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

6. Memory Impulse

I don't own Naruto

A/N: Since I haven't seen anything on the home page about the end of lemon stories here on Fan Fiction nor have I received anything about it happening from the admins through PM, I've decided to continue on with releases of my "M" rated stories as usual and will continue to do so for the time being. Ive also started working on my live journal page. I'm known as "saintkeyote" there. Currently, the only stories on there are ones I've already released here on fan fic, nothing new as of yet.

Also, this will be the last chapter I release for Impulse for a couple of weeks. The reason is because I want to get finished with releasing Shuffled Emotions just in case the lemon ban really does happen and it happens soon. Once I've finished with it (4-6 chapters total for story), I will return and release chapter 7-10 of Impulse (which I have currently have planned out for the writing. Now, lets begin the remembrance.

Sorry, no lemon in this chapter. There was going to be one, but everything else in this chapter took longer than I had planned for it and I have a limit set for length when it comes to each chapter. Hey, at least next chapter will have the lemon occur rather quickly into the story. And besides, you'll have Shuffled Emotions chpt. 2 and 4 with lemons (possibly 5 and 6 if I decided to do those two additional endings).

Next will be Rave Master Naruto chpt. 3 on Thursday (maybe Wednsday if I can finish it quickly enough.
Shuffled Emotions chpt. 2 will be out next Monday (if not sooner) and possible chpt.3

Impulse 6: Memory Impulse

Naruto never thought he would ever hate riding on a train as much as he did right now. Though the train was moving faster than one could walk or run, it still seemed agonizingly slow for him at present. And he had come to hate the little bumps and jiggles that seemed to be happening on the ride back that he had failed to notice while riding on previous train jaunts.

And the reason for his hate for trains right now was simple, it was because of Hinata. She had been placed with in the medical section of the train and was resting comfortably, though Naruto kept telling himself that she was being disturbed by the motions of the train. Since the battle at the arena 18 hours prior, she had not once regained consciousness.

To say that he was scared was very obvious, seeing as he had hardly left her side since the incident had occurred (save for the needed bath room breaks). Having regained his memories of the past, he had become very afraid that he might loose her all over again. Though he still couldn't remember anything after they had been attacked by the three Anbuu, he really wasn't worried about it now. All that mattered at this time was Hinata. Anything else could wait till later.

As he sat there, his eyes glued to her sleeping form and one of his hands holding hers like a life line, he failed to notice the sound of a door opening behind him. The figure gave Naruto a sympathetic look as she approached him, gently reaching out with her hand and placing it on his shoulder.

Naruto nearly jumped in surprise as he spun around to see who had touched him. He breathed a sigh of relief as he looked at Namine, who had retreated her hand quickly, thinking that she had angered him. "Man Namine, give a guy a warning next time, OK? Yeesh, You all most gave me a heart attack there for a second."

Namine gave him a warm smile and said "Sorry Naruto, I thought you would have heard the door open and the sound of my shoes walking along the floor." Naruto blushed in embarressment as he scratch the back of his head and gave her a sheepish look. "Oh right, sorry about scaring YOU then. I guess my mind has been doing a lot of wandering and I lost track of reality there for a while."

"It's OK Naruto, I understand. You have a lot going through your head right now and it must be hard to process it all." Namine then looked at Hinata with a worried expression. "Has anything changed yet?" Naruto shook his head and said "No, and according to master Sephiroth, it won't change till we get back to headquarters and give Hinata another dosage of those J-cells. Still, I can hope that she will surprise us like she always did me in our past together."

Namine smiled at him before looking down sadly and saying "I'm sorry Naruto, it's all my fault this happened." Naruto looked at her confused and asked "Huh? What do you mean Namine? I was the one who launched that attack, not you. I should have been paying attention to what was below that dragon. If I had, I would have realized Hinata was down below it and I could have avoided hitting her by simply adjusting my angle just a little bit."

Namine shook her head and said "But it is my fault. If I hadn't broken the link to my mother, I mean Mada, at that moment, you would have hit the dragon while it was still a physical based being and taken it out and Hinata would have been fine." Namine then started to cry which made Naruto get up and wrap her in a hug.

