Update: Decided to make a ton of edits to the first chapter because I suddenly felt like it.

The original chapter was written quite a while back and my writing style is constantly evolving, so the earlier chapters can feel quite different from the later ones. And even the last few chapters feel different from my more recent works. This is confusing... Or maybe I'm just nitpicky?

I've decided to replace the original with this because, er, I was bored... and it'll be a while before I'm ready to post my other fics. /sheepish

But anyway: ask not why, but WHY NOT! XD

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Previous AN:

My math exam's tomorrow, but well... stuff happened, I got a bit frustrated, and writing/publishing fanfics always cheers me up (:

Finished this a few days ago, after (re)watching Naruto Shippuuden Movie 3: Inheritors of the Will of Fire. QAQ

And the scene where Naruto pulls Kakashi out of that slime thing and he thought Kakashi was dead... being the sucker for tragedies I am, I kind of wanted to try make it longer, even more sad, and... try my hand at writing KakaNaru ^^

Hope you like this... fic? ficlet? Haha. I'm planning to make this a multichapter, though... second chapter's already being planned x)

Do drop a review! Reviews and awesome manga chapters/anime episodes give me MOTIVATION to write. :D

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Windchime

"Damn you Kakashi-sensei, wake up! Wake the hell up and open your eyes! Sensei! Come on, don't you dare die on me!"

He shook the man violently. "Damn – you – idiot – self-sacrificing – moron – bastard – wake up and LOOK AT ME!"

Kakashi's head lolled limply to the side. Naruto's grip slackened, and the silver-haired jounin slid out of his grip, slumping to the floor.

"KAKASHI!"

But –

His breath hitched.

There was no way Kakashi could... there was no way he could die, because...

"WHY WON'T YOU WAKE UP, DAMMIT!"

Because he was Sharingan no Kakashi, Konoha's strongest jounin, the genius student of another genius, ex-Anbu, Team 7's jounin-sensei, Team Kakashi's captain, Naruto's sensei—

Wasn't he the one who always got away all right, always had some way out, some secret jutsu to defeat the enemy, and always, always stayed alive?

Wasn't he?

Wasn't Naruto the one who would protect everyone, save everyone, bulldoze his way through everything and emerge victorious? Wasn't he the one who never went back on his word? Wasn't he the one who never broke a promise?

Wasn't he?

"What the hell... what the hell is this..." His shoulders shook as he hunched lower and lower, and he didn't even know if he was laughing or crying anymore because none of it made any sense.

"I'm not smart, you know?" Naruto ground out bitterly. "That's why you're supposed to dumb things down for me to understand, because I sure don't get anything right now so WHY WON'T YOU EXPLAIN IT TO ME?!"

Why?

There was no response.

C'mon Kakashi wake up justwakeupandsaysomething smackmeontheheadcallmeanidiot readyourstupidsmut dosomethinganything—

He had failed.

He had thought he could save Kakashi, stop him from sacrificing himself, and then they would defeat the enemy together, thus they could also protect the village and everything would be okay, but now Hiruko was still alive, while Kakashi... while Kakashi...

"But you're... you," Naruto said desperately. "You're not supposed to be dead."

His voice was barely audible even to his own ears, and his hands felt numb. It was just like Gaara's capture all over again, only this time he royally screwed up and there was no Chiyo to fix everything, to bring him back from d—

He screamed, slamming his fist against the ground, but there was no savage satisfaction to be found as he watched it crack and crumble. "Why are you dead?" he snarled, suddenly furious. "What happened to everything you've taught me? What the fuck happened to not letting your comrades die?!"

His Kage Bunshin dispelled one-by-one, and his mind was suddenly flooded with memories of staring at his own grief from many angles.

It failed to drown out the enemy's glee.

"You have my thanks, Uzumaki Naruto! If I had tried to assimilate Kakashi – "

Naruto seethed.

" – I would have died for sure!"

He flinched.

"Isn't it wonderfully ironic that his own student would foil his plan and save me?"

He didn't notice when he had buried his tears in Kakashi's jounin vest, or how he ended up desperately holding onto the man in what could have been a hug. But he could not hear the sound of air moving in and out of Kakashi's lungs, or the steady beating of his heart.

"Too bad he's dead, though." Naruto clung tighter, knuckles turning white as he gripped the dusty-green vest.

"I'll just kill you and take him then!"

He froze.

No.

There was no way. It could not be true. There was absolutely no way that—

Kakashi had died for nothing. (And it was all his fault.)

No.

He would never allow it!

There was no need to form any hand-seal. He stood, silently regarding the white-haired monster. A horde of Kage Bunshin popped into existence – hundreds of identical darkened blue glares, furious snarls, and howling Rasengan.

It felt like something lodged in his throat, choking him, and he found himself unable to speak. But there was no need to. The deadly song of the Rasengan, now a wild shriek of violent grief, spoke for him.

And it was more than what he could ever voice out in words.

His fists clenched, nails digging deeply into his palm. He wanted nothing more than tearing that bastard thief to shreds. But...

If he joined the rest, who would stay with Kakashi?

So he let the Kage Bunshin fight for him. (Yet it felt like a pointless battle, for they also died too fast, too easily. Too meaninglessly.)

But for every clone that went down, there would be two to take its place. The battle was a stalemate at best and pointless at worst, but he hardly cared.

"You're not supposed to be dead," he said again, turning back to face his sensei. "You're supposed to tell me I'm way too loud and complain that I'm making you deaf."

He wondered if Kakashi would be impressed at his restraint – he did not go berserk (for once)! – or tell him he still cared too much. (Quit contradicting yourself, sensei...)

One of the clones yelled, "You stole Kakashi-sensei! Give him back!" and was slaughtered, all in one moment.

He also wondered if Kakashi would be impressed at the display of power and skill, or chide him for jumping headfirst into a dangerous situation. (I have every reason to! And seriously – pot, kettle, black, much?)

His mouth twitched in an almost-smile.

(Idiot, I'm just following what you taught me.)

"Hey... you know, sensei..." he whispered, "I fixed the bells like you asked me to." He pulled the small box out of his pocket.

"Huh. Looks like my luck isn't much better," he murmured ruefully. "I kinda squished them too – yes, again – with the box and all."

The cracked remains of the small case clattered quietly to the floor. He tugged lightly on the strings, making the bells jump up and down, but...

The bells were silent. It was wrong.

(Because as lazy and apathetic as he may seem, Kakashi was not one to be silent either.)

"I'm sorry, Kakashi-sensei..." He dropped to his knees. "I'll fix them again for you, okay?"

His fingertips lit up with tiny, dancing flames of blue chakra. He stared unseeingly, eyes wide and blank as the silver bells slowly, ever-so-painstakingly-slowly regained their proper shape. A single tear made its way down his cheek, but he did not blink.

Not once.

He let the chakra fade. It was done.

Naruto closed his eyes and mourned, in a strange almost-silence against the faraway sounds of battle. A gentle breeze blew, ruffling his hair. The bells danced merrily in the wind, jingling softly, lightly... and were still again.

"Ohayou."

The silence shattered.

"Just what... are you doing here, Naruto?" a more-than-familiar voice rasped tiredly.

(And when he grabbed Kakashi again, shouting and crying and laughing hysterically, this time it's a real hug.)

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Windchime's usually spelt with a space in between... but I like it this way, it looks prettier. XD