Ok I'm getting aggravated about the whole reviewing thing, because I get like 5 story alerts and favorites for this story a day, and hardly any reviews. Do you people realize I don't care if you're putting it on your alerts, there will not be any chapters to read if you don't LET ME KNOW YOU ARE READING IT. And I already have the next chapter uploaded on my document manager but I am not posting it until I get at least 9 reviews.
Also, in regard to Naruto and Sasuke's age, yes I know they were not a year older than Haku in the show. I don't care.
Zabuza slowed to a stop, parking his car next to a sidewalk, glancing around warily at the loiterers, leaning against the chain-link fence, or playing basketball on the court, or sitting on the curb. All potential endangerments to his mission. His hand drifted under his seat, pulling out a shiny silver handgun, making Haku's eyes nearly bug out of his head.
"Z-Zabuza!" He cried out, hushing after the first syllable, looking around wildly. "You're not allowed to have that. Wat are you thinking, put it away before someone sees!"
"I have a permit." Zabuza growled, shoving the pistol into the waistband of his jeans. "And this isn't a great neighborhood, ok? Just come with me, get your shots, and let's go." He opened the car door, slammed it, walked to the other side, opened Haku's door, and slammed it in a similar fashion. He didn't mention the razor-sharp switchblade he had been carrying every day since before they had met that rested comfortably in his back pocket, since the gun seemed to weird the kid out.
He followed 2 steps behind the entire way, glaring at any sudden movements made by anyone in their general area, hyper aware of every movement, although nobody indicated noticing their presence other than a brief glance.
Haku raised his camera to his eyes, snapping shot after shot sometimes tilting the camera to the left or right, sometimes twisting a large knob around the lens which Zabuza assumed to be some sort of zoom. After about a minute and a half, Haku turned gracefully, holding up his camera in a flashy gesture. "Ok, I think I got enough."
"Got enough what?" A voice asked from somewhere beside them. Both the dark-haired boy and man's faces whipped over to the side, Zabuza's hand jerking to his hip, resting it on the outline of the weapon. The man had short red hair, spiking up in all different directions, and a strange tattoo on the side of his forehead.
"Um, pictures." Haku mumbled, lowering his camera. He didn't say anything else, although he was thinking that to anyone that wasn't completely ignorant would have known he was referring to pictures. What else would he be doing holding a camera?
"Oh is that right? You fancy yourself some kinda journalist takin' pictures of my wall?" The man asked, walking towards them. Zabuza's eyes narrowed, and his fingers tightened.
"Y-your wall?" Haku asked, glancing back at Zabuza who gave him an encouraging look.
"Yeah, my wall, pipsqueak. This has been my wall for years. I don't know if a little money grubbin' yuppie like yourself could appreciate a wall like this. You're probly just out to make a quick buck, huh?" He asked, stopping and grinning arrogantly. Haku couldn't help but notice one of his teeth seemed to be plated in. . . gold? Who was he to call Haku a rich money grubber if he literally had gold on his teeth?
"That wall doesn't belong to you, it belongs to the city, you dumbass." Another voice sounded, a blonde guy in a loose-fitting orange tank top with a basketball under his arm standing next to a guy in a tight-fitting ebony t-shirt and stormy looks on his face. The boy in the t-shirt had hair so black it almost looked blue when the sunlight hit it the right way, and the way it was brushed it covered nearly all his face.
"Oh, look who it is, the resident queers." The red-haired guy raised an eyebrow.
"Fuck off, Gaara!" The blonde shouted back, pointing a finger dramatically. "Or I'll kick your ass like last time."
"Last time was a fluke, pansy boy. I'd destroy you." He snarled. The blonde tossed the basketball behind him, and it was caught by the dark-haired boy.
"Naruto, remember your temper." He said quietly, in a smooth voice. "And your probation."
"I know, Sasuke." Naruto said, turning around and leering at him. "You don't gotta remind me all the time."
"I'm not bailing you out of jail again." He said simply, leaning back against the fence and pulling out a cigarette.
"You hear that, faggot? Your boyfriend's not bailing you outta jail again. How 'bout the hospital, pretty boy?" Gaara sneered in the direction the boy who was apparently Naruto's boyfriend.
