Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Just Simple Curiosity ❯ Am I Dreaming ( Chapter 23 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

A/N: So sorry!! I’m not dead just busy as hell. I have two jobs, go to school, and have a kid so that leaves precious little time for writing. Not to mention that my computer has been down since today! I hope all that follow this fic will forgive me as I’ve probably caused a lot of waiting. Sumimasen, for all the trouble. BTW I thought to get this chapter out as soon as possible so I didn’t proofread as well as I usually do. So forgive any mistakes and enjoy!

Dragon Lord, AlphaBeta, Gaara Freak: Thank you all so much for your reviews! It’s what’s helped me to keep writing this fic. Lol for all those out there who didn’t review thank you for at least reading, that was nice too!

A/N: Anywho without further delay here’s the next chapter! And once again sorry for the wait!


When Sereku woke up he found the house wrapped in total silence. Wondering how long he’d been asleep he rubbed a hand over his face and sat up. He was pleased to note that the headache that had plagued him enough to go to sleep in the first place was gone, but then he was slightly irritated to discover that the reason behind the headache was not yet gone. Just what the hell was he supposed to do about it he demanded from his still foggy brain.
When the beginnings of a fresh headache began making his presence known Sereku willed all unsettling thoughts from his mind. Clearly it was detrimental to his health to worry over things he didn’t know anything about he decided.

Pushing himself out of bed he went to his closet and dug out some fresh clothes. A hot shower and something to eat, Sereku thought and all detrimental thoughts would easily be banished forever. Honestly he said to himself as he made his way to his bathroom, you’d think I actually gave a dame about what these people were doing. I’m part of the fighting force and an unwanted member of the team he soothed his conscience as he started up the water. Yeah things that have nothing to do with me are better left alone he reaffirmed as he adjusted the water to his desired temperature and then stepped back to strip. After a hot ten minute shower, getting dressed, and attending to the few odds and ends of personal grooming he had to do were complete Sereku picked up his dirty clothing and put it away.

Stepping out of his room he turned to walk down the hall, trying to be deathly silent just in case everyone was asleep. As he passed Aya’s door however, he heard something soft from behind his depths. Curious he stopped, leaning an ear against the solid wood door and letting his exceptional hearing do the rest for him. Withing moments the soft sounds beyond the door convinced im that Aya was crying. He froze as he realized what he was hearing before slowly backing away from the door. Ok maybe he was wrong he thought suddenly. Why the hell would she be in her room crying anyway, especially when he got the impression she was a tough as nail’s badass.

Maybe that’s what she wants everyone to think Sereku’s brain whispered to him stealthily. Taking a deep breath e reached for the handle of the door before he caught himself with both a mental and a physical shake. Was he loosing his damn mind? Aya was dangerous, sad or not. Not to mention she probably didn’t want anyone to know about this. Hell if he was smart he would just turn away from the door, go downstairs, get something to eat, and just pretend he had never heard anything.

Thinking this was probably the best course of action Sereku did just that. He turned away and took a few steps down the hall. Then he heard it, a muffled scream so full of fear, anger, and sadness that Sereku found himself turning around before he even knew what he was doing. Even when his fingers descended on the doorknob he tried to pull back, trying to stop himself. It wasn’t his business, it wasn’t his problem, and he knew Aya probably wouldn’t want his help.

Just as he had convinced himself there was nothing e could of should do he heard something from beyond the door that figuratively tore his heart out of his chest. He turned the knob and was in the room and halfway to Aya’s bed before he could stop himself. But stop he did looking at the woman as she thrashed around in her sleep. Sereku inched closer to see the smudges of red on her cheeks. He knew they were caused by the tears that he could still see pouring freely from her squeezed lids. She looked so fragile in sleep he thought as he moved closer to her, like a child rather than the full grown woman she was.

Aya screamed in her sleep chased by the specter she herself had slain to save her friends. She saved them all in her dream, even Neji. But even as she looked at his face, smiling, she knew it wasn’t real. Turning as she had so many other times when she had the dream she spoke calmly with her back facing him.

“Neji you’re dead,” she whispered as a sob escaped her. The dream she knew, would continue as it always did and nothing her pain-filled heart could do would stop it. No matter ow much she cried, no matter how much she screamed at Neji not to touch her, that he was dead, and for him to go away nothing worked. As the dream apparition grabbed her and hugged her tightly to him, thanking her for saving him Aya felt something inside herself began to break.

She sobbed brokenly, unable to push Neji away anymore but still unable to forgive herself and hug him back. That would mean she had accepted that he was gone and that it wasn’t her fault. Oh she knew he was dead, she had accepted that a long time ago. But she didn’t yet except the fat that it wasn’t her fault. After all she’d been able to save everyone else...just not him.

