It had taken a day for them to arrive at their hideout and by this time Naruto could barely stand. With what little strength he could muster up the blonde slowly made his way towards the nearest bed before collapsing atop the sheets, snoring softly into the pillow in which he rested upon. Zabuza glanced towards his friend who took off his mask, a smile spreading across his pale face. The fox had fallen asleep on Zabuza's bed, and he knew what this meant. Haku grabbed at his pillow and allowed it to fall from his fingertips to the ground; he then sat on top of the floor, offering the male his bed which he graciously took, making an audible grunt in appreciation.
Haku chuckled mostly to himself and then lied on the cold floor beneath him, falling asleep to the sound of Naruto's soft snores and Zabuza's light breathing.
Zabuza was the first to wake in a cold sweat, his body slightly trembling. Every night it was the same, he woke from the familiar nightmare, and on the rare occasion he would wake to Haku shaking him, asking if he were ok. He knew he worried his friend, but never mentioned it, and when the other male would ask what gave him such a fright he would simply grunt and prepare for the day, ignoring Haku's questioning glare.
His nightmares were always the same, the incident he could never mention but was always recognized for. He was a cold blooded killer, that's what he was born to be, ever since the day he enrolled himself into the academy. He hadn't realized it then but that was what set his fate that was the moment people would begin looking up at him in fear and that was when he lost all sense of sanity.
He had done what they asked, he was the top of his class, and he was the only survivor. Yet ever since then they treated him as a monster, turned him into something that he had never imagined possible; a killer, a murderer, even an outcast.
If it weren't for Haku he would have lost himself years before, Haku was the only one willing to show him kindness, give him friendship and shower him with love and affection, even if he had an odd way of showing it; every bit mattered.
He cared for his friend deeply even if he hadn't expressed it in the ways a normal man would but there was a difference between his love and Haku's. Unlike Haku he cared for the male the way a devoted friend would, nothing more, nothing less. He owed everything to the man, and remained loyal despite their many differences. But he knew the way Haku stared at him, the way his eyes roamed his body, undressing him slowly. He had never thought of being with a woman much less Haku, the very thought disturbed him. It wasn't that he was unaccustomed to such ways, he didn't much care, he just couldn't bare the idea of risking what they had and he had no such feelings for his friend.
Naruto stirred about, catching his attention. The blonde yawned and then propped himself up onto his elbows, looking about the room. His icy blue eyes eventually came to rest on Zabuza's, seemingly startling him. But then he remembered and his expression turned blank as his eyes grew distant.
"So it wasn't a dream."
With a grunt Zabuza hoisted himself out of bed, looking to his friend who lied on the floor. Carefully he tip toed passed him as he searched for a clean pair of pants. He disappeared into the other room and began to rummage through the laundry, slipping out of his clothes as he exchanged them with a fresh pair. Buttoning up his pants just as the blonde slowly made his way into the room.
"What now?" Naruto asked.
The darker haired male looked to the boy's neck, noticing the red crust that flaked around his wound. Some part of him wished he had done the deed before Haku had arrived; he hated having to deal with strangers.
"You're not my responsibility." He answered in a cold manner, pushing passed the boy as he made back into their bedroom. He debated on whether to wake Haku and leave him in the company of such a burden, but then decided against it and reached for the door leading outside as he slipped on a pair of blue scandals.
The two headed out towards the waters where Zabuza seated himself on the sand, looking out to the sun as it rose, greeting them with its gentle rays. He basked in the light, and then focused on the blonde who openly stared at him, seemingly lost in thought.
"Are you just going to stand there?" He growled, snapping the boy from his thoughts. Slowly Naruto relaxed into the sand and joined the man in his morning ritual.
But soon he grew restless and Zabuza became aware of this, without warning the blonde broke out into a one sided discussion where he simply sat and listened.
Naruto explained all that had come to bother him over the years of having lived in the leaf village, of how cruel the people were, especially when it came to him. He talked of Sasuke, the only true friend who let him down; he spoke of how he hated himself for what they made him, for what he was. He trembled slightly in what Zabuza guessed to be a result of all the hate and resentment the blonde built up over the years. He didn't feel sympathy for the boy but a sense of familiarity had washed over him, it was almost as if he were hearing his story from someone else; almost word for word.
Who long had it been since he could relate to someone? He wondered. Had he ever?
No one had ever been as open with him as Naruto was now, and they had only met. The blonde had simply wanted the same thing in which Zabuza strived for, to be put from his misery; but they were to strong to allow it to happen. They were two people fighting against the rivers current, pushing against the sea of people; they were fighters, dreamers and perhaps even survivors.
He didn't know when Naruto had stopped talking but when his thoughts cleared silence remained. He felt that in this moment he had bonded with the blonde, come to understand a bit more of him and his true character.
This brought a faint smile to his lips and he pulled himself up out of the sand. They walked back to the hideout in the same silence, and walked into an empty home. Haku had already left.
It was late into the evening when the masked man returned. Immediately he began on dinner, heating fresh fish over a small fire, but the biggest fish as Zabuza noticed, he served to Naruto who ate it graciously. The two then chatted away as if they had known each other forever and he thought to himself when was the last time Haku had a true friend?
