A/N: Taaadaaaa! It lives!! And it didn't take as long as I should have!! Yaaaay!!

For all you NaruHina fluff lovers out there, there's alot of that in here :P Actually, I think I put a bit too much in...-sweatdrop-

Oh, I created a new Deviantart page that has the same name as this one ^-^ I put up alooot more stuff on it, like concept art for this, INCLUDING THE ACUTAL SKETCHES OF NARUTO AND HINATA'S SWORDS SO YOU WILL NOW SEE WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE. Have fun browsing. You can find the link on my author's page.

You all are going to yell at me for the ending, but I think its worth it :D

Chapter 18 - Hope to Love, Love to Hope

A year had passed since she had arrived in this desert city. Things had changed and not just with her.

She, as Tsunade had assigned her to do, had to worked hard to repair the relationship between Suna and Konoha. It was hard work but it felt like it was worth it to her. The reason wasn't because Sakura like working hard from dawn until dusk but it was more or less because she got to work alongside Gaara.

Sakura got a strange sense of security around the boy. He was fifteen, very young for a Kage and probably the youngest one yet. And what was the oddest thing of all was that he was a Jinjuuriki, usually the person most hated and feared in the village. Many people, she had heard, had rioted when he took office, claiming that he would order everyone to be killed because they thought him to be his same, psychotic self. Apparently, this had all happened right after he had left Konoha.

They had all calmed down since. They had come to accept him, and that he wouldn't murder them all in their sleep. Some had gone so far that they admitted liked him now but also admitted that they had misjudged him before. Among teenage girls, he had gained a bit of a rock star status, like he was something to be desired. Always, when he went on his weekly walk with sakura, they heard girls calling out, even kunochi and girls older then either of them, "Gaara-kun, I love you!" or "Leave her and marry me Gaara!"

Once, one girl had approached them and began to scream at Sakura about how she was a 'lucky, spoiled, pink haired whore' and she challenged her to a fight right then and there. The girl was a cocky Genin with barely a half year's experience compared to Sakura, a Chuunin with almost three years experience. In short, sakura carved the girl's face into the dirt and proceeded to take the girl to the hospital. No one had dared approach them after that incident.

Those walks were just like the one they had taken all those years ago in Konoha, except that now they talked. They talked about everything under the sun, from politics to movies, even touching on gardening once she had remembered. One topic they had skirted dangerously quite a few times was Gaara's past. He had made it clear by how his tone darkened that it was a painful time that he wouldn't want to revisit anytime soon.

It was that one thing that Sakura wished he would open up to her about above all others. He was still that same enigma without knowing that, despite their vast knowledge about one another. It was like she had all the puzzle pieces of him except for that one key piece that was still missing. It bothered her because she wanted to know all of him and badly. Why?

She had no idea herself.

And Gaara, well… He was in agony over her.

He still thought himself as a monster around her. He wished that he could get away from her, not for his sake but for hers. He felt he didn't deserve this time with her.

He thought himself not strong enough to keep their relationship strictly professional, and that was why he walked with her. Why he didn't talk with her about his childhood; yes, it is painful and it brought up bad memories, but the real reason is that he didn't want her to know…to know he had killed hundreds of people in cold blood. If she knew about that she would probably be disgusted or frightened enough to stop talking to him on a personal level. Or maybe, if she couldn't deal with seeing him and knowing what he did even during the monthly ambassador- Kazekage meetings, she would resign and he would never see her again. Gaara knew he could never, ever deal with that.

He admitted to himself he would never want her to leave, not for any reason, whether it is big or small. He craved her company too much. Maybe it was because she was the only person he knew that treated him normally, not as a Kage, not as a Jinjuuriki, not as a prodigy or one who deserved any sort of special treatment. Or was it the smile? Or the laugh? Or maybe it was the feeling of openness when with her?

He was broken over her, the jagged edges hurting much more than they ever should be.

Stroke...Stroke…Purr…Purr…Meow…Cuddle…Cuddle.

Hinata didn't know how long she had been doing this. The cat in her arms just didn't want to stop being petted. It was a gray shorthair cat with unnaturally long ears, yellow eyes and a faded red collar. It apparently loved affection because it would paw at her hand or face every time she stopped petting it and meow softly.

