Author: Heh, been having a lot of difficulty figureing out how to end this thing (more info in profile), but here it is.
Chapter 16- Heaven's Reconciliation
Naruto gently stirred in the bright morning light, he turns his head to see Hinata cuddled right next to him. Not wanting to disturb her, he lifts her head slowly and moves his other arm from underneath.
Hinata hears a noise, causing her to wake up. She could just barely see the orange ninja finish putting on his jacket and headband. Naruto goes over to start the fire once again. While doing so, his head points towards Hinata to see her putting her own jacket back on.
"What are you doing Naruto-kun?"
"I'm making a fire for breakfast," he smiles at her. "There should be a river nearby with fish."
"Again?"
"Huh?"
"I've been eating fish for the past week," Hinata exclaimed. "Usually frozen."
"?" Naruto looks around quickly. "Speaking of frozen, where is he?"
"He had to do something," the girl answered him. "He left last night."
"What is he going to do?"
"He never said."
"But what really hurts, was seeing someone I care about, dieing right before my eyes.
Her last words, her dieing breath. Everything is seared into my memory. I hate it, I hate having that memory. If anything I want to forget what had happened, forget everything.
You were luck, you never saw the final moments of the one you cared about. But that is what we have in common, we lost someone close to us…"
"Then you know how much I want to kill you right now…"
"Yeah, I do."
"We need to hurry back to Konoha!" Naruto yelled out.
"W-why?"
"It's him, he's there right now, I know it…" Naruto told her. (That idiot, he's trying to get himself killed.)
Hitsugaya stares at all the Genin in front of him. Sakura, Tenten, Neji, Lee, Shikamaru, Ino, Chouji, Shino and Kiba. His hand is still on his sword, which he has yet to draw, but he his waiting for them to make the first move. Hitsugaya knew this would happen, he is ready for what ever is coming.
"Kakashi, Gai-sensei, please leave this to us," Neji told the two Jounins. "This is our fight.'
"Neji."
"Don't worry Gai, I'm sure they can handle it."
Hitsugaya tightened his grip on the sword. (This is it.) Sakura and Tenten were the first to move in. (Hinamori, are you watching?) The swordsman parries and counters several attacks, soon the other Genin join the battle. (I'm right here, waiting for everything to end.) Hitsugaya swings his sword, only for the Genin to dodge it easily. (My past has haunted me for too long, now I fight against it. Just like Naruto did.)
He barely managed to move out of the way from Lee's kick. (I blamed myself for what happened to you.) The swordsman quickly goes on the offensive, swinging his blade all round until it connects with Tenten's staff. (The enemy I faced was too powerful for me, even I knew I was going to lose.)
"Hyourinmaru!" Hitsugaya's ice dragon emerged and flew past the dodging Genins. (But all I wanted was revenge, I would've gladly died to even to cut off that old man's arms.) The swordsman controlled the dragon to be more accurate, only to find his targets were surprisingly fast. (I would've died too, had it not been for Byakuya. Naruto however,)
The Genins return to the offensive while keeping away from the dragon. (Even if he failed to save her, he never once believed her dead.) Hitsugaya was forced to flash step away from being cornered, however Lee had caught up with him and held him long enough for the other Genins joined the fray. (Is it because he was in denial, regardless of the circumstances?) Tenten's staff and his sword connected, they swung their weapons furiously. (Is it because he somehow knew she was alive?) Sakura and Ino jumped in to help Tenten push back Hitsugaya, the dragon flies back around to protect the swordsman.
(No… it was because…) The swordsman dodged around Lee, Neji, Kiba, Shino and Chouji's attacks as his dragon tracks down Sakura, Ino and Tenten. (Even if Hinata's body did die, Hinata herself will never die as there was always a piece of her in Naruto's heart.) Hitsugaya manages to knock Kiba and Chouji away in time to retreat from Neji and Lee. (The day Hinamori died, I lost all hope and she really did vanish. But now, this day, we will go together.)
"BANKAI!"
Naruto and Hinata race through the gates of Konoha. They looked around quickly to find the streets empty and some places damaged.
"Do you see him Hinata?"
"No," the girl replied. "I see ice, that way!"
"Let's go!" Naruto runs off, following her finger.
Naruto stops to find a whole bunch of places covered in ice, leading off somewhere. He goes off, hot on the trail.
Hinata chases the boy in orange, "What's going on?"
"It's him," he began. "He wants to die."
"Hitsugaya-san?" Hinata showed surprise and concern. "Why?"
