Haku smiled and bowed his head, his eyes closed. "Thank you for saying so," he said, voice soft. "I wish I could have done more though. Not being like I was before is.... difficult."

He knew he would be scolded for his failures by Zabuza-san once they were together, so there was no reason to berate himself at the moment. He took a small sip of juice and then laughed softly.

"But that just sounds like I'm making excuses when there really are none."