The Dream Devourer (Kakashi X OC)

The Aftermath

Kakashi awoke to darkness.

He sat up, and sharp stings of pain flooded his senses as he looked down at his body. Bite marks adorned his skin, given to him by his own ninken. But his hounds were gone, and beside him lay Koshuu, unconscious.

Judging from the blood still wet, he hadn't been out for very long.

Kakashi felt Koshuu's pulse. So he was alive. Good.

But Chiisai was nowhere to be seen.

Memories flooded his mind, of Chiisai in the dream world. What she had done, what she was currently doing- he needed to find her body.

He sniffed the air, taking in the scent of cool, damp earth. The smell of his dogs, the cedar body wash that Koshuu had used this morning. There was the metallic tang of blood, and finally, though faint, was the scent of aged books.

Kakashi locked onto it and jogged down the tunnel stairs. He turned right, and halted in his tracks to see an unmoving black and white cat, bloodied from a stab wound. The ninja crouched down, but he already knew it was too late, and Tori was dead.

"I'm sorry," Kakashi said. Though the cat had worked for Itachi, Chiisai had loved him.

There were other smells in the area, of ninja who hadn't bothered hiding their scents.

Danzo. And his two right hand ROOT members.

Kakashi grit his teeth. How had the man had time to kidnap Chiisai? He should have been locked inside the dream world, like everyone else. Unless somehow, he was immune to Chiisai, which would make her completely defenseless against him.

He rose to his feet and followed after them.

When Kakashi made it out of the tunnels, it was like stepping into an alternate reality. It was quiet, with nothing but the sound of birds and the wind in the trees to fill the silence. Bodies had dropped like flies, and unconcious villagers littered the streets, the minds locked in the dream world.

Kakashi jumped from rooftop to rooftop, the hot air causing sweat to drip down his neck. Jonin uniforms mixed in with villagers' clothes, and Kakashi prayed that Chiisai would act soon. Her scent grew stronger, and he soon realized where he was headed.

The Foundation building was tall, built out of dark metal and cinderblocks. Iron bars sat in front of the lower windows, and if regular person had to guess, they said it looked like a prison, or a holding facilitiy. Just on the outskirts of the village, the place was believed to be now abandoned, a result of Lord Hiruzens orders.

But there were some ninja that were loyal to Danzo, so much that their allegiance to him outweighed that of the Hidden Leaf's. ROOT was alive and well, thanks to the retired council member.

The top floor windows were open, and Kakashi easily snuck in. Memories flooded him from his anbu days, meeting Tenzo as a young boy.

His footsteps were silent as he ran down the hall. He hopped down into the main chambers, a largely open area with a bridge linking two sides. And there, standing with his cane in hand, was Danzo Shimura.

Kakashi landed a few feet away from the old man. Chiisai's sent lingered on Danzo, and Kakashi did his best to remain composed. Calm. Collective.

"I think you have someone that belongs to me," Kakashi said.

Danzo nodded. "You mean the girl? I didn't realized she belonged to anyone."

"I'm her medical aid, you see." His voice was casual as he added, "She's legally under my care until I deem her physically fit." He drew out a folded piece of paper from his pouch and held it up. The hospital seal was dented into it, signed by him, a doctor, Chiisai, and a nurse as a witness. "I'd hate to take legal action."