Author's Note Hey! Normally I post notes on the first and second chapters, but I completely forgot to do that here. Anyways, I guess I'll say everything I need to say now! But first, I'll start with some apologies. I'm really sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up. A lot of stuff happened and I got completely sidetracked, but I'll hopefully have future chapters up sooner! Also, the quality may have deteriorated with this chapter - which, I'm also sorry for. Please, comment and tell me how you feel and if I should change anything! With that aside, I'm super happy to have this chapter (and this fanfiction overall) up and running. Things are going to get really interesting, and I hope you all enjoy reading this! Thank you for taking the time to read it!

April 14th

Tonight's moon-phase: waxing crescent

Naruko had spent most of the night lost in thoughts of trepidation from yesterday's encounters, and sleep hadn't beckoned her until hours after midnight. When Jiraiya decided to pitilessly chuck a pillow at her face the following morning and announce with alien enthusiasm that it was time to wake up she was not impressed, to say the least.

As she unceremoniously tossed the pillow aside and sat upright, she cinched to give him the finger.

Jiraiya snorted. "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed," he teased with a playful smirk that faded as his face was met by the two pillows she launched at him. "You didn't need to throw both of them!"

"Well, you didn't need to throw any of them, y'know!" She snapped as she scooted to the edge of her bed and delivered an appropriately miffed look.

"What's with that look?" Jiraiya asked as he picked up the pillows and walked to her bed. After he haphazardly tossed them aside he plopped down beside her, and as she rose to face him she saw that concern had replaced the humor that once swirled in the depths of his eyes. "Is something wrong? I don't think I've seen you this grumpy in a while."

"Well…" Her anger had faded as quickly as it came, and she was left tired and confused in its wake. Should she tell him? Albeit she trusted Jiraiya with her life she struggled to find the words to clearly depict what she saw and felt yesterday. Maybe I just need more sleep… She deduced as she combed a hand through her tousled hair. If she ever managed to voice her apprehension he'd surely look into the situation, and maybe that's what bothered her to the point of silence. If Kakashi and the others were truly willing to help her, she didn't want to pester Jiraiya with her suspicions. While he could focus on his own problems she could work alongside the others on separate investigations, and with that thought she resolved to keep her premonitions to herself for the time being. With a shake of her head she stood up, offering an overcompensating smile. "I didn't sleep well last night, but that's somethin' I've gotta get used to, right?" Before he could even begin to question her she traversed the room to her closet, where knee-length dresses with stripes and polka-dot patterns welcomed her - not the blouses and trousers she was accustomed to. The unmistakable mischief settling on Jiraiya's features proved that he was behind the sudden change, and it took every ounce of self-control she had to not chuck a shoe at him. This had to be his millionth attempt to make her more ladylike, and although she's admitted hundreds of times that she was anything but, she couldn't stultify his endeavors.

That didn't mean she wouldn't berate him, though as she spun around just to do that she came face to face with him, and she was left dumbfounded as his hand fell atop her head to ruffle her unruly hair.

"Whatever you say, Naruko. If anything's bothering you, though, you can tell me." He said, his face devoid of devilry. With that he retracted his hand and exited the room, and all she did as he left was smile warmly at his back. Yeah, I know. You perverted bastard.

Naruko had thankfully found a pair of decent clothes with enough time left to scarf down two pieces of toast for breakfast, but she rued every bite as she reached the center of town. The vomitous scent of blood and death wafted from the three dead bodies sprawled out on the concrete, and bile rose in her throat when she recognized the corpse on the left.

Oh, gosh. The corpse had features analogous to Tazuna. Realization settled in with a chill that crawled up and down her spine.

Tazuna was dead.

No, it can't be. She wanted to believe it wasn't him, but at the same time she knew it wasn't him - was it denial or was it instincts? As she struggled to differentiate the two she averted her gaze from the deceased's twisted faces, but she was met by something just as noisome. Standing across from her was the man and woman she spotted yesterday. The corners of the man's eyes crinkled, and although his mouth was obscured by the bandages she could tell by the unambiguous mirth in his eyes that he was smiling. It took her a second to realize that his smile was aimed at Tazuna's corpse, and her blood ran cold.

