Tool... or something more? (1x1 with Saia Kakaru)

[Saia Kakaru]

Watching the whole thing in awe, she merely blinked as the body of the hunter-nin slump onto the ground. "And still they come…are we going to be chased forever by these guys, Zabuza-sama?" Haku asked quietly to Zabuza, moving closer to her guardian. It was…something else, to see someone's spine ripped from their body; she was used to seeing Zabuza cut them down. She felt no remorse for them, but a tinge of fear for herself, should she or Zabuza ever find themselves facing Alric. And she could only imagine his sisters would be just as deadly when they wanted.

Shaking the darker thoughts from her head, she focused on listening to the forest around her. Listening for any other enemies. At the rate that enemies were appearing, it didn't seem like they would be accomplishing the mission very soon.

Kaosujin Ryu

 

[Kaosujin Ryu]

Alric let his gaze scan around the surrounding trees. "Fortunate for us, it seems that idiot was alone," he said quietly. Zabuza let go of Kubikiribōchō slowly. "I doubt it, if things play out right," he said quietly. Alric tilted his head slightly as he shrugged his shoulders, tossing the spine and head aside, not bothering to watch as the head exploded on impact with the side of the tree. "We need to get these two to wherever you two are staying. I'll keep watch from the outside to make sure no more of those masked ninjas show up," he said calmly.

Saia Kakaru

 

[Saia Kakaru]

Nodding in agreement, she hefted Meizo over her shoulder. Taking a moment to adjust to the weight, she took off, leaping from tree to tree with ease. She knew without a doubt everyone would follow, and if she went too fast (she doubted that would happen) Zabuza would lead Alric there. Within a minute, she was back at the tree fort, which now that she thought about looked out of place. Heading inside, she opened a spare room to take care of the two comrades. Practically dumping the man onto the bed, she checked the hallway to see if Zabuza was back yet. Seeing his figure down the hall, she went back into the room, taking out medical supplies to take care of Meizo and Gozu.

Just knocked out…why didn't they kill them? Haku wondered to herself, holding some smelling salts underneath their noses. As they came to, she checked them over, trying to see if there were any other wounds. Though she was far from being a medic ninja, she was fairly skilled at first aid at least.

Kaosujin Ryu

 

[Kaosujin Ryu]

Alric shifted his weight as he moved in a fluid movement. Zabuza tilted his head as he glanced at Alric, who didn't even glance towards the tree fort they were using as a base at the moment, though he had no doubt the young man was aware of it. He wasn't sure what sort of Taijutsu style the young man was using, but it was obviously fluid and agile in nature. It was obvious to him the young man had a very powerful Kekkei Genkai and the kind of ruthlessness he admired, though he wouldn't outright admit it. "What do you think of him?" he asked Haku. He found the style fascinating, though he didn't say anything about it as he saw the young man shift from a cartwheel into a fluid arcing kick before landing on that foot and turning it into a back somersault that twisted twice in the air before he landed.

Saia Kakaru

 

[Saia Kakaru]

Haku hesitated, wondering what she did think of Alric. "He's…well, for one, he's something else. I can only wonder if he'll always be on our side; I know how he feels about his siblings, and I'd rather not be on the receiving end of his attacks." She said, fetching some water for the men. "I'm…afraid, Zabuza-sama…he's someone I don't want to fight. Not so much because of his sheer power, but because…because I feel like he's becoming…a friend, I guess." Haku finally sat down in a nearby chair, folding her hands in her lap. Friend. The word felt so foreign to her, as she'd never had a friend before. Zabuza, maybe, but she considered the older man to be something more like a father or uncle at most. Meizo and Gozu, they were like comrades, brothers even. No one in her close relations was her friend, but more like a family.

"What is a friend exactly, Zabuza-sama?" Haku inquired, looking up to him. He probably knew that she never had one while she was younger; her childhood and any chance of normality was gone when her biological father had snapped. She'd never really known what it was like to make friends, so she wasn't sure if this was it or not.

Kaosujin Ryu

 

[Kaosujin Ryu]

Alric paused as he shifted into a fluid and tight back somersault, his body twisting into a 'T' with one leg straight vertically in the air with his other leg and torso in a straight line before he twisted, landing in a crouch, spinning on his hands as he kicked a few times in the air before dropping into a low backbend that shifted into a rolling crouch. Zabuza blinked, cocking his head. "In my experience, a friend is one you are loyal to and they are the same towards you. Kisame was a friend of mine, until he tried to kill me," he said quietly, momentarily forgetting Haku wouldn't know who Kisame Hoshigaki was.

Saia Kakaru

 

[Saia Kakaru]

"Someone I am loyal to…and they are the same…" she repeated slowly, mulling it over. "So…are we friends, Zabuza-sama? From your statement, it seems so, but I feel like there is a stronger bond between us than just that." Haku asked quietly, curious to see if he felt the same towards her. She would still be fine if he only thought of her as a tool, a weapon, but it'd hurt her feelings a bit.

Waiting as the brothers fully regained their conscience, she noted the name dropped by Zabuza. "Who's Hoshigaki Kisame?" Haku couldn't help but ask, unusually chatty at that moment.

Kaosujin Ryu

 

[Kaosujin Ryu]

Alric tilted his head as he drew his arm back before snapping it forward sharply. A subtle ripple of bluish light flickered down his arm before terminating just above his wrist. The air rippled around his fist as a thunderous boom sounded. Zabuza shrugged one shoulder, deciding not to comment on her subtle reference to his feelings towards her; he suspected she could tell he looked at her as more than a mere 'tool', but more like a daughter. "Like me, he was of the Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shū, though his moniker and nickname was Kirigakure no Kaijin, the 'Monster of the Mist'. I know he slaughtered the Cypher Division of the Kiri Corps during the last war, supposedly to keep their information secret, though I know for a fact that he murdered his superior and tried to murder Yagura just as I was, though in my case it was to stop the Bloodline Purges by taking his place," Zabuza said dryly. He jerked at the boom, cocking an eyebrow at Merrick, whose fist was extended. That couldn't have been what I thought it was, eh? he thought.

