...We were drawn from the weeds, we were brave like soldiers, falling down under the pale moonlight...

A dark eyed boy stepped forward, his hair falling over his shoulder as he pulled the needles from the bun that sat high on the back of his head. He smiled a soft smile, his eyes drifting closed in the comforting dark of the small house. Everything seemed perfect right now. Everything was quiet.

But he knew that no matter how quiet things got, things would never be safe--the world never stopped turning.

He walked over to the bed that he was calling his for the night and fell down on it. It was quite soft, very comfortable.  But he sadly knew that he wouldn't get the keep the bed, he never got to keep the bed for very long.  They always had to move, staying in one place too long was dangerous unless they were on a mission.  None the less he smiled warmly and tossed another look up towards the ceiling, which was concealed in the darkenss, but he still found comfort in thinking he was looking up at something.  He traced his hand up to his face, removing the hunter-nin mask that was almost always there, concealing his face from the grudging veiw of the world. He placed it on the bedside table, his purple nail-polish glittering a bit from the dim light that seeped out from under the doorway.

...you were holding to me like a someone broken, and I couldn't tell you but I'm telling you now...

Tonight had been an interesting day of work. Sometimes it astounded Haku the way that some people could just die without even knowing what was coming. But that was Master Zabuza's way. He did not like to spend too much time toying with the victim's mind.

The dark haired boy in the bed figured his master was the better man for it. Some assassins would be cruel.

Not to say that Zabuza could not be cruel, for he could if his mood called for it, but more often than not he would just get it over with and then he could escape with Haku, the two of them could get on with their lives, taking their pay.

The more than slightly effeminate boy shifted in the bed, his head resting deeper into the pillow that lay beneath him. No matter how fluffy and warm this bed was, he could not seem to grow comfortable.

He kept glancing over at the sliver of light that was seeping out from under the door and into his room, ever so dimly.

He could not help by wonder what was keeping his Zabuza-kun up so long.

Haku dimly tossed aside the thoughts of what it could be and closed his eyes.

'You're no use to him if you're too tired to preform in the morning. Get some rest.'   He commanded himself in his head.

But he just couldn't seem to shake the feeling that something was wrong.

His eyes shot open and he crept out of bed, sneaking over to the door to check it out, just in case.

He placed a hand on the knob of the door and twisted, pushing his shoulder lightly against the wood. He peeked out.

Zabuza was fine, of course. He was sitting on the couch, his sword out in front of him. He ran a cloth down it, bringing the blade to fine shine.

Haku smiled.

"Silly,"   he thought in a happy tone, "Of course he's fine, he is Zabuza, after all."

He smiled and pulled the door closed, as quietly as he could. The small boy then walked back over to his warm and inviting bed, laying down, satisfied with the answer that Zabuza was just staying up shining his sword.

He did that a lot, after all.

...just let me hold you while we're falling apart, just let me hold you so we'll both fall down...

Haku drifted off into a fairly dreamless sleep.

...fall on me, tell me everything you want me to be, forever in you, forever in me, ever the same...

Haku stirred in the middle of the night, realizing that he'd forgotten to take one of the needles he had used that day out of his sleeve. The boy had been asleep only two hours tops, it was now about midnight. Haku pulled the needle out of his arm gently, smiling a bit at his childish mistake.

"Another mistake like that one," he said outloud to himself, but very softly so, "and I may have to punish myself. That could've been fatal."

With a sigh the brown eyed boy placed the needle gingerly on the bedside table, a faint light catching his purple nail-polish.

"Huh?" Haku let out, softly.

His door was open just a crack, light from the outside room was pouring in at a slightly more steady rate than before.

"I could've sworn I closed that..." he said, softly, and stood to close the door, "...but I suppose I've been making little mistakes all over the place. I may be loosing my touch...perhaps I should inform Zabuza of my forgetfulness...he can't afford me to fail to remember something in the middle of a fight."

His hand streched out and took the cold metal of the doorknob quickly. But that's when he saw something, a tiny movement out of the corner of his eye.

"What's Zabuza-kun doing awake at this hour?" The thought came at Haku like a speeding train, and he turned his head ever so slightly.  Zabuza was just now sitting back down in the couch, resuming the shining of his sword tentatively.

