Hello my lovelies! My gosh it has been way too long. You have no idea how long this chapter has just been sitting, waiting to be finished. Well I just finished it. Kinda short, I know.

Just think of this as an appetizer, and the next chapter is the main course. It will definitely be much more fulfilling than this chapter. I didn't really like this one all that much if you ask me.

But whatevs.

You can't just skip to the fun scenes, it wouldn't make sense that way lol. I wish you could. But you can't.

I keep failing to mention this but thank you to all of you who follow the story and review! It honestly feels so nice to hear from you. I want to give a quick mention to Miss Marty who made a lovely drawing of Kurai for us on deviantart under "Kurai-Namikaze-325191206" so go check it out if you can! Thank you so much for that!

It was back in september that she made it so I don't know if it is still up...

Wells, enjoys the chapterzz! Oh and while you're here please go check out my new story "Transparent."

—DemonicAngel—

Chapter 8

Nightmares

Kakashi settled the unconscious Uchiha boy on the bed in the vacant room adjacent to the one he'd been rooming in.

"Gaara seems to like his new quarters… at least I think he does," Kurai said as she walked in, a glass of water and damp towel in her hand.

The masked man stood upright and folded his arms, facing her. "I did as you told me, now explain."

Kurai sighed, pushing him aside to tend to Sasuke. "I'll meet you in kitchen in five minutes."

Giving her one last look, he shoved his hands into his pockets and departed from the bedroom. Kurai took the towel and wiped the sweat off his face, the poor boy. What was she going to tell him when he woke? This was definitely not something she had expected. Having to take care of Naruto and Gaara didn't seem like it would be too difficult, but now with this whole troublesome event in her hands, there was no knowing how things would play out.

Folding the towel in half, she pushed back his bangs and placed the cloth on his forehead. "Things won't be so easy from now on, but I hope you'll keep strong." She left the glass of water on his nightstand; he'll be parched when he wakes.

— - —

She found Kakashi leaning against the countertop when she entered the kitchen. Seating herself on a chair at the dining table, she ushered him to do the same. He reluctantly obeyed, walking over to sit across her.

"So please tell me, what is going on? Because I don't know if you could tell, but you just carried an unconscious Uchiha boy and Kazekage's son, who in fact is a jinjuriki and haven't given me a single explanation since you set foot through the door." The anger was evident in his tone.

Kurai pursed her lips. "Well I apologize, but I couldn't exactly tell you at the moment. Gaara was with us and what I had to say wasn't for him to know.

"And what is it that you had to say?"

"Give me a second." She made a few hand signals and three clones appeared. Giving them a brief nod, they withdrew from the room. Kakashi heard the front entrance door open and then shut. He turned back to Kurai, brow raised.

"I'm only being cautious," Kurai insisted. "Look, about an hour ago I was returning from the Suna and was only a short distance away from home when I sensed something awry."

She breathed in, her voice falling to a whisper. "The entire Uchiha clan…"

Kakashi prompted her to continue.

"The entire Uchiha clan, save Sasuke," she paused, "and Itachi, were massacred."

"They were massacred?" he repeated, incredulous. "Why weren't Sasuke and Itachi…?"

"Because Itachi was the one to do it."

Kakashi rubbed the sides of his temple with his index and middle fingers. "I don't understand what Itachi would gain from doing something like that," Kurai pondered.

"Itachi wasn't doing this to profit in some way; he was simply obeying orders."

"Whose orders?"

"Those of Konoha's council, and the Hokage."

Kurai eyes widened. "The Hokage would never do such a thing!"

"Kurai… this isn't Minato, this is Sarutobi-sama. And though I doubt this was entirely his doing, the council does have a huge influence on some of the major decisions being conducted."

"But why would they do that to begin with? The Uchiha clan hasn't committed any crimes, at least not any worth resorting to murder."

Kakashi laughed a short scornful laugh. "Maybe not in our eyes, but definitely in theirs."

