Impulse

by Keyote

They had left on a simple mission, but neither could have guessed what would happen while on this mission. Things will happen that will change everything in their lives forever. LEMON warning in chpt.1 and 7

3. Illusion Impulse

a/n: Sorry about the delay of this chapter as well as Spiral Traversed. Things started to happen last Sunday with my family that required my attention. As a result of these things, I'm afraid my ability to write and release new chapters to my stories will become a little out of whack for a little while as my writing time is currently being very limited at the moment.

As things currently stand, here's how it looks for the moment. I should have chpt.18 of Spiral Traversed out sometime this week. the final chapter of Precious Bonds will hopefully be out next weekend. The last four chapters of Spiral Traversed should be coming between late April and early to mid may. the next chapter of Impulse will be released after i get chpt.20 of Spiral Traversed out. Once Traversed is finished, I will release the final Our Secret story, then will begin releasing Rave Master Naruto.

I will do my best to release as often as I can, but until these family matters have been dealt with, those will have to be my main priority till things get back to normal. Hopefully, it won't take to long to get things normal again.

I forgot to mention this last chapter, but Naruto's outfit is based on the one the main character from "Secret of Mana" for the Super Nintendo wore. Hinata's is based on a fan made pic which has her and Naruto having a picnic together and the pic also says Norse Ninja and Vernal Picnic on it.

Impulse 3: Illusion Impulse

The room was pure white in color as the young girl continued to draw. There were no windows, no real feeling of existence within the room except for her. Besides her, all there was were a few pictures she had drawn hanging from the wall as well as a bird cage with a little dolly version of herself placed in the middle. There was a large glass sphere centered in the room, giving off an eerie light and the chair the girl sat in as she scribbled away at her sketch pad. In one corner of the room, a squared line began to form the became a door that opened, revealing a hooded and cloaked figure.

"So, how are we doing today, my dear?" said the female voice behind the hood. The girl didn't answer her or even acknowledged her presence. The woman smiled as she walked over and touched the tiara the girl was wearing. She then looked down at her current picture and smiled as she said "Good, that's very good child. Keep this up and maybe I will soon release you from my grasp. The lost souls will soon arrive and then we can truly begin." The woman turned and left the room. No sooner had she had left and the door faded away, a single tear escaped from the girl as she continued her work for her en-slaver.

(Rastara)

Hinata was showing Naruto and Roxas the whole of the city and helping them get to know everything that they would need to know. Hinata came to a stop and said as she pointed to her right "And over there is Shimmer Park. It's a really fun place to go no matter who you are. Kids, teens on a date, adults looking for fun. It's all you could ever want as far as entertainment around here if your in need of some fun. It's pretty big to so if your looking to get lost then you'll find that easily here as well."

Naruto looked over at the place and got an excited look about him. "Aw man, this is going to be an awesome place to live, right Roxy?" Roxas sighed at his brothers enthusiasm. "I guess so. this whole city is interesting to me. "Say Hinata, where exactly is the ninja guild at?" Hinata looked at him and asked "It's this way. Why do you ask anyways? Not planning on jumping ship and becoming a ninja, are you?" Roxas shook his head and said "Not really. Me and Naruto have a friend named Yuffie who came here to be a ninja. We should go check on her and see how she's doing and let her know we made it."

Hinata nods as the three of them head towards the guild. Along the way, Hinata points out a few other things until the arrive at their destination. "Well, here we are: the ninja guild." Naruto nods and is impressed by it's size. "Hey Roxy, you think she did OK with joining?" Roxas looks at him and says "I'm sure she did fine. Let's go in and check anyways and see if she's giving them as much hell as she gives us." The three enter only to see a very plain, empty looking room. "Hey, whats going on? Did they move or something?" asked a very confused Naruto.

"Guys, you might want to be careful in here. the Rastara ninja's like to play with their opponents" said Hinata as she remained close to the door. Naruto continues to move forward as he ask "Huh? what do you mean Hinata?" Before she can answer, Naruto takes another step and immediately, a clamp shoots from the ground and latches onto his leg, holding him in place. "What the..." Naruto begins, but is cut off as several figures emerge from the walls, Each one hold a katana in hand as they rush towards Naruto. "Aw crap" says Naruto in a panic as they close in on him.

