Chapter 13

"A Visitor"

Natsu Tanimoto expertly held back his scowl when a group of thugs - from his own gang, nonetheless - surrounded him with arrogant smirks plastered on their faces. He really, really needed to talk to Odin about the behavior of the lower peasants that used their name to do as they pleased around town. Not only were they weak, they were also cocky punks who he saw causing trouble all over town. If there was one thing he hated, it was bullies. Then again, he hated a lot of things.

But bullies reminded him of the past too much.

"Well, well..." There were only four at the moment. Natsu was sure that they couldn't do any damage to him. "Hey, guy."

"Yes?" Natsu put on his 'innocent yet cautious' mask. "What do you want with me?"

"See here, I'm a member of Ragnarok...and around here, we're King. Understand...?"

Natsu just gave him a blank stare, thinking along the lines of: "What an idiot."

The lead member took out a hidden knife and smiled arrogantly. "Name's Urugawa Takeshi! Give me what you have!" When Natsu didn't move, the punk rushed at him with a knife flipped open and aimed at his chest.

The blonde actor was very much tempted to lay the fool out and turn him into a pin-cushion - but doing so would produce way too much suspicion on his true identity, something that he truly wanted to avoid.

That was his dilemma. Even though he knew how to fake a beating, his Master would definitely spit on him for it. Natsu could almost hear the condescending tone of Sougetsu's voice in his imagination, "It doesn't matter if you were faking a beating boy, you were defeated. Now go climb that mountain with one arm tied behind your back as punishment, you loser."

Never again.

"They're so slow. Good, I'll lure them into the alley."

But as luck would have it, someone stepped in and stopped the attack - a girl who stood at least one head below him had grabbed the attacker's wrist.

Honoka was severely annoyed but she did not care to share it on her face. Not only was her self-given day-off from gang hunting interrupted, her brother had somehow gotten lost during their sibling shopping time. How could someone get lost in your own home town? The mere thought of that baffled her completely. On her search for the elder of the two, she reacted by instinct when a few gang members were picking on one fairly good-looking boy. So much for a day-off. Not to mention, said fairly good-looking boy had the exact same build, height and demeanor as a certain member of Ragnarok she remembered. On the bright side, seeing him completely surrounded by other members of his own gang - well, it was too interesting to ignore.

"Oh sorry!" She feigned a convincing squeal, her hand still tightly gripping the gangster's wrist. "I really, really liked your wrist-band and I just had to get a closer look?! What kind of material is that?"

"Urgh!" Takeshi grimaced, "L-let go of my hand!"

"Huh? What's wrong?" Honoka replied innocently, blinking twice. "A-am I hurting you?"

The others behind the knife-holding boy laughed. "What a joke. A girl's grip is hurting you? Pathetic!"

"S-she's strong!" He almost screamed out when Honoka tightened it even further. While strength was not her strong point, she had more than enough to cause fair pain against a fodder gangster. "S-shit, let go!"

"What a wuss!" A large boy chortled loudly among the others. "How can you call yourself a man?!"

Takeshi's face was turning absolutely crimson at the humiliation he was suffering. Honoka merely smiled and let it go before turning around to seemingly leave. However, the embarrassed boy turned back to her - red in the face - and went for an angry stab. When he got the knife an inch close to her back shoulder, the girl disappeared from his view entirely.

"Ooooh! Somebody dropped some yen! I should probably look for the owner." Takeshi looked down and found that his chin was positioned right above the tip of her head. In one swift movement, she stood abruptly and knocked the boy back in what seemed like an accident to the regular eye.

But Natsu Tanimoto knew differently. "Her innocent facade is definitely fabricated. Who is she?"

"Idol-san, aren't you gonna participate?" The young brunette scratched the side of her head with a knowing glint in her eyes. "I mean, you're not gonna let a pretty girl like me fight them alone, right?"

Hermit sighed. "Fine." He lifted his finger and pointed at the other members, a couple more had noticeably joined in after the brief scuffle. "Come on, let's settle this in that alley over there." The student actor pointed behind a certain ramen shop.

"W-what?"

Natsu just ignored them and walked side-by-side with the brunette - who still kept her innocent mask on. She even took out an array of weird candies to chew on while looking completely harmless. The Ragnarok lower-members, having no idea just what they were in for, ignorantly walked in and got the beating of a life-time handed to them.

It lasted for two minutes.

