Dancing In The Dark

Darkness In The Leaf

Kakashi woke suddenly, his senses on high alert.  He lay still, stretching out to discern what was wrong.  He could hear Sarah's even breathing beside him.  She was twitching in her sleep but otherwise nothing seemed out of the ordinary.  Yet... he was no fool.  He knew that when his senses were alive like this, danger was nearby.  He slipped out of the bed silently, pausing only to pull the blanket up higher on Sarah before grabbing his pants off the end of the bed and pulling them on.  He then took a couple of kunai in hand before slowly edging through the darkness.

Sarah was having a nightmare.  A shadow creature was chasing her through the trees.  She was not moving fast enough and she could hear it gaining on her.  A snarl approached fast behind her and she let out a scream as the creature overtook her and she crashed to the ground as it sunk its fangs into her neck.  She jerked awake then froze, the feel of cold steel pressing into her neck.  Eyes glowed in the dark, looming over her.

"Don't say a word..." he voice hissed towards her so low that she almost didn't hear it.  "Blood is coming to the Leaf... I will have my revenge... Kakashi of the Sharingan will know suffering... Naruto Uzumaki... Sasuke Uchiha... Sakura Uchiha... Yamato... Sai... All will suffer and wither in their blood as those they love die..."

Sarah could feel blood sliding down the side of her neck as the pressure from the sword increased.  She knew in an instant the intruder was going to kill her.  Whoever they were, they had desire for revenge upon Team 7.  As the blade lifted fast for a killing blow, she moved as it slashed down.  She landed hard on her knees beside the bed as the blade sliced through the mattress and pillow where her head had been only a second ago.

"Kakashi!" she screamed.

Kakashi cursed and ran back to the bedroom, watching as Sarah managed to avoid getting sliced in two by inches.  He hurled the kunai through the air and the villain deflected the weapon with his sword.  Sarah pressed herself into the corner, trying to stay out of the way as the two faced off.  Kakashi's chakra was glowing purple in the darkness, highlighting his face.  He was furious, which was probably why he wasn't using the chidori but rather the purple lightning.   The two came at each other but the intruder was obviously not interested in fighting him head on for too long as he abruptly turned and crashed out the window, fleeing.

Kakashi went after him.  Sarah was holding her neck, she could feel blood rolling between her fingers.  If she had not moved when she had, she would be dead now.  It was pure luck on her part that she had moved fast enough to avoid the lethal cut.  Or that she had dodged the second one.  However, she was no idiot.  It was fools luck.  If Kakashi had not come when he did, he would have got her.

She started shaking violently.  That was twice now that she had a blade to her neck.  This time it was not just a nick, she could feel the blood squeezing through her fingers.  Kakashi... she called out in her mind.

Kakashi could not believe the bastard got away, swallowed up by the darkness and trees.  He growled low in his throat.

Kakashi...

He stilled, hearing Sarah's voice in his mind.  He felt her fear in that single word.  He turned and ran back to the house. He climbed through the broken window and went to where she was curled up.  She was shaking violently as he knelt beside her, she was holding her throat tightly.  Horror rolled over him when he saw blood going between her fingers.  He grabbed her up into his arms and ran as fast as he could.

"Hold on, baby girl, you're going to be okay," he told her as he ran.

The village passed by in a blur as he used his chakra to increase his speed ten fold.  He reached the hospital in record time.  The medics sprang into action as he laid her down on the bed in the room they had directed him to.  He grimaced as they pried her fingers away.  The cut to her neck was deep and blood spurted as soon as her fingers were removed.  His legs felt shaky as he watched them work on her.  It was that close... How had he missed that man's presence when he left the bedroom?  He had been watching him, waiting for him to leave Sarah alone.  How did he do it?