Chapter Three: Dreams and Swamps
Ino was led by the hand, gently but without the possibility of refusal. They descended down a white spiral staircase, and as they did, Naruto talked. This dream was getting weirder by the minute. Still, given that it was a dream, Ino figured she might as well roll with it. "I think you'll like this place a lot, Ino. It's a lot nicer than the human world. Just about anything can happen in this place."
"Are you threatening me?" asked Ino.
"No, of course not. I'd never hurt you," said Naruto.
"You'd just erase me from existence," noted Ino.
"That doesn't count as hurting," said Naruto as they got off the lost step. They entered into a great hall with a crystal chandelier and many mirrors. "And anyway-"
And then a majestically beautiful girl Ino's age made an entrance. It took a great deal to make Ino feel inadequate. But the long, dark-haired beautiful running up to Naruto certainly made her feel like that. Yes, Ino was pretty, but her curves and features were insignificant next to this woman. She finally knew what it was like to be Sakura in her presence.
"Naruto!" said the girl.
She quickly kissed Naruto, wrapped her arms around him.
"Oh, hey Hinata," said Naruto. "I wasn't expecting to see you here."
"I'd heard you brought in a new human," said Hinata, turning to look at Ino. There was something off about her gaze, though Ino couldn't put her finger on it. "Is she... she's beautiful, Naruto."
"Well, yeah," said Naruto, rubbing the back of his head. "I actually wasn't planning on taking her, but Sakura wanted her out of the way."
"Naruto I…" Hinata shifted. "Naruto can I have her, please?"
"Have me?" asked Ino, mortally offended. "Just who do you think you are?"
"Oh, I'm sorry," said Hinata moving forward to take her hands. There was a tingle as Ino's arms were brought up. "I'm Hinata, Naruto's wife. We'll be seeing a lot of each other in the future. Please, Naruto, I think she'd make such a good handmaiden?"
Naruto looked awkward like he'd been asked for a ring or precious object he'd promised to someone else. Ino found herself looking downward with, blushing and falling silent. "Well, I mean, I would, Hinata, but she isn't fully mine yet."
"What do you mean?" asked Hinata.
"Well, Sakura kind of regretted getting me to disappear her," said Naruto. "I felt sort of guilty, so I gave her a chance to get her back."
Hinata sighed. "Naruto, you know we shouldn't be doing that. I mean, I know it doesn't seem nice, but mortals ask for things they don't really want all the time.
"We, um, we shouldn't indulge them too much."
"You sound way too much like Hiashi," said Naruto.
"Stop acting like I'm not even in the room!" yelled Ino.
They looked up blinking. They registered that she was angry and it seemed to matter to them. But not the way it would matter to an equal. Or even another human being.
"She seems confused," said Hinata.
"Well, can you blame her?" asked Naruto.
"I guess not," said Hinata.
"I know, why don't we show her around," said Naruto. "Let's get here used to this place."
"That sounds like a wonderful idea," said Hinata.
And once again Ino felt herself looking down in shame, even as she followed obediently. This wasn't her at all. "Will you... stop it," she said, almost under her breath.
They walked up to a set of double doors, and Naruto threw them open. Beyond was a vast field of flowers of innumerable colors and shapes. Some were beautiful beyond comparison, others grim and foreboding. A few were even horrifying if you looked at them too hard. But they all melded together into a sight more majestic than any other.
As they walked forward, Ino looked back. The door had vanished, and only the field remained. The sky above was bluer than she thought possible, and the wind was fresh and pure. There was no pollution in this place, no toxins.
"These flowers…" said Ino.
"They're the flowers of the spirit world," said Hinata. "Each one is a dream that someone had. One of our charges is looking after them." Kneeling down, she took up a flower that separated from the ground as it did it formed into a sphere that floated to Ino. "Look at this; I think you might recognize it."
"I see it," said Ino, taking it in her hands. Looking into it, she saw a pink-haired girl standing alone. She'd been made fun of by the other kids until Ino came forward. She knew this part and smiled as she saw them meet. "I remember seeing Sakura when she first entered middle school. She was completely timid and had no confidence.
