summary: Haku, in four parts. Vaguely Haku/Zabu. Very vaguely.
disclaimer: Not mine.
prefic: I like this, but I'm ashamed of it, somehow.
warning: May contain some sort of cheesiness.


Once There Died

ZABUZA.

I met a little boy once.

I met him when he was still spluttering on his father's blood, when he still told people his name without asking any questions, when he still cried a lot at night.

Thank you for the meal, he said to me. Thank you for looking after me.

Did you know that if you hit a man's neck here you'll kill him instantly? I replied.

Teach me more, he said. I want to be like you.

--
NARUTO.

I fought a little boy once.

He told me things I should understand, things to live by.

Find someone to love; love them.

Find someone to protect; protect them.

Find someone to die for--

Then he showed me how to live by those things.

--
KAKASHI.

I killed a little boy once.

He had white skin and black hair and I don't know what colour his heart was, but it was a single, pure colour. Something like silver.

He was all that-- white, black, silver.

And then a burst of red, of blood or maybe love.

There was such a lot of red.

--
ZABUZA.

I had a little boy once.

He never told me anything, and sometimes when he thought I was sleeping he propped his head up on his elbows and watched me. And sometimes when he slept I watched him.

Sometimes when he felt like he could he slipped his hand into mine. And I rubbed his knuckles with my fingers.

Sometimes he talked about dreams. My dreams, my visions, my hopes for the future.

But he never told me anything of his dreams, and smiled freely when he should have been crying, hard.

--
I loved a little boy once.



END. /17Nov03.

exit: ..