Chapter 11, Trespass
Author Note: Fanart avaliable on my Ao3 version!
Currently: Un-betaed, so there will be a few errors.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Haku believes that he's had a good life.
Of course, it wasn't without its moments of despair, but he's of the belief it takes time crawling through shadows to appreciate living in the sun. He was given a mother and father who loved him- gave him the love only a parent could provide. Which, to a war-torn village, was more than many other homeless kids had been gifted to experience. When his mother's hand landed harshly against the skin of his cheek- he learned to be grateful of the night's she held his fragile body close to her, the smell of mountain dew on her skin. When his father returned one day with a mob of angry and panicked villagers behind him, he learned to be grateful he wasn't born powerless like his mother had hoped.
His beautiful mother, pale against the crisp snow, laid in a bed of painted carmine flowers. She died with ice in her hair and the cries of betrayal on her lips.
His father, ultimately killed by his own terror. Haku is grateful because his death taught him that the most dangerous creatures only lash out when provoked.
Living on the streets was harsh, food was hard to come by. When the dogs came to snuffle at his numb body, nip at his limbs for signs of life- he'd retaliate with wildly swung blows and desperate yells of his high pitched voice. He was a street rat, unafraid to bite and diseased with a Kekkei-Genkai of ice. His purpose was as empty as his stomach.
But that all changed when he met a man by the name Zabuza Momochi. He was trailed by the whispers of murder, a traitor, and a demon. Despite it all, he never seemed haunted by the shadows so clearly lapping at his feet. The other children scattered at his steps, but Haku stared at him with stone hard, cold eyes. The most dangerous creatures only lash out when provoked. If he was looking for a soul to chase, Haku vowed he wouldn't run.
He leant down to him and with a deep, rough and powerful voice, said- "You have the same eyes as me, boy."
"Come with me, I will sharpen your blade in the promise it faces towards all that cross me."
Haku promised a demon his last breath. At the time, it was merely an escape from his current life. He discarded his fears, his self-preservation for the man that saved him. He trained himself into something worth the title of Zabuza's weapon.
He grew to love and cherish the man, along with the life he'd given Haku. He'd given his mind, soul and body to Momochi the moment he promised Haku purpose in his life. He'd let Haku learn and teach himself not only jutsu- but healing, medical knowledge to keep his meister alive and healthy even in their line of work. He'd given him a place to sleep, kept his belly full and his body clothed. Bathed his hands in blood and discarded his eyes of morals, for he had no need for right and wrong, guilty or innocent.
As long as he had Zabuza, he was happy.
And for that, he'd teach himself forgiveness.
He took every great, beautiful and gifted aspect of his life, and fought to protect it.
Shinobi were tools, whether it was to each other, to the people they loved, or to greedy little men with money and political power. He and Zabuza had been in the wave on a hired job for the past week or so- the man that employed them, Gato, had given them the task of hunting down the bridge builder. It was moments like these that Haku was forced to divert his eyes from the starving bodies on the roadways, the stench of sewage thick enough to decay his lungs.
Tazuna had reportedly retreated to the Village hidden in the Leaves for help, but for the little wealth they knew he had, Zabuza wasn't worried about him coming back with any skilled ninja.
They'd greatly underestimated their situation.
He'd hired genin, but their sensei was the infamous Kakashi Hatake, Copy-cat Nin of the Leaf. Now, on their own, Haku estimates that Zabuza would've been able to take him on. But when the team was noted to have only two students- his curiosity grew. Everyone knew they travelled in groups of four- it was one of the reasons Zabuza held very little respect for the nurtured young genin of the Leaf.
He'd unknowingly been playing tag with their third mystery member. It was just whisps, faster than even himself, in the corners of his vision, at first. Something was out there, and Haku had never felt more like prey than before, he was being chased, that was for sure. It made his heart hammer like the pattering feet of a hare as he bounded through the underbrush.
The omnipotent presence only ceased watching him when Zabuza had finally gained the upper hand on the distracted Jounin. It was barely a flicker of movement of his hand, and a body shot through the treeline, flying towards the scene. With clawed fingers, the posture of a feline and aura of rage- Haku realised that they were up against something so, so much more.
The rumoured Kitsune of the Leaf.
The adumbration shadow of the lush canopy of green. It seemed only appropriate that the home bathed in light held the most wicked darknesses. He'd barely been spotted on missions throughout the Land of Fire, but he'd left footsteps of blood in his wake.
A boy, they said.
No, they said, a beast.
A silent bullet wielded by the unnamed forces of Konohagakure.
What was he doing here, with a Genin team? Had he'd been called in as a backup?
Haku watches in horror as Zabuza is forced into battle with the tiny menace. He really was just a boy. They're a terrible clash, and Haku starts to sweat when he struggles to find an opening to get Zabuza out of there. The boy moves too fast, and if he misses by anything more than a millimetre, his master could be facing death. It's their closest call in a long time, but Haku is ultimately saved by Hatake when he intercepts the enraged boy. He grips onto Zabuza's body until his knuckles are white, and body flickers them away as soon as he's given the opportunity.
