Chapter 19: Chapter 19
Note: The other chapter was shorter than usual (not even 2k words) so I will release this chapter.
Again, sitting at the metal table, Ino waited for the guard to finish securing Naruto to his seat. When he finished, he removed the muzzle from around his mouth before shutting the door, leaving the two to their second session. Ino smiled softly at him. She was still a little uncomfortable, but at the very least she wasn't as nervous.
Naruto was smiling at her in a fake expression of surprise. "You came back." He quipped with the idea to show her that he was unsure she would.
Ino raised an eyebrow. "I told you I would." Did he really think she wouldn't?
"Oh yes, but many people have told me that."
Ino nodded. "I'm sure. But, I meant it." He smiled at her as she began flipping through her notepad.
"So, what's on the agenda today?" he asked her.
"Just a few questions." Ino answered reading a few lines. It was time for her get a gauge on how this apparent psychosis affected him physically. "How are your dreams?"
"Deep, dark, and viciously intoxicating." He answered instantly.
She gave him a confused expression. "Would you care to elaborate?"
Naruto sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "Well, there's not much to say. Its pretty self-explanatory." He said. "They arrre darker than most people would prefer… uh, a little more nightmarish if you could see that."
"So, nightmares?" she asked him.
Naruto chuckled. "If you'd prefer that then I suppose." He nodded.
Ino nodded back, jotting a few notes down on the notepad. "Do these nightmares have any specific pattern or theme?" she asked.
"No, I can't say they do." She nodded again and wrote more down.
"Well, do you ever have happy dreams?" she asked him.
Naruto chuckled. "Happy.. dreams?" he asked putting emphasis on happy as if it were the most ridiculous word he's ever heard. "Is than an actual term?" he asked her.
"What? Happiness?" she asked, he nodded in confirmation. "Well, of course it is."
He smiled, "You seem so sure of that. What is happiness for you then?"
Ino put her notepad down and tapped her pen on the desk in thought. "Happiness is… doing the things you like to do… with the people you enjoy being with." She said.
"I'm not sure I understand that." He admitted. "Do you have an example?"
She thought over it. "Well…" Now that she was forced to think about it, she realized she really didn't do anything anymore that brought her joy. Ever since she began her psychiatric studies, she pretty much fell off of the social life she was accustomed to when she was younger. That day at the coffee shop with Sakura and Tenten was the first thing she had done with friends in years, but for some reason, she felt out of place. She felt different because of how shallow the conversation was. After so long of training with professionals whose job was to dig into deeper dialect, anything less was just rudimentary and agonizingly boring.
She felt lost when talking to them of the simple things they were accustomed to. Talking of children, and relationships, and the normal gossip around the village, it was almost sickening that day, but she smiled through it none the less. Then, that same night at her parent's house, their conversation, aside from the argument, was shallow as well. Her mother, she understood, wouldn't have the mental prowess to delve into deeper conversation. But, her father she expected more from. Problem is he still sees her as a child, not a practiced psychiatrist so he has no interest in talking with her in that way.
In her studying, she found that depth in discussion is what brought her joy. When she returned to her life, she realized how shallow her everyday life is. Even her previous two patients, who were seen as normal patients, were too shallow minded for her to actually have a conversation with. The only time she truly got her fix was right here. She looked up at the redhead who smiled her way. They only just began their second session, and she realized he was the only person willing and able to bring about that feeling of happiness.
She just realized how long she was taking to think over his question, she blinked away her thoughts. "Umm… well, like you and I… our sessions." She said truthfully.
"So, this uh... this psychotic battle of two insane minds?" he asked her with a grin.
She was shocked by that. "You think I'm insane?"
He smiled at her. "Of course I do. You, Miss Yamanaka, have an amazing mind. And everyone knows that all great minds have just a touch of madness." He explained. "For inspiration."
"That's nice." She complimented his words. "Is that an original?"
He chuckled. "I wish. No, I read something similar before. Can't remember where. But, it's true none the less."
"I suppose it's reasonable." She replied.
"Oh it is." He said wiggling in his seat. "Miss Yamanaka?" Ino looked at him in questioning. "What would be your idea of a perfect world?" he asked curiously.
