Nightmare Chapter 1: Nightmare, a naruto fanfic

Disclamier and Introduction:

Hello and welcome to Nightmare!

This story is a partner project with a good friend of mine, Kitsune. I give most of the credit to her genius, as something like this probably wouldn't have crossed my mind, had she not started it. Just for the record though, neither of us own any of the characters from Naruto. If we did, this story, along with us, probably wouldn't be here. Kaede is mine though, so I own her and the original plot of the nightmare. Credit for majority of the typing goes to Kit and the beginning and the editting goes to me.

Now, with all that aside, please sit back and enjoy.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Drip.

What was that noise? Kaede again found herself in a blank, black area. She was alone and all was silent except for that dripping sound. But what was it? She searched around, though saw nothing.

Drip.

For some reason, it sent a chill down her spine. The air smelled funny… Something wasn't right, especially after that little stream appeared. Was it water?. No... it was... blood??

Drip.

She looked around until spotting a blade in the distance. But she only saw the hilt and the point, the middle covered along with the handle. It looked like it was thrust inside someone or something, with someone or something holding it. But who? Or what?

Kaede went to approach it, but couldn't move. Shapes and colors started to fill in, oddly shaded in an ominous manner. The area close to the blade filled in last. She blinked, her heart rate starting to speed up. She didn't like this. What was going on? Then, the rest of the picture filled in. No, she didn't like this at all. She hated it. She stood frozen, her breathing stopped, as she continued to stare at the blade. To her horror, she stared at it, the sharp, metal blade thrust through, her father, Kakashi. She wanted to scream, but couldn't. It only made it worse to see it was being held by... by... Sasuke...

This image haunted the girl, the picture flashing in her mind as she walked, her eyes focused on the ground. Her father eyed her carefully from behind as she lagged behind her two teammates, who marched proudly ahead of her. A soft expression crossed his face as he continued to watch the little girl who shot a quick look back at him. It was worried and she had been doing that since she was jerked awake by that nightmare that morning. Kakashi was surprised he was able to get her outside; that's how spooked the young Hatake was. However, he had managed to talk her out of the house, knowing that she wouldn't dare let down the village by wriggling out of a mission because of a nightmare. She knew her responsibilities and knew how important missions were, no matter what they happened to be.

The three-person cell and their Jounin teacher continued down the path, the air between them calm and quiet. The mission had been simple. They were to deliver something to a small nearby village. Nothing really special or too hard, so it was fine for the Genin team. Kaede sighed, as something besides her nightmare troubled her. Her overactive paranoia was acting up again. Despite normally it proved right, it got to be annoying… The little girl let out another sigh as her ears picked up a subtle rustle. Sure, it was probably a rabbit or another animal, but again, it was the paranoia.

And again, it seemed to prove right. The rustling became less subtle and instead grew louder. They all became alert, but continued on, keeping on their toes as the noise increased. Kaede stopped and took a quick step back as something shot passed her, blowing her hair slightly as they disturbed the air. She watched as whatever it was flew into the bushes across the road, only to see another dart at her again, this time catching her by the waist, whisking her off into the trees.

Kakashi tensed up as the two didn't show themselves again. The two boys ahead of him turned and looked at him, worry on their faces, their concern for their teammate clear in their eyes. The Jounin pointed back in the direction of the village. "You two go back to the village and tell the Hokage what happened and tell her to send back up. I'll go after Kaede. And be sure not to slack on the way." He added, giving them a serious look and the two nodded before heading off. He watched them go before he took off in the direction the two kidnappers had headed, racing among the tree limbs.

Meanwhile, Kaede was still being carried off, a strong arm wrapped tightly around her small figure. She struggled in the hold, but found it useless as they continued off along the trees, staying silent. They zigzagged between the trunks and the limbs and soon came across a wide opening in the forest. They took a giant leap over it, flying towards the tress on the other side. A faint noise passed Kaede's ears and she looked off to the side before the other ninja in front of her was suddenly knocked down from the sky.

His partner watched as the other fell and looked off from where the force had come from, only to be blown back as well. His grip on Kaede loosened and she moved out of his hold. She watched as the bodies fell limply to the ground, rustling the leaves as they fell into the brush. Kaede managed to land rather softly, but still fell backwards to the ground. Her green eyes searched around for whoever who had taken care of her kidnappers, figuring it was her father, those green orbs looking frantically for the spiky haired ninja.

She didn't see him, but someone else caught her eye. He stood away from her, near the center of the clearing, his back turned. He didn't even have to turn and Kaede could tell who it was. She would always be able to tell. It was him… Kaede glared at him angrily as her hate started to boil once again, balling her little hands into fists. Her control started to slip as her eyes burned with her compressed anger, ready to burst from where it was kept. She couldn't help herself. "Sasuke!" the little girl growled, remaining where she had landed. "Why are you here?"

"Saving your life." He stayed turned away from her and she knew better than to believe that. Kaede gritted her teeth as she clenched her fists tighter. No matter what she did, she couldn't seal her anger back away; it had built up too much. And of course it had; she had held it in for so long...

"I don't want to be saved by the likes of you!" the young Hatake replied gruffly. "You're nothing but a traitor! You've turned just like your brother! You've practically become the one you've swore to kill!" Though she knew she shouldn't have said what she was... she couldn't hold it anymore; she didn't care. "You're no better than Itachi!"

