Disclaimer: I am not Kishimoto-sama; therefore Naruto doesn't belong to me. Got it? Good...

My apologies for any and all errors if you find any. This is my first attempt at writing any fiction at all, and I don't have a beta. Damn Document Manager...

Takes place after the Sasuke retrieval mission, in the three months before Naruto leaves on his training mission with Jiraiya.

Bound Together

Chapter 5: Naruto vs. Ino - Lovers quarrel or duel to the death?

"Speech" - talking

"Speech" - Inner Sakura

"Speech" - Kyuubi talking

Naruto could hardly see Kyuubi's cage in this new darkness. The eerie illumination which always seemed to pervade his mindscape had greatly diminished.

"Duck."

"Where?"

"No, whelp. Duck!"

Naruto ducked just in time as a razor sharp pink polished claw emerged from the darkness and sliced the air where his head had been scant moments before.

"Pink?"

"I warned you this might happen. She's experiencing the same rage you did the first time I gave you chakra in the Wave Country. In that circumstance, you were maddened by thoughts of revenge. I gave in to your yearnings out of my own love of impending carnage, which exaggerated the driving emotions you felt whilst increasing your combat skills. Unfortunately it's having the same effect on your girlfriend here."

"She's not my girlfriend!" Naruto countered. Why did everyone keep saying that?

"So what are you saying, she's gone nuts because she really did like me? Damn, for once I'm not an idiot!"

His glee died in throat as a now feral looking Ino turned to face him again, orange chakra shrouding her, which seemed to drain the light from much of the room. Along with the claws and fangs one expects whenever Kyuubi's chakra is involved, whisker marks now appeared on her cheeks and her hair darkened to match his color as it framed her still beautiful face, the hair tie long since snapped, while her normally pinprick pupils had dilated and elongated as her irises turned blood red just as his normally did.

Her strength and speed were going to be far greater now, he remembered, and he would have difficulty keeping up.

"I will have you or none will!" she growled, which echoed off the walls around them. Naruto gulped.

"My chakra is rather potent, whelp. Bloodlust is expected the first time. What were not, however, were her feelings towards you. My 'donation' amplified the strongest emotion she felt at the moment, which was anger at the pink haired one's actions and a strong desire to claim you herself, which has now overtaken her self-control until at least one of her urges is satisfied."

"Translation please!"

"She wants to either mate with you, or kill you." explained Kyuubi nonchalantly, as Ino lunged forward, claws bared.

'Just great…' thought Naruto as he jumped to one side to avoid the wild girl, her fangs barely grazing his neck.

Sakura paced back and forth in Naruto and Ino's room. She had been on her feet all night, wracked with guilt ever since she brought Naruto in the night before, screaming for someone to help her. Someone eventually did, in the form of Tsunade, who had rushed to her side and helped carry the boy to the same bed as before, in anticipation of the ritual tomorrow. He had been unconscious ever since, except for the occasional tossing about as though trapped in a nightmare from he couldn't awaken.

It is now the fourth day since Ino's accident, and Sakura had not left the room since tearfully explaining to the Hokage everything she did, and everything she caused. She instead chose to remain with the two people left who meant the most to her, worry tugging at her face as she ran her hands through her now disheveled hair and once again asked herself if she was the one to blame for their predicament.

If she had not been depressed, Naruto wouldn't have suggested a spar. If she was more of a fighter, Ino wouldn't have had to pair with her. If she hadn't been bowled over by Chouji, then Ino wouldn't have...It was all too much for her to think about, especially not her latest stunt to make the situation worse.

"You know she'd have paired with you no matter what. We're rivals, and all's fair in love and war!"

Love...

She knew it was wrong to push Naruto into the position he was in, and far too soon. She had begun to develop real feelings for the boy, but her rivalry with the other blond had pushed common sense aside. She envied Ino, for being able to be that close to someone Sakura herself should know better and truly did not, to hold conversations with no one else could ever hear, to see life from his perspective...

