We're in the 26th chapter and there's no hint of NejiTen progression. Wow.

***

Neji did not however go the ship with Haku. One part of the mission, getting Haku out of Kirigakure safely, was over. It was time to get Tenten back.

***

The first time Haku ever met Zabuza, he was nothing more than a national threat to her. That night had been chilly, air damp and silent save for the croaking of frogs and chirping of crickets.

As an ANBU captain she had been tasked with the job of catching the terrorist who threatened the life of the Mizukage, the president, and she was successful in tracking down his whereabouts. Catching him was the difficult part.

He had been deigning when he first saw her; a typical misogynist who believed that women on the force were a waste of time and only good for honeypot missions. The diagonal scar across Zabuza's face was as a continuous reminder not to undermine women so much.

_

Haku stood before the wanted criminal in an attacking stance, ready to retaliate should he make any movement. She had finally cornered him, ready to immobilise and arrest him, but the man appeared the least worried about her presence.

"Ugh, a woman?" The criminal, Zabuza Momochi, spat the word disdainfully like it was a bitter tasting pill. "What do they take me for, sending a woman after me?"

Haku didn't react to his overconfidence or his words. Even if she did he could not see her reaction because of her ANBU mask. Instead she hardened her voice with authority. "Momochi Zabuza, you're under arrest for..." He never let her finish her sentence.

"How did you even crawl your way up to the captain level? How many people did you sleep with?" Zabuza drawled lazily as he stuck a pinkie into his ear. It was as if she never even spoke, as if she was a mere humming fly and it grated on the ANBU Captain's nerves. She swung her arm.

He never saw the giant needle coming until it slashed him in the face and he bled. The needle stuck itself in the wall behind the criminal.

"What...?" Zabuza gasped, surprised at how fast the attack came. That had been a warning strike. If she was serious the ANBU captain could've killed him just then. Zabuza collapsed to his knees. He suddenly felt weak and dizzy. "The needle was poisoned."

It more of an observation than a question but Haku wasn't planning on answering him in the first place. She returned her needles to their pouch and took out a pair of handcuffs from her garter.

"Momochi Zabuza, you're under arrest for treason and murder. You have the right to remain silent and the right to a lawyer. Whatever you say now would be used against you in the court of law." She recited as she walked towards him.

Haku stopped her in her advancement tracks when Zabuza suddenly burst into a bout of laughter. She watched patiently, carefully, as he did until he finally wheezed to a stop after a full minute.

"Don't mind me, haha, I just didn't think you would get me this good." He chuckled some more and rose to his feet, unbothered by the poison flowing in his blood.

Haku took a defensive step back, hand flying to her needle pouch. "How...?" She barely managed to get her question out before Zabuza struck with his big executioner's blade. The woman blocked the attack with her metal arm braces on reflex.

The sound of metal hitting metal resounded through the night air. The impact hurt Haku but she had no time to think about it, not with Zabuza swinging his huge sword again. "How, you ask. I simply have gained resistance to poisons. The best they can do is make me slower. By a tiny fraction!"

He emphasized his last word by bringing the executioner's blade down upon Haku who was fortunate enough to have drawn her tantos in time to block the attack. For a man with immobilisers flowing in his veins, Zabuza sure was strong. With the way things were going, it wouldn't take too long before he overpowered her; she had to think fast of a countermeasure.

Haku blocked more violent swings while she sought for an opening. Zabuza taunted her greatly for being weak but she stood her ground against him. Her mind was whirring with battle strategies whilst on the defensive against Zabuza.

An idea suddenly clicked in her head. It was a dangerous one but it was worth trying, so she did. Haku gradually reduced the energy she had been using to block Zabuza's attacks and purposely took a few hits to make him believe he was overpowering her.

That wasn't too far from the truth but there was still enough strength in Haku to continue sparing for an hour more. Not that Zabuza needed to know. The man got cocky when he used the side of his massive sword to toss her into the nearest wall like a ragdoll.