Tazuna's death delighted him.

Without a moment's hesitation, she marched right up to him.

"Why're you smiling?" She asked, the words stealing her breath as they left her lips. "There's three dead bodies, and you're smiling?"

His face was devoid of all emotion when he faced her. For a moment she wondered if it was all her imagination, but that's what he wanted her to think. What she saw now was a guise to hide the truth, and she wasn't about to be fooled by it. The stare he delivered was intense, and she found herself shrinking back despite the confidence she approached him with.

Hiruzen spoke, and she remembered to breathe. "Attention! We have a total of three victims. The first victim, the one on the left…"

Naruko spun on her heel to face Hiruzen. All thoughts of the man were pushed to the back of her mind as she focused on Hiruzen's voice. Don't say Tazuna, please… She pleaded as she nervously chewed on her bottom lip. Don't say Tazuna.

She soon found that the rapid thump in her ears was the sound of her own pounding heart.

"...His name was Haru Watanabe."

"Wait, who?" The words left her lips before she could stop them, and she felt her heart skip a beat as she stepped toward the corpse. "You mean… This corpse right here - it isn't… It's Haru Watanabe?" She asked dryly as she pointed a finger at who she thought was Tazuna.

"Yes, Naruko. He's Haru Watanabe." Hiruzen's expression softened as he spoke. "He was killed by a Serial Killer, but he didn't have a Role. Do you know him?"

She felt a twinge of guilt at the sudden relief that filled her, but she couldn't help it. Tazuna wasn't dead, so she still had a chance to find the Serial Killer and save him. A curse resounded from behind her, and she whirled around to see the man she confronted earlier. He sounded upset, and she wondered if it was because Tazuna wasn't the one who died.

Was this man the Serial Killer?

It made sense, didn't it? He exuded a rancor vibe that made the hairs on the back of her neck bristle, and his disappointment surfaced exclusively after Hiruzen's announcement about the same corpse he had smiled at beforehand. If that wasn't enough to confirm her suspicions, she didn't know what else would.

"You seem quite upset, Zabuza."

Naruko's mind went blank at the soft, tender voice that broke the silence. As Hiruzen started to drone off about the other corpses in the background she focused on the woman beside the man. The malice faded in an instant. All she could feel now was warmth, and shock as the woman strolled up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"What happened, Haku?"

Haku's unfeigned smile was amicable yet apologetic, despite the seriousness of the situation. "I'm sorry, Zabuza. I somehow mixed up the addresses and guarded the wrong person last night. I'll be more organized from now on."

"Whatever. It's not like we can do anything about it now."

Naruko's head spun. It was like Haku's mere appearance dispelled Zabuza's malicious vibe, and she started to wonder if his eerie demeanor was just a misconception.

But… How could it? She asked herself, facing Haru's corpse. How could Haru's resemblance to Tazuna and Zabuza's moment of triumph be a coincidence? Not to mention, if that wasn't a smile on his face, then why would he deadpan the moment he faced her - as if he didn't want her to see it? It just didn't add up, and the more she thought about the more a mere coincidence seemed less likely.

"Zabuza, who is this?"

Naruko felt like she had just been chucked off a cliff with how hard her stomach dropped at that moment. Zabuza's first impression of her surely wasn't tip-top, and she wouldn't be surprised if whatever aversion he harbored toward her rubbed off onto Haku. As she slowly spun to face them she eased into a tense, yet casual smile, but she couldn't find her voice.

Zabuza's head tilted in her direction as he spoke. "I don't know. I just met her before the Mayor's announcements. There seems to be a… Misunderstanding."

Naruko's smile morphed into an irate scowl. "Misunderstanding? If you weren't smiling at those dead bodies, then tell me, what the hell else were you doing?

"It's quite difficult to tell the difference sometimes because of that mask he wears, right?" Haku interrupted, her voice kind, but defensive. She looked at him over his shoulder. "You shouldn't hide so much of your faze, Zabuza. This is the second time this has happened, isn't it?"

