LUCID – MARRIED
The Dream World
"NARUTO!".
Hinata woke up in the dream world. She was sweating, distressed with her eyes wide open. She took a moment to slow her breathing before looking around. She was in a bedroom, with the sun peaking in through the slightly open curtains. The bright rays of the sun weren't blinding her this time but dancing from the window to the wall on the opposite side of the room. The white walls of the room wonderfully reflected the light making it feel like the entire room was alive, it was wonderful.
Hinata looked down at the comfortable covers, a thin but heavy material, helping her to remain cool but comfortable. She then looked at her own arm to see a silk sleeve running along it. These clothes she was wearing were clearly made for sleeping in and they were also more comfortable than anything she had worn before.
Raising her eyes back to the room before she was overcome by a strange feeling, one that she hadn't expected, nostalgia. 'Have I ever been here before' she asked herself as she looked over to the window once again, peeling back the curtains to look outside. This was still the Hidden Leaf Village, the inverted village. 'This room feels so familiar, so homely, so… perfect'.
The door opens, creaking slightly on the hinges, in a way that could only be endearing in the home. That distinctive plum-red hair poked out from around the side of the door, followed quickly by the ever-friendly face of Nikko. "Good morning" he called holding his hand out like the start of a wave.
Blushing slightly, Hinata pulsed the covers back over her head. Why was someone entering her room with such a care-free attitude. "What are you doing in here?" she called out nervously.
Nikko smiled, scratching the back of his head at this reaction he should have foreseen. "This is my room too, you know".
Hinata also reacted with surprise to this information which she should have seen coming. She didn't though, she hadn't even considered that she and Nikko were that close. If they were that close, shouldn't she have some memory in the back of her mind, some little bit of familiarity with him? "Sorry" she said pulling her head from under the covers as she calmed down, "I still don't remember you".
Nikko's head moved to the side slightly, his eyes dropping just below the mirror on the wall. He had hoped for something else but he didn't dare to expect it. "Of course you don't, I'm sorry" he said, averting his gaze to avoid making Hinata nervous, "I should have knocked or something".
Hinata also looked away, just as before it was a disappointed look that she couldn't bear to witness. There was something about Nikko's face to her, like it was a face made to always be smiling. She could tell that he had great value that way to a shinobi, as long as a shinobi had his smiling face in their mind, they could go on fighting. They could push past their limits, they could keep fighting for a few extra seconds.
The Hyuuga clanswoman remembered that this world may not be real, that this may be the dream world as it was explained to her. It's hard to imagine though, could a world like this really be a dream. It all seemed so real. Nikko's face may well have been exactly how it was because it made her feel this way. This may have just been another trick of the genjutsu to lure her in.
"Nikko, how well do we know each other" she asked, half out of curiosity and half out of dread. Even hell itself could be hard to let go if you had grown attached to the devil. This place was no hell, Nikko was no devil.
"Sorry, haven't I explained that to you yet?" Nikko said with a smile. It looked like the question brought back one thousand and one memories for him. "You are the closest person to me in this world, Hinata".
"I am…?". The closest person to him in the world, Hinata wondered exactly what that meant. Had his family died during his youth, were his parents bad people, or were the two of them really so close that it transcended that?
"I tell you what, why don't I leave s that you can put on some clothes that you're more comfortable in" he said, latching onto the fact that Hinata still felt rather under-dressed. "I could back in ten minutes time".
Hinata nodded. It would be much less awkward for her if they could continue this conversation the same way they would if they had just met each other.
"I could bring back some old photos of our past together if you like" Nikko suggested, "It may help you remember".
"I… uh… OK, please do that" Hinata finally said.
Nikko shouted "Alright" over his shoulder as he left the room, leaving Hinata alone for a few minutes.
It was confusing, how idyllic this place was, even for a genjutsu. There are parts of Hinata's soul which genjutsu have never touch, deep subconscious desires and experiences that only the likes of Sasuke and Madara should be able to draw from her. Hinata wondered if this was a genjutsu just who was able to cast it, was it some monstrously talented shinobi or someone who worked out an abnormally clever trick. Either way, one thing brought a smile to her face, she loved old photos.
