A/N: Well it's been a year to the day and I'm actually kind of amazed that I'm still writing this. Don't get me wrong I enjoy writing this story and will continue to do so for as long as I can, but I'm honestly surprised I've lasted this long. That being said I'm interested in how this chapter will be received. We all know who Haku is so I'm not going to do a big reveal scene or anything. Haku is also a bit different than canon. I guess at this point I'll just say, "On with the show!"

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Text examples:

"Hello." Biju or jinchuriki using biju's powers speaking

'Hi.' Person thinking

'Hi there.' Person speaking through mental link

'Howdy.' Biju speaking through mental link

Chapter 18: An Unknown Enemy or A New Friend

The genin continued their training with Anko. They had already gotten to the point where they could easily travel across the river without any trouble. So Anko had decided to teach them how to swim through water faster. It involved gathering chakra in your hands and pushing it through the water as you swam giving you a boost in speed. It was very effective and when Anko told them that it help them if they ever got caught in a water ninjutsu. Anko was pleased with their work that day and let them off early. After drying off Naruko had decided to go on a walk to relax. It was a nice day and she just wanted to find a secluded place out in the woods to take a nap. After she told Hinata of her plans the fox girl went off into the woods. She came across a small clearing that had a variety of plants and flowers scattered about. She was about to sit under a tree when she caught a scent on the wind. She focused her senses and realized that someone was trying to hide behind one of the trees. With a few quick hand signs Naruko transformed to hide her tails and ears before she stepped into the clearing.

"Hey. I know you're hiding over there. You can come out. I'm not going to hurt you." Naruko smiled as she saw the boy.

Wait. Girl? Wait. What? The person that came out from behind the tree smelled like a male but looked like a female, a very pretty one at that. He had long black hair and was wearing a pink sleeveless kimono. Naruko had seen some very strange things before so she just took this new development in stride. He could just like dressing as a woman. The pretty teen walked up to Naruko and smiled.

"Hello." The boy said.

Naruko chuckled. He even sounded like a girl.

"Hi. I'm Naruko." The red head extended her hand and was pleased when it was shaken.

"My name is Haku. You're not from around here are you?" Haku asked.

Naruko gave the teen her best smile. "It's nice to meet you Haku and no I'm not. I'm here with my family to visit some distant relatives."

Haku was impressed. He could not even tell that the red head was lying. It was clear that she was a fairly trained ninja.

Haku wanted to find out how good she was. "Oh, anyone I might know?"

Naruko was getting a weird feeling from the teen but the whole situations seemed weird so she ignored it. "Maybe, have you heard of Tazuna?"

Haku was surprised at how easily she gave away the name, but maybe this was a set up. Most of the locals probably knew about the bridge builder.

"Yeah. I don't think there is anyone who hasn't. He's trying to build that big bridge." Naruko nodded. It seemed like Tazuna was pretty well known in these parts. "So he's your relative?"

The red head almost slipped up by saying no but she caught herself. "Yeah, but I'm not really sure how. My parents call him uncle, but I don't think that's right exactly."

Haku had caught the pause. It was only a moment but it was there. Naruko was good but not great. She defiantly was not an infiltration type ninja.

"So why are you out here in the woods?" Haku asked.

"I just wanted to get away from the house for a little bit."

That came out so easily that Haku figured it was true. "Well then do think you could give me a hand collecting herbs?"

Haku gave the red head a winning smile and a wink. The action made Naruko chuckle uncomfortably.

"Um, could you not do that? I have a girlfriend."

Haku was actually surprised by that piece of information and filed it away for later. You never know what could come in handy someday. The two teens knelt down and began to sort through the flora around them. Haku showed a few plants to the red head so she knew what to look for. As they worked the black haired teen felt compelled to talk more to Naruko.

"Naruko, do you have anyone precious to you?"

The red head stopped what she was doing. The question had come out of nowhere and it took her a second to process. "Yeah I do."

Haku had to laugh when he saw the slight blush on Naruko's face. "I take it that you're referring to your girlfriend?"

The red head nodded. "Yeah, but not just her. There's my Dad, my Momma, the rest of my family, and all my friends as well. I have a lot of people who are precious to me."

Haku smiled hearing that made him happy for some reason. "I only have one person who is precious to me. He's kind of like a father to me even though we're not related by blood."

"So what? I'm not related to any of my family by blood, but they're still my family. If you consider him your father then he's your father."

Haku was shocked by Naruko's response. It was blunt, but it made sense.

"I guess you're right. He is my father." Haku laughed at the thought of Zabuza actually acting like a father. "Even if he won't admit it."

