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9. No need to worry
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During their overly peaceful sleep they got kidnapped somehow.
Sakura woke up to Kakashi's screams as realisation hit her hard. The man of her heart was getting tortured right in front of her and she was tied up. Horrified the pinkette fought hard to get free and help him, but whatever she tried she couldn't break the chakra constricting chains which surrounded her body. The copy-nins cries of agony became increasingly few with every minute until a terrifying silence replaced them, only interrupted by drops and streams of liquid hitting the floor.
Sakura's screams and curses cut through the thick air and she finally managed to wriggle that stupid blindfold off. The sadistic masked figures just laughed at her and forced her to watch him bleed to death. In a sudden panic the kunoichi summoned all of her strength, she cried, she snorted and she screamed his name as she got out of the restrictions eventually. With lightning speed she was next to her partner while the torturers seemed to vanish into mist.
She didn't care if she killed them or if they just disappeared, at that moment to save him was all that mattered.
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"Kakashi, I'm here! I'm here! It will be ok."
Those were the hardest moments of her life to realise that this time her healing chakra couldn't work to prevent the worst fear she had ever had. The pinkette couldn't hold back her tears any longer when he tried to caress her cheek with his bloody hand, but he failed due to the severe injuries.
"I don't feel the pain anymore, Sakura." He coughed blood as she pulled his wounded body into her arms.
"I'm fine now." His sad smile spoke more than a thousand words.
Of course he knew it too.
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He was going to die.
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Kakashi was lying in her arms when he took his last breath. Mismatching eyes took one last look at her before they became unfocused and his body motionless as his life seeped through her fingers. The pain in her soul ran through her whole body, it pumped through her veins like the oxygen attached to her blood cells. Her tears didn't stop falling and she felt like she stopped breathing.
Then it all went black.
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Crying deeply Sakura woke up, she was shaking vehemently and uncontrollably.
A worried silverhead pulled her close to his chest immediately. "Sakura, it was just a dream. I'm here. I'm here." Soft, warm lips kissed her forehead and his hands caressed her cheek and back.
Curled tightly to his side, she cried bitterly and it didn't seem to lessen.
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Kakashi began to play with her hair and suggested in a comforting tone, "Tell me about it. Let me help you to get through whatever that bothers you."
Tear-filled emerald eyes searched desperately for eye-contact. "You… you died in my arms… I… I couldn't do a thing, Kakashi." Again she started crying. "It was hopeless. I did everything possible."
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"I'm sure you did." He held her close and comforted her as best as he could.
"But it didn't work." Her sobbing increased.
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"Ssssshhh, it was just a dream."
The steady beat of his heart vibrating through his chest confirmed her it had all just been a bad nightmare, but it also reminded her of the lively pictures as the very same heartbeat had stopped as he had been nestled in her arms. "I failed you. I saw you dying, Kakashi. I tried… I was completely useless, I…"
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"But you were there for me, right?"
She looked at him with blurry green eyes and he tucked a silky pink strain behind her ear.
"I'm sure you did the best you could like you always do. Life will get us all someday, but you granted me the most beautiful death I can imagine: Dying in your arms." He nuzzled her hair with his nose.
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"Death, you mean death."
"What?"
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Sakura turned a bit to frown at him. "You said life will get us all someday, but you meant death."
He kissed her softly and pulled her close again. "It was just a dream, Sakura. Everything's fine. See? I'm alive safe and sound. Please calm down, there's no need to worry."
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"Probably you're right."
"Probably?" Now it was his turn to frown at her, but he did it in the faked pride-hurt look of a legendary village leader.
The kunoichi couldn't do other than giggle, his face was too funny. She gave him a peck and snuggled closer if it was even possible. But deep inside her mind still wondered why she had developed such cruel dreams lately.
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Do they want to tell me something?
Do they mean me something?
But why do they come now?
Honestly I have no idea, I'm sorry.
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As hard as she and her inner-self tried they couldn't get the message behind those dreams.
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Kakashi thought she was just struggling with her pretty understandable fear for losses according to her past and their forced distance recently.
I'm sure it will be better after our short holiday. I'll make sure to make up for the unpleasant memories and I'll do everything I can to keep her from getting such haunting nightmares again.
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They would have a lot of time together, now and in their future together.
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Carefully he tucked them in and caressed her lovingly until they both returned back to pleasant sleep.
There's no need to worry, Sakura-hime.
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