Caranril: Well, guys. This is the last chappie of this story. My next update will be Part II. Enjoy!

Legolas: And a very happy thanks to Life's Reject. We think this story is f-ing awesome too, and we're glad you think it deserves so much. You are very fabulous.

Caranril: Erm, a long-blond Elf prince shouldn't say fabulous. It sounds gay.

Legolas: Nuh-UH. Talk to the hand girlfriend.

Caranril: Um, um. If you don't like ickiness (that is bloody sort of stuff), skip the italics in the beginning, k?

disCLAIMER: While I do not own Naruto nor any affiliated subjects therein, Kishimoto-sama does and therefore he owns my soul.

Chapter 15: Recovery and Rebuttal

The sky was blood red, and all colours were in the negative. Several Itachis surrounded him, stabbing his writhing body with their katanas. The wretched cross restricted all movement and made breathing extremely difficult and painful. His wrists and ankles were rubbed raw from the tight ropes, but he hardly noticed with the blades entering various parts of his body. Itachi kept a steady pattern, sometimes twisting the blade into bone, occasionally driving the sword into his groin, which immediately made Kakashi pass out. And every time he'd come to in that horrible nightmare.

"Only sixty-two hours, eight minutes, and fifteen seconds left in this world," Itachi sneered, stabbing viciously. Kakashi tensed for another bought of pain, hearing the metal enter soft flesh. There was a soft gasp. Kakashi opened his eye and saw a woman in front of him. She was clinging to him and the cross for dear life as the swords entered her body instead of his. Every drive of the sword drove the air from her lungs, and her legs almost lost the grip they had around him. Her bleeding mouth bit back moans of pain. Oblivious to who he was stabbing, Itachi continued his administrations. The woman had yet to pass out, but her lids were drooped with exhaustion. Should she lose consciousness, she'd probably fall, and Kakashi would continue to be stabbed.

"Hang in there," he whispered, unsure that volume would matter, for this was a nightmare. Her warm body was trembling against him.

"You so owe me," she managed to say before katanas cut her off. As if Itachi had realized that he was no longer stabbing Kakashi, he angled the sword up and drove it between her legs, the tip exiting her stomach and cutting Kakashi. Her screams tore into Kakashi and echoed through the nightmare world. Then her eyes closed, her body went limp, and fell an eternity...

Every last bit of Kakashi was soaked in sweat as he bolted upright. He'd had the nightmare replaying Itachi's doujutsu many times before, particularly after he used his Sharingan. But the woman protecting him was a new addition. He didn't know who she was, but even so it would be difficult to recognize her in the strange lighting of Tsukuyomi. Seeing her tortured mere centimeters from him had been difficult enough to watch, but if it had been someone he knew...

What brought about this strange nightmare was unknown to Kakashi. It was as if the actual event of his torture had involved that woman, for she was completely woven into the dream. And he couldn't stop the racing in his heart. Why couldn't he dream about his books? At least when he woke in a sweat it wouldn't be from intense pain.

He rolled out of bed and stretched, feeling slightly sore from thrashing about in his sleep. A real thrashing wouldn't be so bad compared to katana stabs. Kinky.

After showering and dressing, Kakashi headed towards the infirmary. A day and night's rest should be enough for one to recover from the effects of the Sharingan. Kaori would be happy to know that she was now a full-fledged Genin. At age twenty-two. Kakashi shook his head. That age seemed so unrealistic, but he had to keep reminding himself that she didn't even hear of ninjas until a few months ago. How one could live their life without the knowledge of ninjas, Chakra, and the Kages was beyond him.

There were voice inside Kaori's room, one in particular standing out. Naruto seemed to be announcing something. Kakashi peered in and stayed at the door. Kaori was propped up in her bed with pillows, looking sickly and tired. Maybe she took longer to recover than most people? Several bodies were in the room other than her and Naruto, who was speaking dramatically. Izumo and Kotetsu were right by Kaori's bed, while Sakura was on the other side. Iruka stood next to Naruto, holding something in his hands.

"So we took my old forehead protector, put it on the scarf, and now you have the same hitai-ate that Iruka-sensei and I have worn," Naruto said proudly. Iruka leaned over the bed and handed the scarf to Kaori. She took the scarf, stunned, staring at the worn metal in awe.

