Happy Valentines Day!
Thank you so much for the reviews I got for the last chapter! I decided to studiously ignore the flame and stick with the positive feedback, I'm so glad you guys are enjoying this so much! Once again, I would like to thank my faithful reviewer DiamondForest, as her reviews always make my day and motivate me. Thanks hun~!
Hope you'll like this chapter as much as I liked writing it!
Enjoy!
In the morning, I did a quick chakra scan of the house and realised that the obnoxious blonde by the name of Naruto was still not back from his attempt at tree climbing. Sighing, I crawled out of my tent and ventured out into the forest, sending my chakra into the ground to find him. I jogged to the place where his chakra signature was the strongest and almost face-palmed when I saw him sprawled out on the ground, snoring irritably. I resisted the urge to punch his brains out for worrying everyone, as I felt another chakra signature nearby; as payback, I decided to leave the blonde behind since it was mainly because of his stupidity that he was in this vulnerable in the first place.
Seconds after I hid from view in one of the trees that encircled the clearing, a pretty boy with long ebony hair and a flawless pale complexion appeared, his presence somehow stirring the blonde back to life. I frowned, tuning out their conversation as I scrutinised his chakra signature – it seemed… familiar. I tried not to crack up at his last words and Naruto's shell-shocked expression when he found out the pretty feminine-looking teen was, in fact, a boy. I decided to leave the blonde and follow the mysterious teen, finally realising what was so familiar about him once I noticed his posture – it was the same as that which I had seen only a few days previous, with the slightly relaxed but still tense way that he held himself.
He was the fake hunter-nin.
Once we were out of the clearing and away from the blonde, who was still unaware of my presence, the teen slowed down, but still did not turn around.
"You can come out now." His soft voice penetrated the silence between us, and I wondered how long he'd known I was there. Not hesitating even for a second, I jumped out of my hiding spot, still preferring to maintain a safe distance between myself and the boy.
"I know who you are." I stated bluntly, never one for pleasantries. To my surprise, he chuckled softly, finally turning around to face me.
"I should have figured. You almost blew my cover that day." He commented, yet his tone was not accusing as I had predicted, and his eyes held no spite in them – on the contrary, they were kind and forgiving, and totally not like those of a ninja.
I frowned.
"Why would you pose as a fake hunter-nin just to save a missing-nin who doesn't need you?" I asked pointedly, and with how close I was scrutinizing him, I did not miss the flash of insecurity that passed through his eyes.
"I am Zabuza's tool. As long as I'm useful to him, he'll keep me beside him."
"And when you aren't useful anymore?" I questioned, eager to see how far I could push him.
He hesitated for a few seconds. "When my usefulness runs out, I have no doubt he'll personally dispose of me." He stated, and his voice had taken on a steely edge, almost proving that he is, in fact, a ninja.
I considered his words in silence, and somehow, I came to the conclusion that I… understood him? Sympathised with him? Felt the pain he was undoubtedly feeling?
Suddenly I realised that he really was just a teenager, and that even though I could sympathise with his need to belong, there was one major difference between us - his hands still remained unblemished, not stained red with the blood of his enemies like mine were. And yet, I understood why someone as pure as him would seek the company of a renowned missing-nin.
"So being with Zabuza gives you a purpose in life, does it not?" I asked, and saw his eyebrows shoot up and his eyes widen.
"Yes… Yes, it does." He said simply, staring at me in mild surprise. "How did you know?" he asked softly, curiously, and somehow, I felt compelled to answer.
"Your eyes. They're like mine used to be over five years ago – kind, trusting, yet scared of being abandoned. But you'll soon learn… people with eyes like yours don't get far in our world." I had not meant to become sentimental, and I cursed the innocent-looking teen that stood before me, whose face was set in an unnerving mask of calmness as he pondered my words. I cursed how he'd managed to coerce me into answering and decided to fight back for some dignity by throwing in a biting observation; "Grow up. Open your eyes." I ordered. "It would be a shame if you died because you hesitated with the final blow." I heard him gasp behind me as I turned on my heel, ready to march out of the clearing and forget everything that took place there.
