Chapter 4: Hot and Cold

There was only one thing on Naruto's mind and that was his 6:00 visitor. Naruto found it hard to focus on anything for the rest of the afternoon. Since both Sakura and Sai had disappeared, Naruto had to eat by himself. He kept glancing down at his watch every few minutes. He wanted to make sure he was home early so he could wait for Neji's arrival. There was no guarantee that Neji was even going to show. This was just another test.

"Something on your mind?" asked the owner of the ramen shop.

Naruto jumped, realizing that he had been staring at his watch so long the steam had disappeared from his noddles. "No. Why?"

"Because I've never seen you sit there and eat a bowl of ramen that had cooled off before. You usually finish it before then."

Naruto looked down at the cold broth and what few noodles were left. He hadn't realized how distracted he was. He quickly drank the rest of his early evening snack and thanked the owner, rushing to his apartment. He looked back at his watch. It was just after 5:00. He had a little less than an hour to go. Still, he wanted to be there to greet him if he did come.

"Hey, Naruto!"

He stopped and turned. It was Kiba and Akamaru. As always, Kiba seemed to be in a good mood.

"Where you heading?" he asked.

"Uh, just home. I have some stuff to do."

"Aw, really? I was gonna ask if you were up for a little race."

"A race?" Naruto was mildly surprised. "That sounds like something Lee would ask."

"Yeah, I know. He was around earlier but now I can't find him. Guy takes everything way too hard." Kiba bounced on his feet. "I've been bursting with energy for the past hour and I've got no one to spend it on. I was hoping I could get someone to challenge me."

"Race Akamaru," Naruto suggested.

"We did race a little. But it seemed like Akamaru wants to take it easy today. We ran around for a bit and then he gave up. Just wants to laze around."

"Maybe because you tire him out riding on him all the time," came a voice.

Naruto and Kiba turned and saw Shino standing right beside them. As quiet as ever, neither one of them noticed him until he was on top of them.

"How long have you been there?!" Naruto almost screamed.

"A while. Not very observant, are you?" He turned to Kiba. "You ride on Akamaru all the time. He's bound to be tired. That explains why you're bursting with energy and he wants to take some time to rest."

"Nah, that ain't it." Kiba brushed it off like it was nothing. He must have been used to Shino's matter-of-fact comments. "It's just a lazy dog day. We all have those. I'm bound to get one maybe tomorrow since I'm full of energy now."

"Choose to ignore me if you wish, but it makes sense."

Naruto sighed. "Man, Shino... Sometimes I wish you weren't so... so..."

"So what?"

"Creepy."

Though neither one could see it, they knew Shino's eyes had narrowed at the comment. He turned his whole body to face Naruto. "And just what is that supposed to mean?"

"I mean, you pop up out of nowhere and just stand there without saying anything and when you do it's always weird."

"Weird?"

"Yeah! You're like, 'this is how it is, so there' and crap. Don't you ever have any fun?"

"Yes."

"Yeah," laughed Kiba. "By ruining everyone else's."

"Yeah, what he said!" added Naruto. "We were just talking and then you show up and have to tell us what we're doing wrong."

"I was simply stating a fact. It only makes sense that due to Kiba constantly riding on Akamaru's back, he would get tired and Kiba would be full of energy having not spent any. That's all I was saying. Nothing I pointed out ruined anyone's fun."

"There was no fun to be had," Kiba said, doing his best impression of his teammate. He even put a gloomy look on his face and hid his mouth and chin behind his sleeve to make up for his lack of a high collar. His impression got Naruto laughing but Shino wasn't amused.

Naruto looked at his watch. 5:17. "Ah! Guys, I gotta go."

"Alright," waved Kiba. "Let me know if you change your mind. I've got time to kill before dinner."

"If Naruto has something to do now and you have to be home in time for dinner, then you really don't have time to kill. Either he'll be busy while you're free or you'll be eating when he's finished or you'll both be occupied at the same time."

"There's the vacuum that sucked up all the fun again."

"Arf! Arf!"

"Yeah, you tell him, Akamaru!"

Naruto ran down the street to his apartment. On his way, he bumped into something green. Lee flipped himself into an upright position, having been walking on his hands, greeting Naruto. "Hello, Naruto! Where are you going?"

"Home. I had something I needed to do." Naruto tried to find a way around Lee, but he kept stepping into his path.

"Do you have any time to spar with me?"

"Not right now. Maybe later."

Someone else stepped into his path at that very moment. It was Sai. "Good, Naruto. Just the person I needed to find."

"Not now, Sai. I'm trying to get home."

Sai blocked his path. "I was asked to give you something."

Naruto pushed him out of the way. It was already 5:25. Time was flying fast. "Now right now, Sai. Give it to me later, ok?"

