Chapter Twenty-Eight: Nightmares

She lay there, facing the wall, her body shaking. She was curled in on herself as she tried to fight off the familiar images that came unbidden in the night.

The docks; the happiness; the labs; the darkness; the loneliness; the betrayal; the pain…

Dear God, the pain… It burned—more than anything she'd ever felt in her entire life; more than fire; more than the ache of needing to draw air into her lungs. She wanted to die. She begged for it—begged for death, begged for the torment to end.

But the physical pain was nothing compared to the pain of her broken heart—her broken spirit. Her life had been shattered, splintered into tiny pieces; the lie forever broken, its shards forever embedded deep within her.

She was the weakling; the failure; the fool.

She grabbed her shoulder as the pain grew unbearable. She shook her head, rousing herself from her disturbed slumber. It was strange. Even though she was awake, it still hurt as if…as if the Curse Mark were still there. But that wasn't possible. It was gone. Sasuke had removed it…

'He removed it…' She repeated this to herself, and the pain began to diminish.

"Anko?"

She looked over her shoulder to see that Kakashi was staring at her. He glanced down at the hand that clutched at the spot where the Curse Mark used to be.

"Kakashi…" she said, though her voice was low and pained. She could barely focus her own eyes.

He rolled toward her and placed a hand over hers. "Sh, it's alright. It was just a dream."

'Just a dream…' she thought, though she wondered why it felt so real.

His arms were around her moments later, and she let her head fall back easily into the pillow. She uncurled her body and tried to relax. It had only been a dream, one that she knew all too well. Still, she had to remind herself that that's all it was.

'They may be my memories,' she thought, 'but they can't hurt me now.'

X-X-X

That laugh that made her blood run cold echoed in the darkness, and she quivered in fear, the eyes of the child flitting from one shadowed corner to the next. Her arms were drawn in, her breathing was anxious and shallow, and her heart pounded in her ears.

Suddenly she felt the burn of fire in her veins, and she crumpled to the ground with a cry of anguish, curling into a fetal position as she tried to fight off the pain. That cruel voice laughed at her, louder than before. Then it spoke in a chilling tone.

"Sorry, Anko… What a silly child, to think that you could live without me… You made your choice long, long ago, and now you cannot escape it."

She struggled to drown out the voice—it was just as painful as the poison flowing through her body and threatening to destroy her from the inside out.

'Just let me die,' she thought. 'It hurts… It hurts…'

The tears poured from her eyes as she begged for the end, scratching helplessly at the dirt.

"You are weak, Anko. You may have been the first survivor, but that means nothing. You've never had what it takes. There is no darkness in your heart, no thirst for vengeance, no desire for revenge—nothing that makes you any use at all. You aren't special. You're just a silly little girl who suffers from delusions. Well, I promise you will suffer no longer… Just leave it all…to me…"

The eyes of the child were gone, replaced by those of the woman, but she still lay on the ground, powerless to stop the agony that continued to plague her. She looked up from the ground, from the dirt, and saw the silver-haired Jonin standing in the distance. Behind him, the sickly white face appeared, the devious eyes and merciless grin of a snake.

She gasped, trying to call out to the man she loved, but no sound escaped her lips. He seemed oblivious to the danger that lurked in the shadows behind him.

The fire continued to rip through her body, and she couldn't move. She watched helplessly as the pale demon transformed into a hideous, snake-like creature, its long body encircling her unsuspecting lover, and squeezing the life right out of him. His eyes were bulging, blood running from his nose and mouth and soaking the blue fabric of his mask—choking him.

The ominous head of the beast rose above him, fangs extended.

"Now watch as I tear your pathetic dreams to pieces!"

She tried to cry out, to stop the madness, but it was too late. The fangs of the snake sunk deep into Kakashi's body.

But as she looked on, she found she was no longer on the ground. She was above Kakashi, her hands embedded in his back, the fire-like poison spreading through his body and turning it purple. He retched and choked and sputtered, trying to draw a breath, but he couldn't.

"Kakashi, no! No!"