Forget my temporary slip of composure.
Forget the gnawing pain in my heart as I saw his terrified eyes when I looked over my shoulder.
Forget the tears pooling in my eyes when I realised I had nailed it spot-on.
I shook my head, once again starting to walk away, before I was stopped by a hand gripping my shoulder. I turned around, surprised but cautious, ready to spring back and attack any time, but I almost gaped when he simply smiled down at me, tears making shiny tracks on his cheeks.
"My dream is to serve Zabuza. If he needs for me to kill, then I will forget my morals and do his bidding. What's your dream?" he whispered softly, as if he was afraid that if he spoke any louder, the serene atmosphere around us would shatter like broken glass.
"My dream?" I whispered back, a tentative smile making its way to my face as he nodded. But the smile vanished as did his when I did not reply.
"You don't have one." He stated, his voice slightly disappointed. When I nodded, he shook his head and smiled again. "What's your name?" he questioned, and I pondered if I should answer. Seeing nothing ill in his eyes, I replied. "Sakura."
"Sakura." He tested the name out. "It suits you. I'm Haku, by the way." I listened to him speak, chuckling softly at his name. White. Pure. Oh, the irony.
Suddenly, the intimacy of the moment disappeared and my breath hitched as I stepped back and out of his hold, bowing deeply. "It was a pleasure to meet you. Please take my words into consideration."
He merely watched me with those sad eyes of his, a small smile still present on his face. "The pleasure is all mine. However… I fear that the next time we meet will be on the battlefield."
I sent him a bittersweet smile. "Unfortunately, it seems everyone's paths meet there. Yet, against all odds, I hope ours won't." before either of us could say anymore, I flashed away, forcing myself to get away from the clearing, and Haku's soft, innocent eyes that seemed to taunt her with the way they glinted in understanding, even though I had not said anything out of the ordinary. But I knew the feeling.
The boy had read me like a book.
Nobody so far had seen through the façade I put on display every day. Sometimes, even I struggled to separate the cover-up from reality. But Haku, he'd seen through it, just as easily as I saw through him – his eyes said it all.
"Drop the façade." I could imagine him say, if he had ever chosen to voice what his eyes seemed to be screaming. "Everyone has a dream, so fight for yours; don't hide behind those of others'!" I cursed when I caught myself considering his words.
I shook my head, finalising my decision. Appearing strong and confident, strong enough to rise to the top and become known by a moniker was reassuring. It confirmed that my existence, however insignificant, was needed. It confirmed that my teammates needed my leadership. That my village needed my service.
Furthermore, like I had said before, sometimes even I couldn't differentiate between my thoughts and those of the person others knew me as.
So where did one end and the other begin?
The following three days went by swiftly, almost too quickly for my liking. It seemed Team 7 had finally mastered the tree-climbing technique, and the boys never wasted a chance to gloat and show off, an act which seemed to greatly irritate Akane. Every time the redhead passed the two gennin, he would scoff or pretend to gag at their cockiness. Finally, Kaoru seemed to have had enough of the brooding redhead and pinned him to the tree and all but yelled in his face.
"Ifit's bothering you so much, then for god's sake, do something about it and stop brooding! It's pissing me off!" the brunette shouted, visibly frustrated. Akane just blinked repeatedly, apparently stupefied, before he burst out laughing, having to lean on Kaoru in order to remain standing.
"O-Oh Kami, Kaoru-chan." He chuckled, wiping a few tears from his face. "If it was bothering you so much, why didn't you say something sooner?" I smirked at the brunette's indignant expression, just before he thumped the redhead on the head.
"Idiot! I was trying to, but you were too busy PMSing to notice!"
Just as Kaoru lifted his hand, undoubtedly to hit Akane again, 'just for good measure', the redhead caught his wrist and grinned up at him. "Wanna spar, Kaoru-chan? We've both got pent-up frustration that needs releasing."