"Ok, if that's what you-"

He didn't wait around to hear him finish. Naruto sprinted the rest of the way home and slammed the door shut. He checked his watch again. 5:27. Now he just had to wait for 6:00 to roll around.

For the next ten minutes, Naruto found himself pacing his apartment, looking up at the clock every few minutes. He still had a while to wait, but he couldn't help himself. Whether it was excitement or nervousness, he didn't know. All he knew was that someone was going to be coming through that door if everything worked out the way he had planned.

At ten-to-six, Naruto pulled up a chair and sat in front of the door, waiting on the edge of his seat. He tried to be patient. He looked at the clock. 5:58. Any minute now. He thought he heard someone coming but it turned out to be a false alarm. He looked back at the clock. 5:59. Almost time. He faced the door, gripping his pant legs tightly. This had to work. He hoped it would. The clock gave a loud tick and he looked up. 6:00 on the dot. He faced the door again, holding his breath.

Nothing happened.

Naruto let out the breath he had been holding feeling very disappointed. It must not have worked. This whole thing was a failure.

Knock, knock, knock. Three precise knocks.

Naruto sucked in a breath. Could it be? Was this for real? He pulled the chair aside and reached for the knob. Slowly, as if expecting to see a monster on the other side, he opened the door.

There on the other side stood Neji.

"It did work," Naruto gasped.

Neji stood perfectly still, staring straight ahead with blank eyes.

Naruto stared into his eyes. That absent expression on Neji's face was a bit unnerving. He looked like a zombie. Naruto waved a hand in front of his face. He didn't blink. He just kept staring with those empty eyes. Naruto wondered if Neji could see anything. His eyes were so unfocused.

Then he remembered. "Oh. Ahem... Welcome."

Neji stepped inside, shuffling along like a puppet on strings. Naruto could tell that his movements were not my choice. Neji moved much easier than this. He flowed more. It was natural. This was as if someone were controlling his movements. It was almost like watching a marionette. That was just how he moved. There was no other way to describe it.

Neji stood still, staring off into space. Naruto wondered why he wasn't doing anything, then he remembered the details of the command. He would remain like this until...

Naruto closed the door. And locked it.

As soon as Neji heard the lock click, he blinked, his head lifting and looking around his new surroundings.

Naruto approached him slowly. He wasn't sure how Neji was going to react now that he had finished carrying out his command. "Neji?"

He turned, eyes full of light again. He had come back to his senses. He looked from Naruto to the rest of the apartment, looking extremely confused. "I, uh... I can't remember how I got here..." he whispered to himself.

"What's that?"

"I don't know how I got here," he said a little louder. He had no recollection of his journey. One minute he was outside and now he was here. What happened between that? He couldn't remember.

Naruto tried to play it off as something very minor. "Ah, it's no big deal. You must have been in a daze or something. Deep in thought, right?"

Though it seemed like no big deal to Naruto, it was very troubling for Neji. He couldn't remember a thing and that bothered him. It was very troubling. Why couldn't he remember? There must have been a problem. He was starting to get worried. Walking in a daze he could understand. There were times when he was so deep in thought he would walk from one place to another and not remember the buildings he passed along the way. However, this was very different. He was inside Naruto's home. He never remembered crossing the threshold. Surely he would have knocked to be let inside. He was standing right here in front of Naruto with no memory on how he got there. He must have engaged Naruto at some point, but he couldn't remember. A chunk of his memory was completely gone.

Neji started to move towards the door again. Naruto stepped in front of him, blocking his path. "Wait. Where are you going, Neji?"

"To collect my thoughts." He tried to move around Naruto but he wouldn't let him.

"Come on, you just got here. You must have come here for a reason so let's chat."

"Naruto, I can't remember how I got here. Something's wrong." Neji didn't looked panicked but he definitely looked worried. He kept trying to push Naruto out of his way.

"You don't have to go so soon. If you're that worried about it, let's retrace your steps." Naruto shoved Neji back, trying to keep him in the apartment for a few more minutes. He still had things to test.

Neji shoved back. "I'd much rather figure it out on my own, alright? Now move."

"Please stay a minute?"

"I told you no. Why do you want to keep me here so badly?" Neji was starting to suspect that Naruto may have had something to do with his memory loss.

Sensing what Neji was thinking, Naruto decided to see if the other command worked. He had to keep him here until he was finished testing things out on his little guinea pig. "Wait a second, Neji. I think I have an idea on what's going on."

Neji stopped pushing and took a step back. "Yeah? What's your idea?"

Naruto snapped his fingers. "Sleep."

Instantly, Neji's face relaxed and closed his eyes. He fell forward into Naruto, treating his shoulder like a pillow. To keep his balance and Neji from falling, Naruto had to wrap his arms around Neji's back and support him. Neji was heavier than he looked, especially limp. Naruto tried to walk him over to the couch but it was slow going and Neji kept slipping. Finally, Naruto proceeded to drag Neji the length of the room and threw him onto the couch. He lay Neji face-up on the couch, tossing scrolls and dirty clothes out of the way. Neji never so much as stirred.

