Title: 'Perfect Dream'
Summary: When everything is perfect it starts bugging you. Can Naruto figure out what is wrong before it's too late?
Disclaimer: the world of Naruto and its characters - all belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.
A/N: I had this idea for quite a while, so I hope I will succeed in turning it into a presentable piece of fanfiction. Btw, I would like to find a Beta.
Enjoy!
He walked along the pitch dark corridor, his hand brushing the rough surface of the wall to his right – an attempt not to get lost in this maze of passages. Maybe it could have worked if he remembered the direction he came from. But he did not. He could not tell how long he wandered these empty corridors; he could not even remember what he was doing here in the first place. How did he end up here? A chill ran down his spine. It was so cold. Is this some kind of underground facility? So cold and dump. His feet splashed in the freezing water as he moved. The water was shin-deep now. Now… Was there any water when he started walking? It was getting deeper. Maybe it's better to change direction? He could not bring himself to turn around and walk back. He could swear, he had spent hours to reach this point, to turn around now would be just… pointless? No, that was not the reason. He could not quite put his finger on it, his memory was a mess. But he could feel something menacing lurking in this corridors, watching him. He could hear only his footsteps, echoing in the empty passage, but he could swear that a while ago he heard some pained moans in the distance. Though, now he could not tell if he was going in their direction or was trying to put some distance between himself and the source of the sound. He just wanted to get out. He had to get out of here quick, because… Because?
He stopped as his hand met some obstacle. Long, round-shaped. A pipe? It was too dark to see anything. Once again, he put his hand against the wall, leaving behind what he assumed to be a pipe. He moved forward, cold water splashing and soaking his pants with each step. It was getting harder to move, the water was reaching up to his knees. The water was gradually becoming warmer, though. He could feel the flow that was warming the water, it was stronger to his right. He quickened his pace expecting to find a fork in the corridor. 'Finally!' he thought, as his hand slipped beyond the wall plane in what appeared to be a side passage. He turned. His breath was caught in his throat as he spotted dim flickering light in the back of the long corridor. He ran towards it. 'Almost there'.
'Please, be an exit', he thought, reaching the only source of light. 'There, beyond this corner please!' He turned left, breathing heavily. Before him was a large room. Light bulbs on the walls were rattling producing pale yellowish light, which did not explain why the water here possessed deep red colour. He shuddered uncomfortably. It was not cold anymore, quite the opposite. This room was warm. Maybe even too warm. The water in the father corner of the room was bubbling slightly, producing streaks of steam as the bubbles burst. This scenery, everything about this place was making him uncomfortable. His body tensed as he struggled with the urge to run away and immediately leave this unsettling room. But he could not, not after his gaze wandered to the opposite wall. It was not even a wall, covered with huge metal bars, it could not be mistaken for anything but a prison cell. And it was by no means vacant. He could feel something stirring inside, deep inside where this meager light would not reach it.
"What in the World?" he breathed out. He could not tell when exactly he moved closer to the cell or if it closed in on him, but there he was right before the bars, peering into the darkness. He strained his ears. The sound of dropping water, his own quiet breathing, but also something else. Shallow muffled breathes in the back on the cell.
"Who's there? Hey?" he tried, his voice wavering with uncertainty. Maybe he should just leave?
But it was too late. A person, no… a creature, it was too huge to be human, stirred and made to the bars. His eyes widened as with deafening sound the creature lunged against the bars full force, splashing him with red water. He yelped in surprise and pain as hot water scalded his face and hands.
The creature was roaring. He could not tell if it was angry or in pain. He could not care less. All he could think about now was to escape. Fast. He turned around and ran for the corridor. But suddenly the floor was gone, the level of water so high he submerged. 'Hot, so hot'
The pain was blinding, but he forced his body to move. With last remaining strength he reached the surface and sucked in a breath.
He woke up with a start, beads of sweat covering his forehead. It took him a minute to calm his ragged breath and realize that someone was knocking on his door. His bedroom door.
"Naruto, you're in there?" a sweet voice called.
The blond boy frantically looked around. He was sitting in his bed by the window, a wardrobe to his right, a table with pictures of his family and team to his left, and the floor littered with scrolls and pieces of clothes. No doubt, he was in his room. So that dark corridor, the room with dripping water and the anguished creature – all just a dream? 'A nightmare?'
"Na-ru-to!" the voice behind the door sounded strained. "That's it I'm entering."
The door burst open and a red-haired woman in pale green apron stepped in.
"What's wrong with you? I've been knocking for hours." She complained.
The blond was looking at her in daze. She gave him a worried look.
"Are you feeling well?" she asked, sitting down on the bed next to him. "You look a bit pale"
She reached out to feel his brow, and the boy leaned in her warm touch.
"No, everything all right, Mom. Just a bad dream, I guess." he finally managed a reply.
"That's good", she straightened up, flashing him a smile. "Okay, then get ready and come have breakfast with us, before it gets cold."
She paused by the door to give him one more warm smile, before leaving the room.
His gaze lingered on the empty door frame for a long moment.
TBC
A/N: Okay, so this is chapter one. It's a bit short, sorry for that. Anyway, what do you think? Please, review!