Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto characters. Only the plot.

Chapter 1: The Fraction of Reality

XxXxX

Is it real?

Everything that we're experiencing right now –all the perceptions, sensations, dreams, thoughts and feelings- are all in our consciousness.

But what is being conscious?

Is reality real?

XxXxX

The song on the radio was getting boring. Naruto changed the channel. Static sound, static sound and another static sound –it was in the middle of the night anyway. Naruto turned off the radio. His finger tapped lightly on the steering while humming inwardly to a song that suddenly popped up in his head.

'Naruto…'

A voice whispered to his name. He was stunned. Suddenly a bright white light was coming in his way and a loud deafening sound was heard.

Breathing hard, Naruto awakened from his dream. He jolted on his bed, panting. His heart was beating like crazy. "Dream again, Naruto-kun?" asked Hinata. Apparently, she was awakened by him.

"Sorry…" muttered Naruto as he ran his hand through his unruly hair. Putting an assuring hand on Naruto's right shoulder, Hinata hushed her husband.

"It's just a dream. Let's get back to sleep…" she said softly.

Slowly, Naruto regulate his breathing, lie back on the bed, cuddling to his wife.

XxXxX

Morning came fast. Naruto was up on his bed, with his head pounding slightly. Slowly, he walked to the bathroom. He looked at his own reflection on the mirror. Signs of sleep deprived were obvious with dark circles around his eyes and his dull face. He opened the cabinet and took out his medication.

"Naruto-kun…". Hinata stood behind him.

Shocked, Naruto turned to face her. "Yes?"

"Are you still taking those pills? I thought you've stopped…". Disappointment was heard clearly in her voice and on her face.

Turning away, Naruto ignored her. He gulped three pills and flushed them in with a glass of tap water.

"You've promised me…". Hinata kept pressing her notion.

"Please… leave me alone".

Hinata gnawed the inside of her cheek in frustration. Her husband was still facing his back on her. "Naruto-kun…" she said.

"I'm taking a bath…". Naruto turned to look at her with his eyes narrowed, sending a 'don't bother me' look.

Iron taste of blood was lingering in Hinata's mouth and she stomped away leaving Naruto. The husband closed the door after her.

XxXxX

Days went on with Naruto locking himself in his writing room. Books scattered everywhere on the floor despite plenty of shelves in the room.

Tapping sound made by the keyboard was heard as Naruto typing continuously; sometimes a hiss and a grunt when he retyped the mistakes.

"Shit!". Naruto ran a hand on his face. He read through his story and it made him grunted. He totally despised it.

Then, the sound of the door being opened made Naruto stopped in his thought. He looked over his shoulder to the door. Hinata was there, looking at him.

"Don't you know what time it is?" she said. Naruto blinked at her.

Sighing, Naruto looked at the time on his laptop. It was late in the evening. He turned again but Hinata was no longer there.

XxXxX

It was dinner. Naruto ate his omelet silently, being eyed by Hinata. She had it enough and put the spoon down in a loud clank.

"I want to go back to my mum's house" said Hinata, breaking the silent.

Naruto lifted his head; his eyes wildly gazed at her. "Why?".

Sighing, "To calm things down" replied Hinata. Naruto stopped eating.

"I don't see the point…". Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"That's the point. You don't see what's going on, Naruto-kun". Hinata crossed her arms. Tense built up in between them quickly.

Naruto leaned back on the chair. He waited for the wife to spill her uneasiness. "We're falling apart. I'm falling apart" she sighed. "I needed you but—"

"I'm always there for you, Hinata" said Naruto. His voice was firm.

Hinata shook her head slightly. She could felt her feeling overwhelming but she refused to cry, to show her weakness, or to win with tears. She inhaled deeply. "You are here, but in your own world"

"I'm working…" he cut in.

"This is not how it should be. I'm always feeling… alone. And I hated it!" she spat. "Naruto-kun, I'm worried for us… for you, and for your health. Please, stop doing this to us!"

Naruto let out a deep groan. Fingers ran through his hair while his eyes darted away from Hinata. "I don't want to talk about this…" he muttered.

Hinata's breathing started to pick up. She gritted her teeth in anger. "This is the problem! Why won't you listen to me? Take a break, and face reality!"

"It's my work, Hinata! My work!" Naruto hissed in anger. It made Hinata burst into tears. She got up from her seat.