What had he been doing up?

Haku just blinked and tilted his head, a smile unconsciously coming to his face, and then a frown.

"He really should be getting to sleep..."

...we would stand in the wind, we were free like water, flowing down under the warmth of the sun...

Haku shrugged off the thought with another worried look, figuring that he must have a reason for staying up this late.  On top of that, the only way Haku could intervene is to go tell Zabuza to get some rest.  And Zabuza didn't like it when Haku tried to tell him what to do.  Haku sighed quietly an pulled his door closed as softly as he could, so not to be caught, and walked back to his bed, drifting back off into sleep.

...now it's cold and we're scared and we've both been shaken, look at us, man, this doesn't need to be the end...

Haku awoke with a start to the low sound of Zabuza softly calling his name from the doorway.

At first, Haku wasn't sure that Zabuza was really there.  He figured that he might be dreaming.  For this reason, Haku kept his eyes closed for a few more minutes.  Zabuza said his name another time, a little louder this time.  He moved his head to the side towards the area of his master's voice, and opened his big brown eyes.

Haku quietly observed that he had only been asleep maybe three more hours, it was still late, and Zabuza looked quite tired.

Zabuza's worried expression carried into his body language, everything about the way he was carrying himself screamed that something was troubling him.

Haku blinked, still not entirely sure if this was really Zabuza or if this was a dream of some sort.   "Zabuza-kun never looks worried..."   Haku thought, "...which means this is more likely a dream...

"Zabuza..." Haku asked, softly stifling a yawn,  "...are you really..."  He stopped.

The older man sighed and then nodded.

"Haku." He said, once more.

That finally snapped the sleepy boy out of his quiet daze and Haku sat up in bed.

"Yes Zabuza-ku--Zabuza-sama." Haku quickly corrected himself. He turned a light shade of red that made him glad for the darkness of the room.

Haku only called him 'kun' in his mind.

Sama was far more formal.  And when Haku didn't use Sama he at least used San.

Zabuza froze for a moment and stalled. Haku had never seen him do that before. It was as though there was something he wanted to say, but he just couldn't get it out.

He stepped back, placing his hands in his pockets. "Never mind. I fixed the problem. Goodnight." He walked out the door and then out the open front door as well.

"Wait, Zabuza!" Haku said, quickly jumping out of his bed and into his shoes.  He grabbed his mask and placed in onto his face, just in case.

...just let me hold you as you're falling apart, just let me hold you so we'll both fall down...

Haku chased Zabuza out the front door and into the dark of the moonless night. He found the other sitting up in a tree.

The small dark haired boy jumped up and placed a hand on the shoulder of his older counterpart. "Zabuza?" He asked, his voice as soft and sweet as it usually was plus worry, "Are you alright?"

The other looked down. There was something different in his eyes, and he wasn't wearing his normal wrappings on his face...a sight Haku saw very little of.

The small boy situated himself down on the branch next to Zabuza, his hand still on his master's shoulder.

"There's nothing wrong, Haku, go back inside." Zabuza then voice,  the words falling quite stale against the night-time air.

Haku couldn't help but tilt his head. "Zabuza--"

"Go back inside, Haku." He commanded.

"But Zabuza-ku--"

"Go."

Haku looked down, his heart as down-cast as his brown eyes as he jumped out of the tree and began to walk away from the man he cared for, his masked face towards the ground.

"What in the world could possibly be wrong with him?"   He thought sadly.

...fall on me, tell me everything you want me to be, forever in you, forever in me, ever the same. Call on me, I'll be there for you and you'll be there for me, forever it's you, forever it's me, ever the same...

Haku's forward motion was suddenly halted sharply.  His elbow had been grasped, and he was spun around with such force that his mask fell freely from his face and onto the frost-bitten ground, rolling slightly to the side so it was about three feet away from Haku.  But Haku was too shocked to care.

He came face to face with Zabuza.

"I'm sorry, Zabuza-sa--"

"Don't." The other commanded, but softly.

...you may need me there, to carry all your weight...

The next part came so fast that it was confused to the small dark boy. At first it didn't seem real, like maybe he was still in his bed, dreaming. But the feeling running through his every being was undeniable. Haku had been hiding it up until now, but when Zabuza made his next motion, it all spilled out and there was no ammount of freezing himself off from the feeling that could stuff it back inside of Haku's heart.