She once more looked around the room, she took it in, hoping that regardless of what happened to her she would live in a room like this. She felt like she had been here before though, perhaps on an old holiday or when visiting the house of an old acquaintance.
'It's very relaxing here, so comfortable and clear' she thought, smiling at the whole layout. As she stepped out of bed onto the carpet, she felt the bristles lightly tickle the insides of her toes. 'I'm sure that I have seen it somewhere before'.
As she walked over to the wardrobe and picked out something to wear, she considered whether this was somewhere from her future. 'I wonder if Naruto would like this sort of room…'.
A thousand images of Naruto's rooms and living quarters from the past flashed through her mind. He was famous for his like of tidiness. She smiled, 'No, he would hate having to keep a room like this clean. He still keeps his room much like he did when he was younger'.
She had always wondered how someone capable of creating a thousand clones to protect the village wasn't able to spare one of them from his training to tidy his house up. Still that was how Naruto's mind worked and in a way, she loved that, 'Some things never change, Naruto is definitely stubborn like that…'.
Hinata stopped dead in her tracks as she was about to change, a memory had come to her. She didn't think it was possible for a memory to be so joyous and yet so painful at the same time. She looked back at the bed and then out of the window.
'Ah, I remember now, I remember where I have seen this room before' she told herself in her head, 'It's the room from my dreams'.
'Why am I here, why isn't Naruto with me?'.
The Cave
As unlikely as it seemed, the water in the cave had mostly evaporated, such was the incredible temperature emanating from Maro's body. Naruto had been waiting here for just under a day since he called for help. Of course it had arrived but had yet to approach. It is in the following few seconds that the first person arrived, they approached Naruto. He allowed her to pass through the barrier and escape the incredible field of heat. Truly Tetsuya knew what he was doing when he made his plan, nobody could last for long out there in that heat, even healthy shinobi would begin to feel sick.
The shinobi sent to speak to Naruto was, of course, Sakura.
Entering through the barrier, Sakura immediately breathed a sigh of relief. She quickly removed her head protector and wiped the sweat from her brow. "It's so hot out there" she said to Naruto, noticing that he too was sweating.
"Yea, I know".
He seemed uninterested in making small chat, Sakura though felt the need to emphasise the point to him. This heat really wasn't good. "Naruto, if this barrier goes down she won't last long in this heat, especially with the rate it is rising".
"I know!" Naruto shouted, his voice reverberating throughout the cave. It wasn't the power of the echo but his voice, Sakura had rarely seen him lose temper like this, especially since the end of the war.
Sakura looked at Naruto once again, sweat was dripping from his brow but unlike her, he was inside the barrier. That was just how much effort he was expending to keep this barrier up over such a long period of time. The medical-shinobi was reminded once again that the things Naruto can do are incredible, that he is a chakra monster. However, even for a chakra monster, a technique like this is difficult to keep up over a long period of time. It wasn't the heat getting to him, it was the strain.
"Sorry" Sakura whispered, looking at her own feet, "Of course you know that".
Naruto shook his head, berating himself in his own mind. He wanted to be the Hokage but perhaps he still wasn't ready yet. If he was going to lash out at Sakura in situation like this, he wouldn't be able to become the leader of an entire village in the future. "I'm sorry Sakura" he apologised, "I'm just afraid, that's all".
"I understand".
Naruto leaned his head to the side, resting on an invisible surface. Suddenly he laughed, it was under his breath and unenthusiastic. Sakura knew that Naruto was laughing at his own luck. "You know, I never really knew how it felt to be loved when I was a child" he said, recalling the days of making mischief to even earn some attention, "To have someone who would always think of you before themselves".
"Lots of people cared about you" Sakura replied.
"I know but… my parents had to put me first in the first few minutes of my life" Naruto explained, once more making Kurama feel a pang of guilt in his heart. "That was it, I never understood their love, I never felt that parental love until many years later. It wasn't until people like Iruka sensei and pervy sage came along that I…".
Naruto silenced himself for a moment, considering exactly what he wanted to say to his friend. "She's been the only who made me look forward to waking up each day. I always anticipate seeing her, like it's what I live for".
"Naruto…".
"Each day I wake up and I think, great, it's another day, I can go and see Hinata again" he explained, smiling as he thought of all the things they had done together, all the happiness they had shared. "I can talk to her, I can relax, I can forget my duty, my dream and my obligations, I can just be happy, be myself".