She pulled her hands from him, and he fell to the ground, lifeless. She dropped to her knees, hoping to save him, hoping it wasn't too late, but he vanished, sinking into the dirt.

"No! No! No!"

She scratched at the cold, hard earth, trying to retrieve him, but it was no use. He was gone. She lifted her hands and stared at them in horror. The tears burned her eyes and clouded her vision. She felt like she couldn't breathe, and in the darkness, that cold, merciless laugh echoed…

Echoed…

Echoed…

Kakashi woke when he heard Anko's screams. He shot up in bed and found her in a sitting position.

She brought her knees up and clutched at her head, her eyes squeezed shut as she tried to dispel the terrible images. The tears were real, but she fought to remind herself that nothing else was.

"Anko," said Kakashi frantically, wondering whether he should touch her or not. Her shallow, shuddering breaths and the fact that she seemed not to have heard him were concerning.

He lifted his hand hesitantly, but when she didn't respond and her body continued to shake, he tentatively placed his arm around her. "Anko, it's okay. It's okay—it was just another bad dream. Anko? Anko."

Finally, her head whipped around, and the expression on her face looked as if she'd seen a ghost.

"Anko… It was just a dream. You're safe. You're here with me."

She was safe? That wasn't her concern at all.

She looked down at her hands, then quickly clenched them into fists. When she opened them again, she buried her face in her hands as she tried to pull herself together. The nightmare had seemed so real—she was still so petrified. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't erase the image of Kakashi dying from the poison that now lived like an insidious parasite within her.

Kakashi pulled her stiff form into his arms and held her tightly, though she didn't remove her hands from her face for several minutes. He rubbed her back in soothing circles, and gradually she began to relax. Finally, she wrapped her arms around him, and when he laid back down, he pulled her with him.

He didn't ask. He didn't need to. He could easily guess that her Orochimaru demons were haunting her again, and he sighed quietly. This was the fourth night in a row, and this dream had clearly been more traumatic than the others.

It took another hour before Kakashi was able to fall asleep again, but he hadn't realized that Anko never did. Once she heard his breaths grow deeper and felt the slight decrease in his heartrate, she slowly extricated herself from him and climbed out of bed. She wasn't going to get any sleep, and she dreaded merely closing her eyes. Looking at the clock, it was only three in the morning, but she didn't care. Anything was better than the possibility of returning to her hellish dreams.

Walking out into kitchen, she looked at the teapot only to walk on by, grab a blanket from the sofa, and sit in one of the armchairs in the darkness. The living room window was open and she could hear the hum of the crickets, the hoot of an owl, the wisp of the wind; sounds of life; sounds of peace.

She didn't know what her dream meant, if it meant anything at all. She was used to nightmares filled with fragmented memories from her past, but she was not used to such vivid dreams where her worst fears were brought to the forefront of her imagination.

Even in death, even when she was trying to establish a new life for herself, Orochimaru was there, that bastard. She had been so sure she'd gotten rid of him for good, but apparently she hadn't…

Ten after three. The minutes felt like hours as she sat there alone in the dark, and the sounds of nature no longer calmed her. She was growing anxious again, especially as her eyes kept falling closed…

And behind them, that pale, white face grinned wickedly at her as she stood there with her hands in Kakashi's back, watching as the fiery poison took his life away…

Her eyes flew open again and she groaned. She needed something to take her mind off of her nightmare. She knew she couldn't wake Kakashi. He needed his rest.

Not knowing what else to do, she bit her thumb, bent down, and placed her hand on the floor. Guruko appeared, looking sleepy and bewildered. He glanced around the room, then looked up at her.

"Hey, what's the deal?"

Anko wondered if she shouldn't have summoned him. Again, he wasn't a house pet… But she currently had no other ideas.

"I…I'm sorry, I just… Is it…is it weird to ask you to sit with me?"

Guruko tilted his head. "Sure, I can sit with you. Are you okay? You don't look so good…"

"Just…bad dreams…" she said in quiet embarrassment.

The little dog leapt up onto her lap. "Say no more. I understand."

