Wow guys, what a fantastic response to the last chapter! You guys are incredible! I'm sorry this chapter took a little longer than I've been posting…. At least I think it has. If certainly felt like it. It was completed, technically, but some of your reviews compelled me to add an additional scene. I hope it doesn't ruin the flow of things, but I think I pieced it in pretty well.
Also, you wonderful people, you! This story has broken 200 hundred reviews! That blows the rest of my stories completely out of the water! I cannot thank you all enough for your incredible reviews and support!
On that note: Reviews:
Hiashi Sympathiz: Thanks! I hope this one doesn't disappoint!
Haze: I'm so glad to hear that I'm not going to lose you! And that you love this fic! And I wholeheartedly agree, if Kishi doesn't end the series with NaruHina… I cannot even express how dead I will be.
Derpetta: If I remember correctly, you are referring to the fact that I won't be adding a lemon. Sorry to disappoint? Honestly, I don't think I would be able to write a convincing lemon. I myself have never even been kissed, let alone had sex and I would have no idea what I was doing. I think your imagination will serve you much better!
Lisa Jones: Again I say, sorry this chapter was slightly delayed, although it hasn't been a whole week, so I guess I'm not doing that bad, right? Thank you so much! I will agree that there are some fics out there, even in the NaruHina fandom that are not that great. Some are downright painful to read. But there are also so many incredible stories out there that are so much better than this little attempt! Don't believe me? Check out my favorites page! There are plenty!
Chapter 7
XXX
Naruto had never liked hospitals. For one, he didn't really see the point in them. His body had always healed at an exceptional rate, and the overprotective boundaries Sakura and Tsunade always limited him with every single time he was at the hospital drove him out of his mind. The idea that other people were there because they were on the verge of dying also quickly put him off.
Now sitting in Sakura's small office, Naruto added a new item to his list of reasons to hate hospitals. They still had no idea what was wrong with him.
Hinata sat in a chair next to his own, staring across the desk at Sakura, Tsunade, and Ino and listening carefully as they discussed possibilities.
"Diving into Naruto's mind won't do us any good. Even without factoring in Kurama, his mind is like a labyrinth," Ino complained once again. They had been in this meeting for nearly an hour and a half, talking in circles as they tried to brainstorm some way to cure Naruto. "Even if I could get in, how am I supposed to examine memories that aren't there? If Naruto can't even find them, I won't be able to find them. Looking at his missing memories to see what made them go missing in the first place is impossible."
Tsunade sighed, her manicured fingers digging into her forehead as she tried to ward off her migraine.
"Hinata, you are sure that nothing could have happe-"
"She said nothing happened, Granny!" Naruto's temper had finally broken from its leash. The useless talking had been grating on him since the beginning of the meeting and Tsunade's insistence that Hinata must have missed something rankled him. Hinata was intelligent and had always been good with details and Tsunade's unrelenting doubt upset him. A calming hand landed on his forearm and he met Hinata's vibrant eyes, his temper abating instantly. After a significant look that told him she was grateful for his confidence in her and his defense, she turned her focus to the Hokage.
"No, Lady Tsunade. I've gone over everything over and over again, but I can't think of anything. There is no reason he should be unable to remember." Her voice was calm and professional and Naruto tried to emulate her peaceful nature, violently reigning in his temper.
Naruto watched as Tsunade chewed on her tongue thoughtfully, working over every possibility again and again. "And nothing has shown up in the past week? Nothing's been triggered?" Hinata shook her head.
Tsunade sighed again, before shaking her head. "We've done everything we can on our end. We'll keep looking, but we may have to get used to the idea that there is no explanation. Much about the human mind and the brain is still unknown and there is a possibility we will never know or understand what has happened to you, Naruto. Your memory may never return."
Her words were like hammer blows, each one pounding the previous in a little deeper. He felt a small warm hand wrap around his and looked up to see Hinata's ever present encouraging smile, promising him that it was ok if his memory never returned.
"Is that all?" he asked sullenly, turning back to Tsunade.
The Hokage nodded, defeated. "For now, yes. We'll keep looking and you'll know as soon as we find something. Try to stay positive, ok?"
As soon as he was out of the hospital Naruto lifted his face to soak up the sunshine. The heat dulled his disappointment a little and he pushed it from his mind. He felt Hinata tug on his hand and looked at her, appreciating the way the bright sunlight highlighted her skin and made her dark hair shine.
"Why don't we stop by the shopping district?" she proposed. "I think you could use some cheering up and nothing makes you happier than new gear. We've got some time still before I told Hanabi we'd be back to get Jiraiya."
Naruto couldn't hide his smile as he pulled Hinata into his arms and hugged her tightly. She seemed surprised but melted into him easily, returning his embrace with just as much affection and enthusiasm.
"What would I do without you, Hinata?" he asked, smiling into her hair.
