Shadow of the Night

Chapter 9

Where am I?

I feel as though I'm floating in a dark ocean at twilight. Where is my family? Are they alright?
Thoughts went though my head and disappeared into the vast ocean. I could feel myself sinking deeper and deeper until the water broke over my face. It was neither hot nor cold, but simply there. A liquid to be submerged in. 

As I floated further from the surface, the grey moonlight dimmed until I was suspended in endless black. 

A voice interrupted my blank mind. "Hello child. The last Shizuka."

As I sat up, I noticed I was sitting on a flat surface. This too was neither cold nor warm. Finally, the need to speak forced words from my dream lips. "Hello? Who are you? Where are we?" 

The voice chuckled, a deep resonant sound that filled me with a bubbly feeling. "I am Yuro. I am the one responsible for your kekkei genkai. Centuries ago, I blessed your ancestors with the power to manipulate shadows. Now you are the final shinobi to posses my gift, and since you're not dead, I thought I'd pay you a visit. Also, I never get out anymore. Being able to talk to a human is quite entertaining, and you're an odd one."

I couldn't bring myself to feel offended, and smiled faintly at the voice's playful tone. "But what do you want with me?"

The voice let out a bark of laughter. 

With an odd cold sensation, the darkness around me stretched and pulled away from my surroundings, leaving them a misty, foggy white. The shadows condensed and morphed into the rough shape of some kind of animal, similar to a wolf or fox about the size of a large dog, with soft pitch black fur and gleaming gold eyes. "So nice to be in physical form again." The creature stretched and curled its fluffy tail around its paws. 

"You very near killed yourself with that last jutsu. I, as your patron, don't like that. As it is now, you will be in a coma for at least a decade. You may never wake up. However, I have a proposition for you." Yuro paused, and I gestured for him to go on. "If you allow me to share your soul vessel, you will wake up soon, heal faster, and I will lend you my strength. I cannot under any circumstances let your kekkei genkai fall into Orrochimaru's hands. It would be disastrous. And honestly I'd love to have a look around the real world. The shadow realm is quite boring." 

I mulled this over in my head. "What's the catch?"

Yuro grinned. "Well, you have to put up with me I suppose."

I laughed at his joking response. "When do we start?"

Kakashi's POV

Two weeks. 

It's been two weeks since the chunin exams, two weeks since the death of the Hokage, two weeks Hikari has been in a coma.

I sat next to Asaki in the hospital room. She had been taking this really hard, and I spent almost every day with her since I'd gotten back. The Uchiha really cares a lot for Hikari. 

Getting to know Asaki was difficult. She was very closed off. After a few days of silence, we both started talking a bit. Mostly about Kari. She told funny stories of when they were in the Akasuki, mostly about the fights the two of them had gotten into with the other members. Asaki was very good at telling stories, and even occasionally pulling a quiet chuckle from me. She really grows on you, but more likely I grew on her. That girl didn't really interact with people she wasn't familiar with, much less tell them stories about her friend.

Today we sat in silence again, I on the windowsill, Saki in the chair by the bed. She was gently holding Hikari's hand, a pensive look on her face. 

Suddenly, the warm silence was broken by Saki's gasp. I jumped down from the window and approached the bed. 

"She squeezed my hand! I felt it! Kari, nee-chan, wake up!"

After a few moments of continued silence, I checked the vitals. All the same. I gently took Hikari's other hand in mine. Her skin was cold. It felt as lifeless as ever. 

"Saki," I speak softly, gently. "please sit back down, I don't think Kari is waking up." 

Asaki shook her head erratically. "No, no! She squeezed my hand! She's waking up! Hikari, stop messing around I know your awake!"

Asaki's voice came out in hysterical sobs, and rose almost to a scream. Tears were running down her face and her hands shook. 

In a second I was pulling Asaki into an embrace. She clutched my vest and continued to cry. I couldn't help but think about the time I hugged Hikari as she cried, and how much taller Asaki was. These random details helped provide a distraction for me. I couldn't bear to think of the woman I had grown close to laying, comatose, in the bed beside me.

A quiet gasp shook me from my thoughts. Then a cough. My eyes slowly turned to the bed. 

Kari's eyes were wide open, and she was gasping for breath. Asaki and I both clustered around Hikari grabbing one hand each at the same time. 

"Kari." The name like a prayer on my lips. 

Her eyes, wild with confusion, found my visible one, and I noticed something strange. Her normally hazel eyes were now a shining gold. Odd, but I kept it to myself for now. The feeling of relief flowed through me like blood through my veins. 

Saki choked back a sob and buried her face in the crook of Hikari's neck. Unable to resist, I joined their hug. 

It was awkward, Hikari sitting up in bed and us leaning over her, crushing her in an embrace, but it was the most perfect hug any of us could have asked for. 

Hikari coughed lightly again. "Hey guys," she said in a scratchy voice little more than a whisper "where the hell am I?"

*AN

Kind of short, but here's the cheeky devil Yuro and Kakashi/Asaki relationship development :D

Hope you liked it, comment and let me know!

-Hanna