"This was yours, Iruka?" she asked quietly.

"Yes," Iruka answered, the same pride in his voice. "And I passed it on to Naruto when he became a ninja. And now, after talking to me and the manufacturers, Naruto had the metal placed on the scarf Izumo and Kotetsu gave you."

"Because you like wearing bandanas so I figured you'd like the scarf better than the headband," Naruto explained.

Kaori ran her finger over the leaf symbol, too mesmerized and speechless to act.

"Here." Sakura gently took the scarf from her hands and placed it on her head. She tied the knot in the back, then adjusted it so it fit in the center. Kaori touched the cool metal on her forehead, a shiver running through her.

"It looks good," Izumo commented.

"Real good," Kotetsu agreed.

"Kaori, welcome to the life of a Shinobi," Iruka said with a smile.

Naruto squawked and leapt upon Kaori with a ferocious hug. She was nearly knocked off the bed, but she returned the hug with as much vigor as she could muster.

"She has made some good friends," said a female voice behind Kakashi.

"Yes," Kakashi agreed. "Hokage-sama, why isn't she healed? She looks like Akatsuki got a hold of her."

"I don't know. Her recovery is frighteningly slow. She says she's always taken a long time to heal, but she has no idea that how slow it really is. If she's injured on a mission, she could die without proper care."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"I don't know. Even with my help, the cells from a cut she received from a branch took a long time to regenerate. I'll just have to keep my eye on her." Tsunade pressed past Kakashi and into the room.

"Okay! That's enough for today," she announced. "I need her to rest."

"But Tsunade-'baaaaaachan!" Naruto protested. "She just became a Genin and we have to celebrate!"

"No, you don't," Tsunade said firmly. "Out." Iruka left cooperatively, acknowledging Kakashi on his way out. Kotetsu punched Kaori's arm and Izumo gave her a noogy before they squirmed past Tsunade. Sakura had to practically pry Naruto from Kaori's side.

"Naruto! You'll see her later. She's not going anywhere," Sakura promised, yanking Naruto by the collar. He wore no forehead protector.

"Ow! Bye Kaori-chan!"

"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura smiled sweetly as she continued dragging Naruto out the door. He waved at the boy as he went by, then entered the room. Kaori was still touching the metal on her hitai-ate. Like she couldn't believe she was wearing it.

"How are you feeling, Kaori?" Tsunade asked, checking her vitals.

"Tired. And happy. And worried. And tired."

"Worried?" Tsunade pressed the place where the cut had been before.

"Yeah..ow. Now that I'm a ninja, what will I be doing?"

"Missions, of course."

"But the same kind of missions as Naruto and Sakura? I'm not nearly their level."

"You will be soon. Plenty of training with Kakashi here and you'll catch up in no time. After that, when you go on missions, he'll accompany you. I'll just make sure you don't take anything that's going to endanger the other members of your team." Tsunade placed her hands on her hips. "Well, I'm still confused as to why you are taking so long to heal, but all I can say is more rest. I'll let you go home tonight after a few more tests." She left the room and closed the door.

Kakashi had been reading while Tsunade and Kaori talked, then put the book away as the Hokage left. He took the seat Sakura had been in earlier.

"What did you do to me, sensei?" Kaori said tiredly.

"Honestly, not much. At least, you didn't suffer much from the Sharingan compared to others I've used it on. But I'll promise you that I won't use it again. I don't think too clearly when my books are involved."

"You're obsessed," Kaori groaned.

"Nah, just faithful." There was a moment of silence.

Kaori cleared her throat. "Truth is, I'm not rested because I couldn't sleep well. I kept having these bizarre nightmares over and over again. And I guess I kept screaming, because the nurse woke me up a few times scared to death."

"Must have been some dreams."

"Yeah. There was a guy hanging on a t-shaped thing and being stabbed. Every time I had the dream I would jump on him and get stabbed myself. I knew what was going to happen every time, but I still did it. I swear it really hurt. And then the guy with the sword, he-" Kaori fell silent. "Um, that is to say, I started to scream. And..." Kaori stopped again, only this time at the expression in Kakashi's eye. He seemed completely spooked.

