A/N: I don't own anything except the stuff I came up with on my own.

Previously:

"No… Wait, just a moment." Sasuke stood up and got closer to Midoriko. He checked over her monitors and made sure she was still breathing. But there was an undeniable twitch beginning to start in Midoriko's wrist. "Is Tsunade with Sakura?"

"Yes, now go." Naruto didn't understand Sasuke's odd behavior. Not an hour ago he was saying he didn't want to miss anything, now Sasuke was hesitating.

Sasuke turned to the blonde with a worried expression Naruto had only seen once, and that was the day they had tried to tell Naruto that Myra was dead. "Naruto," His thought was cut off by the medical equipment starting to flash an ominous red and beep frantically.

Naruto's attention was jerked away from his friend to the woman now beginning to shake violently. Sasuke's fists tightened while Naruto ran to Midoriko's bedside to keep her from completely writhing off the bed. The blonde turned back to Sasuke. "GO! I got this."

Chapter 81: The Unthinkable

"I told you I'm fine." Midoriko protested at the door of her room.

Naruto barred the door. "Tsunade said you can't leave until she comes back."

Midoriko pouted. "But Naruto-kun…"

He shook his head negatively. "Nope… Not moving." He had wisely closed his eyes.

Midoriko stamped her foot in frustration. "I just want to see Sakura and the baby before she leaves."

"You have a history of sneaking out of the hospital, and I am not going to let you out of my sight until Tsuande comes back."

Midoriko narrowed her eyes at him. "Fine… Come with me. Then you can make sure I don't sneak out… Not that I would… But you can make sure that I don't."

"You should be in bed." He narrowed his eyes right back at her.

"Ugh! I haven't so much as sneezed in the last three days! I haven't gotten to hold my son. I haven't gotten to venture past those doors because everyone is afraid I'm going to keel over or something. I am not going to break I promise."

Naruto pointed to the bed. "No, now get back into bed before I put you there myself. I will go see if Sakura is up to stopping by for a visit." His scowl softened. "And I will have Minato here when as soon as I can."

"Why can't I just go for a little walk? I need to stretch my legs a little." Midoriko was whining and she knew it, but she REALLY needed to get out of the four white walls she had been stuck in for the last three days.

Naruto scooped her up over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "Because Tsunade said you were to stay in bed for at least another day."

Midoriko pounded on his back. "I'm not tired. I need to walk. I need to do something other than lay here and let everyone wait on me hand and foot."

Naruto chuckled. She was putting up a bit of a fuss. It was true, Midoriko hadn't twitched in the last three days, but he wasn't taking any chances. He dropped her on the bed. "Stay..."

"I am not a dog!" Midoriko snapped.

Naruto quirked an eyebrow. "If you're good..."

Midoriko crossed her arms over her chest. "I will not be bribed like a two year old."

Naruto sat in the chair next to her. "Please, Midoriko-chan..."

Tsunade opened the door with Sasuke right behind her. "Midoriko, you can go down the hall to see Sakura before she leaves."

Midorik smiled brightly. "Yeah I get to stare at a different set of walls." She hopped out of bed and hurried out the door. She stopped just before she turned down the hallway and she stuck her tongue out at Naruto.

Everyone chuckled at Midoriko antics, except Sasuke who merely coughed to hide his laugh. "She has recovered better than I expected." Tsunade gazed down the hallway after Midoriko.

Sasuke thought the floor was a better place to be looking. Naruto scowled at the sight of Sasuke.

"What are you doing here Uchiha?" Naruto spat.

"Hn." Sasuke remained impassive and unemotional. Well he's still angry at me, Sasuke thought. He has every right to be angry. "I didn't know what was going to happen."

"I don't care. You could have KILLED her."

"It DID kill her." Tsunade interjected. "It's a miracle she's alive."

[Flash Back]

Tsunade entered Midoriko's room not a moment too soon. "DO SOMETHING!" Naruto yelled in a panic she had never heard from him.

"What happened?" Tsunade rushed to the other side of Midoriko's bed, laying a glowing hand on her chest.

"I don't know. She was asleep. Teme was keeping an eye on her while I visited Sakura. When I came to get him like you asked, she started to twitch like this. It hasn't stopped. The nurse came in and tried to give her something to make it stop, but nothing is happening."

Tsuande nodded and went to work. Reaching out her senses, she could see the problem and her eyes widened in shock. Midoriko's central nervous system was beginning to collapse. There was only a matter of seconds before… Alarm bells went blazing in Tsunade's ears as Midoriko's heart completely stopped beating.

Naruto's eyes went just as wide and his mouth dropped. Midoriko let out a sharp gasp of breath and went completely limp on the bed. His heart shattered and pain ripped through him like he had never felt before. This wasn't happening. This wasn't the way it was supposed to work. They had made peace with each other. He was going to take her home tomorrow morning and everything was going to be fine. Naruto felt a hand shove him away from the bed. Time slowed as he watched the med staff try to bring her back.