You don't know this, but Itachi was a two-way spy. He worked for the higher-ups of the village as well as those within his own clan, chiefly his father.

It was well known amongst the council and us anbu as well, thanks to Itachi, that the Uchiha were planning a coup and this was seen as a huge threat. If they actually attacked, then the whole village would go into chaos and surrounding villages would soon find out, see us as vulnerable, and attack. Everyone was already becoming suspicious of them so it was only a matter of time." Kurai's expression grew hard with each and every word. Everything was making slowly making sense and at the same time nothing was.

Kakashi stopped, letting Kurai consume all this new information. "Look, I'm not supposed to be telling you this, its classified Intel but you've already seen too much to not know at this point."

Kurai looked disgusted. "So you… you knew this was going to happen?"

"No." She relaxed a little. "I didn't know that they would send Itachi to kill everyone. I had assumed, because this was decided in the last meeting, that they were simply going to call them out on their plot and decide on how the Uchiha should fair from there but this massacre… that's news to me. I had no knowledge of this."

"And if you did?" she prodded.

"Even if I did," he shook his head, "there was really nothing I could have done."

"I suppose there is nothing to be done but stay quiet about the matter," Kurai resigned.

"That's how it should stay until the reports reach the public. Then it'll be somewhat safe to discuss this."

"I realized that," Kurai said, closing the conversation. She pushed back her chair to leave but was stopped when Kakashi grabbed her wrist.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Kakashi pulled her wrist and she fell back onto her seat with a thud.

Kurai shook off his hand. "What?"

"The Kazekage's son?" He retreated his hand, cupping his face with it, tapping his cheek with his index finger and waiting persistently.

"Kakashi, can we not talk about this in the morning?" she muttered. "I'm tired and have had more than my day's filling of grievous episodes."

When Kakashi got a better look at her, he noticed the fatigue on her face. She was drained of all energy, and he almost gave in. "No… in the morning you'll be swamped with three boys and for your own good, you should tell me."

"How will telling you right now benefit me?" she said crisply.

Kakashi gravitated closer to her. "What if someone drops by and asks about the boy?"

"Though that is highly unlikely, you're good with words. I'm sure you'll manage to foster up some excuse. You don't seem to lack in that department," she snapped.

"Enough Kurai. Just tell me," he pressed.

Kurai bit down her lip to keep from flaring out. God, she was exhausted. "I went to the sand village, encountered Gaara a few times by chance, his father noticed, called upon me, ordered me to kill him, I proposed a counter offer, one that would keep Gaara alive and under my custody, he surprisingly relented, and that brings us to the present." She took a deep breath. "Now I haven't seen my nephew all this while so if you'll excuse me…"

"Wait," Kakashi said.

"What now?"

"Just answer one more question, Naruto is sleeping anyways, I'm sure he won't mind lending me a few more minutes."

"Fine. One question and that's it."

"Its not any secret that the Kazekage has attempted to end his son's life time and time again, but why did the Kazekage send for you to kill the boy? What do you mean when you say that 'he noticed you?'"

"That's two questions."

Kakashi shrugged and Kurai rolled her eyes but answered nonetheless.

"Whenever I met Gaara—the boy was always wondering through the streets alone—I didn't run away or cower in fear. I treated him as I would any other child and I saw how it affected him."

"And so did his father," Kakashi voiced.

Kurai nodded. "And so did his father. He's only a child and children have an inclination to trust those who bestow on them even a bit of kindness. Naruto was that way when I first met him, and Gaara was no different."

"It's easier to get close to someone who has trust in you," Kurai said sorrowfully, "And with that trust, just as easy to hurt them. His father must have known that otherwise he wouldn't have bothered to send for me."

Kakashi agreed. "I see."

"I know you're smart enough to know this, but I will tell you regardless. Do not tell anyone who the boy is. The Kazekage will have his men sent to check over the boy occasionally and he had told me not to tell the Hokage about our deal so I'm guessing he doesn't want anyone else knowing either."

