I don't own Naruto and a few other characters in this story.
A/N: Next up is the final volume of Spiral Traversed which should be out on Monday. The we will see the final part of the Our Secret trilogy, Miracle released next week (possibly Thursday or Friday). Then, I shall finally begin Rave Master Naruto the following Monday.
Impulse 4: Witch Impulse
Roxas made his way deeper into the forest as he followed the girl in white. She had yet to say even a single word to him which led him to believe that she was either mute or there was something going on here that he was missing. But one thing was certain and that was the deeper they went, the more intimidating the woods seemed to become.
'I wonder if this is similar to that Fanghorned Forest Hinata was talking about in it's appearance. This place sure looks like you don't want to be alone with in during the night and the day isn't very welcoming either.' He stopped as he noticed a dense fog was starting to form.
Seeing the girl had stopped and had a concerned look on her face, Roxas walked up to her and asked "OK, what's going on here? Is this normal or something more sinister? Is this your doing? Are you the one behind those illusions that have been plaguing the people of Parcella?"
She didn't respond to his questions. All she did was to keep looking towards were the fog had begun to form. Tired of this, Roxas reached out to grab her as he said "Listen, I don't have time for this. Tell me what's going on or..." His words cut off as his hand passes thru her shoulder, indicating that she isn't there.
"What the? Wait, your just an illusion too?" The girl turned around to finally face him and nodded sadly. "Well, this explains a lot actually. Like why you have been so uncommunicative with me since we met. OK, let's do it this way. I'll ask you questions that are in yes or no form and you answer by shaking or nodding your head. Does that work?"
The girl nodded leading Roxas to ask his first question. "OK, so are you the one behind the illusions?" At first, the girl nodded, but then shook her head. Confused, Roxas asked "Um, OK? Well, which is it? Yes or no?" The girl's response was to bring her hand up and shake it, indicating a so-so answer.
"OK, let me see if I'm reading you right. You are responciple for the illusions but it's not by choice?" The girl smiles and nods, confirming his guess. "I assume your being held some where by a person who is using you to cause trouble? If so, then why?" The look the girl gives him tells him that she obviously can't answer him yet.
Sighing, he says in annoyed tone "Right, right. You can't actually speak since your just an illusion. Well, can you at least lead me to where your being held? Maybe if I can free you, this situation can be dealt with." Nodding her agreement, the girl continues her walking with Roxas staying close as the fog is already making it hard to see.
'Naruto, Hinata, I hope you guys are having an easier time than I am right now' thinks Roxas as he heads deeper into the woods.
(Naruto and Hinata)
The two young KNIGHT's had finally arrived and were taking a look around the area to see if they could find any clues that could lead them to the truth about what was going on in the village. Despite their attempts though, they couldn't find anything that was out of place or even a little suspicious in the area.
After an hour of looking around separately, they decided to return to the chosen rest spot and see what the other had found. Naruto saw Hinata sitting on a tree stump as she awaited his return. He found a place on the grass before her and sat down so as to give his tired feet a break. "Well, did you find anything interesting?" he asked.
Hinata shook her head and said "Sorry, I didn't see anything that could be used as a medium for casting an illusion spell. And you, Naruto?" Naruto shook his head and said "Nothing but trees, rocks, and bugs from what I could see. Man, who would have thought this search could be so boring. Hope Roxy's doing better than we are."
"Me too. I wonder what it was he wanted check out? Do you think he knows something and decided to not tell us about it? asked Hinata as she started to rummage thru her pack to get the lunch she had made out for them to eat. Naruto looked into the sky as he scratched his head and said "Probably, he always did have a habit of doing that to me and Yuffie back home."
Hinata finally pulled out the meal's she had made and hand one to Naruto. Naruto thanked her as they began to eat. As they both ate, thoughts began to play through their minds as well as questions that they both would like to have answered. Hinata decided to go first. "Naruto, there's a couple of things I wish to clarify with you, if its alright?"