She didn't even know Ino had feelings for Naruto, Sakura had only wanted to take him while she saw a chance to, but Ino's reaction had certainly been a resounding 'yes.' for all the danger it put the two of them in.

"Why did I have to go and kiss him?"

"Because you're greedy as always…You wanted someone without knowing Ino did too, just like before. Ne, Naruto's a good kisser though, isn't he?" teased inner Sakura.

"Yeah, I guess so, but all the times Ino and I fought as rivals, I never put her and Sasuke-kun in comas! What if she dies while in Naruto's head? What if they both die?"

"Then that's on your conscience, and no one in Konoha will ever date you, for fear of Sakura's Kiss of Death."

"That's not funny."

"What did you think would happen when two people of different genders have to share a body? Roommates within the same head work the same as anywhere else: they either start to fall in love or try to kill each other."

"So which do you think they are doing right now?" she asked, as she watched his agitation with increasing worry. It seemed like he was fighting something off within his own mind. Something or someone.

"Probably both."

Sakura went wide eyed as bloody scratches began to appear on the sleeping boy.

"I'm sorry I let her kiss me Ino-chan ! You don't want to do this though!" Shouted Naruto, trying to evade her by leaving Kage Bunshins in her path.

Her reply came in the form of fury swipes tearing through the front of his jacket. Naruto yelped as he jumped back, as her growls echoed through the chamber.

"Forehead can not have you!" she spat as she dug her claws deep into his thigh.

"She's trying to kill me!" Naruto shrieked, as if it had just now dawned on him.

Kyuubi sighed. Was the runt even listening?

"You could always mate with her."

"I'm 13! She's 13!" squealed Naruto as Ino rushed him, claws at the ready. He stumbled backwards into the water as she leapt into the air.

"And neither of you are physically here, so what does it matter? Besides, it is not my concern that humans have such limitations. I myself was barely a century old my fir-"

"I did not want to know that! Next solution?" Naruto finally grasped who was the true pervert here, as he rolled away with split second timing as Ino attempted to drive her knee into his windpipe, but hit the water instead.

"Restrain her and convince her that she is your chosen mate. Your only other solution is to let her kill you. Her bloodlust will run its course and she will regain control of herself. Although..."

"Oh sure...It's not like she really wants to, but she'd really do it?" Naruto hissed with pain, as she grabbed him with both arms, claws digging into him, and head butted him, sending him flying across the room.

"I gave you the choice! You wouldn't choose!" she screamed, some semblance of herself surfacing, clinging to sanity as she vanished to reappear right in front of him, enhanced reflexes being the only thing that saved him from having his throat torn out.

"In her current state she has little to no restraint over herself." said Kyuubi, conjuring a bowl of popcorn from out of nowhere as Naruto picked himself up and rushed her in return, "you must be the aggressive one if you hope to control the situation." It seemed to be settling in to enjoy the little lovers quarrel, Naruto rolled his eyes out of either disdain or dizziness, as he ducked another slash from above and delivered an upper cut in return, driving her up and back. "Wait, what was the 'although'?"

"Either in killing you, which fulfills her bloodlust, she willingly takes over your body and spirit permanently, or the seal senses your mind has died a leaving a demon in control, and releases all of our chakra in one massive burst, taking out the both of us, and much of Konoha in the process."

"Great...so it's up to her. That's our last resort then, time to get serious." said Naruto as he prepared to create Rasengan, "I don't want to have to hurt you, Ino-chan. Oi! Can these hurt her in here?"

"Your jutsu are useless here, but she doesn't know that."

"Ok, then, let's get wild!" he shouted, tapping into his own transformation as he leapt forward.

"Sakura-san? What's happening to Naruto-kun?" Lee asked her as the genins crowded around his bed watching intently, while Tsunade and Jiraiya, recently returned, discussed the ritual with Yamanaka Inoshi, who kept stealing glances at the boy carrying his daughter's mind.

Sakura cringed as another slash opened up on Naruto's forearm. It looked like a claw mark.

"I don't know, Lee-san."

"What do you think is hurting Naruto-kun, Kiba-kun?" Hinata asked softly.