"I took her under my wing. She had no idea how to dress or make herself look nice." Images flowed by of them growing up, of Ino showing Sakura the ropes of the social environment. And then it ended. Sakura broke off their friendship. The sphere returned to the ground and became a flower once more.
"We know," said Naruto, drawing up another one. "Look at this one."
It was less pleasant this time. Ino paled as she saw it. "This dream… I remember this; I had it after that traitor ditched me over a guy. I dreamed I was surrounded by masks that didn't have faces behind them. Their clothes were those of my friends from school."
"Not all dreams are good, but they all have meaning," said Hinata. "You were afraid that the friends who stayed with you didn't care at all about you."
Ino decided she'd best play along. Then something came to her. "But... none of that really happened anymore."
"What you call reality is actually a lot more malleable than you think," said Hinata. "Below the surface of what you call the present, there are infinite possibilities. With every dream you pursue, you change the surface. You push some things deep and pulling others things up.
"Even people are just one of a limitless number of possibilities.
"We exist beneath that surface, in a world of monsters and miracles. We rule over the things that humankind wants to believe in, but can't make real. Nine-tailed foxes and magic, these things are dangerous for humans. They subconsciously cannot allow them within their own reality.
"But in dreams, in imagination, these things are real. And they can inspire. Every time a child watches television, the heroes they watch resonate with them. Every book you read affects you, and you affect the world beneath the surface by existing. It affects how they live their life.
"You inspire people as well." And she drew nearer than Ino felt comfortable with. Hinata's arms were wrapped around her neck, and Ino felt her breasts pressed against her. A blush was on her face.
"What do you mean, I'm just-" began INo.
"More people are watching you then you think, Ino," said Hinata. "In the infinite variations of the universe you've been seen as many things. Some of them are as a hateful person trying to make herself look good at others expense — others as someone who was deeply wronged by a selfish friend.
"The truth is that the human soul also exists independent of mere material. It is connected to the mortal realm, but it does not have it's home there. In this place, you could be whatever you want, shed your very identity, and take on a new one. Or perhaps a variation of the one you have now. We can discuss that later, of course."
Ino felt suddenly trapped, even if the arms around her were gentle. Like her very being was being chained. She brought up a hand to try and free herself. "Hang on; I haven't... I haven't agreed to anything here; I want to go home."
"Haven't you been listening?" asked Hinata. "What you think of as home isn't even real. Reality is merely a reflection of thought, colored by the imagination." Ino could feel her breathe on her face as Hinata pulled her down, so Ino was looking up on the sky. "Forget the school, forget Sasuke and all these petty concerns. Live within the realm of dreams, and anything will be possible for you.
"Just give in. If you willingly become mine, then Sakura will not be able to take you away from me. Become mine…"
The dreams arose around her and Ino watched the world around them shifting. She saw an infinite number of possible universes. Hinata was so timid around people in most of these. Why was she treating Ino like this?
She wasn't sure why, but Ino almost wanted to return to embrace. To fall completely into it like a…
A pet.
That was what they had been treating her as. Ino wasn't a person at all to them. She was like a dog or a cat — something cuddly you took home and loved. But whose wishes were totally unimportant, to be kept inside and every so often taken on walks.
The dream lost its luster. Ino thrashed within Hinata's arms, pulling herself away and staggering away. Hinata looked on in concern as they stood within that room of mirrors. Hinata seemed to be wondering what she did wrong, like when you squeezed a cat too much.
Somehow that was terrifying.
"Geeze Hinata, don't you think you were a bit forward?" said Naruto.
"I'm sorry, I'm trying to be more assertive, and I guess I got carried away," said Hinata. Then she raised a hand, and a door opened. Into the room strode a calm faced boy with long brown hair, clad in armor. "Um, Neji?"
"Yes," said Neji.
"Could you go find Sakura, beat her to a pulp and throw her in prison so she can't interfere?" asked Hinata, looking downward. "Maybe, if you don't mind."
Neji remained silent for a moment. "….As you wish."
Naruto moved forward. "Now hang on a second that's not fair! Sakura can't beat Neji, and she has to have at least a fair chance in this."
Hinata nodded. "Well then what do you think would be fair, Naruto?"