The girl walked out first and stretched comfortably. "Sheesh, I wouldn't have bothered helping out had I known you were a decent fighter. You're not bad at all, pretty boy!" Honoka teased and nudged his sides, eliciting a grunt of annoyance. "Hey, don't be like that...Oh wow, is that an injury on your hand? Pathetic!"

Natsu scoffed. "This happened before those idiots got here. It's from training." For some reason, her taunts riled him up enough to make him answer.

"...Sure it did." Was her unconvinced reply, "Look, there's nothing wrong with admitting that you're a bit on the slow side."

"I'm not slow!" He growled at her. "Wait, why am I having this conversation? She knows nothing about me!"

"And look at that, blood is seeping out from your wound because you applied too much pressure chopping people back there! You didn't even bother bandaging it correctly." The brunette shook her head in exasperation. "Boys these days just can't take care of themselves. Alright, I guess I'll have to show you how it's done."

"What? No, go home! I don't know who you are bu-" His arm was suddenly grabbed and she ran down the alley, "Where are you going? And let go of my arm!"

"Look, I don't have any bandages so we're gonna have to go buy some."

The blonde scoffed and released himself from her grip. "Tch. I'm outta here." He slipped into another nearby alley and proceeded to jump to the roof - hoping that he lost the crazy teenager he had just met. Despite his grudging attempts to get the girl out of his mind, one single thought plagued him for the rest of the way back.

"Why does she seem familiar?"

Ragnarok Base

A huge yawn erupted from the red-head's mouth as she watched - with absolute boredom in her eyes - the weaker members of their gang fight to prove themselves in front of the other Ragnarok fists. Why Odin called her - and not to mention the others - for such a lame activity annoyed the young fighter greatly. She had been in the middle of her new training regime when the summons was issued.

Oddly enough, one of her comrades agreed but unlike Kisara, he voiced it. "Odin, tell us again why you brought us here?" Loki drawled while he laid on his side. "I have many things to take care of. Can't the others take care of this without you?"

"Aaaaah - Lalalalalala ~..." A tall boy suddenly erupted musically. He kept long grey hair down to his waist with locks in the front down to his shoulders - and wore a dark red coat with a hat with a feather on top to match with dark boots and pants.

Kisara sighed at the sight. "Here we go with the spinning..."

And like she thought, the boy began spinning pirouette-style with his arms held diagonally in a y-shape. "We are here to determine a new comrade! Aaaah-lalalalalalalaaaa! Ever since Hermit-kun disappeared after fighting Shirahama!"

"Why do these people have to be so damn weird!"

"Siegfried is correct, Loki. Do not questions your orders." A dark-skinned girl muttered in a monotone voice. "Just be silent and keep an eye out for anyone worthy of the seat of Ragnarok's Sixth Fist."

"Heh!" Kisara suddenly smirked. "That's what we're here for? I should have listened earlier. I know someone who can do it!"

Odin merely gave her a short glance. "Oh? I'm interested, Valkyrie, what are you saying?"

The others looked to her. "I freshly recruited someone about a month ago who can totally own these chumps we're watching!" Said chumps just gave her an annoyed look but were too scared to voice their opinion.

"And who is it?"

Kisara glanced at her watch. "His name's Kakashi. Silver-hair, spiked up like what most Korean Pop-stars do, except his is natural. Always seems bored and has a hand-held in his hands all the time."

"Oh! I know that kid you're talking about!" Loki chuckled out loud. "He doesn't look like much from what I saw when I visited your base. You're saying that kid can take on one of us?"

"Yep!" She replied confidently before pointing at him. "He can easily defeat you, Loki."

The Fourth Fist of Ragnarok suddenly stopped his chuckling and a tense silence stirred. The rest of the elites merely glanced at their latest member with a curious look. Freya spoke first. "You seem...confident in this 'Kakashi' boy. Have you seen him fight?"

"He's definitely better than Loki." Her taunt furthered, making her technical superior grit his teeth slightly. "I bet Kakashi could even crush him in under a minute."

"Do you even hear the bullshit that's spewing from your mouth, Valkyrie?" Loki scoffed at her statement. "You think some stupid kid can beat me?"

"I don't think so, Loki. I know so."

"Interesting." Odin smiled and crossed his palms together, "Call him here then, Valkyrie. I wish to...test his capacity."

Kisara nodded. "I told him to bring over some pizza a while back. He'll be here..." A short figure walked in right when she said that. "Speak of the devil."

"Hm?" The lazy looking boy tilted his head when he saw the Fists looking at him. "Here." He handed the girl the box of pizza.