"Sure, what is it (gulp) Hinata?" said Naruto as he finshed chewing and swallowing his food. She hesitated for a moment before finding her never and asking. "Well, back on the train, you said that when you were found two years ago by Roxas family, you were wearing a robe with a red spiral design on it right? And the robe appeared to be a burial robe as well?"
Naruto nodded and said "Yeah, that's right. Though it was Yuffie who made the statement about it being like a curial robe from her study of those things. So, what's up with the clarification Hinata?" She looked away for a moment, wondering if she should talk about it and decided that yes, she should.
"Well, the truth is that I'm not a Northhawk by birth. I, like you, was found by my father and adopted into the Northhawk family and I also suffer memory loss." Naruto nodded and said "Well, I remember Master Maze saying something about that during the tour but I was to excited about being in KNIGHT to have really paid attention."
She nodded her understanding, then she continued. "Well, when I was found in that sun flower field, I too was wearing what appeared to be a burial robe. And on the sleeves of the robe near the shoulders were a red flame symbol with the pattern of the sun behind it. And on the back...was a red colored spiral crest."
Naruto sat there for a minute, not sure what to think as Hinata then added "My father did some checking and found that it was customary for a girl to have multiple symbols on her garments. The symbol on the sleeves was to be used for her families crest while the one on the back was used to symbolize that family she was considered married into."
Before Hinata could continue, Naruto stopped her with his own question. "Wait Hinata, are you saying that you and I might have known each other prior to our memory loss and that we might have been married?" Hinata only nodded and said "It might be possible. Since I first saw you, I've had this feeling that I knew you from some where and that answer could explain why."
"Well, I felt like I had seen you before when we first met too. But don't you think the whole marriage angle is a bit much? I mean, we would have been thirteen at the time or so. Isn't that to young for marriage?" Hinata nodded and said "That's what I first thought as well. But when I did some research into it, I found that there are clans that will allow marriage at the young an age if certain conditions and/or needs are met."
Naruto thought on this as he looked to the sky and said "I guess that could be true, but still..." "And, there's the other thing as well." Now Naruto returned to looking at her and asked "What other thing?" She closed her eyes and allowed the images to play through her mind before speaking. "There's the issue of our shared dreams, Naruto?"
Not far away, a figure shrouwded in a cloak and hood was watching them. "Good, things are working better than I could have hoped for. They sent the very two people I needed to see here. Well, now it's time to test them and see if I was right." The figure raised her hand and created two orbs of light and sent them to do the job needed of them.
"Wait Hinata, are you saying that you also have been having dreams?" asked Naruto. She nodded and said "For about six months now, I think. These dreams show me a life that I have never known in a village I have never seen before. And yet, it all feels familiar to me some how. Especially the central image of a boy that I know was important to me in some way."
Naruto sat there stunned. Was it really possible? Could she have been having the same dreams as he was having. "Hinata, was the boy in your dreams similar to me in appearance?" "Yes, he did look like you at what I'm guessing was a younger age. Spiky blond hair, deep sea blue eyes, and a whisker like markings on his cheeks. He was, he is someone I know to be special to me."
"Well Hinata, you look like a girl from my dreams as well. She had dark hair and ivory colored skin and eyes of lavender with out pupils. Do you think that it might be possible that you and I..." He didn't get to finish as they both felt the approaching power. Reacting immediately, they were on their feet with hands ready to draw their swords if needed.
They saw the two orbs floating towards them. "Hinata, know what those are?" asked Naruto. Hinata shook her head and said "Never seen anything like them before. But we should remain on guard all the same since it sounds like that discription given about the first illusion encounter."
They stayed ready to attack as the orbs hovered around them slowly. After a few tense moments, the orbs came to life as they shot forward. Neither Naruto or Hinata could react in time as the orbs came upon them with insae speed and melted into their heads. Both fell to their knees as their minds were bombarded with images that they had never seen before, and yet felt familiar to them as well.
