Apartment - Nightmare

"Sasuke?"

The raven haired boy opened an eye and focused on the person in front of him. The worried look on Naruto's face instantly melted away and was replaced by annoyance.

"You couldn't have waited five minutes?" Naruto asked

Sasuke chose not to respond but slowly stood up. He took in the room, noticing that the normal apartment had faded once again into a nightmare version. The wallpaper was replaced with chain linked fences. His shoes echoed on the metal floor below him and a quick breath assaulted his senses with bitter smells and the lingering sense of fear.

He looked over as Naruto helped Sakura up. Her pink hair shook slightly as Sakura tried to clear her head.

"Great, we lost our weapons our weapons again," Sakura sighed, frowning at the lack of axe and sickle.

"What now?" Naruto asked.

Sakura frowned. "I don't know. Last time we only escaped because…" She trailed off.

"That's not an option this time," Naruto interrupted.

"Then we need to start looking for another one," Sakura responded.

Sasuke left them to discuss the situation while he explored the converted apartment. When he had first arrived it was already a nightmare. Pictures of a smiling family, perfectly arranged cushions on the sofa. Everything was a lie, perpetuated by this place that seemed intent to drive them all insane.

He paused and looked in the bedroom, finding the once well-made beds in shambles. He walked over to the frames and quickly yanked two of the legs free. The metal pipes rested well in his hands.

"Sasuke-kun?"

He looked over his shoulder at Sakura. "I found something useful."

"Oh," she said softly, looking at the metal bars. "I just wanted to see…"

"I'm fine."

She frowned. "You should have told us, you know."

He nodded. "It was a tactical mistake."

"No… I didn't mean it like that. I meant that… this had to be hard for you and you know we're here to help."

Sasuke let out a sigh. "You don't get it, do you? You never did. I don't need your help. Not back when we were in the academy. Not when we were a genin team. Not even after I was dragged back to Konoha. I don't need your help. I just need you to fight well and do your job."

He walked out, right into a glaring Naruto but quickly avoided the argument that was brewing. He tossed the weapon to Naruto and headed out the door.

Sakura followed and Naruto frowned at her. She shook her head. "He's right. Now's not the time. Come on, let's catch up to him."

They slowly made their way out the door, almost tumbling over Sasuke who had knelt down to examine something on the ground. He ran his fingers along the outside of a foot print with a frown.

"Is it his?" Naruto asked, not daring to say the hated name out loud.

Sasuke shook his head. "Too small. Someone else is here again."

"We should check the rooms," Sakura stated. "One by one, with Sasuke opening the doors and Naruto covering our back. Without a weapon, I'll stay between you and keep a look out." Naruto nodded in agreement, quickly slipping into his position as Sasuke stood up and headed for the first door.

Ten minutes later, the hall was secure. Most of the doors were locked and the ones that weren't led to empty rooms. It wasn't necessarily disappointing. After all, none of them were looking forward to facing another monster like before. But at the same time, there was no easy way out of this place.

"What now?" Naruto asked, leaning against the last door.

"We should probably…"

A scream echoed down the halls. Sakura's eyes opened at the familiar femininity of it. She looked over to Naruto to confirm the suspicions but he was already gone. Sasuke cursed and grabbed her hand, dragging her down the hall in the direction that Naruto had run to.

The blond had stopped at the staircase and was looking around feverishly, trying to locate the source of the voice. As if to answer his search, the girl screamed again and Naruto looked down over the side.

"NARUTO!" Sakura screamed, just as he launched himself over the railing and jumped the two flights down.

Sasuke moved to do the same but Sakura grabbed him. "You can't! I can't heal you if you hurt anything." He frowned but let the logic of the statement hit him and he started down the twisting staircase.

On the ground, Naruto winced at the pain in his left ankle. He managed to stand up but he was quickly knocked to the side. He hit the wall with a sharp crack and felt something in his shoulder shift out of place. His gaze fell out of focus as he looked up and all he saw was a sky of black with red clouds.

The girl screamed again and the thing in front of him moved quickly, sliding across the floor and disappearing out a door. Naruto tried to stand up again but his shoulder screamed in protest.

"Naruto!" Sakura cried reaching him. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine," Naruto replied quietly.