Haku's eyes were wide, watching the exchange with avid interest before Zabuza stepped forward, and in front of him, shielding him from anything that might happen suddenly and without warning. The boy peeked his head around, still watching.
"Nor am I waiting for him in the hospital. Not that it's any of your business, Gaara." He answered flatly, lighting the cig elegantly and sucking from it. "Gee, tell me. Where is Ino these days?"
Gaara's face darkened, his eyes flashing with obvious fury. "I don't really know if you wanna go there, you fucking fag."
"Mm, well excuse my curiousity, but I was informed that she left you for someone with a bigger cock."
"That it it, you little queer you're dead!" Gaara snarled, launching himself toward the dark-haired boy, who, predictably didn't flinch. Naruto grabbed the collar of the red-haired man, his fist flying out to knock him in the side of the skull.
"Don't you ever act like you're gonna touch him, motherfucker!" Naruto managed to growl between kicks and punches exchanged between the two. They grappled for a moment, before Zabuza took a step forward.
"Enough!" He yelled into the open air, raising the gun into the air so the sunlight reflected off it. His thumb clicked down over the hammer, showing them all he wasn't joking. Gaara scowled at him.
"Are you fucking serious, man?" He asked, a twinge of fear evident in his earlier tough voice.
"Dead serious." Zabuza spat out. "Now take your punk-ass back where it came from and don't come back until I and my company have vacated the premises. Unless you want your brains splattered all over the sidewalk."
"Whatever, you fuckin' freak, I'm going." He cursed, walking away. Zabuza watched him, eyes narrowed and gun pointed with deadly accuracy at the man's back until he turned the corner. Then the bodyguard turned, first eyeing Haku, then glancing at Naruto and Sasuke.
Naruto stared back at him, finally tilting his head. "What?" He asked. "Do you got a problem with us?"
Sasuke cleared his throat, stepping forward, flicking his now miniscule cigarette to the asphalt. "What my impulsive companion here meant to say was, is there anything else we can help you with, or might we be on our way now?" He said, laying a hand on Naruto's shoulder, ignoring Naruto's groan of protest.
Haku giggled from behind Zabuza, stepping out into the open. It crossed Zabuza's mind that the giggle sounded a lot like Deidara's had, but it didn't give him that weirded-out feeling. "No. No I just didn't like that guy." Zabuza shrugged, tucking the gun safely back into his waistband. Sasuke's hand relaxed on Naruto's shoulder. That could have been trouble, especially with the way his seme's temper could easily be thrown into overdrive, although it rarely happened. Naruto was usually just a goofball, but when sufficiently provoked, it was extremely easy for him to cause a ton of damage to anyone that had pissed him off.
"Hey, what are you doin' walkin' around with that expensive-looking camera, anyway?" Naruto asked, gesturing toward Haku.
"Taking pictures of the wall." Haku said. Naruto grinned smugly.
"Oh yeah?" He walked forward, grabbing Haku's wrist. Zabuza tensed, but forced himself to shrug it off. He wasn't sure if the spasm had come from professional or personal feelings. Naruto pulled him over to the wall, and pointed to a spot among the tons and tons of painted words. "That's my favorite part of the wall." He said smugly, and Haku peered down at it to read.
Naruto Uzumaki & Sasuke Uchiha Forever had been painted delicately and neatly, with what appeared to be an extremely steady hand in a bright aquamarine paint. A small heart glowed beside it in the sunlight.
Haku smiled sunnily again, beaming up at Naruto. "Gorgeous." He raised his camera, taking several seconds to tilt it the perfect way and twist the knobs to his desired settings. After snapping the picture, he looked back up at the blonde. "Is it okay if I print it out and use it one of my albums?" He asked, the perfect picture of politeness and sweetness.
"You'll have to ask the artist, not me." Naruto said, turning to face Sasuke, who strolled towards them.
"Think you could get me a copy?" He asked lowly, and Haku nodded eagerly.
