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Enjoy!

Chapter 4: Misunderstood

"Let them sleep." Through the haze of dreamless sleep, he recognized the voice as one he knew.

"They're both going to wreck their backs." Another voice he definitely knew. It was a woman this time, sounding rather miffed.

"Let them. They're kids." The man spoke again. He sounded calm and almost… sympathetic?

"Nonsense, it's a bad place for rest." The woman was definitely not happy with the situation.

"Looks like they had a long night." Why couldn't they have chosen a different place for the conversation?

"I bet." The woman huffed. "Based on all the screaming and then all the clanking, they definitely had a long night." There had been screaming?

"Don't you think you should deal with the screaming? Or are you teaching hands-on again?" The man sounded exasperated now.

"I can't help him with that." What were they even talking about? "He needs to overcome his shit on his own."

"Language." Indeed, language. "But, I see where you're coming from. Let's give them a few more minutes. I wanted to suggest a nice trip to the village, dear." That was followed by a long sigh.

"As long as you don't give me more work on the way, dear." Then, there was shuffling. But, he was already waking up. Finally, he got his eyes to open. Haku slowly realized what had transpired, his brain leaving the fog of sleep. Saeko-sama and Master Jōichirō had been there. There, more precisely, being the kitchen of the Temple. He tried to get up, but there was an unusual weight on him. He struggled to get his head up a bit and saw that Kaede was lying on top of him. Well, as much as their position allowed. Her head was nestled in the crook of his shoulder and her arms were wrapped around his torso. The shawl she'd gotten around him last night was placed on top of her, enveloping them both. He could see in the lazy morning sunlight that it was a plaid, pale one. Almost impossibly soft.

Kaede's face was so close to him that he could count the lashed on her cheeks. The fiery red lashes, much like her hair, delicate against her cheeks. And the small, barely visible, freckles on her cheeks. They mapped out like constellations all across her face. He hadn't noticed them before. He had never had the courage to stare at her for such a long time, and for so long, as he could now. Her mouth was small compared to her eyes, but it fit her face well. With that button nose, her round mouth was adorable. He was in deep. He was in deep.

Haku sighed, letting his head fall back down and then immediately regretted that. The thunk of his head hitting the floor had him seeing stars. He winced and then finally became aware of how stiff his body was. Saeko-sama was right, as usual. They were going to ruin their backs, sleeping in the kitchen. He could easily recall drinking hot chocolate last night, huddled in the area which was usually used for group dining. They had sat down at the table on the pillows closest to the stove, where the heating originated, as Kaede did her best to warm him up. Then, they had talked. Not about anything important, but about everything and anything. She'd asked him about the book he was reading. He'd asked about the medicine she was working on. It was easy, fulfilling conversation, which passed the time and directed the mind towards smoother topics. He didn't want to talk about his nightmares. He didn't want to think about the wet ground around him and the smell of soil everywhere. He didn't want to talk about it, because if he talked about it, he would think about it. And he wasn't ready. She never pushed him, either. He really was in deep.

He shifted his weight a bit, stretching the muscles he could without jostling the girl on top of him. While the cushions were comfortable for seating, they were definitely not meant for sleeping. He needed to get back into acupuncture. Haku wondered if they had any sets that he could use. He sure could do with a good tension release in his legs and back. After a few moments, he decided that there was no way, manner or form he could go back to sleep. Instead, he would need to either move them both to a more comfortable space, or at least move Kaede to a bed.

Slowly, Haku disentangled himself from the girl and rose to a seated position, leaving her in his lap. She sighed, but didn't wake. He considered his current state and decided that he would have to push it again. Push it and carry Kaede. After all, he was the reason that she was sleeping uncomfortably here, instead of in her room, or his. He would push through it.

"Haku?" The crackle in Kaede's voice startled him. He looked down, seeing her blearily coming to. He smiled, reaching out and brushing her hair away from her face.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up," he said. She yawned, then stretched. It was possibly the most endearing thing he'd ever seen. If he could live the remainder of his life watching her yawn and stretch next to him, or even better, on top of him, he could die a happy man.

"No bother," she slowly got up into a seated position and then stretched her arms above her head, straightening her back in an arch. He was beyond in love. He was enamored with everything that she did. "We fell asleep in the kitchen," she groaned. "Of course." She giggled with a shake of her head.

"Sorry about that," he said again. She gave him a half-hearted glare.

"I don't even have the energy to nag at you for apologizing," she yawned through her sentence. "Let's go upstairs." And so easily, like it was something that she did every day, she took his hand and pulled him up with her and led them both to his room.