Before their attacks can land though, Roxas gets in between them and Naruto with both swords drawn. He easy deflects the attacks and forces the ninja back. "You OK Naruto?" Naruto nods as he takes his own weapon in hand and used it to break himself free from the leg clamp. "I will be once we teach these guys a lesson" Naruto says to Roxas as they prepare to counter attack. Hinata remains off to the side and smiles as the ninja surround them. 'Maybe I should help my team, but this seems like it will be more fun to watch.'

The ninja lunge at the two boys, forcing them to doge away from the attacks. Naruto swings his Spiral Sun thhe closest nin who manages to block the attack with his katana, though he does stumble back from the impact of the attack. Naruto moves in and delivers a kick to the mans stomach which sends him back into the wall. Two more ninja jump at Roxas who starts spinning around and uses his two swords to disarm the nina and sends them into the ground hard. The other nin present hesitate to move as Naruto and Roxas ready for another attack.

"Well, what do you think bro?" ask Roxas. Seeing the remaining nin looking uncertain about what to do, Naruto says "These guys are obviously more stealth fighters than being direct fighters. this should be a cake walk." Just then, about thirty more nin seem to pass thru the walls and they all surround Naruto and Roxas. "Then again, they do have an advantage in numbers" says Naruto as the whole lot of them attack quickly.

Naruto and Roxas manage to deflect the attacks coming at them while getting off good hits against their opponents, but when each nin is downed, their bodies turn into mush and fade out only for another nin to appear and take the place of the fallen. "What the heck is going on here? We take one out and another appears. Just how many of these guys are there?" ask Roxas in annoyance as he forced into a defence pattern with his swords. Hinata stands to the side, pondering if she should help but decides to wait and see if Naruto and Roxas can figure it out themselves.

'Wait a minute. there's something about this that seems familiar to me' thinks Naruto as he blocks another attack. As several of the ninja throw shuriken at the two boys, a memory suddenly flashes thru his mind. "Remember students, the ways of the ninja is the way of deseption and trickery. Even if your opponent is stronger than you, you can still beat them easily if you can trick them into wearing themselves out while you hardly do any work against them."

Naruto wonders where that memory came from, but decides to think on it later as this requires his immediate attention. 'Ninja's are all about deception and trickery.....wait, that's it' Naruto thinks to himself. he looks to Roxas and says "Roxy, this isn't real, the attack I mean." Roxas looks at him and ask "Huh? what do you mean Naruto?" "Simple, we're in an illusion created by these ninja's. See how when we defeat one, it fades out and another appears from out of nowhere. We aren't even fighting real enemies here, just illusions."

Roxas thinks on it and realizes he's right. "OK, so how do we break free then?" Naruto grins and says "Remember what Yuffie taught us? Lets try that." They both focus on their magic and release it in a quick burst from their bodies. Immediately, the room begins to shimmer as the once empty space is revealed to have several people present as well as a desk, tables, and chairs. A woman walks up to them and claps her hands as she says "Not bad, took you two slightly longer than normal to figure out the truth, but your fighting abilities are pretty good. May I ask why your here?"

"Actually, we came to see how are friend Yuffie is doing. She came here to join up and we wanted to see if she was successful or not" said Roxas. Before the woman can answer, the two boys find their legs being kicked out from under them and they are sent slamming onto their backs. As they look up and wince from the sudden pain they feel, they see a familiar face smiling down on them. "Of course I made it in. What were you two expecting anyways? I must say I'm a little disappointed in you two though. It took you longer than it should have to figure that illusion trick out."

Naruto and Roxas got up and Naruto glared at Yuffie while saying "Nice to see you too, Yuf. Looks like you found the perfect place to hang out at." Yuffie grins and says "Well, you know me, I was born to be a ninja. So, how did you guys do with getting into KNIGHTt?" Roxas smiles as he says "Well, we're in for the moment, but we have to pass our first mission if we want to be full time members though. Oh, and let us introduce our teammate. Yuffie, this is Hinata Northhawk and Hinata, this is Yuffie Kisaragi from Bail like me and Naruto are."