Sakura didn't know how to answer something like that, nothing she could think of would have been an appropriate response. She couldn't imagine the anguish Naruto was going through. When Sasuke roamed the world, Sakura did worry but she was never there to see it and unlike Hinata, Sasuke was nearly impossible to kill. She instead began examining Hinata, remembering all that Lady Tsunade had taught her in the field of medicine.
"Kakashi and Shikamaru are outside but they are keeping clear of the heat field" Sakura explained as she looked at Hinata's eyes and tested her temperature.
"Heat field?" Naruto wasn't aware that it had a specific range.
"It stretches about seven hundred meters in every direction" Sakura continued, "It's a globe shape, though you won't be able to see it here in this cave. You're right in the middle of it".
After completing as thorough an examination as possible, Sakura sighed. When Naruto asked her what was wrong she explained the situation as well as she could. "I've never seen anything like this before Naruto, I don't know how to treat it".
"Would it be fatal to move her away from the heat field?".
"I think it probably would, yes" the medical shinobi answered.
"Dammit" Naruto punched the ground, watching blood slowly start to pour from his knuckles. He cared little though, that didn't bother him, "What are you all doing outside the barrier".
"Kakashi and Shikamaru are trying to establish radio contact with the other Kage. They are seeing if anyone knows how to help Hinata".
In this situation, Naruto held out little hope that the five Kage would be able to help him. He felt that if he couldn't break this genjutsu with his power, there was likely only one person who could. There was probably only one person who would be able to help him and Sakura knew that man better than anyone. He asked after him following a moment's silence, "Where is Sasuke?".
"I don't know" Sakura answered honestly.
"If Sasuke and I worked together we might be able to help her". Sakura was more familiar with the duos combined skills than anyone. If any two people in the world could be depended on to save a life in a situation like this, it was Naruto and Sasuke. "We might be able to think of a solution".
Sakura couldn't offer him any assurances though. Sasuke made himself hard to find on purpose. "I promise that we are trying to find him, we are doing everything we can".
"The rogue leader keeps contacting me. He said that I need to anchor her to his world" Naruto said as he looked past Sakura at the downed Hinata. "It's her dream world and this cave Sakura, how can anyone convince her to choose the cave?".
"Naruto…".
The Dream World, Hinata's Room
Nikko had entered the room again after a few minutes, placing the photo albums down on atop the drawers and opening the first of the albums. This is from the time the duo spent together as shinobi.
"We first met at the academy" Nikko explained as he pointed at a few of the photos. Everyone seemed to get along perfectly, even Sasuke didn't seem antisocial in the images that were being presented. "I was in a tam with Sakura and Sasuke, while you were in a team with Kiba and Shino".
'He has literally taken Naruto's place then' Hinata realised with a twinge of depression. She was certain that Nikko was nice, that he was kind and perhaps even had been designed by her subconscious desires. However, Nikko was not Naruto, he had not been there for Hinata through all the death and destruction, he had not gone to the moon and back to save her. In a way, his perfection was the imperfection, his lack of flaws the source of his inhumanity. If something appears too good to be true, it often is. If a child never falls, they never show their character by standing up again.
"I can remember the others" Hinata said with a smile, at least trying to play along to satisfy Nikko, "I remember the other teams, Shikamaru, Choji, Ino…".
"Back in those days you always looked so lonely and so nervous" Nikko said as he pointed at a picture of a young Hinata. Hinata noted that it seemed her child-self hadn't changed much between the worlds. "I thought you were cool though" he continued, "You were the only girl who wasn't drooling over Sasuke".
"Yeah" Hinata nodded. It seemed that Sasuke's appeal in his youth crossed the world's too, although perhaps in this world his attitude was a bit better.
"I stuck by your side as you became a better shinobi. Your skills just kept on improving and you started to leave us all the dust" Nikko explained. This was where the dream world and real world differed for Hinata. It seemed in this world her talent was far greater. "You and Sasuke were clearly the most talented shinobi amongst us".
Hinata was slightly taken aback, she had become an adept shinobi, fighting valiantly during the 4th war. She had never been on the same level as Sasuke though, the two of them had never been comparable. She had always strived to catch up with those ahead of her but never been able to do so.