"No you won't! You can't heal the same way you used to. And I can't use jutsu to heal you either." Naruto fell silent as Sakura prodded him for any sign of injury. He tried to keep silent when she examined his shoulder but it was hard to hide the pain. Sakura frowned. "You dislocated it."

"I'll be… OW! What are you doing?"

"Sasuke hold him down," Sakura ordered. Before Naruto could protest, Sasuke had him by his good arm and Sakura was popping the other one back in place. Naruto's eyes watered slightly but he refused to cry out.

"I'm sick of you both telling me you're fine," Sakura said, ripping the sleeve off Naruto's shirt and making a sling. "I'm the only one with medical training in this group and it's hard enough to try to patch you guys up when I do have chakra to use."

"Sorry, Sakura-chan," Naruto whispered. She frowned but still made sure not to jostle him while she slipped the sling around his arm.

"Just be more careful," Sakura replied, picking up the metal pipe from the ground. "And I'll take this. You just stick in between Sasuke and me."

"Yeah, got it," Naruto said.

"Where to now?" Sasuke asked. Naruto pointed at the door where the monster had gone through.

Sasuke nodded and started to head that way but Sakura quickly caught him. "Can I suggest not running straight towards danger before we know what the situation is?" Sasuke glared at her but she shook her head. "You've said it yourself a million times. This isn't real and that… thing is not your brother."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Sasuke asked.

"We find the girl who was screaming," Sakura replied. "Naruto, did you see her?"

Naruto shook his head. "She wasn't here."

Sakura paused and looked up. They had only come down two flights of stairs but the ceiling was at least five floors up. The screams had obviously echoed up so the girl should be here. Unless the beast had already gotten her.

Sasuke realized what his teammate was doing and started to look around the area himself. While Sakura concentrated on what was above, Sasuke studied the ground, looking for signs of another foot print.

Naruto suddenly sneezed and the other two looked at him. He got a somewhat sheepish grin on his face. "Sorry, there must be a draft or something. Just got real cold…"

He trailed off when he saw the look they were giving him. Sasuke flashed a few hand signals and Sakura nodded. He knelt to the ground next to Naruto and closed his eyes, waiting for the same breeze Naruto had felt. When the cold air prickled his skin, Sasuke's eyes opened and he locked on to the source.

He moved towards the ventilation grate, feeling Sakura fall into step behind him, weapon raised and ready. Sasuke held his fingers low, counting backwards from five. When he hit one, he yanked the grating off and Sakura moved in for the strike.

Hinata screamed out in fear but Sasuke's hand moved quick to silence her. He looked at her clouded eyes and waited until the panic died down before letting her go.

"You… you came back," Hinata said softly.

Sakura reached forward and pulled the other girl out of the tiny hiding space. She was immediately crushed into a hug and the warm tears were already soaking the sleeve of her jacket.

"It's okay," Sakura whispered. "We're not going to let him get you again."

Hinata sniffled and raised her head. "You can't help me. He'll find me no matter where I go." She pushed Sakura away. "You need to go away. Now."

"Bullshit," Naruto said standing up. "I don't get how this world works, but Sakura-chan's right. We're not letting him get you again."

"Don't you see?" Hinata cried. "You have no choice. This is his world. You can't fight him."

"'Him?'"Sasuke demanded. "'Him' as in Itachi?"

Hinata looked up at him with confusion in her eyes. "I don't know his name."

"Do you think this is his doing?" Sakura asked softly. "Is this what Tsukiyomi's world looks like?"

The thought that this nightmare was caused by his brother had crossed Sasuke's mind. But he shook his head. "It's too complex. The world of that technique is monochromatic, simple and usually involves only one action repeated over and over again. Creating something this complex… it's beyond him."

"Then who?" Naruto asked. "Who could create something like this?"

The beast answered him, roaring through the hallway and splintering the door near them.

"Run!" Sakura screamed, letting Naruto take Hinata and get away while she and Sasuke stayed behind to guard.

The black coat of the Akatsuki was now covering the Itachi in front of him. The clouds on it were moving and Sakura could swear she felt the breeze as they did. The creature smiled slightly as it turned to them.

"Sasuke-kun," he said softly. "Aren't you glad to see your big brother?"

Sasuke's grip on his weapon tightened but his feet refused to move.

