Naruto was just floating. Floating amongst nothingness, no sound, no light, no smell, nothing. He got the feeling that he should be in pain. But he felt nothing, nothing except the urge to just float there and do nothing, think nothing. But he felt the urge to at least wonder what had led to him being here.
"That's easy, kit." A voice said, approaching him. "Watch." The mysterious voice ordered. A bubble appeared above Naruto.
"Naruto, watch out!" Hinata ordered from the bubble. The Naruto in the bubble with Hinata broke off from who she was fighting with and rammed into Naruto, knocking both into the ground. As they hit the ground, a sword came flying through the space Naruto had just occupied.
Naruto grunted in pain, as Hinata was on top of him, putting pressure on several injuries, mostly stab and slash wounds. "Oh, I'm sorry!" She said, rolling off of him. "We need to retreat. If we continue, we'll be killed."
"Where do you think we could go?" He asked. "Our escape routes have been cut off. Before we lost radio contact, Kakashi-sensei told us that help was on its way. We have to hold out until then."
"But we won't last much longer. Who knows how far they are?" Hinata protested, assuming a defensive position over severely wounded comrade.
"We'll just have to do our best." He said as her sensitive ears picked up a whistling sound coming towards them. Looking behind, he saw two katana's flying straight towards Hinata. They were in her only blind spot. "Watch out!" He yelled as he pushed her out of the way, light enveloping his senses, leading him to this place.
"See, you were severely wounded on a mission. Help arrived in time to take care of your enemies. But you're dying. Tsunade herself came, and she's doing her best to save you. But she can't repair the damage your soul took, from almost dying then suddenly being pulled back to life."
"Who are you? Why do I get the sense that I know?" Naruto asked softly. The voice chuckled and he heard footsteps coming towards him. He turned his head to see a woman approaching. She had silver hair and brown, almost red eyes. She wore a tight, form-fitting kimono. But that didn't hide her fox ears or long, fluffy fox tail, both of which were red. "I do know you from somewhere." He said as his eyes closed drowsily.
The woman yanked him to his feet. "Stay with me! I can give you strength for now, but we need to repair the damage to your soul NOW or you really will die!" He opened his eyes as strength flowed into him and he stood under his own power.
"You mean, there's still a chance I can live?" He asked. The woman nodded. "You still haven't answered my other question. Who are you?"
"I," the woman answered, "am someone who has been with you since the first day of your life. Though the villagers would call me the Kyuubi no Kitsune."
"I see. What do we need to do save my soul?" Naruto asked.
"We must explore your memories. Once we find where the damage has been done, we may be able to fix it. But this is a long shot. It may not work." The kyuubi answered.
"As long as there is a chance, I'll do it. There have been plenty of times where the chances of success seemed small and we still beat it." The fox woman held out a hand. Naruto took it and a whirlwind surrounded them and he felt himself lift off again. "But why did you attack the village?"
"It was because of one Madara Uchiha. With his unlocked Mangekyou Sharingan, he discovered he had the ability to control us demons. Well, it somehow ended up making me lose control when he used it on me." Kyuubi answered.
"I see. So you aren't really a bad person then?" The kyuubi shook her head no.
"All I wanted was to be left alone in my mountain. Madara, though, couldn't accept that. He forced me to fight, which ended is his death and my still raging out of control. I somehow remembered in that state where he was from, and must have thought that they would come after me. So I went to them first." Kyuubi said sadly. "I still regret that. Even more, I regret how your own fellow villager's treated you, which was tied to my previous behavior."
"But that wasn't your fault. Maybe, we can both get something from this today. I think that maybe you need some healing too." Naruto said comfortingly. The Kyuubi didn't answer.
"We're at our first stop." She said, the whirlwind vanishing from around him. "And from now on, call me Kitsune. It's easier.'' Naruto nodded and looked around. He was near his apartment. "There." Kitsune pointed to the shadowy area near a corner. It was also dark too.
"Is that…me?" Naruto asked, faintly seeing a small shape in the darkness. Naruto remembered this day. He had been around five at the time. He had just wanted to go play in the park when the villagers had surrounded him. Fighting back the bitter memories, he watched it all over again.
"Where do you think you're going, you little demon brat?" One questioned angrily, shoving him onto the ground.
"I'm just going to the park to play." He answered. He always played at night, when the other kids weren't around. That way none of the parents would try to get him arrested for 'trying to kill their kids'.
"And how do you know our kids aren't there? You trying to kill them again?!" An angry mother demanded, holding an infant close to her chest. The mother tried to calm the fussy child, who wouldn't stop crying.
"I never tried to kill them." He said for the millionth time. "Why does everyone in this town think I'm some kind of murderer? I have never hurt anyone." He said defensively. One of the men in the group smacked him hard after pulling him to his feet. He went back against the wall and onto the ground hard.