Sasuke seemed to tense at that last comment, turning, his eyes shining with his undying revenge. He glared down at Kaede and slowly started to approach the young girl. She moved quickly to her feet, returning his glare, her green eyes verses his red ones. His Sharingan was activated, his eyes crimson like the blood the Uchiha sought to spill. Kaede didn't know what he planned to do, but she hadn't planned on running. She could see the anger and hatred that burned in his eyes. "Don't you ever say that again," he breathed. "Don't you ever compare me to him again. You know nothing."

Kaede gritted her teeth as she clenched her fists tighter. "Yeah… I just know that you turned on us and hurt a number of people to get what you want," the young Hatake replied back. "Sounds rather similar in scenario, if you ask me." Kaede had started to shake from a mixture of emotions as the two stared at one another, each reading one's eyes. He could easily see her inner feelings; he had already known about them and how she despised him. He tilted his head down a bit, his hair shadowing his eyes more than they already had, those red orbs seeming to gleam in the shade. "Why do you continue to push me like that? What is the point?"

"I'm speaking for the people you hurt with you actions!" she answered, going semi-rigid at the sparkle in his gaze. She didn't like that feeling that hung in the air; it smelled funny, but at the same time, so familiar. "Like you?" the Uchiha shot back at her, tilting his head now to the side, a taunting smirk on his face. Kaede's eyes widened slightly at that last jab before her features were again twisted in her anger. Sasuke bore his teeth in a crooked smile. "You're just as selfish as I am. You and I both know it."

The Hatake's eyes sparked, that glisten of her hold snapping as she burst forward. "Shut up! I am nothing like you!" She ran at full speed at him, leapt and spun her foot around at him. He grabbed her ankle and swung her around before throwing her. Kaede flipped in the air and landed with a skid, her eyes completely focused on the boy. She had engaged him and she knew there was no way he would take her easy. Brushing that aside though, she moved at him again, her anger fueling her more than her common sense.

He deflected most of what she threw at him, knocking her back twice as hard with half the effort. Sasuke now kicked Kaede back, causing the girl to land and tumble a ways before stopping. Kaede was becoming tired rapidly and found her anger wearing off the more she was tossed around. She looked up at him, seeing as he hadn't even broken a sweat. A heavy weight fell in her chest, as her doubt on her ability began to overcome her.

Sasuke was done playing around and his patience was wearing thin. He peered down at her. "You think you hurt, but you don't know what it's like. Kakashi thought he knew what pain really was, too." Kaede's eyes widened as Sasuke sneered down at her coldly, she couldn't bring herself to move from where she had landed from Sasuke's kick as the boy she hated for taking her father's attention from her started to form Chidori, the one technique she still had yet to complete, her father's gift to her. "I swore to hurt him once. It was mainly said in anger, but it seems he was the one lying to me. I'll hurt him now by taking his only child away with the technique HE created." Tears started to form in Kaede's wide green eyes, she didn't want to die and she definitely didn't want to die just to cause Kakashi grief. She couldn't fight Sasuke though. There was nothing she could do. The crackle of the Chidori was getting louder. Sasuke hadn't moved yet, but she could hear the bird-like chirping that the technique was named after and she closed her eyes ready for the pain she knew she was going to feel. 'I'm sorry daddy.' A memory slid into place within her mind; it was something her father had mentioned when he started her training.

"Without moving the technique only makes the sound of chakra gathered in one spot." Kaede looked up at her dad taking in everything he was telling her, it was surprising though because during such talks at the academy be it from Iruka-sensei or someone else she usually ended up dropping off to sleep within minutes. "The name comes from the noise made when the user is in motion, because it sounds like..." The little white haired girl's hand shot up and she quickly completed his sentence. "Like a thousand birds all at once, right?" Kakashi smiled and placed a hand on her head. "That's right."

Her eyes snapped open. If that was the case, where was the chirping coming from? She got her answer soon enough. As Sasuke suddenly shot forward, something rushed past her, making the little girl gasp in surprise as Kakashi hit the ground in front of her, throwing himself towards his former student. If she could see the look in her father's eyes, they were hard and cold, no mercy or pity showing. A look of surprise crossed Sasuke's face before he continued with his attack. Both ninja's Chidori meet with a shriek and shatter almost like glass. Kaede placed both hands over her ears and gave a startled cry. The noise was both piercing and deafening, but neither Kakashi nor Sasuke were going to back down as they glared at one, another trying to push through the other's attack. "You can't...beat me! Hatake Kakashi!" The Jounin's glare didn't waver as he held Sasuke's Sharingan eyes with his own dual ones. "I don't plan on beating you Uchiha Sasuke. I plan on killing you!"

Sasuke grit his teeth at the pain rushing up his arm and he was sure Kakashi was feeling the same pains. He cared little though as he reached behind him with his free hand and grabbed the hilt of Kusanagi, pulling the sword free, twisting it around before driving it downwards. Kaede felt her throat tighten on a scream as she watched as Sasuke drove his sword into Kakashi's midsection pushing it through until cut all the way through his vest, the mesh shirt she knew he wore, flesh, muscle and organs before emerging out of his back. The only noise that escaped Kakashi was a almost inaudible wet cough of pain. A look of surprise spread on his face while Sasuke grinned coldly pushing forward with his Chidori. Kakshi could feel the cold blade inside him, cutting him, but he couldn't fail Kaede. Her life was in his hands.

Kakashi narrowed his gaze and pushed back with his own Chidori, the noise splintering before taking its high pitch. As the two different chakras fought one another for dominance, he held his other hand out drawing the rest of his chakra into it. Sasuke growled twisting his sword and pushing it into Kakashi further at a upwards angle. The pain was indescribable and it showed in Kakashi's eyes, but it didn't stop him from molding his chakra into his free hand forming Rasengan. The orb of spirling chakra made Sasuke suddenly tear his sword from Kakashi's body, leaving a clean trail of blood across the grass as he flicked it back, then swung it in widen aiming for the Jounin's shoulder and neck.

