So right around now is when I start developing side relationships, because if I ONLY focused on Haku and Zabuza, I couldn't keep this going as long as I want to. Hopefully you guys don't mind other pairings D; I don't wanna give away any spoilers, but I guess you'll see!

ALSO; My apologies for last night, I was super distracted and when I went to update, I posted the wrong one, and blah blah you know. So to make it up to you guys for being a ditz, I updated the very next day ;D Enjoy!


Haku sat on the bed warily, trying to be subtle as he glanced around the room. It had been a long time, probably years since he had been in either of his sibling's bedrooms. Deidara was still unorganized and messy, horrifyingly so in Haku's opinion. Clothes were strewn all over the floor and bed. His desk was cluttered with papers and pens and various other items that didn't belong there at all. Some of the things on the shelves needed an intense dusting, and he wondered seriously if anything needed disinfecting. At least the bed seemed clean, he thought, staring down at the bedsheet discreetly.

"I need some advice." Dara repeated.

"What kind of advice?" He asked, mystified.

"Love advice." The blonde cooed in a mock seductive voice, sitting cross-legged on the opposite side of the matress. It was huge, the bedsheets bright red with gold ornamental swirls all over it, and at least a dozen fat pillows. It was so. . . Flashy and ostentatious. Haku wondered if Deidara knew how indicative of his own personality it was.

"I. . . Don't know how much help I can be, but I guess I can try."

"If I was more like you, I wouldn't have this problem." The blonde admitted. Haku's eyes widened. Before he could ask what his brother meant, he continued. "I met a guy."

He met a guy? Haku thought, frowning. Big deal. As far as he knew, Deidara had 'met' a lot of guys.

"I really like him, un." He said. "I've never felt this way before."

"Good." Haku said, smiling immediately. As farfetched as it was, Haku had always preferred people to be paired off into couples, instead of a single person, alone. And he supposed he had been right all along, even before he had fallen in love. But all the cliches were true. He saw colors brighter, heard music sweeter. He was genuinely happy for Deidara. "How long have you been seeing him?"

"I'm not." He sighed. "That's the problem."

"So you. . . Have a crush?" He asked bluntly, surprised. He didn't think boys like Deidara got 'crushes'. The word crush made him think of a guy in a suit with a bouquet of flowers ringing the doorbell and promising the parents the date would be innocent and over by 10:00.

"I don't think so. It's more than that." He said adamantly, gesturing helplessly with his hands. "I know it's kind of. . . Unbelievable, un, but. . . I've never known anyone like him before. You know what I mean?"

Haku knew exactly what he meant. "I think so."

"Well. . . He's amazing. He's such a great guy. I really like him." He said, nervously playing with his long hair.

"That's great." The dark-eyed boy said sincerely.

"No it isn't." Deidara groaned. "He doesn't even know I exist."

"You haven't talked to him?" Haku asked incredulously.

"I have!" He cried, yanking a fluffy pillow up and punching it in frustration. "I've tried." He specified. "Every time I try to talk to him. . . I end up making myself look like an idiot. Plus. . . He acts like he's not interested in me at all."

Haku tilted his head. "Does he. . . You know? Like guys?"

"Yes!" The blonde nodded. Haku wondered why the guy wouldn't be interested. Sure, Dara was a little hard to take sometimes, but most guys seemed to like him. He was attractive, and friendly. "His name is Sasori." He supplied, as if it mattered.

"Hmm." Haku hummed. "Well. . . Why do you think he's not interested?"

"He just. . . Acts like he isn't." He shook his head, sighing. "I asked a few mutual friends about him, you know. . . Asked about the kind of guys he usually dates."

"And?"

"Ugh." Deidara rolled his eyes. "Apparently he just got out of a relationship. I guess it was pretty serious, because everyone says he was real broken up about it and all. They told me his ex was. . . Really sweet. And shy. And innocent." Haku cleared his throat softly. Deidara was cute, but. . . Haku would never have described him as shy. And definitely not innocent.

"Well. . ." Haku trailed off, thinking. "But just because you're not, that doesn't mean you don't have a chance with this guy, right? I mean. . . They broke up. So obviously the shy and innocent thing didn't work out."