Zabuza's next move...

...his lips covered Haku's.  The small boy's big brown eyes grew wider than normal with shock as Zabuza wrapped his arms around the other and pressed both hands against Haku's back with such a force that it shook the small boy to the very soul.

Haku couldn't believe the sensational warmth that spilled from his heart and up into his throat and down to his stomach. Haku shivered and tensed as Zabuza pushed himself closer, the feeling of his lips on Haku's making the sweet boy quiver ever so slightly.

And then Haku allowed his body to loosen, allowing Zabuza to have full access. Haku put one hand up around his master's shoulder and around his neck, pulling him closer and closer still.

Until this day, Haku had no idea that two bodies could be this close.

The snowy-minded boy hoped that it would never end, pulling his Zabuza closer and closer still. Now that he had begun what Haku had always longed for, he was not going to let Zabuza go, but Haku's grip loosened under the power of his master's kiss and Zabuza pulled away, much to Haku's dismay.

Neither of them said a word, the smaller and younger just rested his head against the older's chest, listening to the increased rate of speed his heart was now beating at. They stood there that way until Zabuza began to pull away, pulling Haku's heart with him.  Zabuza turned away and began the trek back towards the house.

"Zabuza..." Haku said, breathlessly. He grabbed the other's hand.

He did not turn back to Haku.

Uncomfortably and sadly, Haku looked down at the ground. "If you wish to never speak of this--" he began.

Zabuza pushed a hand behind himself and pushed a finger to Haku's lips, silencing him.

...but you're no burden, I assure...

"Haku," he said, his voice stiff.

"Yes, Zabuza?"  Asked the other in a quivering voice.

"You should know..." he stalled for a few minuets after this, never turning his face back at his ever faithful tool.

"Yes...Zabuza?" Haku breathed, afraid a noise too loud would shatter the moment.  His body was shaking, but his voice was shaking even more with unspoken anticipation.

"...it isn't right...but..."

"But?" The small one urged.

...You tide me over with a warmth I'll not forget...

"I love you."

Haku took in a shaking breath as Zabuza broke the boy's hold on his hand and began to walk away.

Haku couldn't move. Zabuza had just taken the words out of Haku's mouth, had just said what had always been on the younger boy's mind. He couldn't believe his master returned the feelings that had always felt so undeniably right and so undeniably wrong at the same time.

And here Haku was, standing awestruck with nothing to say.

He could do nothing but convert oxygen into carbon dioxide.

His body screamed at him, his mind ached to return to words.  His heart couldn't stand to hold it in any longer.  Haku had to speak, had to find the will.  He had to.  No matter the cost, no matter any awkward moments it may cause later.

"Wait!" He finally choked out of his airless lungs.  Haku's bloodstream was starving, craving for more adrenaline. Zabuza had pumped some into it with that kiss. With that moment. Haku wanted more.  Haku needed to instil the possibility that maybe, just maybe he and his master could be together.  Truly together.

"Yes, Haku?" Zabuza asked, off-handedly, not turning his face to Haku.  The tone in his voice was as it always had been, uncaring.  He was back to handling Haku as a tool, not as a lover.  But that was fine with the small boy.  He had the words now, and he held them close to his heart.  Zabuza had said them first.  And that made them all the more important.  A smile rose to Haku's face as he finally opened his mouth and spoke the words that had been written on his heart forever.

"I love you too, Zabuza-kun."

Zabuza turned his head over his shoulder and his eyes locked with Haku's.  Those eyes.  The eyes that had bonded them in the first place.  Zabuza smiled.  A small smile.  But a smile.  Zabuza had never smiled.  Never.  The joy in Haku's heart sang out as Zabuza's smiling face turned back towards the house.  "Come inside.  You're going to catch a cold."  Zabuza said, and began to walk forward.

Haku stood there for a moment, smiling in the moment, and then he ran forward, joining Zabuza at his side, wordlessly slipping his hand into his masters' hand.  And he was happy.  Truly, genuinely happy.  And needed more than ever before.

And to him, that was the true glory of being loved.

...but I can only give you love.