"Naruto?" she said in surprise as she found herself hugging him back. "Namine, lets just agree like this then. We both made a mistake during the battle. At least Hinata wasn't killed and will regain consciousness when we get her back home. Lets do our best to make sure this doesn't happen again in the future as well as try and make it up to Hinata when she wakes up."

Namine nodded as a tear escaped. After another moment, they pulled away from each other as Naruto sat back down and took Hinata's hand again. Naruto then had an idea and said "Hey Hinata, you better wake up soon. I mean, you spent all those years trying to get me to notice you and ask you out. But if you keep sleeping like this, Namine might try and steal me away and I know you wouldn't want that, right?"

Namine giggled at Naruto's attempt to cokes her into waking up through jelousy, then she decided to ask Naruto a question that she had been thinking about for a while now. "Naruto, would you allow me to try something with Hinata?" Naruto looked at her, his face showing his confusion. "Try something? What are you talking about Namine?"

Namine was about to respond when Naruto's face lit up and he said "Oh, I know. Heh heh, I'm sorry to have to tell you this Namine, but Hinata isn't bi. At least, I don't think she is." Namine's face went to a shade of red that only Hinata had ever been able to achieve as she stammered out in a shocked voice "N-Naruto, what are y-you talking a-about. I'm n-not bi e-either."

"Oh really, sorry about that. Would have made things fun though" he said with a fake pout. Namine just shook her head as she smiled a little. At least he was still trying to stay cheerful and fun, like Roxas had described him to be. "Seriously though, what did you want to try?"

"Well you know that I can use magic right?" Naruto nodded at this. "Well, one of my powers revolves around mind reading and memory manipulation. With your permission, I'd like to take a dive into Hinata's mind and see if I can find her lost memories as well as try to see if I can bring them back to the surface."

Naruto got a look of hope in his eyes as he said "Can you really do that? Can you help her regain her memories?" Namine nodded and said "Well, I can at least try. If nothing else, I might learn how to help her regain her memories." Naruto nodded his agreement about this as he got up and allowed Namine to take his seat.

Namine reached out and placed a hand on Hinata's forehead and closed her eyes as she began her magic sense. Her own mind delved deep into Hinata's psyche as she search out the memories from the past. She soon saw a piller of light and decided to dive inside to take a look.

Over the next five minutes, Naruto watched with baited breath as Namine worked her magic. Finally, Namine's eyes fluttered open as she almost fell to the floor from the chair, though Naruto managed to catch her. "You OK?" he asked with a concern in his voice. Namine nodded and said "Just a little dizzy. Give me a minute, will ya?"

Naruto nodded as he helped her sit back again. He then grabbed a glass of water and handed it to her. She thanked him as she gulped it down. Once she was done, Naruto asked "Well, what's the diagnosis Doctor Namine?" She laughed at that and said "Doctor Namine? That's very cute, blondie. As for your question, I have good news and bad news."

Naruto grew concerned and asked "And what are they?" "Well, the bad news is that I can't help Hinata right now. But the good news is that I will be able to help her once we get back. In order to restore her memories, I will need to have her awake so she can assist in the process. I can create the path to her memories, but only Hinata can take hold of them and bring them back to the surface completely."

Now smiling as he breathed a sigh of relief, he said "Thanks Namine, I owe yah one." Namine just shook her head and said "Let's just say it a gift from me to a new friend, OK?" Naruto nodded as Namine got up and headed to the door. I'm going to rejoin Roxas and Sephiroth. See later Naruto, and try to keep it in your pants unless you think THAT will help her to wake up."

Namine giggled as Naruto's face went red this time. He looked back at Hinata and smiled as he said "If it would help, then sure. But I'd rather her be awake for something like that. Isn't that right, Hinata?" She didn't respond, so Naruto just returned to sitting by her as he once agin fond himself cursing the train in its overall self.

As Namine walked to the room they had been given, she saw Sephiroth appear and approach her. "Namine, how are they?" he asked. Namine smiled and said "Hinata's still asleep, though I did confirm that I can help her with her memories once she has regained consciousness. And Naruto is staying by her, being very protective of her in every way. By the way, where's Roxas?"

