Dream II

When Rae found herself back inside the familiar four walls of her apartment room, she knew she was dreaming. And with that realization, she finally lost it. She swiped the contents off her table with a frustrated shout and it all clattered on the ground loudly. But such destruction was not enough to appease her chaotic mind. Walking past the clattered stationery, she headed straight out of her apartment. She has a single destination in mind.

.

.

Kiba was having a nice stroll around the village with a beautiful woman when he saw a ghost walk past him. I mean, if someone you know who was dead just walked past you... what would you think?

But the more unnerving part was that she wasn't even on a stroll like him. She was powerwalking through the crowd, shouldering her way past them. And even from this distance, he could feel the killing intent she was desperately keeping a lid on. He now understands why she didn't take the highway. For someone who has monstrous strength and could easily upened the earth with a single punch, she'd probably destroy the houses if she took to the roofs with that much killing intent.

Zen looked like a woman on a warpath.

And Kiba doesn't want to be on the receiving end of it. Dream or not. With a shudder, Kiba guided his date away from where his friend had just headed. He'll follow her when her head is colder than the weather in the Land of Snow.

.

.

When Rae was finally out of the civilian crowd and had set foot on the tower, she let go of her control and dashed through the hallway and towards the Hokage Office. All shinobi she passed by pressed their backs to the wall to let her through without a hitch and those that couldn't (greenhorn genins that are terrified and frozen in place) she easily maneuvered around. She didn't care whether she is scaring anybody shitless.

She has a destination and a goal in mind.

And that destination is just up ahead.

Five ANBU dropped down in front of her just when she was thinking of barging in the office. But of course, that is impossible. She was currently a danger to the Hokage and must be stopped.

Couldn't they see that she went out of her way to announce that she's here instead of just appearing inside with all the pent up frustration she has? Where's their courtesy to return the one she's showing?

Growling, she shunshin-ed directly inside the office. Something she should've done from the start. And just as expected, seven ANBU appeared around her with their tanto drawn and pointed scant millimeters away from her throat and five vital organs. Another two stood on each side of the Hokage with their weapons drawn and ready.

"Z... Zen-chan?" Was the Hokage's choked whisper.

Rae ignored the fact that it was Kakashi who was sitting on that chair. She knew from the start that he'd be wearing the hat. Seeing him owning the office was old news to her.

"I need the location of all of Orochimaru's laboratories" She demanded, not missing a beat. "Every single one of them"

"Orochimaru's laboratories?" Kakashi was confused. After all the months that he didn't see his student, the first thing she asks is the Sannin's hideouts of all things. He signaled his guards to back down and with only a little hesitation, they disappeared back to where they were initially hiding.

Kakashi knew he was dreaming, but never in his wildest of dreams had his mind conjured this scenario before... well, until now.

"Weren't you the one compiling them before?" Kakashi asked, totally unsure of what is happening. As far as he knows, Orochimaru had returned to ally himself with the Leaf. So what else is Zen doing, hunting down the labs?

"The ones I remember him owning doesn't exist anymore!" the frustration was clear in her voice. "I want every single location we know, sensei!" And there, something within that frustration, Kakashi saw the desperation she tries to keep hidden. "All records dating back to the Sandaime's rule"

Gesturing her to follow, Kakashi led her to the Archives Room.

"Most of the records we have from the time of Sandaime were either lost or destroyed in the invasion of Akatsuki" Kakashi reminded her. "I'm not sure if the records on the lab locations were recovered"

"I'd comb every single file if I have to, sensei" Rae replied, her determination never wavering.

She was about to start her search when she was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. Looking up at her sensei in question, she was surprised when Kakashi enveloped her in his arms.

"I don't know what's happening but I'm glad you came to me first"

The embrace is warm and Kakashi's voice is thick with sincerity. It makes Rae's frustration simmer.

Sighing, Rae returned the embrace and whined "You're making me calm down, sensei. How am I supposed to ransack this room if I'm calm?"

That earned her a chuckle in return and Kakashi stepped back. Messing her hair the way he did before when they were still greenhorn genins, "That's good then. You're not supposed to turn the archives upside-down"

Sighing, Rae nodded. "Hai~ Hai~"

And without further ado, she started sifting through the papers on the shelf nearest to her. And to her great joy, they were already labeled and categorized. It was just a matter of finding the right one.

It took her a minute to realize that she was being watched. Looking at the direction of the feeling, she saw that Kakashi is still there. Sitting on a chair he procured from somewhere.

"You're still here?" Rae blinked in confusion.

"Am I not allowed to?" Kakashi replied with his own question.

"I didn't say that" Rae argued. "Don't you have Kage duties?"

"I do" He agreed. "I'd do them later"

"Why?" Rae shook her head and went back to scanning the labels on each shelf.

"Because I'm watching over my student" Kakashi replied honestly.

"I'd be fine on my own" She insisted.

"I know" He agreed. "I just don't want you out of my sight"

Rae glanced back at him with a frown. "Don't you trust me on my own?"

"It's not like that" Kakashi sighed. "I haven't seen you in almost two years"

"What?" Her eyes widened in surprise.

"It's been almost two years since the war, Zen" Kakashi said. His grief, sadness, and regret projected in his voice. Laid bare for her to receive. "It's almost two years since you... went missing"

Rae heard something different from that momentary pause. Died.

That was what she heard instead of what was said.

Something's wrong here...

Rae shouldn't be dreaming like this. Dreams are not supposed to be like this... Everything is too real. The emotions are too pure... The feelings, the senses, and the real-time situations are too real to be considered something conjured by a restless mind...

What's happening here...?

She thought for sure that if this wasn't a dream, then at least she'd be in her own mindscape. Walking through memory lane with the power to recall the small details from the past. That's why she came to the Hokage to ask for the reports. She saw those reports before and whatever she didn't subconsciously remember would come forth if she dug deeper because she's a firm believer that people don't forget, they just misplace the details within their mind and would eventually remember when they searched hard enough.

And before she knew it, she was startled awake. She was back in the past, in the forest where she decided to camp out. It has been three days and nights since the kids were taken, and this was her first rest in a while. For three days she relentlessly scoured through the land around Takigakure. Her next destination is the land next to it where the Mountains' Graveyard is located. If she still fails to find them, she'd go to Oto. She doesn't know when Otogakure was founded but going there might be something.

Standing up with a sigh, Rae decided to table that dream for another time. Right now, she has a kidnapper to track down, and getting sidelined is not an option.

.

.

.

Back in the future, Kakashi woke up with sore muscles. He didn't realize that he fell asleep while working.

"Maybe the stress is getting to me more than I think it does?" he murmured as he looked out the window and into the dark night sky. Either way, it's a nice change. Dreaming of his student outside his memories. For a moment, it felt like she was here with them... as if she never even left.