About a week passed before I had another nightmare. We'd been traveling for a long time, and at this rate, it seemed like we would never reach the village. I was starting to get paranoid that we would be too late. Or that we already were too late. I didn't want to think about it, but the thought of finding Kakashi... gone... kept popping into my head, no matter how many times I shoved them into the smallest crevice in the back of my mind. I was going to loose it at this point.

That night, I'd cried myself to sleep, not able to get the images out of my head. But when I did eventually fall asleep, I wished I hadn't.

--

An enourmous weight pulled down at me while I clutched onto the edge of the cliff desperately. I was clinging on for dear life, even to the point of holding on with my fingernails grinding in the dirt. Below me, Kakashi, Sasuke and Naruto were dangling, clinging onto me. In my free hand - the one not desperately holding onto the edge of the cliff - was one of their hand's. Who's it was, I couldn't tell. For some reason, I couldn't look down, even when I tried to look, my head wouldn't turn. Either way, I held onto whoever it was, not letting them let go. All three of them were connected to me, and if I let go, I'd be leading them all to their doom.

"Nikki!" Naruto yelled somewhere below me.

"I know Naruto!" I yelled back, but it was not really a yell. More like a cry. "I'm trying but you guys are heavy!"

"That's not what he wants Nikki." Sasuke's voice. How strange it sounded in my ears. I hadn't heard his voice in years, only the memories of his voice. It was so strange sounding, yet, so familiar.

"What else is their we can do?" I asked, trying to force my head down, but it refused to listen to me. I still couldn't tell who I was hanging onto. It was driving me crazy, because I couldn't tell. Not even listening to how distant the voices were was working. All though Naruto had shouted to me, his voice was very nearby, and so was Sasuke's.

"Let go."

My eyes widened at the optition. I wasn't even sure if I really heard it. I definetly couldn't tell who had said it.

"No!" I yelled, hoping that nobody had really said that. Hoping that I had only just imagined hearing it. Still, I needed to respond out loud, for my own mental sanity - if there was any left at this point.

"Do you really think we can get up? We're stuck!" Naruto yelled.

"Shut up Naruto! I'm not letting go!" I yelled back.

As soon as I said that, the hand I was clinging onto loosened it's grip, trying to release itself. With a scream, I tightened my grip, not allowing whoever it was to let go. Although I was able to hold onto whoever this was, I was terrified the other two had already let go, and all I could do was wait to hear a splat - or maybe a splash.

"There's nothing else we can do." Now it was Kakashi's voice. The thought of letting go terrified me, because I didn't know what was below me, but the possiblity of leading them all to their death drove a knife through my heart. What was worse, was the fact that Kakashi was telling me to do this. If Naruto had said it, I would yell at him. If Sasuke had said it, well, I'd probably pretend I didn't hear him. But it was Kakashi. I was numb with shock.

"Please, just let go." He said, his voice sweet music in my ears. It was a voice that I couldn't disobey. Slowly, my finers that clawed at the cliff loosened, until they eventually let go.

Then we were falling freely. I felt the wind rushing through my hair, and the world pass me by. I still held the hand in mine, not wanting to let go, no matter who it was. All I could do was hold on, and wait for whatever was to come.

Time seemed to stand still as air rushed past. Okay, not stand still, but we seemed to be falling forever. The strangest thing was, the longer we fell, the calmer I got. I couldn't control it either. The air rushing by was numbing, and calming at the same time, even though when it ended, it wasn't going to be pleasant. Still, knowing this, I couldn't wrap my mind around being paranoid.

However, the second I hit water, my mind was jolted awake, as if I had been asleep the whole time I was falling. Strangely enough, although I hit water, an earth-shattering 'crack' roared in my ears as I drifted down. I felt like I was floating rather then drowning. Wait, was I really drowning? It didn't feel like it. I had expected my throat to burn for air, but it didn't. In one sense I knew I was surrounded in water, but at the same time, I thought I was still in air.

That was, until I opened my eyes and looked around. Now I wasn't sure if it was water or air, because what I saw, was nothing. It was pitch black. For a second, I thought it might be night time, but we weren't falling that long, and it was too warm to be night. Maybe I was blind. Whatever the reason, my heart started to race, and I started to panic. Whoever's hand I was holding earlier, was now gone, probably drifting down into the black water. We were going to die, and it was all my fault.

