Never Let You Go [Zabuza Momochi]

Chapter 5

It was quiet. An attack on the household popped up here and there, but the S-Ranked criminals never broke past the gates thanks to Zabuza and Haku. The young man began grabbing Lacey once the household fell asleep, ordering her to bring the weapons pouch. "I know you used a kunai," he pointed out. He threw the one she lost during the fight between the rogues, the tip embedding into the ground at her feet. "Tell me what you did with it this time? I saw your handy work when I came to that bounty we collected weeks ago."

"I cut through a vine that pulled me into the air," she answered. "To free myself."

"You can only fight at close range, but there are others who specialize in long distance. What will you do then?" Lacey didn't have an answer. "You'll be killed in minutes. And if you're acting as a guard to one of the ladies of the household, you need to know how to use the weapons properly." He pulled forth his own kunai. "We'll start with this. All Genin must excel at this weapon before learning others. You need aim."

Luckily that came with dancing from the quick movements she learned and precision of formations. Though it turned out to be more difficult that hurling rocks. The weight felt different and the grip. Her accuracy varied. But she was better than most when ninjas started out, so Zabuza had somewhere to start.

He trained her every night after sundown for a few hours. To at least progress her to a lower level of a Chuunin. It was slow going, and his patience wore thin, but Lacey stuck through it. She had to. She owed the ninjas.

"Why do you travel with them?" Riko asked one day. "The ninjas?" The two were sitting outside, one with a book, the other sharpening weapons. "They're rogue, they have committed crimes. What about your family? Your home? Why did you leave it?"

"You can never judge a book by its cover," she answered, putting everything away. "The same goes for people."

The lady observed the young woman. "Have you... committed a crime?"

Lacey laughed, shaking her head. "Don't worry, I have done nothing against a Village or committed a crime that would have me seen as a criminal." The female couldn't help but sigh in relief. "You know... I never had a real family." That startled Riko. "My parents gave me away when I was fourteen to pay off a debt. We didn't have a say in the matter or else bad things could've happened to us." Lacey paused, thinking. "You asked me a while ago what I did for a living. Well, I was a dancer. That's how I managed to pay off the man who owned me. But it was Zabuza and Haku who saved me when he refused to let me go. I owe them everything for my freedom, which is why I travel and put my life on the line. I guess you could say that I have another debt to repay. They saved my life. Guess I'm just waiting to save theirs in some way."

"That's insane... you could be killed."

Lacey's shoulders shrugged. "I'm okay with that. This is the most excitement I've had in a long time. And I've never been around individuals I could consider friends. Though to a certain extent," she chuckled. "I think Haku likes me, Zabuza's another story. I don't get him... But I wouldn't have it any other way I guess."

"You're crazy... aren't you?"

Lacey laughed, grinning widely. "Probably, since I joined up with two rogues I just met, but I'm okay with that." The two watched the sun set in the distance. "It's okay to not be happy in your life. Everyone feels that way at one point. But just realize how lucky you truly are to have a family and a place to call your home."

For once in her life the lady realized how fortunate she was to have all of that, to have a place to call her own, to belong, to be loved. But being stubborn, the female scoffed, looking away with an upturned nose. "Well, people have a funny way of showing affection towards me and being kind. They still treat me like a kid that can't take care of herself, and always nag me if I so much as accidentally mess up. No matter how minor it is."