That hurt a lot and would've hurt more if not for the breastplate on her ANBU Black Op uniform. Haku wheezed out a pained cough as she struggled to her feet but Zabuza was already looming. He pushed her down and revelled in her disheveled state before raising his sword to deliver a final hit.

"You deserve some credit for placing an injury on me so let me reward you. Die." The man sneered down at Haku and brought down his sword.

The sound of metal clanging against the floor resounded through the night air. Zabuza let out a sharp groan before crashing down to his knees in front of Haku's panting frame. Dizzy slanted eyes looked down at a syringe poking out from his thigh and back at the ANBU. Then he fell on his chest.

That was risky. Had she been a second slower and the horse tranquilizer a bit weaker, Haku would've been goners. A close call indeed. With a sigh she shakily called for backup and let herself relax against the wall. Man did she hurt!

When Zabuza moved before her, Haku could've sworn that her heart leapt to her throat in that moment. Wide brown eyes watched through the ANBU mask as the criminal reached for his sword and rose shakily to his feet. How?! How was he still moving?!

Haku was scared for her life. With how weak and defenseless she was at the moment Zabuza could take her life as easily as taking candy from a baby. How could she have dropped her guard like a fool after he told her of his apparent resistance to poison?

Zabuza staggered on the balls of his feet. He used the executioner's blade to steady himself, not quite attacking her but that wasn't certain yet. "Your're..." He slurred, tipsy from the effects of the tranquilizer. "Your're one hecck of a wooman. You have myy rresspect."

Surprisingly, the man just turned his back to her and staggered away. Haku's relief knew no bounds.

"Ja na, ANBU ladyy. I'll see youu again, I'm sure. Let's fight forr rreal then."

-

They met again like Zabuza predicted. It ended up being a sparring match between the two of them and before either noticed it, they were looking forward to their nightly encounters together.

Zabuza was crafty in leaving clues to his whereabouts only Haku could understand and like a moth drawn to a flame, Haku always followed after him. Before long they were sharing secrets and advice with each other.

Haku learned the reason behind Zabuza's vendetta against the Mizukage and she was extremely shocked to find herself sympathizing with him. It was then she started questioning her loyalty to her Mizukage. She was, after all, a presidential ANBU Black Op.

She also started questioning her sanity because apparently, she was catching feelings for a man who had murdered people and would still do so without batting an eyelash. It didn't matter how many redeeming qualities he had, the fact still remained that he was a law breaker and she was a law keeper.

It was why she rejected him several times until she was fed up with his persistence and harshly told him all the reasons they could never be together. Zabuza's reaction to her half angry, half sad rant was a scoff. What was funny was how Haku predicted it.

_

"So you do like me. You're just scared to be with a wanted man. Well hell's gonna freeze over before they catch me, Queen, so there's no need to be afraid."

Haku became angry at the man's irrationality as well as flustered at the nickname. "Don't be stupid!" She yelled. "Even if you evade the police forever nothing can justify the things you have done in the past, even if you had a good reason to do it. I can't just be with you." Her tone waned into something gentle towards the end of her rant.

Maybe that was why Zabuza took her hand and drew her closer to himself, the vulnerability in her voice that is. He was surprisingly gentle for his rough exterior. Haku's heart hammered in her chest but she willed herself to look firmly into his eyes. Zabuza met her with an equal force.

"Yeah I did stupid shit before I met you and that's exactly my point. I wouldn't have met you if I was exactly law abiding, don't you think so, Queen?"

"That doesn't mean anything-" Haku was interrupted.

"Before you I would slash somebody in two without thinking. I was insane but you changed me. You're a bad influence." Haku couldn't tell whether he was joking or being serious, never could. "You literally hold my life in your hands Queen, you're the only woman to hold a candle to me. I'll be damned if I let that woman go."

He gently tipped her ANBU mask up to see her face and reaction. She was as beautiful and conflicted as her voice insinuated but Zabuza had hope; she was cracking.
_

He was egocentric as ever but he was slowly cracking Haku's ice boulder. Her resolve eventually cracked and with time she learned to look only at his redeeming features, not his faults.

