Happy Wednesday!

Got another chapter. Oh and Q&A!

Q: About how Midnight commented about put Naruto above the world and others... I wonder if Midnight could do the same... Could she put Naruto above Kurama and the other 'fox demons'?

A: Well of course she would. Mates consider each other before all. That doesn't mean they disregard others. They can love each other strongly without sacrificing others in their society. Their society is a billion mated pairs, individuals souls, linked together in a unbreakable bond. Each pair of course considers their mate first, but no individual pair will break the bond between their entire family. It should make more since as we go along. Basically, no one sacrifices others for their own gains. They all fail or they all succeed. Yet they remain individuals. I'm essentially modeling their society off of the ideal society where people maintain their individuality but all the problems that plague humanity are gone. If you have suggestions for how that society would/should look, let me know!

Q: Why leave the last chapter on a cliff hanger!?

A: I'm sorry! I didn't mean to. I felt like you didn't really need to see their conversation because you, the audience, already know the pieces. I did give a more detailed explanation of that conversation in this chapter though. I'll try not to do cliffy's for the future. I hate cliffhangers as well~

"Kyuubi Speech"

"Midnight Speech"

"Everyone else's speech"

"Thought Speech"

Chapter 36
On with the story

"Choji."

"Here."

"Ino."

"Here."

"Hinata."

"..."

Iruka looked up to Hinata's seat. Most everyone's head swiveled to the back of the class where Hinata would normally sit. Naruto stared at Hinata's empty seat with a small frown.

"That's three days in a row now." Naruto thought in a worried tone.

Midnight narrowed her gaze.

"Do you think..." She began through the demonic link.

"I think so. It's time to visit her."

Hinata stared down at the pages of a book laid out in front of her. Her eyes were glazed over, head bowed. The letters were blurry, the girl lost in her own thoughts. She'd been on the same page for an hour now.

A sudden cracking sound snapped her out of her daze. She turned her gaze to the side before going wide eyed.

Naruto stood outside of her window, the boy wiggling his fingers towards her with a gentle smile. Hinata gasped and immediately rushed over to him, opening her window. She then jumped out of the window and into Naruto's embrace, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Oh Naru-kun. I'm so sorry." She whispered in a shaky voice.

Naruto secured his arms around her waist, looking down at her with a cheerful expression. He nuzzled his nose into hers.

"It's ok. Why are you apologizing? What's going on? Are you ok?"

Naruto noticed immediately that Hinata was quietly whispering to him instead of speaking normally. The girl bit into her bottom lip nervously.

"He knows." Hinata stated cryptically.

Naruto immediately knew who Hinata was referring to. Naruto released a little sigh while nodding in understanding.

"I know. I'm the one that should be apologizing to you." Naruto spoke out solemnly.

Hinata shook her head.

"No Naruto. Please don't. I just...don't know what to do. I'm not allowed to go back to school anymore. Apparently he's known about you, the real you, for a long time. He...called you a demon. I know that's what you are technically but...the way he said it..." Hinata trailed off, the girl looking away tentatively.

Naruto closed his eyes, clearly upset by the revelation that Hiashi had revealed to Hinata what he knew. But more so the entire situation. The blonde cleared his thoughts.

"Tell me everything that he told you." Naruto instructed.

Hinata nodded obediently.

"I think everything. Everything that you already showed me. He told me that you are the one who attacked the village. That you were a demon, the son of the Nine Tailed Fox. That you were evil. He didn't tell me anything I didn't already know, that you haven't already told me. Except, apparently the only reason he let me spend so much time with you was so you could have a close friend in the village. They want to use our friendship, or...closeness to manipulate you. He didn't say that outright but I can tell what he meant." Hinata went on in a near panic, still speaking softly.

Naruto took it all in silently. What would this mean for their future? Hinata swiveled her head around in a paranoid fashion.

"I don't know how long I can talk. He's here right now. When he's not here he always has someone watching me. They may even be watching right now." Hinata spoke out in fear.

Naruto gave an understanding nod while raising an hand to lightly caress the back of Hinata's head, drawing her attention up to his violet eyes.

"It's ok. I'll visit often. I'll...find a way to make this right Hinata-chan." Naruto spoke out hesitantly.

Hinata noticed his lack of confidence in that sentence.

"But how Naru-kun? I'm scared. I don't know what he'll do if he catches us. I don't know what to do. He's my father. I've been stuck here...I...I just don't know what to do."

"Shhh." Naruto whispered before placing a kiss against her head and tightening his embrace around her body.

He just held her for a while, letting her enjoy his embrace. Her entire body was quivering.

"How do I make this right?" He thought to himself.

As his brain moved a mile a minute the golden fox ears atop Naruto's head twitched.

"He's coming." Naruto stated simply.