"Kakashi-sensei? Are you okay?"

Kakashi blinked rapidly, then shook the cobwebs from his head. "Sorry. It sounds like it was frightening. Do you, uh, know who the guy was?"

"With the sword? No, I only saw him from behind."

"Uh, no. I meant the guy on the cross."

"I don't know, he...cross?" Kaori tilted her head. "Oh, you mean the t-shaped thing? How did you know it was a cross?"

"Oh, um, just figured that the, uh, way it sounded, being a t-shape and tied to it made him on a cross. Yeah."

"I never said he was tied to it. I said he was hanging." Kaori sat forward.

"Well, I, uh, figured that too." Kakashi stood. "I have to-"

"Kakashi." The tone in her voice made him freeze despite his desperation to leave the room. "That man, was it you? Was it...your memory?"

Kakashi stayed with his eye facing away from her. "It was Uchiha Itachi. He used his Mangekyou Sharingan on me. I...still have dreams about it."

Kaori sighed. "I'm sorry. I mean, I 'm sorry I invaded such a private thing."

Kakashi looked at her. "Invaded? It was just a dream..."

"No. Well yes it was, but...I don't know how I do it, but sometimes I'll dream other people's memories. I don't know if it's eye contact or just physical contact or what, but sometimes I dream them. I dream in first person too, so sometimes it's hard to tell whose memory is whose. I don't usually find myself participating in them though." Kaori felt the need to shut up as her mouth kept going. Not even Temujin knew she had access to people's memories. It was in fact a scary thought. And now she'd told Kakashi, who had every right to know her secret if he was going to be training her one-on-one from now on.

Kakashi stroked his chin in thought. Such a claim would indicate telepathy, but unless it was a jutsu he highly doubted it. So what could possibly allow her to subconsciously access memories and bring them to surface in her own dreams? Perhaps the answer to this question would also solve her slow recovery.

"Have you told Hokage-sama about this?"

Kaori's eyes widened. "N-no. But please don't tell her! If she found out I did this sort of thing she'd kick me out of Konoha and I'd never be a ninja!"

"That's ridiculous. I meant it for your own safety. It would be bad if you happened upon someone's memory that revealed dangerous information."

"Please don't tell her," Kaori said, nearly whimpering. "You're the only person who knows."

Kakashi remained silent, debating her request. Hokage-sama should definitely know, but this was something Kaori had kept desperately hidden all her life.

"I won't say anything for now, but if I think I should for whatever reason later, I will."

"Thank you," Kaori sighed, closing her eyes and sinking back into her pillows. As she lay there, she fell asleep. Kakashi looked at the clock on the wall and decided he had time to read and watch over her in case she had more nightmares. No sense in bothering the nurses right now.

He pushed the recent conversation out of his mind and focused on his book. Within minutes he was completely enthralled.

There was no clue as to how long he'd been reading before the first whimper came. As soon as Kakashi looked up, Kaori convulsed and screamed as if in pain. He dropped his book and grabbed her arms, shaking her roughly. Kaori gasped and gripped at his arms, then let go and curled into a ball.

"I hate this," she said shakily, squeezing her eyes shut. "Make it stop. Please, just make it stop. It hurts. Stop..."

Kakashi felt a rare sense of pity to see her writhing so. He faced these dreams quite often, but obviously they were more frightening and more vivid in her own mind. Hopefully it would pass and the memory would be only a memory. He sat on the edge of the bed and took her hand between his. She made a small noise, then moved so that he could have more space to sit. Kakashi adjusted the pillow behind his back and let Kaori lean against him. She felt frail and trembling to him, which made him feel for her even more. She was a headstrong woman who would be embarrassed to be in such a dire state, yet she needed someone there for her. He removed the scarf from her head so the metal wouldn't leave an uncomfortable mark. His book was on the floor too far away to reach, so he allowed his hand to be held in a vice-like grip by Kaori's, which was slowly relaxing. Kakashi wondered if what he had experienced in Tsukuyomi had really been bad enough to give Kaori such grief. If it wasn't so bad, her dreams made it so.

His lids grew heavy and his head hung tiredly. Apparently he hadn't slept so well either. And before he knew it he fell asleep.

