A/N: BONUS! No, really. I wasn't going to work on this, but as I was waking up a few days ago (Sunday) I had a flash of inspiration re: Shion. It wasn't Naruto's dream, or even really that close, but it was that Naruto should have a dream like it... so this chapter was born. That means the arc is extended, this chapter was a flash of genius (I believe, anyway) that was not part of the original plan.

So enjoy your extra chapter!
Also, this chapter has not yet been betaed, because Mouse is MIA. I did go over it a couple times myself, so it should at least be low on errors. If not... sorry.

Chap. 12 The Demon's Heart

Despite being comfortably, snuggly tucked into sheets on a large, thick futon, Naruto shivered, but not from cold. It was happening again... for the third time tonight, the sixty fourth in the two weeks since what he now called in his head The Shion Incident.

Small beads of sweat formed on his forehead, as his breath began to pick up, his heart rate to pound.

Given Naruto's occupation of being a Shinobi, and in fact (though he did not know it) the single most powerful, dangerous Genin alive in the world today, one might have thought he was locked in mortal combat in his dream, or perhaps confronted by his greatest fear.

Well, neither were true... but both were true in a sense.

Are you confused, yet?

The answers lay just inside Naruto's mind... which means it's time for a peek.

(O)(O)(O)

The details were always a little varied, but Naruto already knew how this dream would play out. The oak door, imported from distant lands, was replaced this time by a thin shōji, or rice paper and bamboo sliding door, which had already slid open.

The rest of the the dream for the next several minutes was much more the new normal. There was a slight variation in the potted plants that sat in the vase beneath the window, which during this iteration had open shōji style shutters to let the cool night breeze in. The bed in the opposite corner was identical to the one he was actually sleeping in (and, somewhat fortunately, knew he was sleeping in), and the modern, western-style tub- this one sitting on clawed feet rather than set into the floor like the one he knew in real life- was unhidden by a thin screen, again of paper and bamboo latticework.

But that didn't matter, because the most important feature of the dream, the one that made his pulse race and breathing double-time, had already stepped from the tub.

Quite recently, because he could still see her hair and skin dripping all over the floor with a quiet pitter-patter, only audible due to the silence of the night outside.
Any moment now, he knew, Shion would turn and see him, or the maid or a guard would pass. The thick, white, fluffy and soft towel hid most of her from view the next moment, as the young Priestess-in-training wrapped it around herself in favor of picking up a smaller one and doing her best to quickly dry her hair, before setting it gently, still wet, back on the available stand.

Any moment now, a guard would come, and he would wake.

Or the maid.

Or a bird outside the window...

It had happened every time so far.

He would catch just a glimpse, just like he had in real life, two weeks or so ago (had it been so long already?), a momentary glance at sheer feminine perfection, before she registered his gawking presence, and he was forced to flee back to wakefulness.

Only, Shion had already turned around.

Her soft voice, so unlike the spoiled growl he heard so often when awake lately, called his name.
"Naruto... are you listening? Don't stand there like a fool... come in, and shut the shōji."

In shock, dream-Naruto obeyed, stepping inside just enough to fumble around for the handle and slide it shut without turning.
Somehow, despite being mostly lucid and aware that he was dreaming, Naruto did not seem to be able to control himself enough to look away.
Not that he was complaining. Dreams were safe, weren't they? As long as he didn't call out her name loud enough for Kakashi in the next room (he'd better be on watch!) or a passing servant or guard to hear, he could dream about the lovely, if obnoxious, Priestess, right?

No one had to know he'd started developing a crush the same moment she'd started being nicer to him... the night he'd walked into her room by mistake and saw her stark naked.

For a few minutes inside the dream, he watched as Dream-Shion casually sat down, still clad only in the thick towel that stretched from the tops of her large breasts down to just above her knees, in a western-style chair and brushed her long, cornsilk hair until it was both dry and as flawless as ever.

During that time, Dream-Naruto did something Waking-Naruto rarely did... he reasoned with himself, trying to find out someone else's motivations.