Hinata nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Oh Gods." She whispered in a panic before pulling away from Naruto and hopping back through the window.

She returned to her desk, lowering her head over that book. When Hinata turned her head towards the window she expected Naruto to be gone. Instead he was smiling warmly towards her. The boy placed two fingers against his lips before blowing Hinata a little kiss. Then in a flash he was gone. Hinata's heart fluttered from the sight, the girl growing a small smile.

A moment later Hinata heard soft footsteps nearing her door. Hiashi opened the door to her room without knocking, his intense gaze barring down on her.

"It's time for your sparring session." The man announced in a commanding voice.

"Yes father." Hinata replied respectfully while pushing her chair out from the desk and standing up.

She bowed her head and moved past Haishi. Haishi caught the look of that subtle smile still gracing the tween's face. His gaze lingered on her as she passed him to walk down the hall towards the dojo. When her back turned to him Hiashi activated his Byakugan. Almost instantly he caught the sight of a figure far in the distance, miles away. Hiashi's sight looked through the walls of his house, past the large walls surrounding the Hyuuga complex, into the nearby forestry.

Naruto's demonic eyes stared right back at Hiashi. The two matched gazes for a moment before Naruto turned around and suddenly disappeared from Hiashi's Byukugan. Hiashi gritted his teeth, slamming the door to Hinata's room before moving on to oversee the sparring session between his daughters.

That Night...

A dull gaze stared up at the twinkle of the stars as they had been doing for hours. Naruto lay atop the grass of his backyard with Midnight and Kyuubi huddled against him along either side of his body. Naruto was engulfed by their tails up to his neck. He used his own silky hair as a pillow. Despite being so late in the night the boy was wide awake.

"I'm sorry Mother." Naruto whispered out, still staring up at the night sky.

Kyuubi's lids fluttered open to gaze down upon her son. She removed a few of her tails in order to slide her fingers gingerly along his side and across his smooth belly underneath his frilly pajama top.

"Just what exactly do you think you need to apologize for?" The woman retorted in interest while moving her body down a bit so her face was level with his.

Naruto finally tore his attention away from the stars to look at his mother's face.

"All of this agonizing over her, I know it upsets you." Naruto whispered.

A gentle smile crossed Kyuubi's lips. She began to draw small circles around Naruto's belly button, her razor sharp nail carefully scraping across his smooth skin.

"It upsets me that their stupidity has such an effect on you. I'm not upset at you Darling. No need to apologize." The woman stated in a tender tone.

Naruto shook his head lightly.

"I know you aren't upset with me, but the fact that I care so much about something I have so little control over is causing you pain. Midnight as well. You worked so hard for so long to live in peace and you finally got it and lived contently for eons. Now you have to deal with a son who only brings a constant string of drama. The very thing you worked so hard to avoid." Naruto explained while tearing his gaze away from her.

Kyuubi could feel his guilt. She turned her body completely towards him, lifting her head above his and raising a hand to his cheek. Kyuubi gently but firmly turned Naruto's head, making him look up at her intense gaze.

"I wouldn't trade this for anything. You feeling guilty over something so insignificant is more upsetting. Now you stop it right now silly." Kyuubi commanded in a playful manner.

Naruto couldn't help smiling.

"You're too good to me. Still, I thought I'd gotten past this. Caring so much about them. Yet here I am, spending hours going over different possibilities of how to best resolve this situation." Naruto responded with a soft sigh.

Kyuubi gave a knowing grin, leaning down to nip her teeth against Naruto's jawbone. The contact made Naruto shiver. Kyuubi purred out her approval, feeling his body calm. To her, Naruto's emotions were like a puzzle. Something she solved through touch. It was especially easy since she could feel what he felt, experience firsthand how her touch affected him.

"You've grown more than you know. It would be obvious to anyone paying attention. You're approaching this logically, with a calm and clear mind. You're beginning to master yourself. Darling you're so much further down the path then you realize. I'm surprised you can't see it. Always so humble." Kyuubi cooed sweetly.

A bashful blush spread across Naruto's cheeks. He sent an adoring gaze towards his mother, the effeminate tween rolling over on his side to snuggle even closer into the woman's soft form. Without missing a beat Kyuubi slid her palms up his belly to squeeze against his hip. She trailed her explorative touch across the band of his panties, down his thigh, before scooping up one of his slender legs and placing it atop her hip. Kyuubi then slid her knee between his legs, their limbs entwining together intimately.

"I love you Mother. I don't tell you that enough." Naruto whispered, the boy's face nuzzling against her sternum.

If possible Kyuubi tugged their forms even closer together, her hand now trailing across his bottom, tickling along his spine to eventually weave her perfectly manicured digits into the thick mane of golden hair along the back of his head.

"I love you too Sweetheart."

They both shared a long silence, their bodies moving in sync with one another as it usually did when they became so intimate. Naruto mind began to race again. The scent of his mother served to ease him into a tranquil state.