"Look, lady-"

"You don't need to apologize, ma'am. We understand," she replied as she patted Zabuza's shoulder. "We'll leave you be, now." Haku flashed one last smile before she completely turned around, but she didn't walk away - even as Zabuza disappeared into the crowd. To Naruko's surprised, she turned around and spoke before she could even open her mouth to question her. "By the way, I'm not a woman. I'm a man."

Naruko choked on her own spit. Wait, Haku's a man? He's more feminine than me! She pushed aside her shock and furiously shook her head to clear her thoughts. Now wasn't the time to let Haku's gender dumbfound her. She needed to focus on Zabuza, albeit when she looked up all she saw were unfamiliar faces. Not Haku and Zabuza.

She wasn't about to let them go.

She jostled her way through the crowd, determined to find them. What she felt when she first saw Zabuza was, without a doubt, unadulterated malice, and her blood boiled as she remembered his smile and the noisome triumph dancing in his eyes. She knew it wasn't a misconception, and while she couldn't prove them culpable there wasn't anything proving their innocence either. There was still hope, but even that began to slip away like sand between her fingers as she came across more and more unfamiliar faces. She skidded to a stop and spun around to search the crowd, but there were still no signs of them, and after a few more spins she finally realized that she lost them. They were gone. For all she knew, they could've simply left and completely forgotten about the remainder of today's session.

Damn it. She longed to continue her pursuit, but at the same time she didn't want to risk missing any leads anybody might have. She figured she couldn't be the only one suspicious of him. After all, his malicious vibe was so tangible she could slice it up and serve it at a dinner table. Hell - there was probably enough to serve the entire crowd twice. That's how intense it was.

And it all faded instantly upon Haku's arrival.

What's up with that, anyway? She wondered as she angrily kicked a pebble, firmly resolving to find answers soon as she sauntered back to Hiruzen. Haku was like a light that chased away all the darkness emanating from Zabuza, and it was so incredibly confusing that it left her head spinning. She was picking up different sensations left and right, especially around those two, and it was going to drive her insane if she didn't find out the reason behind it. Deciding to keep her questions stored in the back of her mind for later, she stood tall and faced the rest of the crowd. There was one thing she had that would help her find clues, and that was their names. She didn't know how the TI worked, but she was sure they could do something even with that bit of information.

That provided her with enough respite to calmly listen to the discussions following Hiruzen's announcement.

"Sorry, ma'am. I can't let you in yet."

"Why not?" Naruko shot the man blocking the tavern's doors a quizzical look. "It's open, isn't it?" She had to stand on her tiptoes to see over his broad shoulders and peer through the rectangular windows on the doors. Nebulous yellow light illuminated the interior of the tavern, and satisfied, she rolled back on her heels. "Looks like it is. The lights are on." A puff of smoke from his lips coalesced with the fumes from his cigar as he exhaled, and she took another step back with a grimace. Does everybody in this town smoke?

"That's not - I meant…" With a shake of his head he leaned down to match her height, both of his eyebrows raised in one of the most incurious expressions she's ever seen. "You can enter after you tell me your name and age, alright? That is, if you meet the age requirements."

"Age requirements?" The words rolled off her tongue numbly. Kakashi didn't say anything about age requirements.

"Yeah," he pulled back. "You have to be twenty-one to enter."

"Twenty-one? You've gotta be kiddin' me!" She snapped, promising herself that if she ever saw Kakashi again, she'd strangle him for not mentioning this. "Look, somebody told me to meet them here, so… Can you just let me in?"

"Are you twenty-one?"

"Um, yeah."

"No, you're not. If you're not twenty-one, you can't enter. I won't bend the rules for anybody."

"Well, um… How do you know how old I am? Who the help are you, anyway? You probably don't even work here."

"My name is Asuma Sarutobi." He said as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I happen to be the owner of this tavern."

She raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Prove it."

All he needed to do was point at the sign hoisted above the door for her to feel like a complete idiot.

Sarutobi's Tavern.

"Oh, um… Nice sign." She bit out, wondering if this confrontation had just ruined her chance of ever getting into his tavern.