Then slowly, something creeped into my vision, disproving my blind theory. It was just a shapeless blob, slowly drifting in front of me. It changed though. Starting out as a blob, it turned into a thick, liquidy substance that kept expanding around me, until it was everywhere. Only until the color seeped into my mind did I realize what it was.

Blood.

My heart dropped.

Immediately, I thrashed around in the water, reaching, searching for my team. Desperately searching. By some bizzare, yet amazing, miracle, all three were beside me. Grabbing a hold of them, I kicked at the water, desperately searching for air. Truth be told, I didn't know which was up, but I had to try. All the while, I was hoping, praying, that they were all still alive. It was my fault. All my fault. Why'd I let go? We could of found a way up. Why'd I even listen?

When my head hit air, I was washed with relief, but only for a brief second. A split second, I was relieved, then the next, I'm on solid ground, away from water, but I'm still dripping wet. I was expecting to be relieved to get on to dry land, but instead I just dreaded it. Immediately, I wanted to jump back in the water, because my instinct told me they were all dead. But something didn't let me run back in, and that somethin made me check too see if they were really alive.

Closest to me, was Kakashi. I was ready to check for any sign of life, until I realized, something was off. I looked him over once, and realized what it was.

He was younger.

It wasn't that he just looked younger. No, he was definetly younger. Decked out in his old ANBU uniform, and baring his tattoo on the side of his arm, I trembled looking him over. This was the Kakashi, the sixteen-year old Kakashi, that I had first met. Strangely, I remembered seeing his like this, but I didn't actually remember meeting him. How could I? I was only two then. Maybe the younger him just looked familiar, because I remember him looking almost exatly like this when I was six - and he was twenty. Whatever the reason, he was definetly just a teenager.

Now, curiousity took over me, and I looked over the other way, towards Sasuke and Naruto.

Looking over Sasuke, I was surprised to see a face I barely knew. I knew it was Sasuke's, somehow, but he was definetly different too. He was older. I could only guess he was somewhere between eighteen and twenty, maybe? Older then Kakashi, definetly. His face was longer, and his expressions seemed to have softened. Maybe this Sasuke had finally found peace. He bore the same wrinkles under his eyes as Itachi had, so I cold only guess that was just something that ran in the family.

Glancing over Sasuke, I looked to Naruto, now completly bewildered. But when I saw my blond team mate, I saw that he hadn't changed. He was still fourteen. Why had he not changed?

As I stared at Naruto, utterly confussed, I nearly jumped when I saw the rise and fall of his chest. He was alive!

Immediately, I got up, and ran over to him, my mind racing. Laying my head on his chest, I could head his heart-beat. Strong, just like him. Relief washed over me. If Naruto was alive, then there was still hope for Sasuke and Kakashi.

Without a second thought, I had two shadow clones ready. One rested her head on Sasuke's chest, while the other kneeled down next to Kakashi. Holding my breath, I waited and listened, to find they still had heart beats too. They were still alive.

I hadn't made a mistake. They were still alive. Listening to them had been a good idea. How did they know they would survive the drop though? I didn't care how they knew though. They were alive, and that's all that mattered. I hadn't killed them.

Listening to their strong heart beats, I was ready to collapse. Ready to fall asleep, or maybe even just give up, completely. I was relieved their were alive, but I wasn't over joyed like I should be. I was too busy concentration on the sharp blow to my back that appeared out of nowhere. Maybe carrying the strain of carrying three men thrown water was getting to me. It seemed possible, but dragging them ashore didn't seem difficult then. It was as if they had been weightless. Then what was this throbbing sensation?

The throb spread throughout my body, and the blows kept coming. I felt like I was being attacked. Yet through it all, I hovered over the boys, terrified that if I moved even slightly, they would become victims of the invisible attack. Where was I being attacked from anyways? I couldn't turn my head to look, and instead I could just sit and wait. I felt like I was ready to die myself, but I wasn't going to let them die, at least, not before me if I could protect them.

Why was this happening anyways? Why couldn't I just wake up? This was just a dream, wasn't it? A very realistic dream. Horrifingly realistic. Maybe I wasn't dreaming. All the sights, and the sounds felt too real. Everything felt too real. Espicially the pain. Both in body and soul.

No, no, this couldn't be real. There was no way. It had to be a dream. Just a dream.

As if to disprove my thoughts, an invisble kunai seemed to go straight through my back. In one end, then out the other. My breath went with it; straight out. Now I really felt like I was going to die. My body trembled, before all the strenght was drained out of me.

