Folded Hands, Chapter Two

Pairings: Zabuza/Haku, possibly others later

UPDATED DUE TO AN 'ERROR'—THANKS FOR CATCHING THE 'GIRL' THING, Chubby-King-Chococo

THANKS FOR YOUR REVIEWS DARKRINI

Also, another note: technology in Naruto is weird. They could have computers for all I know. Therefore, I've included some such advanced gadgetry as stoves, zippers, etc.

In response to my one review so far—no, I will not make Haku girly. Hell no, that's not how he was, and I agree with you wholeheartedly. Haku is a guy; his looks have nothing to do with his personality or masculinity. Please look forward to a Haku that has a lot in common with the Haku from Naruto.

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When Zabuza awoke, he found that Haku had not in fact ran away, and that he had cleaned up the living room somewhat. Zabuza was happily surprised that the young man did not seem to need orders for everything he might want from him—hell, he hadn't even thought of telling him to clean his place up and there he was, sweeping the floor. Zabuza also noticed that Haku must have found the place where he kept his food, because a pot of stew was simmering on the stove.

Haku stopped sweeping as soon as he saw Zabuza, then leaned the broom he'd been using against the wall and waited for Zabuza to talk, arms at his sides. Zabuza used the pause to look around the house to fully appreciate what Haku had done.

He also noticed that the young man was still wearing the pink yukata—there was nothing else, was there?—and he was glad that his face was still bandaged as usual as it aided him in hiding a smile. "Funny shit", indeed.

Now, what the hell was his name again?

He looked at…whatever his name was…for a few seconds, and his piercing gaze was met with a bland stare. Whatever.

"Kid."

"Yes, master?"

"You like wearing pink?"

His slave stared at him for a moment, probably wondering if the question was a trap. Zabuza cracked a smile, which he knew the kid may have been able to make out through the bandages. He hadn't intended for the question to be a trap, but he didn't take it back.

After a few minutes, his slave answered, "All colors are the same. I'll be glad to wear whatever you have for me."

Damn. Whether he knew it or not, he had implied that Zabuza didn't have enough money to buy him something else. Haku seemed to realize this, but didn't apologize.

The past few years of Haku's life had taught him that apologies and explanations only infuriated his masters.

Zabuza laughed lightly. "Whatever. I'll get you something else after we eat breakfast." He walked towards the pot and reached for the lid.

Without a sound or a warning, Haku crossed the distance between them and knocked his master's hand away. When Zabuza stared at him, he said softly, "Don't. You'll burn your hand." He calmly lifted the lid from the pot using a towel, and showed the stew to his master for his inspection.

Instead, Zabuza continued to stare at his slave. The kid hadn't disobeyed him, but he HAD knocked his hand, which was similar to attacking him…ah, hell.

"Kid." Zabuza said firmly. "If I ever decide to do something, don't stop me. I won't punish you this time, but don't do it again."

Haku nodded and lowered his eyes. "Yes, master," he said softly.

Zabuza kept his gaze on Haku's face for another moment to emphasize the point, and then looked at the stew. It was normal food, maybe even good. The kid was already worth the money.

"When will it be done?"

Haku kept his eyes lowered. "In a few minutes."

Zabuza nodded, and then walked back into the living room. "You did a good job this morning. Finish cleaning the house when we get back, but don't go into my room." He laid down on the couch to rest.

"Yes, master."

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He took Haku to a men's clothing store, and the man helping him gave him a strange look when he asked for clothing for Haku.

"He's a boy," was all that Zabuza said. The clerk looked at Haku again and said, "My apologies, young man. Right this way." He lead Haku away, and the young man did not look back over his shoulder at his master.

Zabuza realized that this was another opportunity for his slave to escape, but he only saw one door—the one behind him—so he took a chair by the door and waited.

Meanwhile, Haku followed the sales clerk towards the back of the store. He got a strange look from another customer because of his yukata, but paid no mind. His mind was preoccupied.

What kind of clothing does he want me to buy? How many sets? How much money is he going to spend? He thought about the clothing he'd worn so far—the grey robe from the auction, and the pink yukata—and decided that, since his master hadn't said anything bad about them, that he would ask for similar clothing. He liked the looseness anyway, and the way that the extra material flowed.

