“We had a crossover not too long ago,” I explained. “She tried to kill me. I think she was trying to protect you from me, as if you needed it. Anyway, after I knocked her out I wanted to know what happened to her, so I copied the last few months of her memories. But I usually can’t make any sense of someone else’s memories, so our Hinata volunteered to take a look at them.”
Hinata nodded. “Yes. It was considerably harder on me than we expected. But I think we can save her with what I’ve learned, Naruto-sama. I just need to have enough happy memories when we merge.”
“Merge? Wait, let’s not go getting crazy here, Hinata. I don’t want to take any chance of loosing you too,” Naruto protested.
Hinata smiled, and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Oh, I wasn’t planning to try it until our resident medical genius is sure it will work. But don’t you see? When you end the loop she’s the one who’ll be left. She and I have to become one person again at some point, or I’ll end up being nothing but an exotic chakra construct Sakura carries around in her head. So please don’t tell me I can’t try.”
“Oh. Damn. Yeah, I get it now. You’re right, Hinata, but just remember there’s no rush. I don’t want you to mess yourself up even worse because you were in a hurry.”
“Yes, sir,” Hinata acquiesced. “I won’t try it until you say I can. Until then I’ll prepare as best I can, and look for a way to research the problem. Is that alright?”
“Um, sure,” Naruto said with a frown. “But, um…how did this end up being my decision? I mean, you sound like you’re talking to the Hokage or something?”
Hinata sighed.
“How can I make you understand?” She asked seriously. “There just aren’t words. Naruto, you are my life. I admired you even before the loops, but in them…I died every week, Naruto. For years. I was worthless, and weak, and no one would train me, and every week I’d limp into that arena after barely surviving the forest and cousin Neji would beat me to death in front of everyone. But you were always there, cheering me on, telling me I could be strong, that I could be worth something if I just kept trying.”
“Naruto-sama, I’m yours if you’ll have me. I’ll do any thing for you, be anything for you. To be worthy of you. I’ve tried to purge myself of the darkness the other me embraced, because I know you probably don’t want an obsessive psycho girl following you around. But if you told me to I’d hunt down every villager who ever wronged you and torture them to death with a smile on my face. I’d kidnap every kunoichi who ever rejected you, and leave them bound and broken and lust-sealed in your bed. I’d…I’m sorry, I’m ranting, aren’t I? Just…don’t ever hesitate to tell me what you want from me, Naruto-sama. It would be such a relief, to actually know instead of having to guess.”
I stared at Hinata, frozen in shock. I knew she wasn’t completely normal anymore, but I’d had no idea it was that bad. How could I not notice that someone I considered a friend was in so much pain?
Naruto took Hinata’s face in his hands, and looked into her eyes for a long moment. “Hinata,” he said, “You don’t have to do anything to ‘become worthy of me’, because you already are. You are one of the most precious people in the world to me, and what I want most of all if for you to be able to be happy. I want you to remember how to smile. I want you to remember being that sweet girl who cared so much about everyone that she even noticed a lonely orphan no one else ever paid any attention to. I…loved that girl, once I finally got to know her. Hinata, you’re not weak or worthless at all, and you never have been. Didn’t you ever realize that when Neji kills you in the arena, it’s because you’ve grown so strong that nothing short of death can make you stop fighting? Hell, even that didn’t make you give up, now did it?”
“No.” She sniffed, a look of wonder on her face. “You…want me…to be like I was, but stronger? To laugh and smile and love, to forgive and forget, to try to help everyone with everything even when they don’t deserve it?”
Naruto nodded. “Yeah. But don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself, or to do what you know is right even if other people try to stop you. Can you do that?”
“I can do anything for you. Oh, thank you, Naruto! The other me is so convinced that she’s worthless, I was terrified that you’d reject me. But now…you know, I think the memory of this moment might be all it takes to save her.”
“That’s Naruto for you, sweetie,” I said. “Although I wish I’d been able to help you more. I never realized you were still struggling so much.”
“You did enough, Sakura,” she reassured me. “Without you I wouldn’t even be here. But she doesn’t trust you, even if I do, and her ghost is too strong to just ignore. Naruto is the only one she’ll listen to, so I just had to wait and hope I’d get to talk to the real thing eventually.”
“I’m here for you, Hinata,” Naruto said as he wrapped her in his arms again. “I wish I could have been there sooner. But hey, if you need it I can spam ‘therapy no jutsu’ all day long.”
We all chuckled at that, and the serious mood evaporated. I swear, the way Naruto used to befriend enemies just by talking to them you’d think he really did have some kind of secret ninjutsu technique. I think Orochimaru is the only foe we’ve ever met that it doesn’t work on.
“If I know Hinata, she’s going to be needing some serious ‘nookie no jutsu’ too if this cuddling goes on much longer,” I teased. “So you’d better keep some chakra in reserve.”
Hinata rolled her eyes. “Like you have any room to talk, pervert-sensei. I distinctly remember passing out first last time, and you were still at it when I woke up.”
“Hey, it’s not my fault you’re such a lightweight,” I retorted. “Or does this mean you’re ready to move on to the next stage of your training?” I turned on an allure technique, and leered at her playfully. She gave a little ‘eep’ of mock fright, and burrowed deeper into her Naruto’s arms. Of course, most of the motion was just to cover up the hand seals she was forming.
“Oh, no! Naruto-sama, you won’t let the wicked lady…get me…will you?” She asked breathlessly, gazing up at him with big eyes and a slight quiver in her lower lip. Hinata isn’t nearly as good with genjutsu as I am, but she was a natural with that Supreme Cuteness illusion.
“Urrr….” her victim responded intelligently.
“But Naruto,” I purred in my best ‘sultry slut’ voice, “It’s for her own good. She needs to be properly trained, doesn’t she?”
A little wiggle of my butt confirmed that my Naruto was also having the expected reaction. His answering growl sent a shiver of anticipation through me.
The other Naruto suddenly overcame his befuddlement, and looked between us in surprise. “Are you just having fun with me, or are you two…?”
We both giggled, and dropped our techniques.
“Had you going there, didn’t we?” I grinned. “But no, we save the wild nights for you. Not that I wouldn’t love to get my hands on little miss lethal curves over there, but she doesn’t like girls that way.”
“You could make me like it,” Hinata offered shyly. “I know you have techniques for that. What do you think, Naruto-sama? Would you like to watch your slinky seductress work her wicked wiles on poor, innocent me? She’s so skilled, I know I’d be putty in her hands no matter how I tried to resist…”
Naruto swallowed. “Good god, I’ve died and gone to heaven. Forget getting out of the loop, I just want to know how we can all stay together.”