Just as quickly as it began, it ended as the orbs left their bodies and returned to hovering before them. Naruto and Hinata came back to reality as they shakily returned to standing. "What the hell was that?" said Naruto as he breathed heavily. "I don't know? I felt like they were reading our minds some how" said Hinata as she too was working to catch her breath.
Just then, a heavy fog started to cover the area rapidly. Before they could respond, they were engulfed by the fog and lost sight of each other. "Hinata" yelled Naruto as Hinata yelled out his name as well, though neither heard the other. Naruto then noticed one of the orbs appear before him. It started to glow as it grew and reshaped itself.
'What the? What in the hell is going on here?' thought Naruto as the orb finished reshaping itself. In its new form, the orb resembled a boy wearing a blue shirt and white shorts that reached to his knees. He had black hair and weird red colored eyes with what appeared to be three comma marks inside. "Hey, who are you?" demanded Naruto as he felt this person looked familiar.
The figure smiled and said "What's wrong dope, can't you remember me? Hah, same old Naruto. I guess you'll always be a brainless loser, no matter what happens to you." Naruto wasn't sure why, but this person was bring his anger out very easily and for some strange reason, he really wanted to beat this person to with in an inch of his life.
Meanwhile, Hinata was standing still as the orb before her appeared to take on the form of a man of high authority. She wasn't sure why, but there was something about him that sent a wave of fear through her body. "W-Who are y-you?" she asked and was surprised by how timid and scared she sounded.
The man looked at her with his white pupiless eyes and scoffed at her. He had long brown hair and was wearing white colored robes. "I see your still as weak and useless as ever. I would think you would eventually become a strong woman through all that you've had to endure, but I see that once again I was a fool to believe any good would come from you. Once a failure, always a failure."
He started to approach her which made Hinata back away out of instinct. He growled his annoyance as he said "Quite being such a weak coward. Stand your ground an fight me. Prove yourself to be a strong member of our clan or I shall punish you accordingly." Though still very afraid, Hinata drew her sword and readied it to fight as did Naruto as his opponent approached him.
NH
(Roxas)
It was getting harder to see the girl as the fog kept getting thicker and denser as he moved further along the path. 'Man, what is up with this? One things for sure and that this fog isn't natural.' Just then, the girl vanishes causing him to worry. "Hey wait, where did you run off too?" shouted Roxas as he started moving forward quickly.
However, before he made it five steps, his foot hit something hard and he found himself tripping and hitting the ground hard. He pulled himself up and rubbed his now sore head as he said "Damn, what the hell did I run into?" He turned to get a better view of what he had crashed into and saw a giant stone totem with odd looking symbols cut into it. He was curious about it, then his curiosity grew when the girl appeared and placed her hand on a crystal cut into the totem.
"Do you want me to do as you do?" he asked her. She nodded at his question and Roxas got up to comply. The moment his hand touched the gemstone, everything went white around him. The next thing he knew, he was standing in the middle of a giant white void of nothing.
Looking around and seeing only emptiness, Roxas thought 'OK, thus was a bad idea. Just where the hell am I now?' He heard a giggle come from behind him, making him turn quickly and finding the girl sitting on thin air or was there something there he wasn't seeing. "Hello Roxas" she said sweetly to him.
Roxas was dumb founded for a moment before saying "So now you can talk huh? Good, maybe you can explain what is going on here?" The girl simply smiled and said "I will do what I can. First, let me tell you my name. I am Namine and I'm very glad to finally meet you."
"Meet me? Since how long have you been waiting to meet me, Namine?" She shook her head and said "There will be time for that later. For now, lets stick to the important stuff." Roxas nodded as he took a seat on the ground. "OK, just who are you exactly and what did you mean by so-so when I asked if your were behind all this?"
"I'm a witch who has the power to see into a person's mind and manipulate their memories. I was found one day by this enchantress who took me in and raised me like I was her daughter. She taught me how to use my powers and I thought it would be for a good cause. But, it seems she had other ideas for me right from the start."
"What kind of ideas?" asked Roxas. "Well, she used me to read the minds of people to find their worst fears and then she would use her powers to create illusions based on those fears. I don't want to use my power like that, but she placed a slave crown on my head that takes away my free will. The real me is just puppet right now."
