Kakashi managed to stumble out of Kuroi's now crumbled palace. His heart was thrashing like a tidal wave against a rock, wearing him down beat by beat. He had been through this before, but it never helped fend off the emotions presented by recent events. Despair was forever his companion. He was a broken music box, forced to play the same cursed melody as life kept winding him up over and over.

Running a hand over his face, the jonin refocused on finding a way out. What had happened was done, and he couldn't change it, no matter how hard he tried. He needed to convince himself of this, for his brain to override his heart. Kuroi was taking over the minds of Konoha, and their only hope now depended on him- only he was stuck in Chiisai's body.

He couldn't mind jump, and waiting for Kuroi seemed a useless option. If he could use Chiisai's body to warn the Hokage...

Chiisai had woken him up before, back when they were chased by that monster. She stuck a kunai in him back then. If she had the ability to kill the dreamer, than why didn't he die? What had caused him to wake up in the real world?

Kakashi replayed the information, letting it permeate the walls of his mind. A dreamer's chakra could be used in the dream world- Sharingan, Bakugan, Gentle Fist, his chidori were all examples… A chakra infused creation rather than a thought creation seemed to work on opponents. The kunai on Kuroi did not. If a weapon created from Kakashi's own thoughts were to kill him in the dream, would he wake up in Chiisai's body?

The kunai already appeared in his hand. It was a stretch, but logically it all made sense. What other option was there but to wait for Kuroi? The man was able to sense a dreamer and could make them stop by a mere gaze. He could manifest anything and trap anyone in a dream. Even using Sharingan, Kakashi couldn't predict what Kuroi would do. Kakashi would have to meet Kuroi's gaze first for his Sharingan to work at all, but what would Kakashi do then? And Kuroi now had all of Chiisai's power. Kakashi couldn't do this by himself. The dream world was a place of impossibilities, and Konoha needed to know what threat lay before them.

His mind made up, Kakashi lifted the blade. In one swift motion, he brought it down on himself and awaited his fate.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

It was the pain that jolted him, making him intake a harsh breath. His body jerked at the sudden feeling, making his eyes fly open and he stared in disbelief.

Slowly, he brought himself up into a sitting position, his hair falling over his face. He wiped it away- his hand pausing at the realization. Kakashi closed his eyes, pushing away what would tear his heart further apart.

"Chiisai?!"

Kakashi looked up to see Inoichi and Shizune around him, their faces fully revealing their distress.

"What happened?! Did you-"

Kakashi closed his eyes. "Chiisai's dead," he said raggedly. The sound of her voice made his chest heave, forcing him to tighten his fists. He looked over at his own body that seemed to be sleeping peacefully. "This is Kakashi."

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

"How long have I been under?" He had to stop himself from cringing at the sound of her voice again- painfully aware of someone he would never know again.

"Currently twenty-eight hours. The village has gone into chaos, and word had gotten out somehow. We've been threatened with quarantine- it's spreading like a disease, even outside the village. If that happens, the Land of Fire will no longer have a village to protect them and we will be forced under Kuroi's influence." Lady Tsunade paused, attempting to refrain from frustration. "Only one other person has woken up- Hiashi Hyuuga, but he literally has no memory of it."

Kakashi nodded. "Kuroi isolates each person in their own dream and places his clone in each one. We killed the clone in Hiashi's dream."

Inoichi's eyes widened as he understood. "If Chiisai is gone, then we might be forced to go inside each dream and manually destroy each clone. But that's pointless if we don't get to the original."

"You're right," Shizune shook her head. "How do we destroy the real Kuroi?"

Kakashi stood up, startled at having to crane his head to look up at them. "He can sense each dreamer around him and stop them at just a glance. I don't believe weapons created in the dream world will kill him, but a jutsu infused with a dreamer's chakra might."

The Hokage rested her chin in her hand. "So we can kill him, it's just having an open shot."

"Hai. The one time I had an open shot was when he was with Chiisai. But his revenge is now complete. Kuroi plans on obliterating reality and making everyone dream what their heart desires."

