Bitten Kisses

Careless.

Zabuza had gotten careless, repeating the same mistake that had cost him a new future for Kirigakure. He had assured himself of victory far too early, after having successfully capturing Kakashi Hatake in his water prison justu. He should have increased the pressure of the water, crushing the Copy-nin right then and there to ensure the most dangerous threat was dealt with. 

But he didn't.

He was too confident, riding the adrenaline rush of battle and the fact that he had gotten the drop on the Copy Ninja Kakashi. The urge to play with his captured prey had been too enticing to ignore, and some of the sadistic tendencies surviving Kirigakure had induced in him surfaced (you didnt survive Kirigakure being soft or sane). He wanted Kakashi to watch as he cut down those annoying brats of his, far too ignorant and unskilled to run around calling themselves shinobi. Then, he would have decapitated the old man, saving his head to present to Gato later for his money. And afterwards, when Kakashi was left to drown in his defeat, in his failure, Zabuza would turn his full attention to him....

What would defeat taste like on Kakashi's tongue?

Zabuza is brought out of his dark musings by the sudden sharp burn of antiseptic, causing him to grind his filed teeth as Haku cleaned out the last of his wounds. All of the kunai wounds had been stitched up, leaving Haku to dab at them with a plant based antiseptic (cloves, he thinks the boy told him once) to ensure Zabuza would not risk infections. The worst wound inflicted had been the one kunai Hatake had struck into his left leg, the blade piercing his thigh and just barely missing his femoral artery. Granted, the two kunai piercing both of his arms was also a nuisance to deal with, as they affected his ability to wield his prized sword, Kubikiribocho.

Perhaps...that had been another mistake as well. That Zabuza resorted to using ninjutsu aside from his Mist technique instead of relying on Kubikiribocho. Kakashi Hatake was known as The Copy-cat Ninja for a reason, with that surely stolen Sharingan eye of his replicating and copying one's abilities that weren't coded in blood. Maybe he should have focused on taking Kakashi out with his prowess with the sword, considering the only thing he had to deflect Zabuza at the time was a kunai. Kakashi couldn't exactly copy a sword like Kubikiribocho out of thin air to combat Zabuza with, now could he?

'He did hold up pretty well against me with that little kunai of his though' Zabuza thinks off-handedly, recounting the moment the pair had locked blades with their respective weapons. Kubikiribocho's mass was held at a standstill by Kakashi's kunai, the white haired Ninja proving to be deceptively strong despite what his lean frame suggested. He was able to hold Zabuza at a stalemate while they tried to overpower one other through brute physical force, before Zabuza had gotten annoyed and decided to bring out his other ninjutsu techniques.

"-There we are, Master Zabuza." 

Zabuza blinks, the events of his previous battle that he had been replaying in his head over and over again dissipating as Haku's soft voice interrupts his thoughts. Ah, it seemed that Haku had finished dressing his wounds in what leftover gauze and bandages they had left of their supplies after disinfecting them. His bare thigh was now perfectly bandaged and wrapped, and Zabuza tugs the blanket that had been thrown haphazardly over his lap to employ some sense of modesty over the leg, leaving his lower half covered from where he sat naked as the day he was born. Haku had also wrapped the two wounds on his arms, which left only the nasty blotches of bruising over his back from being slammed against the trees after Hatake had utilized the vortex jutsu he copied from Zabuza.

"Thanks." He bites out, just out of principle. Haku was a good student, a fine weapon Zabuza had crafted out of the tiny thing he had found him as on that bridge so many years ago. He would have never survived Kirigakure as the little waif like thing he had been, but now...should Zabuza have the clear from them that it was a good time to return to his homeland and take out that bastard Yagura, he was sure Haku had what it took to keep up and survive. 

"Of course." Haku stands from his wooden seat, tipping over into a bow as he clasps his hands together. The boy was so polite, something that Zabuza was starting to believe was a trait passed down genetically because Zabuza had certainly not raised him that way. Zabuza had trained and taught him the way he had been taught in Kirigakure, through grueling training sessions and early field work. (Perhaps not exactly as he was taught. He would never find it in him to beat the kid for the slightest error, nor withhold food or clothing from him. Maybe that was why Haku was so polite.)

"I'm going to clean up and start making dinner. You need to eat to build up your strength after all."

Zabuza grunts in agreement, eyes narrowing as Haku giggles as if the thought of making food was somehow amusing, watching as the boy spins on his heel and takes initiative. The swordsman lets his back slump against the headboard as soon Haku left the room, the softest click from the door signaling his departure. 