"Wait a minute, you mean this isn't real?" Namine shook her head and said "No, this is a place created with in my mind that you are currently being linked to thanks to the power of the totem stone and my own magic being sent into it. And there's a worse problem. She can use my powers to make the illusions feel real to the victims which can cause traumatic damage to a persons mind."
Roxas nodded and for just a moment, thought on what he had learned. Finally, he gave her a serious look and said "OK, I only need to know two more things. One, who is the enchantress? And two, were can I find you?" Namine looked down sadly and said "I don't know either answer. The slave crown on my head erased her name and face from my mind and I was asleep when she brought me to my current hiding place. All I know is that I'm with in ten miles of Parcella."
Before Roxas could ask anymore questions, Namine suddenly turned away as a look of fear crossed her face. Noticing this, Roxas asked "Hey, what's wrong Namine?" She snapped back to reality and said in a panicked voice. "Roxas, you've got to hurry. Your two friend are in grave danger and if you don't get to them soon, they'll die."
Roxas was back on his feat in a split second. "Where are they? I need to get to them if your right." Namine pointed to a door that had just appeared and pointed to it. "Go through there. It will lead you back to reality. Once back outside, follow the light ball I'll create and it will get you to them. Be careful, I'm sure that she 's behind this. And when you arrive, look for a floating orb of light. That object could be causing problems. So if you see it, destroy it."
Roxas goes to leave, but stops and looks back and says "Don't worry Namine, I promise that I will find you in the real world and save you. You can count on me." And with that, Roxas turned and ran out the door. Namine placed her hands over her heart and said softly to herself "I know you will, Roxas."
(Naruto and Hinata)
The phantom boy attacked Naruto with lethal intent being shown with every move he made. Naruto had drawn his Spiral Sun and was using it to block his opponents attacks. The enemy pulled back for a second and Naruto took advantage of the moment and lashed out with his sword, strike the boy's right arm with all his strength.
Naruto had expected to see the boy's arm to be severed from the blow, but was shocked to see his blade being blocked by the boys arm, almost as if it was made of metal. "What the...?" said Naruto in disbelief as his opponent smiled. "What's wrong dope? Is that the best you can do? Your even weaker now than you were when we last fought each other. Now die."
Hinata found herself dodging back and forth as her enemy kept forcing her back. 'Who is he and why am I so afraid to attack him?' thought Hinata as her fear slowly started to gain more control over her. The man gave her a disappointed frown as he stood over her and said "I can't believe this. Your even weaker now than you where before. Can't you ever stopping shaming me and your family?"
Hinata found herself fighting back tears, though she didn't know why. Who ever this man was, he had a very nasty way of effecting her and her emotions. "You are just like your mother, completely useless to me. And the biggest disgrace of them all was you falling in love with that Uzumaki trash. How you can love that monster is beyond me."
Though she didn't know any Uzumaki, hear this man say those words sparked a fiery anger deep with in Hinata's body. She felt like screaming at this man. Allowing her anger to control her, she lept to her feet and charged the man as she screamed out "Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP! I don't care what you say about me, but I'll never allow you to bad mouth...."
She didn't finish as she sent her weapons slashing down hard against the man. He tried to dodge, but wasn't fast enough as Hinata managed to hit his chest, cutting a deep gash into him. The man looked at his wound, then back at Hinata in disbelief. "Now that's more like it. Now, you worthless little bitch. Lets see if you were just lucky now or if you can really repeat this success." Hinata raged as she launched herself at him again.
Naruto saw the boy charge him suddenly and before he could make a move to defend himself, he was hit hard as the boy karate chopped down on Naruto's chest. Naruto screamed in pain as his chest was cut deeply, sending blood shooting outwards. Naruto coolapsed to his knees and he fought to maintain conciousness.
