Chapter Two: Hook, Line and Capture.
Zabuza undid the mask covering her lower face, she turned back to him with questioning eyes. "It's a shame to hide such a pretty face, so deceptively innocent just like Haku's." Before Hakari could turn her face away again Zabuza had grabbed her chin and was leaning over the table. Her eyes widened as his face neared hers. It was a second before her instinct kicked in, Hakari quickly swatted the hand away, while standing and pulling out a kunai. Haku had made a move to stop her, but Zabuza motioned for him to stop. Hakari knew she couldn't fight here, it was too tight a space and innocent people could get hurt. She looked from Zabuza to the window then back to Zabuza. "Go ahead, we'll give you a small head start. Three seconds should do." Zabuza laughed. She jumped out the window and thus began the chase. Zabuza and Haku caught up with her easily. Quickly she did some hand signs and as she touched down on the ground before taking back up to the trees. Neither had followed her to the ground, she cursed under her breath. Once she was far enough away from the village, she went back to the ground. "Earth style, earth wall." Hakari growled as she finished some hand signs, a wall shot up out of the ground before her. Hidden from their view she disappeared into the ground, "A earth user, interesting." Zabuza chuckled. "Too bad you use it to hide and runaway." Hakari ignored him and moved slowly through the dirt. She made a clay clone and sent it out of the dirt wall. Immediately a shebon lodged itself in the clone's neck shattering the clone as it fell. Zabuza dropped down to the ground walking calmly on it, he was getting close to her. Hakari tried to reassure herself that there was no way he knew where she was, she could see him, but he couldn't see her. She was sure of it, then he removed his sword and stabbed it into the ground and started running towards her his blade eating into the earth. Hakari sprang forth from the ground to avoid getting struck by the sharp weapon, as she jumped up a hand grabbed her ankle and pulled her back down to the ground, the side of her head hitting hard as she had turned to look at the large hand wrapped around her slim ankle. Even with half his face covered in bandages she could tell he was smirking.
She was dazed as she stared up at the demon of the mist through blurry eyes, her head was pounding as she saw him in a haze put his sword back on his back and reach down scooping her up in one arm. His large arm was wrapped around her waist, he held her easily against him, her feet hung about an inch or two off the ground. Her hands went to his bicep and pushed against it trying to loosen his grip if even a little, her head was pushed against his strong shoulder as she struggled against him. "You should know your struggles are useless, you might as well stop." Zabuza grunted adjusting his hold on her a little. "If it annoys you, then I won't stop." Hakari growled. "You'd better be careful, it could have the opposite affect than what you wish." Zabuza breath into her ear succeeding in stilling her. He carried her back to his hideout with Haku following them. "Haku, the rope." Zabuza ordered once they had entered. Haku came forward with the rope and began tying her wrist down to her elbows together as Zabuza held her hands together in his free hand. Once her arms were secured Haku continued tying her knees together, then her ankles. Once she was bound by the rope and had no hope of escape Zabuza disarmed her of any kunai or weapons in her pouch and carried her to a large bed. Hakari scowled up at him as he ensured she was on her back, "Tomorrow, you'll accompany me to the bridge." Zabuza informed her his fingers once again grazing her cheek. "Are we going to keep her?" Haku asked softly. "We'll see how much she matters." Zabuza said before turning away from Hakari and walking outside. "He likes you." Haku smiled his statement confusing Hakari, "I'll be back later with dinner." Haku left following after Zabuza.
Hakari knew that in a few hours when she doesn't return to Tsunamis, Hatake and his genin would begin searching for her. She only hoped that they didn't wear themselves out, they needed to be alert tomorrow. At around five in the evening, Kakashi and his genin walked into Tsunami's home to find a worried Tsunami. "Is everything all right?" Kakashi asked "Hakari, she stepped out after lunch and hasn't returned." Tsunami informed the copy nin. "Where did she go?" Kakashi asked seriously. "She said she was going to stop back by her apartment to pick up a few things then she'd be back. "Tell me where her apartment is." Kakashi had a bad feeling about this. Tsunami gave him directions and he instructed his genin to stay put and keep an eye on Tazuna, Tsunami and Inari. "Ah, Man Kakashi-sensei I want to go look for Hakari-san too." Naruto complained. "Your mission is to guard Tazuna, mine is to bring back the honorable-granddaughter." Kakashi chided. "Wait, so she's the one you had to find." Sakura asked. "She ran after him, she's as much a traitor as he is." Sasuke murmured. Kakashi almost forgot that Sasuke had already known Hakari, she had spent a lot of her youth following around Itachi just as Sakura does with Sasuke. "She is the Hokage's granddaughter and as far as we know innocent of any crimes. The Hokage has asked she be returned, that is my mission. What happens to her after is up to the Hokage himself." Kakashi sighed before heading out to find Hakari's apartment. Once there he found all the disarmed traps, but no sign of trouble doing some hand signs Kakashi called forth Pakkun. "What do you smell Pakkun?" Kakashi asked. "Three different scents, one is all over this place the other two barely here." Pakkun answered. "The main scent can you trace it?" Kakashi asked. "Sure." Pakkun said jumping from the window Kakashi hot on his heels. Pakkun led Kakashi into the woods a little way from the town. There was obviously a battle there not much of one, but still one could tell. "Just as I feared." Kakashi mumbled. "Kakashi, the scent I followed, is it?" Pakkun asked. Kakashi nodded, Pakkun sniffed the air again "Her scent faded, like it's being masked by one of the others." Pakkun informed Kakashi. "Should I try and follow these other scents?" Pakkun asked. "No, it looks like he didn't harm her she was probably hit with a laced shebon needle and knock out. They want her a live for now, and I think I know why." Kakashi groaned.
