Note: *Changed some details in the previous chapter in which Haru started tree-climbing training at eleven years old instead of eight.*


Splash!

Haru shot out of the water, gasping and sputtering. She shivered as she returned to dry land.

Just great. Her clothes were wet again.

At least she had managed to stay atop the surface of the water several seconds longer this time.

After three months, she had finally gotten the hang of tree-climbing.

Now she was water-walking (more like water-falling).

Haru groaned. - All right. That was a terrible pun.

She set her foot onto the water again.

"A most spectacular move!"

"Aaah!" Haru stumbled, arms flailing. Then she straightened up and regained her balance.

There wasn't supposed to be anyone else at the Training Field! She always made sure she had privacy when she trained!

Haru turned around to see a boy with curvy hair and very thick eyebrows. "Do you mind? I'm kind of trying to concentrate here!"

The boy got embarrassed. "Oh! My apologies! I couldn't help but be amazed by how you were able to walk on top of the water! What technique is that?"

"Water-walking."

The boy's eyes sparkled. "Water-walking...How incredible! Who taught you?"

Haru's eyes shifted away from the boy. "Um...no one. It's-uh-just a general ninja technique I observed and decided to try out for myself..."

Why did this boy have to come up to her and talk? She wasn't social! She'd rather be left alone to train in peace!

She wasn't used to people just coming up and talking to her like this! Usually, people just avoided her...

The boy observed Haru's appearance. "No headband...Ah! You must be a student at the Academy!"

"Right...I'm guessing you're a student too?"

"Yes!" The boy bowed. "Allow me to introduce myself! I am Rock Lee!"

Haru froze.

Rock-Rock Lee?!

Damn! She should've known by the bushy eyebrows!

But without his trademark bowl cut that he got from Guy, Lee looked different from how she remembered him.

Haru took a step back. She couldn't stick around any longer. She broke away from Lee's side, running off.

"Hey, wait!" Lee cried, reaching his arm out to her.

Haru didn't stop running and never looked back.


"Hello there! I can help carry your books!"

An enthusiastic and vibrant Rock Lee stood in front of Haru at Konoha Library.

Haru looked at Lee blankly. "…Why are you following me?"

"I never got the chance to introduce myself properly last time! I didn't even get your name! I didn't wish to be rude!" Lee flashed Haru a grin and gave her a thumbs up. "Once again, I'm Rock Lee! What's your name?"

"Why do you want to know?"

Lee noticed Haru's annoyance and stiffened. Then his shoulders slumped. "…I'm sorry. I'll leave you alone."

As Lee turned to walk away, Haru found that his dejected expression absolutely devastated her.

"Wait."

Lee turned his head back. "Yes?" There was a tinge of hope in his voice.

"Why are you being so friendly to me anyway? Haven't you ever heard of the cursed girl with the whiskered cheeks and red eyes? You know, the girl the adults tell you to stay away from?"

Lee's eyes widened in shock. "You are…"

Haru's heart ached. - Yeah. I thought so…

Lee shook his head. "No! That doesn't matter! Meeting you in person, I think you're quite nice!"

Haru laughed bitterly. "I'm the cursed demon girl. Doesn't that bother you?"

Lee shook his head. "No! Not at all!"

"Re-really?" Haru said in a small voice.

Lee nodded vigorously. "Really!"

A small burst of warmth sprung up from within Haru's being.

Then she quickly squashed it.

She couldn't get close to Rock Lee! She just couldn't!

And so Haru ran off.

Again.


"Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise?"

Haru turned behind her to see Kakashi.

"Hey, Rikimaru. It's been a while."

Kakashi's eye curved, showing that he was smiling under his mask. "You have a good memory."

"You're the only person I see in the village who wears a mask and uses their headband to cover one eye all day. Who else could you be?"

A twinkle appeared in Kakashi's eye. "How do you know I'm not just a walking, talking scarecrow who happens to look exactly like the person you're talking about?"

"Then I'll have to report you to the authorities for identity theft."

Kakashi sweat dropped. "Ah! No need for that! I'm the real one, I swear!"

"Hmmm. All right. So what brings you around here then, Rikimaru?"

Kakashi never took walks on this path.

Haru would know. She took walks around this quiet path for years to clear her mind.

And damn it. Kakashi still remembered who she was. Haru thought that he would've forgotten about some girl he saw crying at a graveyard by now.

"Just enjoying a walk on the path of life," Kakashi said casually.

Haru snorted.

"Hm? Something funny?"

"Yeah. That's totally something you would say, Rikimaru."

Kakashi chuckled.

Haru kept walking. But Kakashi didn't seem to be planning to leave her side anytime soon.

"You seem troubled about something, Haru."

"It's nothing."

"You're sulking. Doesn't seem like 'nothing' to me."

Haru simply let out a sigh, finding that she had nothing else to say.

"You know, you always seem to be by yourself whenever we meet. Do you have any friends?"

Haru didn't answer, looking away from Kakashi and crossing her arms.

