29. Nurture

Zabuza watched as Haku ran ahead of him on the path. He frowned when Haku wandered off the path, but inside his heart warmed at the sign of curiosity in the boy. It had only been a few years and already Haku had grown and changed into a bright looking teenager. Time had been fast, too fast, and Zabuza did not know where it had gone.

At first, Zabuza had no intention of becoming attached to the boy; he was going to train him and use him, help him fend for himself. He had not intended to find that he loved it when Haku smiled, or that his heart would sink every time the boy frowned. But here they were. Zabuza could hardly stand it when Haku was outside of his line of vision and he almost lived to see that bright smile. His only problem was that he was still using Haku.

Haku never complained about it. Haku never complained about anything. Zabuza had noticed this very early on, and it was still a little disconcerting to see someone so docile, maddening, really. He found himself testing Haku, pushing him to his limits, but found that this had the opposite effect. Instead of getting angry or upset, Haku would become more and more determined.

"Look, Zabuza-san," Haku said, pulling Zabuza out of his thoughts. The boy was kneeling in a patch of little white flowers, smiling brightly. "They smell really good!"

Zabuza nodded, but said nothing in response.

Haku gathered a few of the flowers in his hand and stood. He smiled at Zabuza and handed him the flowers. "Here, I want you to have them."

Reaching out carefully, Zabuza took the flowers. He frowned at them. "What am I supposed to do with these?" he asked. Haku erupted into laughter. "What?"

Haku stopped laughing and looked Zabuza in the eye. "You can do whatever you want with them," he said, "they're yours."

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I love the relationship between these two characters to bits and pieces for reasons beyond my comprehension. This might not be slash.. but… I love them.

My life: job, sunburn, hair, LAST DAY OF SCHOOL.