Author's note: Sorry for the lack of updates. I haven't forgotten about this story. I've just been a little preoccupied with school. Anyways, enjoy!

Author's note #2: Sorry again. I haven't added anything new to the storyline since yesterday… I just corrected a few errors that were annoying me, as well as added a few sarcastic remarks. You don't have to re-read the chapter to get the rest of the story, but I think I've made some huge improvements. I really should let a chapter sit for a little while before I post it in case I wanna make changes… but I'm just… too excited about getting those reviews. .

It really shows when I'm writing at 3 in the morning though. I'm a little scared to think about what some of the assignments I hand in look like though, since they're every bit as unedited as my first postings…

Chapter 5

It had been a few days since the incident in the garden. The pair had made small talk with each other, but no substantial progress had been made. As the castle became more and more accustomed to the presence of the sand villagers, peace started to settle. Peace never lasted in the eyes of Ino. That is why, on a night like tonight, where the brilliant moon encases protectively over the stony walls, and the crickets chirp to a melodic tone, Ino had been compelled to stay awake and enjoy the moment. Ino stayed out on her balcony watching the reflective shimmer of light off the lake. It had been one of those few times in her life where everyone around her was asleep. There were no drifters wandering in the moonlight. The thoughts surrounding her were mere wisps of unimportance. There was no need to put up any walls. The thoughts of others were far lighter than the deafening tone it usually carried. When she heard the torturous scream of agony, Ino almost fell over.

Ino composed herself. Another scream. A male voice. Ino extended her mind out. No one had awaken. The scream was not auditory. Faint whimpering. Fear. She couldn't ignore it. Ino hopped from her balcony and tried to locate the source. She ran, climbed, and jumped onto another balcony, higher than her own. She looked in through the sliding doors, and noticed a figure in the center of the bed. He was stiff, but his face looked peaceful. Gaara.

Another cry. Anger, fear, betrayal. It radiated from him, and hit her like a rock. His physical body hadn't changed in the slightest. He was only having a nightmare. Albeit, it was a nightmare of a proportion much more intense than anything she'd ever seen. Ino had heard that the Kazekage never slept…. That the monster that was once inside of him had robbed him of that ability. He was only human though. He must have his lapses. This was one of them.

Ino had learned a few things about dreams during her early training in Konoha. Her father made her read some psychology textbooks in order to help her "understand" the mind better. The function of "dreams" had been debated for thousands of years, but Freud had popularized the idea of dreams being the road to the unconscious mind. Sigmund Freud… the sexist crack addict who thought that all boys were attracted to their mothers and that all girls were in love with their fathers… the man who thought that the ultimate desire of life was death… Maybe he was right about dreams….

And maybe the soul really did reside in the pineal gland. Ah, wonderful Descartes. Psychology really was full of wonderful contradictions. He was right about the mind-body dualism though… even if others didn't agree. After all, she is able to leave her body and enter others. Where DID her soul reside then?

Another shockwave. If this was what it was like on the outside, Ino didn't dare picture what was going on in his mind. No time for a philosophical debate with myself about dreams and consciousness now… She was afraid to approach, but she couldn't let him remain in his present state. She slowly gained the courage, and made her way to the side of his bed. She sat on the edge, and brushed some hair from his face. Ino let her hand rest on his cheek, and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she was in the abyss. There was nothing. No light, no ground, no escape. A spotlight came on in front of her. There was a swing, and a little red headed boy crying on it. Red eyes appeared from the darkness. A thunderous growl. The boy shook.

"Gaara?" Ino approached the boy cautiously. He didn't acknowledge her. Another growl. This time deeper and louder. The boy hid his face in his hands. Ino searched his mind for a source of comfort. Something that made him feel safe. Nothing. No memories of his mother holding his hand. He was all alone. There had never been any basis for comfort for Gaara. No hot chocolate by the fireplace. Just blood and more of the nothingness. She had to do something… What would Freud have to say about the unconsciousness mind of Gaara?

