Thank you all for your great reviews. It has pusshed me to a little more. This chapter is really long, my longest yet. I would like to know what you think about the length. I would also like to thank my editor, my wife, who is one of my largest critics. She doesn't like Hinata's new outfit though, so I would like your opinions on their new attire. There is also my first fighting scene in here and I would like to know what you guys think of that as well.
Shout Outs:
KnightOfZaku: She wont find out for many chapters. There is a lot to be done and a good size battle that has to take place before he returns to Konoha.
trinity456: Not the end as by evident of this chapter. Keep reading and I hope you enjoy.
twilight dragon god: Thank you very much, your praises mean a lot to me. I hope you like this one also.
Ryuujin: There is no Fourth Shinobi War in this. The war was manipulated by Madera to attain the tailed beasts. News has spread to through the world that Naruto is dead. When he died the Kyuubi died also. It would take decades to a century for the fox to regenerate.
ZyiareHellsing: My wife said the same thing and she knows a good point of where the story is going. But I wanted to make it memorable.
And of course: I do not own Naruto, but these ideas are mine. Enjoy.
The Plunge
A soft moan came from the darkness. A single soul stirred with its senses reaching out for any information of the environment. Pale lavender eyes popped open as memories came flooding back. She tried to sit up from where she had been laying only to find that there was a weight laying across her. Her eyes were quickly adjusting to the dim light as she tried to reach down to find out what was on top of her. She found that something had ahold of her hand with a firm grip that she couldn't free herself from. As she lay there waiting for her sight to return as normal as possible her mind fluttered back to the last things she remember. They were standing in front of their friends, their backs against a sheer cliff, and a waterfall that crashed into the rocks more than three hundred feet below them. She had her arms wrapped around her childhood love as he held her tight against him, much like she thought lovers would. The last thing she could recall was Naruto whispering in her ear in a husky voice, "I love you".
She slowly turned her head around taking everything in. Everything was slow and calculated, not knowing if she had been captured. She was in a cave and there was a dim light coming from a far off corner. Laying on top of what appeared to be a cot she looked down to see if she could free herself from the restraints. The moment she saw the blond tuft of hair she was not sure if she ever wanted to be free of what kept her down. Her hand was being held in his and it seemed that he wasn't ever going to let it go. A warm feeling stirred in her heart. He had laid a blanket over her and must have fallen asleep, when she had fainted, while sitting in a chair at her bedside. She lifted her free hand and tried to brush the hair out of his face so she could see him better. She couldn't help it.
Just as she touched his cheek he stirred, sitting straight up with such speed he lost his balance and the chair he had been in tipped backwards with him in it. A loud thud came as he hit his head against the cave floor. Hinata brought her hands to her mouth and let out a soft giggle. Quickly he recovered himself and upon hearing her giggle he got onto his hands and knees with his head nearly to the floor, in a most unusual bow.
"I'm sorry," he said with a squeak. He was sorry for more than one thing at that moment but he was waiting for a pounding once she realized what he was talking about.
She looked at him puzzled at why he would be doing such a thing for just merely falling asleep with his head resting on her stomach. Then she noticed, the heat in her heart turned into a fire that burned her entire body, her face turned as red as any of the juiciest apples one could imagine. Under the blanket she could feel the fabric of the cot against her skin. Her clothes had been removed save from her lace bra and underwear. Sound could not escape her mouth and air was reluctant from entering it. He had undressed her before putting her on the cot. Smoke could nearly be seen coming from her ears as her mind went into overload, he had seen her nearly naked body, but why would he do such a thing.
Naruto looked up in surprise when no harm came to him. He quickly saw the embarrassment and distress that played across Hinata's face. "Your clothes were soaked and you started shaking really bad," he said trying to justify what he had done but felt more like a pervert none the less. "They are dry now."
She quickly came to her senses at the idea that she at been soaked in water. The waterfall came to her mind, had they fallen to their deaths? She put that thought into the back of her mind as all she wanted to do was regain some of her dignity back. She couldn't do that laying on a cot, nearly as naked as the day she was born, with only a blanket keeping Naruto's eyes from seeing her body. In a hushed tone she said, "Can I have them back now?"
It took a few moments for Naruto to register her request and at once he stood up and placed the chair next the cot once again. "Y-y-yes," he said with a stutter.
As he walked over to a small table pushed against the cave wall she almost giggled at his stutter. Knowing that even though this was a very embarrassing moment, he probably felt like a cad or pervert for doing what he did. The redness did not leave her face but she was beginning to think it sweet of him for trying to take care of her.
He returned moments later and set a neatly folded stack of dry clothes on the chair next to her. "Here you go," he said in a shy voice. He walked off, "I will be right down here," to give her a little privacy. Naruto walked down the natural corridor to the opening of the cave, a look of dissolution swept across his face as he watched events taking place in front of him.
It was not long before Hinata made her way to the blonde while he was leaning against the cave wall looking out over the world. Lost in thought over all that had happened in what seemed like just a few minutes from then until now. Emotions ran high and raw with Naruto's words from when they were standing at the top of the falls. As she walked closer to the edge of the cave she saw a sight that sent her grip on reality nearly over that same edge. Naruto put out his arm to catch her from spilling out of the cave and into the watery rocks below. Just then she remembered he was standing there, seeing what she saw. "We really are dead, aren't we?" she said in a low panicked voice. Her clothes lay scattered and torn across the river beach with what could only be described as parts of her body. Blood still stained the sand and was a stark contrast to the clear blue river water that lapped at it to wash it all clean. Then she saw bits and pieces of Naruto's clothing in with hers and knew more than likely some of the body parts were also him.
Naruto looked over to her and had a cheeky grin on his face. "Yes we are," is all it took to bring Hinata's attention back to him. Looking back at his past friends recovering the pieces that had once been their bodies he said almost jokingly, "Not the way I ever pictured I would die. I always thought it would have been in a great battle where all that the enemy could do was over power me through sheer numbers and still I would have nearly killed them all." He looked back at her and her face did something he had never seen in his life. Normally her face would blush and you would see the blood rush to her head, now it looked as if all of that was turned off and her pale skin was drained of every last drop of life. It was only then that he erupted in laughter and her face lit up with shock. It took a moment before he regained control of himself and by that time when he looked at Hinata he could see a hint of anger in her eyes as if she thought he was making fun of her.
With the realization that she was upset he went to explain, "Those dead bits down there will be known as Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuga. Although we are standing here right now. I set it all up last night as you were sleeping. This cave is an interrogation hide out that Jiraiya used for the Konoha spy network. During my two and a half years away training we came here a few times while he was working. This cave has a seal on it that doesn't allow prying eyes to see or hear inside. That is why our friends below cannot smell, sense, or even sees us. Even Kakashi's Sharingan cannot see through this seal. Last night I took our last sets of clothes and came here. At the other end of this cave is a tunnel system that leads to a graveyard. That is where the two volunteers came in." Naruto pointed down at the pile of broken body bits the teams were collecting. From this point on we will be known as dead and we must accept this and change our identities accordingly."
Hinata remained quiet as Naruto explained things to her, just letting it seep in, as she watched her once loved friends down below. Most everyone walked around with heavy shoulders as they tried to find parts of the bodies that were big enough to burn so there would be little trace of who had perished here. Clothing was gathered and even removed from the body parts to be taken back for burial and as evidence to friends and family that their loved ones had perished. Off on the grass, more near a tree line is what appeared to be a pink and blond mound. Right away Hinata knew that it was Sakura being held and comforted by Ino. Sakura looked like she had been crying for hours. Then the strangest thing drew her attention at the scene below. It was Shikamaru standing at the water's edge and looking up at the waterfall. With what would have normally appeared as someone swatting a bug that flew by their head, he was actually waving casually at them. A gasp escaped Hinata as she asked, "Does he really know?"
