An update… finally. Inspiration has been kind to me… for once. It also helps when there's a three day Naruto Marathon going on. But seriously, I'm sorry about not updating sooner. I kind of bounce in between stories; depending on my mood and what I've been reading and watching lately. Enough of me going on, its time for some loyal reviewers. One for Hiei's-Dark-Litte-Phoenix, one for fennecfox03 and finally (but not least) Blood Blades and Demon Gates. Thank you all for the lovely reviews… though some of you enjoy being evil a little too much.
Chapter Seven
"Heh, heh," Zi lightly giggled as she and Haku walked down the path.
She seemed to be back to normal after three days of being in an angry stupor. She was finally laughing, wanting to go to the market with him and most of all; she was defying Zabuza whenever she could. She was even willing to go clothes shopping this morning; which she always said she hated to do.
"Hey you ok," she waved her hand in front of Haku's face.
"Oh yes," he smiled, "I was just thinking of how Master Zabuza will react when he sees you in a shinobi outfit."
"Ah ha ha…," Zi forced a laugh as her cheeks turned red, "I knew I shouldn't have let you talk me into getting this tight black thing… but I do like the red obi," she looked down her back at her new obi.
"You look fine, plus it won't limit your movements," he smiled. "Umm… Zi," Haku started shyly, "I was wondering about…. what happen a few nights ago…. who was that guy and why was he…."
"There you two are," Zabuza's voice rang out ahead of the pair.
"Sorry we're late Lord Zabuza," Haku bowed, "we found an herb shop and restocked our low supplies."
"You're late," Zabuza seemed more annoyed than usually.
"He said he was sorry," Zi put her hands on her hips, "besides you said that you didn't have a job until next week and that those two Demon Brothers were still gathering information and," she looked up into the trees, "you two better not try to ambush me again or I'll put my gensens through your skulls!"
"You're no fun," a voice came from the trees.
"Yay, you were a lot more fun when you shivered every time we came near," a different voice came from the same place.
Zi looked over to Zabuza, "just one."
"Ha, I need those two," Zabuza laughed.
"Damn," Zi said under her breath.
"Hey you two get down here," Zabuza called up to the hidden ninjas.
They appeared before him and bowed low.
"We have the information you requested and it is very promising," Gozu held up a scroll, "and it looks like it's going to be an easier job then we thought."
"Of course our client doesn't have to know about that," Meizu snickered.
"Of course," Zabuza looked through the scroll, "hmm… looks like an easy enough job. Haku, you and the Demon Brothers will take care of this one. I have some business else where and will meet you at the appointed place in four days."
"We will not disappoint you Zabuza sir," Haku bowed.
"Not to sound selfish," Zi waved her hand, "but what about me?"
Zabuza looked over at Zi with a sinister stare, "you'll be coming with me."
"I'm keeping my clothes on," she hid behind Haku.
"As much as I would enjoy that," Zabuza started to walk away, "there's something else I need you to do.
Zi sighed as she folded her arms. She never liked being left alone with Zabuza and usually complained to Haku about her little trips with him. Haku could only shake his head no as Zi begged with her eyes for him to convince Zabuza to change his mind. Zi understood his gesture and went off with a huff in the direction of Zabuza. Haku watched silently as the pair disappeared down the shady path of the forest.
"Lord Haku? Shall we go?" the Demon Brothers asked in unison.
"Yes… we shall," Haku answered, still looking down at the fading figuring. Please Lord Zabuza, please don't kill her yet….
What to do with my little female weapon? She has many hidden talents, but her past is still shrouded in a thick mist…. a thick bloody mist, Zabuza thought to himself, Meizu and Gozu weren't able to find any information on her and that Cloud ninja that was snooping around the other day didn't say a thing…. then again I didn't give him long enough.
"You have an evil grin on your face," Zi narrowed her eyebrows as she came up next to him, "you're either done something evil or about to."
"Or maybe both," glance over to her, but his usually glare didn't seem to phase her today.