She was shocked by the sudden question and thought over her answer. "A perfect world?" she asked, giving herself more time. Naruto nodded. "Well… a perfect world in my opinion, would be a world with no wars, no fighting, no killing, just… good people, I guess." She replied. He looked at her strangely.
"The last time you were here, we spoke about what makes one a 'bad person' and I'd like to think I gave you a new perspective on it." He said. "But, I'm curious now. In this 'perfect world' of yours, what makes one a 'good person'?" he asked.
Putting her on the spot again, she had to think about it. "Well, it would be a generally good person." She said giving a basic answer.
"Yes, but what would qualify? I mean, in this fictitious world of yours, you said there would be 'just good people'." He said in a way mocking her word choice.
She nodded her head, not fully understanding what he was trying to say. "Yeah, so the people are just.. good people overall." She restated with a chuckle, not sure how else to put it.
"Redundant, but let me explain my take on what this so called 'perfect world' would be. Actually, I think we're close to it." He said.
She gave him a confused look. "The world right now?" she asked in disbelief.
He nodded his head. "It's all about a simple concept of balance. 'You can't have this without that' type of deal." He explained with a nod. "No light without dark, no hot without cold… no good without bad." He said.
"How would that apply here?" she asked.
"Well, think about it. What is a 'good man' if he hasn't the option to be evil? There's a word for it." He said nodding his head. "Without the option to be evil, as is described in your impeccable world, a good person is just normal. And in a world with so many possibilities, normality is a sin."
She nodded at the sound logic, but wasn't satisfied just yet. "Normality, as you call it, is also safe." She replied.
He grinned. "In a life so short, safety is but a handicap. A mental blockade that is triggered when in the face of danger. A uh.. natural fear of death for these civilized people which is kind of ironic if you think about it." He said.
"Ironic in what way?" she asked wanting a little insight.
"Well." He began. "It's just ironic how these sane individuals are so afraid of death, and yet they live as if they are already there."
She shook her head. "I still don't follow."
Naruto looked up in thought, trying to think of another way to put it. "Well, think about fish in a stream." He said nodding his head. "Only the dead ones go with the flow. In a way, most of the people you see when you walk those village streets do the same thing almost absent mindedly, as if they are already dead."
"So, you don't fear death?" she asked him curiously.
He tilted his head and eyed her strangely. "How could I know?" he asked. "I haven't tried it." Ino chuckled at his joke. "No Doctor, I do not fear death, because death is nothing more than the ending to suffering. In honesty I'd welcome it." He continued, getting serious.
Ino looked at him strangely. "So, you want to die?"
"No, no, no." he said quickly. "It's not a matter of being suicidal. No, it's just not wanting to live any longer." She was about to ask him what he meant by that but he continued. "I know how that sounds, but it's actually something completely different than what you'd expect. Suicide is described as taking your own life. That's not what I am looking to do. No, if death approaches me, I would welcome it. I do not plan on looking for it." He explained.
"Why is that?" she asked. "Do you feel none content with life?"
Naruto cringed at the question as if it slapped him in the face. "Nu- you see. That, doctor, is the problem." He said. "If you simply feel 'content' with life, then you're not living. If all you feel is that mediocre sense of enjoyment with the life you are given, then you ma'am are as good as a dead fish."
"How do you… cope with the horrible things that happen in your life?" She asked in complete bewilderment. This wasn't a question on the agenda, she just really wanted to know. "Especially in a place like this?"
Naruto smiled at the look of awe in her eyes, whatever he was doing, it was working. "Coping is of no issue… My mind is constantly changing and contorting in the most demented ways you could imagine. There are so many voices up here that life, and the things that happen usually slip my fragile mind."
Ino's smile was wide and filled with astonishment. "That sounds amazing."
"It definitely has its upsides." He said with a smile at her glossy eyed stare.
Ino smiled and leaned back in her seat, thinking over his words. Although it took her a second to process what he was saying half the time, when she did, she sort of agreed and it assured her that talking to Naruto was the best conversation she had throughout her days as of recently. It was refreshing to be able to talk to someone on your level of thinking, or in this case, far surpass her own. This whole ordeal was going too smoothly for anything that happened with the past doctors to be true. From what she was experiencing, Naruto was nothing more than a deep thinker. Yeah he had a twisted view on society and some psychopathic tendencies, but he wasn't dangerous. Or, maybe she just hadn't seen the worst in him yet.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone