Dancing Within Mist

Abby Ebon

O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Disclaimer; the anime Naruto isn't mine, you should really have known this by now.

Note; I did this because 1) had writing "pause" (it is damned annoying, I've got all the dialogue for Song written out, and the whole of the chapter of Silver Claws plotted out…but…nothing is being written though I want to write it – gahr! yet I wrote this in only a few hours, so, ha!) , and 2)…was 'encouraged' by L'autre Monde, she mentioned a Zabuza/Naruto, I wanted to read such a thing, however…it is rare. This is written partly in hopes of inspiring someone to write their own slash of this pairing. What are you waiting for? Read – be inspired, write!

In this Haku is nearly three, being fifteen when he met the group, while Naruto was thirteen when they met…so only a year or so old.

Beta(s);

Kuro Ookami Hatake, (as of 10/29/09) who put most of this story to rights.

vairetwilight, as of 5/6/10, who's work has cleared up much of what I was to trying to say as it should be said.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Refugee Kushina Uzumaki of the Mist

O.o.O.o.O.o.O

"Where will you go with the boy, Kushina?" She cradled her son to her bosom, shifting her weight so he settled on the curve of her hip. One blessing was that her baby did not stir. It was just as well, for this argument was an old one. Kushina felt the heavy weight of her hair keenly, she had rarely given it thought before the birth, now she wore it in a braid, for fear that her son would yank it out of her skull when she wasn't paying attention. At least he kept her alert.

"Why does it matter?" Kushina asked them, trying, and failing, to speak to the two men before her without a trace of anger. It stirred though, like a great serpent coiling to strike. Her little one whimpered a little, nuzzling at her breasts. He would be hungry when he woke – there was no helping that, but his actions at least distracted the men for a moment so she could get her temper under control. Some things did not change …her temper – and perverts. She knew how to deal with both.

"He is my son, Kakashi Hatake; no one here can claim the right to raise him." This was true, something not even they could change. A woman raised her children, always. It was too ingrained in tradition to think of changing now. Even so, they weren't trying to change her role; they were trying to tie her to one place. Kushina would not have it. She knew very well the death of her beloved Minato Namikaze cut her ties to Leaf. She had been alone, a refugee, before, she could be so again.

"He was born of a Hokage." Kushina grit her teeth and narrowed her eyes, her whole body tensing. The old man had been the Third Hokage before Minato, now he was again. He was trying to stir her anger, to prove in his own way that she was not ready to take on the burden of a child alone without a village to support her.

"Minato is dead. He is no ones son but my own, though I wonder – what willKonoha do to him – to me, when they know what huddles in his belly because of their beloved Third?" Kushina knew her words to be the most effective of weapons, Minato had told her so a number of times. They had never been married, and that had been at her insistence.

She was well aware what her child's bloodlines might mean to Konoha, though she would never have thought that the Nine Tails might attack while she was in labor. She had known that Minato meant something to these people; they would be fools to let his only heir slip away if they could help it. Kushina had ensured that they could not; they would begrudge her, even when they learned that the Kyuubi was not as dead as they were fools to think.

The old man flinched, but she would not feel guilty for her words if they got her the freedom she wanted.

"We do not have to tell them." It was Kakashi Hatake words that worried her in that moment, but the Third looked aside, and she knew what Kakashi did not. They would go through with the request of her lover, if for no other reason than because he had been Hokage before he died.

"You will, it was a death wish, not even the Third would dare defy the dead," Kushina was sure of this, and when Kakashi looked to the old man, his shoulders slumped, for he seemed to realize what she had.

"Where…where will you go?" this time the Third asked it softly, his hopelessness at having not succeeded in keeping her within Leaf obvious, she felt victory tighten her shoulders. She was no fool, even if they acknowledged the child was hers – if they knew where she fled, they would come after her one day; she would not allow that – they would have to search the whole of the Hidden Countries before they found her child. A bitter victory, indeed…

"I do not know," Kushina met Kakashi's gaze. Minato had meant something to both of them; he had wanted them, even in his life, to love each other as he loved them. It would not be so, even if his death might have brought them together, united over Minato's only child. Kushina regretted that perhaps most of all.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O

"Sister!" Kushina sighed slightly with only a little relief when she heard the call stir the mist filled air, footsteps crunching through the snow. She had forgotten how dreary it was here. Sure enough, as she bid her time waiting, she saw her sister move toward her. With her dark looks and her own light locks it would stir rumors, just as it had when they were children. Kushina had expected this – she had not expected to see her sister with a little toddler trotting up behind her.