Sephiroth turned back and said "Where else? He's sleeping off the ride home." Namine sighed and said "I should have known. When our minds were linked for a few minutes after he touched the totem stone, I learned a great deal about him through his thoughts. Still, I can't help but like the guy after how far he went to rescue me."

Sephiroth nodded, then said "Namine, what are your plans for yourself once we've returned to Rastara?" This caught Namine off guard as she hadn't given it much thought. "Well, I'm going to help Hinata regain her memories after she has regained consciousness. After that, I really don't know sir. I haven't given it any thought yet."

"Well, might I make a suggestion for you?" asked Sephiroth. Namie looked at him and asked "Sure, what did you have in mind?"

NH

Sephiroth, Naruto, and Roxas stood before Maze in his office at the KNIGHT's base in Rastara. Maze had just finished hearing their report and was now sitting back, giving what he had learned some thought. He then looked at them and asked "And what happened with the villager's after the incident was over?"

"It took them all by surprise, obviously. But the did admit to not knowing Mada all that well. She just showed up twenty years ago and showed herself to being a good leader, and they went and elected her as the village head. Then, about five years ago, she found Namine while wondering the forest and adopted her" said Sephiroth.

"I see. Why didn't any of the villager's ever notice Namine's disappearance?" asked Maze. "Well, I believe when Mada discovered that Namine had magic power's and what she was capable of, she faked Namine's death by making it look like she was sick and died. Then she hid Namine away and began to use her as a slave for her magic abilities" said Sephiroth.

"And where is Namine now?" asked Maze. "She's with Hinata, keeping an eye on her till we can come back" said Naruto. "Do any of you know what Mada was up to?" asked Maze. "No sir, we just know she was working for some one and she had her eyes on Naruto and Hinata for some reason" said Roxas.

"We'll have to look into this later on. I don't like the way this appears to be going. Now, onto another topic. Sephiroth, what is you final assessment on these three rookies?" Sephiroth smiled and said "I think they are really crazy and you know I like crazy. I would be honored to take them on as my apprentices."

Naruto and Roxas looked at him in shock as he said that. Maze smiled and said "And I'm glad to hear that. Naruto and Roxas, from this moment on, both you two and Hinata are now official member's of KNIGHT and will be treated as such. congratulations." Roxas smiled happily and looked at Naruto and said "Well, we did it bro. Thing's are finally going to be...Naruto? What's wrong?"

Naruto was dragged from his thoughts as he said "Oh, sorry Roxy. I guess I'm still preoccupied with Hinata is all." Nodding his understanding, Roxas said "Well, lets go and see if she has awakened yet." Sephiroth smiled and said "Then you two go and see if she has or not. There's a few things I have to take care of. I'll check up on you three later."

With that, Naruto and Roxas bowed before leaving the room. Once they were gone, Sephiroth said "I doubt Naruto was telling us the full truth." Maze looked at him with confusion evident on his face as he said "And why do you say that?" "Well, Naruto regained his lost memories during the mission. From what he told me on the train ride back, both he and Hinata were from a Hidden Leaf village over on the eastern continent and apparently, they were betrayed by their home while on a mission."

Maze face darkened as he said "And you think Naruto may now by wary of use because of this past experience?" Sephiroth nodded and said "It is a possibility. I know I would feel a similar way if I was in his shoes right now. After all, if you can't trust you own home and the people who live there, then how can you ever fully trust a new home?"

"I see what you mean. I would like for you to tell me everything he told you about this Hidden Leaf village" asked Maze. "Very well, but i must warn you that what he told me is very disturbing and rather painful to hear. Also, there's something else I wish to discuss once I'm done with this tale."

(the medical ward)

Namine looked at Hinata as the young girls eyes slowly opened. At first, Hinata wasn't sure what was going on or where she was at the moment. "Huh? Where am I? Naruto, Roxas, master Sephiroth?" She started to sit up till she felt a gentle touch on her shoulder and push her back down. She turned and saw a girl with blond hair and blue eyes smiling at her.

