Captain Blues: Hey mates! Captain Blues here and I'm bringing another chapter of Ansatsuken and boy…That Haku huh? Welp, time to cut my hot-dogging and grandstanding short and start the chapter!

Ansatsuken
Chapter Eight: Gentle Heart

[THEME OF DANGER:
SHANA'S ANXIETY FROM LEGEND OF THE DRAGOONS]

Haku watched him again.

She couldn't stop.

It had been two days since she conversed with him in the forest.

She was unable to meet him yesterday to have dinner but she made sure to finish her herb gathering for Zabuza so she could continue her mission of espionage on Naruto and have dinner with him and his team.

From her spying on him, Haku knew that Naruto would be on bridge duty for the rest of this week and so there she stood, at the far end, watching him work, with a picnic basket in her arms.

She knew they had plans for dinner tonight but she thought to smooth over her absence yesterday. She took a deep breath. She had no idea why she was so nervous. It was an enemy shinobi and she made a mission.

She had to remember that.

So she watched him from a distance as he made his way to the bridge, observing how he interacted with the various villages. She noted how he would always pause and help anyone that he could and noted that every time he continued on his way, there would be a smile on their faces.

All of her life, she had seen the horror that being a shinobi could do and yet Naruto went out of his way to make people happy. It was then that his previous words floated back into her mind.

"I realized that each mission is important to the ones that grant it. Even something as simple as walking a dog, while it annoys me, it could mean the world to that person…And so because of that, I realized that bringing a smile to the faces of those I help makes it worth it."

Could it be possible that he meant those words?

As an old lady embraced Naruto a female's scream was heard nearby, which caused the duo separate out of alarm but that scream was quickly replaced with a groan of pain.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and darted off from the old woman. Haku frowned and ran off after him until she came upon a rundown house and without hesitation, Naruto kicked the door down went inside.

Haku crept up to the wall beside the building Naruto had entered and when she peaked inside, she was treated to a sight that made her horrified.

There were three men, all holding katanas as a single woman laid on the ground, her hands pressed against her stomach, her clothes ripped off. Haku easily recognized these men as Gatō's men and it sickened her to her core to see them around this woman.

"Help me…" she whimpered out in pain as two of the three men stepped in front of her.

"Tch, looks like we weren't quick enough to shut her ass up," one of the men, a short haired red-head, said as he placed his katana on his shoulder and placed his foot on the woman's tearful face.

"Unfortunately for you two brats, you caught us at a busy time so blondie, beat it before we kill you…But the girl," the second man said as his green eyes leered at her. "She can stay and entertain us if this whore won't."

But if Haku was horrified, there was an eerie look on Naruto's face. There was nothing on his face. It was as if all the smiles and grins he had given to those villagers before was gone, revealing…nothing.

"One chance," Naruto warned. "Leave this place."

The trio looked to one another before they let out a raucous laugh. "Look at the shorty over here. Making demands and shit," the third man, a brunette with a scar on his left cheek, said with sneer. "This bitch acted like she's too good to put out. We only showed her-"

The man was brutally interrupted when Naruto's fist collided with his throat. The man fell to his knees, gasping for air as the two men shouted "Guldo!"

"You're dead kid!" The green eyed man screamed as he ran forward to swing his blade but Naruto ducked it and grabbed the extended arm only delivered a hard uppercut to the arm. Haku winced as she heard the snap in his arms as the arm bent in the opposite direction.

The man screamed before Naruto jabbed his right elbow into the man's face, breaking his nose, only for Naruto to grab his hair and lift him off his feet and slam him down on the brunette, who was still gasping for air.

"Burter! Why yo-" the silver man haired man barely got the word out before Naruto leapt up and delivered a hard roundhouse kick to the man's left temple, which sent him sailing to the left where his head crashed into the support beam of the house.

Haku then watched as the man slumped down and there he remained.

Haku was surprised by the suddenness of the brutality of his attacks. She also noticed there were was a slight difference. His moves were a little more crisp than when he fought Zabuza and he seemed less afraid of fighting them.

[THEME OF SADNESS:
HOMECOMING FROM NARUTO: SHIPPUDEN (This will play throughout this chapter)]

Haku expected for Naruto to freak out as the gurgling from both the brunette and the silver haired man drew faint until it completely stopped.

But he didn't.

While he looked very uncomfortable and bordering on upset, she watched him force those emotions down and put on a smile as he knelt down and took the woman into his arms and lifted her up off the ground. The woman struggled at first but Naruto told her "Hey, hey, it's okay. I'm not here to hurt you."

Haku saw the disbelief in the woman's face but the woman must have seen the truth in Naruto's eyes before she began to sob heavily against his neck. "It's okay," Naruto whispered to her. "Everything will be okay I promise…"

Haku silently followed Naruto as he left the hotel and delivered the woman to Wave's only hospital and watched as he handed her off. The woman didn't want to be without him but Haku could see him tell her that he would return.

