Something Precious

Chapter Thirty One

Kakashi woke in a cold sweat. His dreams were the same as they had been the night prior, only more vivid if just a little. He could sort of remember odd shapes and colours - black, yellow and pink - Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura. Naruto had already confirmed that they had been his genin teammates but why would Kakashi be having dreams about them? And why did they seem so important?

Shuffling from the bed opposite of his drew Kakashi's attention away from his troubled thoughts. Naruto was shifting in his sheets, he was covered in a thin layer of sweat and his brows drew together even as he slept. He was muttering something incoherent from his distance. Curiosity drew Kakashi from his warm bed and silently across the room. He knelt down on the floor beside the Uzumaki and turned his ear to him. He could just make out his muttering with his enhanced hearing.

"No. . . K. . . kash. . . i- Sensei. . ."

Kakashi froze. Kakashi-Sensei? Naruto had called him Sensei. Naruto suddenly jerked awake and he took a few moments to register the close face taking up his field of vision.

Just so you know he did not scream. And even if he did it was totally manly.

Naruto pushed Kakashi away and scrambled out of bed. "What on earth were you doing?! Why were you just staring at me while I was sleeping?!" he demanded.

Kakashi shrugged nonchalantly like it was a completely normal thing to do. "You were talking in your sleep."

Naruto paled as he recalled what he had been dreaming of. "What. . . what did I say exactly?" he asked cautiously.

"Well, you said my name." Kakashi informed. "But you also called me Sensei. You said 'no, Kakashi-Sensei.'" Naruto forcefully relaxed his tensed muscles. He faked a strained laugh that became more genuine and manic the longer it came.

"Uhh. . . why are you laughing?" Kakashi asked and looked rather disturbed by the sudden manic laughter that held bitter humor. It wasn't warm like it had been that time with the fox, it didn't hold the same same joy or amusement, and frankly, it was making him uncomfortable.

Naruto didn't answer but his laughter slowly died out. He took a deep breath to calm himself and started folding his bedding.

"Kakashi-Sensei." he voiced thoughtfully. "It suits you. Who knows, maybe one day." Naruto winked at him with what could only be said to be a knowing glint in his blue eyes. Kakashi gazed at him a little longer before he brushed it off and went to folding his own bedding.

Maybe he had heard wrong? But it sounded just like 'Kakashi-Sensei'. Maybe it was something similar or there could possibly be a different Kakashi.

Sensei. . . for some reason the image of the three figures from his dream surfaced in his mind.

"Naruto?" he called.

Naruto looked at him. "Hmm?"

"You said you had two teammates named Sasuke and Sakura." he noted the slight sadness that crept into those blue orbs whenever he heard their names. "What did they look like?"

Naruto's face showed his confusion. "Why do you ask?" He then seemed to remember something. "Another dream?" Kakashi nodded.

Instead of answering his question Naruto ruffled his hair and offered him a friendly smile. "Try not to get too hung up on those dreams of yours, alright. They will only distract you." he advised before slipping out of the room without answering his questions. 

The chuunin supposed it was a little insensitive on his part to just out right ask that - he had hinted on numerous occasions that they were dead - but he couldn't supress the feeling that Naruto was hiding something, something that had to do with the dreams he was having and he was going to find out no matter how long it took him.