He's breathing too fast, and he has to wait a moment before removing the Senbon from Zabuza's neck- The slightest tremble could be deadly. Zabuza groans in pain when they're finally taken out, and barely manages a wince when Haku grips his calloused hand and holds it to his cheek.
He doesn't cry, no- his life has left him hardened to the terror of loss, but Zabuza holds him in a one-armed tuck to his side anyway.
"Rest," Haku says, and Momochi doesn't have the energy to argue as he slumps against the damp cave wall. They have proper living spaces here in the Wave, but he settles for the outdoor environment to lessen the chance of them being found when weakened.
Once Zabuza is mobile enough in his movements to defend himself, Haku leaves during the afternoon under the excuse of finding medicinal herbs. It's not entirely untrue, but he knows that they don't stand a chance unless that Genin team is incapacitated.
It's a coincidence when one of the pre-teens runs into his path first. He's got a kunai to his throat, but it's blunt- more likely to catch and mangle than slice. It would be a total bloodbath, he'd choke and drown in his own fluid, probably be awake for the most part, too.
But it would be one less opponent he'd need to face, one less threat, he should just let him-
"You know, the carotid artery is a very uncomfortable way to die." He says aloud before he can stop himself. He doesn't know why he talks the young boy from his suicide. But he can't bring himself to regret it. If he truly has no one left to fight for as he says, nothing left to love- he won't last long anyway.
Haku comes to terms with his choice and feels relief in doing something righteous in what feels like, his last moments. A terrible sense of foreboding had been looming over the land for days, heavy like the soiled and blotched clouds above. He tends to Zabuza's wounds with as much care as he can muster, takes longer than he needs to wind cloth over his muscled arms. He rewraps the leather on his blade and shows his love in the care and detail of his work. His eyelids droop as Zabuza combs bare fingers through dark tresses and flattens the slightly folded collar of his kimono. They don't talk about the upcoming battle. Don't speak of 'what ifs,' and fall asleep to the hushed sounds of their breathing and the light smell of smoke and rain.
The next morning, they arrive before the Bridgebuilder and his men, but not before the blonde boy travelling with the Leaf troupe. The sun has barely begun to rise, and the haunting red hue of his eyes glowed from beneath his windswept blonde strands. He was smaller than what he first appeared to be, now he was standing still rather than going for them. His narrow shoulders stood square, hands lax at his side in a facade of calm- but the Kiri-nin weren't fooled.
Haku's skin jolted in barely restrained fright when Zabuza started to walk toward the boy. His heart swelled against his ribcage, a building pressure under his bones threatening to snap.
Thankfully, Zabuza stops, only a few paces away from the smaller Nin.
"What is your name, boy?"
He seems wary of answering, peering at them and scanning for intent. "..Kitsune."
"Hn." He grunts disapprovingly. "Just as I am the Demon of the Mist, but my name, is Zabuza, so I ask again, what is your name?" He asks, with a slight pinch of annoyance to his tone.
Naruto visibly swallows his answer, and narrows his eyes with a reverberating growl from his chest as Zabuza's body weight leans forward into a step.
"Down, pup. I'm not looking to piss on what's yours." As brash as ever, Haku thinks humorlessly as Zabuza sidesteps him to move past. Like the haunting red laser of a rifle, Naruto's gaze follows him with an immediate cock of his chin.
"I am permitted to eliminate you if you prove yourself a threat."
Zabuza raises a single, poise eyebrow.
"I am no threat to you. You have your orders, I have mine. I cannot allow that Bridge builder to walk another day."
Before he passes the boy's peripheral, he falters, an overshadow looking down over Zabuza's face."They called me a demon after I murdered each of my classmates in our graduating year of the academy. Me, a demon. Just a snot-nosed brat forced to abide by the rules my village elders created."
He raises a slicing look Naruto's way, and he can feel it like a blade on his neck. "Makes me wonder what the fuck they did to you for you end up one too."
A wave of shock seems to manipulate the boy's averse tongue. "You're wrong-" He snarls out before realisation drains the colour from his cheeks and his words clip.
"Oh? And how so, Pup?" Zabuza taunts with a quirk of his brow and his newly found nickname.
Naruto's hands fist, claws gorging into his palms. He glares at the older man, acknowledging the obviousness he was bated, but stuck in a state of internal conflict.
"I was born this way." He says between clenched teeth.
Zabuza hesitates with his answer with a forlorn gaze into the sunrise. "Is that really all they had to tell you for your obedience?"
A beat of silence passes, the wind crying disparagingly in the distance. "...You're weaker than you look, Pup."
Multiple things happen once the presumptuous words tumble carelessly over the skin of the Mist Nin's lips. Like steel over flint, Naruto's chakra sparks to life in a blaze of rage. Haku's instinct lurches him into action- a crystalline sheen of mirror-like ice materialises beside him, another intercepting the clawed hand aim straight for Zabuza's chest. His body slides effortlessly through the surface, and he barely has time to dislodge the boy's gravity before they collide.
"Zabuza!" Haku yells in plea. He knows Hatake will arrive soon with his genin, and he hopes that he can spare enough time for Zabuza to take them down. If the boy faces Zabuza it would no doubt be down to a battle of stamina- and if Kitsune really was a demon as he says, it was a chance Haku wasn't willing to take. He may not be able to beat his opponent, but he can certainly buy time by trapping him. It was their only option.