She giggled a little and mumbled into his neck. "Be a lot less confused right now, I would imagine."
Naruto shrugged as he pulled away enough to see her face. "Maybe," He admitted honestly. "But a lot less happy. Now come on!"
He enthusiastically began pulling her toward the shopping district, determined to keep a light mood. "I want to see how much gear has improved in the last five years!"
XXX
Contrary to popular belief, Hinata Hyuga was not the human incarnation of naivety and innocence. Despite the fact that she felt she had absolutely no ability to flirt, she could easily recognize when other women did. She had watched Ino and Sakura for years, hoping to one day be able to emulate them and catch Naruto's eye. Needless to say it hadn't yielded many results and Naruto had finally seen her for entirely different reasons, but even after being in a serious, safe, and encouraging relationship with him for nearly five years, Hinata still considered herself a miserable failure and knew that no matter how hard she tried, she would never be able to accomplish the level of professionalism that perfect specimen was exemplifying across the market with her own husband. For once, Hinata thanked Kami for Naruto's all-encompassing ignorance towards female advances.
When the two had reached the shopping district they had meandered from window to stall to window, browsing the selection before something had caught Hinata's eye. She had stayed to examine it and Naruto had spied something interesting a little farther down the street. With a blessing from Hinata, he had eagerly zipped down the street to look at a selection of custom kunai, the perfect image of a kid in a candy story. When Hinata had finished her own browsing she had turned to find a woman advancing on her husband.
Hinata watched from a distance as the slim leggy blonde tossed her hair and laughed, resting a hand on Naruto's arm for a moment. Despite her instincts screaming at her to march over there and send that floozy sailing for the hills, Hinata was curious to see what Naruto would do. Despite his promise to not leave her, Hinata was intensely aware of the fact that Naruto did not remember how he loved her. Being told you love someone, and actually feeling the emotion coursing through your veins were two very different things she mused as the blonde shifted her weight, swinging her hip to the side and smiling charmingly.
When the woman faked a stumble and fell against Naruto's chest Hinata decided she'd seen enough. Why any woman would fake a clumsiness that rivaled her own natural propensity in an attempt to attract men was beyond her understanding and Hinata quickly slipped through the throng of market goers to put an end to it.
A small frown graced Hinata's face; the woman was laying it on a little thick, she decided. Naruto had only just managed to steady her when Hinata reached them and he smiled brightly as he greeted her.
"Hey, 'Nata! I was wondering where you'd run off to," he said, using her much missed nickname as he casually looped an arm over her shoulders. Hinata was 98% sure he didn't even realize he was doing it, but since she had told him of her pregnancy that morning and he'd declared he wasn't going anywhere, he had ramped up his physical affection to almost the same level as before that awful morning on their way home from Waterfall, seemingly embracing the idea that she was, in fact, his wife of four years. She had a sneaking suspicion it was one of those things his body remembered but his brain didn't, and had decided not to make a fuss about it but simply bask in the warmth of his growing (or hopefully returning) affection.
She wrapped an arm around his waist, settling under his arm easily and turned her attention to the tall woman before them. She tried not to sound defensive when she politely asked, "Who is this?"
"This is Katei!" Naruto announced with a flourish of his hand in the woman's direction. He hadn't noticed the sour expression that flitted briefly across the woman's face, nor the way she had stiffened when he'd wrapped his arm around Hinata, but she certainly had. Hinata had sharp eyes and she hadn't missed a single nuance of the surprise, annoyance, anger, and jealousy that had rapidly flashed across the other woman's face. Hinata's fingers briefly pressed into Naruto's side a tad more firmly as she stomped down the wave of jealous possessiveness that welled up inside her, and the arm around her shoulders tightened a bit in response as he flourished at her now. "Katei, this is my wife, Hinata."
"It's nice to meet you," Hinata said politely, offering her hand. Katei hesitated a fraction too long before grasping her hand. She shook it once and then yanked her hand back to her side stiffly.
"Katei's in the village trying to set up a trade agreement between us and her little village in Rice Country. She was asking if I knew any good places to set up shop, but I'm not much help, what with everything going on," Naruto continued bashfully rubbing the back of his neck, blissfully unaware of the tense atmosphere between the women.
Katei's attention snapped back to Naruto and she pointedly ignored Hinata as she flipped her hair again, smiling that charming smile. "Speaking of which, I'd better get going. Lots of work to do if we hope to get anywhere. Bye, Naru." She wiggled her fingers in a prissy little wave and winked over her shoulder as she turned and disappeared into the crowd. Naruto waved, still incredibly blind to the woman's overbearing affection and turned his full attention to Hinata.
"You about done here? We should probably get back to the Compound and pick up Jiraiya. I bet he's driving your sister crazy! You ok?" His eyes clouded with concern as he noticed her furrowed expression and squeezed her shoulders gently.
