Old Scars, New Tears

Chapter Five: This is Goodbye, my Love

I own nothing but Kio, Kovu and their pasts.

Thanks to my grammar editor, Yuki. ILOVEYOU

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Kio ran up to Haku, she panted and looked up at him. She had just ran from the other side of the village in the pouring rain. It had been two years since Kovu had left, and Kio had pretty much forgotten her, but she would still find herself crying by the lake where they made the promise.

Haku looked down at her, his eyes filled with a sudden sadness that seemed out of place in his brown eyes.

"What's the matter?" Kio's voice sounded far off to Haku. The boy looked her in the eyes.

"Kio...I..." He was cut off by the yelling of Zabuza in the background.

"HAKU!!!" The older man came walking out, pushed past Haku and stood in front of Kio.

"Kio." Zabuza growled, she could sense the angry in his voice. Zabuza taking his anger out on Kio wasn't uncommon. Since she was a girl, weaker and liked Haku, Zabuza did it quite often. He stepped closer, Haku would never intervene during Zabuza's anger fits, sometimes he would yell at Zabuza after if he hurt her to much, but wouldn't stop him during the older man's fits of rage. The truth be told, Haku was just as afraid of Zabuza as Kio, though Haku was not beaten nearly as much as her.

"You are of no use." The Demon of the Mist growled. "Leave. Go. Finish your training in Suna. You have proved nothing more then a burden." Zabuza had bandaged his chest, he had obviously been hurt, now that Kio though of it, they were on a mission. Kio had yet to see the people whom they were supposed to kill, but she did know that it was an old bridge builder.

The shock hit Kio and caused her to forget about the freezing rain.

"Leave...?!"

"Now, Kio." Zabuza began to walk inside. "Come on, Haku. We have to be ready to fight once I heal." Haku walked up to Kio.
"I'm sorry...Goodbye, Kio. Zabuza-san said you can come visit after you graduate the academy. We have to finish this mission...and your just dead weight." At these words, Kio's heart was shattered, her whole reason for living, lost.

"Haku...please...just wait until tomorrow...Then I can come with you...I graduate tomorrow..."

"Kio, listen to me, once you graduate, you're assigned a sensei, and then you go on missions, when you get a mission back here, you can come visit us. We'll still be here."

"Promise you'll be okay?" Kio looked at him.

"Promise, now, goodbye." At this he turned away. She held her hand out.

"Haku! Wait! Wait..." By the time she got the nerve to speak up, he was gone. "I love you..." She looked into the forest, and started for the long trip back to Suna, Eko following her slowly.