He pops every bone in his hands at the speed he flies through his hand signs- a cage of mirrors forming almost instantly, like a door that only locks from the outside. It was up to him now.
- o - o - o - o -
Naruto's head was like a hive of shaken wasps. He's really, really not used to his prey speaking to him. Words, words, rattling around and asking questions he doesn't know how to answer. He has no room for clarity- because there's- "I was born this way" He was- He doesn't know- All he knows is Danzou-sama, Danzou-sama, hands on his skin and pinpricks in his arms. All he knows is bruises and- "again, Pet." How can he be expected to think when all he can hear is- the rumble in his bones, the echo coming closer- "kill him- kill them all- burn- burn-"
He feels his navel begin to heat as more potent chakra oozes from his pores, spilling to the earth and swelling at his feet like a physical form. His frustration feeds it until he can't form words anymore. The Hunter-nin's taunts muffle in his ears- perfectly heard but no longer understood. His tongue tangles and his throat trembles, reduced to a series of clicks and tooth-baring snarls. The ache in his spine crouches him low, the need to feel a solid surface under the hardened pads of his fingers urging him to all fours.
The Mist Nin is using a Kekkei-Genkai he doesn't recognise, but it matters little to him- he's already decided to smash all the mirrors he needs to. He faintly feels Kakashi- 'Alpha, Alpha-'
In the distance, but under the billowing of his own chakra and the surrounding mirrors of his opponent's, he doesn't spot Sasuke's small distinct smudge until he's slipped under the ice cage.
The thrash of bloodthirsty, hysterical howls was ensnared in his chest.
'Sasuke- Sasuke- Sasuke-'
With the last of his clarity, Naruto gives a heaving shove, the switch between 'kill' to 'protect' leaving a hollow cavern of desire and 'need- need-' empty.
His darkened scleras and ignited irises sprint to meet his ally. The situational fear Sasuke's unknowingly waltzed into is settling, the green of inexperience tugging his movements to jolted and panicked dodges from senbon. Their enemy quickly notices Naruto's sudden change in tactic and becomes ruthless in his attacks on Sasuke.
Sasuke notices too, and his hesitance is almost immediately submerged in his provoked temper. Naruto's predatory form can't form words beyond an inhuman gurgle and bellow- he can't tell Sasuke to stop moving- so he's stuck in a frenzied flurry of protecting a fast-moving target. The Uchiha may only be a genin, but he was the top of his class for a reason.
In a surprise attack that leaves an image of the Hunter in all mirrors- Sasuke falters, and Naruto isn't fast enough to catch the three senbon soaring towards his own neck. They lodge through his flesh like bullets, and Naruto doesn't have time to register the plummet of dread, as the bones in his neck creak together. He drops to the ground in a crumple of dead weight.
He wakes in what feels like only seconds after, and he has to double take in his drastic change of location. He's alone in a hallway of sewage-like passageways- Sasuke is nowhere to be seen- no other signatures even in the area.
In fact, he can't even feel is own.
It's unnerving, shaking a deeply rooted sense of nausea through him. He begins to walk, not wanting to stay in the same place for too long in his unknown environment. It's unlike anything Naruto's ever experienced, nothing has a scent, and the entire structure seems devoid of noises- except the sloshing of Naruto's feet through the unknown yellow liquid under him. It's not long before he approaches a turning point in the halls, leaving him in a dead end- a room, so large he can't even see the walls under the shrouded darkness. He pivots, studying what looks to be colossal golden bars, to a cage. Taking note of the still secured spiralling lock situated in the middle of the gates, he approaches. Curiosity had him bested as he peers in, dangerously close to the darkened enclosure.
It's empty.
His eyes bounce off the corners like the tennis match of his paranoia and wonder. Managing to squeeze his shoulders between the two aligning bars, he steps in.
"Don't you know it's rude to trespass?"
He jumps almost a foot into the air. He hasn't been crept up on since he was a toddler- and it sprinkles goosebumps over every inch of his skin, hairs standing tall. His ears flicker, and his eyes squint to check if he was seeing things- because there's a boy behind him.
But it's him. But with human ears. And no whiskers. He's more human than Naruto can ever recall himself looking.
"Remove your henge." He demands, determined to keep his voice unwavering with a frown in his brow.
But the boy makes no recognition of his words, and his lips creak into a smile that stretches his -Naruto's, lips. His eyes widen until the colour no longer brushes the edges, red veins burst at the sides. Then, the skin over his pale cheeks thins, and splits. More pointed teeth emerge from gums previously hidden and move his grotesque smile further up his face, blood splattering to the ground.
"What a greedy little fool." He speaks with a thrum that doesn't come from his body, booming surround sound from all directions, deep and malicious.
"Fragile mortals, aren't they?" He says, reaching an ice cold spindly limb to cradle Naruto's horrified face. He's given up trying to remain unaffected, he's in a strange place, his chakra is gone- stuck with a boy who looks like him, but at the same time not, and he's-
"Make use of my gift, halfling."