Let's bring on the depressing carp!
Summary: In everyone's eyes, Hinata has remained the same, even after so many years have gone by. She's still the same innocent, gentle, caring young woman. Even when the news of Naruto and Sakura hitting it off, the village felt incredibly sorry for the girl who had been in love for so long. But to Hinata, that was just what she had wanted everyone to see. Deep down, concealed behind her mask, Hinata is a completely different person. And only one person has been able to see behind the lies… and now he's more than determined to reveal the truth.
Pairing: Sasuke and Hinata
Rating: M to be safe
Disclaimer: I do not own anything except the Dream Overseer concept
With Eyes That See the Bigger Picture
Episode 18
"You've probably only been exposed to the Dream Overseer through children's tales or small blurbs of recordings by history trying to explain what the Overseer could have been." Holland remained at the patient's side, unmoving.
Naruto did the same, keeping Hinata at arm's reach in case she decided to do anything drastic.
"In truth, this entire village knows as much about the Overseer as you do. But the people here like to believe that the original Overseer was a founder of this village. Or at least an early settler who roamed these lands." He reached over to cover the patient with the blanket more. Stepping aside, he leaned against the wall, still watching the two without breaking eye contact. "Despite what some books record, the original Overseer was a young man from the land much north of here. He stemmed from an ancient civilization that praised the Grim Reaper as a god of time and life. They dedicated shrines and rituals in hopes that Death would watch over them, protecting them from any intruders south of their borders.
"These people lived in solitude. They lived for many centuries for Death had granted them the gift of immortality for being so devoted to him. But if someone were to leave the land, the people shunned that person for eternity and they would be stripped to the level of mortal to walk among the rest of us. The original Overseer was one of those rejected mortals. He left the land, believing that he could conquer Death in an intense battle of wits in order to achieve eternal immortality. For even if the people lived centuries, their time would also come to an end at some point.
"So this young man began to seek out Death. He followed endemics and plagues, hoping that he could outrun Death in order to surprise it in its next path. He finally managed to do so after Death decided to play along his game. The two crossed paths in the middle of a valley, here in this gorge. That is where the people of this village claim their heritage to the Overseer. The two engaged in combat strong enough to create mountains that rose to guard anyone who tried to intrude on their skirmish. The Veylice mountain pass was erected in the memory of their battle.
"And so, the two engaged in warfare. When it became obvious to the young man that he could not hope to conquer Death in physical combat, he proceeded to do the impossible."
"He fused his soul with the Grim Reaper." Hinata replied.
"No. He tried to trick Death into believing that being mortal was more worth it than being immortal. He mocked Death's gift to his people and called Death a coward for escaping the one thing it granted to everyone equally. And while Death was distracted with this thought, the young man killed himself, spilling his blood onto Death's robes to signify possession of mortality. He bled all over until he passed away, capturing Death with the will of his soul rather than his physique. This was enough to enrapture Death's existence into his being and become one with the entity.
"But the young man's soul would remain in conflict with Death's existence for eternity. After all, he was but just a mortal man. Their hybrid soul would be passed onto a new host to continue the balance of life despite being disrupted generations prior. The cycle of life and death will forever be tainted because the hybrid soul will continue to exist as an anomaly in this world. Because of that, the host body is incapable of retaining such a massive disproportion within itself for long periods of time. The Overseer, or the host body, will choose and train a new apprentice to accept this hybrid soul into their own existence upon their departure into the afterlife."
"So…" Hinata attempted to register all of the information with her head, seeing Naruto slightly lost, "If you're the apprentice, that means the Overseer has chosen you to become the next host body. Does that mean Jurou Katsuo is still the Overseer..?"
Holland frowned slightly, "Jurou Katsuo is ancient history. He was one of the Overseers, but by far not the original. He is the latest recorded Overseer by the mortal man. His apprentice became his lover that he met while traveling during his era. The current Overseer chose me because her time is running out quickly. Her body will not be able to keep the hybrid soul within the crevices of her mortal boundary. Anemone…"
He paused, glancing over to the patient.
"Anemone is dying. She's been Overseer for far too long. The second longest in history to be Overseer for such an extended period of time."
"I don't understand," Hinata inquired, "Here, Anemone looks so young, barely hitting thirty. And in the World of Dreams, she's passing for a twelve year old. How is she dying?"
Holland took in a deep breath.
