phan·tas·ma·go·ri·a

ˌfanˌtazməˈɡôrēə/

noun

a sequence of real or imaginary images like those seen in a dream.

"Tick...tick...tick...ti-"

A clock was ticking.

Somewhere in this sterile therapy room a clock was ticking away. Time was flowing for everyone except the redhead laying on the tan chaise. He was lost once again, confused as to why he was here in this stifled room instead of in his office tucked away in the village hidden in the sand. He wondered why he kept coming to this world; this world that did not exist.

Or perhaps it did exist, and the doctors were correct in saying the other world was not truly his own.

He didn't know.

He honestly did not want to fathom which was true or not since the philosophy behind it was so strenuous that to even think of it would cause a mental breakdown for sure.

So he merely accepted the idea that he was torn into two realities. The world of ninja, and the world involving him as a patient in a mental hospital.

This world was so plain, and harshly pale. The padded cells; white. The hallways; white. The cold tile floors; white. The nurses office; white. This damned therapy room was white too. So brightly clean, and sterile. It almost made him want to retch.

"Gaara, you're zoning out on me again." The pink haired doctor tapped her pen against her note pad; crossing and uncrossing her creamy legs in a irritated manner.

Sometimes he wondered why she wore those tight pencil skirts, and unbuttoned the first three buttons of her blouse to give away her cleavage. Was it to tease him? In the other world he never thought about her in such a way. Why did he suddenly find her attractive?

He didn't know.

However, he did know that this was his favorite time of day. This sickening therapy room was always graced by Sakura, and her complete image a sight for sore eyes. Had he not returned to the world of ninja in his sleep he was certain he would dream of her.

Dream of those damn legs of hers that led to an even more beautiful figure.

'She has her heart set on Sasuke... we've never truly had a good conversation outside of this reality. If only I could remember what I learn here when I return to my original world...'

"Gaara, this is the last time I'm going to ask you, unless you choose to finally give me a response we will have to end this session." The Doctor had a temper, and it was starting to show once again in their sessions. The Sakura of this reality was overworked, underslept, and the years of working with mental patients that consistently broke her trust had turned her cold. As much as he empathized with her, he also felt a twinge of bitterness.

The redhead felt a smirk form across his lips at the notion of being smart towards her; feeling little to no attachment to this place or its repercussions. Yet, as he remembered how that behavior got him nowhere except sedated in a padded cell, he decided against it.

"Forgive me, Sakura." He began.

"Please don't speak to me so formally, it's Dr. Haruno."

He felt his smirk be wiped away with her coldness. The Sakura in his world was much warmer, and kind hearted. It was a persona he liked to hold onto while speaking with this current Sakura.

"Worried that Sasuke might get jealous?" The air grew colder at his statement, and he rose up on the lounge to make eye contact with his therapist. She did not seem pleased.

"You know Sasuke is a patient here. I can't involve myself with my patients you know this." Sakura ran her fingers through her pink hair. It was longer here than it was in his world. She wasn't a shinobi so it made sense that she never felt the need to cut it. To be honest, he rather enjoyed it long. It made her seem more feminine.

"I see nothing wrong with indulging in your patients, doctor. Seeing how this place isn't real you could truly do whatever you please." He turned to face the window, wishing he could just go outside for once in this world.

"Ah, so you're really here today huh? I was worried that you might be back on that ninja stuff again." She smiled genuinely. "It's refreshing when your mind is clear."

"I claim this world isn't real, and you are comforted by this? You are an odd woman indeed." He chuckled before returning his aquatic gaze to hers.

Every time he met her jade eyes with his own he could see her tense. It was as if he frightened her when his attention was solely on her, and this bothered him. 'If anything I would have thought we were closer than this.'

"You're afraid of me." He stated openly. At first she seemed to tense further, but it swiftly gave way to irritability.

"No, I am not afraid of you. However I am prepared for your random 'attacks' that you seem to have. A caution if you will." She spoke clearly, but devoid of emotion. The redhead had noticed she would do this as a defense.

"You're a bad liar. I intimidate you, and we both know it." He paused to watch his words sink in. He witnessed her shift in her seat just the slightest with unease, and responded by straightening his posture to continue with an air of cockiness he rarely flaunted. "Afraid I might bark at you, attack you, and perhaps you fear that I'll get a wild hair to sexually assault you." It was a bit much, but he felt restless today, and wanted someone to join him in his anxiety.

She gaped only for a few seconds before scoffing.

"You have never shown any sort of sexual interest here before. I think your other cell mates have been giving you some bad thinking material." Sakura smirked at him with a confidence that made him want to shoot her down into the mud. His ego found itself in a battle with her own.

"Well I think your skirt is too short, and your blouse is open just enough to keep my imagination roaming. Perhaps you do these things on purpose? Maybe you truly do want to get a 'rise' out of me." The devilish grin that lit up his features almost made him frightening; keyword almost as she continued to brush him off after a short period of shock.

"I've never witnessed you talk so much! Perhaps I should make the skirts even shorter just to get you to converse more." The doctor snickered while becoming more pleased with the situation than he was.