"Thanks…" She hesitated a moment before she pulled Guruko to her. He closed his eyes and leaned comfortably against her, his head resting on her breast as she began to stroke his fur. Eventually his light snoring told Anko that she had managed to lull him to sleep.

She wished she could rest, but she knew she couldn't. Not tonight. So instead, she focused on the dog in her lap and used him to ease her troubled mind.

X-X-X

At six o'clock, after sitting in the living room for three hours straight, Anko had decided to go for a morning run to clear her head and occupy her mind. Guruko had accompanied her, and when they returned to Kakashi's apartment two hours later, she gave the little dog a bowl of leftover chicken. When she sat at the table with no more than a cup of tea, Guruko glanced up from his food.

"Aren't you going to eat anything? You have to be hungry, too."

She shook her head and gave a small smile. "No, I'm not. But don't worry, I'm fine."

Guruko wasn't convinced, but said no more as he continued to eat.

"It looks like you were up early," said Kakashi as he joined them in the kitchen, taking in Anko's coat and shoes. His eyes dropped to the dog on the floor and Guruko wagged his tail in greeting.

"Hey Kakashi."

"Guruko." He looked back at Anko, concern in his eyes. "You didn't go back to sleep, did you?"

She shrugged it off. "Don't worry about it. We have to be at the Hokage's residence at ten, right?"

He wandered further into the room and went to the refrigerator to grab the carton of milk. "Yes…but maybe you should stay here today…"

"No," she said in a tone that bade no argument. "Like you said, it was just a bad dream. That's all. I'm fine."

"Ok…if you say so," said Kakashi, but just like Guruko, he wasn't convinced. There were bad dreams, and then there were night terrors, and Anko had clearly suffered the latter. She had also clearly been unable to shake it off enough to get any real rest. She looked extremely tired.

But, he supposed there was no reason to argue with her. She would do what she wanted regardless of his opinion.

As the day went on, Kakashi wondered if maybe he had been wrong, though, and work was exactly what she needed since it provided her with a task and a distraction from whatever sour taste her nightmares had left behind. By evening she was back to her usual self, and she easily laid down beside him to sleep that night.

X-X-X

It was a fight to the death—the white-faced demon and her silver-haired lover. She could only watch, as if it were a movie, as the beast with a heart of ice aimed to kill with a long blade dipped with poison. Kakashi ran for him, Lightning Blade at the ready, and the two impaled one another…

But again, on impact, the perspective of the dream changed, and Anko found herself trapped in the end result of the fateful battle, her arm through Kakashi's stomach, and his hand through her chest. He was quickly changing color, that sickly shade of purple; meanwhile, her own body was shuddering and convulsing from the electric shock of his attack.

They stared into each other's wide eyes, the blood pouring from their bodies, and the agony of death quickly overtaking them…

The scream that woke him this time frightened him more than the others had. It wasn't a scream of fear, as the ones from the last few nights had been; this time it was one of pain—a sickening, gut-wrenching sound that had Kakashi frantic to wake her. Her hands clutched at her chest, she brought her knees up almost to her chest.

"Anko, wake up! Wake up, Anko! Anko!"

Her eyes flew open, and she gasped for air. Her gaze immediately fixed on him, and the tears came again, blurring her vision.

"Anko, it's okay. Sh—it's okay."

"K-Kakashi…" she sputtered as she reached for him with shaky hands.

He cupped her face in his palms and leaned closer. "Sh, it's alright, I'm here. I'm here…"

She clutched at his shirt, moving her hand down his torso until she knew for certain that there was no gaping, poison-filled wound there. Closing her eyes tightly against the burning tears, she sobbed, and Kakashi laid back down next to her, pulling her back into the circle of his arms.

She was again relieved that it was just a nightmare, but it had felt so real—so agonizingly, terrifyingly real—and she had been so afraid that she'd actually lost him—worse; that she'd killed him.

Kakashi knew he wouldn't be returning to sleep that night. His own heart was still pounding in his chest, the adrenaline that had been triggered by the frightful sound of her anguished screams still pumping through his veins. As he held her, he realized that her nightmares were growing worse and worse with each night that passed, and he wondered how much darker they could possibly become.