"Isn't this what you wanted?" Itachi asked. "Us… together, like old times? I can train you today. And later, we can have dinner with mom and dad. Just like before…"

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura asked, sensing his hesitation.

"Just let me have the girl," Itachi said. "And this will all go away. Let me make it right again."

Sakura looked at the exchange with a frown. She recognized Sasuke's reaction. It was the same she had had with Ino. These illusions were persuasive in offering the thing that you wanted most.

There was only one choice to break the spell. She stepped forward and Itachi barely saw her attack. The pipe came crashing down but he moved at the last second so it only glanced off his arm. He used the other one to grab her by the throat.

"These girls," Itachi said. "They've always annoyed you. Trying to hang around you or asking you to share your feelings." His grip increased and Sakura clawed to get free. "I'll rid you of the nuisance."

Itachi's head snapped away from her and Sakura felt blood spray her cheek. He let go of her and she dropped to the ground choking as the air rushed back into her lungs. Sasuke pulled her away from Itachi, still gripping the pipe tightly.

"They do annoy me," Sasuke said. "But this one is my teammate."

Itachi growled and turned around, his neck twisted at an odd angle. He looked at Sasuke with anger in his black eyes. "I would have given you what you wanted the most."

"What I want the most is you… dead," Sasuke replied as he struck at him again.

Itachi disappeared into a blur of red and black, shifting across the floor at impossible speed. Sasuke reached down and pulled Sakura to her feet. By the time he turned around, Itachi was gone. He let out a sigh.

"We should find Naruto," Sasuke said, trying to stop any words of thanks that Sakura might have had. He was a bit surprised to find she didn't even try. His troubled look must have been apparent.

"What is it?" Sakura asked.

"Nothing," he replied. But after a beat he eyed her again, looking for a sigh of real injury.

She looked at him. "Expecting the normal gush of thanks?" she asked softly. "Well, I'm your teammate so I know how much you hate that."

It made sense, but somehow Sasuke didn't feel exactly comforted by her words. Maybe it was the tone she had used. Before he could question it though, Naruto's voice called to them from one of the apartments.

They ran inside and found Naruto trying to hold a broom as a weapon while Hinata curled in the corner. "I thought it was him," Naruto said lowering the broom.

Sakura quickly went over to Hinata and knelt down, looking for any signs of injury. "Are you okay?" she asked lamely, trying to calm the other girl down.

"Is there a way out," Sasuke demanded, ignoring the glare he received from his teammates. He wasn't here to spare the emotions of some make believe girl.

"There… is," Hinata whispered. "But you don't want to go there."

The noise of shattering wood was almost lost as the beast howled again. Sasuke shot his teammates a look and they silently agreed. Itachi was hunting them, room by room.

"The window," Sakura pointed, looking at the grime covered glass. She tried to open it but the edges were stuck. "Sasuke-kun, I need your help."

He moved quickly, hearing another door breaking apart. They strained for a few second before the window screeched and moved up slowly. Sakura shot him a panicked look and he quickly moved outside, balancing on the thin ledge there.

"Move now!" he said, hearing the beast moving towards the hall. Sakura helped Hinata out on the ledge and then Naruto. They were slowly sliding across the side of the building as Sakura joined them.

"Where do we go?" she asked, making sure she didn't look down. Sasuke pointed to the corner of the building.

"There's some sort of scaffolding there," he said. "We should…"

The window behind them exploded. Sakura threw her arm to protect her face from the glass. Something cut into her arm but she held her balance, despite the lack of chakra in her feet.

"GO!" she screamed, quickly moving back to where they had come from. She needed to buy them time.

"Sakura!" Sasuke yelled, seeing she was headed back.

"I'll hold him off!" she yelled back, twist the pipe in her hand. "Get them to the scaffolding." She didn't let him answer. He wanted her to fight well and that was what she was going to do.

The Itachi-creature looked outside the window and was met by a blow to face from Sakura's pipe. He stumbled back and she quickly grabbed the frame of the window, swinging in feet first and pushing him further back.

She swung back out, not willing to get trapped in the room, and crouched on the ledge waiting for him to come out again. From inside, the beast's battle cry echoed out into the darkness that encircled the building.

The wall on either side of her suddenly exploded as the beast's two tentacles pushed through them. Sakura cursed silently, realizing it was evolving away from the Itachi persona into the fearsome form they had met at the school yard.

