He took in a sharp breath as he gazed down at his teammates. They stood at a training ground as the Sun graced their backs. Rin's eyes were filled with concern as she said, "Kakashi, is everything alright?"
"You're not real," he breathed, his heart pounding in his chest. Frowning at Kakashi, Obito remarked, "Why are you acting so weird?" His lips spread into a grin as a thought accord to him. "Hah! The great Kakashi has finally cracked!"
"Obito!" Rin scolded as she placed her hands on her hips. "Something's really wrong with Kakashi! He could be sick!"
A blush crossed the Uchiha's face as he pouted. "Sorry."
Rin touched Kakashi's arm, her face reflecting her worry. "Do you have a fever? Maybe you ate something bad."
The white-haired ninja blinked at his comrades at eye level. He glanced down at himself. His hand went to his eye. There was no scar, no Sharingan. He was the same age as Obito and Rin. "I…This is a dream," he tried to convince himself. But her touch and the breeze felt real enough. No, this was Kuroi's doing.
"Obito, you made it early!" Minato appeared before them with a pleasant smile. "Are you all ready to train?"
"Sensei, I think something's wrong with Kakashi," Rin said. Obito frowned once more as he placed his hands behind his head.
"Oh?" Minato blinked down at Kakashi. With a laugh, he replied, "Kakashi, it looks like you've seen a ghost!"
"Sensei…" Kakashi whispered with wide eyes. This was Kuroi's doing…But who was Kuroi again?
Minato stopped, this time blinking his blue eyes down at his student. "Hmm…" he frowns. "You do look a little pale."
Kakashi took a step back in confusion. Why was he here? He was trying to get to someone- that much he knew for sure. But each breath he exhaled seemed to take with it all memory. For a second he managed to grasp onto a name, a mission, and a cat named bird. "I'm…Where's Chiisai?"
"Chiisai? You mean the lady who made us find her cat yesterday?" Rin asked.
"Why do you wanna know where she is?" Obito raised an eyebrow at him. "Didn't you say that was the most boring mission you've ever done?"
"But what about the dream?" He knew there was something about a dream. He was older, and had Obito's Sharingan then. But that sounded absurd. He wouldn't steal the Sharingan; Obito hadn't even awakened it yet. Unless…
No, Obito was dead. Rin was dead. Minato Sensei was dead. This wasn't real. Kakashi squeezed his eyes shut, trying to erase the images before him. No matter how much he wished it, no matter how much he desired it, all of this was an illusion. But when he opened his dark eyes, his team still stared at him. Konoha still sat before him, the breeze still ruffling his clothes.
"Kakashi," Minato placed a hand on his shoulder, "Maybe you were just having a bad dream."
"A…Bad dream?" The ninja looked up at his Sensei, his eyes showing bewilderment.
"Whoa, there really is something wrong with you," Obito whispered as he gazed at Kakashi. Rin elbowed him, though her face showed the same expression.
"Rin…Obito," Minato began. "I want you both working on concentrating your chakra by the river. Remember what I told you about chakra control, especially you, Obito. The goal is to be able to stand on the water. I'll be there in a minute."
"Yes Sensei," both said in unison. They took one last glance at Kakashi before walking away.
"Kakashi, I'm always here if you need to talk. You know that, right?" He smiled softly as his student.
"Sensei…" He closed his eyes. "No, you're dead. Everyone's dead." His voice was hard.
Minato crouched down to face Kakashi at eye level. "Do I look dead to you?" The blonde asked gently.
"No…" He tried to grasp the truth, but the task was easier said than done. In the end it became impossible, like catching a biju by the tail. "I can't remember."
A cry pierced their ears as Obito fell into the water. Rin's giggles filled the air as she helped him up. The familiar sounds pierced Kakashi, twisting itself inside him.
"Are you sure it wasn't a dream?"
"…I guess it was." He glanced up at Minato, and for some reason his heart caught in his chest. Not knowing why, the young boy said, "I've missed you, Sensei." Then he walked off to join his teammates, leaving the surprised ninja blushing.
Kakashi didn't know why, but for some reason he felt like he hadn't seen his comrades in a long time. He shook the feeling away and began the training, knowing he'd beat Obito like always.
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"Sweetie, what are you doing? Get away from the ledge!" Her mother cries.
