Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I do, however, own this story. Wham.
This could be taken as a oneshot or just the beginning of a long story... your choice.
I'm blind. But I can see everything he sees. Only in my dreams.
My mom took me to the doctor when I told her I could see people in my sleep; that I would close my eyes and wake up in a dream world where I could see everything, but hear nothing...
Cars, trees, houses, birds... I'd told her what a sycamore looked like, with slivered bark; I could describe what the Tokyo Tower looked like, from the red paint to the hot dog vendors at its legs; I could even pin-point different types of birds that came into our yard. Crows were black with constantly blinking dark eyes and those loud whooping cranes that liked our pond so much were gray with red, feathered heads.
My mom had started crying. I'd heard her fall to her knees in front of me before she'd taken my hand.
"My baby boy...!"
So she took me to our regular doctor, still crying and sobbing as we sat together in her office.
What was so wrong about me being able to see?
Tsunade-baachan was always so nice to me, but this visit she seemed less talkative as my mom explained what I'd said to her that morning. Every word was whispered and I wasn't close enough to hear what they were saying, but then I heard Tsunade-baachan clear her throat and heard her chair squeak quietly. I imagined what her office looked like; pristine white walls with posters of the human body.
I had seen plenty of doctors offices before, but only in my dreams.
"Baachan," I said, "why is Okasan so sad?"
"Naruto," her voice wasn't as light as usual, "how long have you had these dreams?"
"I've had them for as long as I can remember..." I answered truthfully. "But I didn't want to talk about them 'til now... Is something wrong...?"
There was a silence, followed by a pained whimper from my mom.
"Tsunade-sama, does that mean...?"
"Let me ask a few more questions. Now, Naruto," I felt her touch my hand, "What do you see in these dreams? Your mother was telling me that you see birds? Houses?"
"I see everything," I told her. "I go to school, I go to the park, I even went to Odaiba once," I smiled brightly at the memory of riding my first roller coaster. My mom would never let me near one in real life. It had been scary, but so much fun. "I really like roller coasters."
"And when you do all of these things... are you yourself?"
I lifted my head a bit and stared at the spot where I assumed Tsunade-baachan to be.
"Oh, no... in my dreams, my name is Sasuke."
I'm deaf, but I can hear everything he hears. Only in my dreams.
I watched my Aniki pace back and forth in the kitchen, his cell phone pressed against an ear. By the way his eyebrows were knitted together, he was probably speaking with Otosan about business matters; like usual. There was never a moment they didn't talk about the family company. Fights. Always fighting.
My Aniki, Itachi, turned in my direction and stared at me with tired eyes, his lips slowing down.
I suppose he'd caught me staring.
'Sasuke', I watched his lips move and quirked my brows, ushering him to continue. He smiled.
Walking over to me, he lowered his phone and tossed it onto the couch I was sitting on, taking his own spot beside me. He leaned over me and grabbed something off of the side table, placing it on my lap to see. I looked down.
It was a picture of our father in front of the new Uchiha Corporation site that was being built in England. I tried not to look jealous, but I knew Itachi could see right through me. He knew more than anyone how I wanted to follow in our father's footsteps as head of the family company.
He made sure I was looking at him when he spoke.
Sitting straight, he began signing to me and I watched, uninterested.
He probably thought I didn't want to hear the same excuse again. I'm deaf, it'll be difficult for me to take our father's place. I know. It was becoming too redundant, but I was uninterested because I was sick of the sign language.
I wish I could hear in this world like I can in the other...
I would close my eyes at night and wake up in a dream world where it was like I was living another life. I speak with a higher voice there, a childish one. I can't control what I do or say, it's almost like I'm just inside someone's head as they're living out their life. But I can't see a thing.
I'll hear people laughing, the sound of doors shutting and kind greetings being exchanged, a car alarm going off, the constant stream of music coming from what I know to be a radio -if I can go by the feeling of the volume knobs in my hand.
I stared at Itachi and wondered what his voice sounded like.
'Sasuke', he mouthed, waving his hand in front of me. I blinked.