Hinata didn't want to seem petty and jealous so she shook her head and dodged. "I'm just feeling a little nauseous is all, nothing to worry about."
Naruto grimaced sympathetically. "Man, this baby sure is sending you through the wringer, isn't it. Maybe we should go back to the hospital and have Granny take a look at you."
Hinata saw her chance and she took it. If he was going to use the baby as an excuse, that was fine with her. Shaking her head, she gave him a small smile and answered, "No, I'll be fine. This is nothing compared to when I was carrying Jiraiya." It wasn't exactly a lie. You couldn't really compare morning sickness to watching some floozy drape herself all over your amnesiac husband, Hinata reasoned. The fact that Naruto had no idea she was referring to two entirely different things was neither here, nor there. "I'm done. We can head to the Estate." Naruto took her excuse without a second thought, and for once, Hinata thanked the fact that without his memory he couldn't read her like a book anymore as he steered her in the direction of the Compound.
XXX
"What the hell was that?!" Katei yelled, a vein pulsing in her forehead as she shoved Rei through the door of their room. "Why the hell was he still with her? You were supposed to erase her!" This was the first time they had spotted Naruto in the village and Katei was not pleased with how her encounter with him had turned out. His wife interrupting them had not been a pleasant surprise and Rei had worried Katei would do something to blow their cover in her shock.
Even so, Rei's temper flared now. "I did all I could! It's a miracle I erased as much as I did. I told you my jutsu wouldn't work. It's meant to seal away small things, like when intelligence is leaked. It was designed to lock away small sections, a few minutes, a few hours at best. You asked me to lock away years! Make him forget an entire person!" Katei did not back down in the face of Rei's anger.
"I wanted her gone! Out of his life! Why didn't your jutsu work?" She screeched, a crazed glint in her murky green eyes.
"I don't know. The jutsu not working as we wanted could have been for any number of reasons." Rei tried to regain a calm façade, not wanting to antagonize Katei more, but this glitch was not her fault. "Maybe it's because he's a jinchuriki and he has a demon inside his head. Maybe it's because it's him. He's not exactly a normal shinobi. Maybe it didn't work because I was never very good at using it, like I told you from the beginning, or maybe it didn't work because that wasn't what the jutsu was designed to do!"
"Fix this!" Katei wailed, stamping her foot.
"It's. Not. Possible!" Rei yelled back. "You asked me to use a jutsu for something completely different from what it was designed for, without nearly enough preparation, from a distance, without being detected by the most powerful shinobi of our time and his sensory-type wife. The fact that it worked at all and that the seal hasn't been discovered yet is unbelievable." Not for the first time Rei cursed herself for getting involved with this radically maniac woman. But she'd had no choice. She had needed the money and Katei had made the job sound easy and innocent. Now, however, the stakes had risen and it wasn't worth it anymore.
Looking up from the warped table Rei met Katei's green eyes. "I'm done. The jutsu didn't work, and if we get caught we could be executed for treason. Naruto Uzumaki is the hero of the entire world, and messing with him is so far out of my league I never even considered you'd go this far. I should never have even tried the jutsu in the first place. It's not worth it anymore, and I'm gone." Rei stood and moved to grab her bag before walking to the door.
Katei's quiet threat stopped her in her tracks. "If you don't fix this I will sell your sister myself."
Rei felt as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped on her. Slowly she looked over her shoulder to meet Katei's gaze, hoping she had managed to hide her fear. "What are you talking about?"
"I figured you might try to back out on me at some point. I found myself a security net. Your sister is back at the village, in Rice, under the careful watch of my men. At the first notice, she can be on a ship to the West. I've heard whores from the East are in high demand, something about our exotic looks or something."
Rei looked at Katei's smug expression, not even bothering to hide the fear anymore. She couldn't walk out now, with her baby sister dragged into the mess. Katei knew she'd won before Rei had even dropped her bag.
XXX
Hanabi was watching Jiraiya in the garden when Hinata and Naruto arrived. The toddler was fast asleep on a blanket by the pond and the shadows from the sakura tree played across his face as he slept.
"Any luck?" Hanabi asked, standing and stepping through the flowers to them.
Hinata felt Naruto's shoulders slump beside her and she squeezed his hand gently as she answered her sister.
"No, unfortunately not. Lady Tsunade said we may have to start thinking about accepting the possibility Naruto's memories may never return." She put on a brave face for her little sister, but inside Hinata was torn about how she really felt. On the one hand, it wasn't Naruto's fault and she in no way blamed him. She knew he had been trying his best to remember their life together and deal with the challenges thrown at them and she loved him all the more for his perseverance.
On the other hand, the last five years of her life had easily been the best she had ever lived. When she was younger she had always daydreamed about what a life with Naruto would be like. Even her most fantastic fantasies didn't hold a candle to how absolutely perfect the reality was. It hurt that she was now the only one, and may always be the only one, that remembered those times.
That just makes them all the more special she mused.