Someone who knew Naruto might think he did that fairly often. They would be wrong. Waking-Naruto often did get people's reasons and motivations for doing things, often after hearing their stories or some version of it. In fact, the dream-girl in question's story had caused him to understand why she was the way she was in moments.

But that was not reasoned argument and thought, that was pure empathy combined with pure instinct, two traits Naruto was known for above almost all others. He got it, he didn't haveto think about it. He just got it, right from the start.

But this was new.

Dream-Shion should have done the same thing she always did, and beaten him up, or screamed for guards. It's not like he'd have fought back, he was the one intruding on her bath time, after all. Again.

How many dreams was this, again?

But this time, she only quietly hummed to herself with a faint smile and slightly rosy cheeks while she brushed her hair, for the most part ignoring his presence.

He took a moment more to ponder, before mentally throwing his hands up and chalking it up to the mysteries of dream-women.

Mental facilities freed up, Dream-Naruto turned his attention back to the figure sitting at the vanity, which was scooting back to stand, before going back to the position in the center of the room where she'd first spotted him, not bothering to avoid the wet spot, which, probably because he was dreaming, wasn't wet anymore, though Dream-Shion's body still glistened with moisture.

"Well, Naruto? This is a little unfair, isn't it?"

He started. "Wh- what? I don't- um- huh?"

"Well, I'm not wearing very much, but you're still dressed... shouldn't you be getting ready for your bath?"

"I, uh... aren't you... you know, going to hit me, or call for help, or something?"

Dream-Shion's head cocked to the side, "Why would I do that? We both know why you're here... I think you're attractive enough, and not nearly as ignorant as I'd first thought... so why don't you join me?"

"J- Join you... huh?"

Dream-Naruto, perhaps mesmerized by Shion's suddenly sultry voice, was rapidly moving from being far beyond Waking-Naruto's mental capacity to far below it. At least, far below normal operating parameters.

The corners of Dream-Shion's lips curved upwards, and the two lilac eyes, which appeared violet in the dim starlight, shimmered with an unknown... something. Two small, long-fingered yet dainty hands moved up to where the towel was tucked into itself at the top, and pulled.

Dream-Naruto's mind froze up completely, requiring a full reboot, and yet Waking-Naruto's mind recorded this dream with as much indelible detail as it had taken in the oh-so-brief two second glance it had had in real life. But Dream-Shion, just as exquisite in form and figure, as flawless and without blemish as her real-life counterpart was, was still smiling a quiet little smile as the towel gathered at her feet, and she stepped out of it.

The cornsilk patch between the girl's legs dripped one small bead of water onto the towel as she stepped out of it. "To join me in bed, of course. It will be difficult with your clothes on."

Dream-Naruto took one step forward, woodenly, then another, even as Dream-Shion retreated, step for step, without looking away from him even once, to the bed, before sitting on the edge, legs pressed together with clasped hands on top of them, to press voluptuous breasts together slightly. "Well, Naruto? You're still going to need to get undressed..."

The dream-boy took another step... and, too mesmerized to watch where he was going, tripped over the towel, sending him face-first to the hardwood floor.

(O)(O)(O)

"Damn it!" Naruto cursed under his breath but with a surprising amount of vehemence, "Just when it was getting good! Damn, damn, damn! And now I have to wash my sheets before the guards or servants-"

There was a quiet knock on the door. "Naruto-sama? I heard a noise... are you alright?"

It was not Shion. That was good.

But it was a young female... probably Jinai, the servant who cleaned their rooms. The one who would see the white stain in the sheets, would smell it, would... crap, he was so dead!
If Shion, or worse, Kakashi ever got wind of this...

"I'm f-fine!" he called, hurriedly jumping up and heading to his backpack for his spare boxers. At least he could change those...

Then the door slid open.

There was, indeed, the dark-haired girl of perhaps eighteen, wearing the servant's uniform.

Behind her was another person, with long, cornsilk hair and a figure many would die for.

And there was Naruto, naked, with a sticky patch (small, mostly invisible, he hoped) in his own golden patch of pubic hair, a still-stiff (though less so) penis, and stepping into a clean pair of boxers, with the distinct smell of sex in the air.