The dream changed as Aya knew it would; as it always did in the end. Neji stepped back from her, his eyes cold, dead, and blind as he reached for her.

“Aya, Aya what’s happening to me?” He screamed as he stumbled forward trying to find her. Aya sobbed even louder, knowing she was giving away her position but unable to stop herself as Neji screamed for her. She watched as he crumbled before her eyes, his flesh sloughing to the ground as the once youthful body before her fell apart. Still he came for her, dragging himself in any means possible as he called for Aya and all she could do was sob and scream, wishing she could make herself get away.

Just as Sereku approached Aya’s side he heard her sobs become more broken, more heart-wrenching. Then he heard her scream! The blood-curddling sound rose up from Aya’s throat and burst free into her pillow. Thank god her head was down or the chilling sound might have woken the entire house Sereku thought. Then he wondered seconds later why that would exactly be such a bad thing. I mean if they were in here he thought, he wouldn’t have to be. Yeah he continued to himself, maybe if I just turn around and find Christie or one of the others I won’t have to do this. Since he was halfway across the room Sereku decided it wouldn’t be too much of a hardship if he just turned around. Wouldn’t want to know I’ve witnessed this anyway he reminded himself as he turned to go.

Sereku had taken no more than two steps back toward the door when he heard the next chilling scream. The sound had him whirling around and making for the bed. Feelings be damned on either side he decided, he couldn’t hear one more of those screams. If he did leave her, he was sure he’d be the one having the damn nightmares. Within three steps he was sitting beside Aya on the bed, shaking her shoulder gently.

“Aya, Aya wake up,” he said soothingly. Be pretty stupid to frighten her out of the dream he thought with amusement. When she didn’t wake up Sereku shook her again just a little more firmly. Frowning Sereku watched as Aya slept on, still trapped in her nightmare world that still had strangled screams trying to escape from lips pressed firmly together. Wondering why he couldn’t wake her Sereku began to shake Aya harder, shouting for her to wake up. Still nothing he thought frantically. What the hell was wrong that a simple shake of the shoulder couldn’t wake her up.

Running out of options Sereku did the only thing he could. He lifted the sleeping Aya into his arms and carried her naked form to the bathroom. As he turned on her shower to cold, balancing her slight weight easily in one arm he thought it was amusing as hell that the one time her being bare didn’t embarrass him she was out cold. Of course the mere fact that he hadn’t noticed her and questioned it made him notice her.

Should have just let well enough alone he thought disgruntled as he juggled Aya’s limp form from arm to arm and stripped off his pants. See if we were back in the days where people went around naked I could have already woken her up for or five times by now Sereku told himself. Just as he was about to call the whole thing off and go and get Christie or maybe Sakura Aya wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. Surprised Sereku held the sobbing woman to him, feeling just a little nervous at how she buried her face against his neck. He stopped feeling nervous however as she continued sobbing on him while he was still trying to get his shirt off. Deciding that Aya would have to let go for a second Sereku tried to loosen her arms around his neck. This however only made Aya cling tighter to him.

After he struggled with Aya for another few minutes he gave up and just stepped into the ice spray with her in his arms and his shirt still half on. Aya woke up with a start and Sereku clamped a hand over her mouth before she could scream. When Aya realized where she was and who held her she sat in Sereku’s arm stiffly, while her red-rimmed eyes stared at him a little angrily.

Sereku removed his hand from Aya’s mouth when he felt her stiffen, he looked at the anger in her eyes but under that he also saw gratitude. Well at least she’s thankful if only slightly he thought as he reached forward carefully and adjusted the temperature of the water to warm instead of ice. After the water’s temperature was suitable for both of them Sereku looked down at Aya. He saw embarrassment, hurt, sadness, and a great many other things in her eyes as he continued to hold her under the spray. Deciding he should say something, Sereku wondered just what the hell it was he was supposed to say. Clearing his throat he opened his mouth and reminded himself to say something useful and not hurtful.

“Are you ok?” He asked Aya softly, wishing he could kick his own ass for that stupid question. I mean come on she’d been screaming and crying in her sleep. How the hell was that ok he wanted to know. Still it surprised him when Aya turned and looked at him with tears in her eyes. Great I thought I agreed not to be hurtful he thought as he turned off the water and carefully carried Aya out of the shower. Carrying her to the bedroom door he stopped and grabbed a bath sheet from the linen closet and wrapped Aya up. Ignoring himself for the moment he continued to carry Aya to her bed. Still with her in his arms and wrapped in the towel Sereku sat down as gently as possible and cradled the still silently weeping woman in his arms.