"So…. you are going to kill me," she sighed.
"Not yet," Zabuza smirked, "maybe when you've out lived your usefulness, but for now, I want information."
"Info on…," Zi waited for an answer.
"Why you're running," Zabuza glared down at her as he stopped walking.
Zi slowly passed him, folding her arms across her chest. She seemed to think for a moment and started to open her mouth to say something, but decided not to.
"Well," Zabuza asked impatiently.
"I suppose I'm running because of rumors," she looked innocently back at him. "Of course the rumors must be true considering the fact that the Hunter-Nins want to take me alive and as you know, Hunter-Nins never do that unless there is a very good, but evil reason."
"I can't imagine why they would want you alive," Zabuza started to walk away, "Haku I can understand." He glanced over his shoulder to see Zi's reactions. Just as he expected, she cheeks were turning red with anger.
"I'll have you know that I wanted because of the enormous amount of chakra I have," she yelled loudly.
"Oh ya," Zabuza decided to push her a little further, "I couldn't tell from the way you're always begging me to not be involved in my business affairs. Some ninja you are. You're not worth chasing."
Zi looked down at the ground and her entire body began to shake. She formed her fists into so tight that they were turning white. She's going to start crying, Zabuza thought to himself.
"Worth chasing? Worth chasing," she said to the ground. Looking up, Zi stared at Zabuza with hateful eyes, "worth chasing? I'm not worth chasing. Tell that to the thirty some Hunter-Nin that have pursued me for the last six years of my life! Oh wait, they're all dead! Tell that to Syaoran that I'm not worth chasing. No wait, I went psycho again and killed him! Ya, I'm not worth chasing at all." With that, she turned around and huffed angrily.
"Ha ha ha," Zabuza laughed.
"What's so funny," Zi sneered.
"It's funny to think that inside of you is a cold hearted killer like me," Zabuza continued to laugh. "You know what I'm saying is true."
Zi turned around in a flash, throwing one of her gensens at Zabuza's head. He easily caught it and tossed it aside. Without waiting to see what Zabuza would do, she ran recklessly towards him; she readier her other gensen for a second attack. Zabuza snorted and sidestepped to avoid her attack. Quickly, he grabbed her arm and brought it behind her back.
"I'm nothing like you," she said through her teeth.
"If you're nothing like me," he whispered into her ear, "then why do you always aim for vital points on the body…. vital points that if hit would leave the opponent dead or near death? Only Hunter Squads are trained with such intensions."
"Because… because," she started to whimper, "I was trained to."
"Start talking or I'll kill you were you stand," Zabuza threaten as he released her.
"Just do it then," she sighed, "I don't have any reasons to live…. Syaoran proved that to me last night. I have no one…. I have no way to escape the eyes of Hunter Squads…. I've wanted to die for so long, but…" Zi fell to her knees and started to cry.
Wanting to die…. she sounds like Haku when I first met him, Zabuza thought to himself. She doesn't want to die because of having no purpose…. why then?
My cheeks were hot from my tears. I didn't really want to cry in front of Zabuza, but I really didn't care at this point. So many emotions that I've been bottling up over the last six years were final erupting in one giant fit of tears and sniffles. I was waiting for Zabuza to start in on how weak and useless I was, but he did something I wasn't expecting.
He lightly patted me on the head, "you've had a very rough life…. no wonder why you and Haku get along so well."
"Za… Zabuza?" I looked up at him with tearful eyes.
"Don't think I'm going soft…. I want information," Zabuza reminded me.
I wiped my eyes and looked to the ground. After so many years of trying to forget everything, I was finally realizing, I can't ever forget. I can't let myself, he won't let forget. I can't believe that it took a psycho to make me realize that. And that same psycho to make me remember the last six years of my life.
"You want to know why I'm running and why I'm wanting alive," I started, "it's because I was supposed to stay in the village and either become a Ninja Hunter or willing give myself as a chakra reservoir when my body had grown into the chakra."