There was a quiet snicker and a giggle, before the Priestess turned and calmly walked away.

Then a loud- very loud, in the still of night- shriek of apology, before the door slammed shut, and he distantly heard sandal-shod feet running up the corridor, as far from him as possible.

Late that afternoon, as his day shift was about to end, Naruto saw two of the male servants burn a set of sheets in the courtyard, both of them sending strange looks in his direction every once in a while.

At least neither was scowling at him...

But Shion and the servant had made themselves scarce, and he'd only gotten a single passing glance of the younger Priestess as she passed by on some business or another while he trained with Kakashi in taijutsu.

It looked like there was no way to apologize...

(O)(O)(O)

Except that at dinner the next night, Miroku had requested they all eat together, and far away from the prying eyes of servants and guards. As a result, they each essentially served themselves from a small banquet.
Whether the older Priestess knew or not, Naruto couldn't say, but he had been seated next to Shion at the small, personal dining table in Miroku's own quarters, with Kakashi and the mother on the other side of the narrow slab of finely crafted wood.

This was uncomfortable enough... at least for Naruto.

Shion, despite what he thought must have been embarrassing beyond belief for her, was in a strangely good mood. She talked with both Kakashi and Miroku, even smiled a bit.

Somehow, Naruto knew a bit of it was forced, but it didn't seem to be that much.

In fact, even Kakashi was smiling and laughing, yet somehow eating without ever letting Naruto or Shion see his face.

It was during one of those strange moments, when both Miroku and Kakashi's eyes were closed from laughter that Naruto felt it- a quiet touch on his thigh, and the faintest of weights left there.

Something he would almost certainly have missed, were he not so keyed up from sitting near the beautiful Priestess he was sure would want to see him flayed alive before sitting down to eat with him.

A glance down told him there was a slightly wrinkled piece of rice paper with tiny handwriting on his leg.
There was no way to read it now, but... what the hell? Was this her death threat? A promise of retribution? It certainly seemed that girls his age liked to pay him back far more than he'd done to them. So far, at least.

He began to sweat, ever so slightly, more than he already had been, his body keyed up as if he was in imminent danger.

The feather-soft touch on the same thigh, this time on the outside, brushed toward his knee and then moved around it to go lightly, oh so lightly, up the inside of his thigh to about halfway, before Naruto's leg jerked unconsciously, and he kicked the leg of the table.

"S- Sorry," he muttered, before staring at his plate, hoping to ignore the questioning looks of Kakashi and Miroku, or the knowing smirk on Shion's face.

What is she doing?

Then it happened again, and again, each time getting a few centimeters higher up the inside of his thigh.

Oh, she's going to castrate me right here, and I can't stop her because it'll tell Miroku what I did, and there'll be an international incident, and we'll fail our mission, and... crap...

Only, the small hand did not stop, and did not castrate him.

Four more times, it crept just a little higher, before she touched him there.

Just lightly... and on the next pass, skipped the preliminary slide up his leg and just outright gripped the erection he'd had for the last several minutes as Shion teased him.

At least, she tried. Her hand couldn't go all the way around with his trousers on, but Shion made a good attempt before giving him a final squeeze and letting go, the serene smile never leaving her face.

"Ex- Excuse me," a very red-faced Naruto said, just remembering to palm the note before jumping up and turning to the door in the same motion.

Unfortunately for him, Naruto turned in the direction of Shion, and she got a close-up view, even if it was a blur of motion, of his reaction.

... Or maybe it was fortunate?

In the privacy of his suite's restroom, Naruto finished the job the Priestess had started with a vengeance, all the while remembering the dream, the strongest dream he'd ever had, thinking about just why Shion was doing this, taunting him so...

And then, after he had grunted his seed into the modern toilet and flushed it down to erase all evidence but a slight smell in the air (the fan would take care of that, though), he carefully unfolded the message.