"I don't quite know, Hinata. It looks like he's fighting off a wild boar or something."

"Very funny Kiba. Ino's not wild, at least I hope not," countered Tenten

"How does Naruto get into such troublesome situations?"

"I heard Sakura kissed him and he went crazy."

"You know it takes more than a kiss to make one crazy, Temari," intoned Gaara, still not all that fond of his big sister getting hot and heavy with the shadow wielder. He didn't know they were for sure of course, but Shukaku insisted on throwing him mental images, which were bad enough.

"You don't think...she's doing that, do you, Shikamaru?"

"Even Ino isn't that crazy, Chouji, but you know her temper...I'll bet he told her that her dress made her look f-not skinny."

"That's my idiot apprentice for you. Always saying the wrong things to a woman, right Tsunade?"

"Shut up Jiraiya. You know perfectly well what he's facing in there, if not his girlfriend."

"She's not his girlfriend!" yelled all the genin and chuunin at once.

All of them, except for Sakura.

'I didn't know Ino was so driven,' Naruto thought, as he caught her punch with one his own and sent her flying across the room. He winced as she shrieked in pain, only to be blown away as she zipped back, a small crimson orb forming in her hand as she slammed it into him.

'What the hell?' Naruto wondered while being blown across the room into far wall by his own technique. 'Rasengan?'

"The conditions here are similar to one of you illusionary techniques. You believed it in your surprise, therefore the pain was real to you."

"Oops. I should've learned more about genjutsu...But how the hell can she make a Rasengan?" pondered Naruto trying to block out the pain as her attack had shredded through his clothes and singed and lacerated his chest.

"She's merged with you long enough that she has access to much of your memory, including your training to use it. Not to mention she helped you to wield it one-handed. Be grateful you still live; it appears she has not put enough into it to cause you more damage, she may be regaining control.

"Oh crap! Ero-sennin's going to kill me instead!" he yelped as the girl picked him up with one hand on his throat, pinned his arms behind him with the other and forced him to his knees.

"Use it against her; search your shared memory for some clue that will persuade her to regain control before she drowns you." The great demon replied as Ino grabbed Naruto by the back of the head and held him under, even though the water was only ankle deep.

Ino could've sworn she's seen him sneak down this path. Twice she had seen a little blond boy getting beat up by older kids and left to stumble off on his own to nurse his injuries after she had driven them off. Even though he had seemed alright later, she had the feeling he still hurt on the inside. Having no friends does that, and she remembers what that's like. Not many people wanted to be friends with a loud girl like her other than that lazy Shika, so she made up for it by being friends with people who didn't have any.

'I just want to be left alone,' Naruto thought for what seemed the hundredth time that day. The old man said he would be starting school in a week, but he didn't believe people would hate him any less there. He didn't like people hating him, but they always seemed to, and every time he asked himself why, he had no answer except for more tears, and the scary laughter which seemed to come from everywhere.

He had taken to hiding in these flowers because he never liked to cry in front of people, and this was his crying spot. He suddenly heard rustling and realized he'd been found! He was about to try to run when another blond head popped through the purplish blossoms. It was that pretty girl who made the bullies run away and got angry and loud really fast.

"Why do you always come here to cry?"

"I don't like people to see it or they'll hurt me again."

"Why do you let them?"

"Because I've got no friends."

"So what?"

"Friends never hurt you."

"They can and they will, because everyone's a little stupid sometimes."

"Ow! Why did you pinch me?"

"I hurt you. Next time I do it is if I'm being stupid or you are. Now take it without crying so we can be friends," the blond girl insisted with a smile, offering her pinky.

"Friends?"

"That's it!" Naruto lashed out with his leg, tripping Ino who recovered before falling over, but it enough for her to let go of him and deliver an open hand strike to her midsection, winding her for the moment he needed.

"Oi, stupid fox? How did you make that popcorn?"

"You leave it in the microwave until 2-3 seconds pass between pops. If you mean out of nothingness, just will it into existence. This is your head after all." Instantly Naruto lit up with a foxy grin and concentrated as Ino shook off that last blow and charged

"Ino-chan! Remember this?"