"Trip to the village?" Kaede asked later that day, musing. He really hoped she'd give her okay on it. He'd been cooped up for so long at the Temple, not that he disliked it, but he was on the verge on climbing the walls. Zabuza and he had always travelled. They had gone from one place to the next, never calling anything a home, really. He'd gotten used to camping outside, staying in shared accommodations, sleeping in rented rooms, living in inns. Being in bed at the Temple for months was doing him in. "I suppose it's okay, if we take plenty of breaks along the way," Kaede shrugged.

"I wouldn't want to impose," Haku immediately said, realizing that she would tag along. She waved him off.

"Nonsense," she told him. "There's always work to be done in the village." Kaede spared a glance out the window and then nodded. "Should be enough…" she mumbled to herself. Then, she let go of the writing she'd been doing and left it open, standing from the kitchen table. "Let's go."

"Now?" Haku asked, lowering his teacup. He had expected her to object. Or at least pick a different day. He definitely hadn't expected her to simply drop whatever she was doing and do as he'd asked.

"When else?" Kaede giggled. "Let me grab my supplies, you get yourself ready meantime." She paused at the steps. "And remember to bring a cane or a crutch, just in case the walking gets to be too much. There are stops on the way, but we can't always rely on them." Then, she vanished upstairs with quick steps. Haku was left dumbfounded in the kitchen.

"How are you doing?" Kaede asked for the millionth time, but he wasn't annoyed by it. In fact, he found himself rather enjoying the care that he had unexpectedly gained.

"I'm alright, still," he assured. Kaede walked in front of him, taking sure and secure steps, then would wait for him when needed. They were progressing rather slowly for his liking. She had returned with Saeko-sama's permission to go into the village and a large gyosho bako on her back, undoubtedly stacked with medicine. He had fetched a cane in the meantime and they were off. The first half an hour wasn't too bad. The road was even, paved with large slabs of stone, but then they finally got to the stairs. The steps which led up the mountain from the village were winding and not often maintained. This meant that numerous times Haku had to stop and figure out the best way to get down the step which had been damaged. Kaede would patiently wait for him. But, about two hours into the descent, Haku realized that there was a bigger problem – getting back up. He was certainly not looking forward to it and was definitely postponing the worrying.

"Let me know if your hand cramps up," Kaede instructed, waiting. When he reached her, a little out of breath, she gave him a small smile. "Welcome to the village," the healer introduced.

Haku took a deep breath, doing his best to calm down his wild heart from the descent. Then, he looked at where Kaede was motioning towards with her hand. Indeed, they were at the bottom of the mountain, where the stone steps of the Temple transformed into wooden walkways. The village wasn't much, around fifty or so houses, like boxes stacked one on top of the other, encircled in walkways made out of planks. Those walkways switched from standing on solid ground to tall wooden pillars which submerged partially into the marshes around the mountain, making the whole settlement appear as if it were standing on stilts.

"It's not much, but it's been getting larger with every passing year," Kaede explained, helping him navigate a tricky part of the walkway which had rotted away due to the dampness of the environment. "There's a main street and a bunch of alleys, so when we're going through the latter, stick close to me. It's a bit of a maze between the houses. There's also a small bay market by the docks, so we could head there first, get some lunch." Haku nodded absent-mindedly, looking at the houses they were nearing. The architecture wasn't typical for the Land of Water, but rather some kind of a cross between the native style and what he'd seen in the Land of Fire.

"Lunch sounds good," he admitted, finally paying attention to the girl next to him. She was smiling knowingly, having caught him looking around. "Sorry, I should've-"

"Nonsense," Kaede immediately waved him off. "Enjoy the trip, first and foremost," she chuckled. She led him around the walkways, the wooden planks rattling with their steps, and Haku was doing his best to remember the way, but he soon lost count of the eerily similar houses and corners. People passed them, all nodding to Kaede, and she nodded back to them politely.

"You're quite the celebrity around these parts," he remarked with a grin.

"It would be a wonder if I wasn't," she laughed. "Even if you ignore that this place is living basically off of our infamy, I caused quite the ruckus when I arrived at the Temple." That got him interested. Kaede didn't talk much about herself. She preferred to pull out stories from him about his travels or interesting missions he'd been on. Somehow, he'd indulged, not really minding talking to her about it. He didn't even mind telling her about Zabuza, which had been a sore topic since the return of his memories.

"I can't really imagine you as the hell raising type," Haku said with a smile. Kaede turned to him to give him a mischievous grin.

"I got here when I was about eleven, I think," she told him slowly. "I was a real mess back then. Knew nobody, knew nothing of the world," she paused in her talking, but continued to walk. She sighed, obviously deep in her memories.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," he immediately said, the guilt of digging up a painful past settling in his stomach. Kaede waved him off again.