"But if that's the sort of guy he likes. . . I'm screwed." He sighed, then frowned. "In the figurative way." He tacked on.

"I'm sure if you just keep letting him get to know you, he'll like you." Haku said confidently. "You know how to charm people."

"I think he's immune or something." The blonde said sadly. "Gosh, it sucks liking someone who doesn't like you back. This has never happened to me." He leaned back against his bright gold headboard, that featured a large swirling flower pattern. "Love is so complicated, un." He said, sighing dramatically.

"I know." Haku answered truthfully, shaking his head. "It's like. . . You look at everything differently."

Deidara looked up, eyeing him. ". . . Yeah." He agreed. "But how would you know?"

Haku blushed. "I, uh. . . I wouldn't really. But I've heard-"

"Oh. My. God." Deidara's eyes were suddenly huge, as if someone had just told him there was life on the moon. He gasped loudly, covering his mouth. "You!"

"Me?" Haku asked weakly, feeling his face heat up even more.

"You're in love." He accused.

"No!" Haku denied, shaking his head. "Don't be ridiculous, how could I be?"

"Oh my God, I'm soo stupid!" He cried. "How could I not have seen it before? It's SO obvious."

"What is!?" Haku snapped, eyes narrowing.

"You and Zabuza." The blonde purred, tapping his lips with one finger. "Jeez, you really like them old, un."

"He's not old!" Haku cried, forgetting to even deny he and the bodyguard's relationship. He mentally groaned, covering his face with his hands.

"Oh my God, you really are." He whispered in awe. He waited until his brother peeked one dark eye between his fingers. "Oh wow." He repeated.

"Please don't tell." Haku begged, wanting to burst into tears. Zabuza would be so angry if he found out. . . "Please." He said again.

"Who would I tell?" Dara asked, rolling his bright blue eyes. They reminded Haku of cloudy marbles.

"Anyone." The teenager specified, his voice desperate. "Please, if Zabuza even knew that you knew. . . He'd be pissed." He whispered.

"Why?"

"Because. . . He didn't want anyone in my family to know about us. He's worried."

"About?"

"About everyone thinking it's like. . . Like it was with Pain."

"Is it?"

"No." Haku said quietly. "It's nothing like that. I love him." He confessed.

"Have you. . . Done it?" Deidara asked, leaning forward.

"No." Haku said quickly, looking to the side. "He wants to, like. . . Wait." He explained, faintly embarrassed, though he didn't know why.

"Aww." Deidara cooed. "That's sweet. I bet he loves you."

"He does."

"Oh wow, you're so lucky." He breathed.

"A minute ago you said love was complicated." Haku pointed out.

"It is but it's so worth it." He said, then raised his eyes to Haku's. ". . . Isn't it, un?" He asked quietly.

Haku cocked his head to the side. "Have you ever. . . ?"

"I don't think so." He admitted.

"It's worth it." He said honestly. "It's. . . The greatest thing. And when I hear him say it. . . It makes me feel like my chest is going to explode. In a good way."

"I wonder if a guy will ever fall in love with me." Deidara sighed.

"Maybe Sasori will." Haku said cheerfully, smiling. The blonde grinned back at him.

"I'm going to try not to hold my breath on that."

"Just be yourself. And. . . Be nice to him." Haku suggested. "I really don't think there's anything else you can do."

"You're probably right." Deidara nodded. "Anyway. . . Thanks for your help. I'll let you go to bed now."

"It's really no problem." Haku said sincerely. "I'm happy to talk anytime."

"We should talk more. We hardly ever do anymore."

An hour previously, if someone had asked Haku if he thought he and Deidara should talk more, he probably would have said they talked a good amount. But he definitely agreed now. He would like to be closer to his brother.


Haku woke in the morning early. He could tell it was eary, because his head was groggy as if he had slept too few hours, and he couldn't hear noises and voices. He moaned a little, rubbing his face in his pillow, wanting to go back to sleep. He was still tired. He wondered if it was an emotional kind of tired. Or maybe his body was just subconciously dreading seeing Zabuza.