Just as Asuma opened his mouth to speak the doors behind him creaked open, and as Kakashi emerged from the tavern she found she was more thankful than annoyed.

"She's with me, Asuma." He stated, and Asuma stepped aside with a confused frown.

"She's with you?" There was a sudden glint in Asuma's eyes that sent a chill up and down Naruko's spine. Warmth crawled on her cheeks as his eyes roamed over her body, and just as she thought she was about to explode with how downright awkward the situation was he recommenced. "I didn't know you were into younger ladies, Kakashi. You've got a good eye."

"It's not like that." Kakashi's shoulders slumped as he replied. He tilted his head back, and Naruko realized that he was staring at her as he spoke, not him. "I want to introduce her to them. You know, the Investigator and Doctor."

"Y-yeah, uh… I don't date old guys, anyways." Naruko quickly added, tearing her gaze from Kakashi to glare at Asuma, who held his hands up defensively.

"Alright, alright, my bad… Misunderstanding." Asuma's lips stretched into a nervous, but cheeky smile as he held the door open for them. "I guess I'll make an exception for you this time, miss. Just don't cause any trouble, alright?"

"She won't." Kakashi replied for her as he pushed her inside.

Now, when she thought of a tavern she imagined broken windows, flipped tables and broken chairs, stone-tiled floors and a bunch of robust men with irate expressions; however, Sarutobi's Tavern was different. To her left was a bar with a suave man on the other side, and to her right was a staircase that led to the bedrooms. Booths aligned the walls and tables filled the space between the bar and staircase. It was unoccupied apart from the two seated at a booth in the far corner of the tavern, who Kakashi slowly directed her to.

Closer, she saw it was a man and a woman. The woman had a strange appearance, to say the least. Pink hair framed a cherubic face and emerald eyes sparkled with warmth. The sleeves of her beige blouse were rolled up to her elbows, and a few buttons were left alone to reveal parts of her collarbone. She focused on the man. His clothes were normal, as it wasn't uncommon to see a fine vest - in this case, blue - tailored to perfection with a pristine white collared shirt; however, she couldn't say the same about everything else. His skin was so pale it was nearly white, yet attractively juxtaposed with the thatch of black hair that framed his immaculate face. His eyes captured her attention the most. Onyx eyes gazed into her own, strangely familiar. What danced in those dark pools danced in her own - she could feel the loneliness, so strongly it hurt, yet there was something more sinister within them.

Hate.

This hate wasn't for her, though. Even though she could tell he harbored it for someone else, the hairs on the back of her neck stood.

"Kakashi," a smooth, baritone voice reeled her from her thoughts. "I thought you were going to bring us a Vigilante, not a clown."

She snorted, not giving Kakashi a chance to speak as she slammed her hand on the table. "Do I look like I have face paint and a big red ball on my nose?"

The man raised a brow. "No, but your hair fits the part."

"It's called I just woke up."

"It's called a brush."

She spun around and faced Kakashi. "Are you serious? I can't work with this guy!"

"Calm down, Naruko." He said, and as he took a seat beside the raven-haired male he gestured for her to sit next to the pinkette. Though she was tempted to leave, she listened. "You ought to give each other a chance."

"She isn't the first Vigilante I've met, Kakashi."

She glared daggers at him from across the booth. "Let me guess, you're the Investigator?"

"You told her our Roles?" He asked Kakashi darkly.

"You aren't the first asshole I've met." She answered for him. "Oh, sorry, I meant Investigator. I guess there really isn't much of a difference, if you think about it."

"Would you two cut it out?" The pinkette beside her, who had yet to speak, snapped. The booth fell silent instantly. "I don't mean to be rude, Kakashi, but why did you bring a Vigilante when they don't get along with Investigators?"

"Don't you think it's about time for us to set aside our differences and focus on what's important?" Kakashi didn't miss a beat as he spoke. "This isn't the time to judge each other by something that doesn't define us. We need to work together."

"But, Kakashi…" Uncertainty leaked into the pinkette's voice.

