Warmth of a Cold Touch

 

Disclaimer: I do not own the copyright or any other associated rights to Naruto. I also don't make any money from Naruto.

 

Chapter Two

 

“You returned,” Naruto said quietly as he sat in the dark as night living room. Haku flinched as though he’d been struck. No doubt he expected the drug to keep everyone asleep until dawn.

 

Too bad Naruto wasn’t like everyone. He wasn’t quite human. The Nine-Tails saw to that.

 

Haku turned slowly and looked around the room. Naruto knew the exact moment he realized where he was sitting. Haku seemed to become paler than ivory and his voice, weak, whispered “Naruto-kun?”

 

Kun? Huh, he thought. Still, playing that game.

 

“I guess you were expecting Kakashi, right? It would make sense. He’s the former ANBU.”

 

Haku shook his head. “No, I wasn’t expecting anyone but I’m glad its you.”

 

“Why? So, you can overpower me and leave?” he bit out derisively, the anger and hurt clear in his voice. He couldn’t help it. He thought he and Haku had a connection. He wasn’t pleased to find he’d been played. Again.

 

With silent steps, Haku moved deeper into the room. “No. This way I don’t have to make up some excuse to get you alone.” He stopped a few feet away from Naruto and held out one hand, palm up in offering. “Come with me. There is a lot of information to cover and we only have a few hours. They could wake any minute.”

 

Naruto stared at him, utterly surprised. He didn’t expect Haku to return and he certainly never expected him to offer him any explanations. It was good to know that Haku hadn’t been acting when he said he wanted to be Naruto’s friend. Plus, the teen offered him information, something no one gave him without being forced to do so. Naruto accepted the hand and followed Haku out.

 

They walked in silence for several minutes, when Haku tightened his grip on Naruto’s hands and spoke. “Thank you for giving me a chance,” he murmured softly. He turned and smiled at him briefly and tugged his hand. Naruto fell into his grasp, his chest lying against Haku’s. The brunette wrapped his arms around him. Before he could utter a response Haku moved. Naruto’s stomach dropped and his mouth opened wide in surprise as Haku leapt into the air and dragged him along.

 

They moved from tree to tree, covering large distances with every jump. They weren’t in the air for very long. Naruto had just gotten used to the swift movement when Haku dropped to the ground. “We’re here,” he said.

 

Naruto looked around the area and was surprised at what he found. They were in the middle of a grassy knoll. Large trees surrounded the hill. They gave the outer edges a dark, almost oppressive feel at the early hour. There was a fairly large mound of items situated to the right of where they stood. Haku released Naruto’s hand and walked over to it. When Naruto made no movements to follow him, the other boy turned back to him and gestured him forward. “Come on. This is why I left.” He tilted his head to the left and gave him a mischievous grin. “Don’t you want to know what I was doing?”

 

Naruto swallowed thickly. There was something about that smile made him un-comfortable, did things to his stomach that made him very aware of just how attractive Haku was. He blushed and looked away for a moment. The boy really was more beautiful than Sakura. Hell, even Ino didn’t hold a candle to him.

 

Haku laughed. “Come, Naruto. I promise you won’t be disappointed,” he called.

 

Feeling stupid for feeling whatever he was feeling, Naruto gathered his courage and strode forward. He stopped a little more than three feet away from Haku. The brunet glanced at the space between them and then his grin widened. The satisfaction there made Naruto even more uncomfortable. “You’re learning,” he said. “Always listen to your instincts. Keep your distance when it tells you to do so.” His voice hardened. “Never, never ignore your instincts. They are a warning mechanism.”

 

Naruto swallowed thickly. Gods, that voice was frightening. Feeling Haku waiting on him he nodded his head in agreement.

 

“I mean it, Naruto. If you have any questions ask.”

 

Naruto started to say, “Of course I understand,” and nod again but didn’t. He didn’t want to lie to Haku. Whenever the academy teachers asked if anyone had any questions or was confused Naruto kept quiet. He learned when he was quite young that he was not included in ‘anyone’. No, he knew they meant anyone but the orphan. Now, he knew they meant everyone but the demon container. Haku wanted to help him and be his friend. He would not treat Naruto that way. “What does mechanism mean?” he asked.

 

“The easiest answer is tool. Your instincts are a warning tool. They will tell you when something is wrong. I’m glad you asked me. Always ask someone you trust if you are unsure of something. Better yet see if you can find the answer out yourself. More knowledge is gained that way.”

 

“Okay.” He ran a hand over the back of his hand, running his fingers through the strands as a blush crept up his face. “Thanks for uh, explaining that for me.”

 

“You’re very welcome, Naruto-kun.” Haku turned around and looked down at the items gathered at his feet. “Last night, this morning I did…picked up some things I believe would help me, us in Konoha.”

 

Naruto looked at Haku in surprise. If he didn’t know how calm Haku normally was, Naruto would swear the older boy was nervous. The brunet turned and glanced at him. The look in his brown eyes caught Naruto’s attention. Haku was frightened, afraid of how Naruto would react to his gifts. “Thank you, Haku. I’m sure the stuff you got is super.”

 

A fine blush swept across Haku’s cheekbones. “Thank you for your faith in me. Now, come see what I gathered.” He lowered himself to the ground and sat. Naruto followed his movements sitting a few feet away from him, on the other side of the pile.