For the first time since he met the man, he wasn't excited to talk to him, to look into his eyes, to just be near him. He was afraid. He hoped to any God there was that Zabuza wouldn't hate him for what he would tell him about Pain Rikudo. Not to mention if he found out that Deidara knew about he and Haku. The brown-eyed teen hadn't yet decided whether he would tell the man or not. He knew his bodyguard would take it better hearing it from him, but maybe it would be better if he didn't find out at all? At least until he thought it safe for everyone to know.

He rubbed at his eyes gently, so as not to make them red or puffy. Taking a deep breath, he stood, and made his bed neatly and perfectly, so there wasn't a single crease in his bedspread. Much like Deidara's flamboyant one, Haku's fit his personality, and again, similar to his brother, it never crossed his mind. The deep turquoise of the comforter was like a dark seafoam washed up on a shore, the much lighter teal of the pillowcases striking against it. There were no patterns or designs on it, but the white headboard was styled in a somewhat older, Victorian-esque style, versus Deidara's modern one.

He stood in front of his mirror, frowning, and decided to take a shower.

Washing slowly and effectively under the hot spray, he took comfort in the familiar ritual of soaping and rinsing. The teenager took special, deliberate care to shampoo his hair twice, and then conditioner, before stepping out. He dried off, peering at the clothes he had pulled from his ` closet, wondering if Zabuza ever noticed what he wore. He sighed, doubting it, as he slipped on snug, light-colored jeans, tucking the pockets in so they were perfectly smooth all the way down his legs. He pulled a white top over his head, and remembering that it had been chilly lately, wrapped a thin black and white striped scarf around, letting the frilly ends dangle at his waist, and the small of his back. He frowned, wondering whether it looked tacky to wear a scarf with a shirt that drifted an inch or so above his jeans, exposing his bellybutton when he moved or stretched a certain way. He decided he didn't care.

He dried and brushed his hair longer than was necessary, so it fell straight as rain down his back. When he was satisfied that he had taken long enough to get ready for his day, he exited the bathroom and tiptoed down the stairs.

"Morning, Haku." Kisa said cuffing him in the ear, in a brotherly gesture. Haku frowned, fixing his hair subtly. The older man laughed. "Aww, somethin' got you down this morning?"

"No." He said, and forced a smile on his face. "I'm fine, Kisa. I just. . . Spent a lot of time brushing my hair so I didn't want it messed up."

"Don't know how you and Deidara can stand havin' all that hair." He said, shaking his head. "That would drive me crazy."

"I like it." He whispered, stroking a hand lovingly down his soft, silky hair. "And Deidara's isn't that long."

"Yeah not in comparison to yours." The oldest Hoshigaki brother agreed. "Give you $50 to cut it?"

Haku cocked an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest. "Not on your life, dear brother."

He laughed heartily, giving him a good-natured punch to the shoulder. "Ahh, you're always good for a laugh. So how's it goin' with your new muscle?"

"Fine." Haku answered quickly, knowing 'muscle' was what Kisa used to refer to a bodyguard. "He's a nice guy." He added.

"Good." He answered, eyeing him up and down, before speaking again. "He doesn't. . . Make you ever feel uncomfortable?"

"No." He replied, praying a tell-tale blush wouldn't creep over his cheeks. Zabuza made him uncomfortable, but it was a really nice kind of discomfort. "You'd like him if you got to know him." He added.

"I'm sure." He said amicably.

"Anyway, I was just on my way down to my studio. I'll see you later." He said, and hurried down, glad Zabuza hadn't spotted him. He sighed, collapsing on the couch, glaring up at the ceiling.


The brown-haired escort tromped down the stairs. He had knocked on Haku's door, but to no answer. The bathroom was empty, but the mirrors were fogged like someone had showered recently. The boy usually came to see him as soon as he was awake. His eyes narrowed. Was the pretty brunette really avoiding him?

Feeling more annoyed than he should have been, he stomped the rest of the way into the kitchen. Pushing through the doorway, he slammed through.

"Ow!" Deidara cried out, as the door popped him in the ribcage. He rubbed his stomach, glaring at the taller man. "Where's the fire?"