"Neji?" she asked.
"Neji was talented in the same way as Sasuke but he couldn't compare to the two of you, not after a few years anyway" Nikko continued his story, a look of awe on his face. It was like he was telling the story of his own hero to a stranger, "Unlike Neji, you were able to catch up to Sasuke because you were a genius of hard work".
"And what about you?" Hinata asked out of politeness.
"I wasn't much of a talent" Nikko admitted as he scratched the back of his head. "I mostly just stuck by your side and picked up a few things from you. Your attitude influenced mine and I improved".
'No, this isn't right, I wasn't the talented shinobi, I wasn't the genius of hard work, that was Naruto' Hinata told herself. Nikko's thoughts about her were a lot like hers about Naruto. She had been inspired by him, she had made it her ninja way to never give up. 'Naruto was the one who made all the improvements, Naruto was the one who left the rest of us behind'.
"It took me a long time to work up the nerve, but I eventually asked you to go on a date with me" Nikko said, slightly bashful about the time of his life. It seemed that he found Hinata a bit above him, "I don't know whether it was pity at first or just boredom but you said yes".
"I did?". Hinata didn't know what to say, how could she possibly comment on her past actions if she didn't remember them. Or maybe there was nothing to comment on, maybe they never happened at all.
"I'm afraid so and we never really looked back since" Nikko said, looking through of the photos of them when they started dating. He had felt incredible back then, like when Hinata was around nothing would go wrong. Hinata's unwavering attitude, her hard-work, just like a certain leaf-shinobi from the real world.
"I decided that being a shinobi wasn't for me so I moved into a job that suited our lives better" he said, making over-the-top gestures to describe his new job. Hinata was confused, Nikko may have appeared ideal in many ways but his miming wasn't one of them. "I became a gardener… a bit boring compared to the leader of the Sensing and Tracking team but I enjoy it".
Hinata walked over to the window once again, looking down at the garden in front of the house. She did like it, more than she thought she ever would. Perhaps this was part of one of the forgotten dreams. "It's beautiful" she praised.
"Thank you…".
Hinata lowered her head. 'Naruto and I don't have gardens, we're both too busy to maintain things like that' she told herself. It was true, both worked full-time as shinobi. Naruto was having to work far harder than anyone else, preparing himself to become the next Hokage. 'We both have to spend so much time away from home, there is no way we could ever keep a garden like that…'.
"Our wedding was unusual. We got married by the sea".
Hinata turned around quickly, almost in alarm at the statement.
Nikko smiled, "We were married on a Wednesday".
This was getting too much, too real for Hinata. "We're married…".
"Of course" her husband answered, lifting his hand to show the wedding ring. "Afterwards you said you wanted to dance with the waves. So we… danced to the rhythm of the ocean".
'A coastal wedding, I've always wanted one' Hinata recalled all the dreams of that day, though it was a different person, 'There is no doubt about it, this world it's… it's all of my ideals'.
"We left to go on our honeymoon by boat. Sasuke and Sakura arranged it for us" Nikko recalled. Evidently, they had been close to the other members of team 7 just as Naruto and Hinata had been in the real world. "I couldn't keep my balance very well but you were always there to…".
Interrupting her husband's sentence, Hinata collapsed. Falling towards the floor, an arm wrapped around her waist, stopping her from hurting herself. Nikko finished his sentence aptly, "… you were always there to catch me…".
The Cave
Hinata, in keeping with her dream-world faint, woke up in the real world. She looked around at the surface of the cave. Parts of it seemed to be steaming, other parts seemed to be completely devoid of liquid. A short way in the distance she could see a strong orange source of light, slowly creeping in through the entrance of the cave. It didn't feel like the sun though, it felt terrible, this whole place gave her a strange feeling. It was beginning to seem less like reality to her and more like hell.
"Naruto…" she whispered.
Both Naruto and Sakura quickly moved to Hinata's side. "Hinata, are you OK?" Naruto asked anxiously.
"This… it all feels so strange" she answered, looking between the two of them. She didn't remember Sakura coming, how did Sakura get there. Had seconds passed in this world, or hours, or days. Was the situation the same as before, was this even the same cave still.
