A/N: quick post. not many reviews last chapter? that was kind of disappointing, but expected at the same time lol

I made a gift for all of my beloved readers! I was searching through all my notes and pictures to refresh my memory and decided to take pictures of them all and post them so that my readers (if they so wish) would be able to in a way, see the evolution of this story. I always like seeing behind the scenes to stories, art, movies and...really anything. I hope you like it :) Theres a little blurb about it on the DA page but anyways here's the link and remember REVIEWS = CRACK: anna-mae . deviantart... /# /d5n3o4p

When Time Stops
Chapter 10: Prisoner of Time

An resounding clang woke him and he lifted his heavy head to quickly examine his surroundings. He was in a stone room, laying on a white cot, the only piece of furniture in the room besides a small bucket in a dirty corner. His body felt numb, clothed in an overly large white shirt and tan wrap pants. He slowly pushed himself up, wincing as shots of pain came from his abdomen. The door to his room opened, bombarding him with light, and distracting him from his bodily pains. He threw his hand up to shade his face and looked away. Two men spoke in their foreign tongue from the door. Suddenly one of the men were standing next to him and looking down at him.

"Come with me, child," the man spoke. He wore a white tunic and beige wrap pants like the two people who had captured him and preformed surgery on him. Kakashi looked up to him and to the man waiting at the door whose face was wrapped except for his eyes.

The man grabbed his arm with a firm grip and lifted him to his feet. Kakashi stumbled, surprised by the quickness of the action and winced as the skin around his injury was pulled and stretched. He was dragged out of his room into the blinding light, noting that the lock on his door would not make it possible for him to escape from his room later on. They were in a hallway outdoors, with only a roof to protect those who walked through from the elements. A small square grass courtyard was in the center several steps down, which the walkway wrapped around. In it, five men practiced a mix of katas and stretches in such an arrangement that Kakashi had never seen before. Above them was the bluest sky, dotted my puffy clouds and singing birds. Kakashi was guided forward nearly half way around the courtyard, to a large set of wooden double doors where two men stood to each side, they wore a similar outfit to the other men he had seen, beige wrap pants and a long white tunic, with a head wrap that covered their head on some way. The guard allowed Kakashi and his guides entrance and pushed open the doors. Before his was a lush garden, with a multitude of flowers and trees, with a stream that peacefully cut through them. In the center of it all was a wide flat grass area which displayed a bright red, open-walled temple which stood at the center of it all. They started into the garden, following the path towards the temple. As they approached, Kakashi made out a man sitting in the center of the temple, incense and flowers laying around him and a guard to either side of him. The man was old and stately. His wore all white and his bald head was left bare. The wrinkles on his face and hands made him look old and weathered. Kakashi walked up the steps at his escort's guidance and stopped several feet in front of the old man. One of the men pushed his shoulder roughly, making him fall to his knees. He winced as the wound on his abdomen was jarred. The two escorts muttered something ritually in union and lowered to one knee with their heads several minutes the stood again, pulling Kakashi up with them, who struggled to find his footing.

"Kakashi...Hatake." The man rasped out. The words seemed to take enough effort for him to say that he was out of breath. He said nothing else, seeming to take the time to catch his breath and regain his energy.

"What do you want with me? Why do you people keep following me and attacking me?" Kakashi demanded, staring down the ancient man with the proudness of both the Hatake and Uzumaki clans.

One of his escort smacked him roughly in the back of the head. "Do not disrespect the elder, child."

Kakashi frowned, rubbing the spot and glaring at the offender.

The old man groaned then, his arms shaking against the arms of the chair. Instantly, the two men on either side of him grabbed the old man underneath his arms and lifted him gently, helping him to stand up. He stood on skinny, shaky legs and was given a knurled wood cane to support his weight. The man took shaky steps forward, his eyes locked on the young Hatake, until he stopped right in front of the boy.

"We must test you to see your progress, young Hatake...son of Konoha's White Fang."

The man reached out and touched both sides of his head, just above his ears, with a grip that betrayed his old age.

Kakashi struggled to slip out of the old man's grasp, but his escorts held him firmly in place, not allowing him to move or struggle.

"Let us have a look inside your head..." the old man rasped.

A force thrust itself inside Kakashi's head and he gasped at the intrusion. He pushed back against it with his own mind, grinding his teeth at the effort and saw that the old man began to sweat, his brow furrowed viciously.

