"Ah, I missed again." Hasu frowned slightly and shook his head before stooping to pick up the Kunai from the ground. "How disappointing."

"Don't feel discouraged. You were doing really well before." Natsumi smiled faintly. "It's just because I had you try from further back. You just need more practice at this distance."

"I understand." He glanced down at the Kunai in his hand. "However, I am still disappointed that I am not doing better than I am."

"It's just practice." She crossed her arms and touched her chin. "Well, and math. I could write out the formula and go into lengthy details, but I prefer mastery through practice."

"While I am no stranger to arithmetic, I feel it would be best if I continue with my efforts." Hasu backed away from the post, then aimed once more and threw a Kunai. It hit the post from an angle and bounced to the ground, and he sighed. As he raised the next Kunai, she grabbed his arm gently.

"I know what you're doing wrong now."

"Hm?" He lowered his arm and met her eyes. "What is it?"

"You're trying to throw the Kunai, not throw it."

He blinked. "That... is rather confounding."

"Right." She looked upward for a moment. "It's like this; you did well from a shorter distance because you believed that you could, so your throw was natural. But now, you're at a distance that you're uncomfortable with, so you're making more of an effort with each throw instead of trying to keep your movements natural."

"Hm." He frowned and looked at the Kunai. "I suppose that explanation is rational, though I'm unsure of how to improve."

"Well, you just..." Her eyes lit and she smiled. "I know just the thing." She hurriedly went over to the shopping bag underneath of a tree to carry it over and place one of the items in his hand. "Here. We'll do this."

His eyes widened. "Playing cards?"

She nodded. "I remember you said you were good at throwing them, so I thought I'd pick some up."

"Forgive me, but how will this help me to master Kunai?"

"Confidence." She put her hands on her hips. "You're used to throwing cards, and you're confident in your ability. Confidence is one of the most important parts of being a Shinobi." She held up a finger. "If you lack confidence in your own ability, you'll make a fatal mistake."

"I see." Hasu nodded, opening the deck. He shuffled the deck fluidly with a small smile, then held a single card in his hand before looking at the post and quickly flicking his wrist and releasing the card. The card stuck into the wood in the center of the small circle she had drawn and Natsumi's eyes widened.

"Wow. You're scary good at that."

Hasu chuckled and threw several more cards in rapid succession and they landed in the center of the target. "I mastered this through sheer curiosity and boredom, though it is entertaining."

"That's good." Natsumi nodded. "Now, all we have to do is get you to transfer that confidence and ease to Kunai throwing. If you do that, you'll really be impressive."

"If only Kunai were as easy as cards." He flipped a card and caught it before throwing it at the target. "There is just something more comfortable about their size, shape, and weight that causes it to be more natural for me."

"Hm..." Natsumi crossed her arms and furrowed her brows in thought. "Well, I can't do anything about the shape and weight of Kunai, but I can help you practice until you become as comfortable with them as you are with playing cards."

"Would you like to try?" Hasu held out a card to her. "Perhaps you would find it easier to assist me if you could feel for yourself the difference."

"Good idea." She took the card from him, then turned to the target as he manipulated her hand and stance.

"You hold it like so..." He adjusted her fingers. "Once you release the card, it should follow the path of your index toward the target."

"Okay." She nodded and he stepped back, and she drew in a small breath before throwing the card. It hit the target slightly off-center, stuck into the wood several centimeters, and Hasu's eyes widened.

"You are... quite good at that."

"It's almost exactly the same as throwing a Shuriken." Natsumi smiled. "The only difference is the weight and the angling. I suppose the shape does matter a little for the aerodynamics, but it's not much of a difference."

"How were you able to have it penetrate so deeply?" He pulled the card out and examined the narrow hole.

"I channeled my Chakra into it." Natsumi held up a Kunai and focused until he saw a faint violet glow around the knife. "It allows the Kunai to pierce through harder targets and penetrate targets more deeply." She turned toward a tree and held up the knife. "Like this." She threw the Kunai and it broke through the trunk, leaving a small, gaping hole and stuck into the ground on the opposite side.

"W-Wow." His lips parted as he stared between her and the tree. "I didn't know such a thing was possible."