Now it was Naruko's turn to laugh. Haku's father seemed like and interesting person. It was not long before it dawned on the two teens that they were similar in that they both had precious family that they were not actually related to. Haku had not planned on it but he felt a bond forming with the red head. Naruko felt the same bond forming which probably emboldened her to ask her next question.

"So why are you dressed like a girl?"

Haku's head snapped to the side to face Naruko. "Because I'm a girl."

Naruko gave Haku a skeptical look. "No you're not."

Haku looked skyward and shook his head. "You can tell I'm not a girl?"

"I'm actually part fox demon even though I don't look it right now. I have a really good sense of smell and you smell like a guy." Naruko chuckled as Haku turned his gaze towards the ground.

"I even put perfume on."

"I smelled that too, but it only masks the scent. It doesn't get rid of it. Why are you trying to be so much like a girl?"

Haku's gaze locked onto a blade of grass that became very interesting before he replied, but not even Naruko's ears could pick up what Haku mumbled.

"What?" Naruko asked.

The teen let out a breath and faced the fox girl. "I want to be a girl."

Haku went red. How had this happened? He had no idea how he had gotten so comfortable around the girl so quickly to admit that to her. Zabuza did not even know the real reason he dressed like a girl. He had told the swordsman that it was for under cover purposes. Naruko blinked a few times in confusion as she tried to process the information.

"Why do you want to be a girl?"

Haku fell back on the grass and rubbed his head. "I've never felt comfortable in my own body. I feel separated from it, like it's not really mine. The only time I feel like myself when I look in the mirror is when I dress like a woman."

"I've heard this before." Naruko stated as she rubbed her chin in thought.

Haku sat up immediately and looked at the red head. "What?"

"There's a place in the Demon Realm called the Fox Palace and it has a vast library full book and scrolls. Some are about the soul and how it relates to the physical body. I've read a few because of my cousin Chitose. She's a twin. For demons that means she has one soul but two bodies." Haku raised an eyebrow at the statement. "What? It's true, but that's beside the point. The point is that I read about people who feel like you do Haku. It said that the gender of their souls was different than that of their body. That could be why you feel so strange Haku, you might have the soul of a woman." The black haired teen was silent for a long time.

"So there are others who feel like this?" The black haired teen asked.

Naruko nodded her head. A smile found its way onto Haku's face and he started to laugh. Somehow just knowing that he was not the only one out there who felt this way made him feel very relieved. The red head was caught off guard when black haired teen latched onto her and hugged her tightly. "Thank you."

Naruko smiled as she returned the embrace. "You're welcome."

The two stayed like that for a few moments before they separated and lied back on the grass. Naruko hummed as a thought entered her mind. "You should come with me to the Demon Realm. They might be able to help you there."

Haku was stunned by the statement so much that he sat up and stared down ant the fox girl. "Now?"

"Well it doesn't have to be right now, but before I have to head back to my village which will be in another week or so." Naruko said pleasantly.

Haku developed a serious look on his face.

"I have to think about it."

Naruko nodded. She realized that it was a difficult decision to make. She seemed to be running into people these days that she offered difficult decisions to.

"Take your time. I'll be around if you decide to go through with it." The red head gave him a smile before she stood up. "I'll see you around Haku." With a wave Naruko headed back towards Tazuna's home.

Neither noticed the two sets of eyes that had been watching them.

-Zabuza's Hideout-

The hideout was nothing more than a shack in the woods but it served its purpose. It kept them away from pointed questions and peering eyes. Haku had returned after he had finished gathering the herbs he had needed. He was unloading his basket when someone grabbed his shoulders and turned him around. The black haired teen went ridged at the action but relaxed when he saw that it was Zabuza. His father figure shook his head.

"You're better than this Haku. I shouldn't have been able to surprise you."

Haku sighed as he nodded. "I know. I'm sorry. And also you shouldn't be out of bed yet. You need at least three more days to recover."

Zabuza grunted and motioned for the boy to follow him. They went to their shared room and sat down.

"Did you know I've been having the Demon brothers follow you when you go out? I wanted them to look out for you. Do you know what they told me happened today?" Haku's eyes widened slightly and that was all Zabuza needed to know. "Why didn't you kill the girl?"

Haku let out a sigh. "Because there was no reason to. Did they hurt her?"

Zabuza shook his head. "No they didn't, they reported back to me as soon as the girl left. And she's our enemy. That's more than enough reason. You should have killed her."

Haku stared defiantly at the man. "I couldn't. She's like me."

Zabuza's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

Haku shook his head. "I don't know how to describe it. I just felt that we were somehow similar, like we share the same pain."