"Well, who is this little one?" Kushina asked, grinning as she crouched down to the little boy's level. He had fair skin, and she knew he had inherited her sisters' features. No doubt of that, she was glad, though, that her own son already looked like his father, newborn as he was.

"This is my son, Haku." Her sister flushed only a little with pride, Kushina ruffled the boys silky black hair approvingly, getting a great big grin in response. It was then that Naruto stirred, his blue eyes surprising both her sister and Haku.

Those eyes were rare in Water Country, precious in the years before the civil wars, for it was thought that the bloodlines – the gift– flowed well and true through blue eyes. She had forgotten that now those eyes would inspire fear and hate for her son, it was no worse then he would have it in Konoha among those who thought him the demon Kyuubi. Her sister looked frightened; Haku did not, though he had a knowing look.

Kushina chuckled softly as Haku reached out a tiny hand to touch Naruto's cheek, she felt then what she had feared since her voyage over the sea - felt the rattling of her lungs, her chest tightening. She coughed, it was thick – she had turned her face away from Haku and Naruto, and opened her eyes to see blood splattering the snow. When she looked to see her sister's expression- half dreading it - she knew well the pain there. Their mother had died of the coughing sickness.

She would not live to see her son grown.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O

"Please, come inside Kushina…" Her sister pleaded beside her, wrapped in a shawl and too many layers to remember, she still felt the cold seep into her bones. She shivered a little, even as she watched Haku play with Naruto, her son was only a few months old, though he already toddled about after Haku like a little pup. Haku was charmed with Naruto, the two getting along as well as she could hope for.

She had strange dreams sometimes, ones where Haku died, his blood splattered on her little Naruto. She knew them, though they were older, somehow, though it was hazy. She dreaded such strange dreams, the certainty of the feeling that it would come to be frightened her.

Kushina did not argue with her sister, only bobbing her head in a nod. She did not know that the two little ones she had been watching noticed her leaving. Haku paused in his play, letting Naruto catch up to him, the little one reaching for his hand, and though only three he knew to take the offered hand.

"Mama, Haku…?" Naruto knew only a few words, but those ones he repeated often. Despite this Haku thought he knew what Naruto meant to say. It hurt to tell Naruto what was true (though his mother had told him to always tell the truth) but Naruto was too observant to lie to.

"She is ill, Naru'..." Naruto crinkled his little nose, as he knew well what that meant, having been sick himself, and having seen Haku get sick. Both of them had gotten the summer fever, though they had pulled through. Their mothers had feared they might get the coughing sickness, but they did not. It was a small relief.

"Get better soon?" Naruto asked, brightening, tugging insistently at Haku's sleeve so he would be answered. Haku bit his lip, for he remembered when Naruto came to live with them that his mother had been sick even then. It was a long sickness, one which Haku did not think someone might get better from. He wanted to know for sure though. He wished there was a way to know.

"I don't know." Naruto blinked, confused, for he was too young to know what Haku did. That those who got sick, but did not get better, died with the sickness. To distract Naruto, Haku stuck out his tongue, and then pulled at the power that always welled within him, forming a little ring, like he had seen on mothers hand.

She had told him that it was from someone special- a promise, from his father to come back after the fighting was finished. Haku only remembered a little of his father, but knew he meant a lot to his mother. Maybe even as much as Naruto meant to him…that had given him the idea to give the little ring of ice to Naruto.

"I'll always be with you, Naruto. I promise." Naruto giggled as Haku slipped it on his thumb, it was cold, but Naruto was not really bothered by the snow he and Haku played in, neither was he bothered by the little ice ring. Haku liked that about Naruto, he accepted things unquestioningly when they were a gift; for all that he asked questions and saw things that most thought a child might miss.

He was special, someone Haku wanted to protect – always.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O

"What…are you doing, son?" Haku tensed hearing his father's voice from behind him. He had not known he was being watched by anyone other then Naruto, who had stirred beside him, glaring up accusingly at the man Naruto still called a stranger. Haku wished Naruto was right, though he knew the truth. Guiltily, Haku swallowed and stepped aside so his father could see the little floating balls of water. It was a game he had made up for Naruto, something his mother thought was charmingly 'adorable', though she had been scared when she found he had her bloodline, it was something she accepted now – something she was proud of.