"It takes a lot of training to have that level of Chakra control." Natsumi put her hand on her hip. "It's definitely not something that you're just born able to do, that's for sure."

"How useful it must be to possess Chakra..." He exhaled shortly. "Perhaps I wouldn't need protection, if that were the case."

"You do have Chakra, though." Natsumi smiled faintly and his eyes widened and he looked at her.

"I do?"

She nodded. "Everyone does. The only difference between Shinobi and everyone else is the amount of Chakra we're born with, how much we train, and our level of control."

"Do you mean that... I could do Ninjutsu as well?" Hasu stared at her and she rubbed her head and laughed under her breath.

"Well, I'm not so sure about that." Natsumi lowered her hand. "It depends on how much Chakra you actually have, and if your Chakra network is open or not."

"How might I learn that?" Hasu looked at his hands.

"That's a good question." Natsumi crossed her arms and pursed her lips. "Someone with the Byukugan would be able to tell for sure, but so would someone with Medical Ninjutsu." She drummed her fingers against her arms. "One of the first things we did at the Academy was for our base Chakra levels to be determined, but that was so long ago that I don't really remember how it was done."

"How unfortunate." Hasu let out a small sigh.

"Hey, I didn't say it was impossible or that I wouldn't figure out how." She smiled and he met her gaze with a smile of his own. "Besides, before you try attempting to use any Chakra at all, you should thoroughly understand what it is and how it works."

"Will you teach me?"

"I'm not as cut out for teaching as Hidemi-sensei or Iruka-sensei, but I'll do my best." She nodded. "For now, you should keep working on your Kunai skills. Half of your source of Chakra is physical, so honing your abilities and your body are important."

Hasu nodded and bowed his head slightly. "I will be an diligent student, so please do not be lenient with me."

"Let's take a break now."

Hasu let out a long breath and stretched and sat down, resting his back against the post. "I did not realize that this training would be so taxing."

"It's because you're not used to it." Natsumi sat beside him and passed him a bottle of water. "Keep practicing every day, and it will be second nature."

He took a long drink and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, then sighed and reached up to massage his shoulder. "I'm far sorer already than I had thought I would be."

"It happens." She put her hand on his shoulders and gently nudged him. "Turn around."

"Hm?" He turned to sit with his back to her and she gently applied pressure to his neck and shoulder. He sighed softly and closed his eyes. "That feels quite nice."

"It's important to properly take care of your body after training so that you don't damage your muscles." She paused, frowning slightly at the mark on the back of his neck before she continued in a mumble. "My... mentor used to do this for me. When I was first getting into serious training."

"How lucky for you." He smiled slightly and cracked one of his eyes to look at her over his shoulder.

I hate to give her any credit, but at least Oto did this for me... after almost breaking me completely, that is.

"If you apply pressure to certain points, and gently massage out the knots, it relieves the tension. The inflammation, though, is something that will subside over time. She used to make me herbal tea for it." Natsumi bit her lip. "If you don't do this part, continued training will be hard on your body and could result in long-term damage to your nerves."

"I am grateful to have you as my teacher, then." Hasu let out a breath and shut his eyes again. "Do all Shinobi do this?"

"The smart ones." She laughed under her breath. "It's not something taught to us, but it's something we figure out. Kiri, Sena, and I like to soak in the bathhouse after a mission to relax, but Ahmya will go all-out and dedicate a whole day off for the spa after a long mission; starting with a Chiropractic adjustment followed up with a full-body massage, all the way to a manicure and facial. She's very particular about her self-care."

"I imagine that those establishments see a lot of business, then, if they are so beneficial for Shinobi."

The snake marking shifted to watch Natsumi and she jumped slightly in surprise and its movement and frowned at it. It met her eyes and she scowled.

Of course she knows that I was just talking about her. Nosy devil woman.

"Well, that should be fine for now." Natsumi sat back and stretched, then stood. "How do you feel?"

Hasu chuckled and stood. "Would it be inconsiderate if I were to say 'disappointed' in that it was over?"

She blushed slightly, averting her eyes for a moment. "Are you hungry? It's about time we had some lunch."

His eyes lit and he smiled. "Curry, perhaps?"

"I think you've earned it." She smiled faintly and nodded. "If we go now, we should make it in time before they get really busy, too."