Gaara eyed her over again. He felt no shame in this world so he made an effort to do as he pleased. He felt there were no repercussions because this was just a dream. Sooner or later he would come back to being Kazekage, and realize that he had accidentally taken a nap.

"Back to business, how have your episodes been? On a scale of one to ten how realistic-"

"This world is very realistic, but I know it's a dream." He looked around the room and sighed, not caring in the least that he had interrupted her. He decided he wouldn't censor himself today, and just relayed everything that passed his mind. "This place is a nightmare, and sadly you with your form fitting outfits, and natural beauty are my only saving grace."

Sakura blinked owlishly for a moment before a slight pink blush graced her features. He had flattered her by accident. In all honesty he was just speaking his feelings, and in no way was attempting to charm her. However, it seemed to have a positive affect. He would have to remember this in the future.

"Since when did you become charming?" She tucked a fallen piece of pink hair back behind her ear once again. All he wanted was to take out that ponytail of hers, and watch as her hair came down in pink shining falls around her chest. He very much wanted to touch her hair, and it took a lot more strength then unusual to contain himself.

"I have finally given up. When I am here I am stuck so I make the best of my situation, but hold no attachment since it is only a dream." Gaara invested himself in watching her jot away as he spoke, and she seemed just as focused on any word he said to her. Strangely, this made him feel validated; so he continued.

"Instead of panicking, I have chosen that with the right amount of honey I can attract whatever I want to the pot, and since I will always return to my original world at some point I really have no qualms about acting out my wants, and needs regardless of circumstances." He shifted his gaze once again to meet with hers, only to watch her tense once again. Only this time the shade of pink still colored her cheeks.

'How interesting...'

"And what are your wants and needs, Gaara?" Sakura leaned forward in interest. Having her full attention was making him feel warmer than usual, and he strangely liked it. The validation from earlier morphed into something akin to a grandiose sense of self.

"I could show you if you'd like." Gaara gave a sly smile as the words dripped venomously from his lips, and her stunned reaction made him grin even further.

The redhead was not flirtatious. He almost never had that kind of confidence with the exception of this very moment. He didn't understand where this bravado was coming from, but he felt no fear here. He knew that this was a place far away in his mind, and if he wanted to let that dark urge finally surface in him then he would allow it to do so here. Because this place didn't exist.

Perhaps she would be like a real dream girl, and crawl submissively onto his lap. That would make this 'hospital' have a whole new meaning for him. He would actually start to enjoy his stay for once.

'I feel bad for exploiting Sakura in my subconscious, but I won't deny that I am a man. She is very beautiful, so I will chose not to feel guilt if I allow this little dream to happen. It's not real, so it won't actually hurt anyone...'

"You're becoming very manipulative. You're beginning to show signs of being a narcissist rather than a schizophrenic." As if the whole situation hadn't phased her she jotted hurriedly onto her notepad. He recoiled from her words, and almost felt insulted by them.

"You're showing signs of being a bad doctor. Honestly, do you not care for your patient's feelings enough to quietly make a diagnosis?" He pressed. When silence answered him he looked in her direction. At first he saw a flash of guilt, but then it quickly turned to stone.

"You've never showed yourself to be empathetic let alone sane enough to realize the people, and things around you. I've made countless statements to you before about your condition, and you are just now understanding what they even mean. It's as if you're a completely different person." She answered him without an apology. It was as if she were diagnosing a bug in a computer program with how detached she sounded. He felt his temper start to flare.

"Sakura, you will treat me like a human being. I don't care if this isn't a real place, time, or scenario. Not even in my mind will I have you insult me in a such a way." Gaara finally stood to make his move.

As he approached the woman he watched carefully as her hand slipped into her coat pocket hanging on the back of her chair. He knew what she had in there, he hazily remembered her using it on him before in the past. He chose to reassure her of his intentions.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I don't want to hurt you. I just want you to wake up." He clapped at the beat of his last two words, and she bristled with confusion. "Realise that I am not a monster, a robot, or an animal. I am a man."

"Men can be more frightening then all those things combined, Gaara." Sakura blurted before catching herself. He watched her facial expressions change, and realized she was trying to hide some sort of trauma from him. She cursed softly under her breath before staring him down.

Gaara could see her caution, and he sympathized with her. She was an incredibly attractive woman in a building filled with degenerates that would quickly tear her apart if given the chance. He surmised that some had probably gotten close.

"Have I ever tried anything?" The redhead didn't mean it as a rhetorical question, but he knew that's how it would sound. He truly didn't know if he had ever tried to get at her or not. He hoped for the latter.

"Gaara, you are too close. Back down." She ignored his question in favor of putting up a defense. If anyone needed help in this asylum it was her; her distrust in her patients was immeasurable.

He had to bring back some balance for her.

"It was a question, I wasn't making implications." He raised up his hands in surrender before backing up to the lounge he was previously laying on. "As for what I said earlier about intimidating you; the content was in poor taste, and I apologize for any discomfort it might have caused."

Now Sakura seemed dumbfounded. It was as if she were watching a talking dog walking on its hind legs, and the longer she stared the more ridiculous he felt.