She smiled and patted him on the head, but stopped when he didn't bother reacting to the affectionate move. "Alright, alright. Since you were only an hour late, I'll let you play the new Virtua Fighter that came out when we get back to base." He only nodded and moved to leave.

"Wait." Odin spoke out. "Kakashi-kun, is it?"

The boy stopped abruptly, paused for a second, and then turned around. He inclined his head ever so slightly - barely acknowledging Odin as a superior and looked him right in the eye. The leader didn't really seem to mind his disrespect, nor did the others. Thor himself already seemed impressed by the kid's guts.

"Valkyrie has just recently nominated you as a potential candidate for Sixth Fist." Freya announced before gathering the attention of the other fighters. "The rest of you all can leave."

"What?!" A large boy shouted back. "We've been here all day fightin' for the spot and you told us to leave just because that bitch over there said this kid had a little somethin?!"

Kisara narrowed her eyes at the random flunky. "And who the hell do you think you are to talk to us like that, fodder?!"

"Oi, Odin! After I kill this runt, I can have the seat right?!" Another large teenager exclaimed from the side. "Since you all think he's so good on some bullshit here-say! Why don't I test him?"

"I agree." Loki voiced suddenly. "There's no way that kid can be a Fist. Valkyrie is full of bullshit."

Odin assessed the situation calmly while playing with the glasses on his face. The others seemed severely riled up. "Hm. Maybe I can use this to my advantage. The others have been growing restless as of late. If that kid is as good as Valkyrie suggests, then this shouldn't be a thing to him."

"Do as you please."

The red-head sighed and moved to assist her underling but a look from him stopped her. "Kakashi?"

He shrugged carelessly and turned to face the one who had challenged him. He was about twice the size of the boy and had something a menacing look - for a teenager, at least. "Ready?"

The silver-haired boy didn't bother to acknowledge him.

"Stupid kid!" The larger man got a grip of Kakashi's shoulders with both arms.

Seeing this Loki looked over to the red-head and smirked. "It's already over." The larger boy clearly had the strength advantage - a single grapple would end the fight in an instant.

"Yes." She agreed, but a smile was still plastered on her face. "But not for my guy."

No matter how hard the larger boy tried, he couldn't budge Kakashi from his spot. The boy stood as still as a mountain. "W-what's goin' on?!" In the next instant, the previously 'captured' boy disappeared from his grip and got to his side. "Wh-" He felt a sharp blow enter the side of his body - right on the lower ribs - and yelled in absolute agony. Kakashi then followed with a low kick, dropping the larger teen to one knee and delivered a swift elbow to his face.

Loki gritted his teeth and reluctantly nodded. "That was good." But that was not all.

The leader of the group managed to catch something else though. "Those eyes..." For a second, Odin could have sworn he saw a crazed look in the boy's black eyes. It was not an unfamiliar look, especially for those who fought underground to prove themselves, the condition was common in the martial arts Underworld.

"There's no doubt - those were the eyes of a killer!"

"Was I right...or was I right?" Kisara smirked. "Why don't you have a go, Loki? You were pretty confident before right? Right?!"

"Tch." His lips curled downward. "He's replacing Hermit, not me."

Odin nodded and looked at the boy, who's expression was kept carefully blank. "Well done, Kakashi-kun. The person you defeated was the best of today's nominees. I guess I should congratulate you."

The boy didn't react immediately. He just stared at Odin carefully and proceeded to shake his head, before turning to leave. Freya narrowed her eyes. "What is the meaning of this, boy?"

"I saw Hermit earlier." His voice was childish but held a hint of smooth mockery. "Strong people like him should keep his post."

"Then why don't you beat him for it?" Loki suggested lazily, "I mean, you can right?"

"If I could, I still wouldn't take the seat." Was his reply. "Only weaklings should be disposed of."

The trickster pinned a glare on him from behind his goggles - but the look soon turned to one of arrogance. "Tch. You got somethin' to say?" Kakashi lifted his palms upward in a nonchalant matter, saying:

"Why should strong people take down strong people when there is a weaker person to replace?" His gaze never left Loki's. "Maa, I've said enough. If I'm any later then I'll miss the sa-"

"Enough." Freya interrupted him. "Then choose one of the Fists to challenge - if you are so confident."

Valkyrie bit her cheek in worry. "Hopefully the idiot won't say something completely offensive."

"I only joined to play with Kisara-chan." The boy admitted. "I don't really care what you guys do."