"When you become Overseer, you must accept the one thing that can drive you over the edge. Each night we are faced with the possibility of passing away in our slumber. The trigger is the nightmare that engulfs our subconscious as it eats away at our souls. We wake up from our nightmares because our souls are strong enough to reject the premature oncoming of death. As we get older, our barriers decimate and we are more prone to die. The apprentice must go through this process in order to become Overseer. They must accept their nightmare with open arms and allow it to destroy and tear apart their soul for the hybrid to take place in their body.
"The empty shell of the host welcomes the immortal soul while its body crumbles under the torture of its nightmare. The body is no longer connected to Reality as it severs all contact with this world. The host enters deep, disturbing slumber where the Overseer begins their mission to keep balance between reality and dreams. Overseer becomes an immensely powerful being in the world of dreams, capable of feats that could determine the outcome of our world simply through motivation of individuals while asleep.
"Over time, the body begins to age. The appearance of the Overseer will remain the same, as it was when they accepted their nightmare. In Anemone's case, she became apprentice to the previous Overseer when she was twelve. Her image in the world of dreams will remain as such while her body here ages as the years go by. If you are able to count it, she has remained Overseer for the past fifteen years. She assumed that title when I was merely four years old and could barely read. To summarize, Anemone's nightmare has been eating away at her mortality for far too long. Thus she sought out for an apprentice amongst her travels in dreams for she was far too young to find one while still in contact with out world. And that is how we met.
"She chose me as her apprentice one day after observing my dreams without my knowledge. It wasn't until much later that I finally realized her presence in my subconscious. Afterwards, she asked me to watch over her host body in Reality while I am under her training. Her family had kept her in their household for years after the doctors had given up on her condition. I did everything I could to become Keeper in order to have the kind of authority to have her body transferred to a hospital under my watch."
Holland stopped momentarily. "This is all that I can do to ease her worry."
Hinata slid Naruto's arm off of her waist. She slowly limped closer to Anemone. She paused to look back at Holland.
"What was her nightmare?"
Holland blinked suddenly from the unpredictable question. He stammered slightly before gathering his thoughts.
"S-solitude." He began, "Anemone was always afraid of solitude. Even from a young age, she was very gifted. These gifts resulted in her peers shunning her, jealous of her accomplishments. When she started to look towards dreams for comfort, the previous Overseer saw her potential and she stuck to him like glue. Always afraid that he would leave her, just like the rest."
Hinata nodded, "What was the previous Overseer like?"
"I've never met him in person. He had passed away once she became Overseer. But I heard that he was like a father figure to her." Holland replied, still tense, "His name was Jaron and he hailed from one of the sand villages."
His conversation came to an end. Turning towards Anemone, he glanced out the window, leaning over her body like a animal taking stance.
"You sense it too." Naruto finally spoke up. "There's something wrong with the air."
Hinata looked back at Naruto with a confused expression to which he noted.
"I think there's something else foreign coming our way."
At to that note, the three of them heard abrupt footsteps down the hall before the door was flung open. Neither Hinata nor Naruto were expecting the intruder. Completely out of breath and sweating like a pig, Shikamaru leaned at the door. This startled image of him drove the other two edgy.
"When did you get here, Shikamaru?" Hinata finally called out.
"What? Oh, earlier this morning. Fancy robes over there let me in," Shikamaru looked stressed out, "That's not why I'm here though. Naruto, gather Lee and all of your belongings. A patrol squad was found just now – all killed. We need to clear a way out of here before the main party arrives."
He turned towards Holland.
"Keeper, I suggest you instruct the ninja here to prepare for whatever is coming your way. There are only four of us here, so we will not be of much help. But if you allow two of us to head back to our village, we can get our Hokage to command whatever aid you might need."
"Wh-what is headed here?" Hinata chimed in.
Shikamaru sighed, "I don't know. But the trail suggests that they took out the patrol squad and returned to report to whomever they came from. We can only assume that a larger something will be headed towards the village. The gorge can keep the people here concealed long enough, but once they locate it, I can't say that the people will remain safe. Please take whatever precautions you have, Keeper."
He looked over at Naruto once more and nudged him to start moving.
"Right," Naruto began. He grasped Hinata by her hand, "We need to get moving. You and Lee will head back to the village. Shikamaru and I will stay here to help out with whatever we can."
Hinata quickly pulled away from his grip.
"I'm a certified medical nin. I will be more useful here if something goes down," Hinata proclaimed, "Besides, I can't keep up with Lee. If anything, you would be the second fastest to keep at his speed. Lady Tsunade will feel more comfortable knowing that you are at her side to perform any combat necessary for this. And she will also be satisfied knowing that one of our medicals are here to serve."