Tsunade and the team of nurses worked hurriedly. It was only a matter of minutes before there wasn't anything they could do. Maybe if they got her heart beating again. Maybe if they got her breathing again. The doubts started to creep into Tsuande's mind. Even if they did get Midoriko breathing and her heart beating, would she ever wake up? Tsunade started to beat on the girl's chest and one of the nurses had gotten a breath mask. They had four minutes at most to make the attempt.

How long had it been already? A minute, maybe more, Tsunade hadn't really been keeping track. She couldn't think about that. Starting now, they had three minutes, three very long minutes to try and revive Midoriko.

One minute, thirty second: Five compressions to one breath, Tsunade counted in her head. There was still no response from the very unconscious girl. She would try CPR for thirty more seconds. "Get the paddles ready!"

A nurse wheeled in a cart with an odd looking contraption Naruto had never seen. A second nurse was pulling off Midoriko's clothes to expose her chest.

Two minutes: "Charge that thing!" Tsuande stopped pushing down on Midoriko's chest and turned to grab two paddles off the contraption. Two pads were placed on Midoriko's chest, one above her heart and the other just to the left. Naruto kept watching with the hope that this would help.

"CLEAR!" Tsuande pushed the paddles down on the pads. Naruto heard the "zap" of the electrical energy and watched Midoriko jerk as the bolt of electricity surged through her. There was a brief pause as the medical staff waited. "Charge it AGAIN!" Tsunade bellowed.

Three minutes: They had "zapped" Midoriko twice more at increasingly higher settings and still nothing. The Medical staff had paused briefly in between each zap of the paddles to be faced with nothing in response from either the girl, or the monitors. They continued with the CPR until the machine was charged again.

Three minutes, thirty second: "Lady Tsunade, this is the highest setting!"

"DO IT!" Tsunade bellowed in frustration. Midoriko jerked again and still nothing. Tsuande threw the paddles to the side and used her bare hands to push against Midoriko's chest. There was a higher voltage she could use to try and start Midoriko's heart. But it would mostly likely kill the girl rather than save her. Tsunade had to try.

Four minutes: Naruto stood away from Midoriko's bed side as Tsunade continued to pound on Midoriko's chest. The shrill sound of the monitors gave no sign of changing their eerie monotone note. "CLEAR!" Tsunade yelled as she pumped a burst of pure electrical chakra through Midoriko's chest. The love of Naruto's life jerked as the electricity jolted her heart yet again. He could only stand there. He could only watch in horror. There was a last pause in the activity as the medical crew waited in vain for the monitor to show something, ANYTHING, but nothing came.

"Please don't die." Naruto whispered. There was still nothing from the monitors. The screen was blinking red lights, flat lines, and urgent alarms blared in Naruto's ears.

"It's been four minutes Lady Tsunade, do you want to continue?" One of the nurses said as if this was a normal occurrence.

Tsunade stepped back away from the bed. "No… She's gone."

Naruto shook his head, tears erupting from his eyes. "No…" He wanted to rage out of control right there in front of everyone. "NO! Don't stop! KEEP GOING! Don't let her die like this!"

Tsunade hung her head. "I'm sorry Naruto, but we were…"

BEEP, and Midoriko took in a deep breath. BEEP BEEP, Midoriko let out the breath. Everyone turned to the monitors, staring in shock. Her stats were increasing and beginning to steady. The girl took another breath, letting it out slowly. To everyone's amazement, she did it again. Naruto pushed everyone out of the way to get back to Midoriko's bedside. She was breathing, her heart was beating and it seemed like for the first time in the last five minutes, he was able to breath, his heart was beating again. Naruto sat there and took her hand. "Come back to me Rabbit."

[End of flash back]

"Yeah." Naruto scowled. "DON'T do that again." He growled at Sasuke.

"I won't." Sasuke glared back. "She's alive. Be happy with that."

Naruto tried to stay angry, but he could stay angry at anyone right now. He was just too damned relieved to have Midoriko alive and perfectly fine as if nothing had happened at all. "It's a miracle, one that I am not going to pass up. When can I take her home?"

Tsunade shook her head. "I want to run a few more tests before I let her go. Midoriko is going to be upset I'm sure, but I want to make sure there wasn't any permanent damage. But Midoriko isn't the reason I wanted you too in the same place. We have received some disturbing reports from the border villages near Sound. It looks like I have the proof I need to set up a mission."

Sasuke glared at the Lady Hokage. "I'm not going anywhere for a while."

"I can't say anything… I got banned from the mission office." Naruto shrugged.

"Not you two." Tsunade rolled her eyes. "I'm going to send a recon team to gather a little more information. I am also going to see if we can retrieve… What was her name again?" Tsunade turned to Sasuke.

Sasuke shuddered. "Karin. I can give you the locations of some of the laboratories, but she would know where all of them are."