"Sorry." Zabuza answered, wincing when the blonde lifted his shirt to poke tentatively at a spot that would surely turn into a bruise. "Really sorry." He repeated. The man yanked open the freezer door, pulling out an ice cube, and stuck it to the sore area with his thumb, his other fingers gripping around his narrow waist. Deidara gasped, the ice freezing his skin, but he didn't jerk. By the time they both realized this was somewhat of a compromising position, the blonde glanced down at his body, where a single drop of water melted off the cube, dripping down his torso, over his ribs and bellybutton and sinking into the waistband of his jeans. He resisted the urge to make a sexy face, or lick his lips, or flutter or his eyelashes or anything. It occured to him that all of those things were habits ingrained in his mind like breathing, but there was no way he was going to flirt with the guy his brother was in love with.

Both of them jerked apart, when the kitchen door swung open, Kisame's friendly smile fading immediately. He eyed them both suspiciously. "Something goin' on in here?" He asked. Deidara cleared his throat.

"I, um. . . Well I banged my ribs on the door, un, and he was just getting me an ice cube." He said, and pulled his shirt down.

"Oh yeah?" Kisame cocked an eyebrow. "Well go put an ice pack on it. They're in the bathroom." He said, and both men watched the blonde scurry out of the kitchen, acutely aware of the sudden tension. "You and my brother seem to have gotten awfully close, Momochi."

Zabuza nearly snorted, thinking of how close he and Kisame's other brother had gotten. He had a sudden, lucid image of waking up with Haku's hand gripping his cock. "I accidentally hit him with the door, and so I felt like it was my responsibilty to get the ice for him. I thought it might numb the sore spot." He said calmly.

"You some kinda doctor now?" He asked mockingly.

"It doesn't require a medical degree to know ice keeps swelling down." He retorted. "I'm not interested in Deidara. You don't have to worry about that." He added flatly. Kisame didn't look convinced. "I understand you're worried. I know what happened with Haku."

The look in the man's eyes softened. "Yeah. I'm the one that found them. . ."

"I know. Nothing like that is going to happen again. You have my word." He said stiffly, hoping that Kisame would forgive him when everyone did eventually find out about he and Haku.

"Alright." He relented. "Sorry to seem like a jerk. But. . . I gotta look out for 'em, you know?"

"I know." Zabuza answered. He tried a small grin. "I get it."

"Got any siblings?"

"No." He actually might have, he thought. But he hadn't seen his mother since he was 16, and he had no plans to see her anytime soon. She was probably dead by now, anyway. He wondered if he would have felt any sort of grief if he learned about her death. Maybe an impersonal kind of sadness, like you feel when you read about a murder in the newspaper. Because that was what she was to him, he supposed. A stranger.

"Well, maybe if you did, you'd know what I mean." He said, but then smiled back. "So anyway, Haku went down to his studio." He said. "He probably wanted you to go down."

"Sure he did." The bodyguard said, forcing the calmness into his voice. "So I guess I'll go see what he's up to. See you later."

As he walked away, he let his breath out. Dodged a bullet there, Momochi. He opened the door slowly, and shut it quietly, hoping the boy didn't hear.

He hadn't, Zabuza concluded, as he silently padded down the stairs, and saw him stretched over the couch, hair curtained over his face, hiding it. He was snuggled into the cushions, and probably sleeping. His breathing was even and regular. He walked silently, looming over the small teenager, staring down at him. When he didn't move, the bodyguard's hand floated down, moving the soft hair away from the boy's face, letting it slide down and fall over the end of the couch.

He looked younger, and somehow even more innocent in sleep. His lids were closed, the lashes thick, and so long the tips practically brushed his cheekbones. His mouth was open slightly, and looked too soft to describe. Zabuza couldn't help leaning down and pressing his own lips firmly against it. He felt the boy stir under him, moaning breathily, his mouth opening. "Zabuza?"

"Mmhmm." He growled in his throat, forcefully parting the teen's lips with his teeth, his tongue slipping into the sweet cavern. He felt Haku's hands slide up into his short hair, and hold there, as their mouths moved together. "I'd hope nobody else would be kissing you like this." He said, nipping the beauty's swollen bottom lip hard, making him gasp.