"Gaara…" Ino was right in front of the boy now. She reached out to him. Sand flew in, knocking her hand away. The boy flinched. He finally noticed her. She scrambled to think of some words of comfort. Something to say to make him feel better. "Gaara, Shukaku isn't here anymore."

The boy looked up at her and she saw her own reflection in his eyes. It was the five year old version of herself… pigtails and everything. At that moment, she remembered him. Ino had spent some time in Sand Village when she was very young. Her father had a mission there, and their family had stationed there for a few months. There was this little boy she had befriended with the saddest eyes. She had later helped Sakura when she was being picked on because she reminded her of him… the little boy from sand village. Interesting… my very own repressed memory. Freud would say I just had a break-through!

"He's here. I can hear him," the little boy spoke, barely audible.

Ino knew for a fact that the real monster had been removed years ago. This current monster was just a figment of Gaara's imagination. She could work with that.

"That's not Shukaku. It's…" What was it? "… a different raccoon… and he sounds hurt. Don't you wanna go help him?" Very original, Ino. Turning a monster into a cute and fuzzy thing. Sounds like the next Disney classic. At least it would get him to face his fears.

The boy got up from the swings and backed away from her. He shook his head… eyes wide with fear.

"Gaara, you can't go on being afraid. You don't have to face him alone. I'll go with you."

The boy looked at her hesitantly. The growl again. He backed away. Ino held her hand out and gave him a reassuring smile. Little Gaara swallowed, took a deep breath, and slowly made his way toward her. He took her hand.

"Promise you won't leave me alone?"

"I promise."

Hand in hand, they started to walk towards the glowing red eyes. As far as Ino could tell, the red eyes and the growl were the only characteristics Gaara had created for this version of the monster. This worked in her favour. It wasn't the first time Ino had manipulated a dream. Using one of the techniques Ino spent years perfecting, she created a new scene in Gaara's dream. As they approached the eyes, Ino formed a couple of trees…. And then a forest. She made the sun shine brightly through the canopy. She made the growl less intense, and more defensive sounding. Finally, she produced the racoon hunched over, under a tree. Ino looked around, and smiled at her work of art. I guess this is a point for the creationist argument. If I could have created all this using only my mind, think of what God could have done. Interesting thought…. Scary thought… What if the world was something placed into her mind by this "God"… What if it wasn't God, but some… evil genius… or robots? So back to Descartes now, are we…? Or… the Matrix? It really was one of her favourite movies.

"Look! It's the raccoon." Ino made the raccoon hiss in her newly created scene. Never letting go of her hand, Gaara approached the raccoon. "There's a thorn stuck in his foot." Yes. I really should win the Nobel Prize for creativity… Nobel Prize? Did they even have a category for creativity? It was really the only prestigious award Ino could think of. The Pulitzer Prize? That's at least related to literature. Is that only for editorials?

Cautiously, Gaara knelt beside the raccoon. It hissed defensively again, but was in too much pain to attack. Ino bent to hold the animal down.

"I'll hold him still. Why don't you try to pull the thorn out."

Gaara did as instructed. When the thorn was out, Ino released the raccoon. It licked little Gaara on the cheek, and the scurried away. Gaara let out a small giggle. It was weird to hear him laugh… even as a small child. Some might even call it creepy.

"See? There's nothing to be afraid of." Ino gave the little boy a hug.

Sensing that Gaara had significantly calmed down, she closed her eyes and started to make her way out of Gaara's dream. A job well done. The road to his unconscious mind huh? Hopefully, his newly acquired peace will transfer elsewhere. Maybe she really did deserve the Nobel Peace Prize… for peace… not creativity. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself once again sitting on the side of the Kazekage's bed. Before deciding to leave, she took one glance at Gaara's sleeping face to make sure she was no longer needed. Rather than encountering a sleeping Gaara, Ino found that… he wasn't asleep at all. In fact, he was quite awake, and looking right her.

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Author's note: Sorry to end it there, folks. I hate cliff-hangers too… but it was just too good to resist. Anyway, it's Christmas break for me, so you probably won't have to wait long for the next update.

Thanks again for the reviews. They make my day.

Oh, and let me know if you guys catch any grammatical or spelling errors. They annoy me too.