The forced in his head pushed back with astounding ferocity, tearing through his thoughts and digging deep into his past. Memories of his young childhood flashed before him and seized his mind. He remembered waking up in the forest, barely clothed, with his brother Naruto and wondering where his dad was. The pressure dug through more of his memories, stopping on the one where he slept walked into town and come across Iruka. All of a sudden the memory was released and the force shuffled through many more, pausing briefly at memories that Kakashi thought had no significance. Kakashi gritted his teeth as the pressure overwhelmed him. He pushed against it as much as he could, but the battling forces made his brain feel close to explosion. The old man stopped at a very recent memory of him battling Toya and feeling one with the katana he was using.

'Good Kakashi, you're learning well.'

Kakashi grunted in acknowledgment, decided to try his hand at offense. He pushed forward, swinging at Toya.

'Now swing with your whole body, not just your arms.'

He did, and his tanto hit Toya's katana with an even louder clang, drawing glances from Neji and the other genin.

The clouds above them thundered, shaking the earth with their power. Kakashi saw the katana coming towards his head, wielded by his blond headed sensei, and jumped to the side, rolling a few paces before he stood and faced his opponent again.

"Where the hell are you going? I'm the one on defense here!" Toya yelled in frustration.

'You fight just like your father, Kakashi-kun.' The blond smiled, sheathing his katana at last. He plopped to the ground as if he were a kid and sighed contentedly as he lay in the grass, cool breeze blowing his blond locks.

The pressure inside his head retreated suddenly. Kakashi gasped and fell to his knees. His head pounding and his body feeling weak and distant.

"That will be all..." the man breathed, turning to walk back to his seat. He stumbled weakly back, breathing heavily. "Bring our brother, Leobwin."

One of Kakashi's escorts picked him up and carried him back to his room, laying him down on the bed. The man retreated and the door was shut and locked, casting Kakashi into darkness. The pounding in his head continued. The only defense he had against it was to curl up and fall asleep.

It was late as Leobwin made his way through the through the darkness of the garden, easily finding his way with slow, easy steps. The sky was the deepest shade of purple now, lit only by the serene glow of the half moon far above. The air was fresh and energizing after several long days holed up in his study as he researched ways to improve upon his Jutsu. It had become his art - his passion. He craved for it to come to completion and become something perfect and beautiful. He would become a master, nearly godlike, able to forgo death and alter a human's age at will. His previous versions of the Jutsu left...much to be desired. They were an accomplishment, but nowhere near what he expected of himself and what all of his brothers were expecting of him.

He silenced his thoughts, gliding up the three stairs into The Elder's temple. He bowed his head low, chanting a ritualistic greeting to The Elder. "You have summoned me and I have answered your call, Elder."

The Elder sat before him, seated regally in his throne. The incense around him still burned, tendrils of smoke wafting up around him and the flowers which were draped around him. The flowers had began to droop, weary and dying from their long day of work. Candles inside of glass lanterns hung from the ceiling, dimly lighting the small Elder waved his hand and his two guard bowed and left silently, is missed from their duty for the night. It was several minutes after they left before the Elder made any motion to speak. "Brother Leobwin, you have been quite busy. How fares your studies?" The old man questioned, head held high and voice weary and faint.

"I still have much to learn, Elder, but my research has progressed after seeing the effects of my Jutsu first-hand. I have gathered even more information than the previous time we had the child with us. It seems the effects of the Jutsu are more apparent as he grows older."

"I have seen a similar pattern in my search..." Replied the Elder, motioning with his frail, wrinkled and shaking hand for Leobwin to approach.

Leobwin the throne and kneeled in front of the old man.

The Elder leaned forward and placed his cold wrinkled hand on Leobwin's forehead, "I will share with you what I have seen hitherto in the boy's mind. You will see the effects of your last modification of this incredible technique."

A presence entered his mind. Alien and forceful, it displayed a multitude of pictures into his thoughts. He battled to suppress the urge to force the presence out of his mind, finding it uncomfortable the bear. The images overwhelmed his senses and he could do nothing but relive the moments in time that they portrayed.

When the presence retreated, it did so suddenly, leaving him breathless and gasping for air as was the old man, who dropped his hand and fell tiredly back into his chair. The images shown to him fixated themselves at the forefront of Leobwin's mind. He weeded through each one of them, learning as much as he could from them.

