Chapter 5

No matter what situation a shinobi must keep emotions on the inside. You must make the mission your top priority and you must possess a heart that never shows tears.

It was the 25th shinobi saying. Sakura had memorized all hundreds of them at the Academy and it had been her personal pride to always score 100% on those exams. Now, with the boy's corpse and a smirking Zabuza in front of her, Sakura repeated it mentally over and over. Kubikiribocho was doing a good job of keeping the panicked Inner and the grief at bay while fueling its own anger in her body. Sakura let it do as it pleased, she would take anything for now.

Delicately as not to hurt the body even more she tried to take the sword out, but the boy's hands were grabbing the blade at his neck. Sakura gagged. The head was staring lifelessly at her, blood covering its face and a red smile drawn on it. Its long hair, longer than hers, was flowing, freed of its bun. The brown locks seemed so soft, softer that hers could ever be. In her mind, they glowed creating a halo. The smile was soft and the empty eyes peaceful. She had killed an angel. The sound of flesh was gruesome as she put more force to take her companion out without success.

"Great job, Haku."

Reflex yelled by the blade made her move without any more thought to the corpse still trapped by it. She swung, cutting through flesh. One part collided with the upcoming missing nin while the head rolled a few feet away. Energy fed by her sword propelled her toward Zabuza, green eyes alight with fury.

"Sakura !" yelled her sensei, but the girl wasn't listening.

The ground shattered as the edge of her sword touched where the enemy's head had been a few second ago. Zabuza was injured from his previous fight and still recovering from a near death experience but he was still too strong for her to take him head on. Yet that was what she was doing. Even though Zabuza was short of one arm and his sword he dodged her easily and she felt more than saw his feet meeting her side.

Xx

The girl wasn't normal, thought Zabuza as Ha- his tool's headless body collided with him.

He had seen her reaction as his sword slashed through its victim. More victory and satisfaction than horror and panic. Then surprise. It had been who she killed that had created anguish not the act.

Her reflexes were good and the attack she had sent him deadly. Even though it had obviously been her first kill she have been ready to do it again. That was the problem with civilian nin. Zabuza answered her with a kick who sent her to meet the ground. Civilians were unpredictable, dangerous. Blood drippled down her chin as she tried to get up again. Civilians were not made for this, they did not have the mental upbringing to kill. H-Haku was the proof of that. Unable to kill even with a sword in him. She had been at his mercy, only inches apart, a needle would've sufficed to take revenge for the life she had stolen. Anger bubbled in his heart along with frustration. WHY DIDND'T HE DO IT ? His feet went down and he heard the crack of her nose against the concrete. Satisfaction never came as expected. Haku's peaceful smile appeared in his mind. His hands were shaking as he held the girl by her hair. Their eyes met. The blood on her face made the two green orbs shine like jewels. Hate, anger, madness. Like Haku she was unable to repress her emotions. Civilian could never become tools. Killing was a mental point of no return. She growled at him like a mad dog, blood splattered on his face. She trashed, his sword swinging uselessly at her side and trying to bite him, looking for a weakness. Haku had always been calm and collected. Ready to heal and protect. Was this what he had wanted Haku to become? Seeing Kakashi dart toward him, Zabuza took the sword from her broken fingers as she cried in agony. With a final blow in the gut, he threw her away.

He run to meet Kakashi's attack with his own. Unlike them, Zabuza wasn't a civilian. He was emotionless. A true ninja, not a broken tool.

Xxx

The head rolled at his feet.

His whole body was shaking and he felt the same anger as before consuming his body. Something in him was trashing, yelling to move, to attack. But Naruto stayed strangely calm. Of all the kids, he was the last one standing. He had let Sasuke's body away from the fight, in security (Why would a corpse need to be in security he didn't know but Naruto knew that he needed it to stay calm). It wasn't really a head, now that he thought about it, there was also the top of his right shoulder. Sakura was on the floor, hand obviously broken from her struggle to keep her sword. Her chest rising at the rhythm of very shorts and painful breaths. Even though the cut was gruesome, his face gave off calm. You couldn't see death on those eyes, only peace. His teammate's body was convulsing on the cold concrete, trying to get up again. Pained moans mixing with yells of frustration and anger. She cried like a wounded animal. The name Kubikiribocho was the only word he could comprehend. Her mouth spitted blood. Haku's face stared peacefully at the ever-grey sky.

He didn't know who he mourned anymore.

Xxx

"A broken nose, maybe one rib. Our dominant hand is crushed. Stay down."

The words were neutral, medical… so unlike Inner. But Sakura couldn't obey. Every breath she took was like lava running down her throat yet it didn't come from her injuries. The pain of being robbed Kubikiribocho outranked any scratches that her body could fathom. Anger bubbled in her throat as she barked in frustration. The pinkette tried to get up but her vision was blurred and the world seemed to swing.

