Disclaimer: Hi, it's me, Mizu! I have a new chapter for you all! Lately, I have been rather lethargic and dizzy, so it is hard for me to write on the computer. I apologize for this late chapter. Anyway, I pray you continue to enjoy my HakuSaku fic.
Author's note: Anything with an + denotes an author's note which can be viewed at the bottom of the fic.
San
Sakura sat up in bed, yawning deeply. That was a weird dream I had…Sasuke playing the bagpipes and Kakashi doing the limbo. She rubbed her eyes, slowly dragged herself out of bed, and got dressed for the day. I wonder when and where I'll meet that Haku boy…
Naruto, who was sitting on a chair, stared hungrily at a box of cornflakes. It wasn't very often he got to eat cornflakes, since he lived just above the poverty line.
"Oh sorry, these are for Sasuke. You can help yourself to the millet in the pantry," Inari's mother notified, picking up the box of cereal. Naruto's stomach growled in protest to her words. Then, just as soon as she left the room, Sakura entered.
"Any news on Sasuke-kun's condition?" she questioned.
"Yeah, he has first choice on food," grumbled Naruto, "And now we get to eat millet."
Sakura made a disgusted face. No…not millet…
Around the time that the ninjas of team seven were having breakfast, Haku was already set for the day. He was out of his shack, and had begun the menial trek to where medicinal herbs grew. A slight breeze drifted through the air. There was a rustling noise in some nearby ferns, and a white rabbit jumped out.
"Hi there," said Haku, bending down to the rabbit, "Do you want to come with me?" The rabbit skittered up his arm and sat itself on Haku's shoulder. The rabbit was a gift from Zabuza as a coming home present from a mission.
It was about eleven o' clock when Haku arrived at the herb patch. The place itself was small; nonetheless, it contained a myriad of shrubs suitable for curing ailments and wounds. Haku probed the area for silkweed, the key plant in speeding up Sasuke's recovery. When he found it, he tucked it away in his basket. The rabbit hopped off his shoulder and skittered away into the forest. Well, now it's about time I met up with Sakura and her team.
Back at Tazuna's house, the members of team seven (Except for Sasuke and Kakashi) were plucking weeds out of Tazuna's rose garden. Inari participated in the work as well. Sakura pulled out a rose thorn from her hand. She winced in pain.
"Sakura-chan, do you have a feeling someone is watching us?" questioned Naruto.
"No," she replied, pulling out a long, tubular weed.
"Hey, Sakura-chan, can you get that spot over there?" questioned Inari's mom, pointing to the farthest tip of the garden.
"Yes ma'am."
Just as soon as Sakura began to pull weeds, a hand placed a basket down in front of her. "Haku, is that you?" she queried.
"Yeah, but whisper softly. Your fellow ninja might notice me."
"So what do I do with these herbs?"
"Feed them to Sasuke once every day for about a week. Make sure he takes plenty of water. And please, don't tell them I gave you this. They might be suspicious."
"Alright. Thank-you so much Haku."
"Bye"
Sakura took the basket, and got up.
"You're done already?" questioned Inari.
"No, but I have something to give to Sasuke. I'll be back in a minute."
"And so you found these while picking weeds?" questioned Kakashi, examining the silkweed leaves.
"Yeah," Sakura lied.
"I never knew you had such intuition Sakura…you are a very good ninja," Kakashi said, "So, I give these to him once every day for a week?"
"Yes"
Sasuke made a moaning noise. "Don't worry, Sakura's found something that will help you. Say aah," ordered Kakshi. Sasuke opened his mouth weakly, and Kakashi dropped a few leaves in the gaping orifice. Sasuke chewed contently for a few seconds, and then made a face, like a baby who had its first taste of lemon. He reached frantically for the water, and chugged the entire pitcher down.
"I guess this means I'll have to get more water," sighed Kakashi, "Sakura, you're relieved of your de-weeding job. Go ahead and take some R&R."
Sakura knew just what she would do with her spare time.
"Hmm, this one looks good," Sakura said under her breath, examining a large melon from a vendor. "How much is this one sir?" she questioned the vendor owner.
"Hmmm, I'd say about……..a thousand yen (which is equivalent to ten dollars in the US)," answered the street vendor, rubbing his chin. Sakura gleefully paid the amount due, although it ate up all of her pocket money.
"Would you like it in a bag?" questioned the man. Sakura nodded, and the man quickly brown-bagged it. Normally, Sakura wouldn't be so generous to anyone, but she felt a weird sensation. It was the type of feeling she got when she was around Sasuke, an I-want-to-be-super-nice-to-you state of mind. So naturally, she bought him a melon+.
Walking away from the vendor, she enjoyed the balmy, breezy weather. A few clouds darted the sky. It's a perfect day to visit Haku. I wonder if days like this are common here. Her meditating was interrupted by a tap on the shoulder. She instinctively turned around.
"Inari? Why are you here?"
"Your break's up," he panted, "We discovered a beehive up in the attic. We need your help to get rid of it. And after that we have to clean out whatever else is up there."
A sigh escaped Sakura's lips. I guess I'll just have to wait till tomorrow. I'm sorry Haku.
"ITAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" cried Naruto, running around in circles, bees chasing after him.
"Yeah, Naruto's not too good with bees," Inari remarked, the pupils in his eyes tracing Naruto's movements.
"ITAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIII!"
Sakura formed the hand movements necessary to complete Bunshin no Jutsu. Soon enough, there was another Naruto in the room, albeit a clone. Sakura manipulated the clone over to the beehive, and made the clone attack it. The bee's turned the attention away from the real Naruto, and sped towards their new attacker. But before any of the bees could sting the clone and discover it was a fake, the clone ran out of the room, and then out of the house. The bees continued to follow. When at last it seemed there were no bees left, the kunoichi flung a set of shuriken into the hive, causing it fall to the floor, where it broke apart.
"Honey!" cried Inari, dipping his finger into the honeycombs.
"Band-Aids," cried Naruto, in an Akamaru-esque whimper.
"So, you think with his condition improving you'll be able to leave in three days?" questioned Tazuna.
"Yes, it seems so. If it were back in Konoha-gakure, I would have confined him to the bed until he recovered. But since we're here, I don't want to overstay our welcome," replied Kakashi.
Haku was curled up in a ball under the window of Sasuke's room. He listened intently to the conversation. This is my chance to escape this place! I could start my new life in Konoha-gakure! If I can convince the rest of the group that I've changed, I just might be able to pull it off!
"Hold on a second Tazuna, I think I hear an interloper…" said Kakashi, walking over to the window. Haku quickly hand-signed some jutsu, disappeared from his current spot, and reappeared in the woods a few yards away.
"That was close," he sighed, "I almost was caught!"
Kakashi sat back down. "I guess it was probably just a squirrel or rabbit. Anyway-"
As Kakashi continued on with conversation, and as Sakura placed Band-Aids on Naruto, Haku walked down the familiar dirt path for the umpteenth time. Despite the rain, and the change of scenery, Haku bore a smile. Things were taking a turn for the better.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Author's notes
+ So, she bought him a melon. In Japan, buying a melon for someone is an expression of thanks. The concept is much like in the US where cake is given to a person as a sign of thanks. The reason why melons are given is that Japan has little land to grow fruits and vegetables. Thus, they are much more rare. Cakes are a common foodstuff in Japan, and can be purchased at almost any food store.