They were in a secret relationship for a year and some months before Haku was suspected. She unwittingly led the ANBU Black Ops to Zabuza. The man got caught protecting her but she swore to get him out, this leading to her patronizing the Birds.

However in doing so she made it difficult for herself to leave Kirigakure without attracting attention to herself. She had to get the Birds to help her but that meant that she had to pay them an insanely large amount of money; the very thing she lacked.

She knew she had to pay in kind if she was giving them a difficult mission. An idea came to her after some hours of pondering. It was a risky one but it would be worth it. Haku remained hidden on the ship to avoid arousing much suspicion to herself.

The journey was fairly long as they had to make different pitstops at different ports but finally, Haku was in the Land of Rice Patties. There, she would meet one of Mr Hiashi's associates who would let her stay with them until Zabuza arrives. She hopes he would and very soon.

• • •

A truck rolled into the driveway of a water bottling company and pulled up there. Several packages of bottled water was loaded into the truck and then it took off. While on its way though, the truck driver noticed that another truck was parked across the road and was forced to pull up because of it.

Had an accident happened here? The driver wondered as he alighted from his truck. He went to check out the other truck which looked okay upon closer inspection. Why then was it blocking the road?

Just when he was thinking that there was nobody else on the road other than him, cold metal pressed against his temple and a dangerously familiar click sounded next to his ear. He froze when a deep, distorted voice spoke from behind him.

"You're alone on this road. Anything can happen and nobody would be able to help you." Now that he thought of it, the trucks were the only vehicles on the road.

Fear struck the truck driver like it never had before. He shakily raised his hands in the surrender gesture. "W-what do you want from m-me? I-I am just a l-logistic driver!"

The gun at his temple clicked, the man squeaked. "Be still otherwise you'd die faster than intended." The voice commanded.

He didn't understand what that meant but he wasn't going to risk his neck to do so. He kept still with a bated breath. It took all that was in him to hold back from screaming in fear when the haphazardly parked truck opened and a bunch of people jumped out.

The driver was not scared because of the suddenness of their appearance, his fear came from the attires they wore or more specifically, the symbols on the masks they wore.

"T-Tori..."

None of them regarded his scared stutter. A Bird came close with a kind of gadget and fixed it around his neck. "Nice and easy." They said, patting his shoulder in an almost friendly manner.

"You don't want to find out how loud the bomb around your neck can sound, do you?" The one behind him spoke again, causing the truck driver's eyes to swell with shock.

"A b-b-b..." He looked like he would either wet his pants or pass out at the apparent threat to his life. Although he was very sure that the Birds would not let him do the latter without dying.

"Don't worry, it won't be going off anytime soon. That is if you don't misbehave."

The truck driver gulped loudly. "I w-won't, I p-promise."

"Good. Now do as I say." The Bird behind him commanded. He didn't need to be told twice.

• • •

Meanwhile in Kirigakure Municipal Detention Center...

There was a riot outside the police station. Protesters of all sorts gathered at the gates, some with placards and some with cardboards, screaming for Zabuza's execution. The mass murderer had been the subject of public hate since his very first trial and his transfer did nothing to dissuade it.

Everyone had thought that he would get no less than one trial before an execution verdict was passed upon him just like how previous similar cases had been.

The criminal's lawyer was however good to a fault, finding evidences to prove the persecution wrong and having enough motivation power to appeal to the jury. He continued to drag out the trials until it was decided that Zabuza be given a lifetime imprisonment sentence and he be transferred to the supermax prison.

The public was highly displeased with this decision but the best they could do was to complain and protest which was exactly what they did.

Momochi Zabuza was stoned as he was walked into the transfer van handcuffed by some officers. The journey there took longer than it should have because of some especially bold Kirizen's who got in the way.

The criminal in question kept his gaze on the floor as he walked. He fumbled subtly with the sleeves of his jumper where his hands were conjoined with the cuffs. When his finger brushed against cold metal he stopped. It was within reach, good.

