Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Neither do I own the hundreds of other stories, manga, movies etc etc that may be similar to this since this is one of those seriously common yet not kinda ideas that have been used a lot.

I remember this night so clearly, so vividly that it couldn't have possibly been just a dream.

Ino keeps insisting that it wasn't real, just a crazy side effect of all the medicines with names neither of us could so much as pronounce. Of course, at the time, I couldn't care less what was being given to me or what it did to my body so long as it kept me alive.

"We've done everything that we could..."

I remember lying in my less than comfortable bed, watching the light of the full moon cast eerie shadows on the bare walls. I remember wishing that Ino had remembered to close the curtains before she'd left for the evening.

I remember listening to the beeping of the monitors, realizing that the time between each beep was growing longer with every passing minute. I'd been in hospitals long and often enough to know that wasn't exactly a good thing.

This was it.

I'd been living on borrowed time since the day I was born, effectively cheating death for the last fifteen years. I knew that I should have considered myself lucky to have survived for so long, but I seriously doubt anyone could blame me for wanting to stick around for a little while longer.

I remember the clock on the wall chiming midnight, breaking me out of my dejected thoughts for a moment.

And he was there.

He was just standing there beside my bed, silhouetted against the pale moonlight. Yet, somehow, even while cloaked in darkness, somehow I could tell that he was simply beautiful.

My angel of death.

"I'm dying aren't I?" I was so tired.

"Would you like to change that?" A cool hand caressed my cheek. "What would you give me in exchange?"

I drew a shaky breath, trying in vain to ignore the ache beginning in my chest. My reply was barely above a whisper.

"Anything."

I could have sworn that his dark gaze flashed bright crimson before his smirking lips met mine in a searing kiss.

All I remember after that was the pain, pain unlike anything I had ever experienced before. The pain and a calm, soothing voice telling me that it would all be over and promised me that we would meet again very soon.

By the time morning came, I felt better, stronger than I'd ever felt in my entire life and the doctors all said that it was a miracle. That I was going to be fine.

And six months later, I still am. Six months and counting, as Ino likes to remind me.

So maybe it really was all just a dream, a hallucination, near death experience. Whatever sinks your ship.

Because I'm pretty sure that I never saw him again after all.

Prologue: Contract

I know I've been like MIA for ages, but I'm back. Sorta.

This particular plot bunny has been nagging at me since the beginning of last year so I decided to be kind to it and finally write it. It was (as you might have seen from my profile) originally a script for a manga a friend and I were going to do together but well, we got busy. And lazy. So there.

This is my first attempt at something with a more fantasy-ish theme to it so I'd really appreciate any comments/advice. This is also dedicated to all the people who've favourited/reviewed/alert-listed my fics. You guys are the best!

Hearts!