He returned to Tsunami's, where he was greeted at the door. "Did you find her?" Tsunami asked. "Is she, all right?" Naruto chimed in. "He has her, I'm almost certain he'll bring her with him tomorrow in hopes that we'll trade Tazuna for her. He'll then kill, Tazuna and her." Kakashi explained. "So, what are we going to do Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked. "We protect Tazuna." Kakashi sighed. "But, didn't you say that anyone who leaves behind a comrade is scum?" Naruto hissed clenching his fist at his side. "She's not your comrade Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke are. Your mission is to protect Tazuna if you can't complete a mission, you are of no use to the village." Kakashi hissed back. "But, Sensei your mission." Sakura gasped. "By any means necessary." Kakashi sighed. "What was that?" Naruto demanded. "I was told to bring her back by any means necessary, that includes her death." Kakashi said sternly before turning away from his genin and walking upstairs. He had to prepare himself mentally for tomorrow, he would be the only one who could fight Zabuza and he'd need all the strength and energy he could get.
As promised Haku had brought her dinner he helped her sit up and fed her some soup. "Please, loosen these ropes they're starting to dig in." Hakari begged. "Zabuza wouldn't like that." Haku smiled. "Why do you follow him, he doesn't seem to care much about you?" Hakari asked exasperated. "Because he's precious to me, don't you have anyone like that?" Haku asked. "I thought I did, but he left me. Turned his back and never looked back." Hakari said fighting back the overwhelming feeling to cry, she had promised herself she wouldn't cry over him, not again. "We can be your precious people, if you have no one else. Zabuza seems to like you enough." Haku smiled as he wiped away a single tear that had escaped one of her sapphire eyes. "Haku, stop talking to her." Zabuza grumbled as he walked by the door. "He snores, just so you know." Haku laughed before standing up and leaving. Hakari was confused as to what Haku kept hinting at. She was unsure if he was saying these things to confuse her or to get her to drop her guard. It wasn't until nightfall that she had learned what the snoring comment meant. Zabuza came into the room and moved her to one side of the bed and he laid down on the opposite side. "Can you please loosen these ropes?" she asked him softly knowing better then to speak her outrage of sharing a bed with him. "You'll be fine." Zabuza grunted. Hakari sighed as she laid beside the demon of the mist unable to even turn over. At one point in the night Zabuza's arm had wrapped itself around her and pulled her to him. Hakari had awoken with a start when his large hand had gripped her hip and pulled her to his chest turning her so her back was to his chest. His face was cuddle into her neck. It took some time for her to fall back to sleep. When Zabuza awoke it was to find himself wrapped around her, it was foreign for him to wake to the warmth of another human body. Zabuza had awoken a few minutes before Hakari, he pulled her closer testing the feel of her against him. His hand came up to her side where her shirt had ridden up his fingers grazing over her soft skin. The moment she woke up he knew for she had stiffened. "Tell me your name." He spoke softly while turning her back to her back his fingers now caressing the soft yet firm stomach. She stared up at him unsure of how to take his gentleness. "Hakari." She answered after a moment of silence had passed between them. Zabuza reached up and pulled at the bindings around his lower face effectively breaking them. She looked over his face trying to keep up with what was going on, in her slightly groggy state. He lowered himself onto her and pressed his thin lips to her round lips. Hakari went stiff, she wasn't expecting this she didn't know what to do she had only ever kissed one person before and had never even thought of kissing anyone else. His kiss was gentle and light, he was testing her. He was slowly tasting her lips as his left hand inched up Hakari's torso. He stopped with his finger tips grazing the bottom of her bindings.
Zabuza pulled away, quickly standing and left the room leaving Hakari on the bed confused with an odd sensation. Haku walked in shortly after a big smile on his face. "Did you sleep well?" Haku asked. It took a moment for Hakari to register the question and regain her composure. "I would have slept better if I wasn't tied up." Hakari motioned to the bindings around her arms, knees, and ankles. "Once Zabuza trusts you, he'll take them off." Haku laughed. Hakari couldn't believe her ears, it was like the boy thought that Zabuza and her were going to be best friends or something. "Are you hungry?" Haku asked while helping her sit up. "Yes, thank you." Hakari nodded. Haku left and then returned with a bowl of fruit which he fed her, she had just taken a bite out of the last berry when Zabuza returned, his face was once again covered meeting his eyes her face reddened as she thought back to a few moments prior. "We should head out, they should be at the bridge by now." Zabuza moved to Hakari showing no sign of embarrassment or regret and hoisted her up into his arms. He carried her bridal style and took off into the trees easily moving unhindered by the extra weight. Hakari stared up at him in wonder as he carried her so gently compared to the previous day. He stopped in the last line of trees just before the bridge, "You'll wait here, we'll be back after we've killed them all." Zabuza informed Hakari as he lowered her to the ground and leaned her against a tree. "Don't you even think of moving, if you want to live you'll obey my orders." Zabuza then moved to place a gag over her mouth. "Wait, please explain to me what happened this morning?" Hakari asked. Zabuza who was now kneeling before her preparing to gag her paused and looked her in the eyes. "I was testing the feel of you." He answered while gaging her before standing and watching the bridge keeping an eye out for his prey. He saw Hatake and two of his genin with the bridge builder, all three ninjas were looking about waiting for Zabuza and Haku to appear. Zabuza waited for their guard to drop a little before he brought forth some fog, then He and Haku moved out deftly into the fog. Hakari could only sit back and watch as they disappeared. From her position on the ground all she could see was fog it covered her like a blanket; most likely to conceal her in case anyone was searching nearby.