"I don't mind," she told him. "The past is there to learn from." She sighed again, then nodded to herself. "I had just finished getting out of a rather precarious situation with my family, so I ended up here after days of wandering aimlessly. I was like a sewer rat, more than a child. That house over there," she pointed out and Haku followed the line of her forefinger to one of the homes, the one on the second floor. "That's where baker Kana lives. She took me in first. Got a lot of criticism for it, too. I'm eternally grateful, though. She was a young woman, living on her own back then. Now she's got a nice husband and a little daughter. She married the fisherman, Kai, after he courted her for about a year. I delivered their baby."

"Should we stop by to say hi?" Haku offered, glancing at the house again and seeing a sign for baked goods up front.

"If you're in the mood for the world's best muffins, we definitely should," Kaede answered with a wide smile. "But muffins aren't really lunch…"

"Who made those rules?" He cheekily replied, mostly to see that expression of joy light up her face.

"They ought to be," giggled Kaede. "Let's see if they also have steamed buns now. Last time I was here, Kana mentioned she wanted to start steaming those and producing them, but she was having issues getting all the ingredients."

"Then buns and muffins it is," Haku agreed, falling into step with Kaede. With his cane in his left hand, it left his right one swinging with every step for balance. His palm was already hurting rather fiercely from the descent from the mountain, but he was bearing through the discomfort. Still, nothing got past Kaede. She took his right arm and looped it through her left, providing him with more support while he walked. "Sor-"

"Ah, ah," Kaede stopped his apology short with a wave of her finger. He smiled, shaking his head.

"Thanks," he amended.

"Anytime," Kaede seemed all too pleased with herself for stopping his apologies once again. With contentedness between the two of them, they walked into the bakery.

"Welcome!" The woman behind the counter called out when she heard the bell ding and then turned to see the visitors. "Kaede! How have you been darling?" She smiled so warmly that Haku could immediately tell why Kaede was fond of this woman. She was rather short and curvy, with dark brown hair tied back into a wavy ponytail. But, it was her face which really stayed in one's mind. A welcoming, almost motherly face. "And who is this?"

"Hey, Kana, I've been great!" Kaede immediately answered. "How's little Nanami been doing?" She evaded introducing him rather cleverly and gave him a pointed look when Kana started talking lovingly about her daughter. That gaze seemed to tell him to introduce himself as he wished. As the woman seated them at one of the two tables next to the counter, Haku couldn't help but fall for the healer beside him even more. Not only was she caring, but she was considerate to the point of letting him choose who he wanted to be known as to the villagers.

"Oh, Nana is just the perfect child!" Haku took off the overcoat he'd slipped on before embarking on the trip, letting it rest on the back of his chair. While it was damp and cool outside, the inside of the bakery smelled only of the goods they sold there and it was pleasantly warm. The interior, in warm wood, somehow clashed with the dingy exterior of the place. But, he could understand why. The harsh environment of the marshes was taxing on the outer layer of housing, so it was mostly standard in the area, while the inside could be adjusted based on personal taste. "She's been walking recently, well, waddling more like, and Kai is just in love with her. She's down for her nap now, but she'll be up in an hour or so. I bet she would love to see you." Then, Kana placed her hand on her mouth, as if realizing that she'd been talking too much. "Oh, look at me go on and on about my lovely baby. Tell me, what will you two darlings have? Is this a new resident at the Temple? I've heard some rumors, you know. Everyone's been talking about a startlingly handsome new healer up there and I can see that the rumors don't do you justice, love! You're positively gorgeous! Are you single?" Haku felt his face flush.

"My name is Haku," he introduced himself politely, standing to bow, which immediately got Kana to wave him down. He could see that Kaede had picked up that habit from the baker. "Thank you very much for the polite compliments," he said. Surely, he was pretty, for a boy, often being mistaken for a woman, but he wasn't that handsome to garner such a reaction. "I'm afraid I'm just a patient at the Temple." Then, he remembered the last of her questions. "Oh, and I'm single, yes."

"How lovely!" Kana nodded along. "Well, it's about time someone snatched up our Kaede, she's single, too, you know," the baker winked, making Kaede blush and quickly interject.

"No, no, Kana, we're-"

"But don't be shy about your looks, you definitely are gorgeous," Kana positively steamrolled the healer, who seemed flustered. "Shall I get you a menu? Or would you like some of those muffins you like so much? Is chocolate alright?"

"Maybe some steamed buns?" Kaede was finally heard. Haku had a feeling that Kana was one of those people, a force of nature and their own pace kind of type, where you simply went along with whatever they were in the mood for.

"Oh! You haven't tried our buns yet! Silly me, an order of buns coming right up then, darlings. In a jiffy!" Then, she vanished behind the counter again, heading for the back room, which was likely the kitchen. Haku glanced at Kaede across the table, seeing her fanning her face.

"Please ignore Kana's comments," she bashfully asked. "She's been trying to get me married for a year now." He tilted his head. He'd never asked Kaede's age, but he estimated her around his own.