Sure enough, the next night was worse than the last. It took Kakashi several minutes to get her to wake up from the terrors her haunted mind had produced, all the while his own heart was aching from the wails of pain and terror that were ripped from her throat. He was beginning to feel desperate to find a way to help her. Her nightmares were keeping them both awake at night, and she was becoming restless, anxious, and off-balance during the day, and more importantly, they were severely damaging her psyche.

Finally, the night came when she refused to go to bed altogether.

"You can't just not sleep," he protested.

"I can't sleep anyway," she said irritably as she sat at the table looking exhausted, her face pale and sporting dark circles under her eyes. "Besides, I just keep waking you up, and you have work in the morning. Hell, I'm no help there either…"

"Not like this you aren't. Anko, you need to rest."

"What's the point?!" she shouted. "It doesn't matter! Just…just go to bed and leave me the hell alone." She put her head in her hand. She had a headache and didn't feel like fighting with him. She was sick and tired of the nightmares, and sick and tired of his damned pity.

"Anko—"

"Go!"

Kakashi gave a heavy sigh. He couldn't force her to try. Heck, even he had little hope that when she closed her eyes, she'd be met with peaceful dreams.

"Fine," he said simply as he turned and headed for the bedroom leaving Anko sitting alone in the kitchen, the only light in the room coming from a small lamp near the living room window.

Guruko watched the scene from the sofa. Anko had summoned him again that morning, and he had decided to stick around in case she needed him for anything. Right now, he was afraid to approach her since she clearly didn't want to be bothered, but he was very concerned. She wasn't herself at all.

He lowered his head with a quiet whine before resigning himself to curl up on the couch.

He was a little surprised when she eventually got up from the table and walked over to pick him up. She sat across the sofa with the dog and a blanket, taking a book of her own from the end table to give her something to do for the night.

She made it until one-thirty in the morning before her exhaustion began to demand that she take time out to sleep. She refused. She couldn't go to sleep. It would end the same as it had last night, and the night before that, and the one before that.

Then a thought came to her. One only had dreams in REM sleep when the brain was still active enough to produce the mental images. What if she were to exhaust herself so thoroughly that the next time she slept, she bypassed REM sleep altogether?

Gently, she pushed Guruko off of her and got up from the couch. Heading toward the door, she grabbed her coat, her shoes, and her shin guards, put them on, and headed out into the night. She ran through her desire to sleep, ran through the exhaustion, ran through the pain, until it was no longer difficult to run. The blood was pumping through her body, the cool air felt great on her skin, and her mind was able to focus on one thing and one thing only—the exhilaration she felt as she charged through the darkened forest.

She ran to their spot out by the waterfall and took a break, splashing water on her face. After her brief intermission, she set off again, running until the sun began to peek out from over the mountains. Although she had uncovered a burst of energy, she knew it wouldn't last forever. She would have to crash at some point. She only hoped that when she did, she would be able to have a dreamless sleep.

X-X-X

Kakashi looked around the apartment, but there was no sign of her. Guruko sat up from his place on the sofa.

"Where is Anko?"

"I don't know," Guruko responded. "Maybe she went out to run again. She didn't wake me this time…"

Kakashi sighed.

"Kakashi? What's wrong with her?"

It appeared as though one of his ninja hounds had really grown attached to Anko in a rather short period of time, but Kakashi was glad of it. If she found any amount of comfort in the little dog, then the bond more than had its advantages. Too bad Guruko's company wasn't enough to allow her peace of mind and adequate rest.

Anko hadn't returned by the time he needed to leave for work, and so he headed to Hokage Tower without her, asking Guruko to stay and keep an eye on her when she finally did come back.

Half an hour later, Anko walked through the door, and Guruko ran to meet her.

"Where have you been? We were worried about you. Kakashi already left to see the Hokage."

"I know. I'm sorry, but I needed to be alone."

