walls of complete solitude to welcome her? As a friend? Or would she really think of him this way, just another servant under the great pirate lord. He shook his head at an attempted to catch himself again, withdrawing his arms slowly from around her in a quiet plea of 'please don't tell him...'

"I'm sorry... I just.."

"...Maybe..." His voice was light, and maybe even...hopeful, something she was glad to hear in him. He was still a child in her eyes (and so was she for that matter), yet his life had seemed far from the sort that would allow a young boy to simply be that, to run around and play, enjoy life with the innocence that only children held in their naivety. She knew nothing about Gaara, even after all these days she had spent in his company, on this ship that was captained by his father. But she could see enough of his life in the way the young boy behaved and acted, so reserved and closed into himself as if to let that part go free would mean death or something far worse, something she had only caught a glimpse of last night. His father had been teeming with alcohol in his blood, stumbling on deck in the midst of something so innocent as reciting text from a great epic, stories to tell at sea and pass the time. But the man's reaction had been so...unthinkable, unimaginable. For Gaara to suffer a lifetime under the man's thumb, 13 years of torment...

And still he could manage to smile like that, faint as it was. And she could not help but return the sentiment and smile back. It was the first she had seen from him that was neither sneering nor condescending. Not a single trace of a sarcastic smirk in his expression, but a genuine outward show of...happiness? Hope? Could he truly possess such ideals with the life that he lead now with the goals that he had set for himself? Perhaps. It was not an impossible feat, not with the following that he had with the merchant crew. After all, a strong leader is in need of good support, those he could trust.

Amid her musings, she had lost all focus on her surroundings and suddenly found herself encased in a gentle hug, pale arms wrapping around her so carefully that she hardly even started from the unexpected touch. The beads of water that still clung to his skin, she felt seep through the thin fabric of her tattering dress, the warmth of his body radiating to her as well as if to balance out the icy chill that the water brought. No one...had ever touched her in such a tender way save for her father and a select few of his crew that she had known since she was a very young child in China, barely able to walk but still filled with wonder at the adventurous tales they would tell by lantern light. And then in an instant, it was gone, replaced by some mumbled apology whispering past his lips.

"It's...ok...there's nothing to apologize for..." She offered him another smile in wake of the gentleness of her voice.

He pressed his lips together as if to stop the uncontrollable happiness swelling in the core of his chest, or so he thought having never felt such a thing before. He shrugged passing his now clean hand through the water, turning his eyes upward to catch a glimpse of the sun falling in over the wide vast horizon of the sea beyond the forest. Their time together was growing short, the departure time was approaching faster than he had liked and he would once again be reduced to the quiet little ship mouse his father had created for his own amusement.

Pulling his hand from the water his open palm flexing his fingers into a fist and the back out. One day this would be his world, he would hold it in his hand to control by his own will, he will be free like the pirates in his stories even though she had unintentionally dampened the life that would present an escape. He turned to her with his hairless eye brows knitted together before speaking in his returning quiet voice.

"We should get back, they will leave soon."

She reached out her hand as well, though it was to admire how the liquid curtain flowed over the skin of her fingers instead, streams of water sliding down her arm to the elbow. "Yeah...I guess we should..."

With a sigh, she glanced at her surroundings, at the beautiful buds and flowers that littered the ground and walls of the small and hidden alcove behind the waterfalls, petals fluttering and swirling around them from the strong gust of wind from the fast rushing falls that protected this garden from the elements. Such a shame to leave it now, the day seeming to have ticked by them so quickly, a majority of their time spent...simply talking, of all things. It was certainly an unexpected turn of events, spending the afternoon with the young boy, perhaps learning a little more of him along the way. But as all things do, they must come to an end.

One last glance around, a shuffle of her feet against the mossy undergrowth that crept out and around the rainbowed cave, she brushed her fingers along the soft curve of a flower petal, leaned in for a final smell of its sweet scent before making to depart, only stopping to turn to the merchant's son with a thoughtful and faint smile. "...Thank you for showing me this..."