A woman seated Natsumi and Hasu in a small booth in the back corner of the restaurant and Natsumi's eyes sting and she rubbed them slightly.

The food is so spicy that even the air is irritating me. My face feels numb just being here.

"What can I get for you today?" The waitress looked between Hasu and Natsumi with a smile. "Our lunch special today is Curry Doria, though our specialty is our Ultra-Spicy Curry, also known as 'Raging Rattlesnake' that's won International competitions for the past three years." She held up a finger. "And, if you finish the plate, you'll have your picture added to our wall of champions, your meal today will be free-of-charge, and you'll receive a special coupon for a free meal."

Hasu smiled broadly. "The Ultra-Spicy Curry, please."

"And you?" The woman looked at Natsumi. "The rules allow for two people to try the contest."

"Oh, no. Definitely not." She held up her hands and shook her head. "Just the Curry Doria."

"Alright, I'll be right back!" The woman smiled and walked of, and Natsumi rested her head on her arms.

"This is exciting. If only Shinsuke and Kouta were here." Hasu tapped her fingertips on the table in anticipation and Natsumi laughed quietly and looked up at him.

"You're crazy, you know? Lord Third if going to be furious that I let you eat this and you die from a heart attack."

Hasu chuckled and rested his hands in his lap. "I do appreciate your concern, though, as I said before, I have built up a tolerance to spice. I have yet to eat anything so powerful that it threatened my health."

"For both of our sakes, I hope you're right." She sighed softly and rested her chin in her hand, with her elbow on the table.

"You do not like spicy foods?"

She shook her head. "A little spice is one thing, if it's just part of the flavor, but anything too spicy that it makes my lips numb or my tongue burn, I can't stand it."

"You have a low tolerance as well, then?" Hasu smiled faintly and her cheeks warmed.

"One time, I accidentally bought the wrong thing from a vending machine." Natsumi made a face and looked away. "I was just trying to get some potato chips, but what I ended up with was a bag of mega-hot 'fire-ant' puffs. I didn't have any more money to get what I really wanted, and I hadn't eaten in almost a day, so I tried to eat them anyway." She shuddered and hugged her arms closer. "All I remember was eating just one puff and then waking up in the hospital the next day."

"That is frightful." He frowned slightly. "What happened exactly?"

She shrugged. "Naruto said he looked over and I turned red, was suddenly covered in sweat, and then fainted." She twirled a piece of her around her finger and mumbled. "I had blisters on my tongue and lips for a week after that. The dumb kids in my class teased me every time I tried to talk."

"I wholeheartedly understand why you dislike spicy foods so passionately." Hasu nodded as he spoke. "Although, it seems as though your peers treated you as poorly as that woman at the library."

Natsumi looked down slightly and traced the grain of the wood of the table. "...It's just normal."

"And why is that?" His voice softened and kept his eyes on her. "You haven't done anything to be deserving of it."

"It..." She bit her lip and whispered. "It's complicated."

"In what way?" He reached across the table and his fingertips brushed her hand.

"They..." She bit her lip harder, keeping her voice low. "They blame us for a tragedy that happened on the day we were born."

"What?" Hasu blinked furrowed his brows. "How could they do that? It clearly was no fault of your own. That's entirely unreasonable."

"It's just complicated." She glanced up at him, then quickly averted her eyes.

I can't tell him about the Nine-Tails... If there's even the slightest chance that it will make him see me differently, then...

She met his eyes again, guilt twisting her stomach.

Then, I'll bear the burden of keeping that secret.

"I don't understand." Hasu scrunched his face and glanced downward. "Perhaps it is due to my being an outsider, though I can't think of any sound argument for blaming a pair of newborns for something they could not have possibly been responsible for."

Natsumi's eyes rested on their hands and she let out a soft sigh.

Maybe... Maybe I can trust him with this. After all... he's keeping other secrets just fine.

She started to open her mouth and the waitress returned with two platters and a wide smile.

"Here you are! Best to eat it while its hot!" She placed the platters in front of them, then put her hand on her hip to look at their hands with a wink. "On a date, are we?"

Natsumi blushed deeply and drew her hand back to hold it gently in her other hand. "I-It's not what you think!"