Still, he had done something he was not supposed to, at least not without his mother's permission. His father took in the sight, eyes cold, though he was otherwise expressionless. There was something like anger in the press of his lips. Haku glanced to Naruto, almost wanting to run - because that expression was… frightening. Haku did not like it in the least.

"Well done, son..." His words were anything but proud or encouraging; instead he turned on his heel, and headed towards the village. Haku did not pause to think why, he was only glad to have the rest of the day alone with Naruto to play with. It was rare that the sun shone and the mist receded, but Naruto and Haku thought it delightful.

He did not want to bother his mother with his father's strangeness, for Kushina was sicker still, unable to get out of the bed. Haku had heard his father call it the 'wasting sickness', that it would be better to kill Kushina and put her out of her misery. Haku was glad his mother disagreed, he had heard them fighting for most of the last two days.

Haku went back to playing, paying no mind to when he heard people approaching save to not use his gifts. He had found it normal now, for people who knew his father to come and go. It did not seem to matter that Haku and his mother did not welcome them, they came all the same.

It would be a day that Haku would never forget. He heard his mother scream – that was what made him run to the house, not hearing Naruto call after him, toddling after as fast as he could. Haku stopped short at the threshold, and that was what saved him, for he had heard his mother lecture him many times over not running into the house with his shoes on. Haku stood frozen, his heart beating wildly like the flapping wings of a bird. His mother lay dead, stabbed in the back and crumbled to the floor like a forgotten doll. Above her, his father stood, sneering, holding in his hand a kunai coated with blood.

Haku took a step back, his eyes wide and his mind racing.

This could not be happening.

His mother could not be dead.

There could not be blood on his shoes.

"Haku!"

He was going to die.

His father was going to kill him.

A warm little body crashed into him, pushing them both onto the floor in a little pile, Naruto on top of him. The little blond was crying, whiskers looking red, as if irritated by the tears. Haku saw past Naruto, to his father that hovered above them, glaring down at them, his grip on the kunai shifted.

He was going to kill Naruto to kill Haku.

"No!" Haku held Naruto tightly to him, as if they were the only people they knew in the entire world, which might be all to true…. Haku flung his hand in front of him as if to ward off a blow, when the power welled up, offering itself to be used; Haku gripped it violently and yanked it to protect himself, and – more importantly….Naruto…

A bloody spike of ice embedded itself into his father's chest, with a twisting crunch that sickened Haku, though he felt victory all the same. Only then did Haku remember the other men, remember that he had killed. He was no better then his father.

"Well, well, what have we here?" Only then did Naruto look up, his face had been buried in Haku's chest until that moment. Naruto's once blue eyes were red, like his mothers blood which was spilled on the threshold of the floor...

"Die." It was not Naruto that had spoken. As if flesh and blood did not dare disobey whoever the not Naruto was, the men with their swords and weapons went from looking like terrifying killers to Kushina with her wasting sickness, so quickly that Haku saw the entire course of the sickness. It was thrilling, though an awful way to die. Haku wanted to learn how to cure such an illness – or to induce it, for he knew as he watched them die – having killed his father – that there were those in the world that needed killing.

Haku felt Naruto slump against him, tired, though his breathing was easy and calmed. Haku stirred then, knowing they had to leave. He had to get things for travel, but Naruto…Naruto could sleep for now. Haku did the only thing he could think to do, he went to see if there was a clue to where to go with Kushina, who was the only one to come from outside.

It did not strike Haku until then that Kushina had to have died, not until he saw the blood on her lips and her wide staring eyes. She had not died of a knife wound – his father had not killed her, she had died of the sickness. The same sickness that had killed the men that the not Naruto had told to die…

It was something Haku knew he would never forget. Neither would it change his determination to make sure Naruto was safe so long as he lived.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Note; I am well aware that Kushina was of the 'late' Whirlpool Country, granted that place does not exist on a map of the Hidden Countries any more (I've done my research and looked, thank you very much) it struck me that within Water Country, the Village Hidden in the Mist (perhaps even the whole of Water Country) was undergoing civil unrest toward those with Bloodlines around the time Kyuubi attacked; there would have been many refugees. Perhaps the Whirlpool Country was a early casualty, in any case, it no longer exists on a map, so if I place it in Water County, well, that's just my choice isn't it?

Rest assured, this is a Zabuza/Naruto story…I'm just not one to send Naruto back in time when there are easier ways, I'm lazy like that….

P.S. – how old do you think Haku was when he met up with Zabuza?