Disclaimer: I do not own anything having to do with the Naruto series.
"You never know Zabuza…maybe you will meet him there. Who's to say?" Kakashi's words echoed in his head repeatedly as he felt his body drift weightlessly. Without care or propose. Visions of Haku raced through him, striking him with the feeling of unbearable pain and loneliness. With every picture, he silently cursed himself for not realizing how important, as a person, Haku was to him and never telling the boy how much he loved him…
"Hey, Zabuza, look what I did!" little Haku said gleefully, holding up picture he drew out of scrap papers he found from who knows where "It's my village, pretty see?"
He grimaced at him, tearing the drawing into a hundred pieces "You shouldn't waste your energy on worthless trivialities, Haku. Go back to your training."
Zabuza swallowed hard, "I didn't mean it Haku," he said to the flashback "please don't-"
The child hung his head, tears falling free as he ran away from him. Once out of the man's sight, Haku climbed a tree to cry alone. Hoping, maybe this time, his master would come looking for him and say he was sorry. Hours passed and he never did.
He pinched his eyelids together, despite the fact that he knew that he'd never get the images out of his mind that way.
Haku knelt down, crouching in pain. The man he was fighting had the upper hand.
"Get up, Haku." Zabuza said, coldly stood beside him, not even offering to help him up.
He gripped his arm, trying to stop it from bleeding further "I'm sorry, I'll try harder."
"You'll never amount to anything other than a lonely corpse if you don't fight harder. I didn't think I was wasting my time training you…at first." He shoved Haku's weapon back into his hand.
The boy choked back tears, doing his best to deal with his master's dejecting words.
Zabuza clenched his fists "No, Haku –don't get up! Please-", he remembered that day well. Haku was almost killed by their target. He even made Haku get up after that and deliver the target's head to their contractor.
He winced as visions of a cold, empty night followed. Haku was shivering and he harshly told the boy to make himself a fire or deal with it.
The unworldly space he drifted in began to grow brighter…blinding even.
Zabuza's eyes fluttered open as a cool breeze moving across his skin. "Was it… Was it all a dream?" He watched a cherry blossom petal fall from the sky and grimaced when it landed on his cheek. Small fingers brushed the petal away. Zabuza knew this hand; he looked up from where he lay.
Haku smiled sweetly "Good morning."
He didn't believe his eyes and unconsciously flung up onto one of his arms. His sudden movements caught Haku off guard, making the boy flinch. "This… can't be. I saw you… die…"
Haku winced slightly as the older man touched his face "Zabuza, you're scaring me."
Zabuza ignored his statement as tears welled in his eyes "I'm so sorry for the way I treated you, Haku." He wrapped his strong arms around Haku's tiny frame.
The boy patted his back, nuzzling his against the man's neck "I'm just happy you got to come with me. Nothing else matters."
"So, I suppose that means we really are dead." Grief consumed him.
He pushed distance between them and wiped Zabuza's tears away "I assume so." He caught a snowflake in mid air and placed the tiny frozen crystal into Zabuza's hand.
"How can there be snow and blooming trees?" he pondered to himself, staring almost blankly at the perfect snowflake.
"…In the only place where anything is possible. Where life is absent, and still eternity is everywhere." Haku smiled and nestled into Zabuza's chest.
He entangled his fingers in Haku's silken hair, taking in its' scent. He cherished it, just in case he would not get a second chance "Hey, kid..."
"Yes?" he sat up, some of his hair stuck to his face.
"From this day forward; I shall devote myself to you…Just as you did for me in life." He whispered, tucking the stray strands behind Haku's ear.
The boy stared for a moment, hands still gripping the man's shirt. Butterflies fluttered in his stomach, and then a shy smile crept onto his face. "You mean it?"
Zabuza simply nodded, sincere grin on his face "How could I not, when it comes to the one I love?"
Haku slung his arms around his neck, pressing their lips together.
The man's initial reaction was a little short of shock; which faded quickly. He closed his eyes, kissing him back.
The boy parted his lips enough to talk "I love you, too, Zabuza."