The Dream Breather (Kakashi x OC)

An Unexpected Visit

Chiisai opened her eyes to see a ceiling she wasn't familiar with.

Inoichi must have failed at finding her memories.

Typical- that was just her luck.

The last thing she remembered was sitting down in a small room, and Inoichi's large hand had settled on her head. She had felt his body heat as his fingers pressed into her scalp, and then, she had been with him inside of her mind, staring up at the damn that separated the nightmares from her consciousness. They had discussed the tear, the mismatched memories, and had looked into the moment when Fu attacked her.

Then, he had pressed his hand to the wall, and then- nothing.

She felt calloused skin against her hand, and she turned her head to see Kakashi sitting beside her, his thumb gently sliding over her knuckles. In his other hand was Icha Icha.

He looked comfortable, despite his haggard appearance, as if this was something he did every day.

A shiver ran down her spine, and she swallowed. She was surprised he wanted to touch her, given what she had told him earlier.

She had been too self-centered these past few months, letting him in. She had craved emotional intimacy, and Kakashi had been eager to give it, desperate for his own. Gods, had she manipulated him this entire time? Had she used her knowledge of his past to get him close?

Trusting her own thoughts was useless at this point. Heck, if her memories weren't intact, how did she know if she was really Chiisai? What if some core memory had been hidden away, and her whole identity depended on what had been stolen?

Even a better reason why she should stay far away from Kakashi, from everyone. She could be some evil villain, like Danzo. Didn't people who had this kind of power usually turn evil? Power corrupted, after all.

Chiisai slid her hand out from his, and he blinked down at her. He shut the book and asked, "Sleep well?"

Pushing herself up, she frowned and replied, "How long was I out?"

"Fifteen minutes."

"How's Inoichi?" She asked. Kakashi seemed relatively calm, which shouldn't surprise her. Gods, he still looked sick.

"He's fine." He paused before asking, "You still want to live in the bunker?"

Her toes curled into the floor. "What if I do?"

"For all your talk of not abandoning each other, I'd tend to believe you're under a genjutsu." He tilted his head to the side, and his voice was calm as he asked, "Why the sudden change?"

She wrapped her arms around herself and looked away. "The village looks up to you, Kakashi. They need you. And I'm holding you back from that."

"I think you're using that as an excuse to back out of something you're afraid of."

Her voice fell flat as she replied, "Of course I'm scared. Who wouldn't be?"

"Shutting me out isn't going to help, Chiisai." He placed his gloved hand on her knee. "Honestly, it's frustrating, and it hurts."

She didn't move, but only asked, "What did Lady Tsunade say?"

He sighed and pulled his hand back. "You're changing the topic."

"Did she say no to the bunker?"

He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "It seems we're stuck with each other for the inevitable future."

She massaged her temple and sighed. "This mission is going to get you killed."

His throat cracked as he replied, "You should learn to trust your comrades."