Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Ninja Clash! Of Nightmares and Daydreams

.;:Chapter Four: If Time Stood Still…:;.

Akari's eyes opened rather slowly as a few rays of sunshine seeped through the overhead trees. Feeling refreshed she stood, and shook herself fully awake. Today was the day.

We're coming Revie…I promise I'll save you and I will, no matter the cost, bring you back home.

Taking one last stretch she looked over to the sleeping Uchiha. He looked so much sweeter when he was sleeping, so harmless. She laughed to herself, deciding she wouldn't ruin the moment and sprinted towards the manor she knew to be her home.

She entered through her balcony (as always) and slipped inside. A smile found its place on her lips the moment she saw a large amount of fur on her bed. Sighing she walked around her bed to her private bathroom to take a shower and prepare for the day ahead. The water however seemed nonexistent as it showered down on her skin. She only knew of its presence because she could see the droplets of water blasting through the nozzle. The only thought on her mind was Revie's smiling face as a reminder she needed to focus. Focus.

"Okay! Ninja tools?" she asked the tiger poised on her bed. He blinked and she took that as a yes. "scrolls?" another blink, "cloak?" he nodded to the midnight blue colored cloak to his left, "back pack?" he tilted his huge head to the right.

One more breath…alright…

"Let's go!"

Sakura's gaze shot from the pacing blonde boy to Kakashi-sensei and to the fidgeting Hitenzo; they were obviously worried. She oddly felt awkward watching them. She could feel the different energizes oozing from the males and she felt…distant and out of place. Sakura was glad that Akari would be joining them on their journey she was a little relieved to have another female in the group but as she stared at the boys she had the feeling Akari's presence would only escalate the nerve racking scene ahead of her.

The tension in the room is just too…

"Naruto," Sakura nudged the slouching boy her gaze drifting across the large room that resembled a throne room with two chairs at its center.

"Hmm? What's up Sakura?" he replied with an enthusiastic smile. He didn't even try to notice high tension in the room; he was oblivious. Typical Naruto.

"Who's he?" she gestured to the pacing blonde boy with bright yellow hair and handsome face, her tone tentative and quiet. He was really…cute! He was a contrast to Sasuke's brooding good looks. He looked like a prince who'd always marry the princess in the fairy tales. The boy also looked extremely angry for some reason and his classically beautiful face was contorted beyond reason.

Naruto frowned, "Oh, you must mean the blonde kid?"

She nodded her eyes stealing another glance at the furious pacing Prince.

"How should I know?" he spouted with an uncalled for tut of his lips.

"Naruto! If you didn't know anything just say so!" she roared with a fist raised. You idiot!

"Welcome young Princess," Kakashi spoke out with a smile, his tone seeming misplaced with the apparent tension.

Sakura's head whipped around to the towering door a few feet behind them. Akari!

"You guys sure do wake up early," the slivery-blue haired girl replied entering with her tiger companion at her right, a back pack strapped to him. Sakura glanced kindly at the girl; well she was pretty like a princess and had a real confidence about herself too. Of course she also had the ninja ability which her counterpart lacked. She was unique and Sakura had become accustomed to her.

He's coming too? Her eyes locked on the humongous tiger and felt a little taken aback by its presence having not enough time to become accustomed to it yet.

"Took you long enough," Sasuke reported as if from nowhere. But almost instinctively Sakura's eyes found him closer to the door than they were. Strange, she thought, I didn't even notice him.

Akari stuck out her tongue in protest, "Ugh! I liked you better when you were asleep."

"The feeling's mutual…believe me," he smirked, eyes closed and voice bored as ever.

She smiled in response, "So rude, do wake up mean?"

He opened his eyes and narrowed them, "You didn't bother to wake me up, consider it pay back."

"You looked tired," she put her hands up in defense, "I was doing you a favor besides I had to prepare my stuff-"

"You're leaving!" a voice shouted as if out of the blue.

For the first time Akari looked to the center of the room and stood in shock a frown fighting for dominance, "What is this? An intervention?"

Kakashi sighed, "He wouldn't leave."

Sakura noticed she nodded as if this happened often.

Akari steeled her gaze and gripped her tiger's fur between her fingers as if this gives her some sort of insight to form words.

Hitenzo looked up from his inner turmoil and tried to restrain the boy who was obviously a little more than upset, "Calm d-"

There was an unmistakable venom in his voice, "If you tell me to calm down oh so help me I'll-"

"Kazune," Akari grabbed his attention and walked toward the boy with the warring eyes, "Don't make such a fuss, it's annoying." She said coldly. Secretly Akari hated being mean or short with him but this was the only way she knew to get him to shut up or back off without using force or stronger words. She locked eyes with him giving her infamous 'I'm over this' stare. "Besides Revie's out there and she needs me. Of course, I'm leaving."

