TEMARI
"That was... an intense match," Kankuro says from beside me. I nod in agreement. Akari fighting her brother... I could tell it was hard for her. But whatever her teammate, that Inuzuka boy, said to her seemed to give her what she needed to face Masaki.
I envy her, having such supportive teammates. And good-looking ones at that. I'm not surprised she decided to give Dog Boy a kiss, though it surprised Kankuro a whole lot.
He really doesn't understand girls very well.
"What was that jutsu she was using anyway?" Kankuro asks. I shake my head, unable to answer. I've never seen jutsu like that before. Honestly though, Akari seemed just as unsure while she was performing them. It almost looked like... like it wasn't really her.
"Kekkei genkai."
Baki steps forward, resting his hands on the railing. I follow his gaze and see that he's eyeing Akari, who's currently talking with the silver-haired Kakashi, leader of that arrogant Uchiha's team.
"What are you talking about?" I ask, turning and resting my hip against the railing. "She was using a kekkei genkai," Baki repeats, his visible eye still trained on my friend. "I've only heard stories about it, the Ice Release kekkei genkai. It, supposedly, was only known to the Yuki Clan in the Land of Water. Years ago, there was unease in their country, and a war broke out, with one side having members of the Yuki Clan on it. After the war, people in the Land of Waves treated the Clan differently, with distaste and hatred. They called, and still call, them cursed. Many of them were killed off, others' whereabouts are unknown. But they possessed this kekkei genkai, and apparently so does this girl. What's her name? Akari?"
"It's Akari Kita," I say. "She's from the Kita Clan."
"Are you sure about that, Temari?"
I'm distracted from answering by Sasuke's outraged cry of, "Hey! She's interrupting our match!"
My head snaps around to see Akari falling over the railing of the opposite balcony, seeming to be only half-conscious.
I jump up onto our railing, whipping out my fan, prepared to go after her. But I won't make it in time! "AKARI!!!" I shout, when she's only feet from the ground.
And then, he's got her.
I blink, turning my head. But my eyes aren't playing tricks on me. Gaara is no longer on Kankuro's other side. He's down on the first floor, sand still swirling around him, an unconscious Akari in his arms.
Sasuke and the other Leaf Genin he's been fighting pause, staring at my brother in annoyance. So they would've rather had Akari smash into the ground and possibly crack her head open? I scowl down at the fighters, wanting nothing more than to swipe the nasty looks off their faces with one of my Wind Style jutsu. It would be so satisfying to see something other than a smirk on that damn Uchiha's annoyingly good-looking face.
"Gaara?" Baki says, as confused as the rest of us. Kankuro leans half-way over the railing, staring at our brother with bug eyes, his jaw dropped completely. I shake my head at the two of them before hopping onto my fan and gliding down to the ground. I sling my fan back onto my back, running towards Gaara and Akari.
"Akari!" I say, my voice high with worry. Beside Gaara now, I feel for a pulse on the small girl's neck. I sigh. "She's just out cold," I say, relieved. This is too soon after the scare in the forest; was she not fully healed when she went to fight Masaki? She did look really tired when she was standing among the rest of us before her match began. I must have mistook it as nerves.
I look up down at Gaara, a frown pulling the corners of my lips down. "Gaara, why... why did you save her?" I ask nervously. He glances up at me, blinking in confusion. I'm startled. I've never seen this look in Gaara's eyes before... at least, not for a very long time. Before I can ask him another question, two of the Leaf Village Jonin appear beside us.
It's Kakashi Hatake and Akari's Sensei, Kurenai I think. Kurenai eyes Akari worriedly, her hand in front of her mouth. "I didn't know she was this injured," she says quietly as Kakashi takes Akari from Gaara's arms. "Thank you, Gaara of the Desert," Kakashi says, nodding to my brother, who has regained his cool, emotionless expression. Pity really, vulnerable is a good look for Gaara.
My brother says nothing, using his sand to return to our balcony.
"Will she be alright?" I ask, stepping closer to Kakashi. He looks down at Akari, frowning thoughtfully. "Right now, I think all she needs is a good rest. But I'll take her to the Medical Ninja. Kurenai, if that's alright with you?" he adds, glancing at the beautiful red-eyed woman. She nods. "Yes, that'll be fine. I'll keep an eye on both our kids until you return."
Kakashi nods to me before disappearing in a puff of smoke, and Kurenai, after a moment's pause, leaps back up onto the balcony, attempting to calm her anxious students down. I look towards the doors, where the Medical Ninja took Akari's brother, Masaki. I'm worried about her. I've noticed she doesn't have the same strength and stamina as the others her team; even the Hyuga girl has more chakra. If Akari used up too much... it could have serious repercussions for her, especially if she does it again.
"Hey, Blondie! Get off the battlefield, would you?!"
I scowl at Sasuke Uchiha. To think I thought he was hot when I first got here.
"Keep your damn pants on," I growl, trudging towards the stairs. "No one cares about your little preliminary match anyway."
Sasuke just scowls at me, and mutters something under his breath. I smirk at him just as I reach my brothers. He narrows his eyes at me, mumbling, then turns back to his opponent. Their match starts up again.
