~Chapter 8~
"Kakashi…." I muttered, glancing towards the ice mirrors as I felt the manifesting of the fox's chakra.
But Kakashi was too busy mumbling to himself. "Has the binding spell begun to unravel? Is the seal broken?"
"It's slipping through." I muttered to myself, ignoring the spoons mumblings.
Kakashi wiped his blood across a scroll, proclaiming winner take all in one last big move. But I was hardly paying attention. I was biting my thumb causing blood to drip down from the force as I focused on the fight Naruto was giving. I blinked as he punch Haku, sending him through the mirrors. Naruto went to punch him again in the face but he stopped as soon as the mask Haku was wearing dropped. What the hell?
I sighed in relief nonetheless as I felt the fox's chakra leave and licked the blood off my thumb, watching as it healed instantly and hurriedly pulled out another cigarette, closing my right eye under the eye patch. My power from it receded and I zoned out until my cigarette was gone. I even ignored Kakashi's Lightning Blade. I had simply nodded for Tazuna and Sakura to head over to Sasuke. I sighed as I felt the people that had finally approached the bridge speak up. It was some short dud who taped his cane on the ground.
"Well, he's certainly made a fine mess out of you! What a pity…." Gatô….
"Gatô….what are you….doing here? And….why….did you….bring….all of them?!"
"Hehe-there's been a slight change of plan, Zabuza. Or of your plans, anyway. This was what I had in mind all along. You're going to die, 'demon'….here and now."
"What?"
"You must have guessed. I never intended to pay you. It's such a bother hiring a skilled shinobi affiliated with one of the top villages. It's expensive….and they tend to have friends who object when I betray and kill them. It's so much simpler to hire ukenin-renegades-like yourself. No one cares what I do to your kind once the job is done. All of you ninja are so eager to fight each other. Once you've worn each other down, common thugs can finish off the rest. It's a great business plan-efficient and inexpensive. My only mistake was hiring you in the first place. Calling yourself the Demon of Kirigakure is just plain false advertising! Hehe….you're no demon….more like a baby demon, if that." The thugs started laughing as Zabuza glared. I glared with him. Zaza used to be a good friend of mine. He knew I'd kick his ass though.
"The shape you're in, we'll take you down without even breaking a sweat!"
I smirked. "I wanna kill 'em." Zaza glanced towards me and I smirked. He shook his head in slight amusement.
"Forgive me….Kakashi….our fight is over," Zabuza said, glancing over at Kakashi, "I no longer have any reason to want to assassinate Tazuna….which settles our differences."
"Yeah…."
"Huh?" Naruto asked.
"You're right."
"Oh and it was nice to see you, Hokori."
"Still as sexy as ever, even with both arms fucked up. Huh, Zaza?" I smirked over at him and his eye twitched as my team anime fell. Well, the ones that were near me anyway. So, Naruto and Kakashi.
"….that reminds me…." Gatô muttered, walking forward and I scowled.
"I still have a score to settle." Gatô said, stopping beside Haku's corpse and I growled as he poked his face with his shoe. Then he kicked him, saying: "Hah. Dead meat. Carrion."
"What are you doing, you creep?!" Naruto yelled as I growled lowly. Naruto decided to dash towards them but Kakashi grabbed onto him.
"Cool down. Think, there's a lot of them." Kakashi ordered.
"Hey!" Naruto whined then turned to Zabuza, "Hey, why don't you do something?! He worked for you! He was practically you slave!"
"Like what? Haku is dead." My eye twitched. Zaza….
"But you should care! That fat scumbag is desecrating him! He was your comrade….you partner….he worked for you for years!" Hm….the bonehead actually agrees with one of my rules: Respect your teammates.
Oh, scratch that. Make that two: Never mess with the bodies of the dead.
"….Gatô's been using me….and I used Haku. Weren't you listening? It's a shinobi's lot. All of us are either users, or tools….or both. I don't value Haku for himself….but for the taint his blood carried….and for what his talents could do for me. I apologize for nothing." Zabuza said. He sounds like he's lying….
'You….do you really mean that?" Naruto questioned, swiping his arm from Kakashi's grasp.
"Stop it, Naruto! Leave him alone. Our quarrel is over. Besides which…."
"SHUT UP-! HE'S STILL MY ENEMY!"
I blinked. Damn.
"Who is that obnoxious brat? He's been making quite a nuisance of himself!" Gatô mumbled but I ignored him.
"HE….HE REALLY CARED ABOUT YOU!" Naruto pointed his finger towards Haku and I let a cigarette.
"HE WAS DEVOTED TO YOU! BUT YOU THINK THAT'S JUST FOR NOTHING, THAT HE WAS NOTHING. YOU DON'T FEEL A THING! ARE YOU REALLY THAT HEARTLESS?!" Naruto's eyed started to tear up, "IS THAT HOW YOU GET….WHEN YOUR POWERS ARE AS STRONG AS YOURS ARE?" Zabuza was silent.
"HE GAVE HIS LIFE FOR YOU!" Again, Zabuza was silent.
