Three Wishes

It was all dark and cold. The wall behind him was cold. His hands were heavy with shackles and rattled uncomfortably as he moved. It was a deafening sound in a room full of silence. It wasn't very comfortable, with the shackles holding his hands over his head, which still hurt slightly from the punch. He took it as a fact that at least he was still alive.

He still wore his mask and even felt the eye patch. That was a relief. Now it was time to open his eyes and check the surroundings. He opened his eye and had to blink a few times to focus properly. As he guessed from the back wall, the whole room was solid stone. It looked as if the room had been dug right into the rock. He had no idea yet if he was underground or above ground. But that was beside the point.

However, he was alone in the room and there was almost nothing. Only a few instruments of torture. He knew them all very well, but he also knew very well that he could resist most of them. Now that he could see the room, it was time to break free.

He wanted to use some technique, but the shackles were blocking his chakra. He couldn't use anything. The shackles were too strong to break. So he was trapped there and had to wait for another way to escape. But he must wait until the time is right. He might even be able to find out something about who took him.

He had no idea how long he had been in the room. There was no clock, and no light to tell him. It could have been a few minutes, hours, maybe even a day... Without opening the door, the masked man appeared before him. Kakashi merely gave him a murderous look.

„Hatake Kakashi, the copy ninja. Cold-blooded Kakashi. Kakashi, the friend killer. The kind of titles I could use, but to me, you're just a cold-blooded murderer who should burn in hell for what he did,” he said scornfully.

„Looks like someone did their homework and found out who I am. Should I be impressed?” he asked neutrally.

„Not at all. Although it's amazing to see the great Kakashi groping in the dark,” he grinned under the mask.

„I'm glad I made you feel better,” he replied lightly.

„Nah, the fun's still to come. Though it won't look like it to you,” he played with him like a cat with a mouse. He had so much prepared.

Kakashi had no answer. The enemy seemed to know him well. But anyone could theoretically find out about his past. And to pinpoint who all wanted to get rid of him, he would probably never see the end of it.

„Cat got your tongue?” he asked, noting the lack of emotion on the other side.

„No. I was just wondering what happened to Naruto,” he replied.

„Who?” he didn't understand and seemed slightly taken aback by his question.

„The Fox spirit.”

„Aah, that one. That's none of your business,” he waved.

„What will happen to him?”

„He will die. After we drain his strength. No spirit ever survived that,” he explained, bored.

„I won't let you!” Kakashi growled, jerking the chains.

The masked man liked that reaction. The anger, the helplessness.... had he found his weakness in the first place? He could use it. Although, that was too easy. And that would make it boring, too. He'll break him, but differently.

„Time for some fun,” the masked man said at last and set to work as a torturer. He had so many toys to choose from, and he intended to use them all. At least a little. Gradually he cracks it until it breaks. He will suffer as he once did.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the dungeon, the fox-wraith had awakened. Naruto sat up and rubbed his eyes. He was still slightly sleepy. Unlike Kakashi, he wore no shackles and was separated from freedom by bars.

He also noticed that fox ears and tail were showing. But he didn't care. Kakashi wasn't around to reprimand him. It was a relief not to have to hide part of myself all the time. The boy scrambled to his feet and looked around. He had no idea how he got here, but he knew he wouldn't stay any longer.

He walked over to the bars and touched them. Once abducted, he expected them to be sealed somehow or so that he couldn't escape. However, the gap between them was large enough for him to squeeze through. Once on the other side of the bars, he looked around for guards.

He was alone. He walked down the corridor and looked into the other cells, but they were all empty. Finally, he came to a large door with a sign on it warning „Life-threatening!!!” That got his attention. What could be lurking there? He had to find out. He moved closer to the door and opened it just enough to peek inside.

He walked in quietly and closed the door behind him. There was a dim light in the room, adding to the magic of the mysterious atmosphere. Right in the middle of the room were bars that formed a circle of approximately two meters. Inside that circle sat a little boy. Naruto thought he might have been about his age.

The boy had blood-red short hair and sat with his back to him. From a distance, he could see the dark raccoon ears poking through his hair, as well as the sandy-coloured tail wrapped around him. Naruto guessed he was a spirit, too.

He moved closer, and the boy's ear twitched. He must have heard him. The red-haired boy turned towards him, his eyes were unreadable. These were a wonderfully minty green and in complete contrast to his hair.

As he walked closer he noticed that the boy was wearing black trousers and rather a light brown outfit for the desert. He knew that from the books Kakashi showed him. He wondered if it was the spirit of Sand country.

„Hi, what are you doing here?” Naruto asked him, leaning against the bars. At first, he had expected, as with his own, that they would somehow be reinforced against them, but they were just ordinary bars.

„Me?” the boy asked weakly.

„Yup, you,” he said, smiling at him, squeezing through the bars and sitting across from him.

„I don't know,” he replied calmly, following him.

„Do you want to come with me? I'm looking for my friend,” he asked him. „At least you won't be alone.”

The red-haired boy eventually accepted his hand and allowed himself to be dragged to his feet. Doing so earned Naruto a big, warm smile that was highly contagious, and he felt a slight smile. Plus, he smelled pretty good when he thought about it.

„I am Uzumaki Naruto. And how they call you?” he asked as they squeezed through the bars.

„Gaara,” he replied simply.

„So, Gaara, how about we get out of here?” he asked, already on his way out. He merely nodded agreement, took his hand hesitantly, and followed.

Together they entered another corridor, which was much larger and longer. There were plenty of doors and therefore plenty of places for Kakashi to be. The two boys immediately began to explore. They opened each door as quietly as possible and peered in.

Some rooms were empty, others filled with supplies, scrolls, instruments of torture, and others were divided into endless corridors. There was still work to be done before they could find Kakashi and get home. So far, they've been lucky not to be seen, but that could change at any time.