"And we need to get you back in your body. Inoichi, could you somehow do that?"

His eyes widened as he thought about it. "It's never been done before."

Kakashi shook his head, looking up at them through Chiisai's eyes. "I have a plan, though I haven't worked out the kinks. We don't know whose mind Kuroi could be in at any given time. However, if I could draw him back into this body…"

Shizune interrupted. "But that threatens your life as well."

"I know. That's why I don't think Kuroi would suspect it. The only problem is making you aware that he's in this body. The way Kuroi can switch from mind to mind and control their bodies seems similar to the Yamanake Clan's jutsu. Inoichi, if I were to break the dream while I have Kuroi under the Sharingan, would you be able to find us?"

Inoichi crossed his arms. "Yes. You wouldn't have to sacrifice yourself that way either. I could use the Mind Body Disturbance Technique and kill him myself."

"But how do you plan on drawing Kuroi back inside Chiisai's body?"

"He's able to see into every dream that's under his spell." His eyes were hard, a venomous anger glinting. "And I plan on making a lot of noise."

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Kakashi stood outside the crumbling palace of the nightmare he had endured not long before. They had gone over the plan multiple times and were ready for the task at hand. He took a step forward. But his other foot wouldn't follow.

As if in slow motion, the jonin trudged up the few marble stairs that remained. His shoes scuffed against the marble as he reached the entrance. Raising his head, Kakashi prepared for the worst.

The room was empty.

Kakashi raced toward where her body had been left. Maybe it dissipated since it wasn't real? Then why wouldn't it have faded right after she died? Or was this all a trick?

"Kakashi."

His body went rigid, but he refused to turn around at the sound of her voice.

Her footsteps echoed off the walls, only stopping a few feet away from him. "When I woke up, I was alone. What happened?"

"You died."

She nodded and replied, "Well yes. But remember my back-up plan in Hiashi's dream? I gave you some of my chakra." He could hear the shrug in her tone. "Why aren't you turning around? What happened to my father?"

It made sense, but he couldn't deny what he had seen. She had died.

He heard her sigh as she muttered, "You think I'm him, don't you?"

"This would be a thing he would do."

"He does have narcissistic tendencies." Her footsteps went back and forth as she continued on. "And Kuroi has been inside my head since we met, so saying something to convince you would be unproductive. And my chakra's too low to do anything. I'm still rambling, aren't I? At this rate, you're probably going to kill me-"

"Before you died…What you said…"

The room was silent now. The words left unsaid hung in the room. Kakashi could feel her presence behind him now, her small fingers enclosing halfway around his wrist.

"Kakashi." Her voice was a whisper. She pulled gently on his arm, and his body was lenient. They stood facing each other, her head only coming up to his chest. Her hands found their way to the sides of his jaw, her touch heating his skin through the fabric, making his senses come alive. God, even here in the dream world she smelled like books- and it intoxicated him. She guided his face down, but her hair was in her face.

Kakashi reached out, brushing her hair back. Her fingers had found their hold around the top of his mask, pulling it down ever so slightly as she whispered, "I like you more than you think, Farm Boy."

He cupped the back of her head as she pulled his mask down to his chin, his face fully exposed. His breath mingled with hers, and in that moment she brought her mouth to his, her lips soft and yearning for his touch. She pressed against him as his fingers tangled in her hair, their bodies hungry for more.

His lips moved against hers, only stopping when she pulled away. Her breath was ragged as she whispered, "Is this what you want?"

He opened his eyes, gazing down at Chiisai with a sadness that seeped into his bones. And in the next moment, his hand had gone through her chest, his chidori crackling with the same energy he had just felt from her touch.

Blood dribbled out of her mouth as her eyes shown wide. Her body shuddered, her black eyes gaping up at him as he drew in a rugged breath. Her fingers slowly wound around his arm. Chiisai's hair was long, her black eyes beautiful and haunting as she parted her lips.

"F-farm Boy…"

Kakashi closed his eyes as he pulled his arm out of her.

His nightmare had been his own self-fulfilling prophecy.