The girl's hand presses against the side of the open window. She turns her head to look back. "I'm waking up. I don't want to dream anymore."
"Chiisai," her mom says with tears in her eyes. "Honey, you're not dreaming. I promise. Now please get off the window seal before you hurt yourself."
"No! I wanna see my real mommy!" Chiisai cries before jumping off. Her mother lets out a shriek as she rushes to the window, but it's too late. She looks wildly outside, screaming her daughter's name frantically. Chiisai's small body falls through the air, the wind whipping at her clothing and hair.
At the last second, as the people on the street come rushing towards her, a ninja jumps up and encircles his arms around Chiisai. He lands on the ground roughly, his breath heavy as he looks down at her.
"Chiisai?!" Her father gapes at his daughter in shock. "What were you thinking?!"
"Let me wake up!" She screams. The child writhes under his grip, trying to break free. His grip on her tightens as he kicks off, causing dust to stir up. Kuroi lands in front of his wife. She takes their daughter in her arms before he can say anything. Her long fingers press hard into Chiisai's skin. "DON'T YOU EVER DO THAT!" She screams at Chiisai. "DON'T YOU EVER DO THAT AGAIN!" Her body shakes with her weeping as she pulls Chiisai closer. Barely audible, she says, "Don't you ever scare me like that again, Chiisai."
That was when the madness had first begun.
Chiisai stood in her old room, watching her memories light up around her like a lit cigarette on oil. She grabbed her head, trying to take control of her mind, to take back what was hers from the start. But she was powerless in the gloom of her past regrets, and it forced her to her knees.
"Have you heard what she's been saying?! We have to take her to a doctor! Geez, Kuroi, she tried to kill herself!" She cries into her hands. "I can't go on like this. I can't watch my child go through this. I don't want it to get worse!"
"How can it get any worse, Gina?! If we take her to get this checked out and they find out her ability, they'll take her away! Do you know how many people would be after her?!" He runs his hands through his dark hair roughly. "Goddammit," he breathes.
"I just don't want to lose her, Kuroi. I'm going crazy just trying to convince her every morning she's in real life! Her teacher's beginning to ask questions, and all I can say is that she's over imaginative. How do you explain your daughter believes she can fly?! She broke her arm for heaven's sake!"
He shakes his head before giving his wife an exasperated look. Finally, he takes her face in his hands, his thumb wiping her tears away. She looks up at him, the anguish clearly written on her face.
"We'll just have to take her out, honey. She can't be trusted beyond the walls of this house." He shakes his head. "I've already nailed her window shut and she can't do much with a broken arm. We'll think of something." He embraces his wife as he pulls her closer against him. "It's going to be alright, Gina."
He lied.
"Stop!" Chiisai screamed within herself. She needed to get out. She needed to find Kakashi. This is her mind, she told herself. She has control. Saying it didn't help. The memories continued to batter her inside and out, ravaging her like a rowboat amidst a hurricane.
"Is this true, Chiisai?"
She nods, not meeting her father's gaze. "I-I did like you told me. I wrote the dreams down. I don't know the people's names, but I can describe them to you if you want."
Kuroi blinks back to the journal, its entries scrawled in barely legible handwriting. But the information is still clearly seen, the secrets exposed. "How does it work?"
She's surprised at the question. Small Chiisai rubs her arm. "Well, when I go to sleep they come. It never stops, and I can't remember a lot of them, but I know it happened. Some are real scary, and it hurts my head sometimes. Sometimes they're just like real life."
"Have you ever tried learning to control it?" Her father seems fascinated by the information before him, noting the potential the information brings. "I really enjoy reading your journals," he says slowly.
She beams at her father, wanting to prove herself to him, and he knows it. "I can try! I once left a dream on my own. It's hard, but I can do it!" She smiles. "I'm getting better!"
"Oh?" That catches his attention. "When was that?"
Chiisai hesitates, but seeing the curiosity in his eyes, she says, "When I was in your dream."
And that was when the fear began, when her parents became afraid of their own daughter.
The scene changes yet again, branding itself inside her heart as her emotions rush against her. There is no stopping this madness.
"Leave me alone!" Chiisai screams at the door.
"Dammit, Chiisai! Give me the goddamn journals!"
"No! I know what you did, and I won't let you betray the village!" Tears stain her cheeks as she tries to control her sobs.