"You wouldn't know where she is?" Tsunade eyed Sasuke.

"Hn."

Tsunade sighed. "Well, if we find her, it will help our cause greatly. If not, we will have to go with what little information we have."

"I wanna go on that mission." Naruto pouted.

Tsunade smiled inwardly, but did not show any outward signs of her smile. "Naruto, I am sure you will be able to convince Midoriko of the importance of the mission. She may be more help than you realize."

0 - 0 - 0

Midoriko knocked on the door and entered Sakura's room almost silently. Sakura looked up from the baby she held in her arms and smiled. "Hello." The pink one whispered.

"Hello yourself, mom..." Midoriko smiled. "I thought I would come by and see my niece."

"Oh so you didn't want to see me?" Sakura chided in a mock tone.

Midoriko laughed silently. "I wanted to see how you were doing too." She sat in the chair next to Sakura. "So how does it feel to be a mom?"

Sakura gazed over Saiyuki's sleeping face. "I like it."

Midoriko shook her head. "You say that now, but after the first hundred diapers, and a million loads of laundry," the raven haired woman smirked. "You still feel that way."

"Tsunade tells me she is going to let you go home today." Sakura grinned. "Have you told him yet?"

Midoriko looked innocently at the woman in bed. "Have I told who what?"

"Myra…" Sakura eyed her friend. "I know it's you remember? You slipped and told me Saiyuki really wanted to be changed and wasn't hungry."

"Maybe I wanted you to know. You were the only person that didn't treat me like a child with a terminal disease. So to be honest, I didn't have a reason to not tell you." Myra grinned like a cat that ate the canary. "Besides, if I tell Naruto now, there would be lots of red faces. So I don't want to spoil it for him, or spoil it for me. Hell no I'm not telling him just yet. I have a week to play catch up with Naruto and I'm going to milk it for everything I can."

"So what exactly happened? How did you survive?" Sakura asked with enthusiastic curiosity.

"I didn't survive. I died. The cool thing is that I came back." Myra shrugged. "It was just after Sasuke tried to reach through the barrier. The telepathy we share is stronger than I thought. It started a cascade failure I couldn't stop."

[Flash back]

It was cold. It was dark and there was nothing. Not even pain. So this is what it's like to die? Midoriko thought while she floated in the void. There weren't the sounds of blaring alarms, or beeps of the monitors, just the black void of death. Then she could feel her back pressed against a cold floor. She was lying down she guessed. Light started to filter back into her vision, though her eyes were closed, Midoriko knew if she were to open her eyes, she would see light.

"Get up." The voice said in a commanding and confident tone. Midoriko had heard that voice so often before, but this time it was clear, unhindered by the steel doors of her minds.

Midoriko blinked her eyes open to the bright light. "Where am I?"

"Not important right now, getting up is more important." Myra was standing over Midoriko with a panicked look.

Midoriko blinked again to clear the fog from her eyes and then blinked again for good measure. "Oh Kami! I am dead."

Myra rolled her eyes. "Not yet, but we will be if you don't get up." She held out a hand to the woman still lying on the floor.

Midoriko stared at the offered hand and then looked away. "What's the point? I'm dead. I died. I can't feel my body moving or breathing."

Myra huffed angrily. She was in no mood to explain anything. "Okay, so we're mostly dead, which means we're slightly alive."

"We?" Midoriko asked still confused. She looked up at the woman standing over her and dawning comprehension etched across her face. "M-Myra?"

"No… The Easter Bunny."

Midoriko frowned. "I don't think this is a good time for jokes." The woman on the floor started to stand.

Myra helped Midoriko stand the rest of the way and shrugged. "In any stressful situation, making a wise crack to break the tension is always a good thing. Besides, you should be use to my crazy sense of humor. Now if you don't mind, I would like to get out of here."

Midoriko looked around. It was as if they were in a pocket of light surrounded by inky blackness. "Where is here?"

"Here is the Ethereal, or at least a small pocket of it. Now there isn't much time…"

"I can see you and I can hear you more clearly because I'm dead?" Midoriko just didn't seem to get what was going on.

Myra growled at Midoriko in annoyance. "Here is the short story. We ARE dead at the moment. My… Our heart stopped beating and we stopped breathing a few minutes ago. We have about two more minutes before death is permanent."

"What can we do?" Midoriko seemed to look completely lost. "We're dead. The kill seal finally broke."

"No… It didn't… Well it did." Myra waved her hands around frantically. "It's complicated, but the gist of the story is this. The Kill seal never got a chance to go off. A flood of memories were released when Sasuke breached the walls of our mind. The final blow came when I responded to him. The seals had already been stressed. The breach cause a cascade failure unrelated to the Kill Seal. BUT said cascade failure was going to trigger the Kill Seal at any second, so I forcibly stopped my heart thus causing a complete shut down."

Midoriko stared at Myra confused. "That makes no sense."

