Never Let You Go [Zabuza Momochi]

Chapter 37

The look in Zabuza's eyes grew dark, wanting to kill the man on the spot. Lacey managed to crack open an eye, gaze settling on the rouge. "Za..." she gasped, "buza..."

She was just like Haku, breathing out his name in the end. The young woman's attention shifted to the teen's lifeless form. "H-Haku?" There was no answer. "Haku?"

"Give it up, girly," a thug laughed. "The punk's dead."

A look of horror came to her eyes. "N-No..."

"Believe it, sweetheart."

Tears flowed freely down her cheeks. "NO! HAKU! HAKU! PLEASE WAKE UP! OPEN YOUR EYES! HAKU!"

"Shut her up!" a thug ordered. A knee to the gut silenced the young woman and forced some blood from her lips. "So damn annoying."

"Let her go!" Naruto yelled. He didn't know the female, but seeing as how she was being treated, the Genin didn't like it one bit. "Well what about you, Zabuza? You gonna let him do that to her?"

"Be quiet, you fool," the rogue growled. "Haku's dead, what does it matter? And the girl... She's already half dead... The chances of her getting out of this alive are slim to none."

"What? You mean you can just stand there and let them get treated like dogs? You and Haku were together for years, that I know! Doesn't that mean anything?"

"You don't understand the way of Shinobi. I merely used him as Gato used me. I used her too..."

"Huh?"

"Now it's over. His usefulness is at an end. The loss of his strength and skill, yes, that means something to me. But the girl... nothing. She never was a fighter, hell I'm surprised she even lasted this long... I think of her in a different way than I did with Haku."

"If you mean that, then you're an even bigger rat then I thought."

"Okay, that's enough," Kakashi cut in. "Calm down, Naruto, he's not the enemy. Not right now–"

"Shut up! As far as I'm concerned, he's enemy number one! Why you... You ungrateful little..." The boy struggled for the right words. "After everything he did for you! Haku lived for you! You were the most important thing in the world to him! And he meant nothing to you? Nothing at all? While he was sacrificing everything for you, you never felt anything at all for him? And if I become stronger... does that mean... I'll become as cold hearted as you are? He threw his life away! And for what? You and your dream! You never let him have a dream of his own, but he didn't care.

"And her! It looks like she fought for you too! Or did she just sit on the sidelines and let them walk all over her?" Naruto pointed at Lacey. Tears were streaming down the young woman's face from the pain. "No one just sits around and allows people to beat them mercilessly! She fought too! And you just toss them aside, like they were nothing. A broken tool... man that's so wrong... So wrong!"

It was quiet for a moment before Zabuza spoke up. "You talk too much..." Tears fell at his feet and the Genin realized, shockingly, that the young man was crying. "Your words cut deep. Deeper than any blade... While he fought you his heart was breaking in two. Haku was too kind. He felt pain and sorrow. And now, curse him, I feel them too. And something else... She taught me that as well... Every single fucking day I was with her, she showed every emotion in the book... I'm slowly killing her as well..." His eyes settled on the gasping dancer. "I am content that this is the way it ends. It's time she was finally free."

Using his teeth, Zabuza shredded the bandages from his face to allow the remains to hang loosely. "Well, cat got your tongue?" the rogue questioned when Naruto remained mute. "Are you so surprised to see that I am human? Even Shinobi are human, no matter how hard we try to escape that fact, we always fail. Well at least... I have failed. Boy, give me your kunai."