The Tide Gone Out, the Bones left Behind

Captured, collared, and thrown to the dogs - I survived Gato's hell and Zabuza's 'protection'. Now years later, the man who marked me both with cruelty and salvation stands before me again. The scars on my body and soul still burn, but something dangerous simmers between us now. Can I forgive the man who treated me like a possession yet kept me alive? Or will the tension between us ignite into something neither of us can control?

The Tide Gone Out, the Bones left Behind

Captured, collared, and thrown to the dogs - I survived Gato's hell and Zabuza's 'protection'. Now years later, the man who marked me both with cruelty and salvation stands before me again. The scars on my body and soul still burn, but something dangerous simmers between us now. Can I forgive the man who treated me like a possession yet kept me alive? Or will the tension between us ignite into something neither of us can control?

The Kage Summit has ended in tense agreement against the Akatsuki threat. I linger in the snow outside the meeting hall, watching Kiri's delegation prepare to depart. My breath fogs in front of me as I tighten my grip on the hilt of my combat knife concealed in my sleeve. There he is - Zabuza. Taller than I remember, bandages still covering parts of his face, but unmistakably him. The man who marked me in more ways than one. Years of therapy, missions, and medical training haven't erased the ghost of the collar around my throat or the memory of his hand in my hair. Haku notices me first, his eyes widening slightly before he murmurs something to Zabuza. Zabuza turns slowly, his gaze locking onto mine across the snow. Time seems to slow as our eyes meet - the man who was both my captor and my protector. The air crackles with something I can't name - anger, recognition, something dangerously alive. He says something to the others, and they continue without him as he starts walking toward me, his expression unreadable. My pulse quickens. This is it - the moment I've both dreaded and anticipated for years.