"Awww, you want a keepsake of our love." Naruto said in an annoying sing-song voice. Sasuke sighed, rolling his eyes up toward the sky when the blonde planted a wet, smacking kiss on his cheek. Haku laughed as the black-haired boy proceeded to 'wipe it off', but it was obvious he did love Naruto.
"I'm Haku." He said, readjusting his camera strap and hooking his cam into it so he would have both hands free. It struck Zabuza then that Haku didn't seem shy around them, not in the least. Why, how could that be? What was so special about these two street rats that made the lovely dark-eyed boy come out of his shell?, Zabuza wondered, brows furrowing together.
"Nice to meet ya, Haku." Naruto said, Sasuke nodded his agreement.
"If you want, you can come back to my place and wait for me to get the picture developed. It shouldn't take long."
"Do you got a kitchen at your place?" Naruto asked, glaring down at his stomach. "I'm starving."
"Naruto." Sasuke hissed. "Don't-"
"I've got a really big kitchen and a cook." Haku answered quickly before Naruto could get in trouble. "We could all have lunch while we wait."
"Alright!" Naruto said, grinning widely. "Come onnn, Sasuke, don't be a spoilsport, you know you're starving too."
The raven rolled his eyes up toward the sky again, holding out his hand. Naruto grabbed it eagerly, and began pulling him in the direction of Zabuza's car.
"Hi, I'm Naruto and this is Sasuke." The blonde said amicably toward the brown-haired man, as if he hadn't been standing there the entire time. "You don't talk much, do you?" He asked loudly.
"I talk when I have something to say." Zabuza said flatly, opening his car door and clicking the unlock button so the rest of them could pile in. Haku sat in the front seat, smiling as he buckled his seatbelt. "You talk to me a lot, Zabuza."
"I have a lot to say to you." He deadpanned, driving onto the road and towards the Hoshigaki manor.
The three younger males chatted on the way home, mostly Haku and Naruto. "Where do you guys live?" Haku asked.
"An apartment." Naruto piped up. Zabuza looked at Haku quickly and saw what he had expected. A tiny twinge of jealousy had flashed into the cocoa-colored eyes, just for a moment.
"Together?" He asked.
"Yeah, duh." Naruto said, grinning.
"I assume you don't live in an apartment, since your driver seems to be heading away from this side of town, and into the. . . Wealthier area." Sasuke decided on the term, without a hint of bitterness or negativity in his voice and Haku nodded.
"I live in a house. With my parents and 2 brothers. And now Zabuza." He replied. A house? Zabuza thought incredulously. Haku wasn't into bragging, that was for sure. "What's it like living in an apartment with your boyfriend?" He asked, grinning.
"Well, you have a lot of sex." Naruto answered, hissing when Sasuke elbowed him in the ribs. Haku laughed. "What?" He whined, holding back the raven's hand. "Just tryin' the give him an honest outlook on what living with you is like."
"How long have you guys been together?" Haku asked, before Sasuke could growl out an answer to apparently what was the love of his life and the thorn in his side.
"Living together, or. . . Together?" Sasuke asked.
"Together."
"Almost 2 years now." He said, thinking a moment. "But we've been living together about a year."
"Wow, how old are you??" Haku asked, eyes wide.
"18."
Haku sat back in his seat, staring up at the sky through the car's filthy windshield once again. It must be nice, he thought to himself. To just be with the person you love. Without anyone telling you what to do or where to go. Zabuza's eyes slid over to him, and narrowed.
"Chin up boy." He grunted. "You won't live with your parents forever."
"Kisame does." Haku said softly.
"Who's Kisame?" Naruto asked, completely oblivious to the sudden tension in the air.
"My older brother." Haku explained, distracted for the time being. "Kisame and Deidara are my older brothers. They'll probably be home."
"Deidara Hoshigaki?" Sasuke asked in a hushed tone, and Haku nodded slowly, a questioning look on his face.
Sasuke made a disgusted sound in his throat before his breath hissed out between his teeth. "Can I smoke in your car?" He asked louder.
"Whatever." Zabuza answered, unperturbed. After all, it had been fairly recent since he himself had stopped smoking cigarettes, and he had smoked in his car an innumerable amount of times.
Sasuke lit another, drew on it and sighed, sulking. Naruto grinned.