"If we ever catch you near our kids, you'll regret it." The mother threatened as they all walked away. He stayed still until they were gone. When he was sure they were gone, he got up, wiping away tears.
He ran to the park, ignoring the pain in his knees and hands, ignoring the blood from the scrapes he had received from hitting the ground so hard. He ran all the way to the park, where he took refuge under his favorite slide, sobbing quietly.
"After that,…Hinata found me." He remembered. "She wondered why I was crying, not even knowing who I was. She treated my injuries, and was actually really nice to me. It took me a little while to trust her. But she was my first friend that was my own age." He smiled, letting the warmth of this memory cheer him up. "But why did I forget?"
"It's human nature to not remember their really young years." Kitsune answered gravely. "This memory has come from two sources: your subconscious, which all your memories are kept, even if you don't remember them consciously, and my memory. As I can't sleep, and don't need to, I watched everything that ever happened to you."
Kitsune held out her hand again. Naruto took it and they were on their way to another memory. "Why are going to all these memories?" He asked.
"You think that no one will miss you if you die. But because of the forgetful nature of human beings, you forgot a lot of the kindness that was shown you when you were younger. If you remember these, there's a chance that you'll live." Kitsune answered, the whirlwind dissipating as they stopped in another memory.
Naruto skulked in the corner of the classroom, where none of the other students could see him. Many of the villager's had lodged a formal protest to stop him from entering the academy. But the Hokage, the only adult he could trust had stopped it. He remembered overhearing the lecture that Sarutobi had given them.
"You people are wrong!" Sarutobi had thundered. "Naruto is not the demon. Yes, the demon is in him. But he's helpless while inside the boy. You haven't been mistreating the demon. You've been punishing an innocent boy for crimes he did not commit! I am tired of people mistreating him and blaming him for something he did not do. In fact, if anyone ever hurts Naruto Uzamaki again, they'll be hearing from and facing criminal charges!"
"But he's a demon!" An angry woman said. She was silenced by Sarutobi's furious scowl.
"He is not a demon. He's a human just like the rest of us!" Sarutobi had thundered.
"No, he's a demon! Give him the chance and he'll kill us all. What can you accuse of anyway?"
"Simple." The Hokage had stated. "Child abuse, falsely accusing someone of a crime on purpose, disturbing the peace, and inhumane treatment against a fellow human being. This will be a law by tomorrow. Now if Naruto ever comes to me with a complaint like this again, you'll all be arrested. And all of these crimes are good for at least five to ten years in prison."
"After that, the beating's stopped." And even though they still clearly hated and constantly gave him dirty looks, they never again barred him from any establishment's or laid even a finger on him. Kitsune smiled at Naruto's serene face. "Though Hinata and I always were friends. She's always been there for me."
"And…" Kitsune prompted. Naruto remembered her strange behavior shortly after academy started. She always blushed and stammered, often passing out, around him.
"Are you saying that she likes me? As in like like, that kind of like?" Naruto asked incredulously. Kitsune nodded.
"Yes, that's exactly what she's been saying with her body language for years now. You've just been so focused on your own path that you've shut out everything else. And you didn't notice your growing feelings for her, which really started after you and she passed the chuunin exam." Kitsune scolded.
Naruto suddenly warmed up. Strange, he had never noticed the cold before. But he apparently had been cold. "I need to live. And once I can speak again to her in person, I'll apologize for being so dense. I'll also…sum up the courage to tell her how I feel." He stammered himself now. "Wait, what are those voices?" He asked, referring to the phantom voices he was hearing.
"Hinata, keep talking to him! It may help him stay with us!"
"Tsunade?" Naruto asked. Kitsune nodded.
"Naruto, stay with us! Please, don't leave me. Naruto, if you die, I'll go back to the way I was, weak and unsure of myself. Naruto, don't leave us!"
"Hinata?!" He asked. Another bubble appeared and he saw Tsunade sitting next to him, her hands glowing green with healing chakra. Hinata was on his other side, holding his hand, which was covered in sweat and blood, some his enemies and a lot of it his. Hinata was also crying. "Hinata, wait for me! I'll come back, I'll come back for everyone, but especially for you! I just need you to be patient!"
"Hinata, it's working. I don't know if it's you or me, but his chances of surviving just improved. We'll both continue what we are doing." Tsunade ordered.
"Hai, Hokage-sama!" Hinata said strongly, tightening her grip.
"I feel it here." He said, examining his hand, where he could feel heat and pressure on it. He stopped hearing Hinata's voice. "What does that mean?" He asked with concern, subconsciously closing his hand where he felt the warmth and pressure.
"Tsunade-sama, he just tightened his grip on my hand!" Hinata's voice suddenly cried out. It was laced with hope.
"It means, kit," Kitsune said sternly, "that you're closer to the original goal, but still have work to do. Come on. But keep positive." She grabbed his other hand, leaving that one free for Hinata, despite the fact that she wasn't there with them. The whirlwind surrounded them again and they were off, Naruto still clinging to Hinata's phantom hand
"Kitsune, what'll happen when I wake up? Will I never be able to talk to you again?" Naruto asked sadly.