What caused her more anxiety than anything else was the look on Naruto's face. Somehow to her, Naruto always looked invincible, like a constant in her life that couldn't be changed, broken or stopped. This look was different though, a look she never wanted to see, a look of helplessness.
"Hinata, it's Sakura. I need you to answer a few questions" the medical shinobi said as she looked into her friend's eyes. "How is your vision?".
"Blurry…".
Sakura quickly moved her hand down to grip Hinata's wrist, continuing her questions as she did so. She didn't have long to work. "Can you hear me clearly?".
"An echo…" Hinata answered, ironically repeating what she had said last time she was awake, "Sounds like an echo".
"She's displaying the sort of signs someone would during REM" Sakura said, drawing a confused look from Naruto. She immediately understood the meaning behind the gaze, he didn't want a medical lecture right now. "It's part of the sleep cycle, this is… this feels like a dream to her".
"Naruto… why is it like this… why is it so cold here… it's like a nightmare".
The Hokage-in-training was slightly relieved, it was far better that Hinata complained about it being cold than hot. He certainly wouldn't want her to have to endure the hellish heat outside. "A rogue shinobi is trying to attack you" he answered, "Don't worry he won't be able to while I'm here".
She reached her hand up, trailing it along Naruto's forehead and starting slightly while she did so. She was starting to gain more control, a greater grasp of reality. "You're sweating so much" she gasped.
The other two thought Hinata probably realised why this was. The effort Naruto was putting into keeping her safe, it was excessively difficult even by his standards. The fact that anyone could hold back the heat with a barrier for so long was a testament to their great might.
"Naruto, I'm afraid…".
"It will be OK Hinata, I promise nothing bad will happen to you" he said, clutching her hand and trying everything he can to comfort her. "I promise".
A promise from Naruto, even with that anxious look on his face, was enough to calm Hinata slightly. Even people who had never met him would relax greatly when Uzumaki Naruto made them a promise, for Hinata who knew what sort of person he was, it was even more reassuring.
That's why saying what she said next hurt her so much. She gulped down a mouthful of air and admitted the truth of her dream.
"Naruto… in my dream… you weren't there".
"That's probably just part of the genjutsu" Sakura explained, shrugging her shoulders, "Don't read too much into it, it's nothing to worry about, you just need to focus on getting better".
"It was someone else…". Hinata was determined to finish, "I'm so sorry… I was married to someone else…".
With those few words, Hinata fainted. Leaving reality and returning to the dream world once again.
Naruto, not knowing what to do with himself just sighed and turned to face the barrier once more. How was he supposed to take that news? His girlfriend's dream world and she was married to someone else. There was no way to take that news well, so he did what he could, focused on the barrier, concentrated.
Sakura averted her eyes, she couldn't look at him like this. She felt she had to say something though, she was his friend after all. "Naruto, it's probably that way on purpose, I wouldn't think about…".
"It makes sense you know" he interrupted her, "There are so many things she has always wanted that I can't give her". Sakura knew that Naruto would take this to heart. He was someone who always tried to the right thing, especially by Hinata. Sometimes, you can't do everything you want, perfection doesn't exist, not even for Naruto. "It would make sense that she would be with someone smarter, who gives her more time, who doesn't shout about his silly dream to become the Hokage".
Hearing him talk his own dream down, that was something Sakura couldn't bear to hear. She had heard him say that he would be Hokage more times than anyone else, at that moment of all times, when it appeared certain he would be the next Hokage. "Naruto, please stop…".
"The temperature is rising Sakura, you won't be able to stand the heat outside the barrier soon. You better go back to safety".
He hadn't said that out of concern for her safety alone, he had said that because he wanted to be alone.
"You have to make her hold onto this world Naruto, otherwise she might die".
"It's a dream world, Sakura".
"It can't truly be her dream world, Naruto…" Sakura said, hoping that if she could say one last thing it would make a difference to him. "… because you're not there with her".
"Go" Naruto ordered her, that was the voice Sakura wanted to here. That was an order, made purely out of concern for Naruto's comrades. An order from a Hokage. "I could never risk your life by keeping you here too".
"… you will get through this Naruto, both of you".
Sakura left, running through the heat field back towards the safe region where Kakashi and Shikamaru were waiting.