"Aww come on, Sasuke. It's been awhile since we saw your best friend."
"Shut up." The raven answered.
"Do you know Deidara?" Haku asked balefully, and Naruto snickered. Sasuke hished him with a single, glaring look.
"Yes." He answered simply.
". . . You don't like him?" Haku asked.
"I don't want to talk bad about your brother, ok?" Sasuke said. He clearly liked Haku, and wanted no ill will between them.
At Haku's still puzzled look, Naruto spoke. "We just used to see him a lot at raves and stuff. Sasuke thinks he's a huge slut." He blurted out, yelping when the black-haired boy hit him in the same spot in his ribs.
"A. . . slut?" Haku asked after a minute, eyes huge. Raves? He wondered if Emily knew exactly where Dara was going and what (Or who, he thought, blushing) he was doing when he went 'out'.
"Yeah a lot of guys say they've done him." Naruto said, quick enough this time to block the fist.
"Naruto, shut up." Sasuke snapped. "It's incredibly rude to talk about someone in front of their family."
"No." Haku said quickly. "No, it's okay, I just. . . I didn't know." He managed. His eyes lowered. Zabuza didn't say anything, but remembered the odd feeling he had gotten while talking to the long-haired blonde the previous night in the hallway. He was sure Naruto and Sasuke were telling the truth.
"Sorry." Naruto said. "But you seem cool." He said, making the boy smile.
"Thank you."
When they were all inside the entrance hall, Haku glanced around. "I'm going to find Bindi really quick and ask her to make us something for lunch, ok?" He said, hurrying off.
"I suppose that's my cue to lead you two into the kitchen." Zabuza said flatly. He gestured , and began walking, the two of them following at his heels.
"Whoa, I thought Haku said he lived in a house, not a fuckin' castle." Naruto said loudly.
"It's a manor, idiot. Not a castle." Sasuke corrected.
"Well whatever, it's huge in here!"
"They have a butler." Zabuza said under his breath, and Naruto's eyes widened.
"Whoa." The blonde breathed out, and the man nodded. It had been his thoughts exactly.
As they made their way into the kitchen and sat at the high marble counter, Zabuza looked around. He didn't blame Naruto for being shocked, he had been too, when he had first seen the huge house. He still was a little bit, he supposed. And he hadn't even seen Haku's studio yet. Sasuke didn't seem too surprised by it all. He wondered if the raven had been exposed to money at one point or another in his life. Before he could ask, he looked up, and cleared his throat. Deidara strolled in, seemingly cheerful as usual. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sasuke tense in what could only be described as a cat ready to pounce. . . And not in a good or playful way.
"Afternoon, Zabuza, un. Kisa told me you took Haku to the par- . . ." He trailed off, his mouth turning down into a frown. "Ew. What are you doing in my house, Uchiha?"
"What are you doing off your knees, Hoshigaki?" Sasuke countered, drawing on his cigarette. He blew the smoke lightly but directly into the blonde's face.
"I'm getting a drink, un." He said pointedly, clearly unbothered by the claim of his promiscuity. "After all, this is my refrigerator. And you never told me what you're doing here."
"He's my guest, Dara." Haku spoke up from the doorway, leaning into it, his bottom lip caught between his teeth.
Deidara glanced at his brother, back at Sasuke, and then at his brother again. "Un. Whatever." He said, pouring his drink and setting it on the counter a little harder than necessary. He glanced over at Naruto, who had a slightly vacant expression on his face. "I just feel bad for your boyfriend, Uchiha, un. Having to sleep with some prude priss. I mean, you're practically a virgin, right? It can't be very good."
Sasuke bit back the comment bubbling on his tongue as he saw the plump maid walk in, smiling warmly. "Haku tells me you guys are ready for some lunch."
"Yeah!" Naruto said, and Sasuke sighed. Haku giggled.
"No thanks, Bindi." Deidara said airily, giving her a dazzling smile. "I'm going out." He called over his shoulder as he strolled from the kitchen.
"Thank you, Bindi. Afterwards, we're going down to my dark room and I'm developing some pictures." Haku said after Deidara was out of sight.
