𝕋𝕒𝕝𝕜 𝕥𝕠 𝕄𝕖 | Kakashi Hatake x reader

1 | Poppy

Trees.

Red.

   Silver.

Liar.                              

Bodies.

Trees.

Jumping. You were jumping from branch to branch, your teammates close behind.

Red.

Flashes of red surrounded your team. A high pitched ringing left everyone shaken to their spots. One lost their footing—falling.

       Silver.

A blade cuts through the air, finding a home in the neck of the ninja next to you. More blades. More throats. Your grip tightens on the scroll in your hands.

Liar.

A friend. A warm friend whom you trusted everything to, from secrets to the very lives fading right now. They stepped forth on their branch; the blades never grazing them.

You make eye contact.

They say nothing, letting their eyes and actions speak for themselves. Rushing towards you, their hands reach for the scroll in your own.

Bodies.

You remember falling. There were flames and smoke—a paper bomb.

Your body hits the ground with crackles of thunder. Searing pain rolls from your right leg up to your head.

Teammates. Friends. You are stranded with them. Blood bathes everything in a sea of red. You're screaming. You're suffocating in the stench of death and burning flesh.

Trees.

You were jumping branches.

           Red.

Flashes of red; ringing.

                  Silver.

Blades. Throats.

                            Liar.

Kamimaru.

                                   Body.

Your twisted, burnt le—

You awaken sharply, sweat clinging to your bed sheets.

A throbbing pain crashes over your head and your heart. You can't breath. You can't breath. You can't. Everything hurts and it feels like you're falling again. You're inhaling smoke that isn't there, trying to compensate for lost air.

Your fingertips tremble, aching to fill their emptiness with a kunai. Fight, your brains says, but you can't. You can't.

Instead of metal, your palms are greeted with something softer. Kinder.

A lick.

Instantly you are brought down from your adrenaline high.

Cho-cho. You close your eyes and gulp away the foul taste in your mouth.

"Good girl." You pet Cho-Cho's head, trying to ease your panic. "Good girl."

Five things. Find five things. Your eyes are frantic. Cho-Cho. My picture frame. The moon. The sound of crickets. Dried flowers.

You repeat those items in your head until you're connected to your current self. You repeat enough until you feel safe.

Now with the panic long gone, all you can do is stare at the ceiling.

I had it again. It's getting worse. What is it, the third time this week? Can't a girl get a break.

It would also be nice if the nightmares didn't come with a side of migraines and nausea. But life is a bitch, who never lets anyone off the hook.

Should I see a doctor?

Nah.

You turn your attention to your bedroom window.

Yeesh, how early is it?

Moonlight cascades down into your apartment. It would be a calming sight if your heart wasn't beating out of your own damn chest. Cho-Cho leans on your good side, continuously licking your hand.

"That's a good girl, cho-cho." You want to coo but your sore throat makes it sounds like a roaster croak.

Cho-Cho softly boofs at your praise.

An awkward laugh bubbles from your lips, "yes, you're my bestest girl, aren't you?"

"Come on, Cho. We're already awake, we might as well start work."

When you sit up, the bed creaks from the sudden difference in weight. Cho-Cho defyingly sits herself on your pillow while you get the morning routine done. Air bubbles pop harmoniously as you stretch out your back. To finish up, you rotate your arms like windmills to get the blood moving.

"Yosh!" Clapping your hands together, you hobble to your closet for today's outfit.

Cho-Cho whines from the bed, nudging at your pillow.

"I know, I know, I'll get more sleep tomorrow, I promise!" Meanwhile you wiggle on a comfortable shirt.

"It's not like I'm getting nightmares every night. I sleep! Most of the time."

On goes your kimono pants and up goes your hair.

"Listen missy, I got like seven hours in total..." you deadpan, "...this week."

Cho-Cho barks this time. Barks. You know if she was talking, or if you could understand her, she'd be scolding you to kingdom come.

"Psh, whatever. I don't need sleep. What I do need is tea, oolong tea actually. Ooo yeah, oolong."

You almost leave the room, but Cho-Cho barks again.

"My leg! Of course, hai hai." You hobble back to the side of your bed.

Your hands fish around underneath the nightstand where you last left your wooden leg. When you find it, you bring it out like it's treasured gold and strap it into place. There, snug as a bug in a rug.

How could I forget? You snort, then push yourself off the ground.

"Much better!"

Cho-cho leaps from the bed to your side in seconds, which is easy for such a big mastiff like herself. Her body bumps into yours as she walks alongside your prosthetic leg. Cho nudges her nose into your hand then moves further so her head fits into your palm. This is her way of saying you can use her for support.

"Thanks, Cho." You scratch her ears, earning a tail wag.

The pair of you awkwardly shuffle from the bedroom to your kitchen. From the kitchen to your front door, from the door to the dawn pink skies, and into your cozy little flower shop. Once the smell of jasmine and lavender hit your nose, you've already forgotten about the nightmare.

Now your mind has shifted from reliving traumatic memories to making sure the lotuses have enough water. Plus, you've already prepped your first pick up; Kakashi Hatake should arrive in thirty minutes, and you, for one, couldn't be more excited for the day to finally start rolling.