Blah blah blah: regular text
"Blah Blah Blah" regular speech
'Blah Blah Blah' regular thought or flashback
"Blah Blah Blah" Kyuubi/demonic or summon talking
'Blah Blah Blah' Kyuubi/demonic or summon thinking
Whoever told you that I own Naruto is either a liar or about to become my new best friend.
Who's the Hostage
By: EDelta88
Chapter 11: Stockholm Syndrome
"And back to you and the vixen, the pattern is confirmed."
'Wait, is this the part where she…'
"Why yes, I do believe it is."
'Shit…Just great, we get to relive more of my most mortifying memories… and wipe that smirk of your face jack ass.'
"A donkey am I?"
'Again with the fucking word play!'
"That's interesting, how exactly do you have intercourse with word play?"
'…'
"…"
'Hey fox.'
"…What?"
'You know how I seem to find ways to do the impossible?'
"…Yes."
'Well for my next trick, I shall find a way to kill energy, namely you.'
"…You know that actually makes me a little nervous…well done brat. I'm proud of you."
River Country, Camp Hole in the Wall
As the Sannin were getting reacquainted with eachother back in Konoha, Naruto sat on a rock in the light of the setting sun reading a lecture that Jiraiya had written for him about philosophies of ninja life as Hinata exercised nearby under the watchful eyes of his Kage Bunshin (he'd learned from some of his other study materials that too little activity was bad for your health).
A ninja is (or should be) very good at taking life, it is one of the most basic pillars of our profession. As a result this should give us an intimate understanding of just how fragile life is and how short it can be. Take life if you must, that is your job, but cherish and enjoy it where possible because all the more for it. , there may be no tomorrow…
As he read his mind brought up images of his missions and battles… Haku and Zabuza… Gara and the invasion… protecting Idate from Aoi… he could sympathize all too well with the point Jiraiya was trying to get across.
'Those stretches of hers are incredibly distracting,' Naruto thought as his eyes were drawn to the movements of his captive's shapely posterior.
'And I would bet my tails that that is entirely intentional,' Kyuubi thought with no small amount of amusement, quite frankly he found this whole situation incredibly entertaining, "They chase you, and they chase you, and they chase you, until you catch them," he mused absently.
'You say something?'
"Nope, you must be imagining things again."
Meanwhile Hinata was having a bit of a problem, 'This isn't working,' she thought as she finished her exercises and allowed Naruto's clones to bind her before placing her on her mattress Naruto had fashioned for her. For weeks now she'd been trying to make herself as tempting as possible without being blatantly obvious about her intentions. She'd pulled out every trick they'd taught her in the academy and everything else she could think of short of a lap dance and still Naruto hadn't shown any signs of caving past wandering eyes. 'Well, I guess I'll have to get drastic then, not like this wholly unexpected, still frustrating though,' Hinata thought with a sigh. She'd always known that it wouldn't be easy to get Naruto's attention, but she had held hope that she wouldn't have to be so… coarse.
Glancing in Naruto's direction from her makeshift bed Hinata found the boy completely oblivious to what was going on in his companion's head as he continued to look through the materials Jiraiya had sent him.
Oh well, as the saying goes, "No guts, no glory."
"You know you're not doing this right, right?" Hinata asked, taking the plunge.
"Huh?" Naruto asked, looking up from his reading.
"This whole kidnapping thing," she clarified, "You're not doing it right."
"How do you figure that?" Naruto asked with a small chuckle. Not kidnapping right? Specific mission parameters aside, how could you kidnap someone incorrectly?
"Well usually this is the point at which the kidnapper is generally expected to have his way with his helpless captive," she explained causing every impulse in Naruto's brain to grind to a screeching halt.
"…Oh my."
'Kyuubi? Did she just…?' Naruto wondered uncertainly.
"Suggest that you ravage her like a bitch in heat?"
'Not how I would have put it,' he thought back, a large drop of sweat sliding down the back of his head.
"It's the thought that counts."
'Maybe I misunderstood her-'
"Ok, I know you aren't the fastest finch in the flock but there is no way in the nine circles of hell that even you could misinterpret an advance that blunt," Kyuubi argued, a biju sized drop of sweat appearing on the side of his head.
'But this can't be right! She must have that condition where the captive develops feelings and empathy for their captor that I read about yesterday. Uh… Stockholm Syndrome! That's what it was!'
"Ok now you're just fishing for a pity party."
'But it doesn't make sense! Girls like her don't fall for guys like me! That kind of shit only happens in romance novels and cheesy movies! And this kind of scene only happens in dime store smut like those books Ero-sennin writes! ...Note to self: find and kill the designer that forever defiled orange by using it as the primary color for the cover of Icha Icha.'
"And yet it just happened."
'And that's why I'm saying that something's wrong!' Naruto cried in frustration.
Deciding to try a different tactic the ancient Yoko asked, "Wasn't it you that decided that you wouldn't be able to judge her with your usual stereotypes?"
'Well yeah but-'
"And has it not occurred to you that your actions concerning her, encouraging her against girly boy in that little tournament, avenging her on girly boy when she was defeated, going through the trouble to keep her alive when you could have easily killed her and made your escape, and caring for her needs in the time thereafter to name a few, may be attractive qualities to a female?"