Before this, Hinata had never seen this cat before but she felt like she had known it all her life. It was quite an odd sensation.

"Hey, Hinata-chan."

The familiar voice of Naruto came from the doorway that was on the left. The cat tensed in her arms but Hinata paid no attention as she turned to smile at him.

Hinata was shocked temporarily when she saw her crush transformed halfway into the Kyuubi, but it wore off quickly. He had the blood red, slitted eyes, the wide whisker marks, the claws and fangs and moreover, he was dressed in his old orange jumpsuit. He smiled at her, though not in a menacing way. It seemed warm but she wasn't sure how he managed that with a mouth full of sharp pointy teeth.

He took a single step towards her and the odd and somewhat pleasant dream turned into a nightmare.

Several things happened in a matter of seconds. Hinata saw that the cat in her arms leapt out and morphed into an enormous cat demon with swirling black and electric blue fur. Naruto transformed into the one tailed Kitsune cloak she had once seen him use during their tests and when he had saved her in the village.

The demons turned to each other and began to exchange furious clawed blows that tore the room apart. Roars of fury and pain came from both equally. Naruto landed a swipe on the cat's muzzle and a few on its arms, chest and shoulders. The cloak protected him from most of the attacks but one came through and almost completely shredded his left quad muscle.

A stream of curses flew from his mouth and was followed with these words: "she's mine, you son of a bitch! You can't take her from me!"

Surprisingly, though the cat's mouth did not move, an echoing female voice answered.

I am a part of her and she of me. If you separate us, we die.

"No way." Naruto shook his head violently. "No way no way NO WAY!" he launched himself at his opponent and began to tear her apart. "You're LYING!"

Hinata woke, startled out of her dream by its ferocity. Never had she woken sweaty from a dream, but there was always a first for everything. This was another first for her.

The cat had spoken.

She had been having these demonic cat dreams on and off for over two years now, ever since she had left Konoha to train with Naruto. Never had the cat made any sound other than a growl or roar.

What had it meant that it was a part of her? She had no seal on her body that marked that she had a demon sealed within her. Maybe the cat was a spirit that liked to play tricks on her.

Hinata shook her head. The idea of both of those theories was insane. She had no reason or proof that either of those things was true.

She laid back down on her futon and closed her eyes, but sleep wouldn't come that easily. So instead, she lit a candle and got out one of her favorite tattered paperback books that she had read countless times and began to read.

"Smooth it more. Concentrate." Hinata sucked Chakra out of the core of her sword and pushed it towards the edges. Water began to condense along the bladed edge which really wasn't that hard in the humid summer air. Soon, she had a layer about a quarter inch thick and wide. The effort left her sweating from the energy and chakra control needed. She scrunched her brows together and the water edge slowly turned from a smooth curve to jagged curve with teeth.

"Hold it. Hold it." Hinata muttered through her teeth to herself as she gripped her sword tighter. With her control held in check, she began to perform the first kata. Her concentration broke when she momentarily lost her balance from her six foot blade's momentum. That was all it took for the carefully crafted water edge to splash to the ground.

"That was longer than last time. You're getting it but you still have a long way to go before you get where you're supposed to be when we go to Michinaga." Izumi noted from the side.

"I know, I know. And there's only a month before we go." Hinata swung her blade up onto her shoulder and walked over to the bench underneath the tree where two glasses of water waited. The water was warm from being out all morning but it soothed her parched throat. She sat down on the bench and Izumi did likewise next to her. Hinata looked down. "I just don't get how I'm going to learn all that by then."

Izumi looked at her student. "You worry too much. Molding chakra through your Soul Blade is the hardest part to master. Once you get this down pat, everything else will fall into place."

Hinata glanced sideways at her sensei. "I hope so. I really hope so."

"Ano, Naruto-kun, what do you think our new teacher will be like?" Hinata didn't take her eyes off the book she was reading. "I mean, there's only a week left before we leave so…" She recrossed her ankles in the air since she was laying on her stomach on her futon.