"Why are you shouting at me?! We're not gonna fix anything!" she cried it out and left the table. Naruto was feeling at fault, he tugged on her wrist. She fought back.

"No, no, no… Hinata, I thought we've gone through this before. And we've agree—"

"Agree on what exactly?!" she shouted at his face. Naruto clenched his jaw, his grip on her wrist loosened. Hinata glared at him with tears running down her cheeks. She walked away.

"Damn it!" cursed Naruto as he landed a fist on the table.

XxXxX

"Nothing works out". Naruto murmured to himself. He could not type anything decent that night, it irritate him. The fight he had with Hinata during dinner just made everything worse.

Naruto walked out of the writing room to his bedroom. Hinata was on the bed sleeping, maybe cried herself to sleep. The sight of her felt like a burden to him. Naruto went to the bathroom and immediately looked for his medicine.

Three white oval-shaped pills on his left palm. Naruto thought for awhile. Hinata's words kept replaying in his head.

'Naruto… kun…'

A voice called out to him. The pills dropped to the bathroom floor as Naruto jolted in shock. All he could saw was his own pity reflection on the mirror. His eyes were bloodshot.

But he saw something peculiar. He leaned closer to the mirror to confirm his thought. "Gahhh!" he yelled and scrambled on his feet away from the mirror. Naruto was breathing hard in nervousness and disbelief.

Again, he went closer to the mirror, widening his eyes with his fingers; closer and closer as he looked intensely into his bloodshot eyes. There, it was squiggling in his left eyeball. A tiny black worm was inside of his eyeball, squirming.

"What the—". Naruto instinctively raised his right hand, and using his fingers to touch, to remove the worm. His fingers trembled in his attempt, in rhythm with his crazy heartbeat.

"Naruto-kun…".

Naruto was jerked in shock. "Damn it, Hinata!" he spat and turned to his wife. "You scare the hell out of me!", a little bit of anger and annoyance.

Hinata scowled at him. "You screamed just now…" she said. Clearly, she was annoyed too. Her hairs were unruly, with strands wildly sticking out here and there.

Sighing, Naruto tried to calm himself. He widened his eyes. "Here, help me look at it…" he said.

The wife frowned at him. "Can you see anything? Anything at all?" asked Naruto, desperately. Hinata looked into his eyes. She then shook her head.

"Nothing. You just need some sleep…". Hinata crossed her arms. Naruto sighed. "Nothing at all?" he asked. "I saw a…" Naruto wondered if he should tell her the truth. He breathed out. "…a worm. Just now…"

"It's all in your head. I don't see anything but your red eyes. Now, sleep" she said instead. "Seriously…"

Naruto sighed in defeat. "I'll come over in a bit…" he exhaled.

Hinata eyed him some more before she left. However, Naruto got back to the mirror. "Where is it?" he thought, looking for the worm.

XxXxX

Sleepless night was normal. Naruto usually flipped and turned on the bed continuously till the morning. Hinata often woke him up at night from his nightmare. That night was no different.

It was indeed a cold night but none like that night. Naruto's eyes shot opened. It was pitch black in the room. The satin blanket slid from his skin as he bolted up. Chill ran down his spine from the terrible cold. It bit into his bone.

"Hi-Hinata…" he shook Hinata's arm slightly. The wife grunted but not waking up. "Wake up…" he pleaded. He wrapped his arms around himself, cuddled into the fetal position.

The cold he experienced was odd. It swept across his skin from head to toe. The blanket, the fetal position was no longer effective. He cuddled closer to Hinata and eventually, she woke up.

"Hmm? What's wrong with you?" she asked as she turned to face him. Naruto was shaking from the cold. Hinata placed a hand on his cheek.

"You're freezing…" she commented as she rested on her elbow. "I'll get you something hot"

Minutes of waiting felt so agonizing. Hinata came with a cup of warm water. Desperately, Naruto drank it all to warm his inside but to no avail. It felt like the water had frozen the moment it entered his mouth.

"I'm… cold—" he said, then he passed out.

"Naruto-kun?!"

A/N: Inspired by a horror/thriller game Alan Wake. But the plot will be different entirely, just that I love the idea of a writer gone insane and had a hard time to differentiate between reality and fantasy. Hope you like it!