Before the clones had a chance to disappear, I reached for Kakashi's ANBU mask and held it close to my body. Then the clone vanished, along with the mask.

At that point, I was too exhausted to move anymore, or even hold myself up. Falling over, I stared at my teammates, watching something I couldn't see. In one sense, I could see them being attacked; I could see it on their faces. But I also couldn't actually see the attack.

We'd lost. It was my fault too. I couldn't do anything, but just watch them die, and wonder who was going to go first. One of them, or me.

I was sure I was going to die first.

The scene before me changed. Instead of dying on the ground, I was standing, in water up to my ankles. Looking into the water, I couldn't recognize the face staring back up at me. Was it mine? It looked too old to be me. Maybe it wasn't. The girl, no, the women staring back at me, had to be about twenty. She had dark blue eyes, and dark brown hair too. She looked familiar, yet different.

"What are you looking at Baby-Doll?"

My eyes - and hers too - glanced up to the direction the voice was coming from. He was tall and reminded me of Uncle Shika. It was another familiar face, that at the same time wasn't familiar. But this face I knew. It floated in the back of my head constantly as a distant memory.

Then it clicked. I knew this man, the second I stared him in the eyes.

"Dad!" I yelled, running into his arms. "Oh I missed you so much!" I cried, burying my head in his chest.

"I'm sorry." He said, hugging me tightly. "I'm back now, and I won't ever leave you again." He said, trying to reassure me. Yet the tears still streamed down my face.

"What's wrong?"

"They're gone." I sobbed quietly, clutching him tighter. "They're gone..."

He seemed to ponder what I was saying for awhile, patting me head, and rubbing my back. "I think I know where they are. Come on, I want to show you something."

Pulling away from him slightly, I stared him in the eyes for a minute. Then, taking his hand, I followed him, keeping right by his side, never wanting him to disappear.

Walking across the water, I stared ahead, trying to make out what I saw. It looked like a bunch of people. A bunch of smiling people. They were all so happy. How could that be? As we got closer, the faces became more distinct, easier to recognize.

"You're friends are probably around here somewhere." He said with a smile. "And would you like to see your little brother? He's really grown. Well, then again, so have you." He said, still smiling as he looked me over. Suddenly, I realized that the women in the water was me.

Looking ahead, I saw a bunch of familiar faces; faces I hadn't seen, in a long time. The faces that stood out the most to me though, were my teammates. Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi stood there, waiting, mingled in with my family and friends.

A gasp escaped my lips as my eyes flew wide open. Looking around depserately, I didn't see any faces. It was too dark. I waited for my eyes to adjust before wipping my head back and forth, searching for any sign of life. All those smiling faces, everybody I had seen, they had been dead.

My search stopped when my eyes rested on Naruto beside me. His back was too me, and he wasn't moving.

"Naruto?" My voice come out wrong; too high, and too quite.

He didn't move.

My heart skipped a beat, as I grabbed his shoulder, shaking it lightly. "N-Naruto? Naruto, get up." I said, terrified I hadn't been dreaming. It had been way too real.

"What? He groaned, turning and pushing my hand away. I saw him rub the sleep from his eyes, but by the time he looked up at me, my vision was blurred, and tears were rolling down my face.

"Oh! No, no! Don't cry! I'm sorry! I didn't--! Ah! Why are you crying? What happened?!" He was panicked.

Shaking my head, I wipped the tears away, embarresed to have even started crying. "It's nothing." I lied.

His brows lowered, and he stared at me, waiting for me to finish dabbing at my eyes. "No it's not. What happened?"

With a forced sigh, I hugged my knees close to my chest, and rested my head ontop. "I... I had a bad dream... That's all..."

He didn't believe me, and I could see it on his face. He didn't say anything, but I knew he was waiting for me to confess. "Alright, alright..." I said quitely. I took a deep breath then let the words spill out. "I thought you guys were dead. You, Sasuke and..." I couldn't say his name in that sentence, in fear that I'd start sobbing like a baby again. How embarresing, in front of Naruto.

"Uh... oh..." He said, his face falling as he realized what I meant. "It's all right. Don't worry, we'll get him out, promise."

"That's not what I'm worried about..." I mumbled.

"Don't worry." He said, giving me a weak smile.

I stared back at him before telling him to go back to sleep. "Sorry for waking you."

I thought he wasn't going to listen to me - like usual - but after awhile, he nodded, then lyed down and dozed off again. I watched him for awhile, before staring up at the stars, letting time slip away from me.