His brush paused over the scroll next to her. "What did Izumi-baa-chan say about him?" He resumed creating a simple seal to hold the wooden sword on the floor in front of him. He had acquired a preference to stay in Hinata's room and keep her company before she went to sleep. Naturally, she didn't mind this at all. "Something about being older than all our ages combined, which I find hard to believe." He shrugged. "He's an old geezer I guess. If Myuri is anything to judge by, he's probably a strict guy. They all get crabbier as they get older." he said with a snort as he put the wood practice sword on the completed seal.

"Yeah, but the way she had talked about him, it was like she didn't know what to say herself." Hinata laughed. "Ha, you think we have a crush on our hands?"

He mock gagged, making her giggle again. "Oh dear god I hope not. My grandma with some ancient guy? That'd be disgusting." Naruto shook his head as he formed a hand sign and muttered "Sealing Technique: Simple Blade." The wood sword disappeared with a puff of smoke and the kanji for 'sword' appeared in the center of the seal.

"You're getting better at that." Hinata nodded at the scroll.

"You're one to talk. You still can't seal your Soul Blade properly." he jeered.

"Hey, I can seal a rock its same weight just fine." she retorted. "I'll be fine when we go. I just need a bit more…training, dattebayo." She threw in that last part to try and set him off.

It worked; he twitched. "Careful what you say little girl." He spoke the playful demon voice he used when imitating the Kyuubi. "It might get you in…trouble!" Naruto tackled her on that last word.

If anybody other than those four Uzumaki elders lived in that mansion, they might have thought that Hinata's answering scream of delight was her last breath.

"Huh. Two years. Huh." Naruto looked over the "ruins" of his home for the past two years. He wasn't talking about that; he was speaking about how he wouldn't be here for the next two.

"Come on." Hinata tugged on his wrist. She still didn't have enough courage to touch his hand. "We got to go."

He turned away and flashed a quick smile. He couldn't help but feel happy when she was around. Even the fact that they would be taught by a complete stranger that he wasn't related to didn't faze him as long as she was with him.

They followed Izumi for two days to get to the southern border of Fire Country. Naruto and Hinata didn't worry about being recognized in their home country; His shaggy blond hair, her long hair that reached the middle of her back and their plain clothes kept their anonymity.

Three days later, they checked into a motel in Wind country just below the northern border.

"This is strangely relaxing." Hinata dropped her pack against the far wall of the room up on the second floor. She brought her arms above her head and stretched to get rid of the mild shoulder cramp she had.

"What is?" Naruto's pack hit the floor with a thump and he sat on the bed.

She sat next to him. "All this traveling, we haven't done it in forever." She laid on back.

He copied her and grinned like an idiot. He turned to look at her, even if she wasn't looking at him. "Yeah…" he mumbled absentmindedly, lost in her face.

Hinata, despite her calm composition, was freaking out with thoughts of rainstorms, love confessions, beds and – Shut up brain. I don't need this right now! She shook her head.

He looked at her worriedly. "What is it?"

"Nothing." The reply was automatic. "Just thinking."

Izumi came out from the bathroom where she was watching their moment. "I'm in the mood for going out for dinner. Anyone want to join me?"

Naruto was on his feet in an instant. "Can we get ramen?! Plea-"

Izumi's hand shot up, silencing him. "We can have ramen…" She paused to add effect. "When we are done with dinner."

His disappointment was more endearing than saddening and both women laughed.

"Come on, let's go. There's this really good shabusen restaurant I know of here."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "The kind where you cook the meat in front of you?"

"Exactly." She left the room.

The restaurant was only a five minute walk away. It was a loud, homey place, obviously a staple business of the local community. The hostess seated them and the menu lost Naruto's attention after about a minute. He scanned the crowd with disinterest since he was still a bit put out about having to wait for his precious ramen baby.

Suddenly, two faces struck familiar, long lost chords with him. He didn't know where he had seen them before, he just knew he had.

They sat in a booth across the room, both very young and about his age. One was a man and the other a woman, but he was facing away so he couldn't make out anymore details.

When they finally ordered and the beef came, it was excellent. Perfect and tender to the right amount, or was it the spices? Either way, all three enjoyed themselves like any other family.

