Chapter 15

"Yeah orange mask", she repeated with an odd look on her face. "Did you see him too?" she asked me, surprise filling her tone.

There were many doubts in my mind telling me that I was overreacting. It probably wasn't the same guy, not even close, but something about those dreams of Lilly bother me. What if they were warnings? Could they really be signs of danger?!

It struck me that her description of the guy was quite similar to the one I had spotted outside of Rini's room not too long ago. "How do you know you were dreaming?" I asked her with concern. It was quite obvious that the feeling of being awake and being asleep are completely different. At times, you are able to differentiate between these two feelings, while others, you can't. Slowly, my mind wished for her to say she was asleep and dreaming. It was hard for me to believe that it could be the same guy.

"Well,", she began slowly, placing her finger on her chin as she contemplated upon her memories, "The first couple of times he came into my dreams, I panicked. He told me that I shouldn't scream because no one will hear me. So then I really wanted to scream even more, but then the whole room changed. We went to all of these different places and I didn't even have to move! I asked him if he was a fairy. He nodded and told me not to tell anyone about him", she added with a smile. "That's when I knew I was dreaming for sure."

There wasn't much that I could do other than nod to her comment. It was quite clear that she was surely asleep and dreaming, but how come I still can't settle this unnerving feeling that was welling tremendously within me. A brief sigh of frustration exited my lips. "Please continue."

She returned to reclaim her seat beside me. Her eyes looked into mine and I watched them as they sparkled. It may have been because of the tears that were within them, but I thought it was more for the sudden time we were spending together. I hadn't noticed how beautiful Lilly has become. Her lips were crimson red, her hair was golden honey, and her face was brighter than the surface of the moon. She shone with enough beauty and grace that forced me to feel unneeded. She has become an outstanding adult, clever and strong, and I felt quite proud of her. Then I smiled at her and she returned mine with a tender one before she decided to continue. "He warned of things like 'If you don't leave then your family will be torn' and 'No matter what happens, you must avoid summer'", her eyes fell on me in concern. "What do you think that means?"

Thinking hard on what she said, I was beginning to feel a bit concerned. I wasn't the type who believed in dreams, however, this dream was far more concerning than any other I had ever experienced. Once I noticed Lilly's gaze still upon me, I answered, "It's probably nothing. It's already summer in the Sand Village and you and me both know that we will never leave each other's side."

"But maybe he was trying to warn me about Kiki hurting you. Maybe he is trying to tell me to protect you from her or something bad would happen!" Now she was frustrated with a distressed ache evident in her eyes. The concern in her words hit me hard. It wounded me with every pain filled word she uttered. I knew she was worried about my wellbeing, however, I didn't want her to worry.

Every time I hear the sound of my death on people's lips, I felt a pound in my heart. A quick throb in its core that left me feeling pale and dead. It was hard to show strength when on the inside I was nothing more than a shivering pup.

The warning signs around me only continued to grow and I felt myself shrink. Then, as if giving into them all, I felt as if I would have allow the silent hand of death to come and carry me away when the time had come.

I cleared my throat before speaking to prevent my voice from breaking or croaking. "Trust me Lilly, nothing will happen to me." I was trying to reassure her, but at the same time I was trying quite hard to reassure myself. It felt like I was lying to us both, but there wasn't much I could do. I had to keep us moving forward. There was no way I was going to leave this village and this life. It was far too great to give it all up to try and get on my feet alone. "Let's go to sleep." I told her.

Without awaiting a reply, I headed to my bed and entered its coverings. They remained soft and silky smooth, coating the surface of my skin momentarily in a cool feeling, but once the covers warmed from the heat of my skin, it embraced my body tightly, warming it up.

It seemed that Lilly returned to her bed as well. It was hard for me to believe that she wasn't going to protest, but I was sort of glad for that.

After a few minutes of utter silence, I knew that she wasn't going to slumber. I could hear her sob quietly in her covers, but I decided to let her be. Then I shut my eyes to try and sleep this terrified feeling away.

The next morning, the sun rose bright and early. Everything thus far appeared beaming and joyous as I cuddled deeper into my covers, closing my eyes for an extra minute or two of sleep. All was at peace when I felt a gentle nudge on my shoulder.

"Hm?", I hummed as I tried to return to sleep.

"Dominique", I heard Lilly whisper, "Um, it's ten o'clock."

At first, it only struck me as a number, but seconds later, the actual meaning of that number hit me hard. "Ten!" I couldn't help by yell in surprise. Quickly, I yanked my covers off of my warmed body then rushed out of bed into the bathroom. "I'm late! So late!" I couldn't help but tell myself in fright. My heart was pounding hard in my chest and throbbing loudly in my head. For a moment, I felt very faint, unsteady and unable to breath. I washed my face quickly with water and pulled my hair up then hurried out to get dressed.

