Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ What Dreams May Come ❯ Chapter 4

Thank you dear readers, especially reviewers.

Special thanks to: HikaruOfArrow, Dragon Man 180, VentMonster, Narutofreak22, ranma hibiki, nonengel, hopeless, Element, Mistress DragonFlame, drakedragon (x2)

Translation:

Ware wo aisuru shura - the demon who loves only himself (at least, that's what it means according to a fan site I visited.)

What Dreams May Come

It was a normal day in the void of the dream world. Though it is always night somewhere, the two demons who now reside in the dream world are waiting for night to fall in a certain part of the world. To pass time, the two speak of many things. Just as they are discussing relative human and demon sociology, Shukaku stops speaking mid-sentence.

-Is something wrong?- Kyuubi asks him.

-Something is happening to Gaara,- Shukaku frowns. -He is very upset.-

Kyuubi waits patiently for more information to be forthcoming. Shukaku paces. He makes several passes, grumbling under his breath. Suddenly, his whole body stiffens, his eyes go wide. He tilts his head back and screams in anger and pain. Kyuubi jumps back in surprise. Shukaku thrashes around shouting obscenities, trying to find something to tear into pieces.

Shukaku is still cursing when Naruto's dream-self appears beside Kyuubi. Naruto stares wide-eyed at the rampaging tanuki.

"What's going on?" he squeaks.

"Something happened to Gaara, little one," Kyuubi tells him as she moves herself between Naruto and the enraged sand demon.

"Is he okay?" he asks, worried for his friend.

"I do not know," Kyuubi says honestly. "When Gaara appears or Shukaku calms down, I will ask. Until then, you should stay in your own dream."

"NO! I'll wait here with you," Naruto protests.

"Nothing will happen tonight, little one. But, if Gaara appears I will tell you right away."

Naruto reluctantly agrees. His dream body fades into a dim point of light.

Kyuubi was right, though. Gaara did not appear that night and Shukaku was too angry to speak.

Naruto tried again the following night but the situation was the same. Shukaku was still furious and Gaara still did not appear. The night after that was the same; and the night after that, and the night after that.

Finally, one night, two weeks later, Shukaku stopped cursing. Kyuubi, who had been keeping herself at a distance, drew near cautiously. Before she could say anything, Shukaku vanishes. Kyuubi stops, surprised. Where did he go? She searches the area he had just been. She finds an answer after a thorough hunt, Gaara's dream had appeared. It was pitch black, almost impossible to see in the dark void between dreams. The only way she spotted it was when it passed between her and some brighter dreams nearby. But it was there.

Kyuubi fetched Naruto out of his own dream. With a bit of effort they both work their way into Gaara's dream. What greets them is darkness. Pure and absolute, in every direction.

"G-Gaara?" Naruto calls into the shadows. Silence is his only answer.

Naruto starts to move forward, a ripple, like water, moving out from every step he takes on the black ground. He starts to run. Kyuubi stays close behind him. They run for what seems like hours. They can't even tell if they are making progress. Nothing seems to happen until finally, a figure appears out of the black fog. It is Shukaku, hunched over something. He was speaking lowly to whatever was between his feet.

"There they are," Kyuubi says. Naruto spots Shukaku and he immediately runs over to them. Gaara is sitting in front of the demon tanuki, his arms wrapped around his knees, staring blankly into the darkness. When Naruto gets close enough he hears what Shukaku is saying.

"…into pieces. Crush them. Destroy them. Let me tear them…" he goes on like this.

Naruto feels a chill go up his spine. He skids to a stop in front of Gaara and kneels on the black ground. "Gaara, what hap-AAHHH!" Naruto falls on his backside.

An angry red wound decorates Gaara's forehead. Blood is dripping down the entire left side of Gaara's face. Slowly, the blood seeps out of the cut, into his eye and down his cheek, to drip onto his clothing in a never ending steam.

"…kill them all…" Shukaku whispers behind Gaara.

"G-Gaara," Naruto starts again. "What happened?"

"…they want to get rid of me," Gaara says tonelessly. "…said I was unstable…too dangerous…he…he tried to kill me…"

"W-who?"

"Yashamaru. My uncle. He said he resented me. He tried to kill me…and I killed him."