Naruto just looks at Hinata, she looks back him, both stare at each other eye to eye.
"It's because… he wants to be with his loved one…"
The battle rages on, somehow the Jounins had managed to control the directions from the sidelines, taking everyone to a wide training ground.
"ARGH!" Hitsugaya stabs the ground hard with his sword, crystals sprout out in eight directions along the earth until they emerge as dragons of ice. "Eight Star Dragon Ring, King of Ice Hyourinmaru!"
The Genins do their best to fight back.
Kakashi keeps Gai from interfering, but pulls his headband out from his eyesight, "Gai, there are two types of battles…"
"I know…" Gai responded. "A battle for life, and a battle for honor…"
"Then you must know what battle this is."
"Yes, a battle for themselves, their honor, each one of them. A battle for the honor of the Hyuga clan, for the whole village. A battle for Naruto, and most importantly… for Hinata."
Sakura hurls several small kunai at the dragons, each with a sack that bursts on contact. The sacks contained many tags, catching Hitsugaya off guard. The girl throws one more kunai, with an exploding paper. A massive blast followed, causing everyone to cover their faces.
The smoke clears up, Hitsugaya's dragons had surrounded their master, only to begin shattering into tiny crystals. He floats, breathing hard.
Kakashi puts the headband back over his eye, "It's over…"
The Genin's close in on the weakened Hitsugaya. He fights them off as hard as he could, but the fatigue of the endless battle, the spirit of his foes, and their determination. His Bankai shattered, Tenten stood over him, her foot on his chest, her staff in his face.
"Now, say goodbye!"
Hitsugaya closed his eyes and smiled. (No, I'm not leaving anyone, I'm joining them…)
Tenten raised her staff above her head and brought it down hard.
"STOOOP!"
Her staff hit the ground, right next to Hitsugayas head.
"Naruto!" Sakura gleefully cried his name.
Neji shows a confused look, hinting of anger, "Naruto, why?"
"Naruto-kun, you're too fast…" Hinata emerged from the bushes behind him, catching her breath.
"Hinata-sama!"
All the Genins become wide eyed. Tenten looks at Hitsugaya, in confusion she releases him. Everyone gathered around Hinata as Naruto walks over to the swordsman, who is just staring into the sky. The blond stands over the white haired boy.
"Why?"
"I should be asking you that."
"I have nothing left here, no one…" Hitsugaya trailed into silence.
"But you're the only one left," Naruto spoke to him solemnly. "What will happen when you go? Will everything that they have done, that they are… just die with you?"
Hitsugaya keeps quiet, not saying a single word.
"Don't just throw it, throw them away. There are still things that are here for you, we're still here," Naruto takes out his hand.
"You…?" Hitsugaya began forcing laughter out of his mouth. "What will everyone else think if they saw me now?"
"They will be relieved you didn't die."
Hitsugaya and Naruto stare at each other, then their hands connected.
That night a party was held at the Hyuga's, Hitsugaya was invited to it too. It was only through both Naruto and Hinata that allowed him to keep on living. Naruto told them that during the whole time Hitsugaya had Hinata, he chose not to kill her, as he had such a long chance to do so. Hinata explained what had happened at Lost Heaven with Aizen, that the swordsman had protected her once he realized his intentions.
Though a celebration, Hitsugaya just stayed in a corner, and no one bothered him. He just watched as all the others enjoyed themselves, usually by getting Hinata and Naruto to do all of the games together.
(It looks like their not ready to go out in the open just yet…) Hitsugaya tells himself as the pair ends up in an awkward position in Twister. (She fainted again.) He ends up giving a smirk. (Go figure.)
As everybody else gathered around the red faced girl, Hitsugaya starts to walk out onto the garden.
"Where are you going?"
The boy turns around to see Sakura had followed him.
"If I had my way, you would've hit the wall by now…"
"It's because of him isn't it? You care for him too," Hitsugaya it the nail on the head.
"Don't ever come back to hurt us ever again! Especially him!"
"Don't worry, I won't hurt anyone here anymore," ice quickly formed on his back in the shape of wings. "He was right, I do have some unfinished business to take care of before I join my friends. Please tell them, thank you. I don't know if I'll be back, but I know we'll see each other again."
Hitsugaya flew upwards into the sky, leaving a trail of shining white crystals behind him. "It will take some time, but I will see you again Hinamori. The same way Naruto has found Hinata. Or rather, Naruto always had Hinata, but I will come back to you soon…"
The moonlight glitters on the crystals the flying boy left behind him, creating a glittering scene of shining lights in the sky.