Naruto looked back down at Shikamaru and smiled, "Yeah, I figured he would. While we were on top of the waterfall he had more than a chance to stop us. He could have taken control of our shadows and we would already be on our way back to Konoha. He didn't though, so it seems to me he knew we would survive and was allowing us to do so. He has always been a great friend of mine and for his caring here I will always be indebted to him." Naruto took Hinata's hand into his own and started to lead her away. He hated to do it, but their past lives were better off behind them. "Come on, there is a lot we have to do and it is a long walk to get out of here."
Hinata let him lead her back to where she had first woken up so they could retrieve their remaining things. She looked back quickly as the light from the corridor faded from view knowing that their past was behind them and they were now free to start a new life.
He led her through the winding caverns for what seemed like hours. He talked about how he had set everything up the night before, and about what Jiraiya had done here in the past while Naruto learned some of the gory parts of the shinobi world. Eventually, and to Hinata, thankfully they arrived at a rock door that led them out into a sparsely kept graveyard. Due to the dim light they had used to travel through the cave system it took a few minutes for their eyes to adjust to the late afternoon sun.
Looking around and not knowing where they were Hinata begged the question, "Where are we going to go?"
With no description Naruto looked at the pale eyed lavender princess and smiled with his response, "Home".
A week and a half had passed by with nearly no incident at all, aside from a few wild animals. Naruto had insisted on staying off the roads and trails for a while longer to let news spread about their untimely deaths. During some nights they would listen to camped caravans from the shadows for news. They had heard that the official details of their deaths were due to an "S" rank mission that they were assigned to together. Much to Hinata's embarrassed delight the unofficial rumored story involved acts of heroism where Naruto would save her at the expense of his own life, and she had died lying next to him of a broken heart. She would giggle about it from time to time and Naruto would blush back at her. They were nearing a trade village and felt that it would be ok for them to walk out in public once again.
The day before they would enter the village they laid out their plans and attempted to make themselves presentable. Since Naruto had used their spare clothing for the now dead Naruto and Hinata they only had the clothes they wore on their back. This had annoyed Hinata to travel as such, but she did try to clean and dry them any time that they stopped for the evening. Naruto did the same as well but had been used to it during his travels while training with the great sage. Hinata went to a small pond to bathe and wash her clothing before they decided to settle down for the night. Naruto created several dozen shadow clones to keep an eye around the pond while she did so, and promised none of them would be so perverted as to peep on her. While she did that Naruto set out on his next task, that was to make it look as convincing as possible that they were not the recently famous dead shinobi.
He had made a list in his head of what they would need to blend in and he began checking them off. Money had already been checked off; they had both a great deal of it which for Hinata was not surprising since she was the Hyuga clan heiress. Naruto on the other hand had an even larger sum and he attributed it to all the missions he had gone on with Jiraiya and then the continuous fighting he had done since he returned. He just didn't have time to spend any lately. Next would have been supplies but for all the time they were on the run and in hiding those had amounted to nothing, something they would have to rectify once they were in the village. They also would need new names as Naruto's was not common in the first place and that would make their identities easily discovered. Naruto had chosen to use his father's name of Minato, while Hinata wanted her name to mean something in their new life together, so hers would become Suki, for the very reason she left her old home in the first place. They had even practiced for an hour calling each other their new names so there would be little chance of a slip up. They had altered their clothes by removing identifying patches. Naruto discarded his jumpsuit top and chose to wear just his black t-shirt and removed his leg wrappings for good measure. Hinata had made more drastic changes to her outfit in the way she had removed the sleeves and hood from her jacket effectively creating a vest. She also had stored away her mesh armor as it was always a dead giveaway of being a Kunoichi. The last thing on the list would be a history. Jiraiya had taught him well on this as part of the art of infiltration during his training. To integrate into a crowd or an established group you have to have a plausible and believable reason for being there. With a little thought he went to work nervously. Noticing a large rock in the clearing he began to cut at it with small wind chakra blades. He worked meticulously for hours until Hinata had returned
Hinata returned to camp to see Naruto fiddling with something small in his hands. By the look on his face he was concentrating very hard on what he was doing. Naruto knew that she was there as his clones had dispersed and passed on the information to him. With a happy and satisfied look he finally gazed at Hinata. "Hi-hi-nata-chan, can you come here p-p-please." She started to walk over and noticed his stutter, something she was all too familiar with herself. Then she noticed that his coloring had become pale and he looked like a ball of nerves wound up tight. From a sitting position Naruto took Hinata's hand and steadied himself thinking. This was only to blend in, like a mission, nothing else. Then why am I so nervous to do this. Before he lost his nerve he quickly fidgeted with Hinata's hand and reluctantly let it go.