"Alright." She said, and began pulling out spices and whatnot from the various cabinets. She didn't claim to be a genius, but she had known Deidara and Haku long enough to know when tension was thick in the air between them. Haku sat on one of the tall stools, setting his camera on the counter.
"Sorry, Sasuke." He said sincerely, and Sasuke looked at him, puzzled.
"For?"
"I can tell you don't like Deidara, and-"
"He's your brother. It's not like you brought him around me on purpose." He said. "You can't choose your friend's siblings." He shrugged.
"Friend?" Haku asked, blushing a little before he could hide it.
"Yeah, duh." Naruto said. "We're in your house, aren't we?" He grinned toothily.
Zabuza surpressed the urge to grin along with the hyperactive blonde. His happiness was infectious, much like he felt about Haku's. "I-I guess so." Haku said, beaming. He had never really had friends before. He had never gone to a public school, or been around children his own age except maybe Deidara. And just in the last 2 days, he felt like he had made 3 good friends.
"Some of these are really good, Haku. You're great for someone who hasn't had any professional training." Sasuke told him as he thumbed through one of the thick leather-bound books.
"Thank you." Haku said politely. He pulled another one out of a high drawer in a large filing cabinet and handed it to his companion. "I put most of my favorites into this book." It was about 3/5 of the way full, Sasuke noticed, before flipping to the first page and peering at them.
They were all 4 sitting on the comfortable furniture in the basement of the house, which Haku had introduced as his 'studio'. He had already gone into his dark room, dipped a few of the pictures he had taken that day in the water, and hung them up on the wire by a clothespin, leaving them there and returning back to the room with his friends.
"When did you start?" Naruto asked, peering over his lover's shoulder at the book.
"Around twelve, I guess." Haku said. "I started out just taking pictures with a digital camera and getting them printed out at a shop, but after a while, I got better equipment and practiced more."
"Hey, I like this one." Naruto said, snatching the book up out of Sasuke's lap to look at it closer, much to the raven's dismay.
"Which one?" Haku laughed at the dark-haired boy's annoyed expression.
"This one." Naruto pointed at it, a picture in what looked to be an insanely bright and colorful patch of red and yellow tulips, complete with fat bumblebees and sleek butterflies. It looked just like a picture that would be on the back of a postcard, except in the dead center was a rose. It looked shockingly dark against everything around, almost like a sign of wickedness among everything bright and happy and good. It's thorns were deadly sharp. Haku beamed with pleasure.
"I love that one, too! I took it, um. . . When my family went on vacation a few years ago." He explained. "I saw that one rose among all those tulips and just had to take a picture. It made me think of. . . Someone very misunderstood."
"Misunderstood?" Zabuza asked in a hushed tone, and Haku nodded.
"Yes. It looks ugly, with all the other flowers around it, because it's different. But. . . Just because it's different doesn't mean it's not as good. That's what I think, anyway."
"I wonder how it grew there." Naruto said, scratching his chin in a mock genius gesture, obviously missing the deep symbolism in Haku's words.
"Me too." Haku said cheerfully, plopping down beside them. "I'm just glad I got to see it."
"Oh!" Sasuke hissed. "Look what time it is."
"Oh man, it's already 11:00!" Naruto said, eyes huge. "Whoa, we've been here all day!"
"Sorry!" Haku said quickly, standing immediately. "I guess I just lost track of the time, and. . . Oh, I don't know if your picture is finished yet!" He said in despair.
"It's fine." Sasuke said quickly. "We can come back and get it tomorrow."
"Yeah and then maybe we could all go hang out or something." Naruto chirped, as he bounded up the concrete stairs up to the main portion of the house. Haku got a fluttery feeling in his chest at the invitation.
"That would be great." He said softly, rubbing his wrist.
Sasuke and Deidara rivalry. Haha, can anyone say 'catfight'? xD
Anyway, just to clarify, I have nothing against Gaara, I just couldn't think of another antagonist to use, and he seemed like someone that would be good for just a small part. And noo, I don't think Naruto is an absolute retard like he seems. I love the kyuubi, even though he IS a bit of a goofball. Don't forget to review or I can't update this lovely story!