"A bit too soon for marriage at your age, no?" He tried to skirt around it, but by the intensifying blush on her face, it was a direct hit.

"Fifteen's the normal age for marriage around these parts," she shrugged. "It's not that I'm against it," she quickly added. "I just haven't found the right person yet. Also, there's much more to learn at the Temple."

"Maybe someday then," he said with a smile. He found it endearing that she was looking anywhere but at him, still trying to fan her blush away.

"Maybe someday," she agreed. Then, she looked at him. "What about you? Ever thought about it?" Haku glanced down at his hands on the table. It was odd seeing his fingernails without nail polish on them.

"When I was living with-" he stopped, then cleared his throat. "Before, I didn't really think it would be possible. Now, maybe someday. Though, I'm not really marriage material," he finished off with a smile. He immediately knew that Kaede would see through it. It was more of a reflex smile, and she always saw through those.

"Why would you think you're not marriage material?" She didn't call him out, though. There was a frown on her face. "You're a looker, your personality's fine, you've got skills that can fit into almost any line of work, you're smart as a whip. What's there not to like?" He glanced back at his hands. The oddly devoid of nail polish fingernails.

"You make me sound so grand," he chuckled. He didn't want to tell her about his tendency to dress in kimonos of pastel colors. How he preferred flowers over blades. Or how he enjoyed make up and nail polish. He didn't want to tell her about those things which Zabuza had considered an infiltration asset, and hadn't really minded, because they would make him seem less masculine. He didn't want to be less masculine. He wanted to be a man in front of Kaede. "I'm nothing special." But, in the end, he knew that he carried that curse in his veins, like his mother had. Marriage was out of the question. Because with marriage came children, and with children came genetics.

"I'm just saying what I'm seeing," Kaede said. He jumped a bit when she reached out and caught his hands with one of hers. "You're everything special." He met her eyes to see an incredibly gentle expression on her face. He wanted to kiss her. Just to stand up, lean over and kiss her. Just to see the expression on her face then. To see if she would blush. Or hide away. Or if she would accept his affections. He stifled the urge.

"I will defer to your better judgment," he said. But, he had to admit, some kind of a burden had been lifted with those words. Some of the weight on him had vanished.

"You do that," Kaede smiled proudly, patting his hands. She quickly retracted her fingers from his as Kana came back into the store.

"Here we go," the baker placed a tray on the edge of the table, serving from it. "One order of mixed buns, darlings. Let me know what you think." She placed a plate in the middle, piled high with steamed buns. Kaede reached over and plucked one off the top, almost dropping it when she heard the next words. "And no need to stop holding hands on my account, one hand's all you need to eat a bun," Kana giggled, walking away into the back once more. Kaede stared at Haku with wide eyes for a moment, her face gradually heating up. He was amazed how all the freckles vanished in the redness of the same color, or even greater intensity.

"I'm so sorry," she mumbled, biting into the food.

"If I'm not allowed apologies, neither are you," he shrugged, getting one of the buns for himself. Once he bit into it, he discovered it was a meat bun. The combination of flavors and textures exploded on his tongue, making him realize how hungry he'd actually been. "Besides, I don't mind the misunderstanding, if it doesn't bother you," it was out of his mouth before he could censor himself. He glanced up from the food, worried that Kaede had taken his comment as offensive. But, she was looking down at her own bun, still red-faced.

"I don't mind it either," she admitted in a low voice. Something in Haku positively soared at that. He suddenly didn't mind the weather outside, which had been giving him trouble with his wounds and breathing. He didn't mind the overly tight obi he'd tied that morning or the fact that his nails didn't have any polish on them. Nor did he mind the fact that he quite wanted to stifle the urge to paint them. He loved the little unassuming bakery in a village somewhere in the middle of nowhere with the welcoming interior and soft warm smell of fresh bread. He loved the uncomfortable wicker chair he was sitting on which dug into his thighs through the kimono. He loved the taste of the pork steamed bun, soft on the outside and savory on the inside. He loved the blushing girl sitting across from him, eating her own food. He even loved the little piece of red bean paste stuck to her cheek from how she'd bitten into her own bun. Because she didn't mind being misunderstood when it came to him.

"Kaede," he dropped all honorifics, getting her to look up, her eyes a bit wide. "If I may," and he reached out before she could answer, scooping up the bean paste from her cheek, slowly, relishing in the little gasp she gave and the way she looked nervously between his hand and his face. He didn't linger for too long, despite wanting to more than just remove the food, and pulled his fingers away from her soft skin. Then, he licked the bean paste off his thumb. "Which ones are red bean paste?"

"T-these I think," she answered, clearing her throat in the middle of the word. Haku smiled, thanking her, then picking out a second bun. He had decided that since she didn't mind, he wouldn't need to hold himself back anymore. From the looks of it, it would surely be interesting.

That's all folks!