Jokes on you guysss, this isn't a sequel to Game of Thorns haaaaa (I'm sorry, I was writing this and the sao au at the same time and it just happened).
This was inspired by Beautiful Creatures the novel which if you haven't read it and like this, go read it!

Not How I Imagined Starting Senior Year

The dreams were consistent. Usually, they were about his dad and Obito but sometimes they would be different. They would be of his godmother as she drank quietly by herself in the living room. Other times, they would be in a dark basement where he would be surrounded by herbs and oddities that looked like they were straight from a witch's hunt. There would be a table at his side where an old, ruffled book was sitting. Thick but plain-covered, he would see someone's hands move into the candlelight to pick it up and tuck it onto a bookshelf, hidden behind other books.

Those were the regular ones.

But after their neighbours moved in, they changed.

If there was ever a town that could kill anyone with being boring enough, then the small town of Konoha would be it. Not only was its biggest attraction its biggest tragedy but it the fact that they had a fair every year to celebrate it was what made this town even more pitiful than it was already.

With another sip of his lemonade, Kakashi licked his lips and squirmed in his seat again for the fifth time in the past two minutes, trying to find a position that was comfy enough in the wooden armchair that would probably be as old as his grandma if she were alive.

It was one of the last days of summer and he had finally refused Gai's pleas to join him and the other teens at the beach, giving the lame excuse that he was starting to feel like a prune from all the water. The river's bank wasn't even a real beach.

He didn't feel like being around them, they were starting to bore him with the old who-was-dating-who and what's-what that just seemed to be the same gossip going around in circles. It didn't help that he hadn't been able to sleep well for the last week. The humidity and heat weren't a lullaby he wanted, and his over easy brain had started plaguing him with dreams. They were of the rolling fields, the dirt roads and the trees of Konoha that stretched on and on for ages until it would hit another town almost an hour and a half away.

Adjusting his favorite baseball cap, Kakashi stood abruptly and stretched the kinks out of his back, yawning as he slipped into his flip-flops before glancing into a window of the little cottage, he shared with his godmother to find her still dozed off on the couch.

Humming a tuneless song, he pushed open the gates of his family's land and turned onto the grey cement road that was boiling under the midday sun. Far down the street, there was a gas station that acted as a corner store and beyond that there was a little bakery facing the elementary school. If the distance between any of those had been shorter than a dozen kilometers, he would have walked it, but he had already lubed himself with sunscreen so much that he was as oily as a snail and his pasty ass would use all that up within ten minutes.

The corner store would do, and the walk wouldn't have taken more than half an hour if he hadn't paused about midway there.

Among the overgrown, tall bushes and taller trees, the neighbouring driveway was usually gated and closed. It had been years since anyone had lived there. There were rumours of ghosts and spirits that drove people away. The gates were now left open wide and Kakashi caught a glimpse of a car and a moving van.

Curious.

The short walk through the lush forest and down the dirt road brought him closer to the back of the truck that had a few boxes left inside and a long velvet couch. The driveway opened into the front yard and the familiar house Kakashi and his friends used to explore when they were kids. With its white, square columns and black shutters, the house stretched out far on both sides. Kakashi had only ever seen the plantation-style house at night but it was magnificent during the day.

The simple dirt road beyond the truck curved around the side of the house and Kakashi stopped to study the trees in the distance, sun shining through.

"Howdy."

There was a man on the porch, smiling softly at Kakashi. In blue jeans and a plaid shirt, the man looked to be in his thirties and his smile was welcoming. Kakashi pulled a hand out of his pocket to wave.

"Hi," he said as the man approached. "Sorry, I saw the moving truck."

"You must be from down the street." There smile stayed, and they shook hands as Kakashi nodded. "Nice to meet you then, neighbour. I'm Minato."

"Kakashi. Nice to meet you too." Kakashi nodded to the truck. "Need a hand?"