 

Haku picked up a large scroll. “This big scroll is a master storage scroll. It has various technique learning scrolls inside. Most of it you will not be able to learn from as it has information regarding my bloodline and silent killing.”

 

Naruto scrunched up his face. “You don’t think I could kill someone silently?” he asked, more than a little hurt that his new friend didn’t believe in him, even as his stomach turned at the thought of taking someone’s life.

 

Haku shook his head. “No, it’s not that. It’s just that the technique in here requires someone of Zabuza’s height and strength to truly pull it off. Well, and of course the Head Cutter. I believe you could do it if given the chance, but right now you’re too short.”

 

Naruto sighed. “It’s always about my height.” Even the girls were taller than him. He asked the Old Man about it once. He claimed that Naruto just grew according to a different schedule than everyone else, but that in time he would reach his full, normal height.

 

Naruto blamed it on poor nutrition. He liked ramen as much as the next person, okay a lot more than the next person, but the ramen shop was one of the few places in town that treated him well, and it was the only place he could regularly afford to eat at. He could save money and eat at home, but that required grocery shopping, cooking, and eating alone in his apartment. He preferred to eat at the ramen shop.  It was less lonely. Looking at the scroll and thinking back about just how talented Zabuza was, he made a decision then to change his eating habits. Plus, he had Haku now. He wouldn’t have to always eat alone, even if he stayed in his apartment.

 

Haku laughed. He couldn’t help but grin at the melodic and uplifting sound. “You’ll grow Naruto. You’ll be tall and strong. I know it.”

 

Naruto didn’t know what to say in response. No one but Haku had that much faith in him. Even when Old Man Hokage agreed that he was going to be Hokage, Naruto didn’t feel that the elder ninja really believed him. It was stupid, but it made him immensely happy to know Haku did.

 

“Like I said, we have some technique scrolls. We also have some supply scrolls. They are filled with everything from weapons to food to clothing. I’ve unsealed two of the scrolls.” He pointed toward a pile that consisted ninja clothing, shuriken, kunai, and what looked to be rations.

 

Naruto lifted one eye in surprise. Those kinds of scrolls were very helpful and unfortunately outside of his limited budget. One would have been very helpful on this mission. “Uh, how many of those do you have?”

 

Haku picked up one of the larger scrolls. “Thirty-five. There are two dozen in here, and eleven remain in the other scroll.”

 

“Wow.”

 

“Zabuza, believed in always being prepared for the worst. There was no telling when we would be on a mission and hunting off the land wouldn’t be prudent.”

 

“Prudent?”

 

“Smart.”

 

“Oh, yeah. That makes sense,” Naruto admitted and took a step closer to the gathered stuff to look every thing over. Though most items were sealed, the scroll titles told him a lot. Haku and Zabuza had amassed a treasure trove.

 

“I can’t take this, Haku.”

 

“I’m not giving this to you, Naruto.”

 

He turned his head and a heavy blush filled his face at his misunderstanding. Gods, he was embarrassed. Well, that and disappointed. Though it was way too much, it would have been nice to receive something from someone other than the Old Man.

 

“This is for the both of us. We need tools to succeed. ”

 

Damn, now Naruto felt bad for not trusting his new friend.

 

Haku’s words brought to mind one of the few academy lessons he remembered. A fully prepared ninja has already won half the battle.

 

“It takes more than just strength to become a Kage. At least that’s what Zabuza used to say,” Haku said softly, grief tinting his voice.  

 

He turned his head to the side to give the teen a moment to himself. He couldn’t image how Haku felt. His most precious person had just died. And now he was giving that man’s things to Naruto. He felt very gifted.

 

“A Kage has to be a leader. In the face of adversity he must be the one the people automatically look to. If he is not, he is only a Kage in name in title,” Haku continued. Naruto returned his gaze to the brunet. Haku’s lush lips flattened into a grimace.

 

The view seemed to make sense and of course, Zabuza would know, seeing as how he had tried to overthrow the leader of Mist.  

 

“That is the problem with the Kage of Mist. His village is dying; people are being slaughtered by his very own ninja. He should be the one making steps to protect the people from harm, or at least inspiring them to fight back against oppression, but he is the oppressor. To even be considered as a potential Kage, one needs a strong body and mind. He needs to be cunning and inspirational, and have connections.”

 

Haku pointed to the pile around him. “These are tools to help us both have strong minds and bodies.” He lifted his head and his deep brown eyes caught Naruto’s gaze and held it. “Do you really want to be a Kage. Are you truly prepared to do the work?”

 

Naruto grinned. “Hard work has never been my problem, Haku-chan.”

 

“Chan?” Haku yelled, outraged.

 

Naruto leapt to his feet and shrugged. “Well, you are prettier than any of the girls in the academy. Seems right.”

 

“I am a boy, a young man,” he retorted, his voice low and his words slow. There was a warning there.

 

Like usual Naruto charged forward despite the danger. Only this time he was aware of the possible harm. “Still, doesn’t change the fact that you are more beautiful than any girl I know. Plus, I like Haku-chan.” Naruto barely evaded the shuriken Haku threw at him. He took off running, knowing that Haku was going to chase him. He laughed with every step, calling “Haku-chan” every so often. He liked this. Teasing Haku. Teasing a friend.