There was only the sound of rustling leaves and breaking twigs as she rushed through the forest, parting the plants that were on her way, swooping under high tree branches, jumping over low-hanging ones. Once or twice, she stumbled over the jumble of roots on the forest floor, scraping her knees and palms. The blades of grass and plants' branches made cuts and scratches on her arms and face as she passed. If she felt any pain, she did not pay it any attention.
She had to get to him. Help him. Save him.
But she was too late.
***
Rin abruptly opened her eyes, disoriented by the gloom, forgetting where she was. There was something on her waist. She touched it with a cold shaky hand and realized it was Kakashi's arm wrapped around her. It took her thoughts back to reality. She sat up in bed, and exhaled deeply to calm her nerves but it did not work.
"Rin?" Kakashi, the shallow sleeper that he usually is, was roused from sleep the moment she sat up. "What's the matter?"
"Just a bad dream," Rin replied, her voice tremulous. She was trying not to cry. Her heart was pounding against her chest and she could almost hear her blood flowing through her veins. She was scared to her wit's end in her dream and the fear was still there now that she's awake. Unconsciously, she gripped Kakashi's hand. He realized she was in cold sweat and, in a flash, he had sat up beside her.
"Rin..." There was concern in his voice. A sob escaped from her and she was not able to hold back the tears anymore. She turned to face him and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, leaning her head on his shoulder. He felt her tears soak through his shirt.
"They took away Obito's eye," she mumbled through her tears. "And they left you dead." She vividly recalled the dream: the terror she felt as she coursed through the forest and then the despair she felt when he found him lifeless, covered by blood and missing the gift from Obito.
Kakashi pulled her to his other side, letting her sit on his lap as she continued to cry, this time making wet patches on the front of his shirt. "Don't worry. It's just a dream," he said as he just held her close, trying to calm her. He could feel the pounding of her heart, almost making her whole body quiver.
"I wasn't able to save you," she whispered.
"It wasn't real," he said as he stroked the back of her head. "And you saved me many times over I tried to save you."
In the darkness, he let her cry her heart out. Eventually, her sobbing reduced to occasional sniffling and her heart had calmed down from fiercely thumping inside her. She wiped the final traces of tears from her eyes and looked up at him. "I'm sorry. I know it's silly. But I got scared," she said abashedly. He nodded his head, meaning he understood. He tried to think of something soothing to say but cannot really come up with anything.
"We'll be alright, Rin," he said, doubting his own words the moment he said them, thinking how he's not good at keeping his words. But she believed him.
"We'll be alright," she said right back as she smiled. And he believed her.
In the dimness of the room, he could barely make out the purple stripes on her face. He gently traced the edges of the stripe on one of her cheeks with his thumb and planted a light kiss on the other then he said, "Go back to sleep."
They settled back to bed, Rin lying on her back with her head slightly turned to him, Kakashi lying on his side so he can watch over her. One bad dream is one too many.