Now it was time to test out a few other things he was curious about. On one TV show he watched, a man explained that hypnosis wasn't mind-control but simply convincing someone that something was true. The person under hypnosis was very impressionable and in a vulnerable state where they were easily convinced. They were suggestible. This was how the person was so willing to accept the commands given to them and act like a dog. The person under hypnosis was convinced that they were a dog. When the hypnotist told them they were a dog, they really believed it.

Keeping this in mind, Naruto wanted to see if he could fool someone into thinking something or even feeling something; anything. Maybe instead of ordering Sakura into going out with him, he could convince her that she really had feelings for him and therefore would be willing to go out with him of her own freewill.

But first, he would have to test this out on Neji and see if it worked. If it was a success, then he would try it out on Sakura.

"Neji, I want you to concentrate on my voice. I want you to relax. Relax even further. Deeper. You feel really comfortable. You're extremely relaxed." He watched Neji sink into the couch sighing contentedly. Now for the test. "Your body feels really warm. It's getting warmer and warmer. It's a really hot summer day and the temperature is going up fast. It's getting hotter and hotter."

Neji started to frown, feeling uncomfortable.

"It's getting really hot now. The temperature is climbing. It must be over 90 degrees. The sun is so bright and burning hot."

Neji gave a moan of discomfort. He didn't like how hot it was becoming. He turned his head from one side to the other, trying to find a way to escape the heat.

It was working. Neji was convinced it was getting hotter though the temperature in the room had not changed. "It's so hot. It's like an oven in here. The temperature has to be over 100. It's getting hotter and hotter an hotter."

Neji moaned, turning his head this way and that, trying to find some relief from this unbearable heat. His hand wandered up to his shirt and started to undo the button at the top. He started tugging at his shirt trying to get it off. Maybe if he shed a few layers he would be able to cool off.

Naruto noticed what Neji was trying to do and almost screamed out loud. The last thing he wanted was a Hyuga strip tease. Time to pull this back in the opposite direction. "The temperature's stop climbing. It's starting to go down now. It's getting lower and lower. It's dropping, Neji. It's getting cooler. It's 80 degrees now. 75...65..."

Neji stopped tugging at his shirt and his face started to relax again, thankful he was no longer roasting alive in his own skin.

"It's getting colder and colder. It's so cold."

Neji frowned.

"It's freezing. It's so cold it's snowing. There's snow everywhere. And ice. It's getting really cold now. It's so cold."

Neji started to ball up on the couch. He brought his hands up to his chest and rolled onto his side, shivering.

"It's so cold. It's freezing cold."

Neji shivered, curled up tight, trying to keep warm. He truly believed he was freezing.

Naruto smiled. He was able to convince Neji so easily. This was great! "It's getting warmer now. It's warming up. The temperature's rising. It's getting warmer and warmer. This is a good temperature now. It's a comfortable temperature. You're body's nice and warm, like it's wrapped up in a soft blanket. You're feeling very comfortable. Everything is just right. It's prefect. Absolutely perfect."

Neji stretched out on the couch again, relaxing. At Naruto's comforting words, he sighed, settling into a comfortable position.

"You're feeling very relaxed. Deeply relaxed. You're falling deeper and deeper asleep. Just relax and sleep. You need your rest. You feel so relaxed and happy. You're in a very peaceful, comfortable state."

Certain that Neji was right where he wanted him, Naruto decided to have a little fun. Neji was always quick to criticize him. He took things way too seriously in Naruto's opinion. No matter what, Neji always seemed to find fault with whatever Naruto did. True, they were friends, but that didn't mean Neji had to agree with everything he did. Neji had called him out in the past about being too hyper and loud and childish. It was time for a change. It was time for Neji to start being ok with whatever Naruto did. No more criticism.

Just as Naruto was about to give Neji a new command, there was a knock on the door. He flinched. Who could that be now of all times? He looked back at Neji, hoping the knocking hadn't disturbed him. Neji was still in a deep trance, not moving an inch.

The knocking came again. "Naruto, are you home?" came Sai's voice.

"Him of all people? Why now?" Naruto looked back at Neji. This wasn't good. If Sai saw Neji asleep on his couch, he would start asking a bunch of questions Naruto simply couldn't answer. This was a problem. He had to hide Neji.

"Naruto?"

"Yeah, hang on!" Naruto called, trying not to wake Neji. But that didn't seem to be an issue. Neji was pretty out of it. Grabbing a blanket from the back of the couch, Naruto draped it over Neji's body. After making sure he was completely covered, Naruto ran to the door. He pulled it open half-way. "Yeah?"