"I'm going to have to confront her father directly." Naruto finally spoke up.

Kyuubi nodded in understanding.

"A wise decision. The father is the key. Another options would be to run away with her or steal her away from her family to join ours." Kyuubi mused.

"Yes I considered that. There are obviously huge problems with that. It's not something I'll consider seriously. She is too young to make such an important decision and honestly, the trouble it would bring wouldn't be worth it. I've been thinking about that a lot recently." Naruto replied.

Kyuubi quirked a brow, waiting for her son to elaborate.

"Hinata's age. I don't think I can ignore that anymore. I'll be 13 in a month. You're right. I have grown a lot recently. Especially after Midnight came into the picture. I've been visiting your memories more and more, learning, gaining knowledge, taking in your experience. Even the experience of Midnight who remembers what it was like to grow up among our people. By any reasonable standards I became an adult a long time ago and she is still a child. I don't think there is a scenario where this works out in the way that she'll be happy with." Naruto went on, a hint of worry in his voice.

Kyuubi nodding in agreement.

"Then the issue is time." The ancient demoness stated simply.

Naruto took a long time to respond, his mind racing.

"Time…" Naruto whispered thoughtfully.

"The more time the more variables to consider. The more possible scenarios, the more room for error, the more likely of unpredictable outcomes occurring." Kyuubi went on in a monotone.

Naruto eye's assumed an appeared of deep focus.

"Given that he went against the Hokage's wishes and revoked my access to Hinata I can't see any likely scenario where he'd reinstate it. Not outside of extraordinary circumstances." Naruto spoke in a monotone similar to his mother.

They both stopped speaking now, choosing to communicate through their demonic link which was a far faster way to communicate. The conversation they'd have next would happen in a matter of milliseconds.

"I've known the type. I'm sure you've explored enough of my memory to see the typical behavior of men like him. A man in a position of power, leadership and responsibility would need a huge incentive to allow you influence over his eldest daughter. His decision to keep Hinata away from you isn't completely based on logic, it's an emotional decision as well. Logically, he should allow Hinata to grow close to you to protect his family and the village. He is acting out of parental love." Kyuubi spoke though the demon link.

"He'd have extremely little to gain but a lot to lose. What would his family gain by allowing Hinata to grow closer to me? Very little aside from the small garentee that we wouldn't destroy the village if I were to grow closer to her. If he thinks I pose a large enough threat he may change his mind but I wouldn't want his approval under that condition. Given the reason behind his decision, I'd have to essentially tear out my heart and present it to him. Maybe save his life or the life of Hinata or Hinabi. Those scenarios aren't likely without engineering them myself. Which is not an option."

"Indeed. As long as he has power over Hinata he will not allow you influence over her, which pushes the window of opportunity further down the line. Again, it all boils down to that one important factor."

"Time…"

Naruto looked up at his mother now and she looked down to him.

"Will you indulge me in a few more options?" Naruto spoke out loud now.

Kyuubi leaned down to plant a little smooch against Naruto's forehead.

"Anything for you Sweety." The ancient demoness responded eagerly.

The two then fell into another intense, hypersonic conversation, bouncing different ideas off of each other all night. Much of their time was spent exploring Kyuubi's memory for solutions. The amount of information they processed that night was beyond description.

The next day…

"Ino."

"Here.

"Choji."

"Present."

"Hinata."

That call was met with silence once more. A series of murmurs began which Iruka had to quickly shut down.

Sasuke looked over to Hinata's empty seat angrily.

"What do you know about this?" Sasuke asked under his breath.

Naruto glanced over to the boy with a calm expression.

"We'll discuss it later." Naruto stated resolutely.

Sasuke quirked a brow but didn't press the matter further. His gaze lingered on Naruto before turning his attention back to the class. Sasuke maintained a mixed expression, stealing glances back to Naruto every now and then while Naruto looked forward seemingly unbothered by Hinata's absence. Sasuke didn't really know how to feel about Naruto's current poise. Naruto had been changing more and more recently.

Midnight caught Sasuke's glances, a slick smirk growing along her lips when watching him.

"Absolutely adorable." She thought to herself before shifting her attention to Naruto.

She'd of course noticed the changes as well. She was much more pleased by them. Midnight was excited to see where these changes would lead.

The day went as normal. Hinata was the primary topic on everyone's mind.

"Alright enjoy your weekend. Don't slack on your training. The final exams are only a month away." Iruka announced allowing everyone to depart.

Naruto and crew moved into the hall with everyone. Today instead of following Sasuke, Naruto lead the way with Sasuke and Midnight at his side.

"Hey Naruto!" Came a loud voice from behind.

Naruto turned to see Kiba sprinting his way. Naruto canted his head to the side with a curious expression.

