A/N: Yeah, it’s finally here: the last chapter. After this it’s done. I mean, there is the epilogue, but it’s pretty damn short compared to these last few chapters. Anyway, I don’t own anyone or anything in the Narutoverse, and all that stuff.

Warning(s): Unbeta’d, fluff, language, yaoi

Chapter 6: Reunion in the Rain

The zanbatō was leaned against the back of the chair with his robes piled on the floor beside him. Haku slid into the shadows of the other corner, praying with almost every fiber of his being that the man in front of him would not turn around, while the rest of him wanted nothing more than to see his face.

“Thank you for bringing our guest so quickly, Sakura,” the Hokage remarked.

“Yes, Shishou,” she replied, bowing her head.

Sakura took a place standing in front of a bookshelf close to Haku.

“Are you alright?” she asked in an undertone. “You look really pale and... are you shaking?”

He glanced down at his hands and saw they were shaking. He grabbed one with the other to stop them and put on a weak little smile.

“I’m fine, really,” he reassured her. “I... I’m just...”

Haku never got a chance to finish. His vision blurred, his legs turned to gel, and he fell to the floor.

“Haku!” Sakura shouted, dropping to her knees to check him. “Damn it, he’s fainted.”

Her cry grabbed the attention of everyone in the room. Zabuza had turned his head and felt his eyes widen slightly when he saw his former tool lying on the floor.

So that must’ve been the guest the Hokage invited in, he thought. Damn it, why’d he have to faint? It makes him look weak... Has he been slacking on training?

As if by instinct, he got up and crouched by Haku’s side. Giving his head a little shake, he reached out a hand.

“Hey, kid, wake up!” he ordered, tapping Haku on the cheek. “Haku! Wake up, damn it!”

As if on cue, the boy’s eyes flicked open. It was almost as if he had hardwired his brain to accept any order the man gave. Haku squinted as his vision came back into focus, and there in front of him was Zabuza. He felt his face burn as he shot up into a sitting position.

“You alright?” Tsunade called, coming out from behind her desk.

Haku’s mouth dropped open a few millimeters as he edged backward, before jumping to his feet and running out the door. He ran all the way to the other side of the village and stopped at a large, black stone memorial bearing the names of countless ninja who had fallen in battle during the wars. He sat down behind it, leaning against the base. He could feel his heartbeat slow down and his breathing steadied as well. His eyes tilted upward as he noticed dark grey clouds rolling in.

Great job Haku, he mentally chided himself. You fainted in front of him and then you just run off! He’d never want a shinobi who faints for no reason!

“Kid, you suck at hiding from me,” a low, growling voice stated from behind him.

Haku felt his heart skip a beat as his head whipped around to look at the owner.

“Z-Zabuza-san,” he managed to choke out as his face flushed bright pink. “W-why did you follow me? I thought you didn’t care... I was merely a tool to you... tossed aside once you were through with me.”

“That... you’re wrong as hell thinking I don’t care... about you,” he replied in an even lower tone, looking away.

The younger shinobi’s eyes widened. Zabuza actually cared about him? This had to be some cruel sick joke someone was playing on him. Maybe it was a genjutsu. He focused his chakra and made the handseal to release a genjutsu if there was one, but nothing happened. Haku took a deep shuddering breath as he tried to calm himself.

“If you did care, why did you order me to... to leave?” he asked, as the rain began to fall.

“I thought you would’ve wanted a chance to live your life, free of being a weapon,” Zabuza confessed. “Though to be honest... I—“ His tone dropped to a whisper and he spoke the next part so fast it blurred together. “I didnwantyoutogoatall...”

“What?” Haku looked at him, puzzled.

“I didn’t want you to go in the first place,” he repeated through gritted teeth, as if it was the most difficult thing to say.

“Zabuza-san, I never wanted to leave,” Haku replied gently. “I would happily live out the rest of my days as your weapon.”

They stared at each other in silence as the rain picked up. Neither one seemed to care how wet they were getting. After a few minutes, Zabuza came around and stood in front of the young man with an outstretched arm. Slowly, Haku took it and found himself being pulled to his feet.

“Why do you want to stay with me so badly, Haku?” he asked. “Why is it that serving me would make you happy?”

“Isn’t it simple?” Haku answered, smiling up at him with reddened cheeks. “I am a failure of a shinobi because of it, because I... I love you, Zabuza-san.”

The Mizukage’s eyes widened a little before his gaze softened, something that rarely ever happened. He placed his other hand on Haku’s cheek as an even rarer, genuine smile flickered on his thin lips. He took the hand still holding the boy’s and pulled him close. Leaning down, he placed his mouth level with Haku’s ear.

“The truth is, I think... I might love you too,” he said quietly.

Before either one could say anything, the older ninja removed his hand from the boy’s and placed it around his waist. Ignoring the shiver that passed through his protégé, he lifted the young man’s head a few inches and kissed him.

Haku immediately felt his eyes close as he returned it. One of his arms made its way around his shoulder, while the other rested down on his master’s hip. Rain poured steadily down on them, soaking their clothes, but neither one cared or noticed. When they did finally break apart, Haku leaned his head against the man’s chest, and Zabuza ran his hand contentedly over Haku’s head and back.

“C’mon,” Zabuza muttered. “I need to get my stuff out of the Hokage’s office and then you’ll be coming with me to the place I’m staying at.”

Obediently, Haku followed him back to get his robes and zanbatō out of Tsunade’s office and then to the little inn where Zabuza was staying. Once in the room, they dried off and lay down on either side of the large bed. Even though they hadn’t seen each other in over two months, they just lay there in silence, staring up at the ceiling, listening to the rain. An unspoken agreement passing between them that their time apart never happened as they absorbed each other’s company. Haku was content to just lie there though, mostly because he had Zabuza back, and he was truly happy for the first time in a long time.

A/N: Please don’t forget to review. Reviews (especially concrit) make for a happy writer.