"Hey, Hanabi?" The Hyuga sisters turned to Naruto in unison. He had spoken softly, a direct contrast to his usual boisterous levels. Both girls had learned to listen carefully when Naruto was in one of these rare moods.
"Umm, yeah?"
"Are you busy for the next few hours?" The question was unexpected and Hinata saw the surprise flash across her sister's face before she shook her head. "Do you think you could watch Jiraiya for a few more hours for us?"
Hanabi raised an eyebrow and looked at her sister, asking what Naruto meant. Hinata simply shrugged, as confused as Hanabi.
"Uh, yeah, I guess. Why? Do you guys need to go back to the hospital or something?"
Naruto shook his head and a smile stole across his face. "No, I want to take Hinata on a date!" His arm wrapped around her shoulders as he said it and he pulled her against his side firmly.
"A what?" she gasped. She knew her eyes must be as wide as dinner plates but that was the last thing she had expected him to say.
"A date," he repeated, and Hinata did not miss the teasing in his voice. "Come'on, Hinata, you know what a date is, don't you? I took you on dates before, didn't I?"
"W-well, yes, of course," she sputtered, trying to catch up with him. Where was this coming from? "But I didn't think you would want to go on one now."
"Why wouldn't I? I want to show off my pretty, pregnant wife!" he exclaimed, wrapping his other arm around her and holding her tight.
"Your what?!" Hinata jumped at the outburst. She had completely forgotten Hanabi was even there! "You're pregnant again?" Hanabi's pale eyes were about to fall out of her sockets and Hinata felt the blush flare in her cheeks.
"Oh yeah! Hanabi, guess what?" Naruto obviously had no intention of making Hanabi guess anything because he forged on without any hint of a pause. "Hinata's gonna have another baby! I'm gonna be a dad!"
"When did this happen?" Hanabi had barely spared Naruto a glance, her entire focus centered on her sister, as if she was seeing her for the first time. Hinata resisted the urge to fidget under her sister's penetrating stare. Naruto's arm was still around her and she drew comfort from the heavy weight across her shoulders.
"A couple of months ago?" she offered timidly. "I didn't know until we had returned to the village and I didn't really want it getting around."
Hanabi still looked shocked, but she picked her jaw up off the grass and valiantly tried to take the news in stride, with a fair amount of success. "Congratulations," she told them still clearly bewildered.
Naruto didn't seem to quite comprehend the sheer magnitude of what he had just revealed and smiled widely. "Thanks, Hanabi! So, do you think you can watch Jiraiya for a little longer?"
Hanabi finally managed to drag her eyes away from her sister. She gave herself a small shake and then answered. "Yeah, yeah, no problem. If something comes up I can leave him with Dad."
"Thanks! You're the best!" Naruto crowed and then expertly steered Hinata out of the garden.
Naruto's arm remained securely around Hinata's shoulders as he led her through the village and Hinata didn't really know what else to do but follow him. He seemed happier than he had all week and if taking her on a date was what it took to make him happy, Hinata wasn't going to complain. She was curious about where they were going though.
"Naruto, what exactly do you have in mind?" she asked and was surprised, and slightly worried, when his jaunty pace faltered a little. He recovered quickly though and his free hand rubbed the back of his neck as he smiled at her bashfully.
"I was thinking we could have lunch at Ichiraku's. I know it's lame, but I really wanted to do this, and I've never taken a girl on a date before and I really wanted to take you out, and it's all I could think of without a lot of planning." His voice grew smaller the more he talked until it finally petered out and Hinata wrapped her arm around his waist and gave a tight squeeze.
"It's perfect!" She pulled him to a stop for a moment and reached up on her tiptoes to place a kiss on his cheek. She only just managed to keep from giggling when his entire body tensed for a moment and his mouth fell open, a foggy dazzled look flooding his face with a goofy grin. His senses returned to him a moment later and he smiled at her hopefully.
"Really? This is ok?" He was anxious, she could tell, very much like he had been on their second date. He hadn't known enough on their first to be anxious.
She laughed and nodded, pulling him down the street to continue toward the ramen stand. "Of course it is, Naruto. It will be just like our first date all over again." A moment after she said it she froze up and looked at him like she expected him to yell at her. "I wasn't supposed to tell you that."
Naruto jumped at the scrap of information eagerly. "Wait! You mean I took you to Ichiraku's for our first date?" His previous worries that she would be upset that he hadn't done something bigger were forgotten in his excitement to discover something new about their relationship. Hinata didn't answer, still looking like she had just committed a terrible crime and Naruto sighed, looking at her seriously.
"It's fine, Hinata. I know Granny said you shouldn't tell me stuff in case my memory comes back, but she also said it may never come back. I want to remember us. I want to know how we started and where we went and what we did and if you liked the birthday presents I gave you… I did give you birthday presents, right?" She nodded hesitantly and his smile returned. "I want to know everything. Did you like going to Ichiraku's?"