"No, never." Haku said, slightly dazed, his eyes fluttering still, from being asleep. He practically purred when his guard's large hands cupped his face, tilting slightly so his tongue could touch every corner of his mouth. He felt the man's lips leave his, then press against his forehead. Then over both his eyelids, his temples, then his cheeks.

"Awake yet? I'm running out of innocent places to kiss." He murmured. Haku laughed.

"Yes I'm awake. . ." He looked into the man's dark eyes playfully. "Unless you want to keep kissing. There are plenty of other places left. You just have to find them."

"I said innocent." Zabuza reminded him, grasping his body and moving it over so they could sit together on the somewhat small couch. He felt Haku snuggle into him as he wrapped a strong arm around the boy, protectively. He glanced over at the stairs that he had come down. There was a wall blocking the top half of them, so someone that came through the door would have to come down several stairs before he and Haku were in eyesight.

"So move onto somewhere not innocent." Haku tempted him.

"What would you suggest?" Zabuza inquired, raising a brow. Haku turned pink.

"I. . . I don't know. Anywhere." He said, shrugging.

"You don't know what you ask." The escort said dully.

"I know exactly what I'm asking." Haku retorted, irritated. "Do you think I'm a child?"

"No." He said. "Yes." He corrected himself. "I don't fucking know, okay?" He snapped out, his eyes flashing.

Haku took pity on the obviously conflicted man, wriggling into his lap and pressing himself against the muscled chest. "If I was a child, would I think of you like this?" He whispered. It was all coming naturally to him now. Being seductive and wanton. It must be instinct, Haku mused, as he watched Zabuza's eyes glaze over with obvious lust, despite the fact that the man's arms held Haku back a few inches. He lifted his delicate mouth against the older male's hard one, satisfied with the predictable results of his bodyguard's tongue sliding between his lips. He sucked the man's tongue lightly, in the way he knew drove him crazy. Pulling away before they could get too heated, Haku let a hand rest on Zabuza's upper thigh, seemingly innocently. "Is this the way a child acts?" And then his hand was pressed against the stiff bulge, fingers cleverly moving. The man nearly shuddered from the promise laced into that soft voice, and his bold movements. It was pretty obvious that the escort could do anything he wanted to the gorgeous teen, with no argument or resistance.

Haku's voice was sex incarnate suddenly, just the breathy words making his fingers itch to stroke the boy's satin skin. Was this the way a child acted? Admittedly, Zabuza had never spent any time around children, although he doubted that kids had the ideas of rubbing men's erections through their jeans. "Haku." He bit out through his teeth. "You know I don't think of you as a child. I can't."

"Then why do you treat me like one?"

"You behave like one when you conciously avoid me to keep from telling me about your past." He said flatly, ignoring the sparks of pleasure racing through his body. Although he would have liked nothing better than to flip Haku's body over on the annoyingly small couch and fuck him into the squishy cushions, he stood firm on his decision.

Haku looked shocked for a second, eyes widening. His hand stilled on the man's crotch. His cheeks lit in what could only be described as a cherry-red blush. And all of it vanished, as if it had never been there. The provocative, confident boy that had sat so temptingly in Zabuza's lap was replaced by the shy, quiet one the man had always known, and had fallen for in the first place. "I. . . I was afraid." He admitted, his head lowering to rest on the man's hard shoulder. "I'm sorry. I didn't think you would notice if I avoided you."

"You thought wrong." He deadpanned. "Did he really do something so heinous to you, Haku?" He growled. He would find the prison the man was in and kill him himself if that was the case.

"No, not really." Haku said miserably. "But. . . It made me feel. . . unclean. I didn't want you to think of me as dirty."

"I don't." He answered. It was true, he didn't. In his mind, the boy was like the whitest, purest virgin snow. He could only hope he didn't spoil it by tainting him with his own blackness. "Just tell me exactly what happened."

Haku nodded, and took a deep breath.


Not exactly a cliffhanger, but sort of! I'm not good at the whole suspense, cliffhanger thing. I wish I was though, that would make for some good writing. Review!