Naruto shudders.

"He never cared for me. No one ever loved me. Ware wo aisuru shura. That's me. No one will ever love me so I gave love to myself." Gaara's eyes close, tears join the blood in a race down his face. That's when Naruto and Kyuubi both notice that the cut on Gaara's forehead is actually the kanji 'ai'. Love.

"He was the only one who ever even tried to be my friend. Now there's nothing-"

"What about me?" Naruto shouts. "I'm your friend, Gaara!"

Gaara blinks balefully, "You're not real."

"I'm as real as you are!" Naruto protests.

"It's just a dream," Gaara goes on. "Nothing is real here."

"Those techniques I showed you," Kyuubi says "Are those not real either?"

Gaara looks up at her, "It never worked. Jutsus don't work that way."

"It does so work! I've done it!" Naruto screams.

"You're just part of this dream."

"That's not true!"

"…annihilate every last one…" this comment from Shukaku.

"It doesn't matter. This isn't real. Go away." Gaara sweeps his arm out. Naruto and Kyuubi feel a great force push them back. They find themselves outside, amongst other people's bright sparkling dreams.

"No!" Naruto immediately grabs Gaara's dream to go back in. "Gaara, please! I'm real! I'm your friend! Please let me in!" but the way in is blocked.

"Little one, go to your own dream," Kyuubi says.

"What! I can't leave Gaara like this!"

"Listen, if you can not go into his dream then I will bring him into yours."

"Alright!" Naruto fades into a point of green light.

Kyuubi nudges the two dreams together. She watches as the slowly merge and become one. If Gaara thinks we are not real, this will not be much use. There must be some kind of proof…but what? She enters the new dream.

Inside the combined dream, Kyuubi finds herself in a theatre. The house lights have been dimmed and the curtain opened. There is no audience but up on stage sit Gaara and Shukaku. The blood on Gaara's face has disappeared but the kanji mark remains. Naruto is clambering the stairs onto the stage. Kyuubi listens to the two boys talking. Naruto tries in vain to convince Gaara that he is real and a friend, but Gaara dismisses Naruto or ignores him. Meanwhile, Shukaku has decided to demolish the stage.

Proof, proof…what would he believe…hmmm, maybe…maybe that could work.

"Gaara-kun," Kyuubi calls out. "I wish to show you something."

"It doesn't matter," Gaara replies. "Nothing matters."

"Then it won't matter if you stay here or not,"

Gaara looks up at her slowly "No, I guess not," he says.

"Let me show you something," Kyuubi repeats.

Gaara sighs, he unwraps his arms to stand. Kyuubi points to stage exit left where, instead of seeing backstage, there is a doorway with a tattered cloth covering the opening.

"At the edge of that doorway is a secret door which leads to the stars," Kyuubi knew Gaara liked to look at the stars. She knew it from spending nearly a year in his company.

"Stars…" Gaara trudges to the doorframe. He prods the frame for a moment, and then disappears. Shukaku, still gnawing on a theatre seat, disappears too. Kyuubi and Naruto follow them out.

Gaara stares blankly at the starry setting. Shukaku growls, glaring at everything.

"Gaara-kun, try looking around for a star that feels familiar to you,"

"…a familiar star? That's dumb," Gaara says dully.

"Please, just humour me."

Gaara shrugs. He moves out slowly. He looks around without enthusiasm. They move ever onward, Gaara doesn't react to any of the dreams. Shukaku crushes dreams in their wake. Naruto stays close to his friend's side.

There are so many dreams and dreamers. It may be impossible to-

Gaara stops. He turns to the side, a puzzled look on his face. He moves away, toward a lone dream. This dream is tan in colour, slowly pulsing. Gaara takes the little star in his hands.

"I know this one…this is…" Gaara trails off. He presses into the tan light and falls into the dream. Naruto grabs his arm before he vanishes, he gets pulled in too. The accompanying demons follow.

The group of four are standing in a yard. A school yard. The school looms in front of them, larger than it would be in real life. In front of the school, crouched down, a figure is doodling in the sand with a short stick.

Dragon Man 180: uh...not exactly. more like, when they see the demons they know itsa dream so they know its not real and can't hurt them...ok?

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