She still hesitated and Naruto took her hands in his, turning to face her. "Hinata. Come on. This is going to be a lot harder if you're always walking on eggshells trying not to give anything away."
She chewed on her lip for a moment more before she answered him. "I liked our first date. The place didn't really matter, I was just excited you had asked me to go."
He grinned that adorable boyish grin and took an infinitesimal step closer to her. "Really?"
His enthusiasm eased her anxiety and she relaxed, returning his smile. She nodded again and laughed a little at the memory. "Really. Sakura, Ino, and TenTen were less impressed."
Naruto frowned now. "Why the hell did they care? I didn't ask them!"
Hinata laughed and tugged on Naruto's hand, once again starting their walk to Ichiraku's. He fell in to step behind her and laced their fingers together. "They had been waiting for us to get together for years. I think we were sort of their… real life fairytale. They weren't very happy that you had taken me to a 'crummy ramen stand' for the date I had been 'waiting my entire life for'. I think they must have really been upset with you because you spent nearly three weeks planning the picnic you took me on for our second date. And you were much more nervous about ruining something the second time." Hinata laughed to herself again, remembering Naruto anxiously shifting every five seconds and stumbling over himself and his words as he tried to talk.
When they finally reached Ichiraku and took their seats, Teuchi greeted them warmly.
"Hey, kids! I was wondering when you two were going to come by. How was your anniversary?" The man smiled widely at the couple and both looked at each other, not sure what to say. Naruto floundered for a moment before Hinata managed to cover for them.
"It was wonderful. I've always loved Waterfall and Naruto planned a wonderful trip. It was nice to relax for a while." Hinata spoke easily. She had come to really like Teuchi and his daughter Ayame and she spoke the truth, the trip had been wonderful. She was hyperaware of Naruto watching her closely, soaking up the little snippits of their past.
"But it's always good to be home again, right?" Teuchi asked, smiling widely at his favorite customers. Hinata smiled in return and Teuchi jumped to business, clapping. "So, the usual?"
The ramen stand was busier than Naruto ever remembered it being. After Pein's invasion, Teuchi had taken the opportunity to expand from a small little bar to a slightly larger venue. The bar still remained, it was something of a tradition, but it had been expanded, and small tables had been set out in front of the bar, so diners could enjoy their food under the warm Konoha sky. Because Teuchi and Ayame had other customers to deal with, Naruto and Hinata were allowed a small amount of privacy.
"So, you really like Waterfall, huh?" Naruto asked after slurping up some noodles. Hinata swallowed her
own mouthful before answering and Naruto reminded himself to watch his manners.
"Yes, I love it there. I don't know if you remember, but I have a water nature affinity and Waterfall is like a whole other world. I know it's silly, but it just feels different to be so surrounded by my chakra nature like that. You took me there for our honeymoon." Naruto watched, enchanted by the way Hinata's eyes lit up when she spoke. He hadn't known her nature affinity was water, but it made sense. It showed itself in her calm and flowing nature. He did not miss the small tidbit about their past, either, and he carefully filed it away.
Naruto's earlier prodding that Hinata couldn't keep walking on eggshells afraid of letting anything slip seemed to have done wonders. As they ate, he asked any question he could think of and Hinata answered readily. When they finished Naruto asked for the bill but Teuchi waved him off.
"On the house!" he announced, wiping his hands on a dish cloth. When Naruto began to protest Teuchi shook his head firmly. "Consider it an anniversary gift," he suggested and then turned away to make more ramen. Naruto looked at Hinata, who was watching him with raised eyebrows and shrugged. He offered her his hand, which she took readily, and together they stepped out into the bright afternoon sun. They began meandering back up the main street to return to the Compound, their hands swinging lightly between them, when Naruto caught sight of a familiar flash of white hair.
Kakashi, accompanied by Yamato and Sai, was walking in the opposite direction, from the Hokage tower and he smiled through his mask at the couple and waved.
"Hey, you two," he greeted cheerfully, his one visible eye smiling at them. Yamato and Sai looked upset about something, but Kakashi's easy manner didn't seem affected by them. "Back from your trip?"
"Yeah, did you guys just get back from your mission?" Naruto asked, eyeing their ANBU gear.
"Indeed we did, Naruto. We just finished reporting to Lady Tsunade, in fact. I was going to request Hinata's assistance for a follow-up mission but I was informed that you were on leave." Kakashi's mood remained light and easy as he directed the question to Hinata but there was an underlying tone that implied he knew more than his words said.
Hinata blushed a little at his indirect directness, but nodded. "Yes, I've been put on maternity leave-"
"Oh yeah! Guess what Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto interrupted excitedly. "Hinata's going to have a baby! My baby!"
"I was also informed that you couldn't take her place on the mission because you were having some problems of your own." Kakashi's response was smooth and fluid, but carried a steel and Naruto's excitement faltered instantly.
