A/N: Just watched the RING 2! A wonderful movie to be sure, if a bit old. By the end, I actually felt a little sorry for Samara. She just wanted a mommy. A parent, if you will. Given how cruel the world was to her, and what happened...well, if you don't believe me, watch both movies for yourself. Anywho, I watched the movies. Both of them. And then I had the most curious dream. And no, before you say anything, I'm not crazy! Well, not much at any rate. I also credit 1Werewolf-Of-Darkness1 for some of the words and the marvelous inspiration that he/she bestowed upon me!
Anywho, this oneshot was born from the desire to see a happy end from the girl who never got one...and until people say otherwise it is just that, a TWOSHOT. So flamers stop flamming! Now, as to what you think of it...
...and by unanimous vote, it has been decided that this should be continued for one more chapter. That be this! Off we go! Its cute, fluffy, and meant to make you very, very happpy.
I sincerely hope you enjoy the conclusion, short as it is!
"Papa is Papa. Mama is Mama. Is there a difference?
~?
Family
Samara's eyes burst open with a gasp, jerking upright with a gusty gasp just short of a scream.
Then she saw Naruto.
In hindsight, he really should've expected what came next. And maybe he did; but he certainly wasn't expecting what she said:
"Daddy!"
"DADDY?!"
She leapt at him in a blur of white and black, laughing. Small arms encircled him, gripping tightly. The sheer force of her tackle knocked him backwards with a loud guffaw, pained laughter trickling up through his throat and into the apartment as he slammed down onto the floor. Samara never let go of him the entire time. Not once. Her grip was tight, as though she feared he would vanish, should she let go.
No, but he might die if she didn't!
"Ooof! Okay! Okaaaaaay, Samara-chan!" Naruto cried, wheezing and turning purple with the effort. "OKAY! It worked! You're alive! Stop hurting Daddy, please!" He'd said the latter in a vain attempt to restore oxygen to his lungs-and surprisingly, it worked, with wonders. Samara released him as though she'd just been scalded, suddenly aware of the fact.
"Alive." her voice sounded softer now that the excitement had faded, more like the child she was. "I'm...alive...
For a terrifying moment nothing happened; there was no noise beyond the two of them breathing. Naruto was content to leave it that.
Enraptured the once-ghostly girl stared at herself in quiet disbelief, looking down at her new body. She seemed utterly fascinated with it and flexed her hands, wriggled her soft pink toes with thinly veiled delight. She didn't seem to notice-or mind-for the fact that she was naked, nor that her eyes were a rich honeysuckle color instead of caramel. Curious, she raised a hand and gestured towards a nearby shelf-
THUMP!
Naruto narrowly ducked, and thus found himself clipped by the flying projectile, rather than bowled over. A tiny hiss of pain leapt from his lips, regardless. "OW!"
Samara cringed, as though she'd been struck. "Sorry, papa!"
Naruto found himself flinching a bit at that; not from the pain, but the title attached.
"Papa?" he grumbled, pulling off his coat. "You're making me feel old, oi...arms up."
Like an good daughter, she obeyed.
Determined he tugged it over her shoulders and zipped it up, the large fabric nearly dwarfing Samara's small frame. She seemed baffled by the thing, yet infinitely pleased at the same time, judging by the way her hands all but strangled the fabric of the sleeves. Naruto quietly thought it was inordinately cute and resolved to do whatever he could for this strange, wayward spirit.
Odd, that, that he didn't think of her as a ghost. Ghosts were not his cup of tea at all! But Samara...what was she exactly? Even with her new body she clearly wasn't human, she was simply inhabiting it, bound to it by his blood and her own will.
What...was she?
The little ghostly girl looked at him for a long moment after that, fidgeting, not quite sure what to do. He'd given her a gift. No one had ever done this before. No one. She glanced at him, then at the coat. Back to him. Coat again. When she finally gathered up the courage to try and meet his gaze, the boy was looking downright baffled.
"You okay?"
Capricious things, these human bodies. She'd almost forgotten what it was like. Now, she could feel her face flushing, blood rushing to her cheeks.
"I...can keep this?"
"Eh, sure." He waved her hesitation away with a smile, a hand ruffling her ebon locks. "I've got plenty back at my new place." If giving her a jacket could make her happy, he was more than willing to part with it. Anything to make her happy.
Water gathered in her eyes, threatening to spill over. When she tried to speak, her voice emerged as a tiny croak, soft and hopeful.
"Thank you, Daddy...
Except that.
The words were out of him almost before he thought about it.
"I'm not your d-
His jaw snapped shut on the last syllable, as though speaking that last word would spell doom. Not his of course, but doom for the heart of his guest.
Samara was left studying his face, drinking in his expression like a thirsty, starving child. Looking at him; a puppy starving for affection. Urk. His resistance crumbled like a wet paper bag blown away in a strong breeze. That face! How could you say no to that sad little face?! You couldn't, dattebayo! It was impossible! You'd have to be soulless!
...erm, w-what I meant what to say was I'm not your...ah...donor! Right, right, you don't know what that means, so nevermind! Anyway!" He barreled on hastily at her baffled expression-her small face scrunching cutely in confusion as he hastened onwards. Then his expression hardened. "You...you really don't have anyone else to look after you, do ya." It was not a question, merely a confirmation.
That got a jerky nod out of her. Naruto sighed, his shoulders drooping in an emotion Samara recognized. Resignation. "Maaaaaaaan, Hinata-chan's gonna flip when she hears about this." When he raised his gaze, she was a bit shocked; there was no duplicity to be seen there in his gaze. None whatsoever, in that bright, sunny smile. "Yosh! Alright, Samara-chan, I guess you can call me Daddy, if you want. I'll look after ya-Naruto down!"