Sagging slightly Kakashi used the drop to pull his Chidori away feeling the other's tear along the back of his shoulder. Time seemed to slow to a crawl for Kaede, her eyes wide and unblinking, as she watched the scene unravel before her. It was so like her nightmare and in one crystal clear moment she knew she was about to loose her father. Her throat loosened, her stomach tightened and breathing became impossible as the tears started to fall. Kaede's scream seemed to explode from her throat higher and louder then the two Chidori. It was a scream of someone deathly afraid, someone utterly desperate for what was happening to not be real. But the younger Hatake knew it was real and she couldn't help but watch as her father threw his hand forward, hitting Sasuke's body with Rasengan. At the same time, Kusanagi's deadly blade caught the light, making it's already red blade glint with the promise of death before it was buried through Kakashi's back, behind a shoulder, re-emerging from his chest.

Everything just seemed to stop, then. Sasuke went through a couple of trees before hitting the ground and sliding a few meters. He didn't move after he came to a stop, but he was alive, the raise and fall of his chest evidence enough of that. Shakily, Kaede's eyes slowly turned to Kakashi's form, laying on the ground where he had fallen, the blade still through his body. Was he breathing? Panic suddenly surged up in Kaede and she scrambled to her feet, stumbling and falling as she ran. The only thing she wanted to do was get to her father and see if he was alive, all the while praying this was a dream and she'd wake up with Kakashi curled up beside her bed like he had been just this morning.

He'd hug her and tell her everything was alright then. But this wasn't a dream and she wasn't going to wake up and he wasn't going to tell her everything was alright because it wasn't alright.

She basically collapsed beside Kakashi, ignoring the blood now soaking into her pants. Her dad's blood. She was shaking so violently she didn't know if she'd ever be able to stop. "Dad?" Kaede couldn't understand how badly she was shaking, but her voice was even if only a little softer then usual. "Dad?" She sniffed when there was no answer. It didn't even look as if he was breathing and her chest tightened painfully. "Dad, answer me. Kudasai."

A wet cough made her jump in fright and she watched in almost fascination as Kakashi slowly rose his hand to his face, pulling his mask down before he coughed up blood. Letting his hand drop limply to the ground again, Kakashi opened his eyes carefully, as if the movement alone was painful. The two Hatake stared at one another for a silent moment and Kaede didn't like how pale her dad was looking. Sure, he was a pale guy to begin with, but this type of pale was the kind you saw when someone was deathly sick or, in Kakashi's case, loosing too much blood. "Dad?"

"Get..." He coughed again with a wince before trying to speak again. "Get this thing...out of me...Kaede..." Her eyes widened, turning to look at the sword hilt then back at her dad. "Nani?" He gave her a half lidded look and she knew he was serious. Kaede felt sick more so when she reached out and took a hold of the hilt of Kusanagi and pulled, driving a broken noise from Kakashi's throat before he slumped again. "Dad!" Kaede sat back and shook her head, trying not to start crying again. "I...I can't do it dad." Kakashi's features slowly softened again and he opened his eyes, looking up at Kaede. He hated seeing her upset, more when she was crying and greatest when it was his fault that she was doing so. "Kaede. I need you to get it out..." Talking too much made already difficult breathing even more difficult. "Trust me..." Taking a moment to calm herself as much as she could, Kaede nodded. "Good girl. Now get behind me... and brace yourself so you can..." He stopped for a few moments, knowing Kaede was watching him as he struggled to catch his breath and not pass out. "…So you can pull it out in one go…"

Kaede sniffed and nodded before getting up and doing as he said by placing her hand against his shoulder, grabbing the hilt with her other hand, and pulling it until the blade slipped and slid out of Kakashi's body like a sheath. Kakashi winced and brought up more blood as he took short gasps of air. Kaede stared at the bloody blade tears coming to her eyes again, though she didn't want to cry because she was upset or anything, but because she was angry, so angry at Sasuke. That was twice he tried to take her dad from her and he might succeed at this rate. Standing, Kaede headed in a daze over to where Sasuke had landed, the end of the sword dragging on the ground behind her. if she stopped him here, he wouldn't be able to do it again, right?

Kakashi twisted his head up so he could see where Kaede was going. He gave her a worried look before swallowing the metallic taste in his throat and calling out the best he could as she stood beside Sasuke, raising Kusanagi. "Chibi! Come back here...onegai." He managed to raise his head slightly. He knew she wasn't ready to become a killer, not yet, and if she did what she wanted to do to Sasuke, Kakashi knew it would affect her badly later.

It took too much to keep his head raised, but he had to know that Kaede was alright. Even though he was dying, his sole thoughts were on her well being. Kaede stared down at Sasuke's back. He would definitely be feeling that Resengan when he woke up. She felt cold staring at the one person she decided she hated. "I'm not like you." She turned to the side and stabbed the sword down in the ground before glaring once more at Sasuke. "I hate you." Kaede turned away and walked back to her dad, noticing the weak smile he gave her before he laid his head back down on the ground, ignoring the puddle of blood he was laying in. Without saying anything, Kaede found her discarded pack and pulled out some field bandage. They weren't equipped for major injuries like Kakashi's but it would have to do for now.

Carefully, she managed to get Kakashi's vest open pulling his shirt up to see what the damage was. She pulled her hands away at the sight and the elder Hatake sighed, giving her a sleepy look. "Bad?"

"Yeah."