Now Zabuza was truly alone with just his thoughts, which was a frightful thing of itself. 

He ponders if taking out the bridge builder that Gato so clearly wants dead will finally earn him enough cash to resource its way back home, to them. Gato was a rich fuck to be sure, but he was also stingy. Zabuza did not trust the slimy bastard to not try and get out of paying him fully, but the upfront money had been a welcome reprieve. Being a rogue ninja didn't exactly bring many lucrative options to the table, and he and the boy and what was left of his followers needed to eat. Needed supplies, and weapons. Basic things for shinobi, while the rest was put towards the resistance back home.

Thinking of home, of his...comrades brings forth an emotion Zabuza does not welcome. 

Still, he thinks of them. Thinks of the burden he possesses in their stead. The failed coup, of which he ran and took the full blame for. All so their involvement would remain secret until the day he passed from this life.

He thinks of Ao, features pinched in almost a permanent scowl as he sits at his desk, no doubt pouring over documents and scrolls. He wonders if the man eagerly waits for the very rare calls Zabuza sends them, from the little radio hidden in a secret drawer of that very desk. Calls signaling he had come into a good chunk of money to send them, or manpower.

He thinks of Mei, of red hair that cascades down her back as she twirls a strand of it around her finger. Of painted lips that she would pucker at him playfully whenever they met. He wonders if she had finally found a man willing to put up with her crazy ass, one she could hang off her arm and make her husband whenever Yagura was finally put into the ground and she was made Mizukage in his stead.

He thinks of the boy she herself had clinging to her skirts the last time he saw her. Shorter than even Haku when Zabuza had found him, with big dark eyes and large crooked glasses that were too big for his face.

Zabuza even thinks of the two fellow Swordsmen that he had found even remotely tolerable. He thinks of Mangestu, and the little brother that often tagged along with him. He thinks of Kisame, before he too left Kirigakure. Was he too sick of their village, of the constant bloodshed? Perhaps not, Kisame seemed to revel in it. But what could have prompted a man like Kisame to leave?

Sleep does not come easily to him that night.

Or the several nights that follow during his recovery.

Zabuza had stayed put in bed the first day, allowing Haku to fuss over him and check on his injuries often. He refused to let the boy feed him, having snatched the soup that he had tried spooning into Zabuza's mouth, the action making his arms ache. (Those gentle doe eyes and soft face were lies in physical form, Haku was actually a damn menace when he wanted to be.)

The second day he forced himself out of bed to at least wander around the hideout, despite Haku's insistence that he stay in bed. He had brushed the boy off, telling him to make himself useful and gather their lunch and dinner for the day. As a shinobi, one's body was trained to recover quickly, and Zabuza himself could not stand remaining idle for too long. 

By the third day, thanks to Haku finding a few medicinal herbs around the surrounding area, Zabuza felt he had enough strength to wander outside and stretch his legs properly. He wasn't a fan of being cooped up in one place for too long, and Gato's impromptu visit had him annoyed and restless. Haku wanted to tag along, so Zabuza allowed him under the condition he wouldn't hover over Zabuza like a fussy hen and instead continued collecting the herbs he had discovered growing in the forest.

Which is how Zabuza found himself wandering through the forests that outskirted just outside of the nearby village, Haku having taken off somewhere south. He wasn't too far that Zabuza couldn't vaguely sense his chakra signature, but he wasn't in his immediate vincinity. Meaning Zabuza was pretty much alone for the most part, and he padded through the forest floor, occasionally hopping onto a tree or two to test his reflexes and see how his leg was faring.

And that is how Zabuza comes across something that halts him in his tracks, his entire body freezing in place just behind a tree as he hears the snap of a branch. Brown eyes catch the sight of shimmering metal as the sunlight that filtered through the tree tops reflects off of it, and a ruffled mane of familiar silver hair.

Zabuza did not think he would encounter Kakashi Hatake again so soon after their battle, but life could hand him a surprise every now and then.

The Copy-nin was just a few yards away from Zabuza's current position, but it appeared that Kakashi had yet to catch sight of him. He actually seemed unaware of his surroundings, like his mind was far away, and there's a curl of cruel satisfaction that blooms in his chest in seeing that the infamous ninja was walking with a limp. It seemed their fight had left its toil on Kakashi as well, which meant he was also recovering.

Oh this was tempting.

Zabuza didn't see any of the little brats accompanying him, which meant he was alone. No one to help him escape Zabuza's clutches like before.