"Well I…I was told to keep an eye on you, but if you want me to leave…"

She shook her head as she took off her coat and sat down to remove her shin guards and shoes. "No, you're fine."

Guruko sat down on the floor in front of her, looking sad and worried. The circles beneath her eyes were darker than before, and she looked as if she was about to fall over from extreme exhaustion.

"Anko, maybe you should try to sleep."

"Don't worry, I plan to. I was up most of the night, trying to tire myself out. Maybe if I'm tired enough, I'll be too tired to dream. It's worth a shot I guess."

He whined. "I hope it works…"

"Yeah…so do I."

Anko grabbed the blanket and stretched out on the sofa, Guruko laying down on the floor beside her. By that point, she was so drained of energy she could barely think anymore. Surely she could sleep now. Surely her brain was far too tired to dredge up such hellish horrors.

As she let her eyes fall closed, she instantly began to succumb to the exhaustion, her sense of consciousness quickly flooding away. Her last waking thought was that it felt good to lay down and rest…

For a while, nothing happened, and Guruko's nervousness began to wane. Maybe she had done it. Maybe she really was too tired to dream. It seemed terrible to him that she would have to push herself to the point of nearly passing out before she could accomplish a dreamless sleep, but if it worked, it was better than nothing.

He lifted his head when she began to toss and turn and fidget.

"Uh oh…"

He sat up and wondered whether or not he should wake her. If she was dreaming, he didn't want it to get worse, but he also didn't want to disturb her. Perhaps her dreams would go away, and she'd return to her previous peaceful slumber.

But as she continued to grow more and more restless, the little dog knew that he couldn't let her suffer from her nightmares any longer. He jumped up onto the couch and pushed against her with his paws to rouse her before the dreams worsened.

"Come on, get up. Anko, you have to wake up. Ohhh, come on," he begged, not having any luck. He didn't want to bite her, but if it came to that—

He was startled by her yell, and she flailed her arms and legs, nearly causing Guruko to fall off the couch. He jumped up onto the back of the sofa and tried again to wake her.

"Anko! Anko, it's me, Guruko! Aw, please wake up. Come on!"

She screamed again and rolled off the couch, landing on the floor with a hard thud. The fall woke her from her latest nightmare, but she didn't get up. She simply laid there, giving into the tears of pain and frustration as she clutched at the carpet in desperation.

X-X-X

Tsunade expressed her confusion when only Kakashi entered her office that morning, but Kakashi did not elaborate on Anko's absence, and Tsunade did not press the issue. She set him to the task of prioritizing his upcoming diplomatic meetings and filling out a schedule, and he worked largely without interruption that day.

At four o'clock, he met with Tsunade to report his progress, and she gave him permission to leave. On his way down the hall, he met Shizune, who greeted him in her usual cheerful, but frantic way. She was about to walk on past him, a stack of papers in her arms, but he stopped her.

"Shizune."

"Uh, yes?" She noticed the weariness and the concern in his eyes.

"I have something I want to ask you."

X-X-X

Ino had just prepared an order that needed to be delivered on her way home when the bell to the shop rang, signaling the arrival of a customer. She came out of the back to greet them and found Kakashi walking toward the counter.

"Good afternoon, Kakashi-Sensei. I assume you're here for your usual? I just got a shipment of fresh Carnations this morning."

He lifted his hand in his usual lazy greeting. "No, actually, I'm not. I have a favor to ask."

For a moment, Ino looked confused, but then she smiled brightly. "Ah, I know what you're here for! You're getting flowers for Anko-Sensei, aren't you? That's so cute and romantic! I know the perfect flowers to give her!"

"Not quite…" he said, stopping her from flitting around the store (though he made a mental note that that might not be a bad idea in the near future). "You see, there's this…problem…and I was wondering if you could help me."

"Oh," she said, her smile fading, replaced by a concerned frown. "Sure, what's up?"

His eyelid drooped and he looked almost defeated. "It's Anko. She's been having nightmares—terrible ones—and she hasn't been able to get any sleep at all. She's even started refusing to go to bed altogether."