"You're not honestly going to keep this from the Hokage?" Kakashi inquired. The Hokage would find out eventually, even the Kazekage wasn't stupid enough to not recognize that.

"Obviously not. But I'll tell him in my own time so don't you go blabbering off to him," Kurai said.

Kakashi side-smiled. "I wouldn't dare."

"Good. Now if you'll excuse me," Kurai stood up. Kakashi copied her actions and followed her.

"What are you doing?"

"…"

"…"

"Going to my room?"

Kurai gave him a short smile. "Kakashi, thank you for all you've done. For taking care of Naruto and listening and everything. Truly, I'm grateful.

Kakashi sensed a "but."

"But now, please go home."

Kakashi casually rested his arms on her shoulders. His face might have been covered but his smirk was as perceivable as the sun in a cloudless sky. "You can't expect me to just go home at this late hour? Besides, I was just getting used to living here."

Kurai leaned closer, returning his smug look with one of her own. "You're no child Kakashi and I don't expect it. I intend it." And with that, she shoved him back and resumed climbing up the stairs, ignoring him.

He chuckled. "I'm still staying." She didn't reply back so he just went to his room, his face already absorbed in his little orange book.

— - —

"No…"

"No… please…"

"No!" Kurai shot off her pillow, her hand clutching her shirt over her racing heart. Beads of cold sweat coated her forehead and her eyes searched around the room frantically.

Panic suddenly swelled within her, eyes widening. "Naruto," she whispered as she sprung out of bed, dashing to her nephew's room. Finding him laying in his bed sound asleep, she breathed deeply, rubbing her eyelids. What's wrong with me?

"Bad dream?" she heard from behind as she flew around and pinned the intruder to the ground, her eyes growing dark.

"Woah, woah, its just me," Kakashi whispered quickly. Frozen, she blinked a few times before removing herself from on top of him.

"You startled me," she said, out of breath.

"Apparently I did a lot more than that…" he replied, smoothing his shirt. "Are you okay?"

Seeing him scrutinizing her face, she turned away. "Yes, just a bad dream…"

He raised a brow, but didn't probe further.

"Well the sun's about to rise so there's no point going back to sleep," he said, yawning.

She nodded.

"I'll be in my room then." He walked out, leaving her. Relax, she told herself. Just a bad dream.

She went over to Naruto and sat by him. Noticing drool staining the side of his pillow, a giggle escaped her lips, causing him to stir.

One eye peeked open. "…Obasan?"

"Yes, Naruto?"

Both eyes were open now and alert. He sat up and smiled. "You're back!"

Sensing a presence, she spotted red locks of hair spying from behind the door. Her eyes crinkled in amusement. "I am, and there's someone I'd like you to meet."

Naruto tilted his head, "Who?"

"Gaara, would you please come in here?" The small boy froze out of surprise but cautiously took one step through the doorframe, coming into view. Naruto just stared; he'd never seen him before.

"Naruto, you know how I went to Suna right?" she asked. He nodded while analyzing the red haired boy who was quietly doing the same from beneath his lashes. "Well this is Gaara, he came back with me because of…" She hesitated. She hadn't thought of what she would tell Naruto. "…Because of reasons." That was a pathetic explanation but hopefully he wouldn't question her.

"And he'll be staying with us for a while." As long as nothing goes wrong.

Naruto had been quiet for a time but then he jumped out of bed, his teeth shining a bright smile. The sudden movement caused Gaara's sand to rise out of its container behind his back and his eyes flickered to Kurai's. She shook her head silently, and he lowered the sand into its jar.

This went unnoticed by Naruto who introduced himself in the meantime. "So what's that?"

"W-what?" Gaara spoke faintly.

Naruto poked at his sand container. "This. What's this?"

Gaara looked at Kurai, unsure of what to say. She stood and put her hands on her shoulders from behind. "Naruto, why don't you go wash up and get ready; Gaara, you too and then come down for breakfast. We can talk some more after that. Plus there is another guest with us that you should know about."

Naruto bounced on his feet, getting hyper. "Who! Who! Who!"