Zabuza gave a slight nod. "That's probably true. The brothers said she was a half demon. She probably knows what it's like to be hated just for being born."

Haku's eyes widened as he realized that Zabuza was right. They did share the same pain. It amazed him that Naruko could be so kind after having dealt with that kind of pain. Thinking about the red head brought a smile to his face.

It did not go unnoticed by Zabuza. "You like her don't you?"

Haku's eyes went wide and his cheeks reddened. The reaction made Zabuza chuckle and Haku scowled at him.

After a moment of silence Haku shook his head. "Honestly, I don't know. It was weird. I've been attracted to people before but it was different with her. She's nice and she's definitely cute, but I didn't feel any kind of desire besides wanting to talk to her. Not to mention she's already taken."

Zabuza shrugged. "The good ones always are. Now get changed already. I hate pink. I'll be doing a sweep of the perimeter. I'll be back soon."

Haku wanted to argue that he needed to rest but the teen knew that he could not make the man stay indoors when he did not want to.

"Just don't reopen your wounds. I don't want to have to drain blood out of your lung again."

Zabuza grunted as he left the room. The man needed to get away for a while and think.

Haku was growing up. It was a hard fact for him to accept. When the boy was younger all he wanted was to be needed, but now it seemed that he was starting to want something that Zabuza could never give him. Friendship. That is what Haku felt towards the Konoha ninja. Being a missing ninja and constantly on the run did not allow for the making of friends. Well at least most of the time. Zabuza stopped walking as he turned to face a figure walking towards him. The figure raised his one arm in a greeting.

"Hey Zabuza. Long time no see." Arashi had a smile on his face as he approached the Kiri demon.

Zabuza bowed his head slightly in greeting. "Arashi. What are you doing here?"

The samurai chuckled before he patted Zabuza's shoulder. "I could ask you the same thing." Zabuza nodded slightly. "So where's Haku?"

"He's back at our hideout. I'm just doing a sweep."

Arashi raised an eyebrow at his friend. "Oh really? So you're not out here pondering about what's best for Haku?"

Zabuza scowled through his mask of bandages and the face made Arashi laugh. He finally shut up when Zabuza punched him in the mouth. The hit sent the samurai to the ground where he held his mouth and groaned in pain. Zabuza smirked at the sight.

"Just get up already."

Arashi picked himself up and shook his head. "Was that really necessary?" Zabuza nodded. "So what's got you all wound up?"

Zabuza shrugged. "Haku is growing up."

Arashi smiled in amusement. "You're just realizing this now? She's been growing up for years."

Zabuza looked pointedly at Arashi and the samurai realized his slip up. The older man still did not know that Haku considered himself to be a woman.

Arashi hoped he could move past the point. "I mean come on. You've been looking out for him for ten years now. What's changed?"

Zabuza dropped his unasked question in favoring of staying on topic. "He's been growing distant. I don't know if I can give him what he needs anymore."

The samurai chuckled. "He's at that age. He's starting to want to be his own person even if he doesn't realize it. He's not going to be in your shadow forever."

Zabuza was quit. He already knew what Arashi said was true. He had realized it on some level a long time ago, that Haku would someday leave him. He just had not accepted it until now. The Kiri Demon turned to look at one of his few friends.

"What do I do now?"

Arashi got a serious look on his face. "Be ready to let him go when he decides to leave." It was a few minutes before Zabuza finally nodded. Arashi turned to walk away. "I'll stop by in a few days to visit. Tell Haku I said hi." With a wave the samurai turned towards the woods.

"I might need your help with something." Zabuza called after the samurai.

Arashi turned around, "With what?"

"Clean up." Zabuza said seriously.

Arashi nodded grimly before he headed back into the woods. It would not be the first time the samurai helped Zabuza clean up a job.

-Clearing in the woods-

It had been two days since Naruko had met Haku and each day since she had gone to the clearing again in hopes of seeing the black haired teen and so far she had been unsuccessful. The previous day she had gone with Hinata in hopes of introducing her to her new friend, but Haku did not appear so they sparred with each other to pass the time. Today she had gone to the clearing alone while the other genin guarded the house. The black haired teen was once again a no show and Naruko was about to leave when she caught a whiff of a familiar scent in the air. She turned towards the wind and smiled at who she saw.

"Hey Arashi."

The one armed samurai returned the smile as he approached. "Hey. How's it going?"

The younger red head shrugged her shoulders. "It's okay. Just hanging around I guess."

Arashi nodded. "So how has that new technique going?"

Naruko grinned. "Want to find out?"