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Kakashi awoke with a jolt and a snort. Sasuke was standing in front of him, looking amused.

"I was told I could find you here," he said with a smirk.

Kakashi sat up stiffly, his back aching from its uncomfortable position against the pillow. He felt so tired despite the sleep. Kaori was still curled against him, breathing loudly. Kakashi slid his arms under her and shifted her to the pillow. She murmured something before cuddling into the pillow. As he stood, he teetered dizzingly. His knees felt so weak he nearly collapsed, and when Sasuke glanced back Kakashi pretended to be picking his book up off the floor. He scratched his head, deciding he needed to get a real night's sleep, and followed Sasuke into the hall.

"I thought you were gay," Sasuke said evilly.

"What do you want?" Kakashi sighed, rubbing his stiff neck.

"Tsunade-sama sent for us."

They transported to the outside Tsunade's office, and Sasuke went in first. Kakashi meant to close the door, but Shizune left and took care of that for him.

"Kakashi. Sasuke." Tsunade entwined her fingers and rest them against her chin. "Kakashi, you are already aware of this. Akumako Kaori is now a ninja and will be allowed the same privileges and required of the same duties as the rest of you. You will be training her as you see fit, and when either of you is sent on a mission, the other shall accompany." Tsunade stood and circled around her desk. "But as you know, Sasuke is not allowed to go on missions nor participate in events without your guardianship, Kakashi. I've spoken with ANBU, and we've agreed that until at least a full year has passed, you will be under the same restrictions, Sasuke. What I'm saying is that we have two ninjas dependent on Kakashi to continue serving Konoha. My solution to this forming a three-man team that will complete missions together, just as you did as Genin with Team Kakashi."

"A three-man team? But it would be more like a two-man team with a handicap," Sasuke said bitterly.

"Sasuke..."

"This is my decision, Sasuke, and it still stands. I don't know what you have against Kaori, but this is what's best for all three of you. If you refuse, you will not be allowed to go on missions with Kaori or Kakashi. Which means no missions at all."

"Why can't she stay behind? What could having her on a team accomplish? Besides time lost."

"My decision is final!" Tsunade said angrily, stepping dangerously towards the Uchiha.

"Will she affect the difficulty of our missions?" Kakashi asked hurriedly, having dealt enough with an angry Hokage while training Naruto.

"Not generally. Of course you won't be getting any S-rank missions, unless you undertake them yourself."

"Will we be given a fourth member to complete the team?"

"I've thought about it, but I really can't spare anyone else to be tied to a specific team. If the mission calls for the needed fourth member, you will of course be joined by someone. You may start Kaori's training tomorrow, Kakashi, for I'd like her to rest well a little longer. And if there are no more questions, you two are dismissed."

Kakashi shrugged and turned to leave. Sasuke remained at the desk.

"I have to protest this decision of yours, Hokage-sama."

"Protest noted." Tsunade returned to her mountain of paperwork.

"Hokage-sama-"

"Think of her as Naruto. I've noticed they are much alike anyway. You hated him when you were teamed together, and now look what has happened? Don't worry about Kaori and your team will be just fine. Why else would Kakashi agree to train her?"

Sasuke stared for a moment before nodding and following Kakashi, who waited outside the door.

"Think of her as Naruto," Kakashi reminded him.

"As a dumbass?"

"No. I meant more like the way she acts. No one can compare to Naruto's thought process."

"What have you gotten yourself into, Kakashi-sensei?" Sasuke growled before disappearing. Kakashi shook his head and returned to the infirmary.

Kaori was sitting on the foot of the bed, looking deep in thought, her eye bright and much more alert than before.

"How are you feeling?" he asked gruffly.

Kaori jumped slightly. " Much better, thank you. The nightmares have stopped." Kaori rubbed her face vigorously. "What happened here...when you...I mean to say, please don't tell anyone." She managed to meet his eye, which he smiled with.

"Don't worry about it," he promised. Her moment of weakness would stay between the two of them.

Relief spread over Kaori's features. "Thank goodness. Tsunade said I could go home tonight. I think I'm ready." She tied her hitai-ate back on her head and patted it in satisfaction.

"So, when do we start training?"