A whiff of something flowery assaulted his powerful nose, almost as if he had buried his face in the girl's hair and taken a sniff. Probably, she had no idea how much to use... and had no idea his olfactory senses, even without being boosted by chakra, were almost as potent as Kiba's.

"Wow, she has pretty handwriting. Let's see... Did you like the dream I sent you... it's what I wished would happen that night, but I can't tell anyone... my guards would kill us both, one more literally than the other... geez, this is small writing! The whole papers' only about ten centimeters! Anyway... come see me tonight, and we'll... what?! Finish the dream for real?! Hell no! What is she, crazy?! It's a trap! It's gotta be a trap! I mean, she's so perfect- when she's not being a brat- and I'm just Naruto! First Hinata, and now Shion... I don't get this at all!"

So Naruto did not return to dinner, and he most certainly did not go to Shion's room late that night.

There was no trap to be sprung...

But Shion was strangely tired, and quite visibly annoyed with everyone and everything, the next day... and the next.

(O)(O)(O)

"Kakashi-sensei! I did it, I did it! Look!"

The blonde had jumped up to the roof a moment before, and had, with great joy, dashed up to the peak to show his teacher. The leaf was quite clearly cut in half, but only half way. "That's pretty good, Naruto! Why don't you dispel this clone, just this one, and show everyone else how you did it. Okay? You should have it down to the whole leaf in one shot by sundown at the rate you're going. Well done!"

"Heh heh, well, I am pretty great, aren't I, Sensei? Alright, see you later! Wait! I just had an idea!"

"Hm? What is it?"

"Well, how about a little bet? If I can get it in the next hour- of course I won't cheat- you, um... you... teach me a new jutsu before we get home! And if I lose, I, um... I... get Jiraiya to autograph all your copies of Icha Icha. Sound good?"

"Hm... alright. Sounds good, it's a bet. One hour from... now."

"Alright!" the clone prepared to dispel itself, only to pause once more. "But wait... how come I haven't seen you with your book out? You haven't read it in the open since we got here. You aren't hiding it because you think Miroku won't like it or something, are you? I mean, you read it in public in Konoha..."

Kakashi snorted, "No, that's not it. Let's just say that at home I have to constantly be on my guard... and here, I have no reason to be. Miroku-san and I have an... agreement, and because of that, I haven't felt the need to indulge in my little past time for the last few weeks."

"Okay, well, whatever," the clone said, before dispelling itself, leaving the real leaf to fall to the rooftop.

A moment later, the courtyard below became silent as the ten Naruto's- the highest Kakashi had allowed since he blew up the forest- assimilated the new information before giving a simultaneous cry of, "Yosh! Let's do this!"

Kakashi chuckled, "Yeah, a mutually beneficial arrangement. Besides, she likes them, too. These Priestesses never took a vow of celibacy, Naruto... you should know that by now, the way Shion's been talking about you. Or haven't you been paying attention?"

(O)(O)(O)

It wasn't quite within the hour, but Naruto had indeed cut his first leaf before Sundown, so they called it a mutual win. Kakashi would teach him a new jutsu before they reached Konoha, and Naruto would try to get Jiraiya to autograph all fifteen copies each- books got damaged on missions, after all- of every Icha Icha Kakashi owned.

Good deal.

Only, that night, Naruto had a dream again. That dream, but it was more... normal. Not as lucid, he couldn't control himself- in the normal way, not the- the- that- way- yet there, again, was Shion. In perfect clarity, and this time, instead of tripping over the towel, he'd slipped on the water.

Stupid!

So he was quite tired for training the next day, but giving it his all.

That was unfortunate, because it was during training, when both he and Kakashi were strangely worn out, that the enemy chose to make their first move.

A/N2:Not TOO much to say this time... since it was a bonus chapter. I'm due to be working on OH next (and I'm still trying to force out the next chapter, and first of the final arc, of LB2 as well... unsuccessfully), but this arc has been working on my brain a lot lately, so we'll see.
Till next time... don't forget to READ AND REVIEW.
The response from you guys has been amazing the last couple chapters, but keep it up. YOU are a good chunk of the reason TROLL has been worked on so much lately!