Arashi raised an eyebrow as he chuckled. "Looking to fight a samurai huh?" Naruko nodded as she took her stance. "Well if you insist." Arashi drew the katana that was at his hip and held it out in front of him.

The two stared each other down until Naruko leapt from the ground and aimed a kick at the man's head. With a small movement Arashi backed up just out of reach of the kick and countered with a downward cut that would have cut a man in two at full strength. Naruko saw the slash coming and used the momentum of her kick to spin herself around and out of the way of the attack allowing her to lash out with her claw like nails. The strike was parried by Arashi with the flat of his blade. The samurai smirked as he gathered chakra into his blade and then expelled it as he swung. The attack released a crescent of chakra that forced Naruko backwards and away from him. The fox girl landed and rolled to her feet wide eyed.

"What was that?"

Arashi chuckled at the reaction the girl had to his technique. "It's called Flash. It's one of the Samurai Sabre Techniques."

Naruko moved closer to her fellow Uzumaki. "You have got to teach me that."

Arashi shrugged. "Maybe after you work out your little wind claws, which I might add I have yet to see."

Naruko smirked at the challenge that she heard in the man's voice and they were soon at it again.

They traded blows and Arashi was impressed with the progress the red head had made. He saw the cuts she left in on the tree trunks as he parried her attacks. They weren't much deeper than the last time but what really impressed him was how long she had been maintaining it. It was going on four minutes when Naruko slashed at him again and the chakra seemed to burst when he blocked the claws. A small gust of wind was felt by the red heads as the technique shattered.

Naruko looked at her hands and they were bleeding slightly. "Well I guess that's it for now."

Arashi looked at her cut hands with concern. "Do you want me to have a look at that?"

The fox girl shook her head. "No. This will heal up on its own. Being an Uzumaki and a half-demon is great. I heal up in no time."

Arashi nodded. He knew how quickly he healed and could only imagine how fast Naruko could heal. He looked at her hands again and he was surprised that they had already stooped bleeding. He whistled at the sight.

"Now that is impressive."

Naruko smiled at him. "Yeah, but not as impressive as that Flash thing you did. Do you know any other techniques?"

The samurai nodded. "Plenty, but I don't want to give away all my secrets."

Naruko nodded. She knew the value of having a trump carp. The two feel into silence for a short time as the just enjoyed the warm day. Naruko finally looked back at Arashi and hummed.

"What about ninjutsu? Do you know any?"

Arashi came out of his thoughts at the question and shook his head. "A few, but I don't really use them. I'm better with my sword. It's kind of hard to do either with one hand and impossible to do both at the same time."

Naruko felt kind of stupid for moment. She had forgotten Arashi only had one arm. It was hard not to when he fought so well.

"So have you given anymore thought to my offer?"

Arashi knew that the question would come up. "I have and I'd like to join you, but I have some things to do…"

Arashi let out a grunt as Naruko launched herself at him. The fox girl was smiling ear to ear. She finally had her first clan member. Arashi smiled down at the girl and returned the embrace with his single arm. When the two separated Naruko smiled up at the taller man.

"Thank you."

Arashi chuckled. "You don't have to thank me. I want to do this, though as I was saying before I was interrupted I have some things that I need to accomplish here in the Land of Waves before I can leave."

Naruko looked at him questioningly. "Like what?"

Arashi's eyes narrowed as he glared at the ground. "Like finding someone's hideout."

Naruko was not sure if that was everything but she knew that she would not get any more information if she pressed so she let it go.

"It's alright. I'll leave a map for you in case I have to leave before you. You can pick it up from Tazuna and his family."

Arashi nodded with a warm smile on his face. "Thanks. I'll be sure to catch up when I can. You should probably be heading back now. It's starting to get late."

Naruko looked off to the sun and saw that it was close to the horizon. She turned back to face Arashi.

"You're right. I hope to see you soon." She took a step forward and embraced Arashi once again before they parted ways.

-Tazuna's House-

Shino and Hinata were sitting in the living room when they heard the door open. The Hyuga smiled as she saw her girlfriend enter. The red head lazily made her way over to the couch. Hinata let out a surprised noise when her fox girl collapsed on top of her.

Hinata looked curiously at the girl sprawled out on top of her. "Naru? Are you okay?"

The red head nodded. "Yeah, just tired."

Hinata shrugged and placed her hand on her girlfriend's head and began to scratch. It did not take long for Naruko to drift off.