She paused, even in her bestial state she recognized the flowers they met under, the ones he now held in his hands.

"Foxgloves..." This was the opportunity Naruto needed to zip behind her, lock her arms behind her by crossing his arms over her chest, and place his chin on her shoulder. "Yes, foxgloves! You remember? It's special to me, just like you are. I'll be with you, and only you, if you still want me. Now calm down." he whispered. It seemed to be working, her breathing was still heavy and rapid, but she was struggling less and less. He turned back to the fox.

"How did she get like this? Before you gave her chakra I mean."

"She has obviously developed some degree of infatuation for you through witnessing her early impact on you, bad taste not withstanding. You have probably likewise developed feelings for her, its only natural, but as you influence her to a greater extent during your merger, your feelings stimulated hers beyond one would expect in three days."

"Then why did she give me the idea to ask out Sakura-chan if she liked me?"

"Perhaps she underestimated your bloodline limit of speaking before thinking and was under the impression that you have a thought in your head and would wisely choose not to ask as long as she remained within you. I would hazard a guess the foreheaded one accepted out of wanting to lay claim to you as a member of her den before this one could. These females are known to conflict over the same mate, are they not?"

"You mean I'm the Sasuke-bastard!"

"Evidently."

"Yosh! I've got fan girls!" he shouted, freeing one arm to punch the air. Big mistake as it resulted in his being slapped so hard his teeth rattled. He brought his hand up to his cheek and winced as it came away bloody in long furrows from all five fingers. He looked at his slapper to see Ino twisted around to stare at him panting, her bestial eyes tearing up.

"I'm not your fan girl! I'm part of you!" she shrieked as she plunged her hand into Naruto's chest, right where his left lung would be.

It grew vary quiet in the chamber, save for the blondes gasping for breath while Kyuubi continued to munch his popcorn noisily.

Meanwhile Tsunade was getting more alarmed with every injury that sprang up on her little brother's body. From the claw marks, she at first assumed that Kyuubi had broken its bonds as was attacking the boy's mind. However, most of the injuries inflicted could only be from someone Naruto's approximate size, which left serious doubts in her mind as to whether Ino was still sane from being 'tainted.'

"Jiraiya, we have to perform it soon. They're dying. You know what the seal will do if that happens."

"Tsunade, you know as well as I that soul binding rituals require giving up a life in exchange. Sarutobi-sensei and Yondaime prove that much, and from what information I managed to pry out of Gaara, his mother gave her life before he was even born. While the girl is nowhere near as powerful as a demon, its obvious she tapped into Naruto's power. This will be dangerous and life-altering for both of them either way, but indeed the greater danger is keeping them together."

Sakura had heard enough. This was her chance. It was time she stopped being the coward. The weakling. The one who always needed protecting.

"You can't be serious! Sakura, you really want to give up your life for the dobe and Ino-pig?"

"I have to. I got them into this mess, and no matter how it ends, someone is going to die here. I'd rather make my choice than wasting my life regretting that I didn't do anything while they paid for taking care of me all this time."

"Tsunade-sama, I will do it." she spoke up at last.

The room grew deathly silent.

"Excuse me?"

"Hokage-sama, I will perform the binding ritual, if you show me how. Naruto-kun and Ino-chan will die if I don't. I put them through this but I owe them everything I am, its the only right thing to do. I know the price is my life, but they are my precious people. Naruto-kun can't die before he becomes Hokage, and even if Ino's going mad being inside him, she needs him and he needs her. Please let me try."

Tsunade was touched, to say the least.

"Sakura-san? You will give up your flames of youth to ensure theirs burns ever brighter? Oh, what a girl!" said Lee, with fire in his eyes.

"You are very honorable, Sakura. I expect Naruto will always look up to you for challenging fate like this." decreed Neji, leaning against the wall, arms crossed. Everyone stared at him. Had he been here the whole time?

"What? I'm just quiet."