"That you be very helpful, Kakashi. Thank you." With a box of what felt like books in his arms, Kakashi followed the man into the house as he spoke. "Our family used to live here a long time ago, so we decided to revamp the place for resale. There's a job opening at the school and this part of town is very reasonably priced so… Just seemed like the perfect spot."

"What school will you be working at?" Kakashi wondered if principal Jiraiya had already retired as he was led passed the quite-empty living room into a study where they set down the boxes.

"The primary school. Are you still in high school?" At Kakashi's nod, Minato winked. "You might not see me around much but maybe you'll see my wife once she starts teaching again."

They started back out for the couch this time. "Your wife teaches too?"

"Yes, ethics and society."

They heaved up the couch and Kakashi mustered a "cool."

Setting it down, Minato gasped for breath and flopped down onto it as Kakashi marveled at the crown moulding and the stained wood floors for a minute.

"Only one left, I'll go grab it," he said finally after an awkward pause of the man breathing heavily without waiting for a response and hopped out towards the trucks to the medium sized box he'd seen before. With the box in his arms, he started walking back but movement in his peripherals caught his attention.

Beyond the house, there was a figure walking away from the house and towards the woods at the back. It was so quiet and quick that he almost didn't see it but he had and it sent goosebumps up his arms.

Realising he'd stopped in place, Kakashi shifted the box in his arms and headed inside.

"I think there was someone in your…" His words trailed off when he saw who he guessed was the wife.

With a groan, she was holding her very, very pregnant belly and shuffling down the steps. She was saying, "I don't know where that boy went off to but I swear when he gets back, he's getting an earful."

It made sense now why she wasn't teaching at the moment. Her blue eyes finally saw him when she fell on the last step. Straightening her flowery dress that had patches of dust on it, she exclaimed, "Oh! hello, I didn't know we had guests."

"Hi." His voice was so soft, he didn't think she'd heard him over Minato coming back into the hall.

"Perfect." He shuffled up and took the box from Kakashi's hands, carrying it down the hall into what was probably the kitchen as he called back, "Kushina, this is Kakashi."

Moving up, he politely held out his hand and repeated, "Hi. I'm from down the road."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Kushina." Her smile was dazzling and he was almost taken aback by her genuine warmth. He'd been so used to the casual nod or the fake smiles that this couple was like a breath of fresh air. They felt more real than the people he'd known his whole life.

"Kakashi doesn't live too far," Minato was explaining as he came back into the room.

"Yeah, he said he lives down the road," she agreed.

"Technically, I'm your closest neighbour." He hadn't really meant it as a joke but the reality made them all chuckle.

"Well, we'll have to invite you over to our welcoming party then." Kushina grinned.

Usually, he'd shrink at the idea of a party with grown adults but he found himself smiling back, "I'd love to come."

"Sure, you don't mind hanging out with adults?" Minato joked but Kakashi found that this would probably more exciting than anything his friends could come up with.

"Yeah, I mean, you guys are probably the most exciting people within the county lines right now."

"Oh, come on," Kushina chided as she headed through them to the kitchen with Minato following her slowly. "Small towns are the most exciting places on earth."

"Not like we need any other kind of excitement, anyway." Minato was saying thoughtfully and Kakashi lingered in the doorway of the kitchen, admiring the new granite countertop.

"Speaking of excitement, I should probably get back." There was the thought at the back of his mind that soon his godmother would wake up and that she'd want to hear the news. There was that figure too that came to mind again.

"Of course," The soon-to-be mother was at the calendar, thinking over the next few weeks when she looked to Minato. "Next Friday? We should be unpacked by then."

"Well, if I'm doing most of the unpacking, which I should be," Minato looked down at her belly pointedly to their disappointment. "The party might have to wait for a bit. We still need to do a lot of work on this house and there are still things we have to put together."

"I can always come help." His offer was genuine and faces of awe and gratitude were the best payment.

"We don't want to be a bother," Kushina started but Kakashi shrugged.