Upon raising her hand up to see what he had done to it she fell to her knees in disbelief. On her left ring finger laid a dazzling ring. It was not made of metal but of a dark purple crystal instead. It was intricately cut with a precision she was sure only a master jeweler could attain. She could feel the smoothness on the inside as there was no discomfort from it and it fit her finger perfectly. On the outside there was markings and engravings she couldn't quite grasp in the darkening sky. In the top of the ring there was a deep impression cut into it. It was the shape of a whirlpool, an uzumaki. She then glanced at him and the nervousness in his eyes, something shone in her own eyes. Looking for where the light came from she looked down at his hand and saw an almost identical ring, a little wider though, in the same place that hers was. Tears flowed from her eyes at an unimaginable rate.
He had made her cry, something he never wanted to do. He never wanted to see her cry. He stood up and began to walk away, feeling sorry for what he had done. "I'm sorry Hinata-chan. It was stupid, I know. I thought we could use it as a cover story in the village. A young married couple travelling isn't that out of the ordinary. We'll think of somethi...".
She quickly processed what she heard him say and that they were going to use marriage as a cover for why they were passing through. It was not exactly what she was hoping for, but she was happy at the thought none the less. As he walked away she heard him say something about changing the idea and she leapt to her feet and ran to him before he could finish his sentence. She embraced him from behind wrapping her arms around him. Tears still rolling down her cheeks, "I think it is a great cover story. I am sorry I worried you with my tears; I have never been given something as beautiful as this in my entire life. Thank you Naruto-kun." He wasn't purposing to her, but she could live with the idea of being his wife even if it was only pretend. The idea of him actually meaning it sometime in the future lifted her spirits even more.
Happy that she appreciated what he had given her he suggested they get ready to retire for the night as they would have a busy day tomorrow getting supplies, and resting for the long trip ahead.
Both were fast asleep as the night got late and started to become early morning. In the bushes not far off while at a slow pace, four figures started to enter the camp. They took note of the young woman that was lying on a sleeping mat and thought of the money they would receive for selling her in the trade market, after they had their way with her first. A few feet from her was a young man with bright blond hair also asleep. They considered him expendable and moved in to make it so. One man raised a large sword above his head and brought it down point first in to the blonds chest right where the heart would be.
Just then a loud pop had awakened Hinata from her slumber. Even a little blurry eyed she could see three men standing over the mat that Naruto had been sleeping on, there was a sword impaled into the ground. As fast as she could she got to her feet and took a stance to defend herself against their attackers. As they rushed she sent her chakra to her hands while activating her Byuakugan. The one that reached her first would be the first to drop for the night. With amazing reflexes she struck him in the right shoulder and left leg simultaneously. Her next two strikes caught the same man in the left shoulder as she ducked his swing at her with a follow up strike to the neck. The strike to the neck sealed the deal as it disrupted his chakra flow to his head and severed the veins in the spine at the same time. If he was a trained ninja he may have survived. As the second and third man approached she swept the closest to the ground, and upon coming up she brought her arms back and pumped enough chakra into her hands that they started to glow. Just as she was about to leap forward and strike the only one left standing at the moment, a set of arms appeared out of nowhere holding her arms behind her back. One arm had restrained her two while a hand had pulled her hair forcing her head back. This caused an immense amount of pain disrupting her concentration on the chakra she was using in her hands. She let out a scream.