Naruto huffed his chest slightly; "I'd rather take Tsunade's beatings over Sasuke's. If I leave you here and he find out that you're left in the range of fire…"
"Forget about Sasuke's opinions here for once, Naruto!" Hinata snarled back, "This isn't about hurt feelings. Sasuke will deal with it. I'm not leaving these people without medical help. Or… or…"
She looked back at the lifeless body of Anemone.
"I'm not leaving this kid's life to be in jeopardy."
"Twenty-seven, remember?" Holland butted in sarcastically, "She's a big girl. I'll handle her relocation. You should listen to your teammates and head back to your village."
Hinata gave Holland a chilling glare.
"All of you need to stop treating me like a helpless side dish. I can take care of my own. And I will take care of anyone who will be injured. Whether you all want me to or not." She clenched her fists against the fabric of the blanket, "I'm not leaving knowing that her body is defenseless in this world. You will protect Anemone, I'm sure. But you need a second resource. You can't keep relying on your own strength all the time. One day, it will fail you."
And then, without any warning, a sharp kunai entered the room in a flash and landed on the opposite wall. Attached to it on one end was a rolled up sheet of paper. In just split second, all four sprung to action. Naruto covered Hinata over her shoulder while Shikamaru pulled him by the collar to get out of the room. Glancing back, Hinata barely caught sight of Holland scooping Anemone's body and flinging himself out the window.
A small crackle left the room before everything lit on fire form the ear-shattering explosion.
What followed was a frenzy of panic and screams that echoed through the hospital halls.
Hinata, Naruto, and Shikamaru lay on the ground with bits of wood sprawled all around them from debris. Hinata snapped upwards to see the other two attempting to do the same. She noticed from the corner of her eye as Lee ran up to them in panic. He came to her side first, leaning down to check up on her. His mind was racing.
"Wha-how!?"
"I'm fine, Lee," Hinata replied briskly, "We have to get moving. Something is attacking the village!"
Naruto and Shikamaru had by then stood up. Shikamaru glanced in all directions.
"Alright, here's the plan. Lee," he looked him straight in the eyes, "Whatever you do, however you do it, get back to the village in top speed. Get Lady Tsunade the information that the village of Meyven Li is being targeted. Do not assume anything. Tell her that this is a dire emergency. Better have more men equipped than not enough to do any damage."
He reached out to grab Naruto by the shoulder, "You. We're quickly checking up on everyone here and heading out without drawing much attention. We need to regroup in the library if it hasn't already been attacked. The patrol guards there will probably know the standard procedure for invasions of foreigners. Hinata…"
Shikamaru looked in her direction but was too late. Hinata was already running down the hallway full speed in order to find the nearest window to see what had happened to Holland and Anemone. She could hear the other's yells from behind but only accelerated beyond her limits to escape them.
Further, down the hallway. Just to catch one glimpse if she was still alive.
Sasuke halted with Sakura coming to a stop right behind him. He scanned their surroundings with quick precision before picking up on a trail of feet and bloodstains. Sakura took quickly noticed this and with his approved nod descended down to examine. Sasuke remained above to keep watch. His muscles strained at the thought that the blood might be familiar. He inhaled deeply to dismiss the thought. And as if Sakura had read his mind, she returned to his side with a small smile.
"Don't worry. It's not theirs." She whispered below her breath, "But they might still be in danger. We should continue following the blood path to see where it originated."
Sasuke gave a small grunt and the two continued to race down the woods quietly. If anything, it gave both of them motivation to increase their speed. Pakkun could barely keep up before latching onto Sakura's back. He sniffed the passing air to better sway them back onto the tracks for a quicker arrival.
It wasn't long before Sasuke caught sight of two human carved pillars in the distance of the gorge village. They were getting closer, but so was the rotting smell of burnt flesh and wood that made the air all around them dense. Sasuke's heart began to accelerate and he could swear that he heard Sakura's frantic one vibrating from each step she took. This was their worst possible scenario outcome that they predicted, and it was slowly coming to life.
"Don't think about it." Sakura's voice was shaking, "Don't you dare start thinking about it. It's not going to happen to them."
They passed a shriveled up body remains of someone who was still burning.
The two pressed further towards the entrance of the village.
"It can't happen to them." Sakura took in a struggling breath, "I won't allow it."
I won't let her go, here.
Ohsnapcrackers.