"Who are you?" asked Hinata as fear slowly started to creep over her. "Hello Hinata, I'm glad to see you decided to rejoin us. My name is Namine and I'm a friend." Hinata blinked in confusion at her till she remembered what Roxas had said. "Wait, Namine? Oh, that's right. Roxas said that you were the girl being confused as the White Witch, right?"

Namine nodded and said "That's right. Sorry for all the trouble I caused you three." Hinata shook her head and said "Don't worry about it. Where our we anyways?" "We're back in Rastara at the KNIGHT's base. Naruto and Roxas should..." She didn't finish as the door open and both boys came walking in.

"Hinata" shouted Naruto as he saw her awake and ran to her side, wrapping her into a strong hug. "Naruto" squeaked Hinata as she was thrown aback by this, but she quickly gave in and hugged him back as it felt right to do so. Plus, being held by him made her feel safe and loved and she really wanted that feeling.

After a moment, Naruto pulled away and said "Don't ever scare me like that again Hinata. Going through that once back on the mission to the Living Valley was hard enough to not have to see you nearly get killed again." Hinata blinked and said "What are you talking about Naruto? Wait, did you regain your memories?"

Naruto nodded as he said "Yeah, when that not so illusionary dragon was trying to crush me with its tail." Hinata smiled and said "I'm glad to here that. So, did we know each other? What were we to each other?" Naruto smiled and said "I could tell you, but I think it would be better if Namine helps you remember yourself. Right, Namine?"

The two of them turned and saw Namine looking at them, blushing while Roxas was looking away with a look of embarrassment on his face. "So...um...bro, you and Hinata need a few minutes alone or do you want us to watch and stuff?" Naruto and Hinata's faces turned beat red as Naruto yelled "Pervert, your just as bad as Yuffie."

Roxas laughed and said "No, Yuffie would demand to have a piece of the action and would want to take pictures." Naruto nodded and said "Oh yeah, good point." Hinata smiled at the exchange, then looked to Namine and said "So, can you help me regain my memories?" Namine nodded and said "Now that your awake, we can begin when ever your ready."

Hinata nodded and said "Yes, I want to remember like Naruto has. No, I want more than that. I want to remember Naruto like he has remembered me." Namine nodded as she stepped foreword. Naruto moved away so Namine could sit by Hinata and said "OK, I'll be doing advice into your mind. Once inside, I shall explain on what it is we need to do to bring your other Hinata back to the surface."

Hinata nodded as Namine reached out and once again, placed a hand on her forehead. She looked back at the boys and said "You might want to take a seat and get comfortable. This could take a few minute or a few hours. It all depends on Hinata here. Now, let's begin." And with that, Namine started her work as both she and Hinata's eyes became vacant as they slipped away from reality.

As they sat there and watch, Naruto's stomach suddenly informed him that he needed to make a deposit and he looked to Roxas and said "I'll be right back." He got up and started to walk to the door as Roxas said "Gotta use the little girls room?" Naruto turned back and glared at him while saying "Ah, shut up" and left the room.

(with in Hinata's mind)

Hinata found herself with in her mind scape, which looked like a large compound of sorts. As she glanced at everything, she said to herself "This place, it seems familiar to me some how." Just then, Namine appeared besides her and said "It should as your inner world seems to be based on your home's layout from your past. I think it's called the Hyuga clan compound or something."

Looking around again, Hinata said "I see. So, what now Namine?" Namine herself looked around and said "Well, we will walk around and look at things and see what we can find. Each door in this place will lead you to a memory from your past and all we have to do is..."

"Let me guess, we open each door till they're all opened and then I'll regain my memories, right?" said Hinata. Namine shook her head and said "Not exactly. In order to regain all your memories, we need to find the key stone memory." Hinata looked at her and asked. "Key stone memory? What's that?"

"Well think of it this way. You know how all structures have a key stone right? That one special stone that, if removed, will cause that whole structure to cave in on itself?" Hinata nodded. "Well, the memory keystone is an important memory to you that is the cornerstone to everything else that has happened in you life; the most important thing in your mind. That's the memory we need to fine in here. If we can, then regaining it will restore all the rest of your memories."