"We live… How's that for sense?" Myra glared back.

"But how?"

"We rise from the dead of course." Myra took Midoriko's hand. "Look, you and I are one person. Our personalities were never meant to be separate for this long. The instant our heart stopped beating the Kill Seal failed and vanished. The tattered remnants of our mind can't be whole unless we agree to it. You have to let me out."

Midoriko paled. "But… But if I help you get out… Then… What happens to me?"

Myra hadn't really thought about that. What would happen to Midoriko. She had taken on a life of her own, but she was still nothing more than a piece of Myra's own personality. "You and I are the same person. You are my bright and shiny girly girl side that likes sunshine and ponies. You are the normal life I desperately wanted. I am the memories, the emotions, the past, and everything else that makes us who we are."

"So I am nothing more than a shadow?" Midoriko looked up at Myra with tears streaming down her face.

Myra smirked. "I wouldn't say a shadow. You are the voice of reason I tend to ignore ninety percent of the time. But you are very real. WE are very real. I can't do this without you and you won't survive the coming war without me."

Midoriko seemed to steady herself. "You can keep Minato safe. You can help Naruto fight this storm that is coming?"

"No, WE will keep them safe and WE will stop Madara from hurting anyone else. I need you and you need me."

There was feeling of warmth that came over Midoriko and she stared at Myra for a few more moments. Everything till now had felt like a dream that wasn't real. She had never felt real. There was always something just beyond Midoriko's reach and Myra had been that something. Myra was the answer to feeling whole. Myra was that part of her mind and her past that was missing. The fire and drive that made her do what she did. Midoriko smiled and sighed contentedly. She finally understood and accepted the truth. Midoriko exploded into millions of twinkling motes of light. "Then I leave it to you, Myra Ravenheart."

The motes of light swirled around Myra and then streamed into her visage. There was a moment of pain and the blackness again. Myra seemed to float in the void for another eternity, but then she could feel her body and the people around her. Myra was in full control again. She willed her heart to start beating again. She pulled the strength from anywhere she could to force her to breathe.

She screamed inside her own head and then she felt the first pulse shudder the quiet of her body. Myra took her breath that first deep breath and let it out slowly. Two more beats of her heart and another breath. After a few seconds her heart was beating on its own and she was breathing without having to will herself to do so. Myra felt Naruto so close. He took her hand and like a call throughout every fiber of her being. "Come back to me Rabbit." He whispered. Myra wanted to get up right then and there, but her body wouldn't respond. She was just too tired. She would sleep for now. Sleep was a good thing.

[End flash back]

"A couple of hours later I woke up. Tsunade was shocked to say the least. I asked if anyone got the license plate of the semi truck that hit me. It wasn't long after her first look at me that she figured out I was me again."

"Myra..." Sakura raised a serious eyebrow.

"Midoriko, Pinky... Call me Midoriko, at least for a while longer." Myra smirked.

Sakura shook her head and let out a sigh. "What are you going to do about Minato for the next few days?"

"Shizune has Minato right now in Tsunade's office. He's been there since early that first morning. Tsunade had Naruto take him there just in case. Tsunade is going to take him, until my dad gets here. Then my dad is going to keep Minato. I have a year to make up with Naruto and I need to let him know it wasn't his fault."

Sakura hugged the baby close to her. "My... Midoriko... What is going to happen with Sound?"

"I'm not going to lie to you Sakura. I am going to need Sasuke on this one. It's going to be a joint venture between Konoha and Ravenheart Industries. As for what is going to happen? I don't know. I don't like to plan that far ahead." Myra looked away. "Naruto is coming to see what I'm up to. Sasuke isn't far behind him."

"I don't want for Sasuke to go." Sakura looked over Saiyuki. The Pink one understood the life of a ninja as much as anyone else. She was a ninja after all. But things were different now, and the thought of loosing Sasuke in a battle where she wasn't able to go didn't sit well with her.

"I know Pinky. I know. But don't worry about that now. Like I said…" The door burst open and Naruto was glaring at Myra, whom he thought still to be Midoriko. Myra changed her facial features ever so slightly and smiled up at him. "Do I have to go back to my prison cell now?"

"Yes." Naruto crossed his arms in front of him. "Tsunade wants to do her final check and if everything checks out, she said you can go home with me."

Myra sighed happily. "I would like that."

Sakura blinked several times. She was actively trying to sense the Ravenheart girl and it was different from when she first walked in. Myra hadn't been suppressing her chakra, and Sakura could sense her before she walked in. Now that Myra was back to playing Midoriko, the pink one really couldn't tell the difference between Myra and the background noise. Myra was there, Sakura could see the woman, but there was no trace of her, not even a hint that Myra had been in the room. "Midoriko..."

Myra turned. "Yes Sakura?" She smiled innocently.

"Um... " They all heard small hiccups followed by soft gurgles. Sakura looked down at the little girl in her arms.