"Now that I think about it, this world really is less than ideal for her, right Kurama?".
"Reality is ideal for nobody, Naruto".
All the people they had met together. Neji. Gaara. Nagato. Itachi. Obito. Madara. Sasuke. They both knew that was definitely the case. However, Naruto had never given up before.
"Why does anybody cling to reality at all" Kurama asked.
"Huh".
The nine-tails wasn't much of a philosopher but continued as best he could. "There must be something mustn't there? Something that makes everyone cling to reality. You may not know what it is but it's definitely there, for every man, woman and child".
"So keep holding onto reality, Naruto, and never let go".
The Dream World, Hinata's Room
Hinata woke on her bed once again. This time she was wearing the same clothes as she had put on earlier. She slowly remembered, she had fainted when Nikko had told her about their wedding. Looking to the side, she spotted him, he was still there, perhaps he hadn't left her since she fainted. A parallel between the two worlds. Two men holding out hope that she will be OK, waiting for her to wake up.
"Hinata, are you alright?" he asked, leaning forward the moment he realised she was awake.
"Yeah… yeah, I'm fine" she said.
"I was worried about you. You fainted in the middle of our conversation". Nikko was clearly very alert, not distracted at all when discussing this. Hinata wondered if he was always like this, if he was always so caring. Caring, just like Naruto. "Do you remember?".
"Our conversation" Hinata murmured, "Yes, our conversation about our wedding".
Hinata sat up in her bed, noticing the photo album was now on her side table. She picked it up, running her finger along the front cover before opening it. She looked so happy in each of the photos, they both did. Looking through this album, her own wedding album, should have been happy for Hinata but she couldn't help but react differently. Her breathing accelerated and she began to panic.
"No" Hinata said, "No, no, no, no" she threw the pictures away, watching as they scattered over the floor, she had lost her level-headedness. She couldn't keep calm under these circumstances, no matter how she tried. "This isn't real… this isn't real… it's all fake…".
"Hinata, this is real" Nikko insisted, a pained look on his face as he picked his photos up from the floor. Each one of these was a precious memory for him. "This all happened, I promise".
"None of this ever happened, this is a dream" Hinata snapped, angrier than she had been with anyone in a long time. "I'm not your wife. I'm in love with a man named Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto. This is all just a dream world, a fantasy".
"This is the Somnium talking". Hinata's husband pleaded with her, hints of tears could be seen in his eyes. Hinata knew that none of this was his fault but she couldn't help how she felt. She was enraged. "This isn't how you really feel. It's part of the disease Hinata, you just need more rest".
Nikko reached towards Hinata but she immediately pulled away from him.
"He was a talentless shinobi who kept working hard, he kept getting stronger, he never gave up. He was the genius of hard work!".
"That was you!".
The couple shouted back and forth.
"No, it was him. Everyone tried to bully him and make him feel so small and insignificant" she remembered the pain she felt, watching people bully Naruto. She remembered feeling agony to mirror his own each time he failed. "But he just kept getting up, he kept standing up and never giving up. He dreamed of being the Hokage, he kept working hard, he won the war, he saved me from Toneri!".
Nikko positioned his palms so they were facing the ground, slowly lowering his hands, he calmed them both down. There was no point in them getting angry and shouting at one another. "It's all part of your imagination Hinata, it's the disease, it's a dream".
Hinata picked up another photo album, getting ready to throw it. "No" she shouted, "This is the dream".
As the photo album raised above her head, a single photo dropped out that made her stop in her tracks. It was like she had been punched in the gut. It was a terrifying blow that could shatter her grip on reality.
A scream came from the door as it opened and a young boy ran in. A young boy with plum-red hair and blue eyes. Just like Nikko.
"Hey there" Nikko said as he picked up the young boy, "I don't think she is quite ready for a visit yet".
Nikko took the boy out of the room, a few minutes passing before he came back. Hinata hadn't moved an inch in that time.
"Who was…".
"I don't think you're ready for that" Nikko interrupted her.
Hinata was unperturbed though, speaking once more, "Who was that young boy Nikko?".
The answer was just as terrifying as she had feared. Perhaps the final nail in her invisible coffin. That was the first time Hinata collapsed without the genjutsu being the cause. The answer itself was what caused her to faint.
"… your son".