"Sasuke! Wait up!" I yelled, running by Naruto's side, as our teammate stretched ahead of us. He didn't even glance back at us. He was just leaving us in the dirt.
Annoyance and anger distorted Naruto's face, and I couldn't blame him. Sasuke was so far ahead of us, and he never even stopped to look back. Instead, he concentrated on something above, determined to catch up. When I looked up, I saw Kakashi jumping through the tree tops above us, only a little farther ahead then Sasuke was. But he stopped and checked on us, smiling and encouraging us to run faster.
That's just what Naruto did. Slowly, he started pulling in front of me, until he was speeding ahead of me, and catching up to Sasuke.
And I was left behind.
"Sasuke-kun! Naruto-kun!" I yelled, pulling myself to my limits as I ran. "Wait!" Now Sasuke and Naruto were running, right next to each other. I don't even think they heard me yelling at them, they were so absorbed in outrunning the other.
So I ran too. I'd prove to them that I could run just as fast as they could. Slowly, ever so slowly, they got closer and closer, but as I ran, I watched them change. It was strange, because it wasn't just a physical change; it was something that the plain eye could see. Almost as if I could see their personality changing. They both were getting taller, and they were both growing, to what seemed like the present. It hit me that I hadn't realized, when I was standing next to Naruto, it was the old Naruto. From two years ago. And that meant the old Sasuke too.
And suddenly, they both stopped running, and looked back at me.
Naruto has a smile on his face, and he seemed to be glowing. His forehead protector shone, and he looked like a hero. Like someone little kids would look up to. He wasn't the goofy little kid he was in the beginning. It made me realize how much he had grown since I first knew him.
Sasuke on the other hand, had a scowl on his face, and I could literally see the blood-lust in his dark eyes. He was just the presence of darkness now, covered in shadows, with such a grim look on his face. This was the Sasuke that wasn't just out for revenge on his brother, but out to destroy everything he had once loved. This was the Sasuke that had abandoned us, so long ago.
Then they both turned in unison, and ran off in different directions, off of the original path we were taking. All I could do was watch them both, my head spinning back and forth between the dark path Sasuke had taken, and the mysterious trail Naruto had disappeared on.
Kakashi however, was still there. He waited on the path with a smile, his hand out-stretched towards me. So I ran to him, and the two of us continued down the original path, leaving Naruto and Sasuke behind. We were just endlessly running, and as strange as it was to me, I didn't ask questions. It just seemed right.
It seemed like we had been running for ages, but we never tired, never grew hungry. We kept running, and changing too. I could feel myself growing as I ran. It was the strangest thing, yet I acted as if nothing was happening. What was going on?
Then suddenly, out of nowhere, Naruto appeared in front of us, a huge grin on his face. He was back, and he was still glowing. Then we were like a team again, just missing a piece. Naruto ran a little distance in front of me, but not much. I could keep up with him now. Of course, I was still at the back, but the gap didn't seem so huge now.
Yet, I still didn't understand what was going on.
Staring down at my feet, I watched the ground below me get darker and darker, as if night were falling, but when I looked up, the sun was still high in the sky. An eerie, yet familiar, wave flooded over me, and eagerly I pumped my legs faster.
Ahead of us, a familiar shape loomed, almost as if it was waiting for us. As it slowly got closer and closer, the features started to take shape, and it flooded back to my memory.
He started at us blankly with his dark eyes, before turning away, completely engulfed in darkness.
"Sasuke!" I choked out, feeling a weight crush down on my body. But he never turned back, he just kept walking away. The further he walked, the more crushing weight I felt. My feet were planted to the ground, and it seemed like nothing was attacking, but I could feel something pulling away at me. Desperately, I glanced at Kakashi and Naruto, to see that they were struggling too. Something was pulling away at us, bringing us under.
My eyes flew upon, and I sat up in bed. I looked around wildly, and saw that I was just in my room. Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi were gone. Then again, Sasuke hadn't been here for a long time.
Hugging my knees, with my head buried, tear streamed down my face. It was all just a dream. Yet it felt so... real.
The next morning was brutal. I hadn't gotten much sleep after the dream. No, it wasn't a dream, more like a nightmare. And as much as I wanted to crawl back into bed, I had something I needed to do.
I scarfed down breakfast and changed out of my comfy pajamas, before heading out the door. Walking through the streets, I couldn't help and smile as the sun crept up in the sky. It wasn't extremely early, but I was one of the first in the streets. Normally, that would tick me off, just the thought of willingly getting up early, but it was different today.
As soon as I reached my destination, I hesitated at the door, all my courage melted away. I took a deep breath, knowing I had this made out in my mind; I wasn't going to back down now. I knocked my knuckles against the door, hoping he would hear it, then waited.
When the door finally opened, I smiled, and couldn't help but laugh at the surprised face on the other end.
"Sorry if I woke you, but..." I sighed, feeling slightly embarrassed. "Can we go on a mission, Naruto?"