He looked at the boy with hatred in his eyes and asked "Well, seeing as I don't remember, will you tell me your name before I bleed to death?" Truthfully, Naruto didn't care. He just need a distraction that would give him a moment to prepare his counter attack. "Fine, since you seem to be terminally stupid dope, I'll tell you. I am....Sasuke Uchiha."
Naruto didn't know why, but hearing that name sent more anger and rage flooding through his body than he ever believed possible. Suddenly finding strength he didn't know he had, he returned to his feet while ignoring the pain in his chest. "Sasuke? Well then Sasuke, prepare to die" shouted Naruto as the Spiral Sun began to glow. "Secret sword style: Spiral Shockwave" shouted Naruto as he swung the sword, unleashing a powerful golden wave of energy.
Hinata stood as the man before her brought his hands together and watch in fear and amazement as his hands started to glow. 'What...what is he doing now?' wondered Hinata. Giving her a dangerous smirk, the man said "Your last attack was good, but this will end it....my daughter." And the man charged forward as a blue colored energy rippled around his hands.
Preparing her self, Hinata waited till the last second before she jumped clear of his attack and saw he was open. Moving as fast as possible, she got to him just as she turned around and plunged her Foxheart into the man's stomach. Meanwhile, the boy called Sasuke disappeared and reappeared behind Naruto, his hands crackling with lightning as he shouted Chidori; 1000 Birds." Naruto turned only to see Sasuke plunge his Chidori into his stomach.
Roxas had just arrived and was just barely able to make out what was happening through the fog, but he could see that Naruto and Hinata where fighting...each other? "Hey guys, what are you doing? STOP" he yelled. He then saw Naruto unleash his Spiral Wave technique he had created last month to surprise Yuffie with during a spar at Hinata.
Hinata managed to dodge it then made her own move as she raised her sword up to strike Naruto. Roxas had already seen Naruto's blood gash and now realized where Hinata was aiming as he found himself rushing forward. But he wasn't fast enough as Hinata pierced Naruto's stomach with her move. Naruto cried out before starting to cough up blood as his body went limp.
Remembering the advice Namine had said to him before he left the white space, he looked around and saw an orb floating over them and realized that must be controlling them and making them see illusions. Jumping into the air, he cut it in half with Oblivion, breaking the mind illusion.
Hinata snapped back to reality immediately as she looked around and thought 'Wait, where did that man go?' She then saw Roxas rushing towards her, a look of painc crossing his face. "Roxas, what..." she started, but Roxas cut her off as she heard him scream "NARUTO."
'Naruto? Wait, where's Naruto?' Hinata thought as she looked around. She then heard a pained moan which brought her attention to her front and looking down. She had felt a weird weight on her sword, but had ignored it at first as she had tried to make sense of what was happening. Her eyes widened in fear as she saw Naruto, bloodied and unmoving before her.
"Naruto? Naruto?" she said as the realization of what happened hit her. She hadn't injured that man like she had believed, but Naruto instead. Her mind couldn't except that as she frantically tried to think of another reason for what she was seeing. With out even thinking, her hand jerked back and removing the sword from Naruto, causing blood to shoot out and hit her.
Naruto slumped onto the ground almost as if he was lifeless. Roxas slid onto his knees as he cradled Naruto in his arms yelling "Naruto, don't you dare. Don't you dare die on me, on us. You hear me, NARUTO?" Tears where falling from Roxas eyes as he screamed on frustration.
At last, reality sunk in as Hinata finally understood that it had been her that had caused Naruto's injuries. She fell to her knees, tears pouring from her eyes as she hiccuped uncontrollably and gave a whimpering sob. "I...I killed...I killed Naruto. Naruto...I. No, no, no, no, NO" she screamed as she collapsed onto the ground, her own scream being muffled by her hands and the hard ground.
Just then, Roxas heard a voice say "Quick, give him to me. There's still time to save him." Roxas head shot up as he looked at the figure before him. The fog was beginning to clear, allowing him to better see the man before him. "Who are you?" he asked. "I am a KNIGHT Master, rank SS1. My name is Sephiroth. Now, if you want your friend to live, give him to me now."