"She told you about that?" he asked in a small voice, and Hinata squeezed his hand, still laced with hers, and leaned into his arm in support.
"She did," Kakashi confirmed, his smile now gone as he watched Naruto closely. He waited a moment for Naruto to meet his eye, but when the younger man didn't, Kakashi spoke again, this time, his voice softer. "Are you ok?" The question was more than a simple inquiry into Naruto's wellbeing. Kakashi was asking if Naruto was managing to keep up with all of the surprises flying at him. How was he handling everything?
Naruto looked up at his trusted teacher and a small smile, one of his real, honest smiles that still managed to show the pain he was working through, lifted the corner of his mouth. "Yeah," he answered, turning to Hinata and wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "Yeah, I am. I've got Hinata here."
Hinata smiled back at him warmly, her arm wrapping tightly around his waist in return, before the couple looked back to Kakashi, Yamato, and Sai.
"Then I'll leave it at that," Kakashi said, his smile returning.
"Wait, you don't have some sort of jutsu that will help?" Naruto asked anxiously.
Kakashi shook his head, his hands buried in his pockets. "I'm afraid not. The jutsu I have copied have been almost strictly combat oriented. I always left the mind games to men like Ibiki and Inoichi." When Naruto turned to Yamato and Sai, both still standing patiently a step behind Kakashi, the Jonin stopped him. "Yamato and Sai won't be much help either. They've both had their own troubles with memories running amok. I'm sorry, Naruto, but in this, your team won't be much help."
Naruto's shoulders slumped but he nodded in understanding. Yamato stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder encouragingly. "We may not hold the answers you need, but we'll be here if there's anything we can do, Naruto." Naruto's eyes met Yamato's and he smiled in thanks.
"Yeah. I know. Thanks, Yamato."
Perhaps feeling the need to personally offer his own support, Sai stepped forward as well, one of his practiced smiles in place. "Yes, Naruto. If you find you are incapable of accomplishing the things your forgotten self has laid the groundwork for, we will be here to help. I would consider it a great honor to help a friend in need, if you decide you cannot properly care for your wife or son-" Yamato's hand slapped over Sai's mouth and he quickly made an excuse.
"I think Sai is a little beat from the mission, I'll take him home!" he announced before quickly steering the younger shinobi away.
Naruto's arm had tightened around Hinata's shoulder at Sai's words and he glared after the pair quickly disappearing down the street. "I see he's changed about as much as Sasuke," he muttered sarcastically.
"He means well," Kakashi replied. "Congratulations, Hinata, on your pregnancy. I wish you all the best. Now if you don't mind I'm going to follow Yamato's advice and head home. Later." And with a cheerful wave, Kakashi poofed out of sight.
Hinata waited for moment, watching as Naruto stared at the place Kakashi had been, and tightened the arm around his waist. "Are you ok?" she asked softly.
Heaving a sigh, Naruto met her eyes and smiled that small little smile again. "Yeah, I'm good. I know I shouldn't be surprised, but I was kind of hoping Kakashi would have an answer for all of this when he came home. He just knows so much, I thought for sure he would have something…We should get back, Jiraiya will be wondering where we ran off to." He made to continue down the road and Hinata followed him, allowing him his silence until they had nearly arrived at the Compound. Just before they turned the corner she pulled him to the side and stopped.
Naruto looked down at her, confused, but Hinata didn't explain herself. Slowly, making sure not to startle him, and maybe to give him time to refuse, Hinata placed her hands on both of his cheeks, cradling his face gently and rose on her toes to place a kiss on his lips. For his part, Naruto stood very, very still for a moment, as if he was afraid she would stop if he reacted, but he couldn't stop himself from kissing her back. Just as in the kitchen, Naruto's body remembered what to do and took over for his brain.
His hands rose to her waist, pulling her flush against him and taking some of her weight off of her toes so she didn't have to stretch so much. If he also did it because he wanted to hold her closer, what did it matter?
The kiss was gentler than the one in the kitchen, which had been fueled by surprise on Hinata's part and a desperation on Naruto's, and that had been cut drastically shorter than either would have preferred by their son. This kiss was slow, unhurried, as Naruto enjoyed the feeling of Hinata's lips working against his insistently and he paid careful attention to what she was doing, trying to copy it. Her fingers were playing with his hair and he hummed quietly against her lips at the light tugging. She pulled away first, leaving him in a slight daze as he stared down at her.
"Thank you. I had a wonderful time today," she said, her arms wrapped comfortably around his neck. His chest swelled with a masculine pride and he set her back on her feet, although he didn't let go. And he didn't plan on letting go if he could help it.