'I'm sorry,' I mouthed back and inwardly sighed. I signed to him, telling him I was tired and wanted to go to sleep. He just nodded.
Getting up, I placed the magazine back onto the side table and made my way to my bedroom on the second floor. It was a lot colder up there than it was downstairs and I shivered a bit, opening my bedroom door. I could almost hear the 'squeak' in my head and I was curious to know if my door squeaked like his did...
Crawling into bed, I covered up and immediately closed my eyes. I wanted to sleep, so I could get rid of the persistant silence. And it wasn't too long until I drifted off with a slow count of 'one, two three' in my head.
...
...
"Naruto... In the last couple of years, there have been cases like yours."
I looked to where the voice was coming from. I think it's the doctor Naruto is always taken to. What was her name? Tsunade?
"Cases where..." she paused, "the blind can see in their dreams or the deaf can hear in their dreams. And always, always, the person experiencing such events says that in their dreams, they're seeing or hearing through another person. For example, you say that you're seeing through the eyes of a boy named Sasuke, correct?"
"Yes..." I spoke, but it wasn't me. I felt his heart hammer in his chest. Our chest.
He can see what I see...? Like I can hear what he hears...?
"If I'm correct in my diagnosis, you have what we like to call Fraternal Synaptical Error Syndrome. There aren't a lot of cases like this..." Tsunade sighed.
I heard Naruto's mother, Kushina, crying nearby.
"Fraternal..."
"Fraternal Synaptical Error Syndrome. It's where your mind shares its memories and emotions with another, and we've found that this connection is established at birth. The brain somehow connects with someone elses and it creates a give-and-take effect. Your brain took your sight while Sasuke's took his ability to hear, but you both can experience the senses you were born without, within dreams."
I could hear Naruto's blood rushing in his ears.
"How does that... even make sense...?" his voice was so quiet; unsure.
"This is an extremely rare occurance and the first known case of it was actually only reported three years ago. There isn't much we know about it and we can't even explain how the brain can connect synapses with another, and we can't explain why. We do, however, know the results of both people connected coming together."
"R-results?" I said it at the same exact moment as Naruto.
Kushina began crying harder.
"You obviously know this Sasuke boy as well as you know yourself, Naruto. I'm sure you'd be very interested in meeting him, but the results of every single case we've encountered has been the same. I'm warning you now; don't ever try to find him. And if you two share memories through dreams, then Sasuke, if you can hear me... please don't try to find this boy. The consequences are dire."
"Baachan, wh-what are you talking about, I-"
"P-please listen to her Naruto," Kushina cried, "p-please... I can't lose you too...!"
...
...
A pair of gentle hands startled me awake.
My eyes snapped open and I swallowed hard, looking straight up into my mother's worried face.
'Sasuke-chan', her lips moved. She looked concerned. 'Are you okay?' she said slowly so I could read her lips. I found myself nodding, even though I was lying. I wasn't alright and I was sure wherever Naruto was, he wasn't alright either.
'I came in to check on you as soon as I got home,' she signed, smiling. 'I saw that you were mumbling in your sleep, so I got worried. I'm glad you're alright, though. I'll see you in the morning, sweet heart.'
She leaned in and kissed my forehead, but I was too flustered and confused to be embarrassed.
I watched her leave and shut the door behind her, and suddenly a wave of fear and anxiety washed over me. Naruto and I were connected in a way that no other two people were... but Tsunade had told him it was far from a blessing... What had she meant when she'd said we shouldn't meet...?
"... I can't lose you too...!"
Kushina's voice was echoing in my head; what I could remember of it, anyway.
If we met, we could die?
Yanking my pillow out from beneath my head, I used it to cover my face and gripped tightly onto the soft fabric. I couldn't get Kushina's voice out of my head and all the confusion in Naruto's voice was making me all the more anxious.
We were sick.
We were both sick and if we met, we would die...
Oddly enough, I felt more like I needed to protect Naruto than anything else...
I pulled the pillow from my face and stared at the ceiling, feeling my eyes burn.
I could never meet him...
Because we could die.
I could never meet him.
Because he could die.