"I know. You're wondering how a Vigilante can help us, right?" He faced Naruko, then, staring into her eyes expectantly. "Well, you'll see." His gaze wandered to the bar, and he stood up, pointing at it over his shoulder. "Why don't you all introduce yourselves while I fetch us some water? When I get back we'll discuss our plans." He left before any of them could speak, leaving Naruko alone with a hollow feeling in her the two beside her a wary glance, she wondered if they even wanted to work with her. Obviously the thought of grouping with a Vigilante wasn't ideal to them, and honestly, she'd rather work alone than deal with that man's snobbish attitude. But that same gut feeling returned, warning her that this was an opportunity she shouldn't turn her back on. The introductions surprisingly went smoothly. She found that the pinkette was Sakura Haruno, a Doctor, and the man was Sasuke Uchiha, the Investigator. She swore she heard Jiraiya mention his name yesterday, but the memory was vague, so she had shrugged it off and continued to converse with Sakura. She didn't miss the long side-glances she shot Sasuke as she spoke. She wondered if she liked him. How anyone could like someone as moody as Sasuke, she didn't know, but maybe she just knew him better.

It wasn't long before Kakashi arrived with three glass cups filled to the rim with water. As he passed a cup to each person, the ice tinkling the glass as it slid across the table, he spoke. "As I told you all before, we'll help Naruko find a Serial Killer and she'll help us find and eliminate about half of the Mafia." He explained. "Now that you've hopefully gotten to know each other, do you still want to do it?"

All three of them nodded.

"Good, now…" Kakashi explained the situation with Tazuna and the second Serial Killer, and beyond eager to share her suspicions about Zabuza and Haku, Naruko's heart raced with every pause he took in between sentences.

When Kakashi stopped, Sasuke spoke first. "Do you really think we can do this, Kakashi?" He continued before she could argue. "Anyone could be the Serial Killer. The fact that Serial Killers tend to try to pass themselves off as Doctors helps us narrow down our search a little. It also helps that this Serial Killer happens to be foreign, but I doubt we'll find anything before Tazuna's murdered…"

Naruko's heart sunk. Is there really nothing we can do for Tazuna?

"Unless we break into the Mayor's office and go through the documents there."

"Hold the phone," Naruko interrupted. "You're saying that going through some stupid documents is gonna help us find the Serial Killer?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Every citizen of Leaf Town has their own document. It contains information on whether or not they have a Role, their address and more. It's the same with every other town out there. Whenever a person moves to another town or even visits, their document is transferred and stored somewhere. I'm sure this Serial Killer's document has been transferred by now, but still... Finding it could take all night, considering we don't have a single lead to go off of. If we had names, the process wouldn't be as complicated."

Naruko didn't understand half of what Sasuke said, but as soon as he mentioned names she knew it was her time to shine. After all, she was the only one here with names.

"I have names!" She quickly said, and as Sasuke's expression went from emotionless to curious she felt a spark of triumph. "One of the victim's name was Haru Watanabe. He looked a lot like Tazuna. I thought he was dead for a moment, and these two guys I was standing beside thought so too." Well, I think.

"What about it?" Sasuke's tone was doubtful.

"One of them was smiling. As soon as I mentioned it to him he stopped smiling, y'know - as if he wanted to hide it?"

"And what're their names?"

"Uh, Zabuza and Haku. Zabuza's the weirdo who smiled."

Sasuke, as if taking a moment to let the information sink in, remained silent - and honestly, it was the most suspenseful moment of Naruko's life. She couldn't read him. Did he accept her suspicions? Did he still think she was a clown? Shaking her head and focusing on Kakashi instead, she tried picking up the slightest inkling of acceptance, but all she saw was a single, onyx eye that was just as devoid of emotion as Sasuke's face. With an irritated sigh she tried Sakura, but her face was hidden behind most of her hair. Rolling her eyes, she just decided to hold her breath and wait.

Thankfully, she hadn't waited much longer.

"I guess we have no other choice but to investigate Zabuza and Haku," Kakashi said. "Sasuke, Sakura, Naruko, meet me by the Mayor's office by eight o'clock tonight. I have a plan."