Naruto was already on his way, when he noticed his clone pop, and entered the clearing where they had made camp. Not stopping at all he heard Hinata scream and saw the one large man was behind her. He was keeping her arms behind her back by hooking them with one of his large ones. Two more men were approaching her and one had a very large sword. Naruto reached in his kunai pouch and in one seamless motion let two fly. The kunai flew through the air at blinding speeds, soundless until they hit their mark. One had hit the base of the sword with a loud 'clank' forcing it out of the man's hands. The other had a more deadly target and that was seen when it sunk its self in the head of the other assailant, he was dead before he even knew it. The attacker that had lost his sword turned just in time to see Naruto launch himself at him. Narutos arm was stretched forward and all that could be heard what his shout, "Rasengan!" The attack landed on the man's chest, throwing him into a nearby boulder with a sound that Naruto was sure nobody would survive. Seeing what had happened to his associates the man that now held Hinata had opted to release her hair in place of a knife at her throat. This infuriated Naruto to no end.
"I'll give you one chance to let her go now before you end up like your friends over there." Naruto said to the coward that was hiding behind Hinata. "You go your way, we go ours, we forget about all of this".
The man looked a little panicked, but they were no friends of his. Just merely work associates. "Ha, you think that just because you know a few tricks, it don't mean I'm not going to be leaving without something for my troubles. She will fetch a good price with such soft smooth skin. Hell, I'll just have to sample the goods myself".
That sent Naruto over the edge; he pointed his finger at the man behind Hinata, "Let go of my WIFE!" Why did I say that? Was it because of their cover story? Why have these thoughts been coming into my head? These thoughts lingered in the back of his mind for the moment in large part due to his focus on rescuing Hinata from the man in front of him.
It was then that it clicked in her head; she knew right then what was happening in Naruto's head. His emotions were coming through in raw form. He was holding himself back from reaching out to her, even though he knew how she felt for him. For what reason she didn't know but she was going to help him. She was going to be the one to save him. Her face softened into a smile as she knew that she would be alright, he would protect her. With her Byuakugan still active she could see an enormous amount of chakra focus in Naruto's pointing hand. She was amazed to see such a sight. She recognized it because it was similar to one of her own techniques. Then it released. It was almost thin enough to not be seen by the naked eye but she saw it as clear as day and the speed was astounding.
Naruto with his pointed finger at the man released a small amount of wind infused chakra from his finger tip. Before the man could react it passed within inches of Hinata's neck and struck the bottom of the knife blade cleanly cutting it in half. It did not stop there and continued on to tear into the man's shoulder nearly cutting it off. He dropped to the ground and was in shock instantaneously. With Hinata free she ran to him and embraced him in a hug. No tears this time but, a smile upon her face as she knew what she had to do to save is emotions. He hugged her in return and spoke, "Let's get our bags. It is almost morning and we can make it to town for breakfast." When they separated she looked into his eyes to see sincere relief and happiness that she was ok.
They made it out to the road leaving the bodies where they were. Their bags were on their backs and they were heading into a civilized village for the first time in almost a month.
The young couple entered the village as the shops were opening. There was a sweet smell of pastries in the air as stands and restaurants prepared for breakfast. A small growl came from Hinata's stomach and they both looked down at it. A slight blush filled her cheeks while Naruto let out a small chuckle. "Well, I think I know where our first stop is".