"And how do we find it, let alone how will we even know it's the right one?" asked Hinata. Namine sighed and said "That's what could cause this to take a while to look around for. We, or should I say, you won't know till we actually find it. And all I can do is open the doors for you. You and you alone are the only one who can enter and see what lies inside as well as determine if it's the key memory." Hinata nodded as they set out to find this lost and most needed memory from her past.

RN

(boys bathroom, just down the hall from the medical ward)

Naruto was washing his hands, thinking happily about what he and Hinata would be doing once she had regained her memories. 'I wonder if I should take her out to eat? After all, we had just become an official couple before all that craziness went down and we never had a chance to have a proper date. Still, where would we go? She knows Rastara better than I do.'

Going and splashing some water on his face, Naruto reached over and grabbed a paper towel and started to wipe down his face when he heard "So, do you really think you deserve such a nice girl like Hinata?" His head jerked up and looked around, but saw nothing or nobody as he tried to pin point the source of the voice.

"Hello?" he said aloud as he looked for a responce. Hearing nothing, he went back to doing his drying. "You really are a monster, you know that?"Naruto's head jerked up again as he took on a more serious tone. "OK, who's there? And don't ignore me, dammit" he shouted.

His face fell onto his reflection in the mirror that gave him a sudden smile. "Huh? What the...?" The mirror Naruto smiled and said "What, something like this surprises you? After every thing you've ever seen and heard in your life, seeing your reflection in a mirror talking to you shouldn't be that hard to believe."

"Who are you?" asked Naruto as confusion became evident on his face. The mirror Naruto laughed and said "Oh gee, let me see here. Blond hair, blue eyes, and whisker like marks on his face. Let me guess, I'm you ya little moron."Naruto now glared at this...guy and said "What are you? And what did you mean when you said that I don't deserve Hinata?"

"Well let's just say that I'm a little voice of reason in your head, or maybe I'm not. Who's to say, really. But what I did say was correct about you not deserving Hinata." Naruto growled at his other self and shouted "And what do you know? Hinata excepted me, has always excepted me. Who are you to say that I don't deserve her, huh?"

"Man, what a fool are you? Fine, I guess I'll have to spell it out for you. First, lets look at the two of you growing up. Through out your young lives, she has always liked you and wanted to be close to you. But you always ignored her because she didn't have pink hair, a loud and outgoing personality, and she didn't beat you and put you down constantly. And, she wasn't an emo with the attitude of a self righteous dick and a need to do what ever it took to get his revenge, even screw over those who where his loyal friends."

Naruto felt his anger boiling up as he shouted "I...I never ignored her. I just was to busy..." "To busy doing what? Trying to get that selfish bitch Sakura to notice you when it was very obvious to everyone around you that she DIDN'T like you. To busy trying to prove you were better than Sasuke when you should have realized that you where already better than him where it counts?"

Naruto pulled away and said "I...well, that is..." The mirror Naruto shook his head sadly. "Face it, Hinata wasn't even a blip on your radar back then because she didn't have anything you wanted that they did. From Sakura, a girl who could stand out and help you be more noticed and excepted. And from Sasuke, a rival who could keep pushing you to be better."

Naruto just stood there, not sure what to say to that. "I feel sorry for Hinata. I mean, she wasted all those years trying to get a guy like you to notice her, and all you cared about was things that could make you be more seen. Didn't it ever occur to you that maybe being seen wasn't all that important? That maybe what was really important was having some one at your side who would love you without any fear or hesitation, even if you were still mostly in the back ground with her as you love?"

Naruto looked down sadly and said "No, all I wanted back then was to be noticed and excepted above all else. Having Sakura as my girlfriend and beating Sasuke seemed to be the quickest ways to achieve all that. Even though I wanted to love some one and be loved in return, it wasn't as important to me than being seen and acknowledged by everyone in the village."