His curiosity got the better of him and he did have to use the bathroom, so he used hat as an excuse to leave the table. Naruto did his business and took a different route back that would take him by the people in question.

He saw the guy wasn't there as he approached. He must have slipped by. The girl was though. She had long dark brown hair the color of chestnut and wore a light green yukata. She had a very pretty face – But not as pretty as Hina-chan. Why was it so familiar?

"Na…Naruto?"

He froze.

It was that voice. Now he knew.

"Haku?! Wha-what-wha-what are you doing here?!"

"I was just about to ask you that."

"W-…I-…Ho-"

Words did not seem to come to him coherently, so she cut in. "Sasuke and I are traveling together for a while."

"Nani?! Sasuke?!" He barely kept his voice under control. "Was that him before?"

"Hai."

"Why are you traveling? Since when? What are you doing?" Something stuck him as odd. "How are you alive?" he accused. "I saw you die."

Haku's expression changed from one of being pleasantly surprised to grave. It made her look much, much older. After a moment, she spoke.

"Let's just say it involved a deal with someone that I wish I had never agreed to." She glanced behind him. "Your friends are getting a bit anxious. Go."

"But what about Sasuke?" he asked urgently. "Where is he?"

"He had to… step out."

Naruto stood there, not wanting to leave.

"Go."

Unwillingly, his feet brought him back to his own table, using his years of experience he put on a well worn mask of happiness.

As soon as he sat down next to her, Hinata leaned in and whispered in his ear "Tell me what happened later."

She saw through him too well.

They paid and left ten minutes later with still no sighting of Sasuke. With all thoughts of ramen gone, Naruto held, more like clutched her hand as they walked. The encounter had shaken him and he needed to know his solace was there. Occasionally, he sent her a slightly wild look and her face didn't hide that she was worried about what had gotten to him so badly.

Back at the hotel, Izumi had conveniently gone to relax in the baths. Taking advantage of this new freedom, Hinata started with a single sentence.

"Can you tell me now?"

Naruto took a deep breath. After taking a moment to take his shoes off, he began slowly. "I…met someone at the restaurant." He rummaged around in his pack, looking or his pajamas. "Someone I haven't seen in a long time."

"Naruto-kun, we haven't seen a lot of people for a long time."

He pulled off his top and began to put on his t-shirt that he slept in. "I know. But this person I saw, I had seen her die."

"What?"

"Yeah that's the confusing and slightly disturbing part. It was back, way, way back about a month after we had graduated." Naruto began. He continued to explain about the mission scandal, Zabuza and the times he fought him and his partner, Haku.

"When I fought her and released the Kyuubi for the first time on the bridge, I defeated her but I didn't kill her. Kakashi-sensei did that. He shoved a Chidori straight through her chest when she was trying to protect Zabuza. A blow like that would kill anyone instantly." He sighed. "It only adds to the mystery. I mean, you would be surprised too, right?" he looked down at the floor from where he sat cross-legged on the bed.

Hinata got up from the opposite bed and kneeled on the floor in front of him. She folded her arms on the edge of hi bed and rested her head on them.

Naruto felt himself drawn to her eye and was surprised at how caring they were. Her head was cocked to one side in the slightest way and a corner of her mouth was lifted in a smile. For a second, all he could think about was how adorable she looked.

"You're too troubled by this right now, Naruto-kun." As she scolded him, her head bobbed up and down in the cutest way, making him smile a bit. "Things just are sometimes. She might just be able to survive a death blow, that's all. Here, let's talk about something light. Actually," she began as she got up and sat identically like he was next to him, "I've been curious about the Kyuubi. Could you…" She looked down at the generic pattern on the bed sheet as she searched for the right words. "Could you…show me the Kyuubi? Just for a little bit? I didn't get a good look at him two years ago." She glanced up at him nervously. It looked like some of the old Hinata still remained in her.

He laughed. "You call that light?" Naruto reached over and tousled her long hair. He smiled. "Anything for you, Hina-chan."

The tone, devotion and his words caught her off guard for a moment, until he put his palms together and concentrated within him. Soon, orange chakra began to seep out of him and encase his whole body as it morphed his face, eyes, hands and feet. Hinata looked on with awe and wonder.