Hasu's cheek flushed faintly and he drew his own hand back to rest it on his lap. "W-Well..."

The woman chuckled and waved her hand. "Oh, to be young again." She placed her other hand on her hip and frowned slightly at Hasu, glancing between him at the plate. "Are you sure you can handle all that on your own? Even most of the grown men who take on the challenge fail."

"Ye of little faith." Hasu smiled and held up his hand. "I aim to surprise."

"We'll see about that." The woman left for a moment, then returned with a large pitcher of milk and a pair of glasses. "Just be careful, young man."

She walked away and Natsumi looked down at her hand as she held it, her cheeks still warm. She squeezed her hand and looked up to see him press his hands together and close his eyes as he quietly muttered a prayer under his breath. She closed her own eyes, pressing her hands together.

Thanks for the food.

When she opened her eyes again, she caught Hasu staring at her with a soft smile. She blushed and turned her eyes down to her plate and picked up the spoon.

"...Time to dig in." She took a bite, then froze and stared as Hasu carefully ate his first bite.

His eyes widened and he straightened in his seat, then gasped and coughed for several minutes. His face immediately reddened and lines of snot dripped from his nostrils.

"This is fantastic!"

Natsumi made a face as he wiped his own with a napkin and then drank a large glass of milk. "Alright, I'm convinced. You're insane."

Hasu laughed and took another bite as she cringed and slowly focused on her own meal. "It's invigorating."

"Please don't die." Natsumi muttered with a sigh and ate once more in silence as she thought. After some time, she looked back at Hasu sweating as he took another bite of curry, his cheeks bright red, and she sighed and shook her head.

If I've learned anything from having a brother, it's that he's really going to be regretting this in a few hours.

She laughed under her breath as he continued to eat, and she ate quietly. After a while, she stopped and raised her brow as she watched him slowly continuing to shovel bites into his mouth, sweating profusely as his plate was mostly empty.

"...I don't know if I should be impressed, disgusted, or shocked." Natsumi blinked as he took the last bite and pushed his plate away with a quiet groan. "How are you still breathing? My face is numb from just smelling it."

Hasu grinned and wiped his face on a napkin and took a long drink of milk. "I did say that I had built up a tolerance to heat."

"That's more than just a tolerance. You're like... a dragon; completely immune to fire."

Hasu chuckled and rested his head on his arms. "I know that this is improper etiquette, but resting alleviates many of the side effects."

"...Seriously, though. How are you still breathing?"

Hasu laughed and poked his cheek. "Well, to be truthful, I can no longer feel my face and my heart is racing so quickly that I feel it might burst."

"This was such a bad idea." Natsumi sighed and shook her head. "Please don't get horribly sick and die from this. I couldn't forgive myself for not stopping you."

"I assure you; I am in no danger." Hasu smiled faintly. "While this was certainly hot, it hasn't caused me to vomit. Objectively, I would have to say this meal was the second-hottest I have ever tasted."

"Only second?" Natsumi repeated in a mumble. "Maybe you really are a dragon in human form."

"The hottest pepper I have ever tested was one that Shinsuke had imported. It was quite rare, and quite expensive." Hasu chuckled at the memory, closing his eyes briefly. "Even the two of them were retching uncontrollably after a single bite of it. That was the only time that I thought I might die from spice."

"No kidding." Natsumi finished her own plate and leaned back in the seat. "You're braver than I am. I wouldn't have even tried it after seeing them have that reaction, that's for sure."

His lips twitched in a smirk. "I suppose it would seem juvenile if I said that I did it out of intense curiosity?"

"Not juvenile. Just... crazy."

"Hello!" The waitress returned with a smile. "How are you enjoying your meals?" Before they could answer, her eyes widened slightly and she stared at Hasu's empty plate. "Y-You finished it!"

"I did." He sat upright and rubbed his head, beads of sweat still rolling down his face.

"Amazing!" The woman clapped her hands together. "I think you may have broken the record for being the youngest person to complete the challenge!"

"Am I?" Hasu smiled.

"Yes!" She nodded quickly. "Let's get your picture up on that wall right away. It's been several months since anyone has succeeded at finishing the plate. This calls for a celebration."