She jumped up as one of them swung at her, barely landing back on the ledge just as the second one swept at her. She leaned backwards, watching as it swept just above her chest. She quickly righted herself and found herself face to face with the melting visage of Itachi.

"Hello there," he smiled, the tatters of his Akatsuki resembling a destroyed night sky. The old Anbu outfit was peeking out, as was the hilt of the katana on his back. "Have you seen my baby brother?"

Sakura's eyes were still wide as she tried to use the pipe to hit him on the side of the head. He caught her arm and she tried to punch with the other, only to have that one caught as well. Itachi smiled at her and Sakura snapped her head forward, connecting her forehead with his.

He let go immediately and she started to fall backward. She reached out desperately, pulling parts of his cloak off before finally grabbing something solid. The hilt dug into her hand and she gripped the window frame before pulling it free from the sheath.

The katana gleamed in the filtered light of the world, a dark red that made her look up and realize for the first time that the sky was the same as Itachi's cloak. Inside he howled in rage and Sakura knew she had pushed her luck for too long.

Quickly, foot over foot, she ran across the ledge, casting glances over her shoulder. The monster's limb finally moved, stretching towards her at a rapid pace. She stopped moving and gripped the katana clumsily.

She sliced at the limb and a stream of dark red blood burst through the wound. The creature reacted quickly, pulling back and suddenly swiping at her. Sakura took the hit and lost her balance, barely grabbing the ledge as she fell.

"SAKURA!" Naruto screamed.

She looked over and saw Naruto bending over the scaffolding, at least three floors down. He was too far away to help her. Which was why she was surprised to feel her arm gripped and steadied. She looked up and saw Sasuke straining to pull her up. He had obviously doubled back to help her.

"Give me your other hand!" he yelled, looking over at the window as the limbs retracted inside again.

Sakura looked up at him with a frown. He had suspected she wouldn't be able to handle things. It was why he hadn't gone ahead with Naruto this time or any other time he should have. He was certain that she was going to need help because it always turned out she did.

"Take the katana!" Sakura replied, holding it out instead.

"No!" he yelled. "Give your hand."

"It's the most useful weapon we have!"

He moved quickly, grabbing her by the wrist even as the blade sliced his forearm. He yanked her up unceremoniously onto the ledge. Sakura made sure she never let go of the katana, even as he dragged her onto the scaffolding.

"You're an idiot sometimes," he said once they had reached the scaffolding.

"I made a tactical decision," she retorted.

"You made an emotional one," he replied, pulling her down the stairs. "The katana isn't our best weapon. You and your intelligence are."

"Hey, nice sword!" Naruto called as they arrived.

Sakura blinked and looked at Sasuke with confusion. "Ah… yeah. But I don't know how to use it to well." She held it up to him. "It… it makes more sense for you to use it." Sasuke nodded and took the blade, not willing to let a trace of emotion show over the idea of holding his pseudo-brother's weapon. "I'll lead, Naruto and Hinata next and Sasuke covering the back."

She moved quickly, running down the spiraling fire escape. For a moment, she doubted that they'd ever reach the ground but the cracked pavement suddenly became visible beneath a thin layer of fog. The ladder was up but Sakura quickly remedied that by loosening the bolt and letting it fall.

She climbed down first, quickly scanning the area before helping the others. Naruto smiled in thanks and helped her with Hinata. The girl was still skittish but seemed to calm down when she reached the ground.

"I've never been… outside before," she whispered, pushing a hand through the fog. "It's… very…"

"Disturbing," Naruto said, looking up at the sky. He frowned and looked over at Sakura. "What now?"

Sakura pointed to the street. "We go back the way we came. So far everything in this world has been mirrored in the other one. If we go back the way we came… I don't know but maybe they'll be a way out of this."

"Just remember the wall," Naruto said as they walked to the street. "Don't want to get trapped there with that thing after us."

Sakura nodded and made to turn in the opposite direction. She paused momentarily when her footsteps echoed on what should have been concrete. She glanced down and saw that metal grating had replaced the pavement.

"What the hell is up with this place!" Naruto yelled. Hinata came to a stop the second she saw the ground.

"We… we can't stay here," she cried, starting to back up. Naruto grabbed her hand.