As I was getting dressed, I noticed Lilly sitting on her bed, innocently watching me. After my gaze remained on her for a solid five seconds, she averted her's sheepishly as if she was hiding something. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I knew something was wrong. Placing my clothes on then my socks and shoes, I began to head for the door.

This felt odd. Usually when I left to work, Lilly wasn't home... she was in school!

I turned to her. "Don't you have school today?" I asked her suspiciously.

"No", she replied simply, still avoiding my eyes.

"Yes you do. Usually you're not here when I go to work", I noted to her with a confidence.

"I have tutoring, but I'm not going!" She spoke with complete seriousness.

"Yes, you are!" I demanded as I placed both of my hands on my hips. Noticing that she was dressed, I realized that she must have some other plans. "Why are you dressed?" I decided to ask.

"Because I'm going to work with you."

A sigh escaped my lips. "Lilly, please go to your tutoring session."

She shook her head side to side before standing up and leaving.

"Lilly!" I called to her as I hurried out the door to follow. I dashed after her until I caught up. "What are you doing?!"

"You're late as it is, do you seriously want to argue right now and get there later?" she asked as she walked even faster. I couldn't stop her and she was completely right.

All I could do was remain silent as we walked toward the kitchen. My heart began to speed the closer we got. "Oh! I really don't want to go in there!" I said aloud, itching the goosebumps that formed on my skin. I was sure I was in big trouble.

"I'm here with you", Lilly tried to comfort me.

I gave her a small smile, but when we entered, it vanished quickly. Everyone's eyes fell upon us. And once my lord's eyes took notice of me, I bowed my head quickly, with my face red in shame. "I'm sorry my lord. I must have overslept and I woke only moments ago. I came as quick as I could." All of my masters were around the table and all of their stares were on us. Everything was silent and nerve wrecking.

Once I heard my Lord's chair screech, I flinched and closed my eyes tightly. I felt a little shaky and on the verge of tears, but I remained unmoved awaiting his voice to speak to me in disappointment.

"Dominique", I heard his voice closer than I had expected. "You have delayed our breakfast which delayed the rest of our daily activities."

"I'm sorry", I mumbled.

"Gaara", I heard Master Kankuro's voice call in concern. He was attempting to save me, but it didn't matter. The final decision was my lord's. "Go easy on her, she didn't mean it. It was an accident. You know she won't do it again."

"Kankuro", Madam Temari spoke to her brother, "Stay out of this. Gaara could handle this on his own."

"I won't!", he yelled back to her.

"I'm not mad", my lord's voice was directed toward them then back at me, "Look at me." I was hesitant, but I looked at him. His face was graceful and calm. He gave me a small smile, but I was afraid to return it. I bet he could see the tears on the border of my eyes. "We work a little later on Sundays, but I do except you to be on time everyday."

My eyes widened. "Do you... forgive me?"

I heard Master Kankuro chuckle. "Gaara won't hurt you or your feelings. He can't handle it. He could be soft sometimes... and intimidated." Intimidated? Did I miss something?

Lord Gaara observed Master Kankuro from the corner of his eye. It seemed that he disapproved of what Master Kankuro had said about him, but then let it go. "I'm not going to take the assessment on the first scheduled time. It's going to be delayed until after the wedding and that's final."

"Gaara, you shouldn't keep doubting yourself", Madam Temari entered the conversation, "You know all of the books cover to cover. You could take the test and ace it right now!"

"Temari", Lord Gaara turn to look at his sister, "I will take the test when I feel ready to take the test."

"Then that day will never come!" Kankuro burst. "Why are you so stubborn? You and I both know that Temari's right!"

The tension in the room grew tremendously once the silence came then the room felt hot. Lord Gaara decided not to answer his siblings then looked at Lilly.

"Why aren't you in your tutoring session?"

Lilly was startled by the sudden change for I saw her jump a little, gazing at Lord Gaara with widened eyes. It appeared that she was a bit baffled and tongue tied as he demanded an answer from her.

"Um..." She appeared to have forgotten her words. "I..." She struggled to remember what to say. When she gazed at my Lord's eyes, she played with her fingers then spoke quietly, "I wanted to spend more time with my sister", she explained, "I don't see her as much anymore and when I do, she would be very tired from her day at work and I would be tired from being in school and studying." She sighed then continued loudly, "All I want is more time to spend with her! I'm the reason that she came late to serve you today! It was because I kept her up all night talking with me!" A tear fell from her face then, not too long after, many more followed.

"Lilly..." I mumbled in shock.

Her gaze fell upon me then I felt enslaved with guilt. "You feel so distant... ", she spoke to me innocently with a quivering small voice.

"Lilly." My lord walked up to her. "If you wanted more time to be with your sister then why didn't you come to me?"