"Not much else to do around here." He also wanted to keep them as far away from some of the other folks in this town for as long as possible before they too became boring. Their energy was infectious and he couldn't help but smile. "Besides, that's what good neighbours are for."

They thanked him as he left with such love that Kakashi wondered if that was just because they were from the city or if they were like that naturally. As he stepped out of the warm and suddenly lively home, Kakashi glanced over his shoulder at the treeline that he'd seen the unknown figure melt into before. He struggled for a moment between listening to the anxious gut feeling by leaving well enough alone or going to check it out just in case but he soothed his worry with the thought that this town was too boring to ruin the only news it had in months.

There were no dreams that night.

The next time he came over, it was a week before his last year of school and they welcomed him with the same kind greetings, offering cookies and a drink.

"So, tell us your story, Kakashi." Kushina was cleaning a pot in the sink but smiled to him over her shoulder. Even Minato who was wrapped up in work on his laptop across the table peeked up to listen.

Fidgeting under the attention, he wondered what to say. "Well, there's isn't much of it. Lived here all my life. My godmother and I usually keep to ourselves since the rest of the town likes to get into fights with itself."

There were chuckles and even though they stopped watching him, he knew they were listening. "I like to read. If you have any recommendations, I'm always in the market."

"Oh," Kushina grinned. "You and I will have a blast then. I've got tons of books that I've been dying to talk to other people about. Remind me to lend you one series called Icha Icha."

With a loud groan, Minato shook his head from behind the screen as he gripped, "Please don't. I'll never hear the end of it."

"It's good!" She insisted.

"It's long." He contradicted and they started bickering like loving couples do, Kakashi zoning out but still paying half attention.

They all stopped talking when they heard the front door open and close quietly. Turning to see who had walked in, Kakashi only caught the briefest glimpse of a familiar figure in jeans as they turned onto the steps.

"Ah, Iruka," Kushina waddled her way over and started speaking up the stairs in a soft tone that Kakashi could barely hear.

"We have a guest; do you want to come and meet them?" He could barely hear. "You'll be going to the same school. He's really nice."

There was an inaudible response and as Kushina replied, Kakashi turned back to find Minato watching the same hall with an intense curiosity from behind his screen. "Do you want me to bring you up some food later?"

Eventually she wandered back, the room going quiet for a moment as she went back to washing.

"Well," Minato started with a forced smile. "Um, do you want to stay for lunch?"

They ended up ordering pizza and while Kushina brought up a plate and drink, Minato watched the hall with a distant fog in his eyes.

"We're fostering for a little bit." He started off slowly. "A family friend passed away a few years ago and we finally turned legal age to foster last year…"

The explanation fell on wondering ears. Minato was more reserve now than ever and he seemed reluctant to explain. Kakashi wondered if their relationship with their foster had always been this tense or if it was just so new.

"So, we'll be going to the same school then." Kakashi provided and Minato seemed to relax more.

"Yeah, last year of high school for him so hopefully it goes smooth." With a kind but concerned smile, Minato said, "He's a bit shy but hopefully you'll get to meet him once he's feeling better."

Kakashi was about to comment about how they were in the same year but he hesitated as Kushina came back down with a lighter air about her. After helping them paint the guest room upstairs with a new coat of white, he was at the edge of the stairs to head back home.

The master bedroom was at the far end of the hall from the stairs tucked away but after the guest room, office and bathroom, there were the stairs right next to another bedroom that was barely pulled closed. He was just stepping down when he caught a glimpse inside the bare room. He just barely saw a bed. In it, there was a lump of what looked like a sleeping person and Kakashi had a feeling that there was merit behind his curiosity.

Back at home, he was in the kitchen when Tsunade came back home with her sighs and groans.

"Finally." She grumbled into her glass and drank with relieved breath.

"Hard day?" He asked over his shoulder from where he was slicing and he could almost hear her frown.

"If you call helping idiots hard, then yes." Her snarky responses were always a pleasure to listen to. A smirk on his lips, he told her about his day and she listened with the occasional comment. "Oh? Boy next door, huh?"