There was blood everywhere soaking his clothes and the ground he laid on and more of it was coming from the two wounds that Sasuke had caused. It was also on her hands and Kaede knew that she'd never be able to get that image out of her head. Kakashi watched her as his eyes drooped, almost closing, before a small hand shook his shoulder. He looked up at Kaede, the little Hatake giving him a heartbroken look. His eyes, usually so full of life, stared up at her, their light dulled; even the vibrant red of his Sharigan was a few shades darker. "Don't die." He blinked slowly, dragging in a long breath as he did so. Kaede shook her head and pushed her makeshift padding again the wound of Kakashi's chest, making the Jounin gasp in pain. She hated to see her dad this way but at least it kept his eyes open. If he stayed awake, he couldn't die on her, or that's what she wanted to hope for. There was a odd silence between them as Kaede tried to stop the bleeding, but everything she seemed to use soon grew heavy and red with the warm liquid. "Kaede."

"Hai, dad?"

"Go to the main path...your teammates...they should have gotten help by now."

He fell silent and Kaede stared at him as dull eyes struggled to stay open. She didn't want to leave, fearing if she did, her dad would die on her, but she also didn't want help to miss them and him ending up dying because she didn't do as he told her. "Alright. Don't you die on me. Got it?" Kakashi slight cough, the closest he was going to get to a laugh. "Good girl." She went to leave before stopping and giving Kakashi a kiss on the cheek. Kaede pulled his mask up, knowing he was giving her a thankful smile. She then left him there. Kaede was on the verge of tears again as she ran back towards the road, hoping that those other two had done as her father had said and not lagged on the way.

Reaching the road, Kaede looked around wildly before hearing her name called out by a woman. Kaede turned towards the noise, her heart almost stopping when she spotted Sakura, her hand raised in the air to wave in greeting before she managed to take in the bloody and distraught looking girl. Sakura's eyes widened as she took in the little girl and the fact that her former sensei was nowhere in sight. "Oh my gosh… Naruto! Kiba! Hurry! I found them!" The rose-haired girl ran over to Kaede, bobbing down slightly so they were face to face and she grabbed the younger Hatake by the shoulder. "Kaede! What happened? Where's Kakashi-sensei? Are you alright?" Tears started to run down her face, but Kaede managed to nod a affirmative for the last question. She was alright physically, but she'd at least have some scratches and bruises from being kicked around. "Dad's hurt...he's hurt bad, Sakura-san." It didn't take long for Naruto and Kiba to catch up to the two girls and the blonde looked as shocked as Sakura had, maybe more so, at the sight of the little girl. Unlike Sakura though, who was trying to make Kaede tell her what happened, Naruto butted in and gave her a wide blue eyed look. "Where is he Kaede-chan?"

That was what Kaede wanted to hear and she grabbed the wrist of Naruto's top, pulling him along as they hurried through the trees again. Naruto stared at the blood on her hands, and now his top, but he didn't say anything about it. He just ran faster to keep up while Kiba and Akamaru gave chase, followed closely by Sakura. She stopped at the edge of the clearing as Naruto suddenly broke away from Kaede, almost landing on Kakashi as he threw himself on the ground beside the Jounin, giving him a hard shake while searching for a pulse in the side of his neck.

Akamaru gave a whimper and sunk down onto his belly beside Kaede, who just stared straight ahead at her dad and Naruto, who was trying to get a response from the unmoving ninja. A moment later, Sakura slowly walked past Kaede, both hands up near her mouth, her fingers laced almost like she was praying before Naruto's head snapped around and he growled at her rather viciously. "Damnit Sakura! You're the medic, get over here!"

She looked as if she had been slapped by the blonde, but she hurried over to them regardless. A hand on Kaede's shoulder made her flinch violently and she dragged her eyes away from the scene in front of them to look up at Kiba, who gave her a lopsided smirk. "It'll be alright. Sakura-chan is really good at that medic stuff." Kaede nodded thoughtlessly as she turned back to her dad. Sakura looked as if she was having trouble and Naruto was making it worse by having a slight panic attack of his own. The pink-haired girl suddenly punched Naruto, then sobbed before calling out to Kiba. "We need to get him back to the village. Think you and Naruto can carry him on a stretcher?"

The dog-nin nodded. "Piece of cake. Akamaru, you carry Kaede-chan." The large white dog gave a booming bark and Kaede blinked, giving Kiba a vexed look as he picked her up and placed her on Akamaru's back, though she didn't bother moving as the three older ninjas worked Kakashi's unmoving form onto a stretcher that Sakura had summoned from a scroll. The two boys headed for the main road again as Sakura stopped and looked at the broken trees. She wasn't sure, but she wanted to see if the person who attacked Kakashi was still there, seeing as that's where most of the damage to the area was. Catching Kaede's eye though, she changed her mind and hurried to catch up with Akamaru as he gave chase after his companion and Naruto. They traveled at a run, closing the distance they had traveled from the village rather quickly. "Who did it, Kaede-chan?"

The little Hatake looked over at Sakura, but didn't say anything. If she did, they might stop and try to go back and see if he was still there and if they did that her dad would die. Kaede looked over to the two boys ahead of them. "Ask dad."

Sakura almost looked as if she was going to argue with Kaede, but she stopped herself. It wasn't really that important at the moment anyway. Getting Kakashi back to the village alive was and she could always find out later when he was recovering. She gave his prone form a skeptical look. If there was a later.

