[A/N: Shalala! New chapter update :) I hope you guys enjoy this one. I know I'm loosing the will to add more combat spice with the recent chapters but I promise the heavy packed action is about to get loose later on. But for now, please have fun with the 6th chapter... This one particularly shows the fluffier side of Haru, as well as the revelation of a piece of her history. Oh. Also, this is Yuuta-kun's debut! It's a little hard to describe his appearance but if you're having a hard time processing my word-by-word description, go see Utakata-san... Remember him? The sixth jinchuuriki? The one who's always blowing bubbles. Yes. He's the dude who made bubbles manly. Anyways, I've always pictured Yuuta much like him. But without his emo-fringe all over his face.

ONE MORE THING! I made a new cover/poster for this particular fanfic! Check it out. You can see it in the story's description. And you can also see the link of the photo in my profile page. I posted it there, open it so you can have a better image of Haru-chan(Open it! It's a must!). btw, I only edited that stuff, I didnt actually draw them. I'm no Sai! And their original raw photos belongs to their rightful owners.]

-CHAPTER 6-

"Stay here. I need you safe." Her father commanded her as he was about to face the rogue nins that has been looking for trouble. He planted a kiss on his daughter's forehead before he left.
Haru watched her father back away, but before he stepped out of the shadows, he weaved a tiger handseal. Tombs of rocks appeared before her, sealing her onto the ground. She tried to break free with her small hands but it seems impossible…
The man turned to have a one last glance at her precious daughter and gave her a warm, assuring smile.
"Father…"
As he left to face the ninjas, everything came to a blur and started to darken until there was nothing more to see than the black infinite abyss.
"I'm always with you, Haru. You are never alone." She can hear her father's voice from afar. His voice warm and comforting. She closed her eyes, surrounding herself with what's left of her father's memories as tears began to stream across her face.

Suddenly, thunder and lightning began to crack the dark impenetrable depths she was in. Haru looked up at the now stormy night around her. Her eyes narrowed as she saw an old and alone house sitting behind the woods. Not minding the heavy rain, she walked towards it with complete silence and as she began to close her distance, she heard a certain ruckus. Her heart started to go on overdrive as if someone is in real trouble.
Making sure that no one is around to see her, she made her way to one of the windows to take a peek of what's really happening.
Inside, a lot of rumble is going on. A boy tied on a chair is being interrogated.
Haru squinted her eyes to see the boy, but failed because of the utter darkness in the house.
"I'm gonna say it again, where are they?!" The interrogator demanded.
"I don't know what you're talking about!" A sudden shock of fear bolted on Haru. To her, that voice is familiar. One of the voices she could never forget. It's the same voice that comforted her at times of her loss… the voice who she has loved deeply. As if on cue, a lighting suddenly stroke the midnight sky and promptly illuminated the house for a split second. She saw the only face she have learned to love, that is, besides her father and grandfather. Yuuta.
With his straight bluish hair that always framed his face and his cerulean eyes, Haru can assure there's no mistake. She knows Yuuta better than anyone.
Slowly, she began to realize what the case inside the bizarre home really is.

"Don't play dumb." The stranger punched Yuuta in the gut, causing him to cough blood. "There's more where that came from. Unless you tell me where they are!"
Yuuta played hard, not wanting any kind of information spill. "I don't know anything about the Takara Clan you're talking about! It even ceased to exist! Kill me, if you dare. You wont get any information off me!"
The girl sneaking on the window was caught off guard. Surely, this is brand new information. All she have grown to know is that her love one was killed by some strange, foreign, criminal shinobis after robbing his entire property—at least, that is what her Grandfather said.
She has always thought it's unreasonable, for Yuuta is neither rich nor famous, but she knows well she could never squeeze out every detail from his grandfather.

And now the real reason why her lover has died is hitting her in the face.

