His whispers were like soft kisses across her neck. They left a trail of tingling sensations across her skin. His hand was soft as it molded against her. She couldn't understand the complexity of the situation, even if her intelligence for a mere six year old was vast. He was eight and every word he spoke to her was of a promising future. He promised he would keep her safe and as she woke from her dreamy daze she memorized every word.
She ran off to school, but not just to school, her best friend. "Asuma!" she yelled at the top of her lungs at the end of the playground opposite him. Everyone around her covered their ears. He just turned to her and waved. "Come here!"
He walked over to her slowly. "What's up? I think you make the entire first and fourth grade deaf."
"I have to tell you about a dream I had!" she said. He raised an eyebrow but shrugged it off and they walked to the tree where they sat everyday. When she described the boy who was with her in the dream he became intrigued. "And he wore a mask!"
"Wait a mask?"
"Yeah! One that only covered the bottom half of his face." she traced a line from ear to ear right under her eyes.
"Anko, how do you know this guy is safe?"
"Because I dreamed him up silly!"
"Oh right, this is a dream."
"Duh! Who did you think I was talking about?!"
"No one.." then she continued her story. She included the part where he grabbed her hand like Asuma had at one point. She said how he whispered how he would never let anyone hurt her. "Sounds like a real charmer."
"He really cute! I hope I dream about him again."
"Don't get your hopes up."
"You don't believe me do you?!" she said accusingly.
"No. I believe you. I was just saying, don't get your hopes up to be let down if it doesn't happen again. People don't usually have dreams about the same person twice."
A week after she had the dream she had had, it occurred again. Laying in the meadow hand-in-hand with that same boy she had to know his name, so she asked "what's your name?"
"Kakashi." his voice was the same velvet smooth. She wanted him to talked forever, but the light of day wonder her again.
"Asuma! Asuma! Asuma!" she yelled merrily all the way till she found him. She grabbed his hand and pulled him back to the tree. "It happened again! I dreamed about him again!" she exclaimed excitedly.
"What happened?"
"He told me his name!"
"Oh yeah?" he asked disapprovingly.
"His name is Kakashi!" she threw her hands up in the air all happy.
"Anko, don't make up things like that."
"But Asuma! I'm not making it up!"
"Remember a while ago when I told you I was learning about the Hatake plantation?"
"Well yeah..." she rubbed her arms. "Just thinking about it gives me the chills."
"Well in the 1920's or so, when the plantation was still active Kakashi Hatake lived there with his siblings and parents. There is no way your dreaming about Kakashi Hatake. He's dead."
"Kakashi didn't wear a mask!"
"Yes he did. Go ask Iruka. He could tell you."
"Iruka is such a know it all. And he goes along with everything you say because he wants to be just like you!" she yelled at him angrily.
"Anko. Don't make up lies about Kakashi alright?"
"But Asuma I'm not lying!"
"Whatever Anko just don't do it."
"Okay..." It was almost two years before she had another dream about Kakashi. The dream she had this time wasn't a dream like the other two. She started running, running from someone who aimed to kill her. The same someone who killed her family. She ran until she was trapped. Turning and twisting down different halls, opening and closing doors that led to other halls. If she saw the man she was running from she'd open another door and run more.
In her dreams she yelled his name. As the man inched closer to her. She was trapped. She screamed for him over and over again.
"Kakashi!" the man stopped. She backed up, into someone. His grip on her arm was warm, just like Kakashi's had been when she first dreamed of him. She turned to look at him. It was Kakashi. She hugged him tightly but his gaze never left the other man.
"I promised you I wouldn't let anyone hurt you." by this time the tears were streaming down her face that was buried in his chest. The scene changed again, and they were back at the meadow. Her safe haven that he had seemed to have created for her.
"Kakashi... Are you dead?" she was still hugging him and he was hugging her back now. He didn't reply but instead just let her lay her head on his shoulder and comfort her.
She woke up and hurried back to Amuse. She sat under the tree and waited for him instead of yelling for him. Finally he noticed her and walked over.
"What's up kid?" he asked as he sat next to her by the tree.
"Asuma, you're still a kid too." she looked at him with narrow eyes and a mad glare.
"Older then you."
"By two years. Oh well. What's up?" He said as he bumped her arm with his.
"I dreamed about him again."
He frowned at her. "Kakashi?"
"Only this time I was running from the guy who killed my family. I was so scared. I was crying. I ran into Kakashi trying to escape from him and he saved me. Kakashi saved me."
"Anko, you don't have to worry about that guy. He's dead."
"So is Kakashi, but that doesn't change the fact that both of them were in the dream I had last night." he scooted closer to her and hugged her. She set her head on his shoulder.
"It'll be ok." he tried to reassure her. "Do you want me to come stay with you tonight to show you tonight to show you everything is ok?"
She looked up, Kakashi stood hovering over them. He looked at Asuma and shook his head. "I.. I think I'll be alright."
"Okay. Well you know where to find me." she nodded and he walked off. After school she headed home. She opened the door and tossed her bag into a chair.
"Kakashi?" she asked into the empty house. "Kakashi, I saw you. Please talk to me... I know you saved me last night... And I know you told me to not let Asuma over. Kakashi?" Instead of words, she got nothing but the wind from an open window.
Years later she still dreamed of Kakashi, every night almost. Now sixteen she learned to live on her own. Daily she dealt with the every day problems every sixteen year old faced. Yet no matter how much she went through with the loss of her parents and the stress of school she knew she would always have one person to count on.
He may not be able to be there physically like everyone else, but she was positive he was always there. As time changed and she matured both mentally and physically, it appeared as he did to. In her dreams he was handsome. His muscles were defined though barely noticeable under his outfit. His mask never left.
In one of her dreams she even got brave enough to try and take it off. His hand grabbed her wrist and he kissed her gently with his masked face instead. She was fourteen then.
She shook her head, at the text she got. Anko... I reasly neeeed you tooo come pick me up... Asuma was drunk, again. Rolling her eyes she reluctantly grabbed her keys from the coffee table and stood up.
She was drowsy, her hand gripped the gear shift and the other held the steering wheel tightly. Her eye lids got heavier and heavier with every blink. The darkness was inviting, she wanted to bad just to fall asleep and dream, peacefully. Honking and blinding headlights jolted her from her slumber. She jerked her car trying to get back into her own lane but the car in her lane going by halted her. Over-correcting and flipping her car she was forced to turn back into the other lane to collide with the much larger truck.
.
.
.
She blinked her, slowly opening her eyes at the new blinding light, one that seemed so much more pure than the last. Her head pounded harshly. She looked up to see none other than Kakashi. His mask was gone and she was frozen in place. He smiled at her and extended a hand. Hesitantly she reached her hand out and felt his as if he were really there. He pulled her to stand and suddenly the scene changed and they were in the field instead of on the side of the road,
"Kakashi?" she asked? Her voice hoarse and cracking. "Where are we?"
"Where ever you want to be.." his voice was smooth and she felt his words run over body sending chills to her arms.
"Am I dreaming?" She looked at him, taking note of the sad look in his eyes.
"I wish. But no.. I tried to wake you up, but..." he trailed off and pointed behind her. The scene behind them was much different than the one in front. "I tried Anko..." She gasped seeing her body being lifted onto a stretcher and into the ambulance. She turned and buried her face into his shoulder. "Anko.. There is some place you need to go before we spend forever together.. There are people who want to see you.."
She looked up to see her mother and father standing behind Kakashi. He stepped to the side letting them hug her instead. She cried, and they cried. Patiently he waited. He waited her to be ready, ready for her to spend forever by his side.