RN
Roxas, Sephiroth, and Mada were in the guest room looking over Naruto as Mada finished applying the bandages to his chest and stomach. She then looked at the two men and said "I managed to close his wounds, but he has lost a lot of blood. If we don't get him to a hospital soon, he'll die from the blood loss."
Sephiroth shook his head and said "Sadly, there isn't one near enough for us to go to in the time we have. Fortunately, I have an alternative to that problem." He reached into his leather long coat and pulled out a small phial of green colored liquid and screwed the top off, revealing a small needle at the end.
"What's that?" asked Roxas. Sephiroth took Naruto's hand and injected the substance into his wrist. Once done, he returned the phial back into his pocket, then looked at Roxas and said "It's called J-Cells. It's a very powerful medicine that we have in KNIGHT. It will cause his body to accelerate the healing process and quicken blood replacement as well. There's a few other benefits, but I'll talk on that later."
"So, will the young man be fine?" asked Mada as she stroked Naruto's hair. "We'll need to keep an eye on him thru the night, but he should be fine and be back on his feet by morning." Roxas was impressed as he looked at Naruto with relief. He then turned back to Sephiroth and asked "That quickly, that's impressive."
"It is, but I'm afraid he will be carrying those scars for the rest of his life. But I don't see them effecting his ability to fight or be over all active." Mada then looked around and asked "Out of curiosity, where's Hinata? I would think she'd be hear as well seeing as you three are teammates."
Roxas sighed as he looked down sadly and said "Hinata is still blaming herself for what happened. She feels that she should have known it was Naruto she was fighting. She's outside right now being depressed. I asked her to come in, but she feels her being close to Naruto now will only hurt him more. By the way, why ARE you here now master Sephiroth?"
"Go down stairs and get Hinata and meet me in the living room and I'll explain." Roxas nodded as he turned and left the room. Mada turned to Sephiroth and said "Are you sure he'll be fine?" Sephiroth simply said as he started to walk away "He will be, but only if he's strong enough to survive this."
Outside, Hinata was sitting on the porch swing as she looked towards the setting sun. She still had tears coming from her eyes as her thoughts stayed with Naruto. She new it wasn't her fault, be the enchantress's. But even knowing that still wasn't enough to make her feel better about it. Especially if she and Naruto did have a forgotten past history together.
"Hey Hinata, master Sephiroth want's to see us in the living room right now. So lets get moving." As he turned to leave, he just barely managed to hear her surprisingly small voice ask "Naruto?" Roxas turned back and said "He's fine. He should be back on his feet by morning and its all thanks to that J-Cell medicine Sephiroth had."
Hinata placed her hand over her heart and breathed a sigh of relief as she silently thanked the god's for saving him. She then got up and joined Roxas in the living room with Mada and Sephiroth. After everyone took a seat, Sephiroth decided to start the meeting about the situation.
"OK, here's the deal. After you three left, new information became available about your mission. It turns out that this is a lot more dangerous than previously believed. I asked to be sent here and provide you with back up." Roxas was the first to speak. "No offence sir, but why you? Why did you choose to come here to help us?"
"Simple, had things been normal and you all passed this test, I would have been made your KNIGHT master and would be training you three to become master's yourselves." Hinata looked towards the stairs, then back at Sephiroth and asked "So, what happens now, sir?"
"Simple, we shall complete the mission as originally planned and based on how you three handle things from here on out, I'll make my decision about what shall become of you. But for now, consider yourselves my team. Now, for the task at hand. Roxas, you will come with me and we'll check on a few things. Hinata, I want you to go and stay by Naruto just in case he wakes up or anything else happens."
"But sir, I can't. I..." Sephiroth cut her off and said "Hinata, I know you feel bad about what happened. But remember that it could have been much worse. Luckily, fate has handed you a chance to make up for what happened. So, I suggest you take it or else this will haunt you for the rest of your life." Hinata was about to protest, but she thought about it. She finally lowered her head and nodded.