"Tell me later. I'll bet she's wet and a bit hungry." Myra kept her smile and turned said smile to Sasuke. "She's beautiful. Congratulations daddy." She smirked and pulled Naruto back to her hospital room.

Sasuke had a serious look of contemplation on his face, like he always did when he was trying to figure something out. She's giving off the same static as before, but that is the same thing she said to me when… His thoughts went deeper. Midoriko was acting the same, bright and cheerful with a sense of naiveté, but there was something that was just different enough that made him think.

Sakura had started to feed Saiyuki when she gazed over to her serious husband. Sasuke had taken it pretty hard that he had possibly caused Myra's death. When Tsunade had first come back to the delivery room and said she was alive, but they didn't know if Midoriko was going to wake up, Sasuke had immediately confessed to trying to contact Myra. It had worked, he said and he promptly explained to Tsunade Myra's insistence in the destruction of Sound. Sasuke had talked with Sakura before he mentioned retrieving Itachi from the small hospital outside the village. They had agreed, Sasuke and Sakura that no matter what may happen, bringing Itachi home was dangerous at best, but the right thing to do. Together they would protect each other.

Sakura sighed. "You're thinking too much Uchiha... Why don't you tell me what you're thinking about and see if I can help?"

Sasuke hated when she did this to him. Sakura always knew when he was trying to figure something out. He wanted to piece things out alone and not worry her; however, there were those rare occasions when his wife could see things he couldn't and give him the right perspective, most of the time, she just derailed his train of thought. "I was just thinking if Midoriko will ever remember now. According to Tsunade, the seals are gone and she's out of danger, but she doesn't seem to remember anything. I still hear static when she's around. I don't feel that family connection I had with her. It bothers me."

Sakura smiled knowingly. So she can mask it even from him. "It will work itself out. Give it a little while, she may surprise you. Midoriko is acting more like Myra, isn't that enough?"

Sasuke smirked. "Hn."

"So it isn't enough?"

"Hn."

"That isn't an answer. What do you want her to do Sasuke? Run around the village laughing at that serious face of yours and call you that deplorable name?" Sakura huffed. "I swear sometimes I wonder who you like more."

Sasuke sat on the bed and wrapped his arms around Sakura and Saiyuki. "Now you stop." Sakura had doubts about his relationship Myra and he knew Sakura needed him to reassure her. "You're annoying." He kissed her on the temple.

Sakura relaxed and let out a sigh. "I love you too, Sasuke-kun."

0 - 0 – 0

"OH MY GOD!" Myra screeched as she walked into the house. There was a mess beyond messes. There were empty ramen containers, trash, empty baby bottles, soda cans, scrolls, books, a dirty diaper or three, laundry that smelled like it had to be a few weeks old, and god only knows what else strewn about living room. She turned a wicked glare to Naruto, who was cowering behind her. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO MY HOUSE!?"

"I'll clean it up." The blonde said meekly. "I was a little distracted." Nartuo smiled at her thinking that maybe she wouldn't kill him.

"Distracted?" She questioned with a raised eyebrow. "I was gone for a few days! Not a year." Myra dropped the first hint.

Naruto rubbed the back of neck nervously. "Well without Minato here, and they kept kicking me out of the hospital to come back and shower and sleep… I just didn't have the…"

Myra closed her eyes and put up a hand to stop him. "Save your excuses."

Naruto wisely raised his hand in surrender. "Okay, okay, I said I'd clean it up."

Myra took a deep breath to calm her ire. It was a bad idea. "What died?" Her face contorted into a look of disgust and she put her hand over her nose to stop the stench. The woman dropped her bag in the front hall and raced into the kitchen. Not ten seconds later Myra exited the kitchen with her head held high and Naruto could see she was trying NOT to be angry.

"I am going to go change my clothes. When I get back, there had better be a few more of you to help with this disaster. I am NOT allowing Minato to come home to this… PIG STY." Myra ground out.

Naruto, on the one hand, was trying not to burst into hysterical laughter. On the other, he felt a little guilty that he had let the house become such a mess. But he hadn't lied when he had told Myra he was distracted. She was more important than the house. She was more important than anything. The house work could wait. Once she was awake, then he would worry about the house.

The blonde looked about the disheveled living room and shook his head. "I'm a pig when left on my own." He made the hand seals he needed, creating four more of him in a puff of smoke.

0 – 0 – 0

Myra had planned everything perfectly, and no one suspected anything. Myra didn't like pretending that she was still Midoriko, but it would work out so much better this way. If it all worked out right, Myra would have Naruto all to herself for a few days and Minato would be in the care of one of the other people that knew Myra was Myra again. It was the truth after all. Her brush with death was a miracle. Myra had woken up several hours later complaining of a headache and promptly fell back to sleep. It was mid morning when she found Tsunade sitting next to her with a scowl. Myra had told Tsunade about stopping her own heart to bypass the Kill Seal. Tsunade, though extremely upset by Myra being so reckless, had agreed to keep her secret for the moment. From then on, Tsunade ran every test she could think of and even equipped Myra with a chakra inhibitor to aid in the deception.