Hinata walks over and shakes Yuffie's hand. "It's nice to meet a friend of Roxas and Naruto's. I'm sure we'll be great friends as well" says Hinata. Yuffie smiles at her and says "Like wise. I'm sure I can count on you to keep my two favorite guys out of trouble when I'm not around to keep an eye on them?" Hinata nods and says "Well, I'm sure they can handle themselves really good but I'll make sure they stay safe. So, what's your relationship with them like anyways?"

Before Yuffie can answer, Roxas jumps in and says "Me and Yuffie have known each other since we were kids and she and Naruto are boyfriend and girlfriend." For just a moment, there was a dead silence in the room before both Naruto and Yuffie shouted out at the same time "What?" Hinata looks at them both and ask "So, you two are a couple." Yuffie shakes her head and says "No way, We're just friends and that's all we'll ever be, right Naruto?" Naruto quickly nods as he says "Yeah, what Yuf said. Besides, we'd kill each other if we were to ever date since we get on each others nerves all the time. right Roxy?"

Roxas grins and says "I don't know. The way you two act around each other makes me wonder about your real relationship and feelings towards each other." Roxas laughs as the both sends death glares at him. Hinata looks at this for just a moment longer before she giggles happily. They look at her as she says "Well, it's nice to see you guys are so close. and I'm not sure why but I have a feeling I'm going to enjoy being friends with all of you." Just then, the woman from before walks up and says "Yuffie, why don't you go with your friends and celebrate today. We wont have a job ready for you till the morrow anyways."

Yuffie nods and ask "Hey Hinata, you know this city right?" Hinata nods as she says "Yes, I was actually showing Naruto and Roxas around when they decided to come here and check up on you." Yuffie grins and says "Ah, the little boys can stand the thought of being without their big sister huh? Don't worry guys, I'll always be close by when needed. Anways Hinata, you think you can show me around as well? it would give us a chance to know each other better and I can tell you all sorts of things about these two that will make you laugh your ass off."

Hinata nods as they walk off, leaving Naruto and Roxas to pout and worry over what Yuffie might plan on telling her. As they go to leave, the woman stops them and says "So, I take it your getting your first KNIGHT mission in the morning?" They both nod as she continues "Well, be careful. Even the first mission can be hard since there's always that unknown factor that can come in and change everything for you. If you guys ever need any help, please let me know and I'll see what i can do for you. Oh, and my name is Sheena." They nod as the race off to catch up with the girls.

The rest of the day is spent with the four of them looking around and Yuffie telling embarrassing stories about the boys to Hinata. Soon, the sun begins to set and they realize that the must be getting back. Hinata and the boys make a quick stop a small store to get the groceries they need for their place. As they walk back to HQ, Hinata looks at Naruto and Roxas and ask "So Naruto, are you an Yuffie an item or what?" Naruto shakes his head and says "No, we're just friends. That was only Roxas having fun at our expense."

Roxas nods and says "True, but you have to admit that you guys do act like a couple from time to time." Naruto sighs and says "No, we don't. Besides, there's another girl that I'm sure I like. If only I could remember her that is." Hinata wanted to ask what that was all about, but decided to stay quiet for now. They soon returned, put away their groceries and other supplies, then made and ate dinner before turning in for the night. Tomorrow was going to be a good day.

NH

"OK you three, this is the mission you'll be doing as a test of your abilities and worthiness to be members of KNIGHT" said Maze as he looked at the three of them in his office. Seeing that he had their full attention, he continued. "You'll be heading by train to Parcella and investigate a weird phenomena that has been occurring there." Roxas was the first to speak. "What kind of phenomenon do you speak of sir?"

"Well, recently, we've gotten reports of weird creatures being spotted both in and around the village. The unusual thing is that they don't appear to be physical in nature and have yet to harm anyone." Hinata thought about this before saying "You mean, like an illusion sir?" He nodded and said "Yes, that's right. Hence why there hasn't been any injuries because of this, but the fact that this is happening to a rather peaceful town has it's inhabitants worried and even a little scared."