And just like that, any hostility between the two vanished as they headed off to spar, and I followed behind them, preparing to step in and stop them if they even as much as thought of re-enacting the First Shinobi World War again. That was not an experience I was willing to feel ever again.
Kakashi chuckled slightly as he watched the impromptu battle raging between the two genin, his own team sitting at the side-lines and watching with varying interest. On the other side of the clearing sat the pinkette, occasionally spiking her chakra or glaring meaningfully when a fireball or sword came too close for comfort. The incredible swiftness with which the duo exchanged blows alerted Kakashi to the fact that this was definitely not the first time they had a spar like this one. Though if one was paying as much attention as he was, they'd have noticed that a look of 'huh? This is new' which sometimes appeared on the boys' faces, meaning one of them hadn't seen the move the other had pulled before. They obviously shared a similar relationship as he and Gai – they forced each other to continue learning, improving and progressing, just to see if they could one-up the other.
The air around the two suddenly changed as the redhead said something he was too far away to catch. He saw as Sakura tensed on the other side, and the expression on the brunette's face changed into that of ill contempt. He saw Naruto shiver beside him and heard him whisper 'S-Scary…!'
He watched, intrigued, as Kaoru unsheathed his tanto and held his breath as he moved to drive it directly into the frozen redhead's stomach. But before he could as much as touch Akane, a wall of what appeared to be solid chakra materialised between the two teens, blocking his strike like a shield. Kakashi's eyes rose in confusion, as did those of his genin, and his one visible eye widened almost comically at what he saw – the petite rosette had stood up, and he belatedly realised that her hand was the source of the solid chakra wall separating the boys.
"I told you," she began calmly. "I told you that I would not hesitate to step in." she glared at the two, somehow managing to appear frightening even with her fragile build and obnoxious pink hair. "Kaoru, no matter how stupid and completely injudicious what Akane said was, you are not allowed to just drive a sword through his stomach. He is the only medic on this mission – if he dies, we're all as good as dead. Akane… get out of my sight. That was the most pathetic insult I've heard in a while." Her tone changed into that of a deadly hiss as her eyes glared daggers at her teammates, still not releasing the chakra wall that separated them. "Now, I suppose you grow some brain cells and end this spar, or I swear to god, I will end it for you. Understood?"
The two nodded, albeit grudgingly, before they moved to either side of the rosette, glaring daggers at each other over her head.
Kakashi felt movement by his side and heard the rustling of clothes, and before he knew it, the Uchiha on his team was walking toward the trio, stopping just before Sakura.
"Spar with me." It was not a request, but a command, and Kakashi noticed the girl's eye twitch in annoyance, but to his surprise, she complied, walking away from her teammates and taking their place in the middle of the clearing.
"Fine. The first to force the other to yield wins." She declared easily, sliding into a ready position. Sasuke mirrored her stance, and they stared each other down, waiting for the other to move. When a few seconds passed and neither seemed like they would attack any time soon, Naruto booed from the side-lines.
"Come on, Sasuke-teme! Wipe the floor with her!" he shouted. "Or is the great Uchiha scared?" the mockery seemed to motivate Sasuke, as he sprung forward with a flurry of taijutsu, attempting to overwhelm the rosette.
But to no avail – Sakura seemed to dance around his attacks, staying just out of reach of his attacks, riling up the Uchiha even more. When he realised close-combat was useless, he retreated in order to formulate another plan, but the rosette flew after him, not even giving him a second to catch his breath.
Kakashi had realised long ago that her level was not that of usual genin. In her fight against him, she struggled, but she still managed to land a few hits of her own. But there, he had known of the immense difference in strength and experience, an obvious advantage for him, so it perfectly justified the fact that he was impressed she'd lasted so long.