"You will travel and find out if what we have seen is true. If it is, it will mean great things for your jutsu. Take Pungarh with you, should you run into any trouble." The Elder smiled weakly, absentmindedly rubbing the arm of his chair in habit.

"As you wish," Leobwin nodded, standing to his full height, "We will travel with great speed."

"Peace be with you in your journeys, my brother, Leobwin." The Elder replied and dismissed him with a nod.

Leobwin glided through the garden towards the main rooms with haste, his mind eagerly churning the new information he had been given. It would not be long not until he perfected his jutsu into a magnificent art for his people.

When Kakashi woke up, he didn't know how long it had been. Echoes of pain from his encounter with the old man beat through his head at a more tolerable level and allowed him to sit up and examine his room. There were no windows, only stone walls. He noticed a bowl of bread on a small stand next to his bed through the darkness, accompanied by a jug of water. He grabbed the meager loaf and tore it in half, eagerly eating it. He sat back on his bed and leaned against the wall, grimacing as he was reminded of his earlier injury. He peeled up his tunic and began unwrapping his bandages. Beneath it all, a neat hand length cut lay vertically on hischest. It was precisely sewn together with delicate, shiny stitches. It seemed to have healed up a bit. It must have been a few days since the operation, he though to himself as he threw the bandages in a ball to the floor. He pulled down the shoulder of his tunic to examine the cut on his arm from battling with his temporary genin team. It, too, had been stitched and was healing quite well. He lay his head back against the wall, pondering what he would do to get out of this place. If he could only get free of his cell, the building seemed to lack any serious security that would threaten his freedom. He would just wait until someone came to feed him again.

It had been a while since he had left and seen the old man in the garden. No one had come to get him or check on him since. Nor had he been given any more food or water. He kept himself occupied by planning his escape. He kept from moving around to save energy. There were only a a few bites of bread left and he had drunk all of his water. He wondered how long he was to stay here and what exactly the old man had meant when he had said he wanted to test his progress. He couldn't help but replay the memories the man had searched through over and over in his head. Somehow, there was information in them that the old man needed, but he couldn't understand why these people needed information from him of all people. He couldn't wrap his head around what they were trying to do with him. The old man had mentioned his father. He was sure they were trying to learn secrets of the Hatake family through him, but he knew very little of his father.

Kakashi could hear the water trickling somewhere. He pressed his ear against the wall, halting his breath to listen in dead silence. Below. He dropped to his hands and knees and found a little trickle of water near the floor. It came from a crack in the wall and quickly drained out a hole in the corner of the floor. He put his face against the wall, the water running across his cheek and lips, and greedily slurped it up. After several minutes he righted himself. His stomach grounded against itself loudly and he retreated to his bed to lay down and sleep. He was weary and his body felt very weak. He didn't know how many days it had been, but he had slept more times than he could count on his fingers. His food and water had been consumed long before. Was he meant to sit and die in this little dark room? No, he assured himself, they would not have given him food and drink if they meant for him to die. Then what? We're they testing him? Yes they must be.

He laid in bed and stared into the darkness at the ceiling because thats all he had the energy to do. His thoughts were focused on inhaling and exhaling. A clamor startled him and the door to his room open, blinding him. His arm raced to cover his face. A man called out from his room and came to him. Kakashi didn't know what the man said, all he could think about is that he might get food now. The man pulled him up out of bed and to his feet, speaking in his foreign language. Kakashi tried but couldn't keep his knees locked underneath him. The man was left to hold up most of Kakashi's weight. As he was led outside, Kakashi's eyes still couldn't adjust to the light and he found himself following blindly wherever the escort was taking him. They descended a few stairs and continued walking into the center of the grassy courtyard. They stopped and Kakashi was left to stand on his own wobbly legs, his escorts retreating from the courtyard and exiting down some hall.

He squinted around, noticing two forms before him. The doctor, Leobwin stood before him, who spoke something in the ancient language. Looking frazzled, he came towards Kakashi. He was accompanied by the other man who had translated for the doctor, and who stood unemotionally, watching the doctor and Kakashi with disinterest.

Leobwin spoke quickly and heavily and he circled the boy, feeling the pulse on Kakashi's neck, checking his temperature with the back of his palm, and finally lifting his shirt to examine the healing of the incision. "We leave for just a little while and the brothers forget to care for my experiment. The experiment is a child, it must be taken care of, fed, exercised, intellectually stimulated or it will become weak and die. Did it not occur to any of them that this experiment is the key to our people's survival?" Leobwin spoke, shaking his head at the stupidity of his brethren.