'Or perhaps no distractions preventing Hatake from fighting him with his full attention.'

The thought is something he mulls over, weighing the pros and cons of engaging Hatake right here and now. If he took a chance to try and take out the one threat to his mission from Gato. His injuries were still healing, his thigh still bound tightly with gauze, and Kubikiribocho felt heavier in his hands than it normally would. He still hadn't replenished the chakra he used combating Hatake, so he wouldn't be able to use his Mist technique for very long, or expand it over a great distance like he could. Kakashi wasn't at a hundred percent either, so it really would be a coin flip of who could prevail should it come down to a skirmish. 

Maybe it would be better to wait. Taking down Kakashi now would be satisfying in the moment, but would turn into a hollow win for Zabuza down the road, cutting down an injured man. No, Zabuza needed to prove he was the superior shinobi, the stronger of the two, with both at full strength so no one could say his victory was a fluke. Haku had already provided excellent information about Kakashi's Sharingan after analyzing their battle, giving Zabuza some ideas on how to work around it.

He wasn't ready for a full on showdown with Hatake just yet, but he wasn't leaving without some sort of confrontation. With it just being the two of them, two powerful shinobi that had crossed blades and traded blows...It had been a long time since Zabuza had faced someone who he could almost consider an equal. Kakashi was a far step above civilians and thugs, ninjas who couldn't make the cut and bandits. Zabuza had spent far too long cutting down enemies who were barely worth the blood they fed Kubikiribocho.

But Kakashi? He was different. He was worth Zabuza expending all his skills and knowledge to crush him. Killing him was the ideal goal, but defeating him would be just as good. Maybe even indulging in the rare impulse that would spring forth every now and then during a good fight, to sink his serrated teeth into the Copy-nin's flesh and tear. He was sure Kakashi would look beautiful with a chunk torn out of his throat.

For now...Zabuza would content himself with playing with his prey.

A few hand signs, and Zabuza focuses hard on summoning mist from the nearby creek, bringing forth a wave of it that coated the forest floor. He aims its toward Kakashi, and he's a bit surprised to see that the Copy-nin doesn't immediately react. Instead, the mist is able to brush over his feet before Kakashi finally notices something is amiss, and Zabuza's lips furl into a toothy grin that is hidden behind his bandages. He carefully observes the way Kakashi snaps to attention, like a switch being flipped, immediately on guard just like a good shinobi. He spots one of Kakashi's hands drifting up to his face, and Zabuza presumes he is going for his Sharingan.

Only Kakashi doesn't reach for his lopsided headband, but instead cups the mask that the Copy-nin wears like a second skin (he's seen Kakashi's profile in multiple Bingo Books, one when Kakashi served in Konoha's Anbu corps, and his Jonin file, both of which the lower half of his face is concealed). It catches Zabuza's interest, and the rogue-nin finds himself inching closer, curious as to what Kakashi was planning.

He's only mildly disappointed when Kakashi doesn't pull the mask completely down, opting to tug it until his nose was visible. Zabuza is confused at first, before he catches on quickly.

'He's gonna try and sniff me out eh? Well, he was known as The Hound...guess that adds up.' Zabuza thinks, watching as Kakashi inhales the air around them.

"Maa~ Zabuza..." Kakashi's voice is a casual drawl despite the clear tension in his posture. Hah, he's been found after all. "Nice to see you again. How about you come out so we can...talk."

Talk....right. That's what Kakashi wanted to do. Zabuza couldn't help but shake his head, one hand reaching back to tug at Kubikiribocho's handle. Sure....they could talk.

Zabuza uses the strength he's recovered thus far to pull his greatsword forward, swinging it over his shoulder before he curls his arm and tosses it at Kakashi, much like how he had introduced himself the first time. Only instead his blade is directed right at Kakashi, who predictably dodged the attack. Not that it mattered, as it was only meant as a distraction so Zabuza could sprint towards the Copy-nin. Kubikiribocho embeds itself in the bark of a tree that had been behind Kakashi, and Zabuza takes the opportunity to crowd into Kakashi's space. He reaches for Kubikiribocho's hilt, right above Kakashi's shoulder, even as he feels the pinprick of cold steel tap at his nape. Kakashi had whipped out that little kunai of his, and positioned it angling towards the back of Zabuza's neck, the Copy-nin's elbow brushing against his own shoulder.

Stalemate.

"Alright Ka~Ka~Shi. Let's talk."