The woman was ushered in and Naruto stood there for a moment.

Haku wondered what was on his mind…

She watched him shake his head and begin his trek to the bridge and while he still helped people and the smiles he gave them, his smile had dimmed.

And it made Haku frown.

Haku watched him for the next couple of hours as he worked on the bridge.

It seemed most of construction workers liked him and his work ethic but it was Tazuna who Naruto seemed to get along with the most, which made sense as Naruto was his bodyguard.

But as Haku looked at the sun, she knew that sooner or later, she would need to talk to him to request to join him for dinner that night.

With a deep breath, Haku steeled herself and walked down the bridge, ignoring the looks and even whistles of some of the younger construction workers but she ignored them and pressed and soon, she could hear the voice of a man shouting "Hey Naruto! Can you get more of your clones under the bridge?!"

She watched as Naruto, who was currently dressed in a pair of tan pants and white shirt with a headband on his forehead, no doubt there to keep the sweat from his eyes. "How many ya need?!" Naruto yelled.

There was silence.

"Ten at least!" Came Tazuna's shout.

She watched as Naruto summoned ten clones and ordered them to head to Tazuna and it was then she walked up behind him and said "I see you're hard at work Naruto-san."

Naruto's head whipped around in surprise before it melted into a smile. It was odd how as she walked up to him, she could see him deep in thought but he was quick to become the cheerful shinobi that he allowed people to see but with the smile he gave, she knew it was a sincere one.

And that thought alone melted a little of the frost that surrounded her heart.

"Hey Haku-chan," Naruto said as he sat down the pickaxe. "I missed you last night. What's up?"

"I came to see if you would have lunch with me, as an apology for missing last night and if the offer is still open, maybe I can have that dinner tonight…perhaps?" Haku drifted off with a sheepish smile

"For you? Always," Naruto responded with a tone of sincerity.

Haku flushed.

He was too genuine when he was with her and while it was refreshing to see this, it was also harder for her to deal with.

'This is only a mission. He is an enemy,' she chanted to herself mentally as a smile formed on her face. "Wonderful. Um…So what about lunch?" she questioned.

"Hold on," Naruto said as he rushed over to the edge of the bridge and shouted "Hey Boss, I'm going to lunch now!"

"About damn time!" Came the reply. "One hour kid!"

Naruto quickly came back and said "Let's go. I am starving."

Haku smiled at his over exaggerated groan of his words and nodded and the two walked side by side as they left the bridge and began their trek, both of them ignoring the wolf whistles and but it was the shout of "Oh, Naruto has him a sweetheart!" that made Naruto whip his head back at the smirking teen.

"Get Bent Urameshi!" Naruto shouted but Haku could see the amusement on his face as the men laughed and waved him off.

"They seem to like you," Haku said as Naruto huffed but grinned.

"Yeah, they may be dumb but they are good guys that want to bring prosperity back to Wave. It's hard not to like them when their goals are so noble," Naruto responded before he looked to Haku and asked "So, where are we going?"

"There is spot in the village that overlooks the ocean. It should be a wonderful place to eat," Haku told him as she continued to lead him across the village but as the duo walked, the two saw a small girl in front of a window of a deli.

She fair skin with matted, dirty black hair that was tied in a messy ponytail. She also had on a tattered gray dress but was startled Haku was how emaciated she looked. Naruto must have noticed this as well because he walked up to the child and tapped her shoulder.

The girl turned around slowly and Haku watched a smile appear on Naruto's face. Despite the dirt on her face, the girl was very adorable with her heart-shaped face and bright blue eyes but it only made Haku's heart ache.

She must have been no older than five.

And for a split second, Haku was reminded of herself when Zabuza had found her so long ago…

"Hi…My name is Uzumaki Naruto. What is your name?" Naruto asked with a friendly smile.

The girl looked nervous but she mumbled out "Emi…"

"What a beautiful name," Naruto said with a smile. "Well Emi-chan…Are you hungry?"

Emi nodded hesitantly.

"Great. My friend I were going to have lunch. Would you like to join us?" Naruto asked.

The girl looked to Haku nervously before she turned back to Naruto. The little one must have seen something in his eyes because she nodded. Naruto stood up and took her hand and said "Come on. Haku-chan, lead the way."

After twenty minutes of walking, Haku stopped and turned to Naruto and the girl. "We're here," Haku announced as she sat down on the bench.

The area was on a large hill that overlooked both the bridge and the ocean. The sun high up in the sky and from the light, the water shimmered. It was a gorgeous sight and from the awed look on Naruto's face, he had never seen it before.

"Whoa…It's beautiful," Naruto breathed out. Naruto then turned to the young girl and asked "Don't you think?"