"Nonetheless, you are apart of Ragnarok now!" Thor exclaimed and stomped his feet hard on the ground to show how serious he was. "Choose or we'll all crush you!"

"Or are you too scared?" Loki pushed on.

The insult did not get any sort of rise from Kakashi. His eyes were still blank, giving him a generally bored looking look - and the scarf on his neck still obscured any signs of possible annoyance that might have appeared on his lower face. Kisara looked around and noticed that the others were dead serious at the moment, waiting for the boy's eventual answer.

"...Fine." His blank look turned to one of exasperation, the first true expression that appeared on his face. "Guess I'll take goggles over there."

Odin clapped his hands once and his lips curled into a cruel smile. "Excellent. Since Hermit has proved to be around - I cannot just allow today's efforts to be wasted! Loki, you shall fight Kakashi here to determine if he is worthy of taking your spot!"

"Not now." The silver-haired boy rose his arm to interrupt him. "I have something to do right now. It is urgent."

The goggles wearing Fist laughed. "That's fine with me kid! Besides, I have things to do now as well." He glanced at his leader. "Odin?"

"That is acceptable for now, I suppose. Tomorrow, you two shall fight for the spot of 'Fourth Fist'!" He declared authoritatively, "You are all dismissed for today."

As they were all leaving, Kisara jogged up to Kakashi who's expression returned to being blank. "What was so important that you couldn't fight him now?" She asked. The boy merely shrugged and put his hands in his sweater pockets.

"Um...nothing." He scratched his head, "There's just- Oh, I'm late. Bye!" And with that, the boy dashed away at frightening speeds. It was many years later when she realized that there was a book store around the area he was headed.

Tanimoto's Mansion - Training Grounds

Natsu sat hunched on a nearby wooden bench that was low to the ground, his breath was fairly ragged and sweat dripped down his brows - a result from a heavy session of Piquaquan training.

"I cannot slack off." He wiped the sweat from his brows. "First it was the loss to that masked girl, and then the tie against Shirahama Kenichi." He counted the fight on top the bus as a draw because there was no clear winner - and at the end, there was slight Master interference. The boy knew that he could have defeated Kenichi had they been on even ground but according to sources, the guy only got better after every sighting. It was truly a phenomenon.

His fight against Xinku was a complete loss for him, however. There were no if ands or buts about that.

Natsu was determined to never lose like that again.

"Ha!" He went back to his chopping drills. "Huah!"

"Will you stop those 'hua' noises already! What are you, five? It only makes your hits stronger in a real fight, not in practice!" A girl's voice yelled from inside the house.

Twitching, the blonde yelled back in annoyance. "Shut up! It's none of your business!" He then muttered in a low tone, "Of course I'm not five, stu-" Natsu widened his eyes completely and ran hastily back to his manor.

What he saw baffled him. Sitting on his expensive lawn chair, next to his table that held his kettle of tea, was the girl he had met earlier that day. He noticed that her legs were carelessly placed on one of his most expensive statue carvings (not that he cared much for those, but they were still valuable) - resting there as if it were a foot-holder. The girl wore orange-tinted shades to cover her eyes from the blazing sun of summer. "Nice backyard you have here." Honoka smiled cheekily.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!? HOW DID YOU GET IN MY HOUSE?!"

The girl narrowed her eyes. "Well obviously, I'm here to settle the debt that you owe me."

Natsu was completely and utterly bemused. "What? What are you talking about? I don't owe you anything! I don't even know you!"

She looked at him without a hint of amusement. "For one, I saved your hide from the bullies back there. Two, because I saved you, I broke my oath to not fight on day-offs! So you owe me! Besides, look at you: You're training with an injury - why the hell would you do that? It's bleeding out for goodness sake!"

"It's fine!" He rubbed where he had clumsily bandaged himself. "Also, I could have handled those idiots by myself. You were the one that chose to help out on your own accord! I don't owe you anything!"

"You owe me a day-off you prick!"

"Screw you!"

"And I saw your house too! It was a mess, and oh G- the kitchen. Your kitchen was filthy when I walked in there! Do you know how wasteful that is? Do you know how many people would kill out there for the scraps of bread you leave on the floor? Get a maid or something!"

Maybe she was overreacting a little bit - actually, it was probably a certainty that everything Honoka was doing right now was completely unnecessary and rude but it couldn't be helped. The truth was, she had needed this venting of frustration ever since her late meeting with Ma Sougetsu - leading the man to figuring out who her Master was by the end. When she told Hakubi of the event, the old man was absolutely furious. Thankfully, he managed to aim most of it at the mafia so Honoka got away from his wrath. For the most part, she was scolded heavily for being found out.