"Do you think it might be an enchanter or enchantress?" asked Naruto. "Most likely, yes. This shouldn't be to hard for a first mission for you three, that's why were giving it to you guys. Basically, find the source of the illusions and stop them, simple as that." They nodded as Hinata asked "Is there anything else, sir?" Maze shakes his head and says "Only good luck and don't cause any trouble out there, OK." They nod as the head to gather their things before heading to the train station.

Several hours later, the three of them are on the train as it heads for Parcella. Hinata is sitting across from Naruto and Roxas and giggles quietly to herself at the sight of them. Naruto is staring quite intensely out the window while Roxas is fast asleep. "Naruto, does Roxas always nod off when traveling?" Naruto breaks from his thoughts and says as he looks at her "All the time actually. He once told me that traveling make him drowsy and he can't for the life of him stay awake." Hinata nods before she finally decides to ask. "So Naruto, can you tell me about yourself. My talk with Yuffie was a little confusing."

"Sure, what do you want to know about?" She thinks for a moment before saying "Well, do you have any idea at all about where you come from? How you got that scar on your leg she told me about? And what do you think your dreams mean?" Naruto laughed a little as he said "Oh, she spoke about those things huh? Guess I should have figured she'd blab about personal things to other people who she just met." Hinata looks down sadly and says "I'm sorry. I'm getting to personal with those questions. huh? Especially since we just met and all too. You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

Naruto smiles and says "Hey, I don't mind talking about it. I just wish Yuffie would consider asking me before talking about things like that. Let's see, to answer that first one...I really don't know where it is I came from. All I can remember is the last two years living with Roxas and his family after they found me and took me in. The only clue I have is that i remembered my name being Naruto and that there was a red spiral design on the back of the robes I was found wearing. The strange thing about those robes was what Yuffie said it reminded her of."

"And what was that, Naruto?"

"Well, she said it looked like a burial robe or something. She joked that I must have died or something before I was found. Kind of dumb huh, considering I'm here and alive and all that." Naruto laughed at that as Hinata also chuckled, but she was secretly thinking 'That sound the same as me when my father found me two years ago. Wait, did he say his had a spiral? That sound like mine except I had a spiral and a flame symbol with the sun behind it. Could these things be connected?'

Before she could ask, Naruto spoke again. "The second question about my scar, well..." He reached downs and lifted his left pants leg up till the scar was revealed just above his left knee. Hinata looked at it and, without realizing it, reached out and traced a finger along the scar which caused goose bumps to appear around the scar. "Heh heh, that's tickles Hinata" Naruto giggled at the feeling it was causing him. Hinata quickly pulled away as she realized what she just did. "I'm sorry Naruto, I don't know what I was thinking. Um, does it go all around your leg? Does it hurt at all?"

He looked down at the scar and said "Hey, don't worry about it, OK. That actually felt kinda nice. And yes, it does go all the way around my leg which had led me to think I might have had my leg chopped off at some point in the past and had it somehow reattached. And as far as pain goes, there is still some that I feel from time to time, but it's nowhere near as bad as it once was back when i first came to live with Roxas." Naruto went silent again for a few moments as Hinata continued to look at the scar. She wasn't sure why but seeing it sent a wave a pain thru her entire body for some reason.

"And finally, your last question. Well, for the last six months, I've been having dreams that I think might be from my forgotten past. They seem to focus around me and this girl who the dreams have come to refer to as a "moon goddess". I have this feeling that there was something special between her and me, but I just can't remember what it is or what her actual name is. Weird huh?" Naruto sees Hinata has stiffened up for some reason. "Hinata?" he ask with concern.

'Moon goddess? That's what the boy from my dreams called me. Is Naruto...is he the one I've been looking for? He said he was found suffering amnesia two years ago, the same as me. So is it possible that he and I....' "Hinata, are you all right?" says Naruto as he brings his face within an inch of hers. "EEK" yelps Hinata as she returns to reality. Naruto quickly pulls away, both their faces red from being that close to each other. "Sorry Hinata, I guess i invaded your personal space huh?"