They made it to the village in almost record time and Tsunade was waiting for them at the hospital, though by Naruto's cursing and yelling it was difficult for news that one of her best ninjas was bleeding to death and needed her expertise. Her orders were yelled as the two boys arrived and it was basically chaos in Kaede's opinion. Tsunade even ended up physically throwing Naruto out into the waiting room as he attempted to get in to see if his sensei was alright. Both Kiba and Akamaru had been chased out of the hospital, mainly because when someone grabbed Kaede to see if she was alright, Akamaru had swung around and chomped down on the medic's leg, refusing to let go. Almost as quick as it became chaos, it went silent and Kaede found herself sitting in the waiting room between Kiba and Naruto. Somehow the dog-nin managed to sneak back in with Akamaru, who had gone from sitting beside the Inuzuka to placing his head on Kaede's lap.

She gave him a light smile, placing a small hand on top of his head. "Kaede-chan...Um, do you know who did that to Kakashi-sensei?" She didn't want to answer Naruto's question, but at the same time wanted to scream out her hate for that person. "Uchiha Sasuke."

It felt as if the room had dropped in temperature. It was so silent. She hadn't meant to say that name, especially because it made her feel sick in the stomach whenever she did.

After a moment, Kaede rose her head and looked at Naruto. Her breath caught in her chest at the narrowed, blood red eyes staring at a point on the floor. She had heard about Kyuubi showing through on Naruto from her dad once when he had been fixing up some sealing tags and she had asked what they were, then who they were for. Being so close to such a intense chakra which she could feel raising in Naruto, was, for lack of a better word, frightening. Even the two Inuzuka thought so.

While Kiba looked stunned and surprised, Akamaru had retreated back on the other side of his companion with a low whimper, almost like he was telling Kiba to back off as well. Instead, the teenager said nothing and didn't dare move.

Kaede turned to Kiba briefly before turning back to Naruto and carefully, worried that she might cause something bad to happen, she reached out and closed her fingers around the material of his shirt tugging on it so the elder knew she wanted his attention. Those vicious eyes turned to her and though it was scary there was a odd...understanding between her and Naruto. His features softened and he took a few calming breaths, his eyes sliding closed as he did so. When they reopened, they were back to their normal bright blue. "He'll be okay, right." It was partly a question from Naruto, partly a comment, but Kaede nodded up at the blonde, who gave her a bright grin. "Oi, it's Kakashi-sensei. It'll take more then that to put him down." That smile shook at little at the edges, and though she noticed it, Kaede smiled back at him and nodded again. "Right." They both needed that reassurance, no matter how little.

-----

At some point, Kiba and Akamaru had needed to leave. It had been two hours and still no one had come to tell them what was going on with Kakashi. Naruto started to pace at about the third hour, a few minutes before Iruka arrived, and the blonde basically threw himself into the other's arms, sobbing as he tried to tell the teacher what had happened to Kakashi. It quickly sent Kaede over the edge and she tried to keep the noise inside but a choke and bitten down cry broke through.

"Oh, Kaede-chan." Iruka somehow managed to shift Naruto around enough before pulling Kaede into a tight hug as the little girl sobbed, then broke down. She hadn't cried like this since she was younger and broke a bone in her hand doing something she really shouldn't have been doing. Iruka had been the first one to hold her while she cried and had a medic at the school check her hand over before her dad turned up to comfort her. It had been painful and she had cried because of it then, but now… Now, it was painful like nothing she had ever felt before. She was frightened and didn't know how to make it stop. If her dad died, she didn't know how she'd survive feeling such agony inside her.

By the time she managed to stop crying, Kaede was exhausted. The most she could manage was shaky gulps of air. Her face was wet and sticky from tears and sweat, which didn't feel all that pleasant. For the whole time, Iruka had sat on the floor of the waiting room, just holding her without complaining or trying to make her stop. Naruto had managed to calm down some and the scarred ninja had sent him off to wash his face and get a drink, which the boy had done obediently. "Kaede-chan?"

"D-don't say he'll b-be fine...b-because I'm s-sick of h-hearing it from e-everyone."

Iruka smiled softly as he tilted his head to the side, giving her a sympathetic look. "I wasn't going to. I was going to ask if you were alright and if I could get you anything." Kaede felt a little bad about that and she sniffed, wiping her face with her sleeves. "Gomen nasai I...Iruka-sensei."

"You don't need to be sorry for anything Kaede-chan."

Kaede looked up at Iruka and her bottom lip trembled. "I got the front of your vest wet." Iruka gave a little laugh and looked down at the wet spot on his vest where Kaede had cried. "It'll survive. I'm sure it's had worse then tears before." The little Hatake's eyes welled up with tears and she slumped back against Iruka's chest, crying again as Naruto sheepishly headed over to them from where he had been pacing the room, his hands in his pockets. "Is she alright?" The 'dolphin' smiled gently at Naruto and nodded. "She'll be fine. Could you get her something to drink Naruto-kun? Kudasai."

"Sure." He turned away heading for the vending machine on the other side of the room. Sure, Iruka would have preferred he got her water, but the sugar in a soft drink would probably do her good, seeing as Kaede hadn't, surprisingly, eaten yet. It was one of those many signs to know when something was wrong with the little Hatake. Her crying died down quicker then before, mainly due to exhaustion this time and she drank about half of the drink she was given, not paying much attention to it. Kakashi had to be alright. He just had to be; it's all that kept running through her head. He had to be alright.

