I Read It In A Book

Chapter 7

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.