I do not own Naruto.
Ino is about five minutes away from throwing a tantrum, the likes of which have not been seen since she was three years old.
The Hokage is still interrogating her, and it's been going on for so long. She doesn't even know how long, because there are no clocks or windows, but it feels like an eternity.
All she knows is that her voice is actually starting to hurt from talking so much. Not just her throat, no, but her very voice. She doesn't even know how that's possible. A voice is just sound waves produced by vocal chords. How can it feel sore?
"Hokage-sama, I don't actually know how long they've been infiltrating our world," she says again. "Lien didn't-... Lien doesn't understand time."
He gives her a baleful look, and she wishes she had a better answer for him, but she doesn't.
Time, as Ino knows it, is... well, it's the continual progression of events in succession, from past to present. It's causality, from past, to present, to future. It's measured in ticks of a clock, sunrises, sunsets, and seconds.
Time for Lien is staggeringly dictonimous. On one hand, Lien knew time to be whatever a clock tells her it is. On another, Lien thinks that time is an intellectual construct of sentient beings, not a fact of life. She thinks of it as a tool that people use to sequences events, and then compare them. To her, it is a useful social construct that she only partially keeps track of. She knows she spends an average of sixteen or so hours awake, and eight hours asleep, but while she is dreaming, she can live months at a time. So nine hours and several months simultaneously. Which means that time had no structure at all, and all events could be happening simultaneously, depending on perspective.
Which not only makes her age hard to pin-point -Twenty something? Centuries?-, but it also makes it hard to say how long she has been doing this. Yes, for the entirety of the memories she shared with Ino, but how long is that? And accounting for the others?
"She thinks it's made up," Ino extrapolates, and the Hokage sighs, deep and gusty. It has been a while since this started. At least somebody came by to verify her identity, and she got to see daddy for a bit, but until they make sure she can keep a secret she's going to be under watch.
She doesn't doubt for a second that there is more to it than that. They don't trust her, but this she understands. The Hokage might have hosted one of them, but he isn't a Yamanaka, nor was he a child at the time. There was a clear line between the people in that body, one he maintained. He didn't try to merge with the mind, didn't crash into it on a metaphysical plane like Ino. His mind is set, unmalleable, not Yamanaka, and he kept his identity.
Ino didn't. Ino knows she's changed.
But it's….it's not the worst thing, being a new person, or being watched. At least she's out of the chains now. Her wrists are a bit raw, and her chakra still feels a bit hard to reach, but she can fidget again.
Hokage-sama goes to open his mouth, most likely to ask her yet another question, but his rumbling voice fails to make it past his lips. The air around them seems to shiver, and something draws his eyesight away from her. She doesn't know what it is at first, but after a few moments, she realizes that there is a noise she can hear. Soft at first, like the fluttering of a moth's wings, but growing louder. Two voices, both feminine, and both arguing heatedly.
"-The ethical and moral implications of your actions are staggering, Theresa, and I am absolutely-"
"-Like you give a shit about that, Franky. You are just as confused as I am-"
Ino watches the old man snap his mouth closed and stare, his eyes widening in shock as two women fade into existence from absolutely nothing, in between then. Like smoke, the individual motes of dust in the air, infinitely small and vast in number, gather together and consolidate into shapes. It forms torsos, then legs, then arms and hands. Rough approximations of heads gain intricate features, and color spreads like paint in water over their frame. Two women materialize from the ether, so caught up in their verbal altercation that they don't seem to notice their surroundings.
"-She consented, it wasn't forced-"
"-She isn't in the right mind to give consent, you took advantage-"
"-By that logic, she's never in the right mind to consent. She's an adult-"
As if the situation wasn't jarring and outlandish enough, a third figure oozes out of the ceiling like she is being born from it, seeping through cement like water. Gravity grabs hold and she slips free, falling right on to the bickering duo, who yelp in pain and surprise as all of them crash down. There is the sound of flailing limbs, startled voices, and then a sharp crack as one of them slams the back of their head against the cement floor and goes limp.
Ino is certain she knows every one of them, and she flicks her gaze to the Sandaime, who stares at the heap, shock fading into recognition, and then melting into defensive wariness. He looks back to her for a second, and she wishes she could escape that gaze. He's been exasperated and mistrusting before now, but this isn't the same. This is the Sandaime that daddy speaks of, the legend, The God of Shinobi. She shivers at the sudden intensity.
"Where-?" asks a weak voice, sounding exhausted and confused.
The Sandaime closes his eyes, and he no longer looks so frightening. He takes a deep breath before opening his lids and staring, unimpressed, at the trio on the ground.
"Franky?" slurs the same voice. "Theresa? Ino?"
Ino snaps her eyes over to the pile, where she gets her first good look at a being who has only ever manifested as a consciousness before now. Lien looks smaller than Ino thought she would, her face sallow and drawn. She isn't imposing or grand like her mind would imply, but seemingly frumpy and unremarkable.
A muscular, dark arm reaches up from beneath to shove her off, and Ino finds herself looking at what must be Franky, who turns to look around her with dazed hazel eyes. Her short, curly hair is frazzled from the fall, and her angular features melt into concerned confusion as she looks around. When she notices the Hokage looming over them, her lips twist into a grimace of surprise and fright.
The last figure is slumped against the ground, knocked out from the fall. Her auburn hair and warm, golden skin contrast almost violently with the bland grey of the concrete, and her plump body is lax with the stillness of unconsciousness.
All of them appear very out of place, dressed in well used night clothes in an interrogation cell. The disparity of it, combined with the vasts amount of stress, makes Ino want to laugh.
"Oh," Franky breathes, eyes glued to the old man in front of her.
The Hokage frowns, hard.
"I was inside you!" the woman blurts. She winces at her choice of words, as does the Hokage himself. There's a meaning underneath the words Ino only partially grasp, instinctively shying away from the subject.
"I mean, I didn't mean to-... we don't control..." Franky trails off slowly, glancing around her person for somebody who might be able to explain better. Her wandering gaze lands on the women around her, and her brow furrow at their appearance. She finally seems to register her sister's less than optimal state, and Lien's drawn countenance. She raises her hands over them both on instinct, and her palms flutter in the air for a few moments, before she visibly comes to the conclusion that she doesn't know what to do. She looks back up, most likely to ask for assistance-
-only to pause again when she sees Ino seated in her chair.
There's a lot going on, and not a whole lot of comprehension from anybody. An awkward silence stretches out between the parties, only interrupted by Lien's soft panting as she attempts to regain her breath from whatever wore her out.
Somebody clears their throat.
"I think," hedges the Anbu taking in the spectacle, "Maybe...there should be an explanation."
"Yeah," Franky returns, blinking owlishly at the child in front of her. "Yeah, that sounds about right."
Franky didn't sign up for this.
Sure, in theory it was good. Dreaming about another world, and vividly remembering it? Taking different shapes, like a dog, or bird, or fish? Awesome. Changing bodies completely, and literally living life in someone else's shoes for a little bit? That sounds sweet as fuck.
It was like her favorite book. There were superpowers, epic fights, sick adventures, and magic. There was a whole world that was some weird fantasy steampunk east asian historical fiction. It was all the glamour of a fantasy life, the allure of exploration and discovery.
Yes, much of it was nonsensical as well, but it was still fun. They got the big ass book of dream interpretation, so even when it didn't make sense, they could pretend that it had some other meaning. They could make a story when there wasn't one, or when the story was too strange to properly form a narrative.
Knowing what she does now, everything seem a little less fun. A little darker, a little more fucked up.
A lot, actually. A lot more fucked up. Like, old man dictator, little girl in strange cell, sister knocked out, assassins, and death kinda fucked up. Like, appearing in what is arguably a torture chamber in your pajamas, having to drag your unconscious sister over to you so she can have a pillow in the form of your legs, and facing an unknown kinda fucked up.
Nobody says anything while she ensures her Theresa's comfort, and she knows the burden of speaking is on her shoulders. Lien probably should, but she doesn't really seem up for the task at the moment. Franky has so many questions about that, but she guesses maybe she should give some to receive a few in return.
"My name is Franky, and all this started about a week ago for us," she starts hesitantly, combing her fingers through her sister's hair. Theresa has a lump on the back of her head the size of an egg, and somehow she's the luckiest of them despite her previous actions. Is the tea responsible for this? Was the dosage too high? If so, she should be awake to clean this mess up, but she isn't, which leaves Franky. Which, frankly -hah, frank Franky- is utter bullshit.
"A week," the old man repeats in an exasperated tone.
"For me and Theresa, yes. Lien has been doing this since forever, but only recently have we been pulled in as well," she clarifies irritably, because, hello, she ain't happy about it either.
"So you would say that this Lien is responsible?"
Franky hesitates to answer, because she doesn't actually know. She looks to Lien, but her cousin doesn't look good at all. Her gaze is glassy, her complexion ashy, and her head is listing to one side.
"Like lightning is responsible for first world nations, maybe," she hedges, unsure.
The people in the room give her a blank look, and she wracks her head trying to find a better explanation. It could be the tea, it probably has at least something to do with Lien, but it also could be a hallucination. She really has no idea how idea how to put it into words, which makes it a relief when the tiny blond child clarifies for her.