He scratched his head with a chuckle and then touched his stomach. "I do hope that it's not a particularly active celebration. I think that I would prefer a nap than having to move too much."

"I still think you're crazy." Natsumi glanced over at Hasu where he lay in the grass in the shade of a large tree, his eyes closed as he rested.

"I admit that eating the entire platter may have been too much." Hasu laughed quietly and placed a hand on his stomach. "It feels as if I am being viciously torn apart internally and I am quite dizzy now."

Natsumi sighed and leaned back, looking away from her scroll. "I did try to warn you."

"You did." He cracked open an eye to look at her with a faint smile. "I suppose my stubbornness is to blame."

"Well, as long as you don't keel over, I think everything will be fine." She bent back over to study the writing for a while in silence and Hasu turned his head slightly to look at her.

"What are you reading?"

"This?" Natsumi blinked and held up the scroll before setting it back down on the ground. "I'm trying to figure out this ability." She frowned slightly. "I can understand the concept of it, but I'm having trouble actually fine-tuning it and putting it into practice."

"It sounds quite difficult, if someone of your talents is having trouble with it."

Her cheeks warmed slightly and she sighed. "I'm really not that talented. I've just gotten lucky a few times when it was important, and I'm still at the bottom in terms of strength and talent in my team. In terms of experience, I'm almost laughable. I still have a long way to go, so if I can master this technique, I'll be a lot more useful."

She rolled the scroll up with a sigh. "But, that's not something you really need to worry about. I'll get it eventually, even if it takes me weeks or months."

"I am confident that you will succeed." Hasu closed his eyes and went quiet for several minutes before he reached into his pocket, taking out a small pouch to look at it before he rested in on his chest with a soft breath.

"What's that?" Natsumi looked over at him.

"This?" He held the small leather pouch with golden embroidery, smiling faintly. "This belonged to my mother." He sat up slowly held it toward her and she leaned closer to examine the details. "She stitched this herself." Hasu smiled and touched the golden lotus design.

"It's beautiful." Natsumi's eyes widened slightly at the delicate stitches of each golden lotus flower. "I'd never be able to sew anything this nice. I'm horrible with needlework."

"What is most precious is not the pouch itself, but its contents." He opened the drawstring top and carefully tipped the bag up and a small hair pin shaped like a purple lotus slid into his palm.

"Oh!" Natsumi touched the pin gently. "It's so pretty..."

"It was the first gift that my father ever gave to her." Hasu touched one of the petals. "On the day of their betrothal, to be precise. It's by no means the most elaborate or valuable of her Kanzashi, but it was her favorite. The Lotus was her favorite flower, after all, and that is why she gave me the name that she did."

"It's broken." Natsumi's smile faded slightly at the realization.

"Unfortunately, yes." He nodded. "A few years ago, I fell off of the roof of the gardening shed that I was trying to climb. It had been in my pocket then." He frowned at the memory. "I had been careless, and I did try to glue it back together on my own, however, as you can clearly see, I did not do very well." Hasu sighed quietly and returned the heirloom to its pouch. "If she saw it now, I'm sure she would be upset."

"Maybe a little." Natsumi met his eyes. "But, isn't a mother the one who is also understanding, loves unconditionally, and forgives?"

Hasu smiled with a nod. "She would forgive me, of course, though forgiveness wouldn't fix this pin."

"I could fix it."

His eyes widened slightly. "You can?!"

She nodded. "It's a technique that I learned from... a certain person."

"Ah..." He scratched his cheek.

She reached into her back pouch and retrieved a small scroll, then placed it onto the ground. She unrolled it to reveal a blank sheet, the bit the tip of her index and began to draw a complicated seal.

He paled slightly and blinked as he watched, then furrowed his brows in concern. "Is it common for Shinobi to bite themselves in that way?"

"Hm?" Natsumi glanced up at him. "Yeah. Why?"

"And it does not hurt? Typically, the human body sends pain throughout as a warning to stop a certain action that will cause harm..."

"I mean... yeah, it hurts." She looked at her finger before continuing to draw more symbols. "We practice it from a young age so that we become accustomed to the pain. That way, in battle, if we have to use a summoning technique, we can do it quickly."