Myra didn't want to tell Naruto the good news just yet. She had wanted the all clear from Tsuande first. One of the first fears Myra was faced with was a possibility that her return wasn't permanent. The last thing she really wanted to do was tell Naruto, have her be trapped again, and have it all taken away from both of them. It was breaking her heart to see him this way. He was acting as if he was extremely happy about the reconciliation with Midoriko. Myra knew the truth. He may have been happy about getting closer to Midoriko, but he still had doubts and misgivings about the idea. There was a line he wasn't going to cross. At least not until she pushed that line. And that is exactly what she planned on doing.

They had finished cleaning the house in relative silence. She had avoided him and Naruto (and clones) had avoided her. Although she caught him on several occasions catching a glimpse of her as she reached for something, or bent over to pick something up off the floor. Of course she stole a look every once and a wile too. She wasn't blind after all. They finally finished cleaning up the house when she chose that exact moment to start her seduction. "Naruto-kun, I'm going to take a shower and wash all the grime off, do you think you could run out and grab dinner?"

They met face to face in the hallway as she was coming out of her room with her towel. Naruto smiled. Since she had woken up she had very decidedly done two things, not allowed him to touch her exposed skin, or let him look at her directly in the eyes. These two things were a dead give away to her return. Myra kept her eyes to the floor. "What do you want?" He answered her.

She shrugged. "I don't know… Ramen?"

To excited to really think anymore about it, Naruto dashed towards the door. It was a second later when he peaked around the corner of the hallway. "Pork or Beef?"

"Ah… Chicken actually." Myra smiled and pushed a stray bit of hair behind her ear.

"I'll be back in a flash." He grinned and she heard the door slam shut.

0 – 0 – 0

Naruto opened the door of the house and his senses were hit with so much that he wanted to cry. The first thing that hit his nose was the sweet smell of pork and chicken ramen, still hot from Ichiraku's that he was carrying with him. Midoriko had attempted ramen, and it was passable, but it wasn't Ichiraku's. He headed for the kitchen to deposit the procured dinner. He started to set out the tasty treats when the steam from Midoriko's shower assaulted his nostrils. The sweet smell of that blasted soap that she loved ignited a fire he had been trying to put out for months. I thought I got rid of all that stuff! He cursed himself.

Naruto closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. He wanted to saver that smell for just a moment longer. She wasn't anywhere near him to notice he was taking in her sent. Naruto growled in frustration when he heard her coming down the hall. Myra walked into the kitchen wearing Naruto's t-shirt, hitting her at mid thigh, with her hair up in a towel. She had walked in the kitchen and opened the refrigerator to pull out the pie she had baked in the midst of cleaning. The blonde watched her with his eyes, and something else, bulging. She knew he was staring and she was ignoring him on purpose because Midoriko wouldn't have noticed he was there.

KAMI! She could ignite fires in him that had long been stamped out. Naruto closed his eyes and turned away from the girl. "Midoriko… I'm back."

Myra squeaked. "Oh, Naruto-kun!" She started to pull the shirt lower and set the pie on the table. "I wanted to be out of the shower before you got home." She lowered her eyes. "I-I know what it tends to do to you."

Naruto winced. He had hoped she hadn't noticed. He didn't want her to feel uncomfortable with him, even though she could make him feel like a pervert. Course there were a lot of things that were happening tonight that made him uncomfortable. Wait a minute THAT WAS MY SHIRT! Naruto took a deep breath, not a good idea, but he had to breathe to keep calm. "Midoriko-chan, when are you going to bring Minato home?" He still hadn't opened his eyes, so he couldn't see Myra edging closer.

"Lady Tsunade said she wanted to spend some time with him and give me some more time to recuperate. So I agreed. I would have asked you, but you weren't there when she asked, and didn't think you would mind, because if…"

Naruto waved his hand to cut her off. He breathed in and she was closer to him. Oh Kami…

Myra watched the blonde waver and a small smile crept across her lips. She could feel him struggling with his own desires and it fueled her own to press on. She replaced the smile and started to pout. "I'm sorry Naruto-kun. I thought it would be nice if maybe you and I got some time without Minato." She had intentionally left the comment open to interpretation.

Naruto's eyes sprang wide open. It was only a moment and it was just enough to see the pout on her face. Naruto jumped backwards, nearly tripping over his own feet. He shut his eyes tight again. "M-Mid-doriko!" he had his hands up in front of him.

Myra tilted her head and couldn't help the grin on her face get a little wider. "I thought it would be nice to have some peace and quiet for a while. I need the time to relax and I thought since you had been so stressed I thought maybe you would want to spend some time with Sasuke-san training or even Kiba-kun." She turned her voice very sad. "I thought I was doing something right for a change." She turned around and pretended to cry.