Saia Kakaru

 

[Kaosujin Ryu]

Alric frowned as he saw a short guy with greasy black hair strolling through the trees towards them. He sighed as he leaned against the tree in plain view. Zabuza frowned as Gato got closer, recognizing 'Zori' as well as one of the smugger idiots Gato had in his employ, a samurai by the name of Genyaku. "I pay you well to kill the bridge builder, only to hear your Onikyoudai failed," Gato snapped. Zabuza snorted, tempted to decapitate the short b*****d. "It will be dealt with," he growled. "Who is the fool? Another of your idiot lackeys?" he sneered. Alric's eyes narrowed as he clenched his fist. "Call me an idiot again, and I'll rip your heart out through your a** so fast you'll think you just passed gas," he snapped in an annoyed tone.

Saia Kakaru

 

[Saia Kakaru]

Haku made a small sound, just to acknowledge that she'd heard and understood what he'd said. Her head tilted towards the sound of thunder, but her curiosity was squelched by the arrival of Gato. Biting her lip so she wouldn't snarl, she stepped in front of Zabuza as if he needed protecting from the midget man.

"You wouldn't need to sully your hands with his filthy blood, Zabuza-sama, because I would've already murdered him." Haku growled softly, her glare icy. If looks could kill, Gato would've already been frozen. He cringed, taking a few steps back from the pair as his bodyguards stepped in front of him. "Don't try me." Haku said quietly, but didn't move an inch from Zabuza.

Kaosujin Ryu

 

[Kaosujin Ryu]

Alric cocked his head, his hand rising slowly as he lightly pressed his fingertips to the tree. Zabuza saw Gato sneer at Alric, who was staring at the businessman with a look almost as cold as that of Haku. "You cannot do anything to me," Gato sneered. Zabuza cocked an eyebrow as Alric shifted his fingers into a fist before driving it into the side of the tree. The resulting boom made Gato jump, his head snapping towards Alric so quickly it was mildly comical. "What was that supposed to be, intimidation?" he snapped at Alric, whose body hid the tree where his fist had impacted. Alric snorted. "I'm tempted to put you down just because you're more irritating than a clown with no sense of humor," he grumbled as he shifted, showing half of his forearm buried in the tree. He tugged slightly as if to show Gato it was stuck, or so he wanted the irritating, condescending businessman to think. He wasn't surprised at the smirk the midget shot his way an instant before the trunk of the tree exploded into splinters, the main part of the tree that had been above his fist falling away from him. He wasn't surprised to see the man jump a good two feet in the air as the burlier samurai half drew his sword, trembling. "I hit you like that... there won't be enough left to soak up with a sponge," he said, not that surprised to see the man pale before he started backing away quickly."Get done what I paid you for!!" he shouted as he fled.

Saia Kakaru

 

[Saia Kakaru]

"Coward. Always slinks back to his foxhole with his tail between his legs." Haku muttered, dropping her tense stance once the annoyance was gone. Rolling her shoulders, she looked up at Alric. "You don't have to deal with the likes of him. He's not worth it to your situation." she said quietly, turning her head back down. Not looking at him. Though he had given his reasons, she still couldn't wrap her head around why Alric and his sisters were volunteering to help them. If anything, they should be concentrating on getting themselves back to their world, not being sidetracked by hired assassins doing the dirty work for one miserable midget man.

"Shall we take that as a cue to track down the bridge builder?" Haku asked quietly, moving towards the main path they were on before. She was still agitated, but mostly because Gato always left a sour taste in her mouth with his presence.

Kaosujin Ryu

 

[Kaosujin Ryu]

Alric snorted. "I get the feeling that whatever manner we were transported here was, unfortunately, a one way trip," he said quietly. Although with a kunoichi as cute as her, I'm not really complaining, he thought as he glanced at Haku when she turned away towards the main path again. "Yeah. It seems to me that you two should stay in the trees and observe them, if they're who I think they are," Zabuza said dryly. He had noticed there was a lake roughly three kilometers ahead of them. "We'll ambush them at the lake three kilometers ahead. Keep up," he said gruffly, the last part mainly meant for Alric rather than Haku, as he knew his tool/daughter could easily keep up with him and in certain situations, was faster than him.

Saia Kakaru

 

[Saia Kakaru]

Making a sound halfway between a snort and a scoff, only opting for one more question. "You have an idea of who these people may be, Zabuza-sama?" Her eyebrow quirked in curiosity. She didn't doubt his worldly knowledge one bit (she'd never really bothered to pay much attention to what was going on outside of what concerned their little group) but it was odd that he recognized their enemies from just a single sweep of the fight sight, which, to her eyes, didn't yield much information. Still, Zabuza was a mercenary for a reason, and she was merely his tool. Without another word, she took to the trees, not waiting for the others. She had no doubt that they would catch up with her in a moment.

Kaosujin Ryu

 

[Kaosujin Ryu]

Alric sighed, noting that Haku didn't reply though he hadn't really expected one as he followed the duo into the trees. Zabuza smirked slighly as he shifted his weight before leaping after Haku, not that surprised to see Alric moving a couple of paces to his right and just behind Haku. "I'm pretty sure who it is, though you know what to do if things go south," he said though he knew she did. It caught his attention that Alric's movements were quick and fluid, with little wasted energy.

Saia Kakaru