"Anyways," said Tsunade clearing her throat," if she wants to perform it, that's fine with me. Everyone else below jounin scram. Jiraiya, show her what to do."

Meanwhile, no one noticed a glow coming from beneath Naruto's hospital gown. The Kyuubi seal was glowing, each of its eight elephant seals blinking in sequence, slowly at first, but picking up pace slowly.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" A panicked Ino babbled once she realized just what she had done. With the bloodlust sated, her bestial traits faded instantly and her conscience flooded back with a vengeance as she went down on her knees and pulled a bleeding Naruto onto her lap. He looked deathly pale, and his eyes wouldn't open. He seemed to be fading fast.

"You can't die Naruto-kun. I need you. Lots of people need you. Hell, even forehead girl needs you, noone else is gonna kiss her if you die from hers...You're going to be Hokage one day, right? You can't do it if you're dead, and I'm going to stick by you until you do, and stay with you as long as I can, but that means you can't die! You can't leave me alone, not now, after what I've seen. I've felt your loneliness and you've felt mine, you know everything I am, and I know everything you know, and I accept you all the more for it like no one else can. We need each other. Forget that crap the fox is spewing. I don't care if these feelings aren't all mine or not even all real. You're real, I'm real, isn't that all that matters? Even if you don't feel the same way now, I can still be your best friend in the world until you do. Please, just don't die!" she screamed as she concentrated all the chakra she felt within her and channeled it into him.

"That will accelerate your demise."

"I don't care anymore if I disappear, but he can't disappear too. If I do, at least I get to be with him forever that way."

"And if he dies instead, you must absorb him and usurp his identity, or we all die."

"I know that fox! Just shut up and let me save my precious person!"

"Got it?" Jiraiya asked, as they finished inking out a seal just below Ino's neck, over her third celestial gate, the Life Gate.

"I think so. Inoshi-san performs the mind bridge technique putting Ino's soul back in her body, and then I do my part."

"That's it. Simple."

"Ne, Jiraiya-sama, what is that?" Sakura pointed to the Kyuubi's seal, now oscillating rapidly. Jiraiya immediately paled with dread.

"Oh Kami...Inoshi! Get Tsunade and tell her to evacuate NOW! The seal is going to blow!" The blond jounin didn't need telling twice before vanishing.

"What's that seal?"

"Long story short: Naruto has held the demon Kyuubi since he was a baby. It's held by that. If Naruto's mind dies inside, that seal will ignite the demon's chakra destroying it, but it will also take out anything nearby, including this hospital and probably all of downtown Konoha. His mind must be near death if it's going this fast."

This was all too much, too fast for Sakura.

Even faster was the seal, almost a solid amber glow and an oppressive weight from all sides threatened to crush her into the ground.

"Too late!" Jiraiya called out as he moved to shield the girl from the impending blast, knowing it was futile.

Then everything stopped.

Ino was almost spent. Even with the influx of Kyuubi's chakra, she felt herself draining away somehow.

"It has to be enough. Naruto-kun!" His eyes slowly opened.

"Hey...Ino...chan." his voice came out in a whisper, but he was alive.

"Hey yourself." she replied with a weak smile, trying to not to cry.

"You became a ninja...to protect people...who couldn't protect themselves."

"Yes I did! I never told anyone that!"

"You told yourself that...and I know everything you do now."

"Me too! Tsunade-sama beat you up with one finger!"

"Don't ever tell anyone that."

"I won't, now stay with me Naruto-kun. Don't give me something else to regret."

"I'll stay..."

"Thank you! You'll never regret it!" she squealed, hugging him tightly.

"I...already...do." he panted. He was still injured after all, and the pressure was not helping.

"Oops. Sorry..." she giggled.

It didn't blow.

Sakura and Jiraiya opened their eyes to see the seal cease blinking, and fade down to a faint glow.

"Whew." They both let out a sigh of relief, at which point Sakura noted where the old man's hands were.

"You pervert!" she shrieked, belting him backwards.

"I can't help being a world renowned author. The key is to always be gathering data no matter what's going on."

