Author's Note: This story is AR, or 'alternate reality'. It's not AU because it's still in the Naruto universe. But I started working on this a long time ago, so while parts are true to canon, many parts do diverge from it. As will be apparent right off the bat, some things are different. Early chapters will rehash certain bits from canon to show what I'm actually changing. If I am never clear enough about what is actually going on, please let me know and I will try to clarify. Once the story gets going, though, this shouldn't be a problem.

Thank you very much to everyone who helped me with this, particularly Nimblnymph. :) She helped me out a LOT. As for an update schedule, I can't make any promises. Same with chapter lengths. I guess for long KakaSaku stories my chapters are on the short side. xD So don't expect 15,000 words per chapter... however! This story will be much longer than Static.

Rated M for language, violence, and mature themes. (The jury's still out on whether or not there will be actual smut. I'm pretty young you know!)

Chains creaked as they shot up from the ground, circling the immobile Akatsuki leader. Pain's expression remained unchanged as they wrapped around him, forcing his arms against his body.

Seeing his opportunity, Kakashi leapt forward, silver chakra chirping wildly in his right hand. So close… He could see Pain's ringed eyes widening, an ethereal white color in the Chidori's light—

A heavy body dropped in front of his fingers. Pain's impassive face was replaced by a horrible smiling one, dripping blood and winking sluggishly at Kakashi. He could hear a sickening squelch as his hand plunged through its chest, breaking its top half off and sending it flying.

Ah, damn… He hadn't counted on the other bodies stepping in. Narrowing his Sharingan, he told himself to stay focused on his goal. He channeled all of his love for his village into his final push forward, willing his burning fingers to grip this inhuman man's heart…

Reach!

But Pain was too quick for him. The sacrifice of his other body had given him enough time to get out of Kakashi's range, and as the copy ninja stumbled forward Pain sent him soaring backward. He watched with detached satisfaction as the Konoha shinobi flew into the rubble.

Kakashi blinked his eyes open, at first wondering if he had lost his vision. He was surrounded by shapeless, colorless objects, sticking out at odd angles. After a few seconds, his brain registered that he was almost completely covered in stone and wooden planks. All he could see was rubble…

Two sandaled feet stepped into view.

"You don't appear to be playing possum."

Kakashi's heart sank; after giving it his fullest ingenuity and might, he had fallen short. Pain still stood above the inert forms of his comrades, unharmed and in control.

I didn't make it…

Pain's eyes flickered around the scene before fixing again on Kakashi. "And you aren't another shadow clone," he said quietly. "You will die this time."

Kakashi watched through hooded eyes as Pain stepped cautiously forward. He saw a nail poking up in front of a painted toenail, and absurdly, he hoped that Pain would step on it. He attributed it to exhausted delirium; there was no way that the great Akatsuki leader would fall to a rusty nail.

Pain stopped. He bent forward, and it took Kakashi a few seconds to realize that he was taking the nail out of the board. As he straightened, he seemed to be weighing Kakashi, taking in his appearance and calculating. He raised his hand, aiming the nail at Kakashi.

"You will learn what true pain is."

Kakashi heard words; they may have been his, he did not know, the shock was speaking for him at this point. He only heard the calm finality of Pain's voice as the orange tip of the nail stared him in the face.

True pain…?

Slowed by fatigue, he didn't realize Pain's intentions until the cloaked man had released the nail from his fingers. It dawned on him with horror as the nail whistled through the air.

Pain seared through his eye like it only had once before; he felt the iron nail pierce his sensitive Sharingan, setting his nerves on fire. Blood spurted from the eye as a strangled gasp escaped Kakashi's throat. It felt a thousand times worse than when he had lost the eye the first time, but he was too tired even to scream.

With a thud, his head fell back onto a wooden plank. The silence unnerved him; he should have been able to hear distant battle sounds, or at least his killer's footsteps. Surely Pain wasn't wasting any time watching him die?

Groaning, Chouji blearily opened his eyes. He sat up slowly, trying to regain his surroundings.

Pain's gaze shot dangerously towards the waking ninja. He shifted his stance, readying himself for an attack; the boy was a sitting duck.

Hearing his teammate stir, Kakashi forced himself to make noise.

"Chouji…" he rasped.

Chouji snapped back into reality just in time to dodge a speeding kunai. Scrambling to his feet, he cried, "Kakashi-sensei!"

"Tsu… nade…" Kakashi croaked. He could feel the blood from his lips staining his mask.

Chouji's lip trembled; his gaze flickered towards his still father. "But I can't leave you—"

"Go!" Kakashi voice cracked with the urgent command.

He could hear Chouji running, but he couldn't summon the energy to watch him go. The pain in his eye hadn't subsided, and he could only hope that Pain would attend to more important matters.

More important? What's more important than Copy Ninja Kakashi, huh?

Kakashi released a quiet sigh. For being his biggest critic, Obito sure gave him a morale boost when he needed one. His chest heaved painfully; he could almost see Obito now. I'm close… I'm coming, Obito, Rin, Sensei…

His eye burned with a salty tear. The corners of his mouth turned down in a small frown. Tears? It shouldn't have been possible, considering what state his eye was probably in…

And it's not possible to get dust in your eyes when you're wearing goggles, right?

Kakashi's mouth twitched in a smile.

Quit crying, Obito, he chided. You've just got something in your eye… just a little bigger than before. And a little rustier…

Miraculously he managed a wheezy chuckle at his own joke. Apparently Obito didn't think it was so funny; his eye continued to burn, the pain like poison racing through his veins. His head throbbed unpleasantly; he noticed that he hadn't quite gotten to the stage where he didn't feel anything. Because it hurt… like hell. He wondered if people made that up to make others feel better about dying.

Where's my numb feeling? he wondered dully. On top of that his chest decided to pay him back for the little laugh it had allowed; every breath felt like it would be at last, or at least like it should have been. Shoulda, coulda, woulda…

You're babbling.

Shh. Obito was right, though. There would be plenty of time for mulling over his many regrets once he reached the afterlife. Right now he supposed he should focus on breathing; his body had done him well before, and it probably deserved his best effort.

He sucked in a shallow, rattling breath.