He grabbed her shoulders with a fierceness she's never seen and yanked her closer to him. She tried not to show shock on her face but found it nearly impossible with his intense eyes staring back at her, unyielding. Without any other option she looked down to her sandals and admired how blue they were. This made her feel like a child, weak and she absolutely hated that feeling!

She'd be forced to use a different means of communication; the only kind that could get through to him-

"You never tell me anything, anymore! What happened to make you like this?" Kazune exclaimed in a pleading tone apparent in his voice and eyes, "We were-so close back then and you just changed. You left me alone."

"Kazune, we're not doing this here there's too much at stake, right now," Akari answered in a more stable tone, she tried to pull away, "Grow up, you know why, I'm sick of you always playing the victim like I meant for this to happen!"

"You can't keep running away from me like this, and no I don't know why my best friend stopped talking to me," He replied bitterly, "I won't let you leave…I won't lose you again."

She swallowed; he always made her feel guilty when he played that card.

He continued, "Kari…you know how I feel," the boy paused to glance around at the others, "I don't care what they think of me right now…I'm not losing you and you're not leaving me."

"Lord Kazune please listen to reason," Hitenzo begged, "This is the only way-"

"I didn't ask you!" he shouted at the man with a tone Akari never heard from him before and couldn't quite counter.

"Don't you dare talk to him like that!" Naruto roared unable to contain himself, "She's in enough pain already she doesn't need you confusing her! Stop being so damn selfish!"

"That's enough, Naruto. This isn't any of our business nor any of our places to judge. Be quiet," Kakashi told him restraining the boy from attacking the young heir.

"How can you just stand there and listen to this?!"

Kakashi sighed, "We are ninja we are hired to perform tasks not meddle in peoples personal lives. You should know that already." He finished icily.

Naruto grunted but kept quiet, clearly seething.

Kazune didn't even hear the outburst, "Don't do this to me."

"Kazune…" she started unable to continue. "I don't want to talk about this, just stop!" she knew where this conversation was headed and she wasn't prepared for it. Why was this happening now? She just woke up and was feeling great but now this-this fast?! Could this possibly get any worse?

"Kaori and I aren't meant to be together, she doesn't even want to marry me and I don't want to marry her I want you-you Kari!" a hungry and deranged tone in his voice echoed in her ears and she finally found the anger to speak.

"Oh so now after she's kidnapped you tell me," she replied venomously her insides burning with madness and anger at his sudden proclamation, "you expect me to forget my own sister!" Am I a replacement? she thought randomly. She was getting downright confused and didn't care to hide it.

But he is right, she thought, Revie didn't-doesn't love him…she didn't think of him that way but the two of them had a mutual understanding of what they had to do. Getting married is their duty to their people and families…so why choose now to break this…agreement?

"No, I'm saying I want you to stay and let the shinobi handle it, I couldn't live with myself if you were hurt and I just sat here unable to help. I can't protect you the way I want to- I couldn't protect her…"

"Don't use this as an excuse to pity yourself…let go of me Kazune," she sighed, "Please do this for me…let me go."

His grip loosened, "What if something happens-"

Her face tightened up at his words and she had the urge to hit so hard he'd be knocked into the adjacent wall, "Are you calling me weak?" she replied using every excuse to try to hate him. She could feel his spur of the moment resolve failing, as well as her own.

"No I didn't mean…" he sighed, "Why is it so hard for me to talk to you," he sighed and let go of her pacing. "I-"

She paused and waited, casually looking back to her comrades with an apologetic look before turning back to him.

He was so different than before, so intense and if she squinted it looked like he was trying to tell her something-something she didn't want to hear.

He turned to face he,r his face that of a broken man and she couldn't do anything but stare, "Do you remember when we were little?" he asked and she furrowed her brow at his random question.

"Most of it," was her reply to his random thoughts.

"The day we met is one I will never forget…it felt as if time had stood still. And from that day on I vowed to repay you for what you did for me-for saving me from my own sorrow and…" the last word caught in his throat as he spoke it, "loneliness…"

The boy's words trailed off and Akari dared a glance to those behind her. To her surprise Naruto was no longer angry he seemed to be listening intently and he had a look of knowing as if remembering something similar that happened to him. Even Sasuke was watching the scene however uninterestedly. Sakura however seemed pained at the sight of them, she held her hands to her chest like Revie would if she was about to shed tears.

Akari's head jerked away, she was seeing Revie everywhere now and regretted being so mean to Kazu-Miki. She was causing Sakura, who reminded her so much of Revie, pain and she didn't like that thought. It was time to wrap this up.