The clerk stopped walking when they arrived at the back of the store, where several mirrors, cabinets, and dressing stalls were located.

"Take your clothes off," the clerk said as he searched for something in one of the drawers.

Haku's eyes narrowed. He decided that this was probably normal protocol for such a place, but, if the clerk…

He started to untie his yukata when the clerk turned around and jumped back a few feet. "In there," he said irritably as he pointed to a stall.

Haku's face reddened and he entered the stall.

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When the boy returned, Zabuza noticed that he was wearing a dark blue (boy's) yukata and was carrying a small package. He met his master with the same bland expression that seemed to never leave his pretty face.

Zabuza cursed when he realized that he had forgotten the kid's name again.

"Kid," he said in the same firm voice that let Haku know he'd made a mistake, "go find some more clothing. I don't want to have to come back here."

Haku started to turn around, then hesitated and faced his master.

"How much can I spend?"

"I don't know, just don't come back until you've got enough to wear for a week or two," he said irritably. Zabuza leaned against the wall, and added, "Hurry."

Haku nodded. "Yes, master." he said as he returned to the back of the store. He came back to his master twenty minutes later, carrying more packages. His master nodded and paid for the clothing.

As they walked home, Zabuza started to think about—what was his name? The kid, anyway. He'd thought the kid was pretty sharp, but maybe he wasn't…

Haku knew that he had disappointed his new master by misunderstanding his master's intentions. He decided to watch the man very carefully, so that he could learn about his needs and behavior with time. He did not want to have this master throw him away, like so many had before.

It was true that he was unskilled, and that he did not particularly care to learn any skill or trade—unless his new master wanted him to, of course. He did like his new master, because he was straightforward and seemed content with leaving Haku up to his own devices.

As they walked through town, Haku saw the auction area again. Girls were being sold that day, and the bidding area was full of representatives from the local brothels. Haku shuddered as he remembered that he had been sorted as a girl when he arrived at Miyuki, and that some of the auctioneers had suggested as selling him with the girls even after he had told them that he was a boy.

He already knew of that kind of life, and, as he watched the girls on stage cry, he felt as much sympathy for them as he felt happy for himself that he was not going to another place like that.

Haku turned his eyes back to his master. The man had not looked at his body or made any comments about him, so he doubted that he had been bought for such purposes. He still didn't know why Zabuza had bought him, though.

Zabuza didn't look at the auction area. He kept his eyes forward, stealing glances at Haku every now and then to make sure he wasn't planning his escape. He didn't seem to have any such hopes, though. He'd probably been a slave for his entire life, and had already tried to escape several times. Zabuza could imagine it—the kid as a skinny six year old, trying to run from home and being dragged back crying. Maybe doing it again at age ten, and having the dogs set on him.

That sort of thing would kill anyone inside.

He looked back at Haku again, and saw that his eyes were fixed on the back of his master's head. He looked like he had something to say, but Zabuza didn't feel like talking to him, so he ignored it.

"Master," Haku said softly.

Damn it.

"What is it?" he barked, and he stopped walking to face his slave.

"A-a lot of the stalls here are having sales," he said softly but rather evenly. "I saw that you were running low on food at home, so I thought that maybe you would like to shop now, Master."

Zabuza looked around. He'd never really cared about 'sales'—it was women who usually got excited over that sort of thing—and he earned enough money from his 'odd jobs' to not have to care about such things.

He looked back at Haku's face; his expression had turned from blank to expectant.

He's trying to be helpful. Zabuza realized. He didn't really care for shopping, though.

"Kid—what's your name again?"

"Haku, master."

"Haku, do you remember what I told you last night?"

"Yes, master."

"What was it?"

Haku looked a little unsure, but said, "If I run away or disobey you, you'll find me and beat me."

Zabuza smiled underneath his bandages. "Yes, that's right. Now, with that in mind," he said as he pulled a few gold coins out of his pocket, "give me that stuff we bought for you. You can do the shopping and meet me back at the house."

He handed Haku a handful of money, and Haku closed his hand around it protectively.