"That's right, you were selfish. It shouldn't matter if the whole world sees you and excepts you. All you ever needed was just one person and that should have been enough. Its true you had Iruka, the 3rd, and those two from Ichiraku's. But they were nothing compared to what Hinata would have given you. But rather than see and understand this, you chose to ignore and cast a blind eye to the one girl who truly cared for you, leaving her to suffer alone in darkness because her light refused to see her and acknowledge her."

Naruto felt a tear escape, but then he looked seriously at his other self and said "But Hinata still cares for me and excepts me and I shall make that all up to her, I promise." The mirror Naruto snorted and said "Yeah, sure you will. Assuming you don't get her killed first. After all, maybe that is to be your punishment for you ignorance of her for all these years. That her being with you now will lead her to her death."

"No, I won't let it happen. I will protect her, I swear it" shouted Naruto. "I doubt that. You couldn't protect her in the past and you will fail again in the future. Just except it, she will be better off being with some one who can see her and except her from the beginning and not a heartless, thoughtless monster like you."

Those words began to repeat in Naruto's head over and over as he clutch his head, trying to shake away the thoughts. It became so maddening, he sent his fist flying and colliding with the mirror, causing it to shatter. Naruto breathed heavily as he looked at his bloody hand. "And how can you protect her when you can't even deal with you own self doubt? Huh, Naruto?" came a voice from with in his head.

At hearing that, Naruto's confidense failed him once again, like it did that day durring the Chunin Exam, and he found himself running from the room and heading to the nearest exit of the base. Right now, he needed some serious air and for some reason, being here was making him feel smothered and crushed in upon.

(mind scape)

Neither Hinata nor Namine new how long it had been since this little quest had began, but they did know that they were really becoming tired from all the looking. They had returned to the entrance and where sitting down to take a breather. "Hinata, I need to return to the real world and rest for a few minutes. Even my powers need time to recharge every now and then" said an exhausted Namine.

Hinata nodded, then said "Is it OK if I can remain in hear for a while longer to look around? Maybe I will have some luck while your gone." "Sure, but is that what you really want? Unless you actually find the keystone memory, you won't be able to leave here with out me and I will need about an hour before i can jump back in here."

"That's fine. To tell you the truth, I really don't want to leave with out my memories. And we still have so much area with in this compound to cover." Namine nodded and handed her a key and said "Here, use this to unlock any other door you find. Well, I'll see you with in the hour." And with that, Namine faded out of Hinata's mind.

After another few moment's, Hinata got up and decided to check the western side of the compound when she saw something that caught her eye. The door to the rest of the village was slightly opened. 'Strange, I thought this place was the sole location of my memories so this door should be closed and impossible to open' she thought to herself as she walked over to it.

Once she had arrived, she tried to peak through the crack over into the other side and could tell that there was something there, but she couldn't see what. Grabbing onto the door and pulling with all her might, Hinata managed to force it open just enough for her to slide through.

She could now see before her a wavy and cracked road that led into the village, though the buildings all appeared to be missing many of the parts save for the areas attached to the road. Curious as to where this unstable looking path led, Hinata began to walk down it and hoped this wasn't going to be a big mistake.

(outside)

Namine pulled away from Hinata as her eyes opened and she looked around. "Namine, is everything OK?" asked a concerned Roxas as he placed a hand on her shoulder. Namine nodded and then said "Just needed a few minutes to rest and recharge my powers. Where's Naruto?"

Roxas looked around and realized Naruto had been gone for a while. "He said he needed a bath room break, but that was a while ago. He should have been back by now, seeing as there was one just down the hall. I'll go and check on him. Maybe he really did eat something that disagreed with him." And with that, Roxas left the room to go and find Naruto.

(Naruto)

He was lost in thought over everything his in the mirror self had said to him. Could he have been right and he didn't deserve someone like Hinata? Thinking back on it, he realized and understood that he had been selfish like he had been told. But surely he could be forgiven for that, right? After all, he was an orphan who just wanted attention and had never been taught any better because people chose to ignore him and his needs.

