Finally the long awaited Sequel of 'My Lotus Prince'; I decided not to do a rewrite of that story at this time so now you're getting this! This is going to be a slower updating story but hopefully there won't be too many long pauses like for the orginal story... I do not own Naruto!

The nurses smiled and waved at Lee as he walked by them while the doctors gave curt nods when he passed. Rock Lee was a common face not only because of his frequent stays in the hospital but also because he came in everyday without fail to see a certain patient. Raila Ningai was lying in her bed just as peacefully and beautifully as she had for nearly a year. Rock Lee took up his usual post by her head and began telling her about his day. How he had fought Neji again and was that much closer to beating him. How Gai-sensei had challenged Kakashi-sensei and won in sumo wrestling.

Lee looked down at the unconscious girl and his broad smile faltered for a second, he had only known Raila for about two months, however in that short time she had affected him more than any other person, except for Gai-sensei of course. Lee sometimes liked to imagine she was merely sleeping, but he knew that wasn't true and it was all Orochimaru's fault.

"Damn you Orochimaru, damn you." Lee cursed, tears welling up in his eyes.

Last year the defected Leaf-nin had attacked Konoha once again with the aid of Raila and her team who had infiltrated the village as grass-nin. Naturally, Lee didn't know this when he had met and fallen in love with Raila, it was only after he had given his heart to the purple clad ninja with the slivery hair that he learnt of her allegiance.

It happened at the end of the chunin exam; Raila and her squad had summoned Orochimaru to the arena. Lee attacked Raila after the betrayal, but only half-heartedly and she was able to stop him; but instead of killing him like everyone expected her to, she deflected from the Sound village. Lee was ecstatic, but then battle had broken out and he had lost track of Raila, it was thanks to Raila that the battle had been won without any Leaf casualties; she had allowed Kabuto to mortally wound her to hit her old master with a disabling blow forcing him to flee. Raila had died in Lee's arms but for some unknown reason she came back to life but was now in a coma. All thanks to that bastard Orochimaru.

Beep.

Lee glanced over at the machine; sure he had imagined the sound. After all, that machine had never beeped before; it was there to monitor brain activity, which comatose people didn't have.

Beep.

Lee saw it this time a spike on the screen that interrupted the usually flat line. He leaned over the bed towards the screen, hoping praying it wasn't a fluke.

Beep. Beep.

"NURSE!" Lee yelled, bolting to the door and ripping it open. "NURSE!"

"What is it Lee?" Several nurses asked in alarm.

"The machine it beeped!"

"Lee?" the nearest nurse said, walking over and touching his arm. "There are lots of beeping machines in her room. I think you're just tired and—," Lee wasn't listening he grabbed her and pulled her into the room.

"That one! The one that's supposed to monitor her brain!"

The nurse looked doubtfully at Lee still believing he was just overly tired, "Well it's not be—"

Beep. Beep.

The nurse gasped and her hands flew to the walkie-talkie at her waist. "We need a doctor in room 156C stat. The patient's brain is functioning. Repeat the patient's brain is functioning."

In less than a minute a doctor had arrived and began examining Raila. While he was checking her eyes for dilation he began giving orders, "Nurse, get me 30cc of Phenylalanine*. Lee, I need you to go tell the Hokage immediately." Lee nodded and raced out of the hospital.

Lee sat by Raila's beside once again, for the past week the brain monitor was beeping regularly and Raila was breathing on her own but she still had not awakened. The doctors had told him it was like she was sleeping, dreaming in fact, but she simply couldn't wake herself up; and they didn't want to force her awake either for fear of harming her brain. The door slid open and two people entered, the Hokage and Inoichi Yamanaka.

"Lady Tsunade!"

"Lee. I may have discovered a way to bring Raila out, but it's risky."

"What is it?"

"Well, Inoichi might be able to lead her out if he enters her mind, but if he fails he could send Raila back into a coma or possibly kill her. There is seventy-two percent chance this could work."

"Do it," Lee said backing away from the bed, "I'm sure it will work." The Hokage nodded and Inoichi stepped forward; a few hands signs later, he had entered Raila's mind and all Lee could do was hope and pray.

Inoichi stood in the center of a shadowy room, the faint sound of a baby crying carrying from the room next to his. Carefully making his way towards the source he smelled a very potent metallic sent that grew stronger with every step. He slid back the rice paper door, the remnants of what appeared to be five ninja lay strewn across the room, the little skin that was left bubbled and burned. A woman with light gray hair was in the center of the carnage blood, she was mumbling softly to the baby in her arms, the woman's face was as badly burned as the bodies around her but the babe was unharmed.

"It's okay Raila, mama's here, mama loves you, you'll be okay," the woman cooed, her voice fading. Raila's mother laid down holding the babe on top of her, "mama's got you, shhhhh…mama's sorry Raila, be strong, shhhh…" The woman's eyes slid closed, she was dead.

The scene around him shifted, he was in the same room but it was day light and there was no trace of the previous carnage instead a young child no more than four with choppy sliver hair was drawing on a tattered scroll. The sound of a door slamming broke the silence the little girl looked up revealing brilliant amethyst eyes. "Daddy!" She exclaimed, picking the drawing off the floor she ran out the open door. Inoichi followed her curious, he had heard that Raila's father was abusive but the child had seemed well cared for.

"Daddy! Daddy! Looked what I made for you." Inoichi peered at her father he had dark brown hair and black eyes, apparently Raila had gotten all her looks from her mother. "Aren't you going to look Daddy? Daddy!"

"Quiet Raila. I'm not feeling well," he said harshly a half empty bottle of sake slipping from his bag. "Go get my medicine." He commanded, scooping up the bottle and draining the last of the alcohol in two gulps. Raila nodded, eager to please he father, and skipped off towards the kitchen leaving the drawing behind. The drunken man picked it and stared at it for a bit then crumpled it up and threw it over his shoulder, "What a piece of shit."

The father began to fade and Inoichi was dragged into the kitchen where Raila was standing a chair pulling out a bottle of vodka from the cabinet. As Raila began to step down from the chair her foot caught on the hem of her long pants and she fell shattering the bottle and cutting her hand on the glass. Inoichi instinctively reached out to help her but before he could everything thing began swirling and then went dark.

"You're not supposed to be here," a bodiless voice said, "why are you here?"

"Raila? I'm here to help bring you out," Inoichi yelled into the darkness.

"I can't get out, I'm dead, this is my punishment, my hell. The abuse of my childhood, the horrors with Orochimaru-sama, the joy Lee-kun brought me, and then losing it all. I must watch it again and again to repent for my sins."

"If you were dead then, how come I am here? You are dreaming, replaying the memories by yourself, Lee is waiting for you."

Raila didn't respond but instead another familiar snake like voice answered, "Of course she is dead, Kabuto killed her, and she is stuck with the punishment for betraying me, you can't bring her out. I've made sure of that." "Orochimaru" gave a silkily evil laugh as a new memory came into focus, but before it was fully there Inoichi could have sworn he heard Raila whisper 'find me at the end' it appeared he would have to see her life all the way through before he could even attempt to help the girl.

*I know idea what this actually does but according to Wiki. it helps stimulate the neurons in the brain...so yeah...

Like I said before this will be a slow updating story!