She looked away. "Everyone has high expectations of me. I can't handle it all! I'm stressed and tired and I feel like quitting, but I don't. It's all because everyone speaks of how 'great' I'm doing and to keep up the 'good work'. I felt like it would be too much to ask for a simple thing like that. Like I was wasting my time with my little desires. But then I realized something... I had learned my alphabet, I know how to write it, my name, your name, Dominique's name, and everybody else's name in this room, as well as being able to read elementary books and write my own sentences. And now I had enough!"

It was very impressive how much she had learned in such a short amount of time. It seemed impossible for me to comprehend the work load and dedication she put into all of that. In a way, I felt like I looked up to Lilly as an ideal. She's an outstanding girl with great achievements. I remained in silence, amazed by her words when I remembered who she was addressing. "Lilly! Watch your tone!" I demanded from her quickly trying hard not to hurt her emotions.

"No, Dominique", Lord Gaara spoke to me, "She's right. I have overworked her and gave so little in return." He crossed his arms then looked a bit guilty as he gazed up at the ceiling contemplating on what to do, "How about... every morning and dinner, you come and join your sister for a bite?"

She looked at him in an upset expression, "Only one bite?" she inquired innocently then he laughed gently.

"As many as you desire."

A grand smile appeared on her face then she ran up to him and hugged him. Master Kankuro and Madam Temari appeared a bit surprised as they jumped out of their seats with open mouths, but when my lord returned the hug, they settled back down.

"Thank you so much!" she yelled happily.

"But next time, don't let your tutor wait for you like this. She needs to know that you won't be joining her."

"Yes sir!" She released him of her bear hug.

"You may return to your position", he noted quickly.

I headed to Lilly, wiped her tears then hugged her. "You're a tough one", I told her with a bit of fear crawling on the tops of my skin. A grin spread on her lips and I knew everything was fine. Not too long after, we headed into the kitchen.

Once everyone was seated around the table, it didn't take too long for Lord Gaara to call for my attendance before him. Hana, who had a lot on her mind, was prepared to burst into a list of complaints when she watched my sudden expression of fear. But I didn't give her enough time to ask questions for I exited the kitchen in a hurry. I thought we were done with this!

The fast race of my heart was plentiful and weary as it grew louder with every step I advanced toward him. My head ached from the throb that echoed within it, pounding hard against the borders of my skull, however I tried to hide my fear. Failing miserably.

"Yes sir?" I asked him with a shaky voice as I closed my eyes and bowed my head slightly in respect. Could it be that I am in trouble again? I didn't do anything wrong this time, did I?

"Dominique", his voice was soft and soothing. Slowly, I felt my worries melt away. "I had received a request for your service", his voice was composed and gentle.

"A request?" I muttered ignorantly.

"Yes." He confirmed. I felt my legs shake slightly, hoping in my head that no one was able to see it. "Shikamaru requested your help. After breakfast is over, which it is", he eyed me suspiciously before continuing, "you are relieved of the morning duties to help him prepare for his travel back home." His eyes searched mine for any conflict. "Do I make myself clear?"

I forgot about him. Master Shikamaru was the one who saw me with Master Kankuro yesterday and he probably was waiting for the moment he could get me alone to question me without interruptions. Now, he received his moment and he was going to take complete advantage of it. Currently, there was no voice in my throat to reply to him. All I was able to do was nod my head slightly awaiting for him to dismiss me.

"Good. You may return to your duties."

Once I returned, I was ready to breakdown on the ground. I wanted to scream and cry, but I stood as strong as possible, trying very hard to hide the fear that swelled within me.

Hana walked up to me a little upset that I came late. "I had to set the table and serve the food", she commented in exhaustion, "Of course that is other than having to prepare portions of the food. And now you're going to leave me the dishes!"

It was clear from her tone that she was playing around. "I'm sorry", I said before preparing myself to head to Master Shikamaru's room.

Hana seemed to notice my frustration. "You know I was kidding around, right?"

"Of course", I reassured her, "I'm just tired."

Before I exited, I felt a hand slip into my mine. "Dominique, what's wrong?" It was Lilly and all I could tell her, in front of the whole kitchen staff, was, "I'll tell you later."

As I walked out of the kitchen, I was greeted by a rushing Rini who was having a difficult time trying to carry her papers and walk. It was quite evident from the look on her face that she was late, far too late, for a meeting. She rushed by me, not noticing me at all, as she speed by. I guess I'm not the only person who was having a crumby day.

Walking down the hall with my nervousness beating on me, I found master Shikamaru walking before me to his room. My breath was directly caught in my chest as I remembered the events of yesterday. Walking behind him, I slowed my pace and quieted my breath, trying very hard to be silent in my motions. Now I set myself a new goal and it was to avoid him, but so far, I knew I couldn't. If he were to find me walking behind him, I figured that he wouldn't hesitate to ask. What was I supposed to answer him? My excuse cannot be that it was an accident!