They didn't know if Sougetsu was the type of man to reveal such delicate information since he was a former member of the organization known as 'Yami'. So far, everything in the world was quiet.

But for how long?

And now, she was venting her built up anxiety by breaking into a Ragnarok member's house and scolding him for his horrible living conditions - inside his own home - against all of the polite lessons her Master had ingrained in her head.

"I don't need a maid. I'm doing just fine by myself." He replied. "Don't scold me in my own home! Who do you think you are?" Natsu crossed his arms and looked down at her.

She stuck her tongue out at him childishly - resembling someone he once knew. Her stubborn nature truly irritated him to no ends but for some mystical reason, he kept falling for her silly taunts.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go on, get out of here!"

"No."

"Go!"

"No."

He growled and abruptly turned back to continue his training - intent on ignoring the girl entirely. She was of no threat to him and he wouldn't dare leave. It was his own manor!

"Oi, where do you keep the tea around here?!" She yelled out. "And you need to clean this place up! It's a mess!"

"Then leave if you think so!"

"No, I won't leave until you pay me back, you un-grateful prick!"

It was not until much later when Natsu Tanimoto came to the realization that it was her abrasive nature that reminded him of what he lost a long time ago. His own late sister was a kind, sweet and caring girl that he adored. But the girl that marched right into his own house and told him that he sucked at living really pissed him off to no end, creating a huge contrast - but for some reason, he was being muddle-headed about the situation. If he truly wanted to, he could have kicked her out.

Could he?

Then why wasn't he?

"I'm coming back soon! And if this house isn't clean by then, I'll keep scolding you!" Natsu tried to shut her voice out but couldn't entirely. He heard his front door close and let out a large sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness that little witch is gone!" He sighed externally. "What is it with me and attracting weird people! She's only a kid too."

At least she wasn't as bad as Siegfried.

Somewhere in Koryou - Orphanage Pass

"Dumb prick." Honoka mumbled as she walked down the street. The sun was falling down but there was one more stop that she had to stop by. "Maybe I went too far...nah, he almost killed Kenichi on top of a bus. I'm just giving him his due karma without kicking his butt. I think Master would approve if I justified it like that."

For a moment, she stopped a turned around to stare at a tree. "Huh, I could have sworn I heard something..." It was only fifteen minutes later when she arrived at her destination.

"...It's been a month, I think?" Honoka didn't know why she was talking to herself like this. "Haku can straighten me out. I'm so mad at myself right now, he'll definitely cheer me up."

Despite not meeting one another as often as they used to as sparring partners, Honoka always made sure to visit her old friend. Haku had grown immensely since Naruto left three years ago - not just height-wise, but character-wise as well. His duties as caretaker had matured him greatly compared to his old, assistant days of being care-free.

Opening the front door like always, she walked in and removed her shoes. "Wonder where he is...?"

"Hm?"

Turning around, the brunette was met with another familiar face. "Asuma-san! You're back from your trip." She waved at him with a grin. The man who had remnants of youth three years ago, no longer had such looks much to his dismay. His hair was now completely gray and his once handsome visage became old with stress lines. But even with those marks, he still retained the image of the kind man he always had been.

"Honoka-chan." Asuma walked over and patted her shoulder. "It's been a long time. Six months, I believe?"

"Yeah." The girl nodded. "How was the trip?"

"Long...but fun. I think that will be the last time I'll take such a long trip...I think I'll retire soon."

"That's good!" She beamed. "I mean, now you can finally stop working, right?" He nodded and smiled, before giving her a piercing look that caught her off guard for a brief moment. It was ignored.

"So...what are you here for?" He asked.

Honoka scratched her head as she answered. "Well, I'm came here to visit Haku. But it was nice seeing you too! How's Konohamaru by the way? I haven't seen him since he moved to the States!"

"Happy." Asuma replied simply. "He's living with one of my friends. Kid has made loads of friends."

"That's good..." She replied with a note of melancholy, her hands holding each other as they tightened on her stomach. It was not long after his kidnapping when Konohamaru asked to move to the States with one of Asuma's friends - a friend who had known him since childhood apparently. The only reason the person hadn't taken the boy before was lack of stability and work but now, that had changed.

"So...you're just here for Haku...?"

