Author's note at end! Please read.
Reality
"Hello, handsome boy, uncle Padfoot's here!"
"Pa'foo!"
"Yes! That's right, clever boy! You're going to be just like James when you grow up…"
Haku smiled sleepily as he came awake to the soft panting of his new pet. Green eyes opened and stared into orbs of blue. The huge dog let out a soft huff and licked his nose. Scrunching up his nose playfully, Haku sat up. He hadn't thought up a name for the black dog yet. Perhaps he could call him Kuro…but that's so unoriginal. Name the dog black because he was a black dog? Haku snorted softly with amusement. He turned to Zabuza at the next bed. The older ninja had woken when he interacted with the animal, and had turned his head towards him, a soft expression on his face. Before Haku could contemplate what that meant, Zabuza caught himself and scowled.
"Hurry up, then. If you're awake, stop dallying and go wash yourself up."
The dog growled softly but the nins ignored him. Haku nodded and got up. He collected his day outfit and went into the bathroom.
It was dawn, Haku thought absently as he washed his face. Hedwig must have gone out to hunt down breakfast – clever girl, Haku thought fondly. Today is the mission they had received from Kakura town three days ago. The pair of missing-nins had recovered nicely, and today, as their targets came within the Fire Country border, they will assassinate them. Their objective was to kill the four missing Rock nins that are supposedly coming to Kakura to meet with their contact in the Fire Country. Their client, masquerading as a caravan driver, paid them half the sums first – which was a handsome amount – and will pay the remaining amount after the job is done.
In the three days, Haku had learned that the dog is very intelligent. He could obey every command at the first try, and was able to track fairly well – not to the lengths of summon dogs, but this was only an ordinary dog. He also learned that the dog liked him more than Zabuza. He laughed softly at the expression on Zabuza's face when the dog had sniffed at the older man's hand and had turned his back to him, lifting his tail not unlike a cat's as he did so. Zabuza had spent most of his time with Hedwig then, grouching how at least the owl had a modicum of respect to him. Zabuza doesn't like admitting it, but Haku knew that the man is fond of animals. Perhaps not to the extent like Haku, but for Zabuza, it was something.
As Haku clipped on his mask, he sighed inwardly at the task ahead of him. He truly did not wish to kill. Whenever he took a life – and there were many of them – he always wondered if the person he had killed had a precious person, waiting back at home. Despite his bloodstained hands, Haku will continue to dip his hands deeper, permanently staining them crimson if he had to, just to see Zabuza's dreams come true. And when that happens, Haku's dream will also come true.
Opening the bathroom door, Haku stepped back into the bedroom, letting Zabuza in after him. Behind the privacy of his mask, Haku allowed himself a small blush at Zabuza's bare chest and low hung pants, showing off his muscles and the jut of his hipbones. It was strange. Ever since the bridge, Haku noticed a new feeling nestling within his heart for the older ninja. After all these years, Haku and Zabuza were no strangers to each other's bodies. They had bathed in icy rivers and streams together often enough, when they were on the run and had no time for luxuries. But recently, the body that had once been familiar to Haku was suddenly foreign. He looked at his precious person's body with new eyes. And it was all very confusing for him, so he tried to hide it as much as possible. Zabuza hadn't noticed or commented on anything, so Haku assumed that he was successful.
A whine drew his attention. Big blue eyes stared at him pleadingly, the large head rested on the table beside the food bag, drawing a laugh out of the teen.
"Alright, alright, I'll feed you now."
As Haku took out the dried beef, Hedwig fluttered back in from the window, a dead rat clenched in her hooked beak. She landed on Haku's shoulder, and ate the rest of her meal.
"Welcome back, Hedwig."
The snowy owl hooted and nipped his ear affectionately.
The bathroom door opened, and Zabuza emerged, dressed and ready to go. He slung his decapitating sword onto his shoulder and stood beside the door leading to the hallway, looking back at Haku expectantly. As Haku stepped up beside him, Hedwig flew back out the window, landing on a tree nearby, waiting for them to come out.
"Let's make this a quick one."
"Yes, Zabuza-san."
The two nins made a hand sign, and performed a henge, making them appearing as they did when they first checked into the inn. Haku glanced back curiously at the dog when it did this sort of wheezing choking sound.
"The mutt probably just got some fur ball in his throat or something." Zabuza said offhandedly as he opened the door. Haku nodded and went out after the man, motioning the stunned dog after him.
The group went down to the entrance, exchanged pleasantries with the inn keeper and they were out and on their way. The minute they were out of the inn's sight and within the woods, the shinobis cancelled their jutsu. Haku bent down to the dog. He gave his hand for the dog to sniff, then pointed at himself and then pointed at the direction they will be going to.
"Follow."
The dog barked in understanding. With a head jerk from Zabuza, the two nins bounded up into the foliage and raced off. Distantly, Haku could hear the familiar flapping of Hedwig's wings behind him, while the dog lagged behind them, but followed at a steady pace.
Haku turned his attention back to the task at hand, when he felt their targets in front of them. Zabuza made some signals, and Haku nodded in understanding. The teen dropped down onto the ground below to be the decoy while Zabuza used a Hidden Mist jutsu, covering the area in a fine mist, which steadily became foggy. Zabuza will be doing what he does best. Silent killing.