He had never heard he tease him in such a way before but when he looked over his shoulder, she was definitely raising her brows at him in a way that suggested something else.

"I haven't even met him yet." Kakashi quickly said.

She shrugged and went back to her drink. "I'm just saying. City kid who's open to many things."

The insinuation that their neighbour's foster son might be the second gay in town, Kakashi couldn't tell if he was intrigued or frustrated. He went with the first one since she had never really teased him on his love life. That was something she had always respected and he was thankful for that. Her try at being supportive was warming. He muttered, "I still don't know him."

There was a hum in response and his mind wandered the rest of the night to the new neighbour, speculating what kind of guy he was and what he liked. He kept picturing a hipster with white hair and a soft personality who wanted to be alone more than anything. He wondered if Iruka liked books just as much as Kushina did. There were so many ideas in his head that he started making this image in his mind of the quiet, new guy. Before bed, for just a moment, he imagined Iruka being flirtatiously timid as they talked in his bedroom and the moment leading to other things that would make the old ladies at the grocery store have an instant stroke.

Somewhere along the way, he had fallen asleep at his desk into a world of dreams that looked like a familiar kitchen. It wasn't his own but if he hadn't been in it today, he wouldn't have been able to tell that it was the neighbour's.

From the hall, someone came into the dark kitchen. It was almost completely pitch black other than the moon shining from the window until the person opened the fridge. In the cold, white glow, he made out the outline of someone with shoulder-length hair and a baggy shirt. The person that looked vaguely like Kushina closed the fridge after finding nothing and instead went to the cupboards. Search without success, the person folded their arms and leaned against the counter next to a glass of water. It was only in the faint moonlight that their dark hair and eyes stood out as not Kushina but someone else.

When eyes turned to him and met his gaze confidently, he snapped awake with little memory of it. He only remembered someone seeing him. It was new and different, leaving every bone in his body on edge.

On his last days of summer, he met up with his friends one more time before they saw each other way too often. At the diner on the main street, he was crammed into the booth with two other people on one side as Anko and Mei argued over higher education and qualifications while he and Gai poured over the menu. The others were listening and giving their own opinion here and there.

"I'm getting it." Gai snapped his menu shut and Kakashi frowned.

"Come on, Gai." He whined.

"I like it, okay?"

"You get it every time we come here." He protested more but he knew Gai had his mind set in stone as he gave his usual French fry and milkshake order to the waitress.

"Who is that?" And that was the point where all conversation in the booth stopped and almost half a dozen teenagers suddenly stood to look out the window in awe.

"Is that a tourist?"

"No, he doesn't have any bags." Kakashi took a greedy look out the window and didn't see anything more than a ponytail now a block away.

"Is he new?"

There was a moment of silence for any other topic that might be brought up and Kakashi knew once everyone pulled out their phones that the whole town would soon be on high alert.

"Wait, my mom says that a family moved into the old Uzumaki place." And then Kakashi knew he was dead.

They all turned to him and he tried not to look guilty but found himself saying, "They seem nice."

He pretended for a whole ten minutes that he had only ever seen them and didn't know anything about them until he finally stood and climbed over into the other booth to get out of the interrogation and the diner.

"Try and hide your best friends now." Tsunade teased as he headed up to his room after an exhausting day. His phone had been going off nonstop from texts and there was even a group chat dedicated to dissecting everything that was the new family and their foster son. There was speculation left and right but he had to uninstall. That night he read himself to sleep in an attempt to escape the swirling around him that only included the young couple next door and their teenage foster.

If only it was that easy. Instead, he dreamed again. It was the same scene. The moonlit kitchen net door but this time the young man who was leaned against the counter was now at the kitchen table with a hot drink.

"Have you been here long?" A soft tenor came from him and Kakashi felt it tug him closer, the fuzzy face becoming clearer with every word. He seemed to be talking to the seat across from him as if someone were there in the empty chair.

"That's not that bad. How many others are there?"