"He died….without any of his dreams ever coming true." To die as his tool….that's….too much, too cruel…." Naruto was sobbing by now.
"….kid," Zabuza said, tears falling down his face, "….not….another word."
Naruto, Kakashi and I stared at him in silence.
"Kid….," He muttered, drawing Naruto's attention, "What Haku did….was not just for me. While we fought, he broke his heart….over you….and your friends. That's the truth. He was too kind….too gentle."
"Huh?" Naruto muttered.
"….I'm glad my last battle….was against you….boy. You're right, you know. Say what we will, do what we will. In the end, we shinobi are still just people after all….with feeling all-too-human. And I've lost….everything."
I stared at Zabuza sadly, lighting another cigarette. He glanced over at me. "Hokori. You want to help avenge Haku? You were pretty fond of him."
I grinned, pulling sword out again. "Of course, Zaza."
"Kid….would you lend me your kunai knife?" He asked Naruto.
"Huh? Uh….sure." Naruto mumbled, throwing him it with the bandages that usually covered his mouth gone.
He caught it and I smirked, leaning my sword on my shoulder. "You've got first dibs, sexy."
He smirked, rushing forward.
"What?!" Gatô screamed, running behind his men, "That's enough! What are you waiting for? Kill all of them!"
That rallied the troops.
I waited until he went through half of them before flashing over with a grin on my face, slashing all of the thugs around me. It was doing well for my anger, Haku's redemption and the village if these boneheads headed towards it.
"K-Kakashi-sensei?! Why is Hokori-"
"Haven't you picked up on the way she willingly let me fight Zabuza? Or the way she keeps talking to him like an old friend? It's obvious they used to be close. That Haku boy was probably very important to her." Kakashi told him.
"Ah! You got something right for once, Kakashi!" I cheered, cutting off a thug's head as Zabuza did the same with Gatô.
I froze as he fell on the ground, turning to look at him.
"Don't look away," I heard Kakashi say to Naruto, "This was the end of a man who lived full out.
"Yeah…."
I looked at Zabuza in sadness, my eyes pricking with tears. Suddenly Sakura's voice cut into my mind. Damn she was loud.
"Naruto-! It's Sasuke. He's alright! He's alive!" I glanced back seeing Sasuke on his feet. I sighed in relief. Then one of the thugs spoke.
"Hey! Aren't you sweethearts forgetting something?!"
"You ninja killed our meal ticket!"
"And now you're gonna die!"
"The only way we can even break even now…."
"….is to overrun the city and loot every business and home!"
"Oh, yeah!"
"Let's go!" I appeared next to Kakashi's my blood soaked sword hitting the bridge with a tap.
"Sigh….I'm going to hafta do this aren't I?" I questioned. Kakashi smiled a close-eyed smile.
"I've barely got chakra. Sorry."
"Great….not that these fools will be a problem."
I suddenly paused, watching as an arrow launched into the bridge right in front of the thugs making them all stop. I glanced behind me, raising an eyebrow at all the villagers behind Inari.
"Stop where you are. This island is our home. One step further….you'll die where you stand!"
"Inari….all of you…." Tazuna muttered.
"INARI!" Naruto shouted.
The man, or boy, in question grinned. "Hehe. It's being a hero, you know? All that nick of time stuff!"
"Good one, kid. Mind if I join in?" I blinked as Naruto summoned some shadow clones, causing the thugs to flinch.
Kakashi then summoned a bunch but I knew they weren't solid. I sighed, adding some as well. I blinked in surprise. "Oops. Didn't mean to make a hundred." I chuckled, high-fiving one.
"AIEE-!" The thugs were scared now.
"Now….shall we?!" A Kakashi clone asked.
"Never mind!"
"Run away!"
I blinked as the thugs headed for the boat they came on and the villagers cheer. Wait, why are they cheering?! They barely did anything?! Our clones alone could have scared them off or I could've killed them all!
I sighed, letting the clones disappear and watched as Kakashi headed to where Zabuza lay.
"….looks like it's all over….eh, Kakashi?" Zaza asked.
"Yeah."
"Kakashi….do me a favor?"
"What is it?"
"….I want to….see….his face."
Kakashi pulled down his headband over his eye. "Sure." Then he picked him up.
I looked up as I felt something wet on my shoulder. It was snowing. Haku….
"It's snowing?"
"In the middle of summer….?" The villagers mumbled.
"….thank you….Kakashi.\," Zaza murmured. He looked over at me and smiled slightly, "Nice seeing you again, Hokori….even though last time….I was almost killed."
I grinned, giving a thumbs up. He turned to Haku now and my face saddened.
"….if I could….if I were able….I would want to go….to the same place….on the other side….as you." Zaza mumbled, putting his hand on the side of Haku's face.
"….he….was born in a village where it snows a lot…." Naruto choked out in tears.
"I see….he was a pure spirit-as true and clean as a newly fallen snow." Kakashi mumbled as we looked towards Haku's and Zabuza's bodies.
"Bye-bye Zaza. And you two, Flower." I whispered, tears pricking my eyes. Haku was always pretty like a flower, so I gave him that nickname.