The little girl nodded bashfully.

"Well, let's not keep you waiting. Haku-chan, the food," Naruto said with a smile in her direction. Haku nodded and pulled out a blanket and sat it across the ground and placed out the food.

It was a modest amount for two people. There were four sandwiches, some chips and even an apple pie that she had secretly created at her hideout while she made dinner for her master. "Perfect," Naruto said with a smile before he turned back to the girl and said "You and Haku-chan eat up okay?"

Haku glanced at Naruto, who shot her a small smile and looked back at the girl, who now had a large smile on her face. "T-Thank you," Emi finally said as she took a sandwich.

Naruto had just told her earlier how hungry he was previously and yet he willingly gave that up for this girl. Haku then glanced down at the smiling Emi and saw the beautiful smile on her face.

"This is really good," she said happily.

"Compliments to Haku-chan. She made them," Naruto said as he looked to Haku.

Haku saw their blue eyes sparkling with happiness and she couldn't help but smile at the sight.

"Thank you Haku," Emi said softly. "Is really good."

"Anytime Emi…." Haku told her as she choked back the guilty feeling in her stomach.

If only Emi…And Naruto for that matter, knew that she was working for the man that had potentially done this to her…

Haku kept to herself as she watched as Naruto and the small girl talked and realized that girl, who had been very shy before, was now very talkative while Naruto returned the small child's exuberance with his own. It seemed so natural for him to do this.

And when he looked at her, she felt her own smile begin to form. Naruto then turned back to Emi and began to tell her a fantastical story about his shinobi career and all the while, he made sure to keep her eating along with regaling her with his tall tales.

And Haku sat there and listened along as well, unable to keep her eyes from the blond shinobi.

"This is where I live," Emi said as she stood in front of the orphanage, now dressed in a slightly worn orange dress with black flowers, her face no longer smudged with dirt. Once they had finished eating, Naruto wasted no time in finding her a dress and was lucky to purchase the last one.

It was extremely pricey to Haku but Naruto didn't hesitate to fork over all of his money to get it for her. It certainly made the shop owner smile.

And now they stood in front of her home. The building was somewhat run down but through the windows, Haku could see a few children on some floor mats, most likely sleeping.

"How long have you lived here?" Naruto asked softly.

"Since Mommy and Daddy went away a few weeks ago," Emi explained.

Haku ignored the guilt in her heart rise at the sad tone the little girl took and instead watched as Naruto's eyes softened with understanding and sadness of his own. "I see…" Naruto replied. There was a haunted tone in Naruto's voice as he said this and it made Haku worried.

The front door slowly creaked open and an elderly woman with long gray hair, a simple tan dress and onyx irises walked out of the building and said "Ah, there you are Emi-chan. I was so worried."

"Ah! Kaede-Baa!" Emi exclaimed as she ran to the old woman. "Naruto-nii and Haku-nee took really good care of me! They fed me and everything."

"Did they now?" the old woman questioned.

Emi nodded then turned around "Will you two come back tomorrow?"

"You know I will," Naruto confirmed.

"I will try…" Haku told her but she turned to Naruto and there was this look of melancholy in his eyes and had her concerned.

"Thank you Naruto-nii and Haku-nee!" Emi said as she embraced both of their legs and ran off back into the orphanage where an older woman ushered her in.

"Thank you so much Shinobi-san for bringing her back," The woman said with a bow. "And thank you for taking such good care of her when you found her. She's been through a lot…"

"It was no problem at all. Emi-chan is a very sweet girl. I'm glad I could help…" Naruto responded with a faint smile.

Kaede smiled as well and departed back into the orphanage which left Naruto and Haku alone. "Naruto-san…Are you okay?" Haku asked with concern.

Naruto took a shuddered breath. She could see the sadness in his eyes but before she could fully acknowledge it, it vanished under a wave of happiness.

But Haku could easily tell that it was forced. "I'll be fine. No sweat," Naruto told her with as much bravado he could muster.

"I better get back to the bridge and keep working. The sooner I can do that, the sooner I can-"

"Stop…" Haku interrupted him softly.

Naruto trailed off.

Haku walked to him and gingerly brought him into her arms. She felt him stiffen against her before her slowly relaxed and returned her embrace. She could feel his body tremble against hers, no doubt holding back his tears.

"You don't have to hide with me…" Haku whispered into his ear.

She could feel her own emotions well up in her chest as she held him there and as much as she tried to fight them down, she couldn't.

'He's my enemy,' Haku thought again but unlike before, she sounded so unsure of herself.

Captain Blues:….Well that was a chapter. Um…So…I was going to have the dinner be this chapter but I'll save that for the next one as my fingers hurt from typing all of this on my phone but no worries. I shall have a computer soon that I can crank out more chapters faster so until then…Let's set sail.