Kitsune smiled. "No, now that we're both aware of the connection, we'll be able to talk to each other and get to know each other. Every now and then, when you're lucky, I'll bring your soul to where mine is." Naruto smiled. "And believe it or not, as most people think, I'm not angry about my imprisonment. It's not only just punishment, but it's actually kind of peaceful around here."
"That's good to hear." Naruto stated as they landed again. He was near his apartment again, but it was a recent memory. He saw Hinata coming to his apartment with some food. She was wearing clothes she had gotten after the chuunin exam. "She won't be able to hear or see me, right?" He asked. Kitsune nodded. Grinning like a fox, he chased after her, following her up the stairs.
Hinata knocked on Naruto's door nervously. He opened the door. "Hinata! How can I help you tonight?" He asked with a grin.
"I was wondering what you eat for dinner." She said clearly, having stopped her stammering and stuttering months ago.
"What I eat for my other meals of course. Ramen." He answered indifferently. "In fact, I was just about to make some. Would you like a cup of ramen?"
"Actually," Hinata began, "I was wondering if you wanted to eat something different. I brought the stuff and want to cook for you tonight."
"Hinata, you don't have to do that." Naruto told her. "Ramen is just fine, so don't go through all that trouble for me." Hinata shook her head.
"It's no trouble. I want to. So will you let me? I won't if you don't want to let me."
"If you really want to." He said, allowing her to enter his apartment. "Sorry about the mess. I wasn't expecting company."
"Oh, that's fine." She said, walking in. "My room is also kinda messy at the moment."
"But that mess had been really bad. So bad she was back the next day with cleaning supplies and making me help her clean." Naruto remembered. He laughed.
"Though after that, you always kept the place clean. Because she would come over at least twice a week to eat with you. You also started buying food other than instant ramen. So that she would not have to bring over the food each time." Kitsune added, a glint in her eyes.
"If there's anyone I would live for, it's that girl." He intoned sadly. "I wouldn't want to make her cry. In fact, I would fight my way back from death and come back to life, just to see her smile again." He said, now happily, remembering when she had started to truly smile around him. It had made her look so beautiful. "And now, I'll do what it takes to go back to her, even if only for a little while."
"Wouldn't she still be sad if you died though?" Kitsune asked.
"I would tell her not to be sad, as my final wish for her. Knowing her, she would not mope long." He explained with a grin. Kitsune smiled and the memory started to fade away, something that hadn't happened yet. "What's happening?!" He asked.
"You now have completed the task necessary for you to survive. You'll be waking up soon. I won't leave you though. I'll always be here should you need me." Kitsune said as she walked away.
"Kitsune! Wait!" He yelled as a bright white light consumed him, tinted with light green, lavender, and even some tannish brown.
He found himself in the same void as before, but this time, it was white, not black, tinted with many, many colors. "Because I saw only the darkness in my life, not the light. I never opened my eyes to see it, even though it was so bright it was almost blinding." He said with a laugh. "I was such a fool."
He heard voices calling out to him and he tried to go to them. But there was no gravity here, and he was having a very hard time in a zero-g environment. And when he couldn't reach them, they came to him. "Naruto!" The two people called in unison.
Naruto recognized the voices. "Hinata? Gaara?" He called as they came into his range of vision. They smiled as they each took one of his hands. For a moment he saw them as they were when they were children and they saw him as he was when he was a child. "Are you here to take me home?" Hinata nodded, crying tears of happiness.
"Yes. Are you ready?" Gaara asked. He nodded and the light consumed him once again.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. An annoying repetitive beeping sound made him wake up. He was in a hospital. The annoying beeping must be the heart monitor. Naruto felt something over his mouth and nose, as well as a needle going into his veins. His chest, neck, arms were heavily bandaged as well, he could tell, as he was very familiar with the feel of bandages. He turned his head slightly to his right.
Hinata had fallen asleep waiting for him to wake up. Her head was on one arm, long black hair splayed around her. Her other arm was away from her body, her hand holding Naruto's. So I'm alive. He noted duly, uncomfortable in the all white room. He noticed the large vase of multicolored flowers and smiled to himself, squeezing Hinata's hand tightly, afraid of slipping back into death.
This woke her up and she sat up half asleep. Her eyes tried to find what had woke her up and she saw Naruto's eyes open. "Naruto, you're finally awake!" She half whispered. "Wait here, I'm going to get the doctor. I'll be right back." She promised, gently loosing his hand from hers.
The doctor quickly said he needed more rest. Gaara walked into the room after the doctor left. "So you're alive?" Gaara asked. He nodded, already exhausted. "We would take off the oxygen mask, but you punctured a lung in the fight." Naruto quietly fell back asleep as Gaara spoke, smiling as he did so.