Though here, against Sasuke…
It seemed like her true colours had finally shown themselves as she continued her onslaught of attacks, pushing Sasuke out of his comfort zone and into what Kakashi had labelled 'panic-mode'. The difference between their ability levels couldn't have been more obvious, and Kakashi was finally beginning to understand why she graduated so early; she easily outshone the genin around her, both in accuracy and the fluidity of her moves, and the brutal precision of her attacks reminded him more of a war veteran than a ten-year-old.
He could see that Sasuke was struggling to defend against the array of taijutsu, his timing was off and he couldn't push the persistent rosette away from him no matter how much he struggled. But the Uchiha was far too proud to admit defeat, and with a well-timed substitution jutsu, he escaped her attacks, appearing what seemed to be a safe distance away, before he shot a fireball at her.
But the rosette was not to be deterred, which she proved as she easily dodged and launched a couple of deadly-accurate kunai at him, the raven moving to deflect the knives like a good little shinobi, smirking. Kakashi belatedly realised that it had been a set-up all along, as the rosette had used the kunai to distract the Uchiha while she stuck out her arm, palm pointing forward. Before Sasuke could react, she produced what Kakashi could only call a pulse of chakra that shot towards him at incredible speed, the burst of compressed air mixed with chakra catching the Uchiha off-guard and making him lose balance. In a split second, Sakura appeared behind him, snatching his wrists and twisting his arms behind him as she planted her foot firmly on his back, pushing him to his knees. Grabbing both of Sasuke's wrists with one hand, she used her free hand to dig out a kunai and press it to his neck as the final proof of her victory.
"Yield, Uchiha." She commanded. When he didn't respond, she pushed him further back, twisting his arms with more force, until they heard the tell-tale crack of a dislocated shoulder. Sasuke winced and bit his lip to keep himself from crying out.
"Yield." This time it came as a deadly hiss, the kunai digging deeper into his throat, making blood start to drip down from the wound.
"Sasuke-kun!" Hikari gasped behind him, and Kakashi spared a glance at the hyperventilating brunette.
"I-I yield." Sasuke gasped, scowling at the degrading words.
"Good boy." Sakura mocked, before she released his wrists and backed off, giving him space to collect himself. Her teammates grinned at her, and ruffled her hair, but she was focused on the Uchiha. "Don't go around challenging those you stand no chance against."
She ignored his sneer and indignant scoff as she walked off for a well-deserved nap.
The next morning, Kakashi had vaguely instructed us to go to the bridge, replying to our inquiries with a cryptic 'gut-feeling' as the only explanation. I did some quick math and realised it had been over a week since the battle – enough time for Zabuza to have recovered and planned a comeback. It was possible Kakashi was trying to be careful just in case he did attack.
Once we got to the bridge, I thanked the Copy Nin's proactivity as we found all of the men that were supposed to be working on the bridge collapsed and unconscious. Tazuna looked shocked.
"He's here." Kaoru stated quietly. "I can sense him."
Suddenly, mist enveloped the bridge and reduced our visibility considerably, further confirming our suspicions. I tensed when a gruff voice came from the space in front of us.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Kakashi." Zabuza chuckled evilly. "I see you still have those brats with you, but who are the others? Regardless. I'll enjoy killing you. All of you."
He then made a petty remark about how the Uchiha was shaking, and I stifled a sigh at the sheer stupidity of their words. Seriously, why do people always feel the need to have those ridiculously long monologues before a battle? By that point I was ready to turn on my heel and leave, but just as that thought crossed my mind, the mist cleared for a few seconds, revealing Zabuza and Haku in all their glory, and I grinned at the teen's words.
"That's true. He's quite a boy." the masked teen nodded in agreement. "Yet it's the girl I'm interested in." he added as an afterthought as he turned towards me, ignoring Team 7's confusion. "It seems like we meet again, Sakura-san."
"Indeed." I allowed a smirk to break free before I let the cold, aloof persona I'd spent so many years perfecting to steal over my face. "Now that the opportunity had presented itself, let's see whose dream is stronger!"