"Man, this feels good. I haven't done this in ages." His voice had changed to a deeper, more feral tone.

Hinata reached out slowly and then paused, unsure if this was the right thing to do. Something ancient, animalistic, awoke inside her from looking at the demon chakra swirling around him. Her hand began to shake.

Naruto guessed it was because she was afraid but he remained calm about hat. "Don't be afraid. I've got him under control." He murmured and leaned in slowly.

The second her outstretched hand touched the chakra, several things happened in a chain reaction.

From where her fingertips touched, a fire like no other ripped though the veins in Hinata's arm and into her stomach. Her eyes snapped open and her body locked up before she could shriek with the immense pain. A large blue blast of pure energy came from her body, shattering the windows. It drove a large crack up the wall and even knocked Kyuubi-Naruto over.

Hinata collapsed, motionless.

Gaara's pen stopped. "Wha… what was that?"

Hidan's head snapped southward.

Kakazu looked at his partner. "What is it?"

It was a moment before he answered. "We're leaving. Now."

Naruto froze there, shocked for a moment with the Kyuubi's chakra still swirling around him. He recovered in a second and bent over her. Her eyes were wide and focused somewhere far away. "Hina-chan? Hinata?" he said louder than normal. "Can you hear me?" he shook her shoulder.

She didn't respond.

He shook her more violently. "Hinata?! Hinata!"

Still no response.

He pressed an ear to her chest. The steady thump thump thump of her heart was there, but it was slowing. "No." He began to tremble and breathe heavily. "No." He shook his head in disbelief. "No." He checked her heart again. It was still beating, still slowing down.

He grabbed his hair. "I didn't kill her. I didn't. There's no way I could have." His breath came irregularly now.

Still too stunned to move his legs or move at all for that matter, he rested his head on her stomach.

Izumi came in a bit later. "You guys should have come with me." she said as she closed the door behind her. "The baths here are really-" She cut off when she saw Naruto. "Ano? What happened here? What's going on?"

Naruto heaved himself up, slowly and shaking. His eyes remained glued to Hinata's face. "I-I dunno. I-I just showed her the Kyuubi then she touched the demon chakra and the window broke and now she's frozen like this." He didn't want to believe she was dead, nor even suggest it. "I tried waking her up but nothing works."

Izumi was changing back into her traveling clothes in the bathroom in a flash. "Change and pack up all your stuff and hers. We're going to the nearest hospital."

He moved sluggishly at first but he picked up speed and he frantically packed.

Don't. Go to the Demon Sage. He can help.

Naruto froze with his pajamas in hand at the Kyuubi's sudden input.

You sure?

Don't argue. I know.

"Izumi-baa-chan, um, the Kyuubi says we should keep going to the Demon Sage."

She stopped. "What?"

"He says we can help. I believe him."

Izumi paused for a short moment, thinking it over. "Okay, we'll do it his way. You said the window is broken?"

"Uh, yeah… Why?"

"I'm going downstairs to check out and pay for damages. Throw the packs and wait below the window with Hinata for me."

He did so. Waiting for a minute seemed like an eternity to him. He had Hinata's pack strapped to his front and her on his back. Izumi appraised him when she returned, her eyes full of doubt. "Are you sure you can carry both her and her things while running? You may-"

"I will carry her." he said fiercely. "And I don't want to stop until we're there…" His voice broke on the last word. The last part, even if it kills me, was left unsaid.

She understood his determination, put his pack on her front and her own on her back and needing no other instruction, lead Naruto over the rooftops and out of the town.

The tears held back by the shock of the situation began to flow freely now as he ran though the night.

Hinata-chan, if there's one thing I promise I will do for you, it's that I will save your life, even if it costs me my own.

A/N: Hate me, love me, doesn't matter as long as you like the story XP

Before you get all 'WHAT THE HELL!? HAKU AND SASUKE!?!" remember that they are travelling. This was only a meeting of chance.

Remember to go to my DA page! Sketches and stuff there! You can also find the link there on my author's page.

I loves you all! ^-^


-IBP-

Next Chapter: Two world shattering things happen to Naruto. What might they be?