"Yeah. Why else would I be here?" Honoka scoffed lightly and nudged him. "But had I known you were here, I would have brought over my Othello board!"

"Heh, I'm not really in the mood to lose one hundred times in a row at a children's game." He laughed merrily. "Well, come on - let's go up."

For some odd reason, the elder man insisted on staying behind her like some paranoid prick but nothing in his expression said anything. His eyes kept roaming behind him as if to check for deadly bugs on a shadow. That kind of look usually put Honoka on edge since such actions usually meant that something weird was going on - and if there was anything weird going on, the brunette just had to know.

Her nosy side couldn't resist a good mystery at all.

When she got to the top floor, Honoka saw the office and made way. "Haku-chan, it's me." She knocked.

"...Come in."

Opening the door, she immediately walked in and saw the older looking version of Yuki Haku. No longer did he wear a simple blue kimono - it was now an elegant piece with a falling snow-like design and a slim white edge. The older man wore a white Haori above it all and on his waist was a sash that was as white as the snow - tucked into it was a small, retractable metal fan. His hair was still the same dark black that went down to his back.

Comically enough, he still somehow passed for a woman. Poor guy.

"Hona-chan."

"What th- I told you to stop calling me that!" The corner of her lips curled into a grimace. "I mean, I know you think it's cute but-"

"I know, I know." He rolled his eyes and asked her to sit down. "Come, I'll make tea and we can catch up."

"Great!" She grinned and sat on the floor in front of the table. "Where's Asuma-san? I could have sworn he was just behind me."

Haku grinned enigmatically. "Hm. Who knows, the man's been getting a bit...forgetful, as of late. Comes with terrible age. Enough of that, tell me of your troubles."

And so she did. She told him of all the things that had happened in the past weeks including about her multiple encounters with Ragnarok and Ma Sougetsu. She told him about how Hakubi had spent almost an hour scolding her for being so careless in front of a great Master like Sougetsu - and that her foolishness might have just painted a target on her back. Finally, she spoke of her building frustration with hunting down Ragnarok members and stopping them from bullying people.

She told him everything.

She always did. He was one of the few men in the world that held her full trust, along with her Master. No matter how much she loved her blood father and brother, they wouldn't understand her troubles as a person and as a martial artist. Maybe Kenichi could very soon...but unfortunately, she didn't think her father ever would.

But Haku and her Master always did. If anything, along with that skank Ma Renka, he was one of the few that could be counted as her best friends.

"I see..." He took a sip of his tea. "That is unsettling."

"Are you gonna scold me too?" It's not that she was afraid of being told off, to be honest, she just wanted to get criticism over with so she could move forward.

"No." His eyes softened. "From what you just told me, I believe you've gotten enough of that from Hakubi-dono."

They shared a brief moment of silence before he continued. "Honoka, you are like the sister I never had. And I care about you - so while I am upset that you would be so careless, I am happy that you finally managed to get it off your chest."

"W-what are you talking about?"

Haku poured another serving into his cup. "You're not mad that you told Ma Sougetsu, Honoka. Hell, you're not even mad at Hakubi for scolding you or yourself for allowing all of this to happen. From what I see...you- I think you seem a bit happier now that you've told someone." For the longest time, the girl had been extremely low in energy and enthusiasm. The once bright girl he had remembered training with had jaded in her three years doing martial arts activities. But now, ever since revealing her true nature, she finally began reverting to her former self.

"That can't be right!" She certainly hadn't felt happy earlier. "I've been stressed and angry the entire week!"

"Built up stress that you are just now releasing. Now that you've managed to calm down, why don't you re-assess yourself? You were always slow at meditation, it's no wonder that you're so confused."

Her lips tightened and she nodded before taking a deep, calming breath. It all came to her that moment of serenity - her former Master's room always had a way of calming her. The man sitting in front of her drinking tea was not completely wrong - if not outright correct. For the first time in a long time, she felt as if a burden was lifted off of her shoulders. What it was, Honoka didn't know but it gave her a feeling of...freedom, something she sincerely enjoyed.

"...Was it a nice epiphany?"

"But- well, shouldn't I feel bad then? Uncle Hakubi was so mad that he yelled at me a bit! And he never does that." She mumbled. "But I feel so good about it! I can't help myself! I felt so- so proud when I admitted it! I'm so proud, Haku-chan!"

"Hakubi-dono wasn't mad at you, Hona-chan. He was just probably a little worried. No doubt, he is probably on edge with all the things that have been going on in the Underworld of Martial Arts. Rumor has it that 'Yami' has begun to recruit heavily into their weapon's division. This is startling news, as you can probably imagine."