Haku doesn't know why their client targeted these four specific Rock nins, or how he had came about with this information. As the four nins stepped out of the trees to surround him, all Haku thought about were the quickest and the most efficient ways of finishing them off.
"State your business." One of the nins said roughly.
Haku did not answer.
"Answer, or die, stranger." Another one snarled out.
Haku tilted his head. He made a single-handed hand sign.
"Funny, how are you going to kill me when you're dead?" Haku asked.
The four ninjas rushed in.
"Sensatsu Suisho"
Haku jumped up into the air after releasing his Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death jutsu, gathering the water from Zabuza's mist. The pained shouts and screams of the people below confirmed that he had caught his opponents off guard. He quickly surveyed the scene from a tree branch. He saw that one of the nins were clearly dead, another not far off, judging by the man's dying gurgling. One is incapacitated, the other managed to avoid most of the needles. Haku decided to go in for the kill at the injured nin, leaving the other to Zabuza.
Haku used the Body Flicker technique and appeared in front of the shinobi trying to heave himself up off the ground. The man's eyes widened. Almost pathetically easy, Haku drove a kunai into the man's heart. With a resigned sigh, the man's eyes dimmed, and died before he hit the ground.
"Keitaro!" The last Rock shinobi yelled frantically as he watched his comrade fall. The man's black eyes fastened onto Haku, eyes darkening in rage. "You, you bastard!"
Haku did not move, even as the Rock shinobi ran towards him at high speed. He doesn't have to. A squelch and a gurgle later, the man coughed up blood, and fell face down a metre in front of Haku, revealing Zabuza with his bloodied sword.
Haku smiled behind his mask. He doesn't have to move. He trusted Zabuza. Zabuza was always there for him.
Zabuza flicked his massive sword. The blood soared into the air in a graceful arc, landing with a 'splat' on a tree trunk. A whimper came from the trees. Haku peered curiously behind him, and found the black dog curling in on itself, shivering. Haku took a step towards it, but the animal flinched back. Haku lowered his raised arm with a sad sigh. Hedwig had not reacted to the blood up in the trees. She fluttered down, and ran her beak through his hair, as if checking for injuries. Haku stared sadly at the shivering animal in front of him. He felt as if he had a real connection to the canine. Yet…
"Haku."
Zabuza was staring at him. His gaze fell pointedly at the dog.
"Come. If the animal doesn't want to follow, leave it." Zabuza turned away with a mutter of "Good riddance."
Sirius was paralysed with fear. He couldn't stop shivering. The four men were dead within ten minutes – three of them were killed by his godson!
He shivered once more.
It wasn't even self-defence! Harry and Zabuza knew where the four men were, and killed them! Deliberately! It was murder. It was slaughter.
With the mask in the way, Sirius didn't know what his godson's expressions were when he ended three men's life. He was almost afraid to. What if he found the malice and glee in his eyes as Harry took their lives, or would he kill with a blankness, that of a cold-hearted killer?
Sirius had flinched away when Harry approached him. He saw the youth pause, and seem to heave a sad sigh. Sirius couldn't help it! He still remembered that happy baby, giggling in Lily's arms, shrieking with joy in James' arms, sleeping in Remus' arms, and smiling in his. He had imagined Harry to grow up like his father. Courageous, kind, fair, gifted – a good man.
But he had found Harry! After all these years!
He watched as Harry turned at Zabuza's call. The masked face swung around to look at Sirius once more before turning, his back facing him. For a moment, in Sirius's vision, the turned back doubled with another, this one clothed in black robes, hair stuck up in messy angles. That was the last time Sirius saw James, when he went to his house to suggest changing the Secret Keeper to Peter. James had been reluctant, but agreed in the end. James had turned then, back facing Sirius, the warm light from inside the house illuminating his silhouette. Sirius gave a slightly pained whine.
No! He would not lose Harry too!
Gathering his frayed courage, Sirius hurriedly bounded after the two men, and barked.
Harry turned around swiftly, the long strands of his hair framing his face flying. He tugged his mask up, revealing his gentle face as he smiled with Lily's eyes and James' lips.
Yes. Sirius thought as he lolled his tongue out and wagged his tail. He will stay with Harry. He will learn about this Harry in front of him, this gentle Harry that was petting him with soft hands.
Harry is Harry after all.
Harry is his godson, and nothing else matters.
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Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who's been so patient! I was studying for my exams before, and I have another test coming up, so I have not much chance to update this. I have decided to release another version of All For You without yaoi themes, therefore Zabuza and Haku will have a strictly platonic relationship. I do this partly for those people who liked the storyline, but have strong aversion towards yaoi, but I also want to do this because I, myself, liked both platonic relationship and romantic relationship between Zabuza and Haku. I should be publishing the other version, titling All For You, Zabuza soon, after cutting and editting some parts. The storyline will be the same! So the other version will not miss out on much. As readers might have noticed, I introduced a bit of romantic theme in this (slightly shorter) chapter. So the readers who have read the past chapter should just start reading chapter 6 in the other version story, as I will edit out the romantic part.
Thanks again to everyone for supporting me! The reviews really kept me going!
Wings of the Night