She sighed, "Miki it wasn't that great…I didn't save you…it wasn't," she was at a loss for words…again. She didn't like that feeling at all. Still she couldn't believe he remembered that day. She remembered that day all too well. He was so small then, they both were.

So naïve we were…

She shook her head refusing to relive it and forfeit all the energy had stored in her body. She didn't need nor want that now of all times.

"Do you remember when we were seven and Lady Benihime had us tell her our one dream we were determined to make come true?" he said his eyes in a strange haze opposite her own. He took a few steps forward but she didn't really notice at all as the memories, fond memories came rolling in.

"Yes." She stated looking into orbs of liquid light.

"Do you know what mine was?" he asked with a slight tilt of his head.

She gave a puzzled look to the randomness of his questions, "Mother had us tell her separately." She relayed she took tilting her head slightly at the oddity of his questions.

"Mine was you," he told her eyes ablaze with something she did not recognize and something she feared. For a moment time as well as the room stood still and she could no longer hear the world around her. She felt broken and confused, very confused, sad, angry, but not weak. Strange. "My dream was to marry you; I wanted to take care of you as you should be taken care of. I wanted to show you, I still want to show you that I can be strong too!" his words broke apart but his gaze did not falter. As she looked closer she finally noticed his face was wet with tears.

"You are the one I want to protect. You're the one I want to marry…you always have been," he stated staring determinedly in her pink eyes though his voice was not as strong, "I ask you to stay."

He fell to his knees in front of her and she gasped and felt as if the world was now staring back at her. A long time ago, maybe, she would have wanted this but…this wasn't the time for this.

Looking up at her he started his epic speech up again, "I swear I will get stronger! I will protect you! I just can't bear to stand the thought of …"

From behind her she could hear nothing to give her the strength to for words. She could use Naruto's brash mouth right now, or Sasuke's rude comments or Sakura's looks of assurance. Too bad she was almost too scared to look at them.

"Why?" was all she could manage to get out before her mind finally put together what was happening. Okay, Kazune was on his knees begging for something…

He laughed lightly at the questioning look she gaze him.

He was begging for her to stay with him and not to risk her life…

"You really don't know?" he asked with a softer look in his eyes.

Why? Oh that's easy because-

"I love you," he stated simply as if that was the easiest thing to say in the world. Funny how hard it was to get to this point but it was so easy for him to say those words. He thought it was harder to say those words than explaining it would be but it wasn't because it was true; all of it was utterly true. Kazune smiled inwardly and triumphant added, "In fact I think-no I am in love-"

"No," was her abrupt reply. He leaned forward to get a better reception because he swore he heard her say no.

He paused and blinked his eyes, "W-What?"

"No, you can't I won't let you," she stated her tone even and not unsure like it was during the beginning of their back and forth. He was taken aback.

Kazune tried to look her in the eye but her eyes were being blocked by a silvery-blue curtain of her hair he adored.

A growl erupted from the direction of the once silent shinobi. He heard loud scuffling and an enraged voice shout, "WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOU AKARI!"

Akari felt rough hands grab her shoulders that didn't belong to Kazune; she was getting tired of people touching her. Did she have a 'Grab me' sign on her forehead or what?

She looked up to see a very pissed the –insert curse word here- off Naruto scowling down at her. Dang, this kid's complex I thought he was on my side.

"This guy's pouring his heart out to you and all you can say is 'no I won't let you'?!" he roared and his grip tightened on her shoulders but she kept her poker face. If she didn't have that face she would have lost this game a long time ago.

"Take your hands off me Naruto," she said blankly, "If you don't I will be forced to be mean to you and I don't really want to do that considering I was actually starting to like you."

"Lady Akari!" she heard Tenzo as well as some others who had wandered into the room due to the commotion, shout their voices filled with worry.

Why were they all of a sudden concerned about her well being? Something felt funny about the way things are turning out.

With an agitated sigh she replied, "I'm perfectly fine. Naruto wouldn't hurt me…he's just being concerned is all. No need to go out of your way and worry," she finished with a tone that shut everybody up.

She was growing tired and Naruto was about to make Akari go to a place she didn't like to go to. Heck, no one liked to go to that place with her. Not like she really used it that much, only in situations like these when the influence she holds can be quite beneficial.

"I must ask you to release her Naruto, she's all I have left of this world," Tenzo's pleading tone begged he too falling to his knees.

Why is everyone lying to her today? This is too damn much for one person to bear! First they don't care that she's even alive and now she matters! What kind of sick joke is this! Am I getting punked? Her head whirled around the room for cameras but found none.