Hinata looked over at him with a small smile and nodded at the embarrassing announcement her body was giving them. It wasn't far before they found a small breakfast restaurant and sat down to eat. Although Naruto could have really gone for a few dozen bowls of ramen he couldn't pass this up when he saw Hinata's face nearly explode at the sight of pastries. The waiter brought them a large plate of cinnamon rolls and they began to disappear at an amazing pace, much to Naruto's surprise, by Hinata. They looked across what they could see of the village; it wasn't all that small and should be able to provide the supplies they needed. They went over their priorities and decided they definitely needed some new clothes first.
After eating they set out to look for shops that would provide them what they needed. Naruto was looking through some orange and blue jackets with a little bit of nostalgia when Hinata came up to his side to grab him by the arm and hold him close to her. She saw what he was looking at and with a small smile pulled him away, "Come on Minato-kun, I know what you will look good in". With that she pulled him away. They spent the next few hours looking for clothes and travelling supplies. Naruto had never thought Hinata could have been a shopper, but he should have expected it after being on the run for a month. It was getting late in the afternoon, and Naruto couldn't carry any more bags even if he had extra arms. While trying to figure out how they were going to travel with all this stuff Hinata led him to the local inn, so they could put things away and finally get cleaned up. They were happy that no one questioned them and their story was readily accepted at the inn when they asked for a single room. After the woman behind the desk had seen their rings she congratulated them and told them how wonderful it was to be a newlywed. She even insisted on giving them a larger room at no extra cost.
They made their way to their room and Hinata let Naruto in so he could finally set the bags down. When she finally entered she was taken aback at the sight in front of here. Although not as large as the rooms in her old home of the Hyuga compound the room was indeed large. It even had its own personal bath so they would not have to use the public ones down the hall. What really caught her eye, sending another rush of heat and redness to her cheeks, was the large bed that sat in the center of the room. She had half expected two beds but this was definitely a room for a married couple. She looked to Naruto to see if it would have the same effect on him and hoped he would not see the uneasiness that was written on her face. He had just set the bags down and was stretching his back with the relief of the added weight being off of him. Noting, as she watched him look around the room and take it in he seemed unfazed at the thought of sharing a private room with her.
Looking over at her he stated, "You can take the bed, I'll be fine on the floor". He started to go through the bags and pulled out a set of his new clothes, "You don't mind if I get cleaned up do you. I could use a good scrub". With the wear and exhaustion on his face he walked to the washroom and closed the door behind him.
A new wave of heat found her face and she immediately started to find something to occupy her mind and time. Reaching into a bag she pulled out a few cups of instant ramen thinking that he would be getting hungry soon. After all he had taken her to where ever she wanted to go in the market and even allowed her to choose the places to eat. She went to work in prepping the ramen so it would be ready by the time he got out of the bath. She busied herself with other things like organizing their supplies and looking through her new clothes until she heard the door open behind her. Out stepped Naruto in his new clothes, running a towel through his hair, her breath was caught in her throat. He was wearing what she picked out for him and she liked what she saw. He was wearing a pair of dark green cargo pants, with pockets running down the side; they hung loose from his waist but you could see it hugged his back side. The black form fitting shirt he had on showed off every definition of his chest. He was well chiseled from all his time training with muscular arms that were normally hidden by his orange and black jacket he left behind. She could even see the definition of his abs then the shirt tapered off loosely until it hung just below his waistband.
As he exited the bathroom toweling his hair he could smell the food that was made just for the gods. There sitting on the table was a few cups of instant ramen steaming and ready to eat. "Thank you Hinata, I am hungry and this will hit the spot". He walked over to the table and pulled up a chair.
Hinata got up and went to join him. Sitting down next to him she grabbed a cup herself and started to eat. "Naruto-kun, what are we doing?"
Looking over at her after just taking a bite of noodles he swallowed, "Eating ramen," he said with a smile.
"No," Hinata said shaking her head. "What are we going to do? Where will we go?"