His words relieved her of a lot of stress. "I see."

"Don't think too much about the whole 'Yami' business. That's something that the Heroes of the world should be concerned with, not a student. You're still young, for the moment, you still need more training before stepping into that realm."

The brunette nodded in understanding before inclining an eye-brow at him. "What are you saying other then what's on the surface, Haku-chan?"

He was about to answer before closing his mouth and smiling mysteriously. "Welcome back."

"You were never one to boast so slyly, Haku. The realm of Mastery has been good for you."

Honoka froze in her spot, the tea that she had been close to drinking long forgotten in front of her. "That voice." A voice that would always haunt her training, cleverly taunting but pushing her all at the same time. It was a voice that she defaulted in her mind when she mentally asked spirits for guidance. It was the voice that always gave nothing but words of true encouragement and wisdom to her in times of darkness.

She stoop up immediately and slowly turned around.

Standing right behind her was a tall blond man with crisp (but kind) blue eyes and a soft smile adorning his deceptively young visage. He wore simple peasant robes that looked aged and ragged - most likely a result from his long journey. Around his shoulder was a sword that was tied with a simple white string.

"Master..."

Her whisper uttered out like an instinct. She walked up to him and gazed right into his eyes unflinchingly. He returned it in full. All of a sudden she got on her knees and bowed her head in complete submission, wrapping her left hand around the right. "Master!"

He chuckled heartily and grabbed her by the shoulders to drag the girl up to her feet. "No need to be so dramatic, my disciple. Come, I'm sure you just need a h-" She glomped him immediately and tightened her grip as soon as contact was made. Naruto only smiled and ruffled her hair her affectionately - like how an uncle would do for their nieces. "I am so glad to see you well, Honoka."

"I have practiced martial arts everyday like you have asked of me. I have devoted my every waking minute to your teachings, Master! I- I am so happy-" She stuttered clumsily - completely and utterly overwhelmed by emotion. "I missed you so much."

He sighed and let the girl keep her embrace. "I've missed you as well."

She didn't know why but the presence of her Master seemed to put her tense mind at ease. The stresses that had been building up and fortifying for weeks were collapsing. For the first time in a long time, she felt light.

"You've grown into a beautiful young lady - and a skilled martial artist." He commented lightly. "Well done."

"My diligence stems from your brilliance, Master. Without you, I would not be who I am today."

Haku laughed a bit at that. "Just give up already, sensei. No matter how hard you try, she will always refute and pin her skills as your accomplishment and not her own."

"Silly girl." Naruto flicked Honoka on the forehead, eliciting a slight hiss. "Let's have tea. I heard everything you have said - now we must discuss your course of action, among other things."

Haku took out a nearby cup and placed it where the blonde turned to sit. "You must be tired from your journey."

"It was quite exciting." The Master nodded once, "However, we must get on topic. Disciple, did you say that it was Ma Sougetsu that uncovered you?"

Honoka had the sense to look a bit ashamed. "Yes."

Seeing her expression, he rose his hand and flicked her again on the temple. "Stop that, don't worry yourself too much. I am just happy that you managed to keep it secret for three years - someone was bound to find out."

"B-but-"

"Enough. Luckily for you, there is no need to worry about him." The two disciples gave him a questioning look. "Ma Sougetsu owes me a life debt! If the man knows what's good for him, he won't tell a single soul. Even so, he is not the type of person that gossips so easily."

The youngest seemed more than a little relieved at that. "Anyway, I came to warn you about something. I'm sure Hakubi has told you but Koryou has somehow gained the attention of Konoha. According to the reports I found in one of their bases, agents are being sent here to scope out something."

"What's so interesting about this place?" Honoka asked incredulously. "There's nothing special here!"

Her Master disagreed with those sentiments. "Talent, Honoka. Also, they wouldn't pass on an opportunity to scout the newly minted disciple of Ryouzanpaku - the Heroes who are praised as the 'Strongest In History' for a very good reason." He took another drinking before pinning a curious look on his student. "I was more than a little surprised and amused when I heard that it was a 'Shirahama' Kenichi that became the disciple of History's best. Unfortunately, his reputation brings both good and bad things."

Now that made more sense to her. "If they're interested in my brother, then I can't just stand by and let them do as they please."

"You were never one to run from a fight. That's a good thing I suppose." The blonde acknowledged. "I also wish to take a look around before leaving."

