Souvraya: Finally chapter 16 is done. I don't know if it's good though… With the major writer's block I've been – and am – struggling with for the last year and a half, this has been in the writing for a looong time. So please don't kill me for the long wait! On with the story!

Disclaimer: See chapter 1…

Pairings: There's a little list over all the pairings to be expected in chapter 8. For this chapter there will only be slight suggestions to one-sided HakuZabu.

Story: Haku's sent to collect someone… And Zabuza's eagerly waiting for the kitsune…

Warning: None, I think…

A/N: This is slightly AU, and somehow (don't ask how, but somehow) Haku and Zabuza survives the bridge… Naruto would be 15 in this fic. And Zabuza will probably stay OOC, since I need him like this for this story. Please forgive me… Get used to his seeming schizophrenia too…

Explanations:

"blah" talk

/blah/ thoughts

blah dreams

POV changing point of view

Why won't you love me?

Chapter 16

Sasuke had fallen a bit behind. A feeling of uneasy hope had settled in him, and his guts were telling him he had to wait, or possibly speed ahead and look for someone. Someone he was sure he'd know when he saw whoever it was.

Falling behind seemed the best idea, since the others wouldn't notice that as easily as if he sped ahead. And he felt he had to get away o what ever it was he was supposed to without being noticed.

A flash of black and green off to the right caught his attention, and he slowed down further. Something about the flash ticked some memory at the back of his mind but he couldn't quite place it. As the others got further and further ahead of him, the flash showed again, drawing closer.

The first thing that struck him about the shape was a familiar mask. It was white with two coloured swirls on the left cheek, and the only part of the mask that had a slightly humanoid trait was the eye-slits. It was completely smooth.

"You must come with me. A life might depend on it." The voice seemed familiar, but at the same time not. And the words were said with an almost desperate urgency.

"Who are you?" he asked with suspicion. "I know you from somewhere, but I can't decide where."

"We don't have time to talk. You want to save Naruto?" The voice was even more urgent now. And Sasuke gave a start.

"Naruto? What do you know about Naruto? Who are you?" Angry demand, and his voice was rising. If it rose any more now, the ones in front of him would hear.

"We'll talk as we move. We don't have much time. We must reach him before someone else does." The masked head swung from side to side, as if looking for something, or maybe someone.

/What the hell is going on? Who is this? I know him from somewhere, but where/ Following seemed his best option, so he nodded to the masked figure.

"Go ahead. And then tell me who you are."

POV

Haku told the black beauty who he was, but he refrained from telling why Naruto needed to be saved, and he also refrained from explaining his own role in the situation. /Let Sasuke think what he wishes to think./

He could see that Sasuke was worried, and also that he wanted more information, but Haku remained silent, just speeding through the trees on the way back to the cottage, silently praying that Zabuza-san hadn't returned yet. /I… I still don't know how he… How could Zabuza-san do such a thing? I don't know why it hurts so much to think that he did such a thing to Naruto-kun. I feel sorry for Naruto-kun, I really do, but… But still I feel… jealous of him? Why jealous? I… but… maybe…/

He was drawn out of his thoughts by Sasuke's voice, demanding to know where they were headed, and how far it was.

"There's a cottage… It's not too far, now. Not too far, I hope…"

"Do you know where we're going?" He sounded sceptical.

"Don't fear. I just hope we'll get there in time."

POV

A little while later, they could spot the cottage between the trees. And they could also see a big man entering it.

Sasuke had no idea what was going on any longer, or who the man was. The only thing he registered was Haku's soft voice, swearing bloody death upon whatever deity he had begged to earlier.

TBC

A/N: Oh my God, I know this is late. Please don't kill me! It's just that I have such terrible problems writing at the moment. Or the last year and a half, to be precise… I hate it, and that's the reason none of my stories have been updated in soooo long. I will try and get up the next chapter in not too long a time. Fighting ahead… I can't write fighting scenes any better than I can write sex scenes, so dread it! -.-'