-----

Six hours and still no one had told them what was going on. Iruka had moved to lean against the wall cross-legged so Kaede could sleep curled up against him, while Naruto's soft snoring against his shoulder made the teacher shake his head slightly. He tilted his head back against the wall and closed his eyes, trying to get a little rest of his own as he was used as a pillow by the two younger ninja. "Iruka-sensei?" Doe colored eyes snapped open in surprise and Iruka looked up at Sakura, who looked down at the trio worriedly. "Please don't wake them up." Iruka relaxed a little so it didn't wake either Kaede or Naruto and Sakura sat down on the floor with them, her feet tucked up to her side. She was silent staring at her skirt, as if she was trying to think of something to talk about. "You can tell me, Sakura-chan."

The pink-haired girl rubbed her eyes tiredly with the heels of her hands. "Kakashi-sensei...Tsunade-sensei is still trying to save him. She tried to heal him herself, but there's too many major organs damaged..." She trailed off, her eyes staring at Kaede's sleeping form almost pitifully. Iruka waited silently, knowing she had something else she must have wanted to say or tell him. "He...he stopped breathing not long after we brought him in. The Hokage managed to get him breathing again and they started blood transfusions...He stopped breathing again about a hour ago and she managed to save him again but… But it took longer this time, and she's not sure if she can bring him back if it happens again." Subconsciously, Iruka tightened his hold a little on Kaede's prone form. That wasn't good news; not good at all. If he stopped breathing, that could be it. Kaede would lose her father.

"I'm sure Hokage-sama will do the best she can for him."

Sakura looked up at Iruka with a worried expression on her face. He had said that so emotionlessly, almost as if he wasn't thinking what his mouth had said. He probably wasn't. Kakashi and him may have had their disagreements and the pervert might have forced the Chuunin to raise his hackles over issues, many involving Naruto, one or two involving Kaede, but they still had things in common and both could get along with one another, so the younger ninja considered them friends and Kakashi had never seemed to disagree with that title.

He didn't want to see his friend die.

"You should send Naruto home." Sakura looked a little ashamed for saying so and Iruka shook his head. "He'll want to stay." She nodded and didn't say anything for a few minutes until the silence finally got to her. "Who...do you think did that to Kakashi-sensei?" A low growl made the pink haired girl jump slightly and both herself and Iruka gave Naruto a curious look as he sat up and rubbed both his eyes clear. "Sasuke-teme did it to him. He's the one who's almost killed Kakashi-sensei." For a moment, Sakura looked utterly heartbroken. "But..."

"No buts damnit! He did it; Kaede-chan said so and she was there! She saw what that bastard did to our sensei and I bet he didn't even care!"

Kaede frowned in her sleep and curled in towards Iruka's chest, making the teacher adjust his hold on her and hush Naruto quickly. "I know you're angry, but not so loud Naruto." The blonde gave Kaede a sheepish look and nodded at his former teacher, his features softening again, though there was a slight glint of anger still showing behind his blue eyes. Sakura was still silent, unable to say anything about it. She couldn't say Sasuke wouldn't do that, even if part of her wanted to, but he could and if Kaede saw it, then he had. Another part of her just couldn't believe that she had been smitten over that guy. For the girl with the rose-colored hair, it was all a little confusing, if not overwhelming. Even her inner Sakura wasn't sure what to say, so remained silent and she couldn't even find enough ground to go off at Naruto for speaking to her like that. "Please keep me informed if you hear anything." Sakura stood up in a daze. "I was told to get some rest. I'll be at home." She walked away, leaving the room and building by automatic response and she probably would walk all the way home in a similar fashion, too.

Iruka idly brushed Kaede's hair from her face, smirking when it fell back into its original spot. "Her hair is as stubborn as his." Naruto gave his former teacher a look and nodded. "She's a lot like him."

"He'll fight until the end."

Naruto nodded in agreement. "I know. He wouldn't be Kakashi-sensei if he didn't fight."

They fell silent again and that's how the night mostly remained. Oddly Kaede remained asleep for it and Naruto even dozed off a few times; he even allowed Iruka to fall asleep using his shoulder as a pillow. It was uncomfortable and no one told them anything about Kakashi, he could have been dead and they would still be waiting to hear about it.

-----

At sometime around four am Iruka was awoken by someone clearing their throat directly in front of them. He looked up at Tsunade, who smiled gently at the teacher; Naruto's head on his shoulder and Kaede curled up against his chest. "You look good with children Iruka-sensei." He smiled and nodded a little at the compliment before his features went sober again at how tired Tsunade looked, almost as if she had been crying for a good hour or so before coming out. He was a little unsure if he should ask. He was frightened; yes, even him, a ninja that could face down any child or problems they had or could look down any ninja that brought in late mission reports when he was on duty; he was scared.

Iruka swallowed heavily before asking. "Is Kakashi-sensei...alright?" Well, of course he wasn't alright, but he wasn't sure what else to say. Asking if he was alive just didn't sound right. "He's alive, that I know for sure. Is he alright? I doubt." That didn't sound...well, it didn't sound good for starters and Iruka just seemed to stare up at Tsunade, blinking every now and then before the woman rubbed the bridge of her nose and sighed. "That's didn't make very much sense did it? Gomen, it's just...he's a stubborn bastard, even when he's dying."

The 'dolphin' smiled gently at that, now that sounded like the Kakashi he knew. "We managed to heal the damaged organs and most of the damaged muscle tissue. Now, the rest of the healing is up to his own body. He used quiet a bit of chakra, but it was still at a low, yet safe, level for someone like him. The blood loss is the worry." Iruka listened carefully as Tsunade spoke and sat beside him in one of the chairs. "I honestly don't know how he survived from the amount of blood he lost, but then the human body is an amazing thing at times." Iruka nodded in agreement, it was indeed an amazing thing. "I assume Sakura-chan mentioned his...moments out of the world of the living?"

"Hai, she mentioned it when Kaede-chan was asleep."