The door bursts open, her father bolting in in a rage of fury. Her mother rushes towards her husband and grabs his sleeve. "Please," she cries. "Don't hurt her!" He yanks away, shoving the woman to the ground. Kuroi glares at his daughter who stands in a corner.
"Were you in my fucking mind?!" His body shakes with anger. "I told you to never step foot inside my head!"
"N-No," she whispers. "I-I-" But that's as far as she gets. Her father grabs her and punches her, sending her flying on the bed.
He stalks toward her. "Give me the goddamn information, Chiisai."
She shakes her head as one hand holds her swollen cheek. "I-I don't have them." Her body is shaking from either fear or adrenaline, she doesn't know which and doesn't notice. "I'm not le-letting you hurt this village."
Kuroi slaps her before pinning her to the mattress. With one hand, he forms several signs. "Genjutsu it is then."
From then on, he starts using genjutsu to steal her dream secrets.
After that, Chiisai cuts the sides of belly. The pain makes her cringe with each breath, but it also makes her stay awake. However, there are consequences when she doesn't dream. Kuroi makes Chiisai watch him beat her mother. She can't handle her mother's cries, and she can't face seeing the bruises every day. She can't stand watching her mother getting drunk each night to drown it all away. Chiisai gives in to his demands. The house becomes her prison. She dreads each time she opens her eyes to a new day of torture.
"STOP IT!" Her voice scratched her throat. Her nails dug into her skin, making blood form in crescent lines. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't escape. Her body spasmed with the effort, putting every ounce of energy she had into making the memories stop. They flickered for a moment and then vanished.
She collapsed in the darkness, her lungs desperate for air. Chiisai managed to open her eyes, but to her horror, she finds herself unable to move. Glued to the ground, the memories spilled from the ceiling, seeming to drown her with her own pain.
"You put him in a coma! You're not my daughter, you're a monster!"
"I'm the monster?! Who was the one that beat you without remorse? He was a tyrant and traitor to the village! He made our lives hell!"
"He is my husband and you're father! Now get out of my dream, you bitch!"
"Dammit- I'm glad he's in a fucking coma! I came here because you're too drunk during the day to even respond, mother! I didn't mean for all of this to happen! I just want you to see-"
"I love him!" Her mother screams. "How would you know anything?! You've never loved anyone and no one's ever loved you!" She spits. "You caused all of this! You're what has torn this family apart!"
Chiisai is taken aback. Her mother fumes before her with no regrets hiding in her eyes. Chiisai's hands ball into fists. Bitterly, she whispers, "I hope you drink yourself to death. I hope you end up like him and leave me be forever!"
And that's exactly what her mother did.
Tears streamed down Chiisai's face. "Please," she begged into the air. "I can't do this." Her insides were numb, her heart hollowed out. All the pain and guilt had been ripped from the inside and brought forth before her eyes. Chiisai slowly gave in, letting go of what little fight she had left.
She thought of the people trapped within their dreams, trapped because of her father, no- because of her. Her thoughts switched to Kakashi as the tears slid down her face. They deserved better, so much better. She wasn't a heroine. She wasn't even a ninja. She was just a librarian. She deserved this.
But they didn't.
Her eyes closed as her mouth barely formed the words. "Help me."
There was nothing. Maybe a whispered laughter, who she assumed to be her father. "Anyone?" She whispered in the darkness, her lips quivering. "I can't do this."
Then her eyes flew open as her stomach lurched. She felt her belly swelling, moving up her neck as she choked. Her esophagus expanded, making Chiisai's eyes water as she convulsed. Her mouth opened, and something emerged from her lips.
She saw silky darkness. She felt feathers.
Red eyes glinted in the void. Her body suddenly seemed lighter, and she slowly staggered to her feet. A crow hovered before her. It let out a caw as it expanded. The crow's eyes staid in place as the blackness elongated, taking the shape of a human.
Her eyes grew wide as he transformed before her. She recognized him instantly, remembering the first time someone noticed her in their dreams.
His red eyes bore into hers. His expression was weary as he landed in front of her silently.
"It's broken then, hasn't it?" he was calm as he stepped toward her.
She stepped back, not believing what she saw. "Itachi?"
The edges of his lips spread slightly as he heard his name. "Hello, friend."
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