A lump started to form in the girl's throat as the bizarre man pressed his demands on the boy in a rather more violent technique which consists of unusual jutsus, constantly causing the victim to agonize in pain.
Haru couldn't take it. Her eyes started to swell. She rapped the glass window but it was no use, like her hits are no farther than the gushing wind itself. She rushed around the house, desperately looking for other ways to get inside – And eventually realizing there's no alternative access to get her in other than that particular door, which serves as their one and only entrance. The girl slammed her whole body weight, all the strength she got to open the door, but it made no difference. The entrance remained locked and sturdy.
In the back of her mind, she was reminded some of the few ninjutsus her grandfather have taught her recently.
She started forming hand seals… Dog. Rat. Tiger. Bird.
"SCORCH RELEASE; RAGING PHOENIX!"
But nothing happened.
Haru grew more and more frantic. She may be a half-baked kunoichi but she knows something was supposed to happen - and that something is a fire bird appearing in midair, burning down the entrance like a match stick. But the phoenix she was hoping for remained nothing more than a dream. She tried again… and again… and again…
Flashing different hand signs and crying out different techniques that's on her range of knowledge. Once more, they all resulted to nothing.
Another shriek of pain echoed inside. Haru felt her knees wobble as her heart fell, feeling helpless and hopeless. She found herself on the ground, impetuously banging on the door with her remaining strength.
A train wreck – that's what she is as she lost herself in her rain of tears.
Everything started to black out. She can hear nothing more than her constant sobs, feeling paralyzed for hours, or days… or even years.
It felt such a long time feeling that way.
Until faint footsteps echoed around the gaping void she was in again.
Out of nowhere, a warm, tender hand was placed on her shoulder. She looked up to see two figures - her father, flashing a genuine and fatherly smile. And behind him, Yuuta stood gazing at her gleefully.
Her eyes became damp as she rushed over and attacked them both with a hug. Her father returned her action while Yuuta let out a laugh that lightened Haru's heart.
The poor girl refused to let go for a while. They just stood here, with her arms wrapped around them in silence. She inhaled deeply, taking in her father's scent, her face buried on his chest. She couldn't ask for more, everything was perfect.

"I'm sorry, princess." Her father finally spoke, kissing her daughter's forehead.
"I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you when you needed me. You have gone a long way." A hint of sadness present on the man's tone.
"I-it's okay, D-dad." Haru managed to whisper as she pulled off them. His father wiped away the flowing tears on his daughter's cheeks.
She turned to the other person in the room – or the other person in the bottomless pit, that is. Yuuta gave her a smile, those familiar smiles that she's always been a sucker for.
She reached out for him, and the boy held out his hand in return. The white haired dame entwined her fingers with his, feeling his warmth crawl on her skin.
"Where have you gone?" She asked him in a soft voice.
"I… I'm sorry you have to see that, Haru-chan. I'm really, really sorry." He apologized about the past unwanted events that shook Haru's core. "I never wanted you to see them but…" He looked at Haru's father. "Shuuto here told me you have the rights to know. And that he knows you're strong enough to face it."
[A/N: Shuuto means 'father in law'... or atleast that's what I know. I'm not sure but someone told me father in law is 'shuuto' in japanese. Please do correct me if I'm wrong. The only japanese word I know is 'dattebayo'.]
The 'father-in-law' rolled his eyes.
She managed to let out a small giggle to Yuuta's bold choice of wordings towards her father, clearly not caring about what happened moments ago. What's important is that he's with her now. And not to mention her father, too.
Haru quickly realized something which caused her to stop dead on her tracks. Her heart went crazy as the idea is slowly being processed.
"D-dad… Y-Yuuta-kun…" She stumbled, looking for the right words as she spit them out. "A-am I… d-dead?" She felt a shiver run down her spine.
His father raised an eye-brow at her. "Why'd you say that?"
"Well, certainly I wouldn't be able to see you if I'm alive." She stated, earning her a snicker from Yuuta.
Her father shook his head. "You're still alive and well. Unconscious - maybe. But still very much alive."
"We're taking over your subconscious state." Yuuta injected.
"Haru, you let out a massive chakra when your…" His father flinched, but continued never the less. "Your curse-mark somehow… activated. I've managed to harvest energy and happened to connect with that mark. Upon connecting with it, I can communicate with the person who has the mark itself. It's a delicate technique, but Yuuta here was pretty persistent in learning how to communicate with you. He never gave up."
"But Dad, how do you know all that stuff?"
"Because, princess… I.. made that specific seal myself."
Haru's jaw fell. Did she just hear that right? Her father is the one who invented the seal on her nape that has been causing her unbearable pains every now and then.
"W-what…" She stuttered
"Princess, I never knew your grandfather would use it on my own daughter!" He cried. "It was supposed to be a technique! A technique that would help the user benefit on the casualty. The curse mark can shut down the victim's emotions upon any time it wanted. It just… never came to my mind that father would-"
"D-did you just say 'shut down the victim's emotions'?" Haru looked startled.
"Uh- yeah. It doesn't work every second, though. I hope that shit your grandfather put on you isn't an advanced jutsu. For all I know, it can turn off your emotions in ratio of 3:10…" His eyes hardened as he looked at his own daughter. "I'm sorry, Princess. Life isn't always fair with you. I wish I can do something to take everything off your shoulders." He felt a gush of sadness run over him as he looked at his daughter.
"D-dad" She choked. "I've almost killed a friend because of this." Memories of her recent attacks on Konoha flooded her mind, drowning her with guilt. "Help me take this thing off me! I-I don't want this. I didn't ask for this!" She begged.
The man held his now shaking daughter, calming her down.
"Princess, I don't know if it can be removed… It's a curse mark. It's permanent." He frowned as he lifted her daughter's chin to meet her hazy eyes. "But I do know you can fight this. A strong emotion cannot be simply turned off. Nothing can shut down humanity. I know you can fight this thing, Haru. I believe in you. You have grown into a beautiful young woman, strong and independent. I am so proud of you. I'm sorry I had to come up with that seal, princess. I know it have caused you so much pain and I would understand if you cant forgive your old man -"
"NO." Haru snapped. "I cant be mad at you, dad." She hugged her father tightly.