Zabuza had no idea what it was useful and what it would be useful for but he made sure to check whether he could pull it out without trouble. He had worried that the handcuffs would restrain his movements but it didn't affect anything. Fortunately.

The officers led him into the van and each of them with their firearms sat on either side of him. The van took off once the last officer to get in closed the door.

The journey to Kirigakure Administrative Maximum Security Prison was tiring and unceremonious. It was stiffening in the van; the seats were plastic and uncomfortable and the atmosphere in there was just tense. All heads in the van bobbed according to its movements but nobody spoke about it or anything for that matter.

They were almost halfway to the Maximum Security Prison when it happened. Zabuza heard their approach before actually seeing it; a gang of bikers surrounding the van. They were only three though and each of the riders had guns strapped to their backs.

What surprised him though, were the wings inscribed on their masks. Tori? What did they have to do with him?

-

"Zabuza you can't!" Haku insisted. They were trapped by the ANBU and there was no way the both of them could escape without getting caught. Seeing an opening, Zabuza decided to turn himself in while Haku used the chance to escape. Of course she disagreed to this.

"You have to escape Queen! I won't be able to live with myself if anything happens to you so go!" Zabuza yelled back at her. It hurt to see Haku shed tears but he had to keep her safe, even if it meant not seeing her ever again.

He captured her lips with his in a soft, emotional kiss. This could be their last ever so the moment was greatly cherished. Haku didn't stop sobbing by the time they broke the kiss but there was a certain fire in her eyes.

"I would get you out of there, I swear." She said resolutely. "I don't know how but I would!"

-

Was this what she meant by her parting words? What his Shikamaru meant by making things easier for him?

Two Bird bikers took each side of the van while the last one trailed behind it. The officers in the van were already on the guard which Zabuza didn't want at all. He had a fair idea what was going on here and the thought of it was thrilling.

"Oh Queen, you're so crazy and I love it." He muttered excitedly. The officers kicked him to be silent. Zabuza didn't mind. He was working intently on getting the blade he snuck into his sleeves out and waiting for the right moment to strike.

He had snatched the blade (a small knife without a handle) from an inmate at the Municipal Detention Center. Back then he had wondered why he was looking for something sharp but now he knew its worth.

Two bangs preceded the screeching sound of the van's tires skidding across the road. The Bird behind busted the tires, Zabuza surmised. The van came to a harsh halt after a while of flailing around. Everyone in the bus stumbled forward. Heads collided with different parts of the van.

Zabuza didn't wait to recover from the shock; he withdrew his blade and quickly stabbed the nearest officer to him in the neck. Before the other one could react a rain of bullets dented the van's door.

The criminal used the officer's moment of distraction to ram him with his shoulder. The man doubled over and fell. With his cuffed hands Zabuza removed the blade from the other officer's neck and attacked.

The reaction was fast. The officer blocked the attack but he was too slow for Zabuza despite his handicap. The Bird shooting finally succeeded in busting the lock and the door flew open. The officer was shot precisely in the neck.

Zabuza bent over the man's slumped body to search for the keys to the handcuffs. He found it and gave it to the Bird who unlocked them for him. Zabuza rubbed his sore wrists in relief but he had no time to relax yet.

A Bird drove a bike next to him. "Hop on." Zabuza barely held back his surprise at the female voice coming from behind the mask. While before he would have vehemently disagreed to allowing a woman to drive him, Haku had taught him to see his counterparts in a different light so he immediately jumped on.

Zabuza knew that abducting him from the hands of the police didn't mean it was over. There would be units sent after them and all forces in Kirigakure would be on the lookout. There was no guarantee even that Haku was the one that sent the Birds after him.

All that matters is that he is free. He can see Haku again. They would be together again someday. And this time not even death would pull them apart.

***

Is it just me or is Zabuza being lovey dovey cringe?

I wondered whether to leave Haku as a man in this story but then watching the series it was so easy to forget that he wasn't a girl– I still call him a she before the realization hits– so I just left the character as a woman in my story.

Thanks for reading! Votes and comments make me a very happy author.

-Star.