He stopped in his walking and sighed. "Like saying or thinking that is any excuse. Hinata wanted to give me all those things and all I did was ignore here and treat her as if she was weird. I would even call her weird right to her face with out even a second thought as to how it would make her feel. I hate to admit it, but that mirror me was right. I really don't deserve her. If I could so easily blind myself to someone who cared about me like Hinata just so I could focus on people like Sasuke and Sakura who really didn't care, then I really don't deserve happiness after all."

It was then Naruto noticed where he was. Looking around, he allowed himself to smile just a little. "A place that would be perfect to get lost in, huh? Right now, that seems like a perfect place for me" he says as he enters the area before him.

(mind scape)

Hinata had followed the path till she had reached its end and found herself looking up at a large building, the only building that was fully developed in this place besides the compound. Entering it, she made her way up the stairs till she had arrived at a single door that felt very familiar to her.

"I...I've been here before" she said to herself as she reached out and opened the door. Stepping inside, she found herslf being bombarded with countless images and they were all of Naruto. "Wait, is this...?" she said as everything started to form around her. She then realized that in all the doors she had already checked, non of the memories she had seen had included Naruto in them.

As the memories started to play, she saw again the memory from that morning she had dreamed about which had her being bullied by those older kids and how she was saved by the small boy and how he had been beaten badly because of it. The image then shifted to seeing herself standing outside a hospital room.

YT

The teacher from before stepped out and saw her standing there and asked "Lady Hinata, why are you here?" Hinata remained quiet for a moment before asking "Is the boy OK? He saved me from the bullies but I wasn't able to return the favor. So, I wanted to come and check on him as well as say thank you for saving me from them."

The teacher nodded and said "OK, but be quick about it. The nurse said he will need rest if his body is going to heal. I need to go and call for someone to come and take him to the hospital." And with that, the man Hinata now recognized as Iruka left to go make the call. Though a little hesitant, Hinata opened the door and stepped inside.

She could now see Naruto over in a side bed with his left arm in a cast and plenty of bandages covering him. Hinata started to cry at seeing her savior like this. Nevertheless, she walked over to him and stood by his side. Sensing her close by, the boy opened his eyes and looked at her. Recognizing her immediately, he smiled at her as he tried to talk.

"Are you...OK? Those guys didn't...hurt you or anything, did they?" he managed to get out with his strained voice. Hinata shook her head and said "No, I'm fine thanks to you. Why did you save me from them?"

"Well, its like I said before. Boys are suppose to protect girls, not to hurt them. And you seem like such a nice girl that I didn't want to see them hurt you just because....well, what ever it was they wanted to hurt you for. Besides, they all seemed to hate me and I figured I'd give them another target that they would want more than you."

Hinata was surprised at hearing this and asked "You mean, you knew they would hurt you? Why would you put yourself in harms way like that if you knew it would lead to you being hurt?" "Simply, I want to protect people no matter what. Even though everyone hates me and some like to hurt me, I will still do my best to protect people and hope that one day, they will like me for who I am and not for who they see me as."

Hinata felt great pride and admiration welling up with in her as she heard all this. "Well, the I'm happy to say that I'm the first person who can say "I like you and I respect you for who you are". So, what's your name?" The boy smiled and said "Me? I'm Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki. And who are you?"

Hinata was about to respond when the door opened and the nurse entered. Looking at Hinata, she said "I'm sorry, but I must ask you to leave miss. I need a moment alone with my patient." Hinata tried to ask for another minute, but found herself being sfuffled out of the room quickly by the woman. She didn't even get to tell Naruto her name.

As she stood there, she repeated his name several times with in her head as she smiled. "Naruto Uzumaki. The next time I see him, I will tell him my name and thank him properly for saving me today." This was where it began for Hinata. From this day forth, everything that happened could claim its beginning from this one moment, a moment that would lead her to fall in love with one Naruto Uzumaki. And as for the real Hinata, she smiled as her meories came flooding back. She had found her keystone and it was all her memories of Naruto combined into one. Naruto was her keystone.

(real world)

Hinata's eyes shot open, much to Namine's surprise. At first, Hinata looked around and wondered where she was. Then, it all came back to here as she let a tear escape and she smiled happily. "I remember now. I remember my past, my old life, and I remember my Naruto" she said in a voice filled with joy.