Naruto let her go with a huff of his cheeks and a slight scowl as he walked towards his fellow ninja. She turned her head back to the broken blonde haired, green eyed boy in front of her ultimately missing the thrashing Sakura was giving Naruto.

Feeling she was on her last leg she began to explain, "Kazune, no." she shook her head, "Don't say you love me because you know as well as I do it can never happen. Besides Rev-Lady Kaori is going to be crowned soon and she needs you way more than I do. She needs us, to be at her side…but" she looked at Naruto and back to Miki's clouded eyes, "not together. Yes, I want you to get strong but not for me, for her. She needs protection from you when I can't give it to her. Kaori needs protection, I do not Miki. Please don't worry."

She smiled at him and continued saying, "We will bring her back to you and don't worry about me I have hot head over there and the rest of the 'ninja rescue team' to watch my back. I'll be fine, I swear it."

Kazune's eyes left her own and traveled to the floor as he stood. After what felt like an hour he spoke, "I see. Then your mind's made up then." He stated calmly, knowing this would be the outcome of his declaration. She was so good at talking him down, he hated it.

She nodded. Odd how fast her emotions could change, just like the wind, Kazune thought.

"Maybe," he started, cupping her face in his hands and looking into her bubble gum pink orbs, "maybe in another life…"

"Kazune," she added in a more serious tone before motioning for her tiger companion to come near her, "When Kaori gets back you will love her-more than anything…more than me."

He smiled and outlaws smile that tugged at her insides, "As if that were possible."

"Make it possible," was her sharp reply followed by a softer, "You know she deserves it," she stepped closer saying the words low so only the two would hear, "She deserves you. I want the two people I care about most to be together. That is my dream and I ask you to help me make it a reality and forgive me for being selfish. But Revie is my life, my light and my happiness and I'd risk all of that for her… to be able to see her smile one more time before I die, I would risk it all and at any cost."

"Great minds think alike, she'd do the same for you…so would I."

"Both of you need to stay away from risky behavior, I'm the only one allowed to do that," she said finally turning away from him unable to say goodbye but happy to leave on a friendlier note.

"Wait!" he called and withdrew from his pocket a pin that he gently put in her hair before she could object and four hair ribbons, all of which were beautiful, "Come closer-as a final request I ask that you wear these to remember all of us here. The silver silken ribbons are Kaori's their her favorites as you already know, with the pink twin dragons intertwined as one," although he easily towered over her so putting her knee length hair into two perfect pigtails was no small feat, "The last are my early gift to you…a lovely pink with gold etched phoenixes and shiny gemstones. They are beautiful (not that they compare to you). I was going to give them to you during Kaori's coronation along with other things but judging from what just transpired here you wouldn't accept the others."

Akari blushed.

He finished with her hair and she turned to face him with a smile, "We'll be back."

She quickly turned away from Kazune gave Yorimaru the signal and whilst she hustled out of the door to get away without being stopped. Akari wanted to leave things as they were, she needed to focus, no more distractions.

Akari was the first out of the door and also the first out of the palace, so she waited outside its doors for the others to join her. When they finally came out, she noticed Tenzo was fuming sitting atop the 'ferocious' Yorimaru, her knapsack in his mouth.

She smiled at her ever forceful tiger. Surprisingly none of the ninja gave her any looks about the ordeal they just had to sit through; even Sasuke didn't give her a snarky remark which was a surprise.

Even more surprisily when they all arrived at her position she got a, "You handled the situation the best way that you could. You did what you thought was right and was ultimately a good decision."

Naruto nodded, "You must really care about your sister." He stated with a smile as if he didn't just jack her up moments ago.

"More than anything," she replied with a truthful grin.

Sakura embraced her and she received a welcomed, "Hn." From Sasuke which she assumed to be a sound of acceptance?

"Alright!" Kakashi announced standing taller than the group, "Time to go! Mission starts now."

"Right!" they all said in unison.

"Akari!"

"Oh brother," Kakashi sighed defeated.

She turned around to face the green eyed boy. The next thing she felt was his cool/warm hands cup her face as his lips came softly down on hers. Eyes open wide she didn't protest as he kissed her softly and sweetly, in longing. She then realized, he took my first kiss! Curse my sloth-like reflexes to awkward situations!

"Goodbye, Kari," he turned and jogged back towards the palace doors before she could get any words out, "I just wanted you to be my first kiss."

She blinked and swallowed hard trying to stomach what just happened, my sister's fiancé just kissed me…that is so not cool.

If it could happen that would be the exact moment that time stood still. Because it was in that exact moment that she felt Revie's soft voice call to her...

Author's note: :)