Tsunade nodded this time glad that the pink-haired girl had used digression in that department. "We did lose him; more than once, too. I thought I couldn't get him back last time and he could still do it even if he is stable at the moment. Thank kami he refuses to give up, be it for himself or for Kaede-chan." It seemed as if she was leaving something out, on purpose as well, and Iruka tilted his head slightly looking at the pale-haired woman, who smirked and gave a light chuckle. "There's no keeping anything from you, now is there Iruka-sensei?"

He gave her a slight smile and shook his head, otherwise his features didn't change, and Tsunade sighed before running a hand over her face. "He's in a coma. He has a respirator breathing with him incase he stops again." The two ninja stared at one another, it was Iruka who looked away first to look down at Kaede, who whimpered mournfully in her sleep, giving a slight cry as she clawed at his vest before pulling herself closer to him. She wanted her father, Iruka knew that. Even in her sleep Kaede knew it wasn't her father holding her. Iruka looked at Naruto when he heard a little sniff from the boy; he hadn't even noticed that the blonde had woken. In a different situation, he would have perhaps congratulated the younger ninja on his stealth. "Obaachan, does that mean that Kakashi-sensei isn't going to get better?" She actually ignored the fact that Naruto had called her grandma as the boy removed himself from Iruka and Tsunade pulled him up into a hug. "Iie, it just means it's going to take him awhile longer to get better. I wouldn't let Kakashi go, even if he wanted to without a long and tiring fight."

Naruto sniffed and managed a tiny half laugh. "He'd fight you right back, too." Tsunade smiled and ran her fingers through Naruto's hair affectionately. "That's right, because he's a stubborn son-of-a-bitch." For a moment, just one little moment, they were relaxed. Making sure no one was about to mentally or emotionally snap, Iruka slumped against the wall. He really needed to stretch his legs, but he didn't dare move incase Kaede woke up.

It didn't matter though.

Kaede woke with a startled scream, her green eyes going as wide as they could at the sound of the alarm. Tsunade basically dropped Naruto on the floor before running towards the doors as a medic appeared, calling for her. "Hokage-sama! It's Kakashi-sensei!" Iruka's hold on Kaede went limp and the little girl ran. As the Chuunin snapped out of his stupor and tried to grab her. He just missed and Naruto scrambled after her instead. "Dad!" The older ninja managed to grab Kaede around the waist and she immediately tried to fight herself free of his hold around her waist. She had to get to her dad and make sure he was alright. "I...I need...Dad!"

Both ninja fell back onto the ground and Naruto tightened his hold, whispering into her ear while her hair tickled his face. "If you go in there, they won't be able to help Kakashi-sensei. They'll be worried about you getting in their way. Just relax, onegai. For your dad." Kaede went boneless, though part of her still wondered when had Naruto gotten that mature streak. She laid there, just staring at the white floor, still remembering the color of her dad's blood. It had been red like the Sharigan he possessed; like the ones that had stared down at her with such hate and spite. It was a color she would never forget. The red drops that fell from the stretcher to the white floor had been something that was both horribly beautiful and yet so terrifying. It was cleaned away hours ago, but her mind continued to play it; that drop of red and its gentle splash that never reached her ears. She could still hear the wet splash as that sword had been pulled from his body even longer ago. Every detail was carved into her mind and she knew she'd never forget it; she could never forget it and she could never forgive Sasuke for being the cause of the pain her father was in and the pain cutting like a kunai into her heart.

"I hope..."

Naruto rose his head, giving Kaede a cautious look. He didn't like how cold and closed her eyes, which were usually so bright and friendly, had gone. It was something he had seen in hardened ninja before. He had seen it in Kakashi's eyes when he let his 'mask' slip and once, the fox thought he had seen it in Iruka's eyes. It frightened him seeing it in Kaede's though. It was almost a hopeless look, a hateful look.

"I hope that...I hope that Sasuke dies, slowly and painfully...I hope he never gets to kill his brother and...and I hope..."

Kaede sobbed painfully, and twisted in Naruto's hold so her forehead was resting on the cold white floor. Her tears made soft, almost impossible to hear, splashes as she cried, her eyes screwed closed tightly and her jaw was tense as she continued to cry in silence. Iruka tried to move, but it was at that point that one of his legs decided to crap up and he winced as he sat down on one of the chairs, trying to rub life back into the limb. Naruto was silent listening to Kaede's crying emotionlessly. Inside, he wanted to yell and scream, he wanted to hit something until his knuckles bled and he was sure Kaede was feeling much the same way. They both were too stubborn to do so.

"You can curse him all you like Kaede-chan. You can yell and scream until your throat hurts and your voice breaks if you want. Hate him if you must, but don't let it change you." Naruto's voice went hard then. "Don't become like him, living only for revenge."

Her eyes opened wide and it was almost like she was hearing things in static. 'You're just as selfish as I am...' Kaede could feel the tears welling up again as she heard Sasuke's voice in her mind. "I'm nothing like him." She watched her tears drip onto the small wet puddle, forming from her tears. 'You and I both know it.' She felt numb, as if all that hate that had built up inside her had just bled away with her tears and she rose her head slightly, staring down at the distorted light playing across the tears on the white floor. "I'll never be like him..." A shaky smile crossed her face and she looked up at Naruto who gently returned his own. "Come on, the floor is cold." Naruto helped Kaede up and wrapped a brotherly arm around the younger ninja, leading her to the chair beside Iruka before sitting beside her. it was another hour before Tsunade returned to see them and she smiled shortly. "He's stable again. Kaede-chan, you should be resting."