Sai handed Naruto something. "You said I could come over later to give this to you."

"That's why you're here?" Naruto moaned. "When I said later, I didn't mean..."

"It's from Sakura. She asked me to give it to you."

Naruto perked up. "Oh, from Sakura, huh? What is it? A gift?" Naruto looked down at what Sai had forced into his hand. It wasn't the gift he was hoping for.

"It's the bento box you put in her bag during the mission. You asked her to hang on to it until we got back because you didn't have any room in your bag."

"Oh, yeah... I forgot about that... And it wasn't that I didn't have any room in my bag, it's because there was a hole in it."

"Oh. My mistake, then."

Just then, on the far end of the room, Neji gave a particularly loud snore from under the blanket.

Sai blinked and tried to look in the apartment. "What was that?"

"Nothing!" Naruto blocked his view. "Just my, uh... stomach. I was just about to eat dinner."

"Oh." Sai kept trying to look inside, not thoroughly convinced. "It sounded almost like-"

"Don't you have places to be?" Naruto shoved him out the door.

Sai wasn't leaving that easily. He held onto the door-frame and looked down. He saw Naruto's shoes by the door by their lonesome. He must have been by himself, but Sai was sure he heard someone else. It wasn't a voice, but a sound. Naruto said the noise was his stomach but Sai could have sworn the noise had come from inside the apartment. But if Naruto said it was his stomach, it must have been his stomach.

"Are you sure you're alone?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm alone. Once you leave." Naruto shoved him out the door. "Now leave me alone so I can eat dinner, ok?"

"Because it was your stomach?"

"What? Yeah, yeah, it was my stomach. Now, bye!" Naruto slammed the door in his face, locking it. "Whew! That was close." Naruto hurried back to the couch and threw the blanket off Neji. Right where he left him.

Neji gave another snore, drooling onto the couch cushions.

Time to put the next part of his plan into action. "Ok, Neji. Listen closely..." Naruto brought his face closer to where Neji lay, keeping his voice as soothing as possible. "When you wake up from this trance, three things will happen. First, whenever you look into my eyes, you will instantly calm down and all your stress will leave you. Second, whenever I touch you, you will agree with anything I say. You will agree with me, whatever it may be. And third, whenever I'm near you and you see me, you will feel as if your whole body is being tickled. It'll be a warm, happy, pleasant feeling. Got all that? Do you understand?"

Neji nodded into the couch.

Hopefully, all this would make Neji more pleasant to be around. If he felt happy whenever Naruto was near, he wouldn't be so quick to judge or criticize. He would be in a better mood. Having Neji agree to anything he said would be even better. From now on, Naruto could do no wrong. Even if Neji didn't like it, he would have to agree with him no matter what. If Naruto told him to do something, he would have to do it. If Naruto had one opinion and Neji had another, thanks to this, Neji would now share his opinion. The next time they took a vote, it would be for Naruto to get his way. Plus, if Neji ever picked a fight with him or if Naruto said something to anger Neji, he wouldn't be able to bring himself to hurt Naruto. Not only would being around him put him in a good mood, but if he looked into his eyes, Neji would instantly calm down. This seemed like a fool-proof plan. He never ordered Neji to be his slave so no one should suspect anything was amiss. It was perfect.

Now to get Neji out of here. If he woke him up now, Neji would still question now he got there in the first place and wonder why he couldn't remember anything. He would have more memory blanks.

"Ok, Neji. Now sit up."

Slowly, Neji pulled himself into a sitting position. His head hung limply as his body slouched.

"Ok, now stand up."

Neji stood.

"Good. Now I want you to go home. You will go to your house and wake up once you're inside. You will remember nothing of coming to my place today. You will feel really tired and want to go to bed. Got it? Now go home."

Neji started walking. His movements were slow and unsteady much like a sleepwalker's. However, he was still in a trance and had his eyes closed. Naruto hoped that wouldn't be an issue. Then Neji walked right into the wall.

"Of course, you'll have to open your eyes in order to get there."

Neji opened his eyes. Changing direction, Neji started toward the door again. Naruto followed him every step of the way, making sure he was alright. Aside from his slumped posture and half-lidded eyes, Neji looked relatively normal. He could pass for a very tired Hyuga and not draw too much attention to himself. Neji unlocked the door, turned the knob and left the apartment. Naruto stuck his head out into the hall to watch him. Neji seemed to be able to handle this on his own.

Once Neji was out of sight, Naruto closed the door and ran to the balcony. He saw Neji walking toward his house, shuffling slowly. He seemed to be doing just fine so Naruto didn't worry. He went back inside and started to boil water for his ramen. Tomorrow he would find out how Neji took the new commands he had given him. Naruto believed tomorrow was going to be a good day.

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