'I guess but-'
"And! Is it not possible that she may have heard of your other misadventures, namely the lengths you have gone to protect your home and loved ones, and that, especially when combined with the power you displayed in said misadventures, is attractive to females on an instinctual level?"
'I hadn't thought of that but-'
"And! That because of the fact that she is, and has confirmed that she is, dissatisfied with the formal and privileged life she was born into that she would seek out a mate that is as far from privileged and formal as she can manage?"
'Hey now! I not that ba-'
"And! That, given her generally quiet but caring personality, she would find your boisterous façade and tendencies to help others appealing?"
'I suppose but-'
"And! Is it not possible that, given what we know of her nature, she would find your dominating and protective actions toward her thus far comforting?"
'Now I wouldn't go that far-'
"And! That, knowing what we do of her views of her self-worth and life experiences, the fact that you find her appealing would be reassuring."
'Wait! How does she know-'
"And! You do find her attractive, do you not?"
'Of course I do, but that's not the-'
"And! Am I to assume that you would not, under any circumstances, willingly take actions to purposefully hurt her?"
'What kind of question is that?! I'd never-'
"And! Is it not true that you enjoy her company?"
'Well yeah, she's great but what does that have to-'
"And! You do not find the idea of relations of a more intimate nature with her unappealing?"
'Well no-'
"And! In the past did you not say, in her presence I might add, that any male to claim her would be exceptionally lucky to do so?"
'Well the luch she made was really good and-'
"And! You would not have any objections to her bearing and or raising your kits?"
'Hinata would be a great mother! But I don't see-'
"Then! Given that we have established that she has more than enough justification to be attracted to you and that you are, in fact, attracted to her and that you would have no objections to the her ability to fill the major roles as your mate, I, even with my limited knowledge of your culture's mating rituals, see no reason why you should find her advances unreasonable."
'But girls don't just ask a guy to "have his way" with her out of the blue like this!' Naruto argued.
"And who's to say that this is, as you put it, out of the blue? Perhaps you simply missed her earlier advances," Kyuubi argued back.
'What are you talking about?' Naruto snapped. Earlier advances? He would have noticed if Hinata was coming onto him… right?
Giving a deep rumbling sigh Kyuubi explained, "As I said before my knowledge on the subject of you culture's mating rituals, and those of your species in general, is rather limited. However, from what I've observed, both while I was still free and as part of you, I've noticed that your females tend to allow the males they are attracted to more… freedom, in their actions toward them."
'What's your point?' Naruto sighed. Where was Kyuubi going with this?
"That there are things that females will let their mates, or potential mates, to do that they won't let other males do," Kyuubi clarified, but, seeing that Naruto was still confused, he elaborated, "For example, her initial reaction when she woke up aside, she wasn't as distraught as one would expect someone in her position to be when you kidnapped her."
'That could just mean that she wasn't worried because I explained that I was planning to let her go,' Naruto pointed out.
"But it does not explain her ease with the situation considering that the only assurance she had and has of her safety, and potential release, is your word. For all she knows you could have just said that so that she'd make your job easier."
'I never go back on my word,' Naruto growled, not liking the fox's implications.
"Your morals were not in question, I was simply stating that she does not have any guaranties that you will actually keep your word but still trusts that you will. Think about it, she has been taken her home and is completely at your mercy yet she seems completely at ease with her vulnerability, comfortable even."
'That just shows that she trusts me.'
"Which is the basis of an intimate relationship," Kyuubi said, a victorious grin splitting his jowls.
'Or any relationship, it doesn't necessarily imply… stuff,' Naruto argued.
"Fair enough I suppose. But then there are other irregularities. Take your stereotype for a female's reactions when a male touches her intimately or sees her while she is not wearing those rags you flesh bags are so fond of. Generally they become upset to some degree or another, however, you saw her completely nude and before that you had touched her back side and undressed her while she was unconscious. Given your actions the expectation would be for her to be upset with you, yet she seemed more flustered than angry, a reaction that, I have noticed, many females share when they are attracted to the male in question, I can only assume that they are more worried about whether he found her to his liking than about an invasion of personal boundaries."
'It still doesn't make sense! I mean she's practically royalty, what do I have to offer her?' Naruto wondered, still struggling with the idea that a girl like Hinata could be attracted to a nobody like him.
"RAAAAAHHH!" Kyuubi roared in frustration, "HOW CAN YOU BE SO-GAAAH!!! You know what do what you want, but be warned when this blows up in your face I am going to mock you like you can't even imagine! Curse that blond rat, why couldn't he have given me a female host?! Then I would have to bother with all this nonsense, I could just groom her to be my mate instead of trying to-"
Tuning Kyuubi out Naruto looked around to find that he had been talking to the aged demon a lot longer than he had realized because at some point the sun had set and, as his eyes found her form laid across the bedding he'd set up for her, it looked as though Hinata had been asleep for quite some time. For the longest time he just sat there, staring at her as he rolled ideas around in his head, trying to find a solution to his new dilemma, but as the stars faded he still couldn't find a plan that he found completely satisfying and the sun's rays appeared in the east it looked like he was going to have to resort to his usual standby.
Wing it
End Notes
Ah that was fun once I got the ball rolling.
Well here it is the turning point for Naruto and Hinata. From this point on everything starts to get interesting crazy.