The little Hatake shook her head. "I want to see dad." Tsunade sighed heavily, she expected that was what the little girl would want and honestly, Tsunade didn't have the heart to tell her no. "Alright, come on."

"I want to see him, too." She shook her head at Naruto. "Just Kaede for now." The little girl wanted to see her dad, that was a sure thing, but she was also afraid of doing it on her own. "Let him come in, kudasai."

Tsunade stared down at Kaede and for a moment the little Hatake thought the older woman was going to say no. "If that's what you want. Come on, Naruto. You're not going to start too, are you Iruka-sensei?" The 'dolphin' shook his head and rose his hands. "Iie, I can wait until Kakashi's allowed to have visitors. Naruto can say hello for me." He tilted his head slightly and Naruto nodded in agreement before the two younger ninja followed Tsunade into the wards. The hall was lit by florescent lights every few meters and there were doors down both sides. The doors were closed and the rooms dark except for one at the opposite end of the hall. It felt like it took forever to just walk the twenty meters or so to her father's room. She wanted to just collapse onto the floor and cry until she couldn't form tears anymore. It was almost too much seeing Kakashi so lifeless looking. He had always been pale and he had been paler when they had brought him in, but now he was sickly pale, as if all his blood had been bled out of him. His eyes were closed and his entire body relaxed in it's unconscious state and the breathing apparatus covered most of his lower face. Even with his mask absent he was still hidden.

She was faintly listening as Tsunade explained about the tube down his throat and how it was helping him breath. Static again, that's all she could hear. A hand on her shoulder made Kaede flinch and she looked up at Naruto, who swallowed heavily. She hated being the brave one. Slowly, Kaede moved away from the door and approached the bed her father was laying in. The blankets looked as if they were tucked around him too tightly and she pulled the side loose. "You always hate being restrained. You never told me why, though. Maybe when you're better you will." She stopped and stared at Kakashi's arm that had been left out from underneath the blankets and she followed the tubes up to two full bags sitting above and to the side of the bed.

One was replacing the blood Kakashi had lost, while the other was slowly replacing other lost fluids other then what had bled out of his wounds. Her attention went to the slow, lazy rise and fall of her father's chest and she pulled the blanket back a little further so she could see the bandages wrapped around his chest. There was blood at certain points where Kusanagi had pierced his body. "Is he in pain?"

"I doubt. We gave him some morphine and he's also unconscious, which helps any other existing pain. He'll probably feel like hell when he wakes up, though." Tsunade nodded at the questioning look Kaede gave her. "I'm sure he'll wake up. If not in a few hours, then a couple of days. If not the, I start kicking his bed until he does."

Kaede gave a sudden cough-laugh, almost crying before she managed to calm herself. "Hai, you do that and I'll kick his butt, alright." Tsunade placed a hand on the back of Kaede's head and nodded. "You bet. Between us both, we'll get him to wake up." Naruto had moved himself to the end of Kakashi's bed and idly nodded his head in agreement with the two girls, though he wasn't really listening to either of them. He had never...seen Kakashi in such a venerable state. Sure, there had been that time after his fight with Zabuza, where Kakashi had passed out from using too much chakra, but even then he had been awake and giving orders like it wasn't a problem. There had probably been a few other times he knew of, but Naruto's mind refused to function at the moment. "I'm not going to leave. Not until he wakes up and tells me to himself." Naruto looked at Kaede. She meant it, too. He knew it and Tsunade knew it. Kaede was a Hatake, after all.

Gently, the little Hatake ran her fingers over her father's hand, following the line of bones to his fingers before pushing her own between his, her other hand sliding underneath his palm. He felt cold, like glass and his skin was soft like silk. It was a strange and unusual combination in regards to her father, but maybe it was just what her tired mind was telling her. Kaede laid her head down on the side of the bed, her usually wide green eyes sliding shut. "Daddy..." Tsunade looked down at the sleeping girl and rubbed her eye with the heel of her hand before lifting Kaede's slight form up. "Don't move her. She said she was going to stay until Kakashi-sensei woke up." Tsunade gave Naruto a slight look before she motioned to the blankets. Naruto pulled them to the side, letting Tsunade slide Kaede in beside her father. The little Hatake whined before snuggling up beside Kakashi, her head resting on his shoulder, Tsunade checked that she wouldn't fall out before pulling the safety bars up, just to make sure. "She can stay here. Hopefully, he won't feel the need to slip away on us at any time."

Rounding the bed, Tsunade carefully tilted Kakashi's right shoulder up. Like his chest, it was heavily wrapped. Though the Chidori only grazed him, it had ripped through his clothing and managed to tear the layers of flesh underneath. There wasn't much they could do for that damage as it wasn't deep enough to need stitching, but the four-inch long tear was going to scar once it healed.

Tsunade placed a hand on Kakashi's chest, brushing his hair back with her other hand. "You get better Kakashi, for Kaede, if for no one else." Naruto looked up at elder woman as she turned away from the two Hatake and smiled at him. "Come on, let's let them rest for awhile." Obediently, Naruto nodded and let Tsunade wrap an arm around his shoulders before leading him back out into the hall. Kaede sniffed and snuggled closer to her dad, pulling the blanket up under her chin. The machine sound soon faded to the edges of her hearing. All that mattered was that rhythmic thump near her ear coming from her father's heart. As long as that sound remained, she knew Kakashi would wake up soon.

He just had to.

And that concluded Chapter 1 of Nightmare! Again, we hope you like it and hope you come by again for Chapter 2, which should be up as soon as possible. Please tell us what you think by leaving us a review! Thanks again for reading!