"In their world, electricity has been harnessed to fuel huge amounts of change and shift lifestyles entirely. There were a lot of variable involved, lots of interconnecting pieces across a large span of time. What she's trying to say is that there are probably a lot of steps we're missing, and all we're seeing is the end result."
Which, sorta? But more worryingly is the way the kid interpreted all that from her words, and how she explained it. No brat should ever use words like that, or even comprehend such an abstract concept. There's something really weird about it.
"Convoluted metaphor," mumbles Lien, leaving them all to wonder. She makes no effort to clear things up on her own, forcing Franky to prompt her.
"Would you explain then?"
"It's a big convoluted metaphor, and it's not working well," Lien tries again. "Because no one is understanding."
Franky glares at her, and Lien sucks in a breath to puff out her cheeks. It's not cute, in fact, it makes her sunken eyes look even more lifeless. Her cousin looks like she hasn't slept in weeks, despite the fact Franky saw her in the other world less than fifteen minutes ago.
Franky narrows her eyes in suspicion.
Lien turns away from her then, shifting her body so that her legs are underneath her. In an action that would be more proper when greeting grandmothers and aunties, she tips her head down low and bows.
"Excuse me for my rudeness, my name is Lien, and I am trying to establish reality. Please forgive me for any inconvenience this causes you," she huffs out softly. She still sounds winded, and her voice is kinda hoarse as well.
Franky can literally feel the patience of everybody in the room shift a little closer to the breaking point as Lien sits back up. She herself is irked by the words, but it is tempered by her concern. For now, at least.
"I know this must be very confusing for everybody involved. I myself do not understand much, which is why I seek council from those gathered, specifically two believers from each dream," she finishes politely.
The room is almost oppressively silent at this point, all eyes on Lien. She fidgets under such intense scrutiny, but the action is somehow off. She can't put her finger on why it is, exactly, but the movement is strange, glitchy almost.
But then the words sink in, and her levels of concern shrink down to be replaced by disbelief.
"Two believers?" asks the old man, the same time Franky demands "Did you consciously bring us here this time?"
Lien blinks. The blond child in the interrogation chair stares at her, a strange expression on her face, and she speaks next, giving Lien no time to answer the previous queries.
"You're learning to control it?" the girl asks, sounding skeptical.
"It is a work in progress, but I must thank you for what progress has occurred so far," Lien replies, that infuriating half smile growing on her worn face.
"If you can control it, can you bring us all back now?" Frank asks with cautious hope. True, she does want to know how Lien learned control, but she's more focused on the results. The thought of having this nightmare end is wonderful, and she can almost taste the relief on her tongue. She won't have to try and explain something she can't understand, and they can all wake up and never do this again. She can get Lien the help she needs after this, hell, get them the help they all need.
"I can," Lien affirms. "But I won't."
There is silence as the words register, and Franky goes dangerously still.
"If you stop coming here, you'll forget it was real. You'll explain it away, Franky, and Theresa might do the same. You re my favorite cousins, and I love you very much, but humans can justify anything to themselves, explain anything away if they try. It will be easy to write it off as nothing more than some nightmares if you want to."
"Lien," Franky says after a moment, her voice going low as she tries to comprehend. How can she get explain this to her cousin? Surely she just doesn't understand. Surely this is done out of ignorance, and not the iron fisted need to control. "Lien, you can't… I don't consent to this. This upsets me very much. I'm sure it upsets the people here as well. If you do this on purpose, you are interrupting people's lives."
Lien makes a face as if she is apologetic, but it seems almost superficial to Franky. It's as if her cousin is sorry because it's inconvenient, not because she understands the ramifications of her actions.
"Girl, your friend is right. If you do this on purpose, you are causing great harm. You are a danger, and will be treated as such," the old man adds on threateningly.
"It's only until I can establish reality. It will be alright then. Most people from our world already believe in the multiverse theory, so I only need to bring some evidence to show them and solidify this world's existence, but people here need some convincing for our world to be real," Lien attempts to assuage. "That's why I brought us all here, so I could get some advice on how to convince a large percentage of the population peacefully."
Franky is aghast. This isn't the Lien she knows, the one who accepts life as it comes and is content to learn and live. This isn't the passive woman she has grown up beside, with deep understanding and acceptance of different beliefs and systems. This is something else.
"Convince- You cannot spread your doctrine here. Go back to your world, and never come here again. Burden us no further, or face the consequences," the old man states coldly.
"I tried that," Lien rebuttals without heat. "I tried just staying there, but I keep coming back, probably because everything is unstable and is warping around. That's why I need people to believe."
'That is such bullshit,' Franky thinks angrily. The universe doesn't just warp, and it's not unstable. It's not a dream, or a game, and Lien doesn't need to convince anyone of anything. She's being obtuse on purpose. People's belief doesn't change science. It's there regardless of belief.