Naruto felt like a heel. She was the one who just got out of the hospital, and she was the one that needed the time to not worry about a screaming kid. Not that Minato screamed, but it was the thought that counted. Midoriko had tried to do something nice for him and he was thinking with his other brain, taking her intentions to another level.

Oh if Naruto only knew what depths of depravity Myra had in mind when she had told Tsunade Minato was staying with her for a few days. In all honestly, Myra wanted to jump into his arms and devour him, but she was way to curious to know how much it was actually going to take for him to completely loose control of his sanity.

Naruto sighed deeply. "Midoriko-chan, I'm sorry." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm just a little… frustrated at the moment."

Oh yes he was frustrated and she could feel it. Myra stopped mock sniffling. "Is there anything I can do to make it so you are less frustrated?" Try as she might, her tone came out a little more seductive than she had intended. Ok, so she was frustrated too.

Naruto wondered where Kyuubi was at this particular moment, because that damn horny demon would have been making snide comments right about now. THAT would have at the very least kept him thinking about other things. But there wasn't another voice in his head at the moment to keep his mind distracted from her. Fighting enemy ninja was easier than quelling his wants and needs. Naruto was sorely tempted but he couldn't allow himself to faultier. "No… It's something I have to deal with on my own."

"Oh…" Her voice sounded so small and so far away. "All right then." She picked up her bowl of ramen. "I will take this and go read the rest of my book then. In the mean time, you need to eat before it gets cold." Her frame disappeared out of the door way.

Naruto let out a sigh of relief. Food, he could focus on the food. That would get his mind off of the tightening problem in his pants. He waited a few moments before he sat at the table. The smell of ramen was a sweet contrast to the lingering smell of Midoriko's body soap. The luscious smell of the body soap tickled his nostrils which triggered the memory of a particular afternoon of sport. His groin throbbed with the memory. Food… Became the mantra in his mind to keep him going any further.

Naruto finished his ramen before he noticed the pie sitting on the table. He cut him a slice and put it on the plate. The first bite was like an explosion of taste. It was the type of pie that could bring everything back into focus and make everything right with the world. Naruto finished the rest of the slice and was licking the plate when something dawned on him. Midoriko hadn't achieved this kind of pie. She had come close, but it was the way she stirred the filling, or even the love she put into making the crust. The blonde had never understood it, but the only person that could make pie that could chase away every problem was Myra. Naruto glanced down the hallway to the bedroom.

Myra had waited for this moment. He was sitting in the kitchen contemplating the pie. Myra pulled the towel off her hair and shook the mass of tresses around her face. As Midoriko, she had gone out of her way to purposely NOT do things that would make Naruto uncomfortable. Of course, Midoriko was a bit of a prude in that respect. Then again, Midoriko didn't know what she was missing.

Myra knew exactly what she was missing. It was time to turn it on thick as she could. Myra, still wearing the t-shirt, and not much else, started to walk into the kitchen and was met half way by a very firm bodied male. She bumped into him and was about to fall on her ass. A strong arm wrapped around her and kept her from falling. Naruto was cursing himself as he reactively pulled her close to him, pressing her breasts to his chest. Myra thanked the heavens for the fabric between them. He would have been able to feel the change in her skin. The more heated she got, the harder it was for her to suppress her chakra.

He was breathing heavily and trying to override his want to do so much more than hold her. Myra was trying desperately not to look him in the eyes. Another dead giveaway she didn't want to give away just yet. "Um… Naruto-kun… You can let go now."

"No."

Myra blinked. Her heart fluttered. "I-I was just…"

"You were just what? Coming to taunt me some more? What are you playing at?"

Myra turned her head away and looked at the base boards in the hallway, noticing that they needed dusting again. "I'm not playing at anything." It was a half truth.

"Bullshit!" He snarled. "You conveniently make sure Minato is gone; you tell me to get ramen for dinner; you make Pie that is deceptively like Myra's and you smell so damn good I could just… Are you trying to drive me insane?"

"I was not trying to drive you insane." Myra said with a bit of arrogance. A small smile tugged on her lips. "I thought I was succeeding." Her voice was very seductive. She couldn't let him suffer anymore… Ok she didn't want to suffer anymore either.

Naruto grabbed her by the arms and pushed her back to arms length. "Midoriko, I will not cross that line. I may want to," and oh how he wanted to. "But if I did, I would betray everything that I believe. I know I said you and Myra are the same and I meant it. I just don't think I could take our relationship to that level just yet. In that respect, you are not Myra. I don't care how much you may look like her, or smell like her or even act like her at times. I will protect you with my life, but I can't go there. So… Please… I'm asking this very nicely… For my sanity, and your safety, please stop." He turned away from her.

Myra faced him with a cocky grin. "So I am to be the mother of your child and a really good friend, but nothing more?"

