[Narrative]
Who: Haku
What: As waiting for days turned into waiting for days, the frustration also built up.
Where: The tenements (building 4, room 607).
When: After this thread.
Rating: G.
A loud crack resounded throughout the apartment as large spikes of ice pierced through the computer and the wall behind it, effectively destroying the monitor. The silence after was only punctuated by Haku's shallow breathing as he tried to recover from the sudden drop in his chakra levels.
It had been years since his chakra had last responded to such a sharp burst of emotion.
Even before he had agreed to play along, he already had known that the network was toying with him, as it was with everyone else replying to that voicepost. However, he couldn't dispel that tiny hopeful voice in him saying that maybe, maybe, the network wasn't as sadistic as it was.
You're too naive, Zabuza had said to him once, before telling him to sharpen the kunai in the bag. Haku had been seven at the time, and one of the kids staying down the street from the house where Zabuza lived (or, rather, slept in every now and then) had offered him candy. The other boy made a show of slowly taking the cellophane-wrapped sweet from his pocket and, just before it touched the palm of Haku's hand, the other boy grinned wickedly and popped it in his mouth. Haku merely smiled at the boy and watched him run back to his friends and reminded himself that it was okay even though it hurt, because he didn't need anyone else except Zabuza-san.
In some ways, he was still naive and hopeful as he had been eight years ago, moreso now that he had to rely on hope to pull himself together and stay strong. However, relying on hope too much was a double-edged sword: there was always, always the possibility of betrayal.
What was snatched from him wasn't a shallow offer of 'friendship'. It wasn't something he could brush off with a smile on his face and the certainty that his guardian would still be there when he woke up. A young girl that he cared for had been missing for weeks, and any kind of information about her whereabouts was something he was almost desperate to find. That was why he had been strongly affected by the network's baiting, even if he had already known he was being toyed with.
It didn't help that the network had called him 'Haku-mama' with Sakura's voice. That only emphasized how long he hadn't heard from her, with her heart-warming smile and cheerful laugh...
There was a mechanical beep from the computer. Haku looked up and saw his mother smiling at him from the monitor's shattered glass.
"At least no one died this time," she said. "You'd think, after all those years, you'd learn to control that particular reaction."
Haku could only look on in shock as the image of