"No Naruto, that's OK. I shouldn't have spaced out there. I'm sorry" she says quickly. For the next few minutes, they sit there quietly as Hinata decides to ask Naruto about his moon goddess. "Naruto, I was wondering...." She cut off as Roxas bolts up and looks completely freaked. "Hey, what's up bro?" asked Naruto with concern in his voice. Roxas looks around and says "Weird. I was just in the fog covered forest and this girl dressed in a white dress appeared and ask me to save her."

"Really? Boy, and I thought I had weird dreams man" says Naruto as he goes back to looking out the window. "Did she look familiar to you Roxas?" asked Hinata. He thinks for a moment and then says "I've never seen her before...and yet, she does feel familiar to me. I just don't know why." Not sure what else to say, Hinata decides to think on what she was about to ask Naruto and feels that they might be what the other has been looking for. The train slowly continues on it's way.

They soon arrive at their stop and disembark from the train. After exiting the station, they look around and see...nothing but the country side in all directions. "Hey, what's going on here? Isn't there suppose to be a town here or something" wondered Naruto aloud. Roxas saw a man walking towards the station and he ran up to him saying "Excuse me sir. where is Parcella?" The man looks at him and says "I guess your new around here huh?" Roxas, Naruto, and Hinata nod.

"Well, as you can see, the station isn't in town as there are several towns close by. Take the northern road here and it will lead you to a forested area. Pass thru there and you'll find Parcella on the other side. Tell me though, why you heading there anyways?" Hinata steps up and says "We're new members of KNIGHT and we've been assigned to find out what is causing the weird illusions that have been seen there recently." The man nods and says "Well, when you three arrive, go and see Mada. She's the mayor there and will help in any way she can."

They thank the man as the head towards the northern road and begin the trek to Parcella.

RN

"The three adventurer's made their way quickly thru the dark and scary forest" said Naruto sheepishly as they walked down the forested path. Roxas laughed as he said "Sorry to burst your bubble bro, but this forest is neither dark or scary. right Hinata?" Hinata was looking around before she said "Nope, not really. If you want to see a scary forest, then we'll go to Fanghorned Forest during harvest time. ow that's a scary forest, especially at night."

Naruto laughed and said "Yeah, I'm sure it's really all that scary Hinata. nothing but shadows thru the moon light is all." Hinata shook her head and said "Actually, that is true in a ways. But there is also an old legend about the place. Well, two actually." Naruto, now curious, asked "And what are they, the legends I mean?" Taking a second to remember them, Hinata says "Well, the first is about this demonic raven that appears and taunts travelers with saying things like "Never More" or some such words. It's said that people who encounter this creature are driven insane if they can't escape it quickly."

"And the other?" asked Roxas. "The other is about some one called the Headless Horseman or something. They say he was a soldier who lost his head and now lives in the forest as a phantom who seeks out people passing thru during the harvest when the moon is full and will cut their heads off to see if your head can be used to replace the one he lost." Naruto, who was a little shaken from hearing this, said in a slightly fear filled voice "Well, i-it's a good t-thing those are just s-stories huh?"

Hinata, noticing his nervousness, decides to have some fun. "No Naruto, those are all true stories. and just how do I know the stories are true?" Naruto, begin to sweat just a little as Hinata brought her face very close to his. She had her hands behind her back and making some quick motions with them that Roxas took notice of and decided to watch was about to happen. "How d-do you know, H-Hinata?" she grinned evilly as she said in a low voice "Because Naruto..."

She then activated the spell she was casting that made her face suddenly change to look like that of a monstrous bird and her voice became some what demonic as she said "I'm the Raven. NEVERMORE." She then starts cackling like crazy which causes Naruto to scream like a little girl as he runs towards the village as if his life depended on it. Roxas burst out laughing as Hinata's face returns to normal and she immediately chases after Naruto yelling "Naruto wait, it was just a joke. I'm not really the monster raven."