-Local Club-

It had been a while since Anko and Kurenai had gone to a club and not just a bar. Kurenai had told her genin that they were going on patrol and they were in a sense. They had both made a shadow clone and sent them to make their rounds. When they got to the bar they ordered their drinks and it did not take Anko long to pull head in the shot count. At first Kurenai had thought that she had pissed off Anko somehow and that this was the younger woman's way at getting back at her, but Kurenai soon realized that Anko wanted to get drunk. This was unusual because Anko held her liquor far too well to ever come close to the ridiculous amounts of alcohol it would take to get her drunk. But there she was out on the dance floor completely wasted and ignoring everyone except for Kurenai. The black haired woman could not take her eyes away from Anko. The younger woman had been giving her inviting smiles and playful winks since the music had started playing. And all Kurenai could do was sit at their table and stare. This had gone on for the last half an hour. Quite a few men had gone up to the woman to dance with her, but each time Anko turned them away. It was not long after a pretty young blonde woman approached the inebriated woman that Anko chose a partner. For the next few minutes they danced together. Slow gyrations against each other's bodies. It looked more like foreplay than dancing and it was driving Kurenai mad with jealously. The genjutsu user finally had enough when she saw the blonde whisper something into Anko's ear and then began to pull her towards the exit. The genjutsu user was on the two in an instant.

"Anko. We're heading back." Kurenai said sternly.

The words made Anko smile, but the blonde next to her was not as happy. "Why don't you mind your own business? If you wanted to take her home maybe you should have tried harder."

The words cut Kurenai more than the blonde realized. Kurenai had never tried to go after Anko. The two had been together so long that is was understood that they would stick together, but this was different. This was not about friendship. This was about want and need. Two things that Kurenai had but could not give to Anko. As she realized this her gaze dropped to the floor in defeat.

"Sorry blondie, but I'm going home with her." Anko said with a slight slur.

Kurenai's eyes went wide when she heard those words. She looked up and saw the blonde turn to give a fierce glare at Anko before she stomped off back onto the dance floor. Not a second later Anko turned to face Kurenai and the younger woman took a nose dive towards the floor. With a small intake of breath Kurenai reached out and grabbed Anko before she hit the floor.

"Thanks love." Anko said.

Kurenai froze at the word and stared at Anko trying to read the younger woman's face for some kind of answer as to why she had used that word. Sadly there was none. It seemed like Anko had not even been aware that she had said it. So instead of asking her about it Kurenai just helped her friend to her feet and helped her walk out of the bar.

-Kurenai's and Anko's Room-

It had been a chore to get Anko all the way back to their room without being seen, but it was worth not having to explain to Naruko, who was on watch, where they had been. Once they were inside the room Anko laid down on the bed and pulled Kurenai on top of her.

"Anko? What are you doing?" Kurenai asked.

"What I want." Anko replied with a mischievous smile.

The younger women then nuzzled Kurenai's neck and ran her hands up and down the older woman's sides. Kurenai bit her lip as she struggled to keep from moaning. Anko had never done anything like this to her before and Kurenai was having trouble processing what was going on as her mind started to fog. The fog left though when Anko made her way to Kurenai's lips and the genjutsu user tasted the alcohol on Anko's lips. She pulled away.

"Anko stop." Kurenai commanded halfheartedly.

"Why?" Anko questioned with husky voice that sent a tingle down Kurenai's spine.

"Because I don't want this."

The expression on Anko's face feel as she looked and Kurenai realized how what she had just said must have sounded to the other woman. Kurenai reached a hand out and lifted Anko's chin so that their eyes met.

"I didn't mean it like that." Kurenai said softly. "I do want this. More than you know, but not like this. Not when you're drunk and not in full control on your actions."

"But I am in control. I want this. I want to kiss you." Anko replied sleepily.

Kurenai smiled at the words as she leaned forward and planted a kiss on Anko's cheek. "If you kiss me when you wake up I'll believe you. Now get some sleep."

Anko nodded slowly as her eyes drifted shut. Kurenai stared at the woman below her for a moment before she rolled over to lie down on the bed next to her. The moment she did Anko rolled over in her sleep to circle her arms around the black haired woman. The action made Kurenai smile.

"I love you." Kurenai whispered softly before she succumbed to sleep.

A/N: Anko making a move finally! But she gets shot down. I wonder if she'll kiss Kurenai when she wakes up in the morning. But on to a different matter. What did you all think of my interpretation of Haku? I decided to take a different route than just making Haku a guy or a girl. I fell it adds more to the character. Now I would like all of your opinions on some things. First, I want to give Haku a weapon at some point. Right now it's a tossup between a pair of tonfa, a pair of sais, or nunchucks. I will also accept other ideas. The second matter is that I want to give birthdays to Chitose and Sora. Any ideas?

Next time: Battle on the Bridge.