Did I say she was soft? Boy, was that a mistake. Her love for Naruto shone so bright it was hard to look at, and she’d stare down the Kyuubi to defend him.
Wait.
Yes, she could probably actually do that. She had that same indomitable courage that made my warrior side immune to killing intent, but there was no hidden longing to be conquered by a hot guy in the back of her mind. I probed deeper, a little shocked at what I was finding. I’d never had more than a faint echo of that fierce desire to be the best at what I do, or such a burning determination to protect those I care about. And the way she cared — absolute faith, unfailing loyalty, complete trust, not just for Naruto but for anyone she found worthy of it.
When was the last time I’d felt anything like that?
You see? She said insistently. He focuses on everything he admires about us when he does that technique, so those are the things that get magnified. All the things you’ve been slowly loosing, in a world where everyone just goes through the same motions over and over no matter what you do. But I’ve got nothing like your skill, and I never will if I keep getting lobotomized every loop. We need each other. Together we can fix this mess you’ve gotten into with Naruto and Hinata, and find a way out of the loop, and maybe even figure out a way to fix the village that doesn’t involve becoming a mass murderer.
How could I pass up an offer like that?
“You idiot!”
My fist connected solidly with his jaw, but without super-strength it barely phased him. Naruto jumped back from the hospital bed and sputtered. “Sakura? Are you ok? What happened? What are you so mad about?”
“Oh, gee, maybe having my brain rewritten by my so-called partner? God, did it never occur to you that maybe you should check to see if it’s the real me before you try that? If I weren’t an S-rank medic-nin with a weird bloodline I could have spent months wondering who I was!”
His eyes went wide. “What? You mean, you’re the real Sakura?”
“Hello! Yes, I’m the real me!” I did a quick check to make sure the hospital staff didn’t have any monitors on me, and transformed into my usual working body. “Damn it, what am I doing in a hospital bed? Couldn’t you have sent clones to take the test for us or something? It took me hours to sort out all the crap you dumped in my head, and now we’re going to be stuck with a short loop!”
“I…um…I was worried about you,” he stammered. “I couldn’t find anything wrong, but you wouldn’t wake up. Crap. I’m sorry, Sakura. You know there’s no way I’d ever do that to you on purpose. I guess I just thought it would be obvious if it was ever the real you, and…well…I missed you.”
I paused at that, and buried my face in my hands with a sigh. “How am I supposed to stay mad at you when you say things like that? I suppose I should be glad you were looking for a way to spend your loops with me, instead of Hinata.”
He studied the floor intently. “It, ah, doesn’t work on anyone but you. I still can’t figure out why.”
“Because they don’t have my bloodline, probably,” I speculated. “It’s a pretty useful mental flexibility thing, but I suppose it would actually make more vulnerable to mental transformations that a normal person. At least, if would if I liked the result.”
“Oh. That makes sense. Anyway,” he went on, “you kind of grew on me. I mean, Hinata’s great, and I wish we could have worked out, but there are only so many ways you can spend your first few weeks with someone. With your copy things were a little weird, but she could actually remember the important stuff, and…well, you’re the girl I fell for first, you know.”
“I know,” I smiled softly. “I know everything she did, now. Oh, and the reason she was so fuzzy at the start of a loop is because you were shoving your own memories into her head instead of copying hers. That doesn’t work very well. I could show you how to do it right if we had more time, but I guess that will have to wait until the next time we see each other. Unless you’ve found a way to keep a loop going longer than normal?”
“No,” he replied glumly. “Man, and I was really wishing I could spend some time with you again, too.”
“Really? You know, now that I think of it I was wishing I could see you again when my last loop ended.” I frowned. “It can’t be that easy, can it?”
“There’s only one way to find out,” he said hopefully. “I know it’s what I’ll be thinking about.”
“Yeah,” I agreed.
Part of me wanted to stay mad at him for awhile, while the part that came from that younger me just wanted to forgive him and move on to the makeup sex. But we apparently weren’t going to have much time together, and there was a lot we needed to discuss. Speaking of which…
“Naruto,” I said seriously. “Watch out for the real Sasuke. He’s gone crazier than Hinata, and that’s saying something.”
He gave me a sharp look. “I wish that were true, Sakura, but I don’t think he is. He’s just that big a bastard. Did he…do something to you?”
I definitely didn’t want to go there at this point. “He tried. I’m not an easy target. You?”
Naruto grinned evilly. “I broke out of his stupid genjutsu trap and kicked his ass.”
“You…broke free of the Tsukuyomi?” I stared. “How? Can you show me?”
“Um, I don’t think so. See, I’ve been working a lot with transformations, and I figured out I can do all kinds of crazy stuff if I put enough chakra into it. I just ripped a hole in his illusion with brute force, and stepped out. So unless you can make a thousand shadow clones at once my way isn’t going to work for you.”
“That figures,” I said lightly. “Ah, well, as long as we’re looping I can always detonate my chakra or something. I just need a better solution by the time we finally get out.”
I glanced at the clock, and noted that the exam was due to be ending in a few minutes. Team eight would split up for the day a few minutes later, and then Hinata would be alone for most of the afternoon.
Oh, I was tempted not to go. Naruto and his copy of me had been together for years, and it would be all too easy to step into her shoes and have him all to myself for the rest of the day. But I had promises to keep.
So instead I body flickered out of the bed, leaving my hospital gown behind in the process, and clothed myself in illusion before Naruto could turn around. Mind you, tight shorts and a halter top left plenty of bare skin for him to enjoy even after I was dressed, but I didn’t want to make it too obvious I was a sure thing. A girl does like to be chased a little.
“Well, I’m not about to waste the rest of the day lying around this place,” I announced with a smile. “Come on, I’ve got someone I need to introduce you to.”
“Um, Sakura, I’m pretty sure I know everyone in Konoha by now,” Naruto objected.
“Trust me, you big goof. You’ll be glad you did.”
“Hinata, you can have a romantic date with Naruto tonight if you’ll do one thing for me first.”
I’d found her on the roof of a building near Naruto’s apartment, just as I’d expected. She whirled at the sound of my voice, and then blushed as what I’d said registered.
“Y-yes!” She managed after a moment. “W-what do I have t-to d-do?”
“Don’t resist,” I replied with a mischievous grin, and kissed her.
It took a few seconds to do the memory transfer, but she was far too shocked to struggle. I wrapped my arms around her to keep her from falling, and tried not to take too much advantage. Although with Naruto watching it was hard to resist putting on a show.