Naruto and Hinata: Stories After "The Last"! (Bi-weekly Updates)

The Desire Mission: Part Two

As the night time came again, there were no more occurences of thievery, but the group had decided to allow Chenja to sleep at their camp just to be sure. Considering there was now a third party that needed a level of protection, Shikamaru suggested that they take turns keeping watch; but Naruto had opted to stay up and keep watch all night, again. He sat high up in a tree, dangling one leg off of a branch as he watched the area intently. He was still not convinced that what he had seen was not truly Hinata...and if she were out there, he would find her.

He glanced down to the ground where his team and Chenja were sleeping. Everything seemed to be quiet, and right. The only sound came from chirping crickets and night animals, and even they were distant. But upon adjusting himself to his rightful position, he jumped to see...

Hinata, once again, perching herself on the branch that he was also on, staring at him intently with her Byakugan eyes. Her gaze boring into him made him self conscious; as well as the fact that she once again had seemed to appear out of no where. But this time, she was right there, right before him. It was Hinata.

"H-hitana...? What are you-"

"Shh...Naruto..." she cooed him softly. It made his heart race, as she crawled toward him. He tried to protest, but the words wouldn't come out. She came so close to him that her face was only a few inches away from his. "Isn't this what you want...Naruto..." her voice was tender, her words were more of a statement than a question, and whatever was happening, it really did have an effect on him; he couldn't seem to drag himself away in question anymore, his desire completely took over, though he fought with his irrational self. His eyes began to close, as he arched his chin toward her...

"Naruto!"

And just like that, she was gone, as if she had vanished, and he looked down at Shikamaru who was calling up to him in a frenzy. "Where is Chenja?!"

He peered around and surely enough, she was not were she was sleeping just a couple of moments ago. He sat up with a truly confused and uneasy expression, looking around his surroundings. She was gone.

"Ohh," Shikamaru groan angrily, "You were supposed to be keeping watch! What happened?!"

"I...-" He had no idea how to explain. He couldn't cry "Hinata" again, maybe he had just fallen asleep and began to have a sweet dream; either way, he neglected his post, and now Chenja was not in sight. Naruto dropped to the ground, Where Sai was standing up groggily.

"We're going to have to split up to cover more ground, time is of the escence. Go!" And with that, the three ninja darted in separate directions to look for the merchant.

Man, this whole thing has got me silly... Naruto scolds himself internally. But this time, I know I saw her! I talked to her and everything! What could this mean...?

Meanwhile as Shikamaru runs off on his own, he ponders the strange happenings. Even though Naruto's mind had clearly been in the gutter, this was too unlike him...and he seemed to think that there might be a connect to the story that Chenja had told the day before and what Naruto had been seeing. Whether it was to protect her- or keep an eye on her- they needed to get Chenja back to the camp and into their keeping.

With a sniff into the air of a familiar smell, he glanced around to see billowing smoke coming from behind a tree. As he went to investigate, a familiar figure propped themselves upon its bark...

"A-asuma Sensei?" his eyes widened, and flickered furiously back and forth to the man standing in front of him. It couldn't be- Asuma had been gone for some time now. But Shikmaru's longing to see him again, as the way that he was, had never gone away.

"Wait a second...desire..." Shikamaru echoed his own thought aloud. Asuma extended a hand toward him with a smile, and like a moth to a flame, Shikamaru wanted to reach out and touch him. His arm extended, almost purely against his will, and his fingertips drew closer and closer....

I have to resist...this isn't real...Shikamaru thought to himself, and with a final effort, he proclaimed "Shadow stitching!" toward this Asuma decoy, and as it was bound, it made a horendously painful face.

"Shikamaru...why...?" He cried in a labored tone.

"I-I'm sorry, Asuma Sensei..but...you're not real." With a final blow, the façade eviserated, and Shikamaru was free. Finally, he understood what had been going on, and he raced off to find Sai and Naruto...before it was too late.

--

"Chenja!" Naruto calls out, in an attempt to find her. He grumbled to himself. How could he have let this happen?

"Help me!" A female's cry can be heard in the distance. "Help me, please!" Naruto immediately springs into action.

"Chenja, hold on! I'm coming!" he calls back, hoping that his voice can be heard.

"Naruto!" The voice calls back. It's a familiar voice that sends a shockwave up his spine. It sounded just like Hinata.

"Hang in there, I'm coming!" He jumped with greater haste. Plopping onto to ground, he surely enough viewed Hinata again, who appeared to be stuck into the ground in some sort of quick sand up to her waist; though it was black as the night, and was emitting steam and a rotten smell. Tears were streaming down her face as she squirmed in agony.

"Naruto, it hurts..." she cried out. "Please, help me!"

"I'm coming, Hinata! I'm going to get you out of there!" his mind was blaring at him to get her out- now. She was in pain, it was evident on her face and in her voice, and he felt her pain ten fold. "Shadow clone Jutsu!" he called out with a hand sign, as a copy of himself appeared. He used the clone to hold onto him from the edge of the black goo, as he stretched his arm out as far as it would go. "Just take my hand, Hinata! Reach out to me!"

She did as she was told, but there was at least an inch of gap between them. She let out a terribe noise, as the tears poured out of her. It made Naurto heart nearly collapse in two. His own eyes began to sting, as watery eyes stung his vision. How could he stand there and watch the woman that he loved in such unbearable torture?

"No, don't touch her!"

Shikamaru's voice cut through the night, as he sent forth a shadow paralysis jutsu. It stopped Naruto from moving any further.

"Naruto, no...!" Hinata sobbed. Naruto gritted his teeth with a wrathful yell.

"What do you think you're doing, Shikamaru?" he roared. "I need to save her!"

"Naruto, listen to me! That's not Hinata, it's an illusion. Whoever is doing this is using our deepest desires to trap us. If you touch her, It'll begin to siphon your chakra!"

He looked back to Hinata as she struggled, sinking deeper and deeper into the pit. How could this be an illusion...? It was too real....and even if it weren't real, he still wasn't sure how long he could stand to watch it happen.

"Everything he says is true; I was trapped after going after Shin." Sai calls to him about his brother, in a weakened state. Naruto's eyes twitch uneasily, as the tar had made it's way up to her chin.

"N-naruto..." her voice was quiet, and pleading. He looking away, shutting his eyes tightly. With this paralysis, he couldn't even help her if he wanted to.

"I'm sorry...Hinata..."

--

Part three will wrap this arc up. <3 let me know what you think might happen in the comments!