I prepared myself to pounce on the teen, but I ground my teeth in annoyance when the Uchiha interrupted, challenging my opponent. I had to say, his speed was quite good, but his moves were painfully predictable. That's why I was shocked when his kick connected with Haku's masked face, sending the boy flying back towards Zabuza.
I hissed in irritation and sent a meaningful glance at my teammates, before I flash-stepped to Sasuke's side, pushing the Uchiha back.
"Let go, Uchiha. He is my opponent." I snarled at the teen, making it obvious I wanted nothing to do with him, and that I would not hesitate to hurt him if he got in my way.
Suddenly, Haku's voice reached my ears, and I was surprised, yet pleased with its steely quality. "Please wait, Sakura-san. This has become personal. I'll deal with him, then we can have our fight."
Zabuza chuckled and stepped back, obviously aware of what the teen was going to do and not at all surprised when a dome of mirrors rose around the Uchiha, surrounding him while Haku stepped in the mirror. He smirked at Kakashi. "Your student is as good as dead now." There was no compassion in his words, and, in all honesty, I was glad that both ninjas' attention was directed elsewhere as it presented me with the perfect opportunity to tell my teammates what I wanted them to do.
They were about twenty metres behind me, but, trying to remain as inconspicuous as possible, I ever-so-slightly spiked my chakra, knowing that Kaoru with his sensory abilities would pick it up right away. I was proven right as the brunette looked up, eyes zeroing on mine as he nudged Akane to do the same. He made a move to get closer to me, but I shook my head, stopping him in his tracks.
I pointed at Zabuza, then back at them. Kaoru arched his eyebrows and subtly touched his sword, to which I nodded. Akane frowned in an obvious question of Why? I once again pointed at Zabuza, then did a basic clone technique, trying to use as little chakra as possible. Akane looked doubtful, while Kaoru merely mouthed how many? I thought about that for a few seconds.
There's five of us, plus Kakashi and Zabuza. Considering he'll most probably try to attack Kakashi while his clones go for Tazuna, he'll only need six. So six it i- no, wait. He's a proud ninja; he wouldn't let a clone kill his target. Therefore he would pretend that he was coming at Tazuna, but all that the clone would be doing would be distracting him while he snuck in and killed him from behind. And for that to work, he'll need one extra, so seven it is.
I made sure I had Kaoru's undivided attention before I raised both my hands and indicated the number. The brunette nodded just as Sasuke's piercing scream ripped through the air. I whipped my head towards the dome of mirrors, my neck aching due to the whiplash.
Mirrors. Sasuke screaming.
My heart stopped for a few seconds as I took in the sobbing Uchiha, the senbon sticking out of him making him look like a hedgehog. I caught the feeling of sympathy the pathetic sight evoked in me, reigning it in and squashing it until it cowered in the corner of my mind. I flash-stepped into the dome of mirrors, standing before the Uchiha and cutting the senbon assault short simply by my surprise appearance. I spared the Uchiha a disdainful glance. "This is truly pitiful." I hissed at him. "I hope you realise how stupid you were, challenging opponents far beyond your level."
A thought suddenly flittered through my mind, and I decided to investigate by once again flash-stepping out and I found myself outside of the mirrors, and presented with the perfect view of Sasuke's astonished face as I had gotten out so easily. Feeling pity for the wounded teen, I used a simple substitution jutsu and switched our places, taking in the Uchiha's surprised expression just seconds before he collapsed into his teammate's arms.
I turned, feeling more relaxed and confident than before, and faced the multiple replicas of Haku gazing at me from behind his mask. I allowed a small smirk to bloom on my face before it turned into a feral grin.
"Sorry for the interruption." I apologised mockingly. Then, all signs of teasing left my face as I snarled; "Our fight is now!"
Kaoru and Akane stood in front of Zabuza, Kakashi gazing worriedly at his fallen student.