"We can't go back," he replied.

"The grating… we can't walk over it," she tried. Naruto tried to coax her back onto the road but she refused to budge.

Sasuke tried to tune out her protests. He just wanted to get away from the building and the monster inside as soon as possible. And in his determination to block out Hinata, he was the only one who heard the steady thumping coming from down the grate road.

"Quiet!" he ordered.

The group became silent and the rhythmic noise was suddenly very apparent. Worse it was coming right at them.

"There!" Sakura cried, pointing to movement under the grating.

Three monkey-like creatures were gripping the grating, their fingers poking through the holes, as they swung towards them. Their faces were deformed human ones, twisted in pain and rage.

"Run!" Naruto yelled grabbing Hinata and taking off. Sakura and Sasuke quickly followed.

"Which way?" Sasuke asked.

"Left!" Sakura replied, retracing her steps from before. In front of her, Naruto disappeared and Hinata followed suit. Sasuke managed to pull Sakura back before she fell off the edge.

"Naruto!" Sakura cried, kneeling down and peering over the edge. Just below her, Naruto was grasping the bent grating trying to hold on with one hand, Hinata just below him having barely grabbed onto his foot.

Sakura lost her orientation as she saw what the two were hanging over. A deep darkness seemed to go on forever beneath them, the bent grated road leading into endless oblivion. It had just stopped, cutting their root for escape.

"Sasuke! I need your help," Sakura said leaning down to pull them up. When she received no reply she tried to call him again.

Instead of him, the creature answered and Sakura watched with horror as it came lurching down the street, pulling up grating as it came. The creature was changing again, moving between the twisted form of Ino to the decaying one of Itachi before settling on the same mass of decaying flesh. The creatures from the beneath the grating were not safe from its rampage. Still holding onto the grates, they were flung against the walls of nearby buildings.

"Sakura, get them back up here," Sasuke barked before taking off towards the charging monster.

With a katana, Sasuke felt a bit more confident in taking on the beast. He kept his eyes on the two limbs, remembering the strength and flexibility they had. He didn't want to be caught up in them.

One shot at him and he barely managed to dive over it, landing into a roll and continuing his run towards the creature. It sensed his attention and quickly swung its limb back at him, bringing the second one with it. Knowing he couldn't jump this time, he slid to the ground, letting the attack pass over his head. He held the katana steady and let it slice into one of the limbs.

The creature howled in protest and Sasuke quickly stood up to survey the damage he had done. The two limbs were flailing, a thick black liquid was seeping from them. He smirked and started to approach them but was struck from behind.

The world spun and he saw stars as the effect of the attack hit him full force. When his vision cleared, he found himself trapped in the limb of a monster. He cursed, trying to understand how he could have lost track of them. He looked over and realized what had happened. The two limbs were still injured. The creature had simply grown another.

In the meantime, Sakura had given up on trying to pull the two of them up. She reached down on either side of Naruto's hand and began to pull the grated road back., glad for her natural strength. When she was sure of the strength she needed, she quickly began to backpedal, pulling the entire road with her.

Naruto and Hinata tumbled off the destroyed paneling. Sakura smiled and nodded at them.

"See that wasn't so hard," she smiled proudly. "Now, let's go help Sas…"

She suddenly disappeared backwards, a limb wrapped around her. "Sakura!" Naruto cried, watching as she was flung about like a doll.

He looked around and locked on to Sasuke, who also was trapped in a limb. That meant that the creature had used both its arms. Naruto charged, weaponless, knowing it was a stupid move with his arm but he knew Hinata couldn't fight it.

"Run Hinata!" he called before letting out a battle cry as he lunged at the creature. Before he could attack, the third limp caught him and brought him up into the air.

"No!" he screamed in frustration.

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled back. He looked over at her to find her staring at the beast.

Eyes wide with horror, he watched as a fourth limb snaked from behind the beast. He started screaming in rage as it shot forward, aiming right for Hinata. Even as the limb tossed him through a nearby window he was still screaming. In some part of his mind he believed in the possibility that Hinata had survived.

But then the noise began and his eyes clamped shut in pain as the nightmare faded again.

Yeah there was a massive delay between releases. I'm trying to work on ways to make sure this doesn't happen again. Thank you for your patience.