Namine looked at her and said "Wow, your really amazing Hinata. I didn't think you'd be able to do it on your own." Hinata nodded and said "It just goes to show you what a little motavation can do for you when you allow it. So, where's Naruto? And where's Roxas, too?" Namine smiled and said "Naruto needed a bathroom break and Roxas went to check on him."

Just then, the door opened and a panicked Roxas entered. "Naruto's gone. I can't find him anywhere." Namine and Hinata looked at him with worried expression's on their faces. "What do you mean "gone", Roxas?" asked Namine. "I went into the bathroom I guess he went into and found the mirror smashed and blood along the ground, leading to an emergency exit just a few doors down."

"Naruto" said a worried and scared Hinata as she got up from the hospital bed. "We need to find him. Something must have happened for him to just go and take off like that." Namine and Roxas nodded in agreement as they left the room. "We should split up and look around the city. We'll meet back here in two hours" said Roxas, getting a nod from the girls. As they exited the base, the last rays of sun light disappeared along the horizon, bringing forth the beginning of night.

It was already going to be hard looking for Naruto in the city with it being as big as it was. But now that it was night out would make the search harder. As Roxas moved through the streets, he saw a familiar face. "Hey Yuffie, over here." Yuffie, who had just returned from a mission herself turned and smiled at her friend and said "Hey Roxas, what's happening? Did your first mission go OK?"

"We have no time to talk about that right now, Yuf. Naruto's gone missing and we need to find him." At hearing this, Yuffie became serious and said "What, was he kidnapped or something?" Roxas shook his head and said "We don't think so, but the fact remains that he is missing and Hinata is going crazy with worry since they both regained their memories."

Nodding her understanding, Yuffie said "OK, then we better hurry then. Lets hope he hasn't gotten himself into any trouble." Roxas nodded at that as he tld her where and when they should meet up. Namine was looking around herself and was asking anyone if they had seen a boy fitting Naruto's description. The closest she came was asking a pink haired girl with a ouiji board and a guy with a taste for head phones who said they saw him wondering around earlier, but didn't know where he was heading.

As Hinata looked frantically, her mind raced at trying to figure out why Naruto would just up and dissapear like that. She came to a stop as she found herself standing outside Shimmer Park. She was about to move on when she remembered telling Naruto and Roxas about how it was a good place to go if you wanted to get lost.

"Naruto, he must be here" said Hinata as she ran inside. She looked around, trying to see if she could spot anyone who would look like Naruto. Finally, she ran up to a worker and asked "Excuse me, have you seen a boy around my age with spiky blond hair, blue eyes, and whisker like birth marks on his cheek?"

The man looked at her for a second before saying "Oh yeah, I did see a guy like that. He was asking about the Ferris wheel and I told him that it was down for repairs. For some strange reasons, that made him happy. Weird huh?" he asked. Hinata thanked the man before running off.

She soon found herself standing before the Ferris wheel and tried to see if she could spot anyone up there. Failing at that, she activated her Byakugan which was a little out of whack after two years on non-usage and focused it at each car. She quickly spotted Naruto in the top most car and smiled. Drawing on her chakra, Hinata lept from one car to the next till she was standing atop the highest one.

Naruto had been lost in thought till he heard the sound of an impact against the top of the car he was in. Leaning over to the window, he tried to look outside till Hinata's face appeared on the opposite side and gave him a scare. "Gggaaahhh, Hinata? Aw geez, don't scare me like that. Wait, how did you get up here?"

Naruto opened the door and Hinata climbed in and said "Naruto, I remember my past. I remember our past...together." Before Naruto could say anything, she moved forward and hugged him tightly ans she cried into his shoulder. Naruto, going on his instinct's, wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back as his hands rubbed her back affectionately.

Impulse 6: Memory Impulse

next time: Naruto and Hinata have a talk which turns into a heated session of love making in several locations. And what happens when their friends walk in on them. And what will become of Namine? Find out next time on Impulse 7 Bonding Impulse

to be continued...