"Go." The brunette nodded in Tazuna's direction. "We'll handle it from here."
The Copy-nin sent them one last glance before he ran towards his students and their client, leaving the two teens alone with the missing nin, just as Kaoru turned to look at Sakura's fight and frowned worriedly when all he could see were black blurs as both teens were moving too quickly for his eyes to follow.
"You don't look like you came here just to fight." Zabuza's gruff voice cut through the silence around them as he brandished his sword, the metal glistening dangerously.
"You're right." Akane nodded. "We didn't come here to fight you. We came here to violently hack you to pieces." The redhead stated easily.
Zabuza chuckled. "You're not like Kakashi's brats, I'll give you that. You're not afraid of bloodshed. Your whole team is like that, especially the short pink-haired brat." He levelled them with a calculating gaze. Suddenly, his sword came directly at Akane's head. Quick reflexes and years of practise were the only things that allowed the teen to block the attack.
"Get out of the way, kid. You may be better than Kakashi's brats, but you're still a brat. You don't stand a chance."
Akane's eyes glinted ominously and Kaoru gulped, but swallowed his fear and prepared for the fight that was bound to take place. The Kiri missing-nin swung his sword again, and this time it was Kaoru who blocked his strike while he kicked the redhead away. With both of Kaoru's hands occupied, the missing-nin took one hand away and formed a seal. Suddenly, clones appeared, but they swiftly ducked and twisted out of the way and ran away when the teens tried to destroy them.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven! It's exactly as Sakura said! Kaoru thought frantically as the clones surrounded the bridge-builder. Even with Kakashi there, the brunette seriously doubted the jounin could destroy all of them, while at the same time looking out for his team and their client.
Using his distraction, Zabuza pushed harder and forced Kaoru off-balance, but just when the missing-nin was preparing to run, Akane stepped in front of him, blocking his path.
"No way are we letting you get past us so easily." The redhead grinned. "We made a promise to Sakura, and we sure as hell are going to keep it."
Kaoru sighed with relief and chuckled at his teammate's predictable behaviour. Dusting himself off, he stood up and moved to stand beside Akane. They shared a meaningful glance, and simultaneously sprung at Zabuza.
Haku picked himself off of the ground for the second time that day. His mask had cracked and exposed most of his face, giving the rosette a clear view of his wide, disbelieving eyes and bleeding forehead.
In all honesty, Haku was stumped. One moment, he was bombarding the rosette with senbon, and while she dodged some, most still pierced her pale skin, and the next, he felt a powerful punch connect with his jaw and found himself forced out of his mirrors, the shock and pain dispelling the jutsu, while the rosette stood over him with not even a scratch on her body, only slightly out-of-breath.
"H-How?" he stuttered, still shocked, and, albeit slightly, awed by the overwhelming power that radiated from the rosette.
"My speed is my main advantage in the field. I spent years perfecting it, increasing it. But a ninja who only excels in one area will never be successful."
Haku took in her words as he shakily rose to his feet, his knees buckling under him, almost causing him to fall if it wasn't for the small hand that caught his arm and steadied him and as he looked down, dispassionate emerald pools gazed back at him.
"What you said back in the clearing…" her whispered words penetrated the air between them and spurred his brain back to life. "It gave me a lot to think about. And… you were wrong. I do have a dream. And I am willing to fight for it."
Against all odds, Haku felt a smile blossoming on his bloodied face as he understood what the rosette meant. "That's good. However… I lost. I am not of use anymore. Therefore there is only one thing I shall ask of you…"
"Kill me."
Thank you very much for reading! I have the next chapter pretty much typed out so expect a faster update – the only reason I didn't continue going is because it didn't flow as well, so I had to cut the 15,000 words chapter into half.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter, even with the monologues and the slightly more-depressing-than-normal thoughts, and the badly-written action scenes. I promise you the next chapters will be purely humour and action, until we get to the chunin exams where everything will go haywire.
Please review!
Love,
~Invincible Shadow.