"So Gaara," Kankuro starts, staring down at our little brother. "That Akari girl. Why did--?"
"If you finish that question, Kankuro," Gaara says coldly, "I'll kill you."
Kankuro huffs and pouts, but turns away to watch Sasuke beat the crap out of the other Leaf Genin. I, however, sidle up to Gaara, getting as close as I've ever dared. I give him a meaningful look, and he shuts his eyes, sighing slightly. Eyes still closed, he says reluctantly, "My body moved without my permission. Saving her wasn't a conscious decision for me."
***
AKARI
"Haku," I greet warmly, despite the bitter cold stinging my exposed skin. The black-haired boy smiles at me, this time wearing a pink kimono with his long hair down. How he's not cold, I have no idea. "I'm glad we get to see one another again so soon," he says, just as another person steps out of the frost-bitten trees.
Zabuza.
He walks over to Haku, who is sitting several feet in front of me, and sits beside him cross-legged, jamming his huge sword into the ground, so that it sticks straight up in the air. He tugs at the bandages around his face, pulling them down. He flashes a demonic grin at me, sharp, shark-like teeth glinting as brightly as the sun reflecting off the snow.
I can't help by widen my eyes. He chuckles, his deep voice menacing, but his tone anything but.
"If you've come to see Haku again," he says, "you might as well meet me properly."
I nod, fighting back my surprise, and smiling at the two of them. They seem unlikely friends, but happy, too.
"Thank you, Haku, for helping me in the last match," I say. Haku dips his head. "Of course. You called for my assistance; I couldn't deny you help."
"But you said it was extrememly difficult for you to do that," I say. "So I really do mean it when I say thank you."
He smiles brightly, lighting up his pretty face.
"You two are a lot alike," Zabuza says, his elbow on his knee and his chin on his palm. "Maybe I was wrong before."
"Wrong about what?" I ask.
Haku shakes his head. "That is not for us to tell you," he says, shooting a surprisingly sharp look at his companion, who just shrugs. "It's something you'll learn about soon, though. That I'm sure of."
"Ok," I say slowly. "If I'm not here because of that, why am I here?"
"I believe you're here, because you passed out."
"Oh, you know about that?"
"Yes," Haku says with a small, amused smile. "You've seemed to have overexerted yourself a bit. But I know you'll be alright, once you wake up."
"So I'm not here for any particular reason, then?"
"I suppose not."
"Oh well. I like it here though. It's quiet and peaceful. And I've never seen snow before coming here."
"You asked before where we are. I think," Haku says, "you're viewing this place as the Land of Water."
"Everyone sees this place differently," Zabuza adds, his eyes shifting to take in my frowning face.
"Why would I be seeing the Land of Water? I've never even been there."
"That's something you'll have to discover by yourself, Akari," Haku says gently.
I sigh. I was expecting as much. "Hey Haku," I say slowly, just remembering something. "Do you--or did you--know a man named Kakashi Hatake? And a group of kids with him?"
Haku's expression changes, first to surprise, then to sadness, then to bliss. Zabuza turns stony, looking away into the trees... or whatever he's seeing.
"Kakashi," Haku says softly, distantly, as though he's remembering something himself. "Yes, and Naruto Uzumaki. Yes, I know of them, and their friends. They... they're the reason Zabuza and I are no longer alive."
I can't even gasp; my throat is constricted too tight, and my eyes are tearing up.
"T-They what?" I shout, jumping to my feet in anger and shock. Haku smiles sadly, tugging me back down. I cross my arms, seething with anger. And Kakashi had the nerve to talk to me about Haku!
"It's true," Haku says. "But I died because I wanted to, the way I wanted to... protecting the man who gave me purpose. Zabuza Momochi, rogue Ninja." He leans against Zabuza, smiling, while the big swordsman shakes his head, still staring off into the distance.
But there's guilt in his dark eyes.
What kind of man was he in life, I wonder, to have such guilt weighing on him?
"Zabuza saved me from my dark, purposeless existence," Haku continues. "So when his life was threatened, I gladly sacrificed my own to keep him alive. I put myself in front of Kakashi of the Sharingan's attack, to protect the man who was most precious to me."
"Kakashi was trying to kill Zabuza?" I ask. "Why the hell would he do that?"
"To be fair, I tried to kill him, his team, and the man they were protecting," Zabuza says, shrugging and gently shoving Haku away from him. "I was hired by a bastard to take down Tazuna, a bridge builder. Kakashi was assigned to protect him, and so he knew he'd have to kill me."
"Did he get you after he killed Haku?" I ask, disgusted and enthralled.
"It wasn't Kakashi who killed me," he says, reaching up to grab the hilt of his sword, an almost unconscious movement. His voice grows deeper, and more bitter as he continues. "It was because of the man who originally hired me that I died. An ass named Gato, who was controlling the Land of Waves at the time. He double-crossed me, and he... he insulted Haku, after he'd died." Zabuza's fingers tighten around the blade, his mouth moving to form a sharp, demonic snarl. I lean away from him, feeling the awful hurt and anger radiating from his body.