"You know where the house is, right?"

"Yes, master."

Zabuza wasn't sure if he just wanted to see it, but his slave's face seemed to have brightened a little.

Haku bowed politely and said, "I'll return soon, master." He walked back to one of the stalls he'd been looking at earlier.

As Zabuza returned home, he wondered if letting Haku do the shopping had been a good idea—after all, giving a slave money and some distance was like asking to be robbed. He didn't doubt that he could find Haku if he ran, though, so he didn't hesitate on his walk home.

He needed to prepare for Haku's training later that night.

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Haku stared at the money in his hands. He wondered if his master ever wondered where his money went.

He realized that the large amount of money may have been a test—maybe his master wanted to see how little he could spend, or maybe he wanted to see if Haku would try to keep the leftover money or spend it on things for himself.

Haku slid the gold coins into his pocket. He'd made up his mind—he would spend frugally and be sure not to lose any money. He didn't want his master to become disappointed in him again.

As he shopped, he felt eyes on his back. Without looking, he knew that he was being followed. Haku had been gifted with keen senses, a sharp mind, and that horrible power that he'd tried so hard to hide from his masters. He was used to being followed when his master sent him out to do errands. He knew that he looked like a thin, defenseless girl, and he had been attacked several times when shopping for former masters.

The man following did not make his move right away, and Haku's heart started to beat faster. He knew that no one would help him if he was attacked, and he couldn't stand to make Zabuza disappointed by losing the money he'd given him…

Haku finished shopping quickly and began the walk home. As he'd expected, the man followed. The man did not try to hide himself, and he followed Haku by an ever-decreasing distance as they left the crowd.

He exited the town area and took a detour from the path to his master's house, not wishing to bring the problem to Zabuza. Instead, he walked towards a small pond that had grown from the previous day's storm.

The man saw his detour, and ran to catch up to him. Haku heard the sound of metal on leather and he knew that the man had a knife.

Haku set down the bag of groceries he was carrying, then turned to face the man. He was a little shorter than Zabuza, with messy brown hair. Haku's eyes caught the knife in his right hand, and he stared at the man.

"So," the man said, "I see that your man decided to let you do the shopping by yourself."

Haku did not respond. Inside, he was a little flattered that he had been mistaken as Zabuza's significant other (even if he had once again been mistaken for a girl), but he forced that thought back down. He decided to keep up the 'girl act' by not talking.

The man started to circle him. "Shy, are you? Not going to fight?" He smiled. "That's good. Those kinds of girls do well at the auctions."

Haku's eyes widened. He wants to take me from my master! This was worse than being robbed…much worse.

"Now, if you'll just come this way, I know that you'll get along real nice--" the man tried to grab his arm and Haku knocked his arm away.

The man cursed and lunged for Haku. Haku dodged him and ran backwards a few feet, towards the lake.

"Cheeky piece of shit," the man said. Haku did not respond as he stood at the lake's edge.

He let the slaver close the distance between them, and said softly, "I don't want to come with you. I don't want anyone else to go with you, either."

The man laughed. "What did you say?"

"Please, if I may ask you of this…" Haku waited for an interjection. "…if you go to Heaven, tell my mother I love her. If you go to Hell…" he lowered his eyes.

Haku focused his attention on the water behind him. He created a crude, amorphous water clone that stood behind his back, waiting.

"No, please go to Hell," he said softly.

The slaver was infuriated, and he walked up to Haku and lifted him by the front of his robe. Haku kept his eyes averted, focusing on the clone.

"I don't know what kind of shit you're talking about, but I ain't going to Hell because some girl told me to."

"Oh?" Haku said softly. "Then you're not much of a gentleman." He smiled to himself.

The slaver threw him to the ground and Haku felt his ankle twist. He closed his eyes as his hidden water clone pulled the man into the pond, then stood and watched as he was drowned.

Haku decided not to move the body. Men like that probably died all the time, anyway, and no one knew of his powers, so no one would suspect him.

He picked up his bag of groceries and ran home to see his master. He would definitely keep his powers a secret from him.

This one is much better.

Little did he expect the surprise his master had planned.

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