Naruto winced. "Yes."

"I guess if it would be different if Myra were dead."

Naruto shook his head. "I don't ever want to think like that. As long as you are alive there is hope. But until then, Myra is the bowl of ramen I can never have."

It was the most romantic thing he had ever said. Myra couldn't help the swell of her heart. "And you waited for me."

"Always." He answered absentmindedly and started to take a few steps away from her. It took him a moment. Something in his brain kick started. Midoriko had never asked him to wait. He had never answered her like that. It was one of those silly things Myra would do. She would kiss him on the nose and ask him to wait. He would wait for an eternity if he knew she was going to come back to him. Naruto turned around slowly. He didn't want to be disappointed if it was just a fluke. He shut his eyes and faced her.

Myra let go of the restraints on her chakra levels. She let her own spirit reach out and wrap around him like a warm blanket you curl up with on a winter's day. He could feel her walk to him. The light sound of her footfalls echoing on the wooden floor. He could feel the radiating warmth of her aura envelope him. Then he felt the warm of her hand on his cheek. "Hello Pretty Boy."

"Rabbit," he breathed out with the air he had been holding the moment he realized it was Myra. He opened his eyes and gazed into molten pools of chocolate. He could see the fire and the passion back in her eyes. Myra was finally there staring back at him. He put his hand on hers and he could feel the warmth in her skin, no longer just beneath the surface trying to seep through. A moment of confusion registered on his face.

Myra put her fingers on his lips to hush him. "It's me… I promise."

"But I thought?" Naruto pulled her hand to his chest.

Myra smiled. "It isn't an issue anymore. It over and done with. I came back to you, just like you asked me to." She giggled lightly. "I find it extremely romantic that I can parade in front of you half naked and you still have to wear with all to withstand even my charms."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at her. "So you planned this?"

Myra pressed as close as she could. "Sort of."

"How long have you been... You?" He stroked her cheek.

Myra chewed on her lip guiltily. "Since I woke up after the heart attack."

"You mean to tell me that you have been pretending for the last few days, avoiding me like the plague because why?" There was a twinge of hurt in his voice.

"Because I didn't want to get your hopes up if it wasn't permanent. So far, it's permanent. There may be a few odd tendencies here and there and the promise of listening to that rational voice, but for the most part, I'm me again." She smiled.

"Are you sure?" He was keeping what was left of his control.

Myra hushed him with her fingers again. "Permanent or not, do you really want to waist the opportunity?" Naruto's eyes flashed between hungry red and calm blue. Myra could see him struggling for control. "Let go Love, I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere."

Naruto didn't have to be told twice. His eyes and changed to smoldering red. His lips crashed on to hers and the world around them faded away. There was passion in the kiss, but it was more a primal need to be one that was driving both of them. She broke the kiss, licking her lips and panting slightly. Myra stepped away from him with a smirk on her face, daring him to follow.

He grabbed her wrist and forcibly pulled her back to him. She was faced with red feral eyes. He growled at her a started to sniff around her face. She smelled SO good, but there was something missing from her scent. It was something that only he could put there. Naruto picked her up in a bridal carry and took her into his room. He tossed her on the bed with a soft thud. Clothes were shucked faster than either of them thought possible. The first time was a pure expression of carnal need. No pleasantries, no foreplay, just a guttural desire for oneness with the other. Naruto's roar nearly brought the house down around them.

They would lay there panting for a while before the want to be together would bring them to soaring heights, just to tumble down the cliff. Between her screams of ecstasy and his triumphant roars, the neighbors thought there was a battle going on within the house. In the end, they collapsed on top of each other, sated for the moment. Naruto pulled the blankets over them and relished in the feel of her hair fanned over his chest and shoulder. Myra's body melded next to his and their legs entangled with each others. Her head lay peacefully on his chest. Before he completely allowed sleep to claim him, he buried his nose into her hair. Her scent was still uniquely hers, but that missing something was finally there and he finally understood what was missing for her scent. He was missing from it. A lazy grin spread across his face. She was his and his alone. Finally, pulling her as close as possible, Naruto could sleep.

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Next time: Chapter 82: Rabbits, Foxes, and Snakes Oh my...

Myra rolled her eyes. "Come on Jim. The fur ball is sealed INSIDE of Naruto. Naruto isn't the Kyuubi."

"He still smells like a kitsune. YOU smell like a kitsune. Father is NOT going to be happy about this." Jim regarded Myra through narrowed eyes.

Naruto was still laughing hysterically. Myra, so named "Rabbit" because of her speed and agility, had rabbits as her summon animal that just so happened to be her totem animal as well. Myra twitched her nose in annoyance. "Jim… I fell for the person, not his demon."

Jim had opened the plastic container and pulled out a large slice of cake. "If he ever tries to eat you, don't call me to get you out of that mess. I will simply point, laugh, and watch him devour you."