"You did it, didn't you?" the little girl asks, interrupting the conversation suddenly, and halting Franky's thoughts. "Wherever and whenever you learn control. You either have already gone back to make sure your cousins start traveling with you in the dreams, or you plan on going back and dragging them here to start all this."
Lien seems so peaceful when she nods her head, so contained. Franky hates it with every fiber of her person.
"Did or will do, even I'm not sure, Ino. It gets very confusing," she confides calmly. "What matters is that they are here, and that they believe."
"But you said your focus was on making our world believe, so they shouldn't have to stay-... You're leaving them here," the newly dubbed Ino states, causing Franky's heart to fill with fear. "You want them to be unable to deny this place is real, and us unable to deny that you are real, so you're going to leave them here to remind all of us."
"Just until I convince enough people," Lien agrees apologetically. She says it with such infuriating calmness that Franky sees red. This isn't her life. She doesn't get to decide that. The fury inside her is overwhelming, dancing with terror and fright. It no longer matters that Lien looks run down and ragged, it only matters that she be shown the error of her ways.
Franky carefully shifts Theresa's head off her lap, and lunges at Lien. Her fist smacks across her cousin's face hard enough to make her knuckles sting, snapping the smaller womans head back and causing her to fall.
Lien doesn't make a sound, but her hand raises to her cheek as if she is checking that it is real. Her dark eyes slide to Franky, and there is a moment that stretches forever between them.
"I know you are under stress, but that's no reason to act psycho. You don't get to decide our lives for us. Bring us back," Franky demands, her teeth gritted together. She's draped over the other girl, having put the entirety of her upper body behind that throw.
Lien's peaceful smile slips, wavers, and falls. She drags herself out of Franky's grasp, slapping her hands away when Franky tries to grab hold and yank her back down, and she pulls herself to her feet. Her hand is cupped to her face, her eyes growing wet as she regards them all.
"I thought about this for a really, really long time," Lien whispers. "I can't tell you how long I was stuck in that place, with nothing but a broken tree and the moon, trying to get us all together, trying to figure out how to control it instead of it controlling me-"
"You were there?" interjects the masked man. "It's been months here, how long was it there? Did it...has it only been minutes in your world?"
"It doesn't matter," she answers, but suddenly her weariness makes sense to Franky. Her ragged appearance and absolute exhaustion have a cause, but that means very little in the face of Franky's anger.
"It won't matter how long we spend here either, because only a night will have passed at home," Lien continues, raising her hand to cradle her reddened cheek. She casts her eyes up to Franky, almost pleadingly. "It's just a night Franky. Please understand."
"It matters. I am so unbelievably pissed that you would even think this would be okay," Franky bites out, scrabbling to her feet as well. She's going to shake some sense into Lien if that's what it takes, and then they can all go home and cry together.
"No, don't-!" warns the little girl.
Franky advances anyway, intent. She knows that Lien walks away when things get serious, but the cell is closed off. She has nowhere to run now. She has to face this.
Only, apparently, Franky is wrong as hell, because everything starts to go to shit all at once.
It's like suddenly being forced to look through a kaleidoscope. There's one image that splits symmetrically into nine, all mirrors of one another, upsidedown and sideways, flipped back around. The old guy behind her makes a choking sound, and the room floods with some terrible sort of energy as the ground tilts beneath her feet, rotating on an axis nobody can see. Her bare feet slip on the smooth concrete, and she feels like puking as she tries to look through nine eyes at once.
"Lien!" Franky shouts, trying to focus on her cousin, but Lien's quickly bruising face is getting smaller and smaller as she backs away.
"Lien!" calls another, more masculine voice to about equal effect.
A yellow blur streaks past, and the sound of tiny feet pounding against the ground fills Franky's ears. The little girl, she registers, is sprinting her tiny heart out toward her cousin. Her arms raise up, and her petite fingers spread wide like she's trying to catch Lien with her bare hands.
Something even quicker chases after her, snatching her back away from the heart of the anomaly. The little girl cries out as the red blur bounds away from the irregularity, clutching tightly to the child who still reaches out for Lien.
Lien, who looks back with a blank face, cheek cupped in her hand. Lien, who is at the heart of all this, who started everything, who Franky wants to shake until she stops.
Lien who, after Franky blinks, is just gone.
AN: I've rewritten this chapter three times, edited constantly, and I'm still not super pleased with it. Honestly, it's incredibly frustrating and I want to move past it. This was supposed to be a FUN fic, not this fucking mess. Also, it is unbeta'd and only kinda edited, soo sorry about the formatting mess. If you see mistakes, please let me know. I will compile them and go back in an effort to fix them
Edit: Thanks Siartha, for pointing out the numerous errors in the chapter. Bless you.