A sudden cough made them resurface.
"Pops, I'm sorry to interrupt but the chakra's running low and…" Yuuta mumbled.
Haru's father nodded and let go of his daughter, much to his aversion. He kissed his daughter on the forehead one last time before stepping back.
"I'll go… somewhere."
Haru giggled. "There's nowhere to go, Dad."
He simply smiled back at her, giving her daughter and Yuuta some space.

The boy quickly rushed over to her side and clasped her hands with both of his.
"You don't know how much I've missed you." He whispered as he brushed a strand of her hair from her face with his thumb.
"Look, Haru-chan. What you saw back there -" He started.
"Was he looking for me? For grandfather? Who is he?" She looked at him with eyes full of determination. "You know my family's history. You know that grandfather and I are the last Takara descendant, then why didn't you tell him?" Tears started to flood her sight once more, her memories of Yuuta being interrogated is just too much for her.
The blue haired lad simply smiled back.
"You see, I talked to your grandfather when you told me about your clan. I bowed to protect you in every single way I could, and that is how he trusted me."
"D-did he… l-lie to me? H-he told me c-criminal ninjas k-killed you." She stifled out.
"Don't hold grudges on him, please. He simply lied to prevent you from doing something reckless. It wasn't time for you to know the truth back then. And I'm gratified that he did so."
"Yuuta-kun… Who… killed you?"
He thought about it for a moment, until speaking out. "I don't… know. But there's a possibility it's the same person and the same reason why they have attacked Pops too."
She remained silent for a long moment.
"Look, I couldn't wish for a better… death." Yuuta told her gently. He wasn't very pleased at his wording but it was needed to be spilled. "Haru, dying for your safety is worth seeking. Believe me when I say so. I'm happy I've protected you in every way I could."
She looked at him sheepishly. "I'm sorry you had to go through that pain." She frowned.
Yuuta simply laughed. "It's nothing, Haru-chan, really. What you have showed me – you showed me the world in a much lighter perspective, you showed me love, you showed me everything I have been missing in my entire nineteen years of existence. And in my opinion, my death is nothing compared to that. Now wipe those tears off your face, Haru. You know I hate it when you cry. Angels aren't supposed to cry." He joked.
The girl couldn't help not to laugh, remembering his old nickname for her. Angel.
She can hear Yuuta's words from her memories. 'You're my angel' He told her years ago. And when she asked her why angel, of all things, he said boosting with confidence that her looks are so soft and her hair is so pale, which deeply resembles to what an angel would look like.
She sniffed as she suddenly wrapped her hands around Yuuta.
"I hate you for leaving me. I don't think I could ever forgive you for that." She plunged her face on his chest.
"Me either." A tear successfully broke free that Yuuta has been long fighting. He lifted Haru's chin to see her face.
"I miss that beautiful face of yours so much. I miss the sweet scent of your hair when I hold you tight. I miss your sweet smile and laughs when I joke around you. I miss everything about you, Haru."
He leaned down to kiss her lips, in which she returned. The warmth of it reached every veins of their body.
"I love you always, my one and only angel." He whispered on her ear so no one else can hear. And by 'no one', means her father.
The two men started to glow, bits of them dispersing slowly as Haru's father turned around to see her daughter one last time before they disappear.
"Princess, remember this: We never left. We've seen the moments where you're in your best and in worst, and we have always wished to be a part of those moments anyhow. The black meteor your grandfather has been anticipating will arrive in the next couple of days, and we'll be with you along the way. I have been guiding you ever since you took your first breath, and I have been a proud father ever since. Your old man loves you so much and I have always felt so sorry that I haven't been so fulfilling of being your dad. I'll always be with you, Princess."

"Please stay a little longer!" She begged. "Please!"
His father frowned.
"Haru." It's Yuuta's turn to speak next. "I will never get tired of waiting for you. You are the greatest thing that ever happened to me, and I couldn't ask for more. Please take care of yourself for me, for your father. Everything might be a mess right now but I know that you can find the right path for you. Thank you, my angel."

They started to disappear before her. Haru watched them disperse. She wanted to hug them, to feel their touch one last time but she felt nothing but cold air.
Until she was all alone again, like how everything is supposed to be.