Hasu swallowed and averted his eyes. "I-I see." He chuckled awkwardly and rubbed his head. "You Shinobi are truly on a different level."

"It's just a matter of will and practice." Natsumi bit her lip gently. "When I was young, though... I just couldn't do it. Every time I tried to practice, I used to cry before I even got close to biting until I broke the skin." She blushed slightly and mumbled. "It was so embarrassing. I was always teased for it in class."

"I do not think I could be capable of inflicting pain to myself like that." He shook his head slowly. "The thought alone of biting my finger with such strength..." He shuddered slightly.

"Mind over matter." Her mouth twitched in a faint smile. "Trust me; the pain can be overcome."

Hasu bowed his head slightly. "Truly, you are far tougher than I am."

"It doesn't actually take that much force to bite the tip of your finger like this." Natsumi shrugged. "Only four pounds of pressure to bite a finger off completely— The same force as biting a carrot. You use less than that to break the skin."

"Count me as both impressed... and intimidated by that knowledge."

"And... done." Natsumi looked over the seal to check her work, then licked the blood from her finger before gently biting her forearm. The small hole healed instantly and she looked and him and held her hand out. "If I may have that hairpin now, it won't take long for me to fix it."

Hasu gently placed it into her hand and she set it in the center of the seal. She formed a long series of hand seals and then held her hands over the pin, closing her eyes to quietly speak in a hiss. The seal began to glow red, the blood sizzled and evaporated from her Chakra, collecting at the pin and enshrouding it in darkness. Once the seal was gone, the darkness faded and only the pin remained on the scroll.

Hasu's eyes went wide and he leaned forward to examine the pin. Naruto placed it back into his open hand as it stared, speechless.

"I... I cannot believe it." He held the pin up and looked at it from all angles. "It's... without any blemish. It's as if it was just newly made." He looked at Natsumi, who had returned the scroll to her pouch. "That is an incredible technique... how is such a thing possible?" He looked down at the heirloom in his hands. "Even though I saw it with my own eyes, I am having a difficult time believing it truly happened."

"Is it good enough?"

"Good enough?" Hasu repeated. "It's outright flawless."

"I'm glad." Natsumi let out a deep breath and leaned back. "That technique requires a lot of Chakra. An average Ninja would only be able to do it once per day, or once every few days."

"Is it so taxing?" He frowned slightly and turned to her. "I apologize for causing you any harm. I was unaware."

She shook her head. "I have a lot more Chakra than most people. I could do that technique at least another ten times today before my Chakra would drop too low." She looked down at her hands, which shook violently, and frowned. "The shaking only lasts for a few minutes after, but it's pretty annoying." She flexed her fingers and sighed again. "Other than that, it doesn't affect me much to use."

"I am in your debt, then." He smiled at her. "Anything you want in return; I will grant you. Just say the word."

"That's not really necessary." Natsumi smiled and watched his expression as he looked at the pin. "...You were really close to her, weren't you?" She asked quietly, and her eyes rested on him.

"She spoiled me quite a bit in terms of her time." Hasu nodded. "As the youngest of six sons... I was irrelevant. My eldest brother was heir, of course, and the second was trained as his advisor. The third and fourth sons were trained as ambassadors of sorts, in charge of our relations to neighboring Lord, and the fifth brother was put in charge of the domestic affairs of the estate— coordinating servants, arranging meetings, and so on and so forth."

He let out a short sigh. "However, there was no role for me to fill. My father would often say that my only purpose was to educate myself and marry wisely so that the Abe family would be benefited from the union."

Natsumi blinked. "An arranged marriage?"

Hasu nodded again. "It's a common occurrence among nobility. My father had his eye on arranging a marriage between myself and the daughter of a Lord who owns land containing rich gold and jade deposits. However, the Abe and Fukui clans have been rivals for hundreds of years, so it is doubtful that Lord Fukui would ever agree to such a union."

"Even if it's common, doesn't the idea of an arranged marriage seem kind of... wrong?" Natsumi muttered and looked away. "It's selfish on the part of the parent doing the matching, and it creates a loveless marriage..."

"My parent's union was arranged." He smiled slightly and looked at her. "It was done when they were my age, and they courted for several years before they officially wed. It's true that, at first, they did not care much for each other, but my mother did tell me that they fell in love. It does not happen for every arranged marriage, but it isn't impossible."