Zabuza leaned up against a tree, "so Haku was right."
"Yes," I nodded my head, "but my brother's death change all that. I ran from the village, just praying to die so I could be with him and my parents."
"How did your brother die," Zabuza asked quietly.
"He was," I grabbed the tail ends of my obi, "killed while on a mission… it was suppose to be an easy mission; get the package to the costumer and collect the money. Easy. But on the way back to the village, we were attacked by some strange ninjas."
"Strange ninjas," Zabuza raised his eyebrow.
"Well I've never seen their symbol before," I admitted, "it looked something like this," I drew a musically note in the soft dirt.
"Hmm… the Village Hidden in the Sound…" he rubbed his chin, then looked to me, "finish."
Sounds like he knows who attack my squad and me that night, I thought to myself.
"My Sensei told us to make a run for the village and get help," I continued, "I managed to make it to the tree line, but my brother and fellow squad member were cut off but several… Sound Ninjas," I gave him a nasty look. "They took up the defensive formation… I just hid in a tree… I was too afraid to fight…"
"Like you are now," Zabuza inserted.
"Yes… I knew I was weak then and I know I'm weak now, that weakness killed my brother, my friend and my Sensei. If only I had stepped in early, then maybe they would be alive or I would be dead… either way I wouldn't be in the sad state I am now," I wiped a tear from my face, "they fought so hard… they did all the best moves… preformed all their best jutsu, but it still wasn't enough. They could only manage to kill a few ninjas," my voice cracked.
"They were killed," Zabuza said.
"Again… yes. My squad member was stabbed through the head, my Sensei was decapitated and my brother," I felt tears running down my cheeks, "he was stabbed in the lungs… his death was slow. I don't know what happen next, I just know that I got angry… real angry."
I didn't feel like continuing on; the next part still sent shivers down my spine. I never thought of myself as a violent person, but ever since that night… I've wondered about myself.
"The next I knew, I was on the ground, my brother's head was in my lap," I continued on, "I was covered in blood… not my own. Looking around, there were ninja all about me… either there was a clean hole through their heart or through their skulls… and charred… really, really charred," my cheeks redden.
"After you killed them, you fried them," Zabuza laughed.
I looked to the ground, "I think it was the other way around…"
He started to laugh and it was kind of creepy.
Is he happy because of the way I over killed those guys or his is happy because he's about to kill me, I wondered as I slipped my hand over my gensens.
"What a sad, but interesting story," Zabuza continued to laugh, but soon changed to a serious tone, "your training before hand, was it that of a Nin-Hunter?"
I released a huge sigh, "yes, the Cloud Village was training the top Genin teams in the way of the Hunter Ninja. My squad was one of them, but we where being trained to hunt down ninjas from other villages… especially… hmm…" I paused.
"Especially those who possess Kekkei Genkai or unnatural amounts of charka… like yourself," Zabuza finished for me, "I've heard the rumors, but to hear it from one of those hunters confirms my suspicions. With that said," he started to reach for his zanbato, "you'll have to die now."
"I thought you might say," I pulled my gensen out.
I knew it would come to this, I thought as I unfolded my weapon, I knew he would never let me live after he found out. I'm too much of a risk to him… to Haku. I smiled, doesn't mean I'm gonna let him kill me.
"What are you smiling about," he narrowed his eyes.
"Oh the fact that I'm going to wipe the forest floor with your ass," I snickered, "you see, since you have made me remember some of my more… bloody past… I remember most of the Justus I've forgotten… and believe me, if you got a kick out of my Thunder Style Justus, your going to love my Earth Style Justus…"
Her eyes changed from her usual sad, soft stares to that of cold blooded killer. She looked exactly like the night when Syaoran attacked; she looked exactly him.
She's serious… good, I can go all out now and not waste my time, Zabuza smiled internally.
They started to circle one another, watching every move. With one leap, their battle to the death began.