Suddenly, a blood red whirlpool started to grow beneath her, pulling her down under. Haru tried to fight the current but it was too strong. After being sucked in, she felt water take over her lungs, drowning her.

She was awakened with a sudden jump. Taking in deep breaths, she looked at her surroundings. Gray concrete walls surrounded her, but the iron bars sat on the far end, opposed to her.
'WAIT, Am I where I think I am?!' She thought in panic.
The inflammation on her nape started to burn as she stood, but quickly shook it off, thinking of more important matters.
The lass ran towards the bars, grasping them as she searched for someone outside her cage. Finding no one.
Another cell is within her sight on the other side of the lonely hallway, and she can see a faint silhouette that is being swallowed in the cage's shadows.
"Excuse me…" She called out to the person within. "Can you tell me what this place is exactly?" She asked politely.
Haru can see eyes glimmer in the dark, looking straight at her soul.
"You're in Konoha Strict Correctional Facility, girl. In short, you're in prison." The voice, which she assumes is a man, growled at her.
Haru Takara has already anticipated every worst thing that could happen to her, but she never saw this coming.

Naruto slammed his hands on Tsunade's desk with his demands.

"You can't do this to her!" He complained in frustration.
The hokage's piercing bronze eyes were steady on his as she spoke. "I can, Naruto! We both know she's the one attacking the village! We don't even need the court for this!"
"You don't even know her!" He continued to argue.
"She's the one who killed several of our ANBU and the one who's about to destroy Konoha! Don't speak as if I'm the one who do not know what's going on! Open your eyes, boy! She committed a crime!" She grit her teeth in anger, losing her patience.
The jinchuuriki's fist started to shake. Sakura quickly grabbed her comrade's arm.
"Stop, Naruto. Tsunade-sama's right!"
"Don't give me a lecture of what's right or wrong! I don't need that to actually have a heart!" He stormed out of the Hokage's office.
"Naruto! Wait up!" Sakura called out. "That idiot!" She cussed.
She turned to face the Godaime. "I'm sorry about him, Tsunade-sama." She gave her an apologetic bow then continued catching up with his friend.
"Sakura, wait." Tsunade called out before her apprentice left the room.
"Before you blame Naruto, ask yourself this; If Sasuke was caught someday, would you let Konoha to lock him behind bars?"
The pink haired kunoichi suddenly found herself frozen, unable to move as she thought about it.
"GO!" The sannin snapped her out of her unyielding state.
'That Naruto...' She thought before turning her attention back to her papers.

As soon as Sakura found Naruto, the two quickly made their way to where the Takara was – the Strict Correctional Facility. The rest of the road was made in silence. Sakura's brain was entangled with Tsunade's words as Naruto was furious with the Godaime's refusal to let his friend go.
Upon reaching one of the Fire Nation's maximum security prisons, which is located on the northern side of the village, they shuffled to look for their friend in the cell. Ofcourse, an on duty guard is made to tag along behind them to make sure no foul business is taking place.

Naruto briskly scanned each one of the prisoners deep within the shadows of their cage. Their eyes stared back, cold and dark with a hint of hatred.
The orange shinobi simply shrugged them all off for he has no business with any of them, except with that one specific white haired lass.
Finally having to see who he's looking for inside one of the cells, his legs came to a halt.
"Yuki-chan!" He rushed to her side, disregarding the metal bars between them.
Haru looked up, and saw his soft, tender blue eyes. "N-Naruto, Sakura." She mumbled.
"You're okay! Thank God!" He sighed in relief.
"What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to see if you're okay. They locked you in there while you're unconscious. I was worried."
"There are other things you should be nervous about, Naruto-kun." She said, her voice unstable.
Naruto's eyes narrowed as he looked at her.
"Naruto, the comet's about to arrive in couple more days!" She alarmed.
"W-WHAT?! How did you know?!"
"Dad… kind of mentioned it to me."
He stared at her like she's going to loose it. "Your dad?" He asked in disbelief.
"Yes. They channeled some chakra I released when my curse mark activated, and they managed to communicate with me because my father is the one who originated the seal…"
And so, Haru told her friend what has happened. Her father, Yuuta, their death, the curse mark, the comet.

"We need to get you out of here." Naruto whispered to her out of the guard's ear shot.

[A/N: aaaaand cut! Hope you enjoyed that one, it's fun writing Yuuta and Haru. Everyone can use a little romance sometimes, ya know. Anyways, I dont know if I have described everything clearly here. Not sure :(
If something is bothering you, let me know!
R&R! Appreciate them always!

PS: Shino's a good boy. (lol) prior to Chapter 5, Tsukuyomi-chan's review cracked the hell out of me. I was laughing all day, really. Made my day :))
Please dont stop supporting Shino-kun. I know he doesnt get much cameo and he's always that bug-freak but he's still an awesome shinobi.]