Realizing during their time traveling he had never really told her his destination. He began to tell her of his heritage, of who his father and mother were. He explained the secret that the village had kept during his childhood to protect him, resulting in his mistreatment from the many villagers. As they ate ramen they went over the plans and laid out the journey in front of them. As he saw that the last of the food was gone he looked at her and simply said "Home". He got up from the table and gathered the trash to be thrown away. Looking back at her he suggested that she get cleaned up while he finished packing their bags. They were going to leave early in the morning. With a smile she got up and grabbed some clothes then proceeded to the washroom.
As the door clicked behind her she ran everything through her head that he told her about himself and his families past. She almost couldn't believe it; she had actually fallen in love with the fourth Hokage's son. Not only was his father a Hokage, he was a legend. Even his mother was in her own right; she was the one that contained the nine-tailed fox before him. Slowly she pulled off her clothes lost in thought until the object on her finger caught her eye as it shined a soft light into her eyes. She took it off her finger and examined it closely. It truly was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. He must have put a lot of heart into creating the rings. Then she noticed on the inside of the ring was an inscription reading "Hinata, Never Forget". As she stepped into the hot bath she felt her muscles relax. Thinking of Naruto and the conflict he had inside himself over his emotions she thought to herself, tonight was the night, she was going to help him whether he liked it or not. He had avoided any attempt to talk about her confession, or how he felt about her, but she wasn't going to let him avoid it any longer.
Naruto was just finishing up putting all their supplies and clothes into their travel bags when Hinata stepped out of the bathroom. He was nearly floored at the sight. If goddesses truly existed then the woman standing in front of him now was their queen. Her damp hair hung at her back straight down and didn't waiver due to the water weight. She was wearing a pair of leather long shorts that stopped just above her knees. They fit tightly against her skin and hugged her thighs, showing of her supple hips. He could see the lavender top that was a little darker than the color of her eyes that fit just as tightly as her shorts and fell just below her thin waistline, something that was never seen while she always wore her trademark coat. Over the top she had on a black leather vest that matched her shorts and remained open in the center by her well-endowed breast. There were no sleeves on it but it had small pockets in the front. Just the sight of her sparked a primal reaction deep within him.
"Naruto," his head jerked up as if he had just come out of a day dream. She continued, "We need to talk". She blushed at the topic she was determined to voice now.
He gulped as he brought himself back to reality, "Ok, about what?" He stood up and was between her and the bed.
She was breathing heavy but she pushed forward. "You have been avoiding my feelings for you the entire time that we have been travelling. You know how I feel about you, I love you. Now I want to know right now why you have been doing so. How do you feel about me?"
She was right; he was uncomfortable with bringing it up. He hung his head low trying to find the words to tell her why he had been holding back. In truth he didn't know if he loved her, but his feelings for her were more than the infatuation that he ever had for a certain pink haired girl. He would give his life for her and care for her as long as she would let him. While still looking at the floor he tried to explain himself, "Everywhere I go people get hurt by those that are after me. They want what is inside me." His hand went to his stomach. "I don't want you to get hurt because of this, demon, because of me."
With sternness in her voice, she was irritated by the poor excuse, "That is not your decision. If I get hurt from standing by your side, for loving you, I would be happy for that pain. The pain I would feel to have never loved you would be greater than any that someone else could inflict."
"But the Kyuubi, the demon, is part of me. How could you love someone that is a demon?" This was his rationale when it came to love. That because the demon fox lived in his body it made him part demon as well.
She raised her hand to his cheek and in her soft voice, "All I see is the kindest, most caring person I have ever known. You have protected everyone you could while never asking for more than just to be acknowledged. That does not sound like a demon at all to me, but the making of a great man."
He looked up into her eyes and steadied himself. If he would choose to care for her as more than just one of his precious people, she would have to see who he truly was. He looked up into her pale lavender eyes, eyes he could lose himself in for the rest of eternity. "May I show you?" he said. She looked at him strangely as if she wasn't sure what he was talking about, but she nodded with trust just the same.
His hand rose to the side of her face and he closed his eyes. It was an instant later that darkness took hold of her.