"Ah man, I wish Yuffie had been here to see that" said Roxas to himself as he finally came down from his laughing fit. He then realized that he was alone and that he better catch up to his team before Naruto goes crazy and decides he needs to defend himself from Hinata. Just as he takes a step, he feels a precense nearby that makes him come to a complete stop. On instinct, he turns his head and finds himself looking at a girl in a white dress only a few yards away.

Roxas is stunned as he looks at her. To him, she's just a beautiful as Hinata if not more so. She, like him, has blond hair that hangs down along her right shoulder and she has blue eyes, just like him and Naruto. "Hey, who are you?" The girl smiles at him as he awaits her response. After several seconds, Roxas wonders 'Did she hear me or is she shy? Maybe I should introduce myself first.'

"Um, I'm Roxas Twilight from Bail. Is it oOK if I ask your name?" The girl's response is to bring a finger to her lips and makes the gesture for silence. Roxas was now worried and was about to speak again when he hears Naruto yelling "Roxas, I need some help here. The raven's trying to kill me." Roxas looks to where Naruto and Hinata ran off to and sighs. He turns back to the girl and says "Sorry, I have to go save...my....hey, where did she go?" The girl had vanished and though Roxas wanted to find her, he decided to go and "save" Naruto. Roxas ran to catch up with his team. Little did he know, he was being watch.

An hour later, they arrive at Parcella. As they enter the town, they can't help but notice just how quiet it is. They also get the feeling of something in the air that doesn't quite feel right to them. "No doubt about it, this is the right place" says Naruto. Hinata looks around and says "We should go and find Miss Mada and get what information we can from her." Roxas nods and says "Lets find someone who can show us the way."

It doesn't take long to find a person to talk to. They walk up to the farmer who looks worried upon seeing them as he ask "Is there something you need, young'uns?" Hinata nods as she says "Yes, we're looking for Miss Mada. Do you know where we can find her?" "Why are you looking for her?" asked the farmer. Naruto grins as he says "We're members of KNIGHT sir and we were sent to deal with the illusions that have been plaguing your town recently." At hear this, the farmer smiles as he says "Well, why didn't you say so sooner. Come, I'll take you to Miss Mada personally."

He leads them thru the village and as they walk, the three teens can't help but notice how nervous the other town folk seem to be. "Sir, I was wondering why everyone seems a little on edge around here?" asked Hinata. The farmer, seeing them looked confused, says "Well, you were probably told that the illusions havent hurt anyone have you?" They nod as he continues "Well, though it's true, the illusions have taken up the forms of things that people are scared of like fears and nightmares. This is making it hard for anyone to trust outsiders right now, let alone each other."

They soon arrive at a modest sized house where an elderly woman is attending to her garden. "Hey, Miss Mada" shouts the farmer. The elderly woman looks up and gives him a warm smile and says "Ah, Horten, what brings you here today?" "Nothing really, but I do have some good news for a change. It would seem that our request to Rastara has finally been answered as three members of KNIGHT have been sent to us."

The elderly woman looks past him at the three youths gathered before her. She places her gardening tools down and walks over to them. "Hello, my name is Mada Gracey. I'm the leader of this here village. It's nice to see someone finally came to help us out." Roxas approached her and extended his hand which she shakes. "I'm Roxas Twilight, and these two here are..." Naruto stepped up and shook her hand and said "Naruto Twilight, Roxas's adopted brother" and Hinata then took her hand and said "I'm Hinata Northhawk, it's nice to meet you ma'am."

She smiled at them and said "It's nice to meet you three too. I take it you'll want the full story about what has been happening here?" They nod as she then says "OK, lets step inside and have some warm tea to drink while I fill you all in. Horten, thanks for bringing them here." Horten nods as he leaves to head back to his own work. They step inside and find Mada has a rather nice and comfortable home. They sit around the table and Mada starts to tell them the story.