"No wonder Naruto-kun calls you Ero-sennin!"

"Naruto-kun, eh? You have some feelings for my idiot apprentice, hmm?"

"I do, that's why I want to do this. He's done everything he ever could to keep me safe, and try to make me happy. That's the most love that anyone's ever shown me, and this is the only way I know to return the sentiment."

"And Ino?"

"She's my rival, my best friend, my sister. She wound up in his head because she tried to cheer me up when I was down, like she always did, even the day we first met. Naruto said she needed help, and she wouldn't have done what she did to warrant that help, had I not repeated the same mistake I did before. The worst day of my life was the day I gave back her ribbon and walked out on the happiest time of my life."

She looked down at the comatose girl, stroking her forehead gently, bent over, and kissed her lightly on the lips before looking back up at the toad hermit.

"I'm going to do right by her this one last time. Jiraiya-sama? Please call Inoshi-san back in here. I've got a letter to write, then we're starting."

"Does this mean you'll be with me?" Ino asked him, once he'd recovered enough to sit up on his own.

"We're only 13."

"Pervert. I mean, when we get out of here, will you be my boyfriend?"

"Boyfriend?"

"Yes. Opposite of me, who would therefore be your girlfriend."

"I know what those mean, I just never thought they'd apply to me."

"Well there's a first time for everything. For you and for me. Whoa..."

"What, are you ok?"

"What's happening?" Ino suddenly felt lightheaded. It was the same feeling before Kyuubi gave her all that chakra.

"You're completing the merger."

"What? Ino-chan!" Naruto called out to the girl, who seemed to be dissolving into orange pinpricks of light, which began to surround him.

He realized in that moment, everything that had happened in the last few days could be summed up in one second. He was losing her, the one who had gone from a passing acquaintance and former friend to closer than he'd thought anyone was capable of. He finally understood what a soul mate was, and when faced with actually losing her, he wouldn't accept it. He made a lifetime promise, dammit, and Uzumaki Naruto never goes back on his word!

"Don't let go Ino-chan! Kyuubi! More chakra!"

"Haven't you had enough already?"

"Do it, or when I wake up I'm committing Seppuku just to spite you!"

"Fine..." At once the orange mist glowed intensely bright, but didn't recombine into his girlfriend. Instead he felt his head trying to split itself apart.

"Why isn't it working?" he shouted, trying his best not to throw up within his own mind.

"Too late."

"It's not working!" Inoshi gritted his teeth in concentration, but trying to find his daughter's essence in the chaos that is the mind of Uzumaki Naruto was highly exhausting.

"Keep trying!" Sakura ordered. She was running on adrenaline at this point. She was beyond terrified, but they needed her.

"There! Ahhhh!" The jounin bellowed in pain as he glowed orange, an expansive mist appearing around him. He winced from the pain but recognized this feeling.

"Ino...Time to come home." He nodded to Sakura, who slammed down her interlocked hands onto the seal, calling out, "Seirei-Fuuin!(Soul Seal)"

The orange mist immediately gravitated into the seal, which then faded to black and vanished.

"It's done. Take care Ino-chan." Sakura uttered, before collapsing to the ground, lifeless.

Interlaced with her hands was a worn red ribbon.

"Ino!" He kept shouting, but to no avail. The mist swirled around him, faster and faster, and then suddenly pulled away from him in a long streamer, only to be swallowed up in the darkness.

"Ino...What happened fox?"

"Perhaps they were successful in extracting her." The great demon was wincing, as though someone had stepped on a paw.

"I hope so. Why does it hurt though?" It felt like he had just been flash-burned all over.

"For a moment you were the same person, now you've been ripped apart. You have the rest of your life to fully comprehend that, now get out of here."

Naruto nodded, and vanished.

"Humans. Never satisfied. Least the fight was something for the greatest hits tape."

There. Whew. Fight scenes are hell to write, and I killed off Sakura! Oh no! Rest assured I love her just as much as I love Ino, and it will show next chapter. Until then, enjoy. I hope the wait was worth it.