A silent sigh exited my lips as he was about to turn the corner. I felt my heart drop out of my chest when his eyes briefly locked onto mine. It felt like I was surely to die if our eyes locked for longer than a few seconds, but he didn't stop and headed toward his room. Following him, I didn't want to arouse suspicion by my distressed expression, so I tried to slap my cheeks for comfort. It didn't work as well, but it allowed the thoughts that welled within my mind to escape me for a few moments.

In a few steps, I was to enter his room to help him prepare for his journey, I had to keep him away from asking me anything about yesterday. So I began to make up a lie within my head. 'Yesterday I was working on the dishes and then I went to sleep...' so far, it sounded like an obvious lie knowing that I was tardy for my job today. Oh! I hate this! I really wish something would happen and I don't have to enter his room!

Being far too deep into my thoughts, I hadn't noticed that I had already arrived at his room and I was standing there contemplating. With a sigh, I knocked gently on the door. It was a quiet knock, one that many would have missed if they were too busy or too noisy.

"Come in", I heard his voice call from the inside.

I swallowed hard and attempted to relax my features. It felt like I was panicky and it was too hard to hide it.

It didn't take long before I turned the doorknob and entered his room. Gazing around it, I found myself in a tidy room with a dim light shining from the back. It smelled of cologne and freshly brewed coffee. Everything in the room set a relaxed and calming mood. My master exited from what seemed to be the bathroom, carrying some shampoos and conditioners then placing them into a backpack.

"Hello", I said politely.

"Hi", he greeted causally. His eyes hadn't met mine yet. It appeared that he was far too occupied. Suddenly, his gaze was directed to the dresser behind me. "Do you mine getting me the stuff in the first drawer of that dresser?" He directed me to my first task.

I couldn't help the feeling of master Shikamaru's eyes watching me carefully as I turned my back, observing me cautiously, as if awaiting the moment I was to breakdown and confess. But none of the sort happened. I did my best to remain calm and concentrate on my work until the rest of the day was over. And to my surprise everything worked out perfectly. Without giving him a reply, I walked up to the dresser and open the first drawer as he requested. But to my surprise, it was empty. Nothing was in there other than a few specks of dust. And before I knew it, I heard a door close then a loud click come from it. Quickly I turned to him to see him hide a key in his pant's pocket. Then I froze.

It was a trap! But it was far too late for me to escape it! It seems he had prepared his belongings for his trip a while ago and only requested my help to lock me up in his room.

"Why did you lock the door?" I asked with a fake smile and a nervous tone that couldn't be hidden.

"So we could talk privately", he answered with a small motion for me to sit on his bed.

His gaze upon me was knowing and that only forced me to be even more frightened. "You know, I could scream if you don't let me go", I threatened for him to release me and open the door.

"Go ahead", he added simply, "Once they come and ask you why you were screaming, what are you going to answer them? I wasn't planning on hurting you."

The way he went about this trap was pure genius. It was evident that screaming wasn't an option nor panicking, but I couldn't hide that. The breath in my lungs commenced to escape me fast. I was breathing hard and it was difficult for me to fight my fading consciousness. "What do you want from me?!" I hollered in sheer fright. This was going to end me and my future. Once he receives his answers, he was probably going to tell then get me in trouble and I was going to lose everything!

"Tell me about yesterday", he gazed at me with concern then he sat on his bed, "Why were you with Kankuro?"

"I wasn't!" I uttered suddenly, agitated to get out of here.

A sigh of frustration exited his mouth as he closed his eyes then rested his body on his mattress. "I don't want to force you to tell me the truth, but you know he's getting married soon, don't you?"

My eyes fell to the ground in disappointment. "Of course I know."

"And you know that he loves her, right?"

The answer to his question was obvious. The way he spoke to me forced guilt to wash over me. "Yeah", a small mumble confirmed.

"Then why are you hurting yourself?" He asked with worry. "Why do you go after something that isn't yours?"

Tears fell from my face. They were unintentional and uncontrolled. They just fell. It was true that Master Kankuro was taken and in love, but a small voice inside of me kept on requesting from me not to give up. It pushed me to search for his love for me and I felt that it was growing fast. I might have been blinded, but these feelings that arouse when he was near were new to me and they felt... good. This was a chance that I could be loved and it was one that I hadn't received before. I sort of didn't want to let it go and I wouldn't accept anything less.

It was evident to me that what I was doing was wrong and selfish, however, if only he knew how evil Kiki was! She didn't deserve him! She wanted to kill him for worthless pieces of cash!

It was funny how I thought that way. I grew without cash, and I survived on love that my sister provided me with everyday. Yet, now there was a chance for a new life and a new love. I wanted it, but I couldn't tell him that.

"I don't know", I answered him with my salty tears streaming down, "I just wish I could tell you."

Wow! Part one is almost over!