"This all started about a month ago when several villager's spotted weird creatures along the outskirts of the village. Naturally, the men decided to go and deal with the problem. However, they soon found that the creatures weren't even real, but illusions. At first, we tried to ignore the illusions and hope that they would just fade, but the problem has only gotten worse since the initial sightings. And to add to the mystery, we've recently seen a girl with blond hair and a white dress surrounded by a weird glow near to were the illusions appear."

"A weird girl, you say? She's not from the village?" asked Naruto. Mada shook her head and said "No, there is no child her age that looks like her around here. She has been known to appear right before the illusions come and will disapear shortly after they fade away. We believe that she might be the cause of it. To that end, many have started to call her the white witch of Parcella." Hinata looked confused and asked "Why White Witch?"

Mada thought on this and said "Well, I guess it's because she must have to ability to use magic and around her, most girls that use magic are referred to as witch's and as for her being White? Well, her manner of dress and that white glow makes it obvious." Naruto looked at Hinata and said "Well, this is a start after all. Lets go find a place to stay, then we can go around the village and see if anyone might have more for us to go on." Hinata nodded and said "That sounds good to me unless you might have more for us, Miss Mada?"

Mada shook her head and said "I'm sorry, but I've told you all i personally know seeing as I have never seen the girl myself. If you three wish, you can stay here as I have plenty of room and it's the least I can do seeing as your all here to help us out." "Thank you and we accept" said Hinata as she gave to old woman a courteous bow. "Hey Roxy, is something wrong? You've been quiet for a while now."

Roxas snapped out of his thoughts as he looked to a worried Naruto and Hinata. "I'm sorry guys, I guess i must have spaced out there for a minute." Naruto slapped his hand against his head and said "Ah geez bro, your suppose to be the reliable one between the two of us, not me. Come on, we need to hurry while we still have some light left to us." Roxas nodded as he got up and followed his team outside. He stopped as he felt Mada's hand on his shoulder. "Are you sure that your OK, dear?"

Roxas nodded and said "Don't worry. I'll be fine once I get to work on solving this problem for you and the people of this town." As Roxas moves to catch up with his team, he thinks to himself. 'That girl I saw in the woods looks like the girl Miss Mada described. Could she be the White Witch?' The rest of the day was spent with the three of them looking around the town and talking to as many people as possible and taking notes on what has been seen, where it has been seen at, and anything else that might be of help with solving this problem.

That night, they returned to Mada's and had a nice dinner made by her with help from Hinata while the boys helped set the table up. After dinner, the three decided to turn in since they would be looking around the various area's for the girl. It was around two in the morning when Roxas was awakened by the voice of a girl. As he looked around, all he could see was Naruto and Hinata sleeping in their own beds. 'Hm, I wonder what that was I just heard?' he thought as he started to lay back down again.

Roxas

Roxas shot up and got out of bed. He definitely heard her this time. On an impulse, he walked over to the window and looked down towards the ground and froze. The girl from earlier was there and looking right at him. He couldn't help but feel that she was familiar to him some how. "Who...who are you?" he asked her quietly even though the window was closed and he knew she wouldn't hear him. She looked at him sadly and he was about to head down stairs and go to her when suddenly, both Naruto and Hinata awoke and shot up and looked at each other before turning away, both their faces red from embarrassment.

"OK, what's going on with you two?" asked a now confused Roxas. Neither spoke as they each took a peak at the other before looking away again, even more red faced and embarressed now. Roxas shrugged as he said "You two are sure weird" and looked back outside to see the girl had disappeared. Disappointed, he returned to bed and fell asleep quickly. Naruto and Hinata, however, remained wake though whole night as the dream they had awoken from kept playing thru their heads.

The next morning, things were more or less normal, if you could over look the fact Naruto and Hinata were now acting strangely around each other. As Hinata was talking with Mada and getting directions, Roxas saw Naruto looking at the garden and decided to ask him about what was up. "Hey bro, what's got you and Hinata so distracted this morning? Did you have another dream again?" Naruto only nodded as his face went red again. "Oh boy, I'm guessing it wasn't the usual dream now, was it?"

