The Spaces In-Between

Troubled Dreams

Y/N was startled as she found herself in the dream world that she had always met up with Kakashi at that night.  Yet, it was different.  The normally sunny and pleasant atmosphere was anything but that as she stood in the center of the field.  The sky was angry, with dark clouds that echoed with thunder.  In the distance, she could see lightning cracking in the backdrop of the mountain and the resounding boom shook her to her core.  She looked around but Kakashi was no where to be found.

Rain started falling and she ran towards the mountain, remembering one of the caves that they had explored in their youth.  She was drenched by the time she got there and shivered from the cold air that was blowing on the breeze.  She rubbed her cold arms, trying to bring warmth to them as she stood at the mouth of the cave.  She did not even bother looking further in, the cave had always been empty.

A whisper of a sound from behind her sent a chill down her spine.  She turned to look behind her but nothing was there.  Yet the feeling of being watched was almost overwhelming.  She narrowed her eyes slightly, if Kakashi was trying to scare her she would not be happy with him.  He knew that the caves always gave her a bit of the heebie jeebies.  

"Not funny, Kakashi!" she yelled into the inky darkness.

Another whisper drifted towards her and she stilled.  Kakashi wouldn't do that to her.  He was always like her knight when they went through the caves.  One time, maybe, but two times?  She edged closer to the mouth of the cave, ready to run.  

"Nell'oscurità il predatore troverà la sua preda lungo il fiume divino. Ci porterà potere e forza con il tuo sangue che sorgeremo..."  Voices started chanting, over and over again from the darkness, rising slowly as a nameless evil began moving in the darkness. They then began speaking in English, "In the darkness the predator will find it's prey along the river divine. You will bring us power and strength by your blood we will arise..."

Y/N took a step back and came up against a wall.  She turned and the entrance was now blocked by a stone gate.  She was trapped as the darkness swirled and moved, repeating the same words over and over again.  It was a language she did not know but the sound of it filled her heart with dread and horror.  Large red eyes began to glow and the ground shook with the steps of whatever was coming towards her.  A loud growl that reverberated off the walls surrounded her and she began kicking at the stones blocking her exit.

Then she saw it, a large red eyed dragon with black liquid dripping out of its mouth.  The liquid would hit the ground and a sizzle would follow as it ate through the stone it touched.  It opened it's massive mouth and in the back of it's throat she could see fire brewing as it readied to fry her alive beneath it's breath.

Y/N screamed as the flames sprang forth...

Kakashi sat up in bed as he heard Y/N suddenly screaming in the darkness of the night.  He grabbed her and shook her slightly.  "Y/N wake up!"  She started fighting him and he quickly wrapped his arms around her and subdued her flailing limbs.  "Y/N!"

She gasped as her eyes opened wide, the terror receding as she was able to now see his face.  She then started crying and buried her face into his chest.  He rubbed her back for a long time as her sniffles died down slowly.  "Were you dreaming about the past?" he asked her gently as he held her trembling body.

"No..." she whispered.  "I was in our special world but... something was different.  It was not sunny and bright like it always was when we would meet there.  A terrible storm was raging and I had to go to the cave to take cover.  Kakashi... there was something evil in that cave.  I became trapped inside with this giant dragon with red eyes.  It was intent on killing me."

Kakashi leaned back to look into her eyes.  "In our world?  Really?"

"Yes, it was awful Kakashi..." she whispered.  "There were people chanting words that I did not understand, in a language I could not understand.  At least not at first.  They then were chanting in my language.  Then this dragon appeared... It was horrifying, absolutely horrifying."

Kakashi was very disturbed by what she was telling him.  Their world was their special place and always had been.  He still was not sure where that place was, if it was a real place or on a spiritual realm that they had only been able to access.  Yet it sounded like something else had entered that place and had come to her.  The thought was chilling.

"When you could understand, what were they saying?" he asked softly.

"In the darkness the predator will find it's prey along the river divine. You will bring us power and strength by your blood we will arise..." Y/N whispered.

Kakashi felt anger rise up inside him.  Whatever had tainted their place was making a threat towards his beloved.  He was furious that she had experienced something so terrible but he had no idea how to even confront something like this.

"It's okay, baby girl," he whispered against her head.  "It was just a dream.  I won't let anything get you."

Kakashi held her for a long time after until her trembling stopped and her breathe evened out as she slipped back into sleep.  He placed his index and middle fingers to her temple, softly speaking a protection Jutsu over her lest she go back to that nightmare.  His eyes were on the ceiling above as he processed what she had described.  He would go to the archives in the morning and research any mention of dragons with red eyes.  It was the only thing he could think to do at the moment.

He stroked her body in comfort for a long while, occasionally kissing her forehead as he thought about the meaning of the words.  There was no doubt, it was a threat.  He would find out who dared to threaten what was his and make them rue the day.