There was quiet again but when Kakashi focused on the other chair, he was able to make out that the space was warped. It looked like a cheesy movie effect that indicated where someone invisible was supposed to be. Once he noticed it, a voice started to trickle into his head mid sentence. "-used to be more."

There was a nod from the teenager and his eyes trained to the backdoor that went out to the yard and forest beyond.

"Can you sense her?" The mood went from inquisitive to sombre and heavy in seconds.

"Yes," The voice said in its whispering tone, barely audible but there. In response, the young man visibly shivered and shrunk into his shirt.

"Just a few more months." Was the quiet reassurance to himself before the young man seemed to push away the topic and look up to where Kakashi was. "Do you know him too?"

"Yes," The voice said and a wave of horror and panic ripped Kakashi from sleep.

Panting with wide eyes staring at his dark bedroom ceiling, he calmed back down into confusion and bewilderment.

In seconds, he had his phone out and opened his notes so that he could write down what he remembered. A younger Kakashi used to write down all his dream and he still remembered them because of it.

Staring at the bright screen and the words he wrote, he kept that moonlit face and the voice of the unseen person in his mind. There was something going on in that house. Dreams like that were usually not without reason and he had an eerie feeling that they were more based in reality.

He set out for the neighbour's the next day, hoping to catch any glimpse of the boy next door to find if he was right or wrong about his assumptions.

He wasn't that lucky.

Over the next few days, it was either that the kid was asleep with the door closed, missing from the Uzumaki home or that no one was home at all.

But the day finally came when he put a name to a face and so did everyone at school. As he pulled open his new locker for the first time that year, he heard the hall go a few decibels quieter. There was an obvious shift in the air that was like static on his skin and he looked up to see a few students sprinting down the steps eagerly to their friends, whispering quickly to them as the young and unexpected Iruka Umino stepped into his world properly.

With a slouched posture and a carefree facade, Iruka was the same brunet from his dream. The same tight ponytail and dark eyes that had looked him straight in the eyes for the past few nights. His jeans were tight but nondescript and his green tee was the same. The only striking features were the faint scar from one cheekbone to the other and the activity tracking watch on his wrist.

Everything about his screamed 'good kid' and 'kinda awkward'. There wasn't a trace of rebellion anywhere except for the pair of beat up chucks and the rips in his jeans. It was kind of endearing.

Averting his eyes, Kakashi felt the sea of students part behind him as the presence moved down the hall to the waning interest of everyone else.

They had all their classes together as most seniors did and he covertly studied Iruka over the next few hours. He seemed like a good kid if not a little bored. The young man was often staring out windows lost in thought.

At lunch, they all took to the cafeteria and there was no sign of the new kid. Kakashi hoped that he wasn't being stalked and swarmed by embarrassingly curious locals, wherever he was. It was only when Kakashi was heading back to class when he saw a familiar figure get up from behind a tree out in the lawn.

The next few days went the same but there were no dreams. The only time he got to see the boy next door was in class. Week moving on, he didn't get a chance to speak to him. Mostly, Iruka sat on the other side of the room and didn't even know Kakashi existed. It was only when Kakashi was passing out work that Iruka finally, really saw him. Through the mindless chatter of class, Kakashi looked up when Iruka didn't take the page he was handing out. And there was that stare he had memorized from his dreams.

"Pick it up, Hatake." Was the teacher's warning and they both snapped back, looking away and letting each other get back to their work.

From then on, it wasn't him sneaking glances. It was both flattering and uneasy to be under someone's scope.

It was Thursday night and he lay away in bed, ignoring Tsunade on the phone downstairs and falling into his own mind. Out of what he thought was innocent curiosity, he pulled open his phone and pulled up social media in a sneaky attempt to know more. After seeing his messages in the hundreds and ignoring them all, he went looking for one Iruka Umino to no avail. Strangely enough, there was no mention of Iruka, Minato or Kushina anywhere on social media. It got him wondering if it was a lifestyle choice that city folk were taking up.