"I'll take that as a 'no' then." Kakashi silently stared up at the sky. "…If you keep pushing people away, nothing will change."

Haru let out a breath in shock.

The wind breeze swept through the leaves.

Haru stood still, mulling over Kakashi's words.

"Well, little Haru, whatever you decide…" Kakashi waved a hand up in goodbye. "…Best of luck." He disappeared in a swirl of leaves.


"Is Rock Lee here?"

Haru was met by the baffled stares of the Ninja Academy's upperclassmen.

"…No. He went off to the Training Field. He usually does around this time of the day."

"Thanks."

The upperclassmen stared after Haru's retreating back.

"Eh?! Lee has a friend?! No way!"

"Someone can't actually want to spend time with him, right?"

"Unless his buddy's a weirdo, too."

The upperclassmen snickered. "Yeah…that's probably it."


At the Training Field, Haru spotted Lee kicking at a stump.

"Hey, Rock Lee!"

Lee gasped. "Oh, It's you!" He rushed over to Haru. "So what brings you here?"

"Oh! Uh…" Haru's eyes shifted. She rolled her hands inside her pants pockets. "Well…"

"Ah! I see! You must be here to train too!" Lee put his fists up in the air. "Are you up for a spar? Or perhaps we can practice water-walking together!"

"What? No! No, that's not why I've come here! And you have to master tree-climbing first to even be able to water-walk!"

Haru's eyes shifted again. "Umm…I haven't told you my name yet." She rubbed her arm. "I'm-uh-I'm Kuzumaki Haruto. But please call me Haru."

"Pleasure to meet you, Haru!"

Haru looked over Lee's condition. His knuckles were blistered and small pieces of wood stuck to his sandals. "You've been training here for a while."

Lee rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yes!" Then confusion came over his face. "Wait. How did you even know I was all the way out here at the Training Field?"

"Well, we first met here, didn't we? It's no surprise we'd run into each other again sometime. Aaaand I asked around the Academy to know exactly when you'd be here. Your classmates told me."

Lee stiffened and his expression turned forlorn. "Ah. So they have noticed me continuing my training…" He looked down at his blistered fists. His fists trembled as he started shaking uncontrollably.

Lee thought about all the times his classmates mocked and derided him, every word stabbing into him like knives. He collapsed to his knees and sobbed. "Who am I kidding? I'll never catch up with the others. Without ninjutsu or genjutsu, I'm not even going to be able to graduate. I'll never be a shinobi!"

Tears streamed down Lee's cheeks as he could no longer hold back his sorrow.

Haru recognized the look in Lee's eyes. - He's lonely too…

"You're wrong!"

The words came out of Haru's mouth before she could stop herself.

Lee looked up at Haru, sniffling. "What?"

"You're wrong…You will become a great ninja, Rock Lee! Trust me! I know it!"

"…Really?"

"Really."

Lee wiped the tears off of his face. Then he blinked adorably at Haru in astonishment.

Haru bit her lip.

"Um…So…I think…" Haru gave Lee a stiff and nervous smile. "You…me…we…"

Haru hesitated. Was this really such a good idea?

But…Rock Lee was just a minor character in the series. He was no threat to her safety.

He wasn't an Uchiha, an Uzumaki, or from any legendary clan important to the plot.

Besides, Rock Lee was one of her favorite characters. It wouldn't be too bad for him to have someone other than Might Guy cheering him on in his early years.


"If you keep pushing people away, nothing will change."


Haru took a deep breath. "We should be friends!" she said in a rush.

At Haru's words, Lee seemed to become frozen in a trance.

Oh no. She had broken him.

Haru laughed nervously. "Uh…yeah…sorry. I'll-I'll guess I'll just go no-oof!"

Lee hugged Haru tightly, knocking the wind out of her. He laughed loudly and spun her around enthusiastically. "Yes! Yes! Let us be friends!"

As Lee grinned at Haru, his eyes suddenly widened in alarm. "Haru?!"

"Huh?" It was then that Haru realized that her eyes and cheeks were wet. She was…crying.

Lee gently placed Haru back on the ground. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you!"

"No…you didn't do anything wrong."

It had been so long since Haru had been hugged by anyone…

Lee was the first person who ever hugged her in this new life…

Haru cried a lot. But the tears she shed this time felt different.

She was crying, not because she felt sad or scared, but because she was…happy.

"Lee…thank you..." Haru whispered.

At Haru's words, Lee also started crying tears of joy. Then he gave her a thumbs-up and a wide grin. "Kuzumaki Haruto! Starting today, you and I are dear friends! I swear that I'll always stay by your side! I'll believe in you too!"

Haru's lip wobbled and her hand trembled as she gave Lee a shaky thumbs up back. "Y-yeah!"

And so Haru officially became the first friend of Konoha's future Beautiful Green Wild Beast.


A/N: Rock Lee's theme played in my Naruto fanfic playlist shuffle while I was writing his first meeting with Haru lol.