Mada stood up and said "I shall begin making dinner and I should be done with in the hour. Is there anything specific I should make for Naruto, seeing as he's in his current state?" Sephiroth shook his head and told her anything will be fine. With that, he and Roxas left while Hinata made her way up stairs to do her duty and watch over Naruto
As they made their way through the village, Sephiroth looked to Roxas and asked "So tell me what you have learned?" Roxas looked at him in surprise and asked "How did you know?" The KNIGHT master looked ahead and said "Simple, when you get to my level of skill and lived as long as I have and seen what i have seen, you can sense these sort of things. Now, please tell me what you have learned."
"Well, when we first got here, we were told that the illusions were being created by a person the villagers called the White Witch. I actually met this girl through an illusion she created as well as a totem stone the illusion led me to. From there, she told me that she was being held against her will by an enchantress and she is somewhere with in ten miles of the village."
Sephiroth nodded and said "Well then, as soon as Naruto is back on his feet and ready for action, we shall go and start looking for this girl and the enchantress. Something tells me that there is more going on here than even we currently know now. Now, tell me about Naruto and Hinata. Something tells me that there is something there between them."
Roxas racked his brain as he tried to think on how to respond. "Well, Naruto was found and adopted into my family two years ago when we found him near some ruins. Apparently, Hinata was found in a similar manner as Naruto with in the same time frame and from dreams they both seems to have that they feel could be repressed memories, we all believe that they may have come from the same place and possibly have a history together."
"I see. The things could be interesting with them around once they get their memories back...if they get their memories back. And you Roxas? What's your story?" Roxas was silent for a moment, then said "Mines nothing really special. I'm just a guy who wants to see the world and experience all it has to offer. The same as any one else." Sephiroth laughed and said "Indeed."
(Back at Mada's)
He was standing before a massive tower with a fierce and cold wind blasting all around him. In his left hand was a crutch that helped support him since he hadn't gotten use to his false leg yet. His other arm was wrapped around another person close by. Both were wearing snow cloaks as they moved towards the structure. The other figure had an arm wrapped around his waist, helping him along. They soon got close enough to see a figure standing before a massive door. The figure approached them and said...
"We've been expecting you, Lost Souls."
Naruto's eyes shot open as he gave a silent whimper caused by the pain he felt racking his body. Even though he hurt all over, he was happy as it meant he was alive at least for the moment. Straining to sit up and wincing from a shot of pain from his stomach, he saw Hinata sitting a little ways away and looking out the window.
"Hinata" Naruto said as he finished laying back against the head board. Hinata jumped in her seat as her head shot around to look at him. Seeing Naruto awake brought a tear to her eyes as she said through a sudden sob "Naruto, you...your alive. I'm so glad." Naruto smiled at her and said "Thanks. I'm glad to see me alive too."
Hinata smiled at his attempt at humor, then she looked down sadly. Confused and concerned, Naruto asked "Hinata what's wrong? Come over here and tell me about it." Hinata shook her head as she continued to cry from both relief at seeing him alive and a renewed felling of shame over putting him into the situation.
"Hinata, please come here. Please" he asked again and again, Hinata shook her head. Naruto sighed as he then said "OK then, fine. I'll simply have to come to you then." Hinata's face shot up to look at Naruto as he started to get up. She gasped as she saw red marks beginning to form on his bandages. Unable to take it any more, Hinata jumped to her feet and raced to Naruto's side while yelling "STOP."
Naruto froze as Hinata reached him and pushed him back into a sitting position against the head board. "Naruto, are you crazy? You could make your injuries even worse by doing that. What were you thinking?" she demanded as her anger egged her on. Naruto's smile calmed her as he said "I was thinking on how to get YOU to come to ME and it worked. Heh heh"
Hinata sighed, but smiled as she sat on the edge of the bed beside him. "Are you OK? Is there anything you need Naruto?" Naruto was silent for a moment as he thought about it, then said "Yeah, there's one thing I need." What's that?" asked Hinata. "Lets finish what we were talking about the just before all this craziness happened."