A bark of laughter from downstairs reminded him of reality and he put his phone to bed for the night.

Half passed three in the morning, he felt his mind forming a dream again.

This time, it felt like he was really standing in Minato and Kushina's room. He saw them sleeping quietly but the were an edge to the air. The shadows seemed to be darker and the light from between the drapes was so thin.

It gradually got worse. The air around them was falling in temperature. Any light in the room was dimming like a switch from outside. Everything seemed to hold its breath for who knows what.

Kakashi was stuck where he was, unable to move or turn his head and when the door slowly creaked open, he wished he could run.

Fear, oppressive and setting off every alarm in his mind, was what filled the room when a tall, thin shadow moved into the room. It was slow but with a direct trajectory. It hovered barely off the ground and went straight for the sleeping Kushina who had no idea what was happening.

When it was directly above her and still moving in, she finally woke up and screamed but no sound came out. Straining to help, Kakashi watched in horror as it continued to move in closer.

The endless shadow only stopped at the sound of someone running to the room and crying out at it, "Stop!"

In a whirl of air, Kakashi was thrown back into his own bed with a panic that had him throwing on pants and running down the stairs.

Hyped up on adrenaline and panic, he took off through the woods in unlaced shoes to the sound of Tsunade calling his name in a similar confusion.

"Kakashi!?" Her voice died out as branches slapped his arms and legs. All those days of running with Gai had paid off and he was at the neighbour's in barely a minute. Out of the thick woods, he paused just on the edge of the yard to breathe and watch.

A person who he could barely make out as Iruka in sweatpants and a white shirt hurried out of the house and down the steps, turning back to watch the front door.

Kakashi couldn't see it. There was no visual representation of the shadow he had seen but the chill down his spine told him that what Iruka's was watching was it.

In nervous and jittery movement, Iruka started walking backwards off the property, keeping his eyes locked on something Kakashi couldn't see. Seemingly satisfied with something, he spun around and marched away from Kakashi. He only barely stumbled once but soon he was running and Kakashi didn't know what to make of it.

He was walking up to the house slowly, feeling the chill finally leave as he entered the wide-open front door.

The house was quiet. He could only hear soft talking upstairs that silenced when he started up the stairs.

"Minato? Kushina?" He called.

"K... Kakashi?" A confused Minato came out of the master to look down at him. "What are you doing here?"

As Kakashi climbed up, a tear-stained Kushina joined her husband at the steps. He saw how haggard and tired they looked, the remnants of fear still on their pale faces. He didn't really have an answer for them. Instead, he asked, "Are you okay?"

Exchanging looks, the couple wasn't sure either what to say. It was only a moment later when they all looked at each other that Minato started, "You shouldn't be here."

"You need to go home, sweetheart, please." Kushina pleaded, gripping Minato's hand but even though Kakashi was taken aback by their warmth, he knew that he couldn't leave.

"Is it gone?" He demanded.

"For now." Was the response he wasn't glad to receive. "Go home, Kakashi."

It was after a drawn-out silence that he stood down. He was glad they were okay at the very least. But where had Iruka gone? Weren't they worried?

He wanted to ask question but he saw how they were on the brink of falling apart so he left well enough alone.

Taking in same path back, he slowly walked through the dark forests by the light of his phone until he reached the tall grass of their lawn. On the porch, Tsunade was frowning at him with crossed arms and an expression that screamed pissed. The closer he got, the more that expression melted into worry but once he got within a few feet, he stance changed into on edge.

"Kakashi." She snapped and it stopped him in his tracks. "You were at the neighbour's, weren't you?"

Tired from the confusion and panic, Kakashi said, "Yes."

"I don't want you going back there ever again." Her serious tone changed and she motioned him inside. "Come on."

And that was the end of it for the night. He didn't know was Tsunade knew or what was going on but he knew that whatever that shadow was, it meant nothing good.

He hoped everyone would be okay though.

Hope you enjoyed reading this chapter!