Neji paused. "Hmm, I've got it! Neji I want you to follow these instructions." Then he whispered something in his ear.
Neji glanced up. "...You have a strange way of honoring our deal, Naruto."
"Oh come on, what's the worst that can happen?" asked Naruto.
"Many things." shot back Neji. Then he turned and strode out.
"You know, I really think Neji ought to lighten up a bit," said Naruto. "Hey, Ino, do you want anything to drink?"
"Um…" Would it be too much to ask if this dream would make up its mind? One minute it was a Princess fantasy, the next it was a nightmare.
"Follow us, we'll make you right at home," said Hinata. "Actually, Naruto, could you go on ahead. I need to um, talk to Kiba about something."
Ino decided she was just going to wait until she woke up. And make sure not to sign anything while staying far away from Hinata.
Sakura was in a bad mood.
Once the initial wanderlust of being in a strange magical forest had worn off, she'd found herself in a forest — a place with lots of trees and brambles and thorns and plenty of bugs.
Even with the hiking clothes, Sakura had never been athletic. So her legs were aching, and the heat was beating down on her. She sighed as she walked. She'd been walking for hours, and her lunch had been trail rations. So had her breakfast. Dinner wasn't looking any better. "Okay, I officially want to go home. Traveling through forests isn't nearly as easy as in movies. And what are with all these damn bugs? Isn't this supposed to be a fantasy forest?"
"You've got something against bugs?" asked a voice.
Sakura froze and turned to see a boy her age. He was standing to one side in the shadows of a great tree. Flies seemed to buzz around him, but they did not bite him. His lower face was covered by a collar, and his eyes had a pair of black spectacles on them. Something about him was off.
"Who are you?" asked Sakura.
He adjusted his glasses. "A fan of insects if you must know."
Then Sakura noticed something. Out of his hands were coming insects, crawling through the folds of his clothes. Sakura shuddered. "Are those things… coming out of you?"
"Yes, why do you ask?" asked the boy, sounding annoyed.
"I… isn't that dangerous?" asked Sakura.
"Insects find the fullness of their being within me." said the boy. "And I wouldn't get on your high horse, human. Your species isn't better."
"What are you talking about?" asked Sakura. "Humans are way more intelligent than ants and beetles.'
"Are they?" asked Shino. "Ants are excellent workers. They cooperate with one another to feed their hive and propagate their species. They are devoted wholly to a greater cause than themselves.
"What do humans do?
"They strangle and compete with one another in a desperate race to try to be perceived as the alpha male or female. They eat each other solely to feel better about their own worthless lives. And then they crush insects as if they were somehow inferior. You have no true understanding of the nobility of insects."
"What are you talking about?" asked Sakura. "Ants are a bunch of psychos! They keep slaves; they devour whole ecosystems! And I'm pretty sure there's a species that is entirely parasitic! I can't remember the name, but the Queens don't produce their own nests.
"Instead they sneak into another ant colony and torture the Queen to death. Then they impersonating her and working her colony to death. They don't make a thing for themselves, instead just taking slaves to work for them."
"If the Slave Making Ants have strayed, I attribute it to your bad example," said Shino.
"Keep telling yourself that," said Sakura. "Who are you anyway? Besides a fan of insects?"
"Shino Abarame." said the boy. 'It has been some time since I ran into a human with even a basic understanding of any kind of insect."
At that moment, another boy launched himself through the trees and landed. With him was a huge white dog that landed next to him, panting happily. The other boy had red claw mark tattoos on his cheeks and wore a hooked cold weather jacket. "Hey, Shino!"
"What is it, Kiba?" asked Shino.
"Akamaru and I just got back from the city," said Kiba. "Turns out there's a human on the loose. Queen Hinata wants her detained as part of a game."
"Does she?" asked Shino before eyeing Sakura.
Queen Hinata? Who was she?
"Hey, do you think this is her?" asked Kiba. "She's got the pink hair."
"Judging from her complete jack of understanding of just where she's going, I'd hazard the answer is yes," said Shino. "You do realize you're heading the wrong direction if you want to reach the city? You've veered off far too much to the north."