"If you ever come back... we can come again." He followed with a satisfied nod, following behind with the pair of boots under his arm, the shirt being replace to cover the mess of his skin. It all seemed to melt away the moment he stepped out into the evening sun disappearing at a rapid pace over the distance. Taking deep breath of salt air before he would have to go back, back to where things like this place, times like the ones he had spent with her today would all be pushed to the side, kept hidden in his memory for a later date. A time when all hope would be sucked from his pathetic world curled up in his bed of hay below decks where there was nothing left but his own thoughts keeping him alive. This memory would save him, of that he was sure. Maybe he would not become what he had willingly shared, but it is not a bad thing to allow ones imagination to wander from reality...sometimes.

Each step brought them closer to the hard ground once again, turning on occasion to help her his rough hands reaching around her small waist lifting her from rock to rock until both were safe on the solid earth below. A swift glance around him for the old books he had left in the grass he had not gotten around to opening to the pages as he normally had when visiting this island, instead he had far more important and interesting things to tend. He glanced at the young woman behind him a brief passing at the thought with the uplifting feeling tingled through his body before continuing his search.

"My books are gone..." He followed as the expression in his face dropped to a frown, eyes widened as pale iris contracted with panic. Dropping his boots from his arms he searched before turning back to her. "Did you take them before we went up?" There was a hint of a growl in his voice. "Give them back! It's all I have with me!"

He seemed to lift her with ease despite his size, a tell-tale story of the kind of work he was accustomed to doing on the ship alongside his father's crew. And perhaps it was also a mental comment of how he viewed her, helpless and unable to climb down the slippery rocks herself without aid. Under normal circumstances she would have taken offense and rebutted his beliefs with a swift kick to the male anatomy that would have all of the island cringing at the pain. She would not be underestimated again, not after all the work she had put into learning the necessary skills to survive on her own these past six years while sailing with her father and his men. But with Gaara so distant from other people and the openness she had seemed to gain after their afternoon together, she did not want to spoil that. And so she let it slide, ignoring the unspoken and perhaps unintended insult for the sake of...whatever it was that they had managed to establish in one afternoon.

It had felt good to spend some time with another that did not make her skin crawl with disgust, as was the feeling his father brought when he would occasionally request for her presence during a meal or when the crew seemed busy with their daily work. He had called it a 'privileged honor' for her, but one he was more than willing to grant to the daughter to the Dragon of the East, Pirate Lord of the South China Seas. She had been loathed to accept the invitations, straining to make up excuses to decline. A queasy stomach, a mild headache. There were even several occasions that she simply stated that she was not hungry, starving through the day for as long as she could until food could not be denied any longer. It was not that she was afraid of his presence, but the man held an aura that troubled her. For some reason, she felt that he would mean to do her harm should the opportunity present itself, his wandering eyes always roaming the curves of her still not yet womanly features. She shivered at the thought, and was quickly brought out of her mental torment with a call of Gaara's voice, breaking through the muck.

"Excuse me?" Thin brows furrowed together with a look of anger mixed with confusion. The unintentional insults she could overlook, but she could not ignore the false accusation he was throwing at her. "I do not have your books. If you recall, I gave the one I had back to you."

"You and I are the only ones here! And I put them in the grass!... I am not stupid Tenten, I remember things better than you think." He scoffed, his tongue uncontrolled to the words spilling from his lips. No it wasn't Tenten, but his emotions were getting to him, his books were his only form of escape and they were the only ones he had managed to slip by his father for this two week voyage, and now... There was nothing. It didn't matter who or what, there was always something dragging the boys spirit deeper and deeper into the darkness of his own mind. A mind that was already far too corrupt under the surface to free from a life time of pain and loneliness... And made it clear when cold pupiless orbs, glossed over in icy stare of sheer resentment. That uncomfortable swelling in his throat again as the hard glare nearly piercing through those earth tainted orbs if hers.

He turned from her in a sudden shift, walking from her in complete and utter frustrations. His fists clenched so tightly the whites of his knuckles nearly glowing against his already pale skin. His jaw clenched hard biting his tongue, she was his princess after all Gaara's life was very much hers as it was his fathers. "FINE KEEP THEM! Not like you don't have EVERYTHING else already." He scrawled again, grumbling reaching for his boots and sprinting off leaving her behind. "I hope the coral snakes don't bite the little princess."