"I ran through dozens of his men to get to him," Zabuza says, his teeth gritted in fury. "I slashed and hacked with a kunai in my mouth, unable to use my arms because of Kakashi. I was stabbed, slashed at, and speared. But I killed Gato in the end. And I'm sure he ended up in Hell, where a man like that truly belongs. I died of my injuries soon after, though I somehow found my way to Haku."
"You are not the demon you once were, Zabuza," Haku says kindly, to which Zabuza only grunts noncommittally.
"So I shouldn't be angry with Kakashi, is what you're saying?"
Haku nods, turning back to me. "He regrets our fates, and wishes he could have done more for the two of us. He is not the man to blame for what happened in the Land of Waves."
"Everything was that damn Gato's fault," Zabuza growls. Then he pauses, eyes on Haku. "Though, because of him, I met that Uzumaki brat," he says, his voice softer than before. "And I was finally able... to acknowledge Haku as my partner, and as the person most precious to me, instead of just as a tool I could use and discard without caring."
Zabuza then sighs and leans back, arms behind him, hands placed against the cold, snow-covered earth, staring up through the tree branches. Of course, that's what I'm seeing; this whole landscape could be completely different from his view of it.
"That brat," he says. "I owe him a lot more than I had the time to repay."
Oh man, there's tears in my eyes. These two are so... sweet.
"So that's what you meant," I say softly, causing Haku to frown quizzically at me. I smile a little. "You said in death, you became the best of friends. I get it now. In life Zabuza treated you as a tool and nothing more. But when you died, he realized just how much you meant to him, and as he was dying, he finally admitted it."
"Perceptive, aren't you?" Zabuza says, flashing me another sharp grin. I smile back at him, closing my eyes to hide the tears gathering there. "So I'm right then?"
Haku nods. "You are correct, Akari."
Now I frown, sadness echoing through my heart. "It's cruel isn't it?" I ask. "That death had to be the thing that truly brought you two together?"
Zabuza and Haku look at one another, both unsure of how to answer me. I wait patiently, pondering my own words, until Haku says, "Our time was up, Akari. There is nothing to be done about that. So isn't it better that we made peace with one another upon our deathbeds, instead of never at all?"
I blink. He does have a point there, I suppose.
I sigh, leaning back against the tree behind me, watching the tree branches shift in the wind, which has just begun to pick up. It feels like a storm is coming. A snowstorm maybe?
"Haku," I say, gaining his attention immediately. "You're a braver Ninja than I could ever be."
He looks at me with sympathy, almost... lovingly?
"You risked you life, and lost it, to save a person you cared for, and you did it without hesitation, if I'm reading you right. I could never do that. I'm afraid of dying. Every time we fight other, powerful Ninja, I'm afraid I won't make it out of the fight. I'm a coward."
"You are anything but, my little Akari."
I frown at Haku, titling my head to the side in a silent question. He smiles obligingly. "Bravery is not facing death without fear. It is facing it despite the fear in our hearts. And love is a wonderful motivator. It helps us forget the fear, when someone we care for deeply is in trouble. I asked this to Naruto a long time ago. Do you have people that are precious to you?"
"My teammates and my family," I answer immediately.
Haku smiles at that.
"Then protect them. Give your everything for them, even if it means losing your life. That is love, Akari," he says, smiling wider. "If you truly love these people, who are more precious to you than anything else, this will not be a difficult sacrifice for you. And you've already done it. In the Forest of Death, you were willing to take on three enemy Ninja by yourself in order to save the lives of your teammates. That was bravery. That was love."
I wipe tears from my eyes with the back of my hand, sniffing loudly. "Thank you, Haku. It means a lot, coming from you."
"The kid is right, Akari," Zabuza adds, beginning to rewrap the bandages around his face. "You've got what it takes to be an incredible Ninja. Might even surpass Haku one day."
"I sincerely hope that is the case," Haku says, giving me a closed-eye smile.
"Just wish we could be there to watch you," the swordsman says, getting to his feet. He pulls his sword from the frozen ground and slings it over his back. Haku stands beside him, helping me to my feet also. He leans forward suddenly and wraps me in a soft hug. "Until next time, Akari," he says softly, releasing me. He looks at Zabuza pointedly. The swordsman sighs deeply, before pulling me into a quick hug also.
I must say, I'm pretty shocked. Zabuza doesn't seen like the hugging type. At all.
Just as they turn around to leave, the skies open up and snow begins falling thickly onto the ground and the trees. Haku looks up and smiles.
"You see it too?" he asks over his shoulder. I nod slowly, transfixed by the sight of the white crystals as they blot out he rest of the world. Haku smiles, his very pretty, slightly girlish smile. "I'm glad I was able to show you the snow you were never able to experience."
Zabuza looks down at him, nudging the boy'a shoulder with his fist. "What happened to not saying anything?" the rogue Ninja questions, almost cheekily.
Haku blinks at him, before slowly melting into another smile. "I'm afraid I couldn't resist," he says. He turns to me and offers a small wave, before following Zabuza through the forest.
Just as they are almost out of sight, I call out, "Wait! What did you mean by that?!"
But only the howling wind answers me.