"Yes Kiba-kun?" The blonde, like always, speaking in a gentle, sweet, high pitched voice.

"So like…do you know what's going on with Hinata? She has been absent all week. I know you know something." Kiba stated accusingly.

Naruto stared at the boy for a moment before smiling warmly.

"I do. I respect her privacy too much to talk about it without her approval." Naruto explained.

Kiba rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"Yea I guess that makes since. If you see her would just...um…just tell her it would be cool if she came back." Kiba stammered before sprinting off with a small blush tinting his cheeks.

Naruto raised a brow at that behavior.

"How interesting." Midnight cooed in a knowing manner.

"That guy really have no shame." Sasuke commented with an annoyed huff.

Naruto nodded in acknowledgement of their words before silently turning around and leading the way home.

"One of those variables." Kyuubi commented cryptically through their mind link.

"Yes, time will tell." Naruto replied.

It didn't take long for them to arrive at the Uchiha complex. As usual it was a ghost town.

As they approached their house a figure came into view, standing at the front of Naruto's door. Midnight and Naruto's eyes spotted the man from miles away but neither gave a reaction until Sasuke was able to see the figure as well. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the lone man who's back was facing them.

"Who is that? No one visits here." Sasuke questioned suspiciously.

"Hinata's father. Please wait for me. I'll talk to him alone." Naruto explained, keeping his eyes focused on the man.

Sasuke nodded towards Naruto before breaking off. Midnight kept her eyes narrowed.

"As you sure Darlin?"

Naruto sent her a gentle smile and a small nod. Midnight's demeanor calmed when seeing his reassuring gaze. She placed two fingers underneath his chin and leaned forward to place a small smooch against his lips before turning around and moving with Sasuke towards the backyard. Naruto couldn't help staring at Midnight's saucy swagger as she moved away but managed to tear his gaze away just in time for Hiashi to turn around with his byukugan flared.

The two stood a few feet away from each other, Hiashi's hands tucked into the sleeves of his traditional kimono. Naruto rested his hands against his pelvis in his usual regal fashion. Neither spoke for quite a bit of time. The only sound around them was the soft blowing of the wind which made their long hair flutter.

"Stay away from my daughter." Hiashi finally spoke up in a deep, commanding voice.

Naruto didn't respond, simply staring up into the man's fiery gaze. Hiashi gritted his teeth, moving forward to quickly close the distance between the two.

The elder Hyuuga towered over Naruto, his shadow engulfing the small demon. Naruto needed to crane his neck back to keep his violet orbs trained on Hiashi's byakugan.

"Do you understand me?" The man questioned with a restrained menace.

"I understand." Naruto spoke up gently.

They stared at each other for a while longer, Hiashi searching the boy for weakness. He found none.

After a moment more of that quiet attempt at intimidation Hiashi looked beyond Naruto and walked past the boy without another word. Naruto kept his back to the man, staring forward. Naruto closed his eyes, breathing deeply through his nose before fluttering his lids open and moving towards the backyard, his elegant poise never faltering.

Later...

"Ha…Ha…HA!" Hinata cried out as she smashed her palm into a wooden training dummie.

It's frame was covered in palm-shaped dents. Sweat beaded down the girl's brow. She'd been at it for hours.

Off to the side a Hyuuga shinobi watched over, his arms behind his back as he stood in a military fashion. Approaching footsteps drew the girl's attention. Her father had returned.

Hiashi walked past Hinata a few feet away, heading straight for the door to the house. Hinata stared at the back of his head, a mixed gaze of sadness and resentment showing on her face.

"Come. It is curfew." Hiashi called out without looking at his daughter.

"I still have at least an hour left before curfew." Hinata responded back in protest.

"Curfew is when I say it is!" He barked, still without looking her way.

Hinata hesitated, bowing her head.

"Yes father." She whispered in a strained voice before walking past him into the door he held open for her.

Hinata stole a glance up to him as she passed him. He was looking over her head, refusing to meet her gaze, maintaining a stoic expression.

Hinata's hesitated but continued to move forward, heading straight for her room. When she rounded the corner Hiashi finally looked towards her, activating his byakugan to see the sadness in her eyes. He closed the door to the house, heading to the center of the living room and kneeling down in the direction of a stand which housed the pictures of various Hyuuga ancestors. His gaze lingered on the image of a specific woman before the man closed his eyes.

"Please let it not be too late."

That's the end of the chapter. Please review~

So I'm totally like 90% done with the next chapter. In fact I was considering posting both chapters in this one but I still want a few days to think about and edit the next chapter so I split them up. Sunday is going to be a really, a really nice chapter. At least it's one of my favorites. Lots of dialogue, philosophy, and more exploration of Naruto's beliefs. Also we are starting to see another evolution of Naruto's personality. I can't wait! See you Sunday!