"OK, what were we talking about again?" asked Hinata. "I was about to ask if it was possible that you and I might have known each other in the past. That we might have been friends, if not more thatn just friends." Hinata thought on that and then asked "I don't know, but it would seem to flow right with our dreams. Is there any way we could find out with out regaining our past memories?"
Naruto smiled as an idea came to him. If nothing else, it would allow him to indulge in something he was really wanting to do with Hinata since he had first met her back in Rastara. 'Yeah, I can think of one thing that we could try if your willing." Hinata nodded and said "Sure, just as long as you don't try to get my clothes off or touch me any place private."
Naruto fake pouted which made Hinata giggle. "Ah, that's no fun. Luckily, that has nothing to do with my idea. Now Hinata, close your eyes and don't open them till I tell you too. Promise?" Hinata nodded and closed her eyes. She wondered what Naruto was going to do and she didn't have to wait long to find out.
Though it was a bit of a strain for him, Naruto moved closer to her face till their noses were practically touching. Hinata's cheeks flushed pink as she felt he breath kiss her face as her's his, but she kept to her promise and kept her eyes closed. Smiling, Naruto leaned in and gently kissed her left cheek, then her right. He then laid gentle kisses to her forrhead, chin, and nose.
With each kiss, Hinata whimpered innocently. She couldn't believe her body was reacting the way it was. It was like a powerful warmth was spread to every inch of her being and she loved it, craved it, wanted more of it as she felt Naruto slowly take her away. After kissing her nose, Naruto pulled back for just a moment before going in again and kissing her on the lips.
The reaction from both was immediate. They both felt an electric shock pulse through their bodies as they felt an impulse that demanded they melt into each other. Instead, they pulled away and Hinata open her eyes so they could look at each other. "Naruto" Hinata said dreamily and Naruto said "Hinata" in a similar manner.
Wanting the feel that sudden connection again. They went and kissed once more, deeper and harder than last. They weren't sure what was happening, but they liked it. For the both of them, it felt like they had taken one step closer to being complete once again. When they pulled away again, they both said at the same time "Naruto (Hinata), I...I...lov.."
"Well, I see you two are making the most of the moment" said and amused Mada from the now open door. Both Naruto and Hinata jerked away from each other, blushing madly like kids who got caught with their hands caught in a cookie jar. "We weren't...doing anything, Mss Mada. I swear" said Naruto in a panic. Hinata stayed silent, but nodded her agreement.
Mada smiled and laughed at them and said "That's OK. I was young too once so a little hankie panky is fine with me. I just wanted to say dinner will be done in ten. Now, I'll leave you two love birds alone. And don't be afraid to make a little noise. I may be old, but even I still like to hear a good show every now and then."
Mada laughed as she saw the shocked look of the two teens as she left. Now to nervous to even look at each other, Hinata returned to her seat as Naruto laid back to rest a little more. Soon, Roxas and Sephiroth returned and Naruto met the KNIGHT master and was told the situation. After diner was done, they all turned in for the night.
He was dreaming again or was he? Naruto found himself standing in what appeared to be a sewer like like place, but the walls were in bad shape and needed to be repaired. He wasn't sure why, but this place was familiar to him in some way. Following his instincts, he made his way down the corridor and made a right. Soon, he entered into a large area with a giant steel barred door before him.
Now even more curious, Naruto walked towards the door and what ever laid inside.
Impulse 4: Witch Impulse
Well, that's it for this chapter. I just want to say that the phantom Hiashi's attitude was not meant to resemble the real Hiash's attitude, just a very negative view point on Hinata's part made much worse by the illusion to get a reaction from her. And even though Naruto and Hinata still don't fully remember anything, the knowledge is still with in them, just locked away.
next time: The four KNIGHTS head off to investigate an ominous and forbidden valley were the Enchantress might be based. What will happen when the truth is finally revealed? And what will it take to win as well as save Namine? Find out next time on Impulse 5: Trigger Impulse
to be continued...