XXX
Later that night, Naruto sat on the couch, Jiraiya curled against his chest as he read a children's book to him. Hinata was preparing an early dinner in the kitchen when the peaceful evening was interrupted by heavy pounding on the front door. Before either Hinata or Naruto could move to answer it, the front door slammed open and Kiba Inuzuka triumphantly marched into the small apartment followed by Shino, Shikamaru, Choji, Sasuke, Sai, and Lee.
"Yo, Naruto!" Kiba bellowed. He ruffled Jiraiya's blond hair after slapping Naruto on the shoulder roughly.
"Do ya have to be so damn loud, Kiba?" Naruto complained, shrugging the dog-man's hand off. By this time, Hinata had stepped out of the kitchen, drying her hands on a dish towel.
"Language, Naruto," she chided softly, reminding him with a look that Jiraiya was present, before looking at the assembly in her living room. "What's going on, Kiba?" she asked curiously.
"We are here to collect your husband!" Kiba announced, wrapping an arm around her shoulders in a brotherly hug.
"Collect?" Naruto parroted, sounding annoyed as Jiraiya shifted in his arms, startled by the unexpected crowd.
"It is our 'Men's Night Out', and seeing as you missed out on our gathering last week, we feel it is only right we make sure you attend tonight, Dickless," Sai offered helpfully. Naruto vaguely wondered if it was a blessing or a curse that Sai had not changed.
Naruto chaffed at the old nickname, resisting the urge to sock the artist in the face. "I thought you stopped calling me that after Hinata got pregnant with Jiraiya," he complained. He had quizzed Hinata most of the afternoon about his relations with each of his friends specifically, focusing a lot of attention on his teammates.
Sai smiled back at him and nodded. "Yes, I did. But I figured the name fit again seeing as you don't remember concievin-" About four different fists slammed into Sai roughly and a hand slapped over his mouth before he could finish his sentence, all of the men glancing warily at Hinata.
A light blush dusted her cheeks, but she sucked in a deep breath and took it in stride, deciding not to comment on the details of her and Naruto's sex life in front of the men she'd known since childhood. "Froggy, can you go play in your room for a bit?" she asked. The toddler nodded and after Naruto lowered him to the floor he waved at all of his uncles and dashed into his room. She tactfully changed the subject back to the matter at hand.
"You want to take him bar hopping?" She directed her question to the more sensible men, Shikamaru, Shino, and Sasuke.
Shikamaru was the one that answered, shaking his head. "No, we decided we'd start him off with something a little easier. We're going to Kiba's apartment and we're just going to play cards, drink a little, and talk."
Hinata looked skeptical and Kiba rushed to hold his ground. "Come on, Hinata. Tsunade said he should do all of the normal stuff, and Game Night is normal. We're even all in the village! That doesn't happen that often."
"Hey, who said I want to go play dumb old cards with you guys in the first place?" Naruto demanded, rising from the couch and moving to stand by Hinata.
"No, I think you should go," she said as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. He gaped at her for a moment and she looked back at the men crowded into her small apartment. "Boys, can you give us a minute?" she asked sweetly and without a word, the men nodded and filed out the door. Turning back to Naruto, Hinata looked him in the eye. "I think this is a good idea."
He shot her a skeptical look and was about to give his rebuttal but Hinata held up her hand and rushed forward. "You were just saying this afternoon that you wished you didn't have to rely on me for everything. I don't mind, but if you want to stop relying on me you're going to have to go off on your own. I think it would be good for you to spend time with all the boys as a group. Maybe it will jog something."
Naruto grimaced. He had been looking forward to a quiet night at home with Hinata and Jiraiya. He had decided he was going to start at square one with their relationship. He was going to try to fall in love with her again and the next step after their date earlier that day, in his mind, was to spend a night in with her. He wouldn't have to worry about saying something stupid because he didn't remember something, or pretending that his still MIA memories didn't upset him. He could just wrap himself around Hinata and watch a movie or something. At the same time, the idea of spending time with the guys was somewhat tempting and he reasoned that perhaps he could pump them for information about their relationship and Hinata in general. The last time he had spent time with all of them had been on a battlefield glaring down Madara. That you remember he reminded himself darkly.
"Are you sure?" he asked again, hoping she would change her mind. "I promised Jiraiya I would play a game with him."
Hinata nodded confidently. "I'll distract him. This will be good. You go ahead." She laid a hand on his chest reassuringly and Naruto hesitated a moment before timidly lowering his head to hers. He brushed his lips lightly against hers, a thrill rushing through him when she kissed him back.
"Ok, if you're sure," he tried one last time. When she nodded he dismally accepted his fate. "I'll go say bye to Jiraiya."
XXX
It hadn't been very late when Naruto had left the apartment with the boys, accompanied by enthusiastic cheering and backslapping. There was still a while before the sun set and in order to distract Jiraiya from his father's sudden absence, Hinata had offered to take him to the park. The toddler had enthusiastically agreed, dragging his mother to the door and tugging on his shoes.