"I'll tell you once you're ready," she said, ushering him to the bathroom. She saw Gaara still standing there. "You too Gaara, go freshen up and come downstairs to the kitchen."

He bit down his lip and nodded, leaving the room.

Smiling to herself, she checked on Sasuke, who was still lying unconscious with no signs of waking up anytime soon. She sighed. Losing family hurts, and suffering alone is even worse. That feeling wasn't unfamiliar to her. At the least he'll have company to keep him preoccupied.

Closing the door, she went downstairs to cook up something for everyone.

— - —

Kurai crammed the dining table with every type of breakfast food there was to be; pancakes, waffles, fried eggs, omelets, hash browns, you name it. She had three clones working along side her so everything was set and ready to be devoured by the time the two boys made it down.

Naruto was animatedly chatting with Gaara when they strolled into the dining area. The pale boy quietly listened to everything Naruto rambled on about with a new form of interest. Things worked in his favor since the blond didn't require talking on his part and so he didn't have to say anything.

"Naru, sweetheart, tell me what's Kakashi been feeding you while I was gone?" Kurai casually inquired while the boys seated themselves.

Said boy beamed at the woman and yelled, "Ramen!" to which he got smacked on the head by Kakashi who just made his appearance.

"Don't lie." Naruto stuck his tongue out at him.

"Ramen?"

Kakashi sat at the head of the table, filling his plate with pancakes. "Don't you believe a word he says Kurai, I gave him exactly what he needed." His eyes glimmered wickedly triggering Naruto to send a dirty look his way.

Examining Naruto head to toe, she accepted his answer. The boy did look much healthier. "I'll take your word for it this time."

She switched to Gaara; the boy was so thin honestly. It felt as if the slightest breeze would blow him away. He had half an omelet on his plate and was soundlessly finishing it while appraising his surroundings with innocent eyes. Kurai gently took hold of Gaara's arm, careful not to startle him. "Gaara, the same goes for you. If you want to grow strong, eat up." She nudged the different food items towards him, motioning him to take more.

He hesitated at first but then piled his plate with waffles and more omelet. Kurai noticed Kakashi warily glancing at the boy every so often and then at his sand dune resting on the floor beside him. She shrugged to herself; Kakashi was just going to have to get used to this arrangement, whether he liked it or not.

"Obasan, who's be otha guesth?" Naruto asked with a full mouth. Kurai's eyes briefly met Kakashi's.

"I'll tell you after breakfast."

Naruto swallowed. "But you said after I got ready—"

"After breakfast Naruto," she said firmly.

Naruto scrunched his nose and resumed eating. "Fine…"

— - —

It was dark.

And something was off.

It was far too quiet.

Too quiet…

His pace increased with every passing second until he realized he was running.

Something was very wrong.

He felt the panic course through his body.

"Otosan," he whispered with dread. "Okasan…"

Run. Run faster.

He slammed open the door.

Blood.

Blood was everywhere.

So much blood.

"OKASAN!" he cried.

His eyes grew blurry from tears.

The sky above him drew near.

Red. So much red.

He couldn't take it anymore.

He looked up to the sky and caught sight of two glowing circles.

Two red ghostly halos lighting up the sinful blackness.

It was suffocating…

It isn't real.

He couldn't breath…

IT ISN"T REAL!

Sasuke's eyes shot open.

Red. So red.

He screamed.

EEEEEEK. I think that's how the scream should sound... lol.

Gosh I just want all these character introductions to end. Its time to see some character interaction. Right? Right?

Next chapter y'all! There'll be loadz of em.

So what did you think though? Kurai's bad dream? Sasuke finally waking up?

Btw, you guys have no idea how hard it is to keep everyone in character. Like honestly, its so hard to figure out how Gaara or Sasuke will act when they aren't living loner lives. No offense to them, I love em both.

WELL PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW MY YOUTHFUL READERS! May your youth blossom to blinding levels if you do!

Till next time, Ja Ne!