"Still..." Natsumi sighed and looked down at the pin. "I don't know if I could ever marry someone I wasn't in love with. I haven't given it any thought at all before now, but getting married because someone forced me to for their own benefit isn't something I could go along with."

"Is that so?" He rested his chin in his hand and smiled faintly. "What sort of man do you imagine you would marry, then?"

Natsumi blushed and met his eyes, then looked away and wrung her hands. "I-I don't know... I've never really thought about it."

"Well, since we're on the subject, you should try."

"I-I guess I could." She looked out toward the river. "Well... probably someone I really respected. Someone with a good heart, who isn't afraid to do the right thing. He'd have to be intelligent, mature, and someone that I felt comfortable around. And of course, someone I could rely on to protect me if I got into a situation that I couldn't handle... Maybe also with a calming presence, but a good sense of humor." She blushed deeper and kept her face turned away. "A-And, having a handsome face I guess would also be nice."

Hasu's smile grew and he laughed quietly and Natsumi blushed and turned to look at him, covering her face.

"W-What?! Why are you laughing?"

"I apologize." He laughed again and covered his mouth and his laughing faded. "I didn't mean to sound rude. I think those are all fine traits to look for in a partner. In fact, those are all traits that all men should aspire to embody."

"O-Oh." Natsumi looked briefly.

"I did not mean to laugh at you. I was just surprised because you said that you had not given it much thought, but you gave quite a detailed description." Hasu smiled.

"Well..." She glanced at him. "W-What about you, then? What kind of person would you marry, if you were given the choice?"

"Me?" He smiled and leaned back slightly to look at the sky for a long pause before looking back at her. "I do not have any idea."

He laughed and Natsumi blushed.

"H-Hey! It was really embarrassing for me to answer a question like that if you weren't going to do it, too, ya know!"

"I must apologize again." He smiled again, rubbing his head. "The truth is, the idea I had in mind of an ideal wife from the time I was young was only what my father impressed on me; Obedient, soft-spoken, dutiful..." He lowered his arm and looked at the sky again. "In truth, I never gave any thought to what I would like best in a lifelong partner. Although... I think that my preferences are changing, so it's a bit strange to me now." Hasu looked back at her. "Is that an acceptable answer?"

Natsumi's ears warmed and she looked away, crossing her arms. "Y-Yeah. It makes sense..."

"I was surprised, though." He took a drink of his water as he paused. "From what I understand, most women would have said that they would like to marry someone with wealth."

"I—" She shut her mouth and then shrugged. "I don't know. Marrying someone for their money seems really shallow to me, and I've also grown up having next to nothing, so I'm used to getting by with whatever I've got. I wouldn't know what to do if I was rich."

"Pretend, then." He smiled faintly. "If you suddenly became wealthy, what would you do?"

"Well," Natsumi glanced down at her hands for a moment as she wrung them. "Getting a new place would be nice, I suppose. Naruto and I wouldn't have to share a room anymore, and it might be nice to have enough room for a bookshelf. I like going to the library, but it would be nice to have my own copies of my favorite books." She leaned back slightly and shrugged. "I wouldn't want to live somewhere too big or fancy because it would feel empty, just a little bigger than what we have now would be fine."

"You would not want anything more?"

She shook her head. "Something that I'd really like to do would be to figure out who our parents were. I guess I would have someone investigate that. After that, I think it would be nice if I could do something for other people." She paused to press her lips together. "I know that we're not the only kids without parents, so if there was something I could do for other kids, I'd want to make sure that they didn't ever go to bed hungry. That's what I would do."

She looked back to him and blushed slightly as he watched her intently.

"W-What?"

"I'm merely admiring you." Hasu laughed quietly. "You are a wonderfully kind person."

"I'm not kind..." Natsumi looked down and mumbled. "It's not special to not want kids to starve. It's just decency."

"Perhaps, but that does not make you any less kind." Hasu stood and held out a hand to her. "If I may..."

Natsumi took his hand and he pulled her to a stand. "Are we going somewhere?"

"I just thought of something that I would like to do." He smiled. "If you will humor me, that is."