"How long will you be staying here, Master?" She desperately hoped it would be a good duration. "Just curious."

"A week or two at best. One to look around, two to test you."

"I guess that's the best I can hope for." The girl understood clearly just how important her Master's quest was. "I understand, Master."

"Good." He finished up the last droppings of his tea. "Oh, and Haku - I brought an injured guest to see you."

"Hm?" The younger man quirked a brow. "A companion?"

Naruto chuckled and shook his head in the negative. "You see, when I arrived in town - I was walking by the port when I saw the strangest thing. There was a young man - who looked quite beaten and battered - singing from the top of his lungs about the beauty of a punch's 'Zero Beats'. I had thought that he had gone insane, so I brought him over to you."

"..." The dark-haired man stared at the blonde Master. "...And you didn't take him to the hospital because...?"

"That's the interesting part! While I was on the way there, he began singing a Peach Blossom Island classic. I couldn't just let the boy lose his mind so I brought him here to a trustworthy healer; such talents must be kept in this world at any cost!" Naruto defended his stance strongly, "It was quite good, you know."

The two disciples couldn't help but give the justifying man a little credit.

"He never changes."

END

I don't know how this made to 7500 words. It was such a simple chapter.

As you can see, I deviated slightly from canon here. Natsu got back earlier, before the Siegfried fight with Kenichi. Naruto finds Siegfried sometime after and brings him to Haku. Honoka's relationship with Nacchi is going to be completely different - but I will try to retain their closeness. I'm trying to not force it since we all know that this Honoka is miles different than canon Honoka so I have to make their relationship different. Sometimes, I hate myself for eliminating most of the innocent from her.

No chronicles of course - since you know, I gave Naruto a cameo. He will be around for maybe a few chapters then I'll send him off again. I was gonna do an omake but I changed my mind.

For me, this chapter was a bit tough to write since I lost my hot-hand - which is fine, I'll get it back sometime. Currently under a lot of stress from real life, I gotta do what I gotta do. No matter how many times you beat an obstacle, another will make itself known. The writing in this chapter is probably going to be the worst you'll ever get from me, hopefully.

I tried to make things a bit funnier with witty humor but even I didn't laugh at it, so I don't know how you all will feel.

Kakashi is back. This chapter was 100% set-up, no action at all, which is unlike me. This entire chapter was unlike me.

Why did I bring Naruto back briefly? Well, I did say that I would be doing that. Brief cameos and then a full return some time after the Ragnarok arc - that's the plan. I have a plan for people who keep asking me who I'm pairing Naruto with.

The next chapter WILL solve that issue. The mystery of it all, at least. I mean come on, this is HSDK. Who else would I pair my second lead character with?

This return is only temporary. But I will be making MOST of it. I promise.

Some people asked for a complete move-set for Honoka and I have delivered:

Tianfang (Sky Fang): A drop kick that involves a drilling body motion.

Longxuan (Dragon Spin): It's a counter technique that involves spinning into the opponent's forward momentum and landing an elbow.

Longuizishou (Dragon Executioner): Imagine Naruto's "Uzumaki Barrage" but without the clones. Honoka sweeps the opponent's legs from below and jumps very quickly to land a spinning heel drop on the chest. It's power depends on how long Honoka gets to spend in mid-air spinning.

Longzhimao (Dragon Spear): A flying knee and elbow combo. If the knee is blocked, then the elbow is swung.

Longzhifang (Dragon's Fang): Uses a free hand to stop a punch by striking the shoulder and in same fluid motion, uses other arm's elbow to strike face.

Shuangzifang (Twin Fang): It's the follow up to Longzhifang where the swinging elbow returns and hits the opponent again.

Fanglei-Long (Lightning Dragon): A delayed version of Longuizishou using both heels and more velocity. It cannot be done unless the opponent is down for a long time.

Zhipao (Finger Gun): Self-explanatory - using two fingers to pierce an opponent's body. Uses ki and breath hardening techniques.

Shé Jiao Dian (The Serpent Glides): It's a footwork style where the user can literally glide while moving. It is effective for many styles of fighting that involve dodging and maneuvering, but not advisable for offensive fighters. Honoka only uses it against superior opponents.

Seikuken (Control of the Air Sphere): All Kenichi readers should know this. It's basically the domain where Honoka can reach and deflect. With her style, she counters better in that range. She is after all, a counter fighter.

Well, I think that's enough for now.

Have a nice day.