"That's awful…I'm so sorry."

"I spoke with Shizune, and she said that there were certain scents that could calm the mind and help a person to sleep more easily."

"Yeah, that's right. I know exactly what she needs, just leave it to me."

"Thank you, Ino."

X-X-X

The television was on, but she paid no attention to it. Guruko sat at her feet as she stared blankly out the window. When the door opened at Kakashi's return, she barely noticed it. What she did notice was his reflection in the window and the bouquet of flowers in his hands. She turned her head to look at him.

"W-what are those for?" she asked as he grabbed a vase from a cabinet to set the flowers in.

"They're for you, of course." He plucked something out of the bouquet and poured water into the tea kettle before setting it back on the stove and switching the burner beneath it to 'high'.

"What are you doing?"

He chuckled. "I'm making tea."

"With what?"

"Jasmine."

She watched him silently as he prepared the hot water and the Jasmine leaves for the tea before pouring it into a cup that sat on a saucer. He set it on the table next to the vase of flowers before he walked across the room and held out a hand to her.

"Come."

Curious and far too weary to fight him, she took his hand and he pulled her to her feet, guiding her toward the bedroom. He placed a hand on her back and gently pushed her forward.

"Go on," he said quietly as he stopped to pick up the vase and the tea saucer from the table before following her.

"What are you up to?" she asked skeptically, turning once she'd gone through the doorway and watching him while he set the flowers and the tea on the end table beside the bed.

"I stopped at the flower shop on my way home today and picked these up for you. The scent of the oils within Geranium leaves helps to relieve stress. Vanilla also reduces anxiety and relaxes the mind. Chamomile is another soothing agent, and while Lavender is similar to it, it has the added effect of a sedative. The Roses and Jasmine assist with improving the quality of sleep, and of course, the Cattail is often used as a symbol of peace."

She was touched as she stared back at him. "You…you bought all of these just to help me sleep?" she asked, bewildered.

"Does that surprise you?"

In a way, yes, it did.

"Thank you," she murmured. "But how do you know this will work? I tried everything—I even tried to wear myself out so much that I couldn't dream, but no matter what I do, I…I can't get rid of him."

He ran his fingers through her hair and looked down into her tired, desperate eyes, eyes that could hardly even focus. He hated to see her this way. It broke his heart to see such a strong woman subdued by the terrors of her own troubled psyche.

"I don't," he confessed. "But anything is worth a try. Anko, you can't go on this way. This madness has to stop. Whatever is going on in your heart and in your head, you must find a way to quell it. It will destroy you. It is already destroying you."

"Do you think I'm doing this on purpose?" she asked, sounding indignant.

"No, of course not," he assured her. "But you must remember that it is your mind, Anko, and you must remember that Orochimaru is gone." He took her hand and he felt her flinch. "I know exactly what has triggered these nightmares, but you have to accept it…and let it go. He's gone, the Curse Mark is gone, he has no control over you or your life, and only you can prevent the memory of him from playing into your fears and manipulating your dreams. I know it won't be easy, but perhaps these will help you."

He guided her to sit down on the bed and handed her the cup and saucer. "Drink this."

Guruko watched from the bedroom doorway as Anko sipped the hot tea. She hadn't been in the mood to eat or drink hardly anything for days, but the slow burn as the warm liquid traveled down her throat felt wonderfully soothing. She took another sip, contemplating how she could have been so lucky to end up with a man like Kakashi who did everything in his power to make sure that she was taken care of when her fears and past demons returned to haunt her. She hated her own weakness, but she felt better knowing that he understood what troubled her, and that he would always remain by her side to ensure that she would return to herself once again.

Kakashi took the cup and saucer from her and set it on the end table before easing her into a horizontal position. "Rest now. It'll be alright." He pulled the blankets over her and leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"I don't know, Kakashi—"

"I know you're afraid to face whatever may be there in the dark corners of your mind, but you have to try. Just take deep breaths, inhale the smell of the flowers I brought for you, and try to relax."

She grabbed his arm. "Kakashi, stay with me," she said, again embarrassed by her own perceived weakness.