She needed to fight! She wanted Zabuza dead at her feet! Hate fueled her and she tried all her might to forget the other emotion. It was failing, only her sword could bring her peace.

How much did she spend down? She couldn't know. Mist was all around her, or was it her who couldn't see? She could hear the ground trembling and feel far away voices. So much time must have passed. Could she ever retrieve her companion? Her eyes hardened at the thought and she rebelled against her body's need to sleep. Of course she will ! Or die trying! As long as she could feel it's warm again she would be happy … Haku's face resurfaced in her mind but she let it go as rapidly.

Something hot fell on her bloodied cheek. Was it raining? The voices seemed neared now. Another drop fell, and another but only on her face. It couldn't be rain. Slowly she opened her eyes (when did she close them?) and saw a tall shadow. Zabuza. Kubikiribocho was with him, she could feel it's aura. It was hungry. Breathing became easier and she could already feel warmth. Was he here to end it? Something in Sakura trashed, yelling at her to move, to fight. But at the same time, if Kubikiribocho ended in her stomach she would still feel its peace. She would win either way. But Kubikirobcho would stay with Zabuza. The pinkette growled as the remembered the sword's feeling. Is she were to die … she will take him with her. Slowly she reached for a kunai.

Xxx

He was going to die. He was injured, swords running through every muscle. It was the end. Tears fell down his face as the blond kid continued to yell. Zabuza was human after all. Living without Haku … wouldn't be worth it. The sword seemed so cold in his hold, dead. Yet when it took it from her it had been pulsing at the rhythm of an invisible heart. So warm, a warmth he never found anywhere else but from Haku. Staring at the girl bleeding on the floor Zabuza came to a decision. He hated her. Wanted to see her dismembered as she did with Haku. How hypocritical of him but the nin could care less. He could avenge Haku and then join him in death if only for a short instant (he knew that Haku will go somewhere his bloodied hands couldn't touch). He saw her move, kunai in hand, the will to fight in her unseeing eyes. He could see her body relaxes as sensing the sword. As ready to fight then to die. They will meet mid-way. Kneeling before her, he lowered his sword. This is for you, Haku.

Xxx

All she could feel was its warmth all around her. There was no more pain, no yelling's voices, no earthquakes. Only her and Kubikiribocho. As she stared at the missing-nin, Sakura could only mouth a weak "Thanks you". The pinkette smiled before closing her eyes.

Xxx

"SAKURA !"

Naruto yelled her name again et again as he saw the dying missing nin standing threateningly in front of his fallen teammate. Naruto wanted to run but his body didn't want to respond. He thought that Zabuza had been their ally, was he mistaken? He had seen the older ninja fighting, welcoming swords after sword in his body, killing Gato before finally, dragging his body to the pinkette. The missing nin raised his sword. Would it be the same sword that she loved that would end her life?

"Kakashi-sensei do something!" he pleaded. He couldn't lose Sakura too!

But his sensei didn't seem worried. Anger bubbled in his stomach again, didn't he care? Why wasn't his body responding? He needed to save her! He turned away unable to look.

" Naruto." His sensei's voice was hard without any trace of its usual humor but Naruto could sense sadness in it. "This isn't an execution. It's a handover."

Xxx

Momochi Zabuza saw the kunai slowly coming. He heard it rippling an already scared flesh. And finally, he found its warmth. He stared at those green eyes, they were for the first time peaceful as she was reunited with her companion. So different from Haku's by form and color yet so similar. A civilian wasn't a ninja, they weren't made to kill. He felt her previously erratic chakra calm down before flowing between them, his own responding in the same manner. The sword was between them, accepting the blood from its previous master and its new one. Then he could feel it. Death.

"Thanks you", he heard. Soft and with no sign of suffering. Very different from the visual in front of him.

Blood dripping from her mouth, a sword in her stomach, she nonetheless smiled at him. As she closed her eyes Zabuza Momoch'si mouth turned slightly upward in return. No, civilian were not made to kill, (Haku smiling as his own sword killed him, the pinkette trashing to keep this same sword) but to protect. He sent chakra down the sword with new energy. Kubiribocho wasn't Samehada yet every sword reacted to chakra. And as his last ounce of chakra and blood was absorbed by the sword, he hoped naively the Kubikiribocho (who had always be silent and cold for him yet he could feel its aura surround the girl) would also find someone to protect as it was protected by her.

Slowly he lifted the sword from within her body, the injure closing by a mix of their chakra guided by the sword. And lay it down next to her body.

His task finished, he lay on the cold floor, Haku on his mind and a "Thanks you" on his lips.

Slowly for the lateness but a lot happened in my life between going to university, moving in another country I was quite busy. It was a difficult chapter for me, I didn't really know how it could play out. I hope you will like it ! Thanks you for your comments, they really motivated me and helped me write while I don't have ideas ! For there were quite a lot I can't answers to them all right now but new chapter I will so don't hesitate to comment ! Thanks you all of you for your interest in this story and see you next chapter !