She stood there in darkness and looked around. It looked like she was standing in a flooded tunnel; water came up to her ankles. Naruto was standing next to her holding her hand and she blushed at the thought even in this strange place. He looked at her and led her down the tunnel. Soon they came to a set of cage doors. On those doors was a paper seal and the area was dimly lit. He looked at her with his head half hung, "I'm sorry."
Then she saw it, two large red eyes blinked open and pearl white teeth shone in an animalistic grin.
Kit, welcome back. Have you come for more of my power? The fox said with a throaty chuckle. You even brought me a snack, a Hyuga no less.
Naruto looked over at Hinata, "Hinata, this is Karuma, the nine-tailed fox." He then addressed the beast in front of him. "She is not to be eaten fur-ball. She means a lot to me. She wanted to see who was sealed in me for herself".
So you wish to take her as a mate young kit. The mention of that situation sent the two observers through a series of stutters and faces so red that they mimicked the demon's eyes. Karuma continued, Do not dwell upon it young one. I know of the importance you humans place on personal relationships. Your mother came to me for the same reason. I will tell you the same thing I told her. You may think you are part demon because I am sealed within you but that is not the case. You could never compare to my power or standing, you are only human. Just because a jar contains water it does not make the jar water itself.
Naruto stood there almost in shock; the fox was acting as if it wanted to be kind to him. Karuma's reasoning was sound and he had never thought of it that way. Surprising him the most was the fact that his mother had come to the demon with the same concerns. His mother and father had a happy and fulfilling relationship and marriage. Hope sprung into Naruto's heart a little at the thought that he could have the same.
Hinata released his hand and stepped closer to the cage doors. She bowed to the beast, "It is nice to meet you Karuma".
The fox was taken aback by the kind gesture. It had been awhile since anyone had shown the beast any such mannerisms. And you have picked one with impeccable manners. Well done kit. You should learn from her.
"May I approach closer Karuma?" Hinata said. With a slight nod she walked close to the bars and started examining the seal. Turning to Naruto she said, "Your father was a genius to have come up with something like this".
Yes, Minato was very talented indeed. Much to my dissatisfaction it is has kept me here and is stronger than before, Karuma replied, sounding almost like it was complimenting Naruto's father.
Naruto stood there in amazement as he saw the two interact. He had never imagined that the fox would be so cordial with someone in his mind.
Hinata turned back to the fox and bowed, "It has been nice to meet you Karuma, and I do hope we can see each other again. Would you mind if I came back for a visit?" She started to walk back to Naruto's side and there was silence. As she got there she giggled a little as she saw Naruto was stupefied with his mouth hanging open. She lifted his chin to close his mouth and he looked at her. "Can we go now," she said as she took his hand.
He nodded again in disbelief at the short conversation that had taken place and he started their drift back to reality.
You may come back again Hinata Hyuga if you wish to speak to me, is the last thing they heard before they left Naruto's mind
Their eyes opened up at the same time and Naruto started to drop his hands from her face. Just then Hinata reached up and grabbed Naruto by the head, pulling him close to her she kissed him on his soft lips putting all her feelings into her boldest action yet. Taken by surprise Naruto fell backwards onto the bed, but Hinata was not to be denied showing that he was the one she wanted and followed him without breaking the kiss. Naruto gave in and wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her close to him and deepened the kiss. When they broke the kiss she looked down at him. "I love you and no manner of demon could possibly taint the man that I know is inside you."
With a blush all his own that could nearly rival hers he looked into her eyes and became lost, "I will try my best to be what you see in me.
"It is getting late and we need to rest for the journey ahead". As he started to get up she stopped him, "Would you mind sharing this bed with me, and hold me?"
"Yes, as long as you are ok with it". He laid his head on the pillow and she snuggled up next to him placing her head on his chest over his heart. While she lay there he wrapped his arm around her waist and played with her hair. She quickly fell asleep against his warmth and he drifted off with the idea that he could finally be happy, with a family, and have the love he has never experienced before.