"Papa!"
She grabbed him in a crushing tackle attack, sending him sprawling once more.
"Lungs, Samara-chan! LUNGS!"
She didn't listen, instead scooting forward until their heads touched. Her smile was pure as sunshine, the warmth and ardour in her eyes could have put Lee and Gai's eternal sunset jutsu to shame. "I love you, Daddy." she kissed his cheek and Naruto found himself sputtering all over again.
Kurama offered a soft chuckle, darkly bemused by it all. "Oh, the webs we weave...
'Ahhhhh, shut up 'ttebayo!'
A soft, plaintive growl interrupted the kitsune's reply. Samara colored deeply and bowed her head, hiding behind her hair. He almost laughed at her sheepish expression as he wriggled out of her grasp.
"Are you hungry?"
Her expression put paid to that. Naruto felt momumentally stupid for not realizing it sooner. Sakura had been terribly thorough with her work. These bodies were meant to be human; they had human needs. In short, she was probably quite hungry now, certainly after having not eaten all these years.
"Well, I really don't have any food here," he muttered, sitting up and glancing her over, her relative lack of modesty beneath the jacket. "And I can't take you out like that-
Unfortunately, the door chose that moment to open.
"Naruto-kun," a soft, familiar voice called from the night, "Are you still here?" Someone swept in, a bag bearing ramen draped over each arm. "I brought you some-
Time stood still.
Belatedly he remembered; Hinata was helping him move his things into his new place. She'd promised to bring him some dinner...of all the timing! He gulped once, awaiting the inevitable explosion of questions, demands as to why he had a half-naked child in his old, dilapidated apartment. Thankfully, none of these things came.
The heiress cocked her head aside, curious.
"Who is this?" Bless her! Bless Hinata for not overreacting!
"Samara." his ward answered, her eerie eyes never once leaving the Hyuuga.
"Neh...Samara-chan where did you come from?"
She pointed at the television.
"There."
"There?"
"There."
"I see..
Samara blinked.
"I don't know you. Daddy is Daddy." the girl answered. "Who are you?" Hinata twitched.
...his girlfriend." oh, dear. That smile looked a little too forced for his liking. "Naruto-kun," slowly and painfully, her pale, benevolent gaze swiveled to him, brimming with a subtle aura of menace in place of her normally staid confidence. "What's going on here...?" Danger! Danger! Yandere alert! Now that they were together, he'd learned a great many things about the once-shy girl who had crushed on him from afar. Key amongst them; she did not take challenges to their relationship kindly. Even if that challenge was a child...
"Wait a second, I can explain...
"I hope so." her smile remained fixed in place, but the eerie aura of doom didn't abate, still leaking from her like a cracked sieve. "Otherwise, I won't be held responsible for what happens...
"Geh!"
The blond uttered a curse, the words emerging as soft, squelching sound. He was in a relationship with Hinata; they'd started dating nearly three months before, but this...it made things...complicated. Samara looked at the Hyuuga with all the severity an eleven-year old girl possessed, her wide eyes seeming to see something that wasn't there. Understanding dawned. Before he could explain the supernatural phenomenon that had let Samara to their world, the girl walked forwards. Her blank eyes regarded Hinata with intent. Empathy.
...you love him."
Hinata bristled, but refused to be cowered. "Yes." she replied sternly. "I do."
Samara took a moment to absorb that. Something changed in her. Her pale arm rose imperiously, finger pointing, lower lip quivering tremulously.
...Mommy."
The declaration threw Hinata and Naruto as one. Steam spouted from the woman's ears, her face turning scarlet as it had in the old days.
"M-M-M-Mommy?!"
Samara latched onto her leg in the next instant, hugging tightly. "Finally found you...Mommy."
"Naruto-kun...what is...?"
The blond sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Its kind of a long story...and you probably won't believe half of it...but...
He told her, and, surprisingly, she did.
Aaaaaw...
Hinata felt a slow flush crawl up the back of her neck, creeping into her cheeks, followed by a tide of renewed affection for the small girl. She wasn't entirely sure she understood everything, but the love she felt from the girl was all too real to be considered anything else. This was no rival. Just a little girl, longing for love. Samara looked almost completely normal, if you just ignored those bright eyes. There would be questions of course, but here and now, here and now she couldn't quite explain the sudden, motherly feeling that welled up inside of her.
It just...happened.
"Alright, Samara-chan." she conceded, realizing she'd lost before putting up a fight. "Mommy."
Kneeling, she took the small, startled girl into her arms. "Oi, now I'm just feeling left out." After a looong moment, Naruto edged over and joined in their little embrace. Samara nearly wept at it all, basking in the warmth of their emotions, the happy, giddy feeling that filled her.
After so long, she finally had what she wanted. What no one else could give her.
Tears streamed down her face.
Family.
FIN.
A/N: Yes, yes, yes, I ruthlessly manipulated the plot, as well as Naruto's abilities, to give Samara a happy ending! And yes, this follows the canon pairing of NarutoxHinata, who Samara now sees as her mother. Ergo, happy ending!
So sue me if ye don't like it! I LIKE HAPPY ENDINGS! And remember, Naruto is a good soul, always willing to help!
So there we are! Samara finds her way into the Naruto verse. Just a little fluffy bit where she finally finds some peace of mind with someone who maybe, just maybe, might be able to empathize with her. Sort of like Alma in a way. Just out of curiosity, who do you think would win should it come to pure fear? Alma Wade, or Samara? Personally, I think that they're pretty evenly matched, considering the horror icons they've become. But enough about that! I hope you enjoyed this short, fluffy bit as Valentines Day fades from memory, but not our hearts!
So...in the immortal words of Atlas...
...Review Would You Kindly?
R&R! =D