Again, Naruto nodded as Roxas asked "Well, can you tell me what it was about?" Naruto hesitated for a minute before saying "Well, you remember what I said about the moon goddess and the night of me and her at the waterfall?" Roxas nodded and said "Well yeah, what about it?" Naruto gulped and said "Well, my dreamed showed me what happened after I first called that girl my moon goddess." Roxas looked at him as realization started to sink in. "I see. and....."

"I, that is to say, me and her went back to the tent we had set up earlier and....we...had sex" he said the last part quickly, though Roxas still heard him. For just a moment, Roxas stood there stunned before saying "Alright, I just won fifty big ones from Yuffie." Naruto looked at him in surprise and said "Huh? what are you talking about? You mean to tell me you and Yuffie had a bet about that and you never told me? And what do you mean that you won. Isn't Yuffie the one who joked about me getting some that night?"

Roxas laughed and said "Yep, but Yuffie didn't actually believe you got "a hottie like your moon goddess in the sack" as she put it. Now that we know you did, she owes me some money when we see her again." Naruto sighed as he thought 'I should have know my friends and family we be using me for monetary gains.' Roxas stopped his victory laughed and said "Wait, this doesn't explain why you haven't been able to look at Hinata all morning....unless...Naruto, don't tell me that she's..." Naruto only nodded as he said "The girl in my dreams looks like Hinata with shorter hair. I actually saw her as if she was really before me."

Roxas was taken aback by this before he said "Damn, you and Hinata, huh? I wonder if she had the same dream as you did since she's been acting weird too." Before Naruto could respond, Hinata walked up and said "OK, here's some maps of the area. I think we should..." Before she can finish, Roxas speaks up and says "Actually guys, there's something I want to check out by myself. You two go look at the other area's and I'll catch up once I'm done looking at this one spot." Naruto tried to stop him but Roxas was already heading off.

As he moved, he grinned as he said "Well, this will give them some alone time and hopefully, that might discover if there really is a link between them or not. As for me, I better go check out were I first saw that girl. Maybe she'll be there again." Meanwhile, Naruto and Hinata had started to walk to the place where the first illusion was sighted. As Naruto was trying to get his thoughts in order, so to was Hinata as her dream the night before was the same as Naruto's. In her dream, she had been in the throws of passion with her dream boy who she now realized looked like a younger version of Naruto.

As they walked, neither was aware that they were being watched. "So, those are the two lost souls? I guess the next part of my plan should be to test them and see if they have what I need or not." Meanwhile, Roxas was moving quickly and soon arrived at the spot where he had seen the girl earlier. "Hm, I wonder if she's here or if I just imagined her" he said to himself. Just then, he felt a presence from behind him and he turned quickly. His eyes came onto the girl as she looked at him intently. "OK, who are you and are you the one behind the illusions?"

Instead of answering, she mearly motioned with her hand to follow her as she turned and walked deeper into the forest. Not sure what was going on, Roxas decided to follow and see where it was she wanted to lead him.

(Rastara)

"Are you serious?" said Maze in disbelief at what he had heard. "It's true, the information we had about the situation in Parcella was incomplete. I'm sorry Maze, but it looks like the mission we gave to the newbies is more difficult that what would be expected of them. As things currently stand, we may have sent them to their deaths" said Banes, the leader of KNIGHT. Maze was really angry and worried about the team as he actually liked them and saw them becoming a powerful force with in the group. "So, what do we do now?"

"Don't worry, I'll go myself and make sure the mission is completed and that they survive" said a third person who entered into the room. Maze turned to see the owner of the voice and immediatell froze as he saw who it was. "YOU?" was Maze's response. the man wore black pants and a black colored long coat. He had long silvery colored hair that reached down to the small of his back and had a rather long bladed sword hanging from his side. "If it's OK with you, Banes. I will go and help them, seeing as they were going to be given to me anyways if they passed the test."

Impulse 3: Illusion Impulse

Next time, Roxas learns the truth of what is going on while Naruto and Hinata draw closer to remembering their past as they find themselves being attacked by phantoms from that past. And who is the mysterious KNIGHT that is coming to aid them? Find out in the next Impulse.

to be continued...