Chapter 1: My Precious Protégés

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the characters of the anime. Even though I truly wish I did… [sobbing intensifies]

It happened so fast.

Everyone was dying…

Bloodcurdling screams and shouts filled the dark atmosphere…

The cries from the prey that were slaughtered sounded horrible…

…Reality. This horrible reality. Why was it so cruel?

And he saw them.

He saw his precious ones being butchered next.

The raven-haired Uchiha, the last of his clan, Sasuke's dark orbs lost life as he collapsed onto the blood-soaked ground.

The pinkette, tears of pain formed at the edge of her eyes. Sakura was paralyzed by the enemies' demonic faces, death came after.

And Naruto…

The blonde Uzumaki gave one long, last look towards him, a sad smile plastered on his usual sunny face.

"Kaka-sensei… I thought you could protect everyone… I thought you could protect us... I thought you could protect me…

And the Uzumaki was smiling, a bloody smile, as the enemy quickly slid a katana into his heart…

…A katana that was already coated with other victims' blood…

…and the blonde genin died…

…Everyone was gone. No one was with him anymore. No one at all.

Kakashi was alone once more in reality…

And he screamed. "Why couldn't it have been me?! Why did you have to take everyone from me?! I lost everyone once more!"

He clutched his head and screamed… and screamed.

Why was the world a dark place..?

Kakashi gasped, sitting up too quickly, that his head started to spin.

Thank Kami… It was a nightmare… Just a stupid, horrible, nightmare…

The Hatake clutched his chest. It was beating so rapidly, he almost thought that his heart was going to jump out.

Once he was calmed down, Kakashi blinked, staring at nothing in particular, but the shrouded darkness of his apartment room. Ever since Team 7 got back from their last mission in Land of the Waves, Kakashi constantly had nightmares of his precious protégés' deaths.

He hated how his mind messed around with such dreams like that. His students weren't going to die. They weren't weaklings.

But the more Kakashi thought about it, the more unsettled he became.

He was going to protect his students. He wasn't going to allow anyone lay a FINGER on his pupils.

The Hatake knew that he was getting weaker than ever, since he had much chakra depletion during the fight with the demon, Zabuza Momochi.

And he almost allowed Haku to kill Sasuke and Naruto, and leaving Sakura open for the swordsman to strike her.

If Haku wasn't as soft, he would have definitely killed both Naruto and Sasuke. And if Kakashi didn't make it in time to save Sakura, there was no doubt she would be dead as well.

Kakashi threw the blankets off of him, scrambling into his usual jounin outfit before heading out of his apartment, to the memorial stone.

"Hey, Obito. Rin, Minato-sensei," The copy-nin murmured, almost inaudibly, "I came out here because I had a nightmare again." Kakashi could hear Obito's scoff, see Rin's understanding smile, and hear Minato exclaim, 'It's alright, Kakashi-kun. These things happen all the time when you have students to worry about.'

Kakashi sighed as he placed a hand on the stone, muttering, "I feel like I'm weakening every second. I feel like my students are going to die any time I turn my back away from them. I don't want their deaths to happen at all. They're too… Too young."

'Ever since you came back from that "C-ranked" mission, you'd grown too soft!' Kakashi heard his loudmouth friend ramble on, 'You've never been so gentle like this, Kakashi!'

'Oh, hush,Obito.' Rin shook her head and glanced at the Hatake, smiling the bright smile of her's, 'Obito is just jealous he doesn't have any students to show-off on.' 'Rin-chan! I do not show-off to people!' 'Do too!' 'Do not!' 'Do TOO!' 'DO NOT!'

'Both of you please! You're not resolving anything! We're trying to help Kakashi find a solution to his problems!' The blonde jonin sighed, and Kakashi couldn't help but smile, slightly.

This is where he heard the dead the loudest, but it was a GOOD thing. He liked hearing his former team's voices.

'I was thinking you should start thinking, if you think you're strong enough to protect them. Are they? Or do they need to protect themselves?' Minato gazed at his former silver-haired student with a smile spreading his features, 'It's your thoughts. You decide, Kakashi.'

Kakashi nodded as he murmured, "Thanks, sensei… For clearing up my head and all."

'No problem, Kakashi. That's what I'm here for. We're here…for you.'

And within that moment, Kakashi watched his team; disappear, from his mindful sights.

'We're here for you… Kakashi. We'll always be here for you when you need us. Right now, your new team, needs you.'

"Heh, I hear you the first time, Minato-sensei.." Kakashi's gaze never left the spot where his former team had disappeared.

I swear, I'll protect them, with all my strength. I won't falter...

Author's Note:

I always wanted to make a heart-warming, fluffy chapter like this! *grins happily* It just makes me feel so… cheery!

I know, I know. I started a new story, and deleted the first one I had created. *rotten tomatoes thrown from angry audience*

I'm sorry! I have an irritating habit of creating new stories and never finishing the older ones! *sobbing intensifies* If you want to look at a good example of what I'm talking about, go check out my Wattpad account. It's bad enough. Wattpad Username: ryokutensui

Finals are already starting… And I'm getting pretty worried about it. So I better start hitting the books.

You guys are lucky that I actually typed up a chapter of anything! I'm almost too lazy to even create a story!

Until then, ja–ne!

TheFanficBaka