"You're apologizing? This isn't like you at all." She leaned forward to look him over. When she couldn't seem to find anything she rose out of her chair to walk over and hold him at arms length, confusing him when she continued to inspect his skull.

"What are you doing? Are you allowed to touch your patients?" Gaara protested, but he was also enjoying the feeling of her hands on his neck and scalp. When she flashed a light into his eyes he flinched painfully. "Can you please stop?"

"I'm checking to see if you hit your head at all. I might have to put you back in the padded room." He blanched at the idea of the padded room; it more so beckoned it's prisoner to become violent rather than suppress the urge. "As much as I enjoy you being sane, if it's because you're damaging your brain then unfortunately I can't allow it to go any further." She took his pulse with little to no emotion. He was going to lose it this time for sure.

"I don't have a concussion, I'm not hurting myself, and if you are going to touch me then do it out of the need to nurture rather than treating my body like it's on a slab." He swatted away her hand with a painful glimmer in his eyes, and bitterness drawn on his face. "And if you put me back in that white hell hole I will never forgive you."

"I can't touch you like that it's unprofessional, and you'll go to that room if it is deemed necessary regardless of how you feel about me afterwards." Sakura sighed, and he could hear how spread thin she was, but he wasn't giving up.

"Perhaps it's time you put professionalism aside in able to actually get the results you want so badly. Maybe I would actually stick around if something truly made me want to be here." He placed his hands on her shoulders, and she tensed. "Treat me like a human being. Please."

"Gaara..." Her tone was warning, but she seemed to finally crack. "I can't trade our positions in for anything unprofessional, but I can try to provide some of what you're asking. I'm sure we can make a compromise." She met his eyes carefully, still icy as ever. However, he was finally feeling like he was getting somewhere with this world's Sakura.

"When I'm here, I will do whatever you ask. However, while I'm here I would like to be treated as if we are friends." He nodded to himself before dropping his arms, but once again felt drained when he saw her confused expression.

"So when you're acting sane, you want me to treat you like you're actually sane? Really?" Sakura blinked at him in disbelief. He shrugged finding that this was the best he was going to get.

"Essentially, yes. I don't know what happens when I'm not 'here'." Gaara moved his fingers in a quotation action to press his point. "I just know that when I am 'here' I am treated dismally when actually I truly wouldn't mind having a conversation with you, or a laugh, or a pleasant meal, or even just sitting quietly. Just treat me respectfully."

Sakura moved away from him to pace, and think over her options. He watched her mind work, how her clothes shift as she walked, and the way she nibbled at the end of her pen all while searching for answers. In his mind, this shouldn't have been a hard decision as it was plain, and simple. To her though, he couldn't be sure; she seemed to be adamant on keeping her distance from him.

'Why?' He asked himself, wondering if he had ever actually hurt this world's Sakura to the point of earning her due hatred. If he had, he didnt know if he wanted to be notified about it or not. Even in a realistic dream such as this one, he didnt want to be that monster anymore. He didn't want to be so thirsty for blood like he had when he was young.

When she finally stilled he snapped out of his haunted state, and waited with anticipation. Her face changed several times, and each expression was more confusing than the last. Her mind was a lock he couldn't fathom picking at the moment; she was beyond his level.

"Alright. I'll supervise you today, and we'll take it for a test run." She sighed in defeat.

Gaara smiled genuinely for probably the first time in that world, and it felt strange at how easy it was to form a smile rather than a frown. Like it required less muscles to work against gravity, which felt illogical.

Then again, there was no life or intelligence in this place. Just the smell of bleach, the irritating light of fluorescent bulbs, the rough texture of the pale blue scrubs they dressed him in, and the numbing sight of endless white.

Yet, now at least he could see pink, and jade. All the while smelling the faintest scent of cherry blossoms.

That clock was still ticking though; thumbing away through space like god, but letting itself be known as a creation by lesser creatures. It disgusted him, and gave his life meaning while resonating in sync with itself. Something to look back on, and something to look forward to. Describing the end while flaunting the eternity.

Time was insane, and should probably wear a straight jacket.

AN: Welcome Welcome Welcome! If you don't know me yet I'm the silly author who decided to write this dark, fucked up story! Please know that it wont be for the faint of heart, and this is probably the only safe chapter you will read. All chapters after this are not pleasant. There will be very touchy subjects brought up such as: rape, molestation, assault, child abuse, drug abuse, all over shaming (Not for kinks, but because it sucks), and some realistic smut... because if you have read any of my work I cannot go two chapters without some sort of sex scene, I am impatient like that BUT HEYO IT KEEPS YA FROM FEELING COMPLETELY TERRIBLE DURING THIS STORY, SO LONG LIVE THE SMUT! Also, our two main characters here will be having sex with other people, just a forewarning, but it is for character and plot development. A little ooc, but for interesting reasons, as you can already tell (I'm assuming you just finished reading my first chapter nyuk nyuk nyuk) so expect that ooc behavior while they also fight to stay in character! Ah-ha! I am a ridiculously evil bitch :)

Review review review...or no story for youuuuuu~ :3

EDIT: FIXED MISSING NAME PROBLEM! WHOOP