Great now she was crying again and it was all his fault somehow he knew. Just how the hell was a man supposed to figure out what was wrong with a woman when she wouldn’t even fucking talk to him he wanted to know. At the rage and helplessness building in him Sereku reigned in his emotions sharply and took a deep steadying breath. Whoa there he told himself firmly, it wasn’t as if he had a vested interest or anything. He was just helping out his leader. Yeah that was it he was helping out his leader he repeated to himself more firmly while a small voice in the back of his mind that he had never heard before whispered coward into his mind. He was not a coward he said ruthlessly to that little voice, he was just being nice and nothing more. When the little voice whispered liar after that he stopped himself before he could berate it again. Honestly, sitting here scolding himself while Aya shivered in his arms.

Maybe I’ve finally lost my mind and this is all some crazy ass dream he decided suddenly. After all Aya wouldn’t let him hold her while she shivered. Hell she probably wouldn’t let him live after he’d just witnessed one of her most private moments. That cemented it for him, Sereku decided, he was actually dreaming. Well with that solved Sereku decided it was time to end this little insanity before it got any worse. He moved to lay Aya on the bed but the minute he lifted her to set her down she wiggled an arm free and wrapped it around his neck. He had seconds to wonder if she meant him harm or not when the ability to think was shocked the hell out of him. Aya gripped him tightly her nails digging lightly into he back of Sereku’s shoulder as she clung to him. She was still crying but now there were words to go with the tears Sereku noted. He leaned his ear closer to her mouth to hear what she said only to straighten up again seconds later and look at the bundle in his arms confused.

“Please don’t leave me, please, please, don’t leave me,” Aya whispered over and over as she clutched at Sereku one armed. She cried harder so that the request became a sob and the words mere broken and shaky forms of themselves. Sereku looked down at the top of Aya’s head still confused and not a little shocked. He still wanted to believe he was dreaming but the bite of Aya’s nails in his shoulder convinced him this was reality. And if it was reality, Sereku knew he couldn’t just sit her lifeless while she pleaded and cried. Sighing he gathered her closer to him and laid his head on her cheek while rubbing the smooth skin of her bare back in small, soothing circles. Think of something he demanded of himself as he continued to soothe the woman.

“Look I’m just gonna lay you down and go get Christie ok,” Sereku said once again making to lay Aya down on her bed once more.
“No, NO,” She screamed wiggling her other arm free of the towel and wrapping her other arm around his neck as well. “No, no, please don’t leave me!” Aya half shrieked the last part and that was what had Sereku clutching her back and rocking gently to soothe her.

“Ok, ok, look I’m right here,” he soothed while wondering, briefly if her nails were going to draw or had they already drawn blood where they now gripped both his shoulders. His curiosity however took a back seat to the fact that he noticed Aya was now starting to quiet a little. He noticed her eyes close and felt her nails loosen lightly in their hold on his skin. Ok now maybe he could lay her down and flee the damn room, or house, or hell the country while she slept. Well at least he could do something about the headache that was forming just at the base of his head and behind his eyes.

As the pain pounded his emotionally destroyed brain he once more leaned down to try to lay Aya down by herself. The minute her head hit the pillow however her nails dug firmly back into his shoulders and her eyes popped open lookin wild with fear. That did it Sereku decided. He knew how much of a pain in the ass Aya was but he’d always noted surety, confidence, amusement, or even cynicism in her strange eyes. Never he recalled had he seen them full of fear, wild or otherwise. He was he realized well and truly worried about Aya. Knowing that he couldn’t leave her, even if it was just to run to her bathroom to find some aspirin Sereku sighed once more.

I’m turning into a regular Byronic heero he thought with slight amusement as he shifted Aya in his arms and pulled the covers that were mostly pulled back already even further down the bed. If he couldn’t have aspirin he mused as he snuggled Aya’s body closer to his and she settled down, he would use the only other way he knew to cure a bitch of a headache. Once they’d both settled and after Sereku had wrapped his arms firmly around Aya’s lithe body which was still mostly covered by the bath sheet he watched as she fell asleep. When he was sure she wasn’t going to wake up again, he too closed his eyes and fell asleep.



A/N: Yeah I know you hate, loathe, and despise me. But it’s not my fault really, I have two jobs now and school. One job actually gives me computer access but little time to use it so I’ve been writing this chapter in pieces. Lol thank god for jumpsticks! Anywho if you aren’t completely angry with me maybe you’ll review?! I hope so because this fic is finally drawing to a close. A couple more chapters maybe and it just might be finished. Maybe! Lol well I hope you review and thanks for staying to see me actually finish a full-blown fic!