He sat down on the bed beside her and stroked her hair and her cheeks. "I will. I'm right here, and I promise, I'm not going anywhere."

Anko looked up into his grey eye and saw his sincerity and his resolve. She glanced over at the bedroom door and saw the little dog there.

"Guruko."

"Ah, coming!" he said as he bounded over and jumped up onto the bed. He moved to Anko's other side and curled up next to her, his head on her chest. She moved her hand up to pet him with a small smile.

"Thanks guys… I don't know what I'd do without you," she said, and she truly meant it.

"Just rest. Close your eyes and breathe," said Kakashi.

Anko obeyed his quiet suggestion, letting her eyes fall closed and her head sink back into the pillow. She drew in deep, calming breaths and focused on separating and identifying the scents of each different flower. It was a task that kept her mind pleasantly occupied as the exhaustion quickly set in again.

With her improved sense of smell, she could easily discern the Lavender from the Vanilla; the Chamomile from the Geranium; and the Roses from the Jasmine. They all had such wonderful fragrances, and she was already beginning to feel their calming effects. Still, she did not allow her concentration to waver. Like counting sheep, she kept her attention on those flowers, as well as the smell of the warm Jasmine tea on the bedside table.

Her Kakashi had done this for her. Perhaps the flowers alone wouldn't have helped, but that knowledge made all the difference in the world to Anko.

She felt Kakashi take one of her hands and allowed the fingers of her other one to delight in the feel of Guruko's soft fur. She felt their love and their positive energy, and it wasn't long before she felt herself drifting off to sleep—only this time, she wasn't afraid.

Kakashi, the patient man that he was, sat with Anko for another hour, monitoring her breathing, her heartrate, and her skin temperature. He watched for any sign of disturbed or restless sleep, but he saw none. For the first time in days, she seemed peaceful.

He gave a silent sigh of relief, mentally thanking Shizune and Ino a hundred times over, for without them, he would have never known how to ease Anko's troubled mind.

He knew all too well what it was like to be haunted by nightmares, especially recurring ones. He'd relieved Rin and Obito's deaths countless times when he closed his eyes, but he had had very few of those dreams as of late, and even then, they were nowhere near as potent as they were when he was younger. Too bad he hadn't thought to ask for a remedy for his own dark dreams all those years ago…

Ah well. All that mattered now was that Anko had finally settled enough to rest, and he was thankful for that.

Kakashi slowly stood from the bed. He doubted Anko would wake—and he hoped that if she did, it wasn't because her bad dreams returned. He likely wouldn't be long out of bed himself, but he had had a lot to do at work that day, and frankly he was hungry. He turned and looked down at Guruko who hadn't fallen asleep, too intent was he on keeping watch over Anko.

"I trust you'll keep an eye on her for a little while."

Guruko lifted his head. "You bet."

Kakashi nodded, and with one last look at his sleeping kunoichi, he quietly left the room.

He made himself a soup and a side salad and ate while he flipped through the day's newspaper. The apartment was silent, but at that moment, he wouldn't have it any other way. He had been correct in assuming that Anko would not wake for the rest of the evening. She was far too drained of energy, and she needed a good, long rest to recuperate from all those sleepless nights.

When Kakashi decided it was time for him to hit the hay, he wandered back into the bedroom and changed in the dark. He climbed into bed beside Anko, draping an arm across her body and tucking her head beneath his chin. She was still in a state of relaxation, and whatever tension was left in his own body dissipated. She had made it the last few hours, so perhaps she could make it through the night.

A/N: I don't know if this chapter is entirely canon as far as Anko goes, but she has clearly suffered from nightmares before, and with her intense emotional reactions of fear and anger, I don't think it's a great leap to suggest that this might actually happen. Also, when anyone is that tired, their emotional and mental states are thrown all out of wack. I just had the nightmare idea in my head, and as a psychology major, I'm aware that certain scents help people to sleep…and I thought that would be a cute way to end this particular dilemma—with flowers!

But be warned, we're not out of the woods yet…