"I am sure he will be fine, Leobwin, you worry far too much." The other man spoke, casually examining the dirt beneath his fingernails.

"His body is weak and he has a slight fever, but he will recover quickly. Such is the nature of the specimen I have chosen. He is from strong blood." Leobwin replied, smiling at the boy and patting Kakashi's silver tuft of hair. "See to it that he is fed and cleaned, Pungarh." The doctor demanded, walking across the grass and up the stairs towards the guarded double doors.

"Where are you going?" Pungarh called after him, angrily dismayed that he was being left with this outsider child.

"I must speak to The Elder about this mistreatment of my test subject."

Pungarh frowned, glaring at the doctor as he passed through the doors and disappeared as they closed.

Kakashi watched the two carry on, not understanding a word of what was going on. The man left standing in front of him looked down at him and huffed a sigh. "You will come with me, Hatake." The man began walking in the opposite in the opposite direction as the doctor, ascending the stairs and headed down a hallway. Kakashi followed feebly, knowing he was in no state to resist or put up any sort of fight.

They left the courtyard where his room and the double doors to the garden-temple were and traveled down a dim hallway into another courtyard, similar to his own but nearly twice the size. Instead of being lined on all sides by doors, there was one great open room, covered by a roof but open to the courtyard. In it, there were several tables and an array of food displayed. In the great room, many ate, happily talking, while others casually walked from room to room. The courtyard was filled with activity as well. Two children played in the grassy courtyard, chasing and tackling each other, laughing all the while. They were overseen by an older boy who sat boredly on the steps that led down to the courtyard and idly chewing on a strand of grass. The translator led Kakashi through the great room, causing the people around them to turn and stare, halting in their conversations and meals.

Kakashi fidgeted under their stares, reaching to his face where his mask would normally be to adjust it, a nervous habit of his. Instead he found himself itching his cheek awkwardly.

They stopped in front of the display of food, an arrangement of fruits, vegetables and breads. "Take what you wish." Pungarh instructed, handing him a small plate.

Kakashi took it and scanned the food. He thought it strange the change in the way they were treating him, but left the thought for another time. He eagerly grabbed food, piling it onto his plate until it could not hold another piece of food. The man led him to a table, and motioned for him to sit. Kakashi did so without question and began to dig into his food. The translator stared him blankly, eyes hard.

"What..." Kakashi demanded after several minutes, mouth half-full of food. He squinted at the man, not liking being stared at so openly.

Pungarh sighed and looked around at the other men in the great room and courtyard, "We are simple people, we live naturally and happily. In this place, time does not bind us to the world and we do not share the same worries that your people face. It is quite easy for us to be lost in time, unaware that it has passed."

Kakashi frowned, deciphering what the translator was saying, "So you don't age and die?"

The man laughed once, "We are not immortal, Hatake."

"So, you use your jutsu to manipulate time?" Kakashi ask curiously.

Pungarh looked at him with piercing eyes, before looking away and falling silent.

Kakashi tucked the fact that the man refused to answer his question to the back of his mind for later thinking. Any information he could gather would help him escape and later if he would be faced with battling the Time nin again.

A man approached their table, his strides long and slow, wearing clothes the same as every other person Kakashi had seen in this place. He shot a curious glance at Kakashi before bowing his head to the translator and speaking in their native tongue. "The Elder has commanded that Kakashi Hatake join the other children after he is fed and bathed."

Pungarh grimaced, banging his fist on the table."The Elder wants to put Hatake with our children? He has gone mad. What would we do if something were to happen to the children?" Kakashi stared at the two, startled at the sudden outburst.

The messenger stood silently, waiting for Pungarh's rant to subside.

"Who is to take care of him?" He growled, already knowing the answer.

"The Elder had requested that you keep watch over him, in the event that he should attempt to harm anyone or try to escape."

Pungarh huffed loudly, waving the messenger away with an angry swipe. "This is all Leobwin's doing, curse him."

Kakashi stared at the translator curiously as he continued to munch on his much needed meal.

Pungarh stood suddenly, "Come, Hatake, we will go."

Kakashi sulked internally, hesitant to leave his food as he was far from full. Stuffing one more bite in his mouth, he stood and jogged after the translator to catch up.