"Shino, why are you giving her directions? We ought to take her?" said Kiba.
Sakura turned and ran away.
"I suppose we might as well," said Shino.
"Grab her Akimaru-" began Kiba. "Where did she go?"
"Woof." said the dog happily.
Then Sakura heard them running. Before she could veer off, Kiba surged through the trees and landed in front of her. He leaned against a tree as the huge dog came from the other side. "Where do you think you're going, pink hair?"
Sakura turned and ran the other way. Behind her, she glimpsed Shino walking. His insects were marching in swarms after her. She sprinted off, only to be blocked again and forced to flee a given direction.
They could have caught her at any time. But instead, they were herding her into exhausting herself trying to escape. Her heart was beating harder as she desperately tried to outpace them in a run.
And then, suddenly, she came to the edge of a swamp. The water was murky and stagnant, and mud was everywhere. The trees seemed to be weighed down by some great burden. Vines fell from the branches, with muddy shapes at the end. It looked like puppets of mud and clay.
Sakura realized she needed to move before she was caught. She turned left, and Kiba appeared. She turned right, and Akimari bounded happily to land there. Behind appeared Shino, hands in his pockets.
"Do you know what that place is, Sakura Haruno?" asked Shino. "That is the Worldly Swamp. It has swallowed entire nations of human beings hole within its waters. All other avenues of escape are now cut off.
"If you venture into that place, you will almost certainly never come out of it again.
Return to us, and no harm will come to you. You have my word."
For a moment, Sakura remained silent. She couldn't give up, or she'd never get home. And neither would Ino. Why had she accepted that stupid offer of a game! She turned to run into the swamp and found a line of insects blocking her path. Kiba and Akamaru were closing in. Shino was walking slowly. "I thought you'd be foolish enough to attempt to enter the swamp yourself," he said. "Fortunately, while you were listening to my offer, I was moving my beetles into your path. It's all very well to have a plan with a good chance of success. But a plan guaranteed to succeed is even better."
Sakura was surrounded and running out of space. An idea occurred, and she ran toward the insects. Springing with all her might, she leaped. Sakura passed over the beetles, over the edge and plunged into the swamp. She landed head first and pulled herself to the surface. When she got up, she was covered in mud as she struggled forward.
"Huh, she actually made that leap," said Kiba. "You want to go after her, Akamaru?"
"Woof!" said Akamaru. "Didn't think so," said Kiba.
Sakura ran for it, sprinting blindly through the mud and muck. Several times she fell and splashed into the murky waters. She became dirtier and dirtier, her hair caked with the filth of the swamp. Soon it became cold, and she shivered and looking up, she saw that night was coming on. Her every inch was pained with exertion.
Could she go back?
No, Shino and Kiba would be waiting to capture her. So all she could do was march on forward, shivering and filthy. She felt herself becoming furious. "This is the absolute worst! First, my stupid school bully gets herself disappeared! Then my childhood friend turns out to be a god and won't take the damn thing now! Now I'm stuck in the middle of a swamp after being chased by wolves and bugs and… and…
"DAMN IT!" She kicked a stone and howl in pain, hopping on one foot, before falling into a particularly deep puddle. She pulled herself up. "If this were a game of chess I'd flip the board and be done with it! I want a bath and a shower! I want some goddamn light! I want…" She collapsed. "A lot of things."
Sakura kept walking. She wanted to sleep, but there was nowhere dry. So all she could do was wander forward. "Stupid Naruto. Ino isn't worth this."
As soon as she said that, something changed. A light seemed to appear in the distance, perhaps a fire. Which meant someone had made a fire. That meant there was dry ground and maybe, food.
With no other hope, she walked forward. Soon she found a dry patch. There was a hut there, and a robed figure was hunched by a fire. His hands were warming themselves. Sakura staggered forward. "Hello? "Excuse me; I need help and directions!"
The figure looked up and threw off his hood to reveal a handsome, red-headed boy. "Well, providing direction is something I specialized at. My name is Sasori. How may I help you?"
Author's Note:
I hadn't planned to bring Sasori into this. But he fills a niche in my plans, and he is so far my favorite Akatsuki. So enjoy.