Naruto belongs to Kishimoto, not me.
Haku looked around at the cottage that Zubuza-sama had borrowed. It was very modest, with little decoration, but it was perfect for them. He was in the bathroom, cleaning the wounds he had gotten from training.
He looked into the mirror with disappointment. He was small for his age and, although most 9 years old's didn't have large defined muscles, he feared that he would never be of any use to Zabuza-sama. An angry bruise covered once of his eyes and part of his face.
That was his fault. He had not only interrupted Zabuza-sama but he had also doubted him. Haku honestly thought Zabuza-sama was going to punish him a lot worse then just hitting him once.
Zabuza-Sama wasn't a cruel man but that didn't mean he was a kind man either. When Haku did something wrong Zabuza-Sama punished him harshly. But he never punished him without a reason.
While training Zabuza-Sama pushed him until he thought he would just fall apart. As much as he pushed, he also make him rest just as much. Haku was always sore, but he was improving, if only a little.
Once he finished wrapping his wounds he received from training that day, he proceeded to brush his hair. It had grown a lot since he joined Zabuza-Sama and he thought that he may have to cut it soon. From the corner of his eye he saw Zabuza-Sama walk to the bathroom door. Haku turned to him and bowed in respect.
Zabuza-Sama handed him a small stack of money. "Get food, some more medical supplies and another tea pot." After this he walked away. Haku had become accustomed to making tea for Zabuza-Sama and himself every morning but the tea pot he had been using broke about a week ago. He was thankful that Zabuza-Sama told him to buy another one.
The town they were staying in was a pleasant enough place. It was much warmer here than where he came from; there was greenery everywhere. There were a lot of colorful stores and restaurants throughout the town.
He was able to get the medical supplies fairly easily before going to the grocery store. Before meeting Zabuza-sama he have never traveled so he didn't really know what kind of food to get but Zabuza-sama taught him what he needed to buy. Occasionally he would make mistakes but not as often anymore.
Today it would be OK to get a little bit of meat, because there was a refrigerator in the cabin, as well as some fresh vegetables. He also needed some dried and canned food, things that won't go bad. While he was walking through the store a sweet smell caught his attention. There was a bakery in the middle of the store.
He realized how long it had been since he had eaten something sweet. Zabuza-sama didn't really believe in wasting money on worthless things like that. Before he knew what he was doing he was already in front of the counter looking at all the things on display. There were all kinds of baked goods like he had never seen before. They were beautifully decorated and smelled wonderful. He bit his lip and decided to walk away. It took more strength than he would like to admit.
As he started thinking about all the things that he needed to get when he heard someone calling him from behind. He turned to see a large man come out from the bakery. He was tall and broad, a strong looking man, but not as strong as Zabuza-sama. He had green apron over his clothes. He had a really soft looking, almost gentle face.
When he caught up to Haku, he held out a cookie and said, "Did you want a cookie?" Haku shook his head and replied, "No thank you, I don't have the money for that." "It's OK," he said, "you can have it." Slowly Haku accepted the cookie. "Thank you sir." he said quietly. The man knitted his brow and said, "Did you get into a fight?" Haku shook his head, "No, I messed up so I was punished."
The baker looked upset by this. He knitted his brow and put a hand on Haku's shoulder. Haku stiffened immediately. "If you're in trouble don't hesitate to ask for help. If someone is hurting you, just tell someone." he said.
Haku pulled away awkwardly and said, "I'll keep this in mind." as he walked away. He put the cookie in his pocket for later. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the baker talking to some others, looking over at him while doing so.
He thought about this meeting for the rest of his shopping trip. This man was kind to him for know reason, unless he really did know about Haku's ability somehow. That means that this man was trying to use false kindness to lure him into a trap. It wasn't the first time someone had tried to do that to him. But it wouldn't work because he was leaving with Zabuza-sama in the morning.
When he got back to the cabin, Zabuza-sama was in the main part of the room polishing his sword. Zabuza-sama didn't acknowledge his presents as he went to put away the groceries. When he was finished he started cooking dinner for the both of them.
It was about half an hour later that Zabuza-sama walked into the kitchen. Haku left what he was doing to give Zabuza-sama the change from the shopping trip. It was then that he realized that he had forgotten about the cookie. He took it out and set it on the counter.
Zabuza-sama looked at it, "Why did you buy a cookie?" Zabuza-sama looked at him sternly and for a moment. Haku was a bit scared but he answered as bravely as he could, "It was given to me." This time Zabuza-sama looked less angry and more curious. Haku looked away, Zabuza-sama's stare was making him a little nervous. "I was in the grocery store when a man that I haven't spoken to, came up to me and offered it. He didn't ask for anything in return but he was concerned about my health."
Zabuza-sama seemed to be satisfied with that answer. Haku turned around and went back to the stove to finish dinner for them.
When they sat down to set it was in silence. That almost always ate in silence. About half way though the meal Zabuza-sama did something unexpected. He picked up the cookie, broke it in half and set one half next to Haku's plate. "Thank you Zabuza-sama." Haku smile at him. Zabuza-sama grunted in response.
That night they prepared for the journey tomorrow and went to bed early. Haku slept on the couch while Zabuza-sama slept in the bedroom.
The next morning Haku woke up early and started to make some tea. The sun wasn't up yet and the cabin was still dark. It wasn't as difficult to wake up early after training with Zabuza-sama anymore. Zabuza-sama woke up just a few minutes after him. After a cup of tea they headed off, the sun was just starting to rise.
Just outside the village was a large field full of red flowers that they walked though. On the side of the path was a man that he had seen yesterday with walking out into the field. The man started walking toward them. Haku must have looked disturbed because Zabuza-sama grabbed the side of his head and pulled him close. It was a rare moment that Zabuza-sama showed his possession over Haku.
They almost got away without being disturbed but that man walked up to them. "Hey! Where are you taking that little girl?" Zabuza-sama glared at that man. He placed a heavy hand on Haku's head. He couldn't help but wince under the weight. "This thing belongs to me." he stated in a low voice. The man looked very angry, "That child is not an object." Despite the bandages covering his face, Haku could tell Zabuza-sama was smiling. "Then save this child."
As he said that, he took his hand away from Haku and started to walk away. For one horrible moment Haku thought that Zabuza-sama was going to leave him. The man looked between them nervously. Zabuza-sama turned and said, "Come!" He felt the weight of the world lift from his shoulders; Zabuza-sama wasn't going to leave him.
It was quite a while after they left before Zabuza-sama addressed him. "Haku, do you understand why that man got so angry with me?" Haku shook his head, "No sir." "Some fools get concerned when little girls get hit, even when they don't know what's really going on." "But I'm not a girl." Haku responded. "You have long hair and a pretty face." Zabuza-sama pointed out. Haku looked at the ground and say, "I'm sorry, I'll cut my hair next time we stop."
Zabuza-sama stopped and looked at him. "If you don't cut it, you'll get sympathy. It could be useful as a trick people but if you want to cut it you'll have to work hard to be strong." "Yes sir." was Haku's answer.
As they continued walking Haku thought about the options Zabuza-sama gave him. Pretending to be a girl would be almost too embarrassing but if it would help Zabuza-sama then it was worth it. Just until he was strong enough to protect him without having to rely on tricks.
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This probably isn't the reason he has long hair but it's just an idea that I had.