Hinata kept one eye on Jiraiya as he scrambled around the playground, but couldn't keep her mind from straying to Naruto. She hoped the boys weren't being too rough with him. It had only been a little over a week since his memory had disappeared, but Hinata knew the men of the Konoha Twelve would have little sympathy. She just hoped her husband would be returned to her in one piece.
"Help, please! I need your help! It's my sister!" The ragged scream pulled her from her thoughts.
Hinata couldn't hide the surprise on her face as a young woman burst out of the woods and sprinted toward her and all thoughts of Naruto were driven from her mind. In an instant, Hinata took in details and saw that the woman was maybe only a few years older than herself. She had coppery hair pulled into a bun at the back of her head and was about average height. Hinata had never seen her before, but there was no denying the panic in the brown eyes.
"Please!" The woman reached her and took Hinata firmly by the shoulders. "Please, it's my sister, she's hurt and I don't know what to do!"
Hinata's calm shinobi demeanor kicked in. Speaking in a soothing voice she gently removed the hysterical woman's hands from her shoulders. "Calm down and explain what's going on. I'm a shinobi, I can help, but I need you to stay calm and tell me what happened." Hinata shifted, putting herself between the young woman and her son as the toddler watched on from the swings. She didn't think this stranger posed much of a threat, but it never hurt to be cautious.
"We were playing in the forest. She was climbing trees and she fell. She screamed and then passed out. I didn't dare move her. I think something happened to her back. Please! Please, help me!" she begged, tears shining in her eyes.
"Ok, everything is going to be ok. I know some medical jutsu. If you take me to her, I can help and then we'll get her to the hospital, ok?" The woman nodded frantically and then began tugging Hinata toward the trees.
Hinata resisted and called Jiraiya to her. "Froggy, come here." The toddler tore his wide blue eyes away from the woman and ran to his mother as fast as he could. He wrapped his arms around her tightly when she lifted him to her hip.
"Mama, what's wrong with 'er?" he asked in a quiet voice, looking scared.
"Her little sister was hurt and she's worried. We're going to go help, ok?" Hinata told him, smoothing down his wild blond hair in an effort to comfort him as she followed the still frantic woman at a quick pace. "Everything's going to be ok," she promised him as he buried his face in her shoulder, shaking just a little. Hinata fought down the protective urge that welled up inside her. She hated worrying her son, but there was nothing for it. Someone needed help and Hinata didn't have time to get someone else to watch him.
The anxious woman led Hinata through the trees quickly, pushing their pace to a jog in some places and as the sky over head began to darken further uneasiness began to simmer inside her. She was about to question the woman just how far into the woods she and her sister had been 'playing' when the trees suddenly broke into a clearing. Against the far side, backed by more trees, stood a raggedy shack.
Hinata's instincts screamed for her to run and her Byakugan flared to life searching the clearing for an injured girl as she held Jiraiya just a bit tighter.
"What's going on?" she asked in a low voice. Hinata's guide had stopped, her back still facing Hinata and she flinched at the question. When she turned, the panicked frantic look in her eye had been replaced with regret, sorrow, and an apology.
"My sister really is in trouble," she said, her voice wavering slightly. "And the only way I can save her is to bring you here. I'm sorry."
Hinata's Byakugan caught a flash from behind her right before an arrow slammed into the back of her shoulder and darkness took over.
XXX
Ok, so Katei is not a misspelling of 'Katie'. As far as I could figure, it is a very vague reference to 'home wrecker' in Japanese. Do with that information as you like.
So now, things are beginning to happen! This chapter is actually where I got the idea for this entire story. I was thinking about how whenever the hero of a story goes to do something and things go wrong but they triumphantly overcome the issue is great but why does that never happen to a villain? Why does the villain's plan go off without a hitch, except for when the hero comes in and starts breaking things? What would happen to a story, if the antagonist's plan didn't work the way it was supposed to and they had to improvise. And so Rei, her jutsu, and Katei were born. Let me know what you think now that the beginnings of the plot have been revealed!
Happy reading! Tenneyshoes
Also, I would like to take a moment, although it really has absolutely nothing to do with this story, and many of you probably will not really care about this, to mention Robin Williams, a man who, although of course I never met, had an impact on me. As a thespian I have a slightly different view of the arts, both in live theatre and in film, than most people. I like to watch movies for the sake of movie, yes, but I also love to analyze them, their plot, the acting, the tech, all of it. Robin Williams was an actor that I absolutely loved. He was so incredibly gifted and talented and he brought so much laughter and joy and happiness to so many people through his gift for acting and improv. I have my own religious views on where he is now, as I'm sure all of you do as well, but I hope we can all agree that he was a fantastic, incredible, amazing man, and he will be desperately missed. Not that the words of a dumb girl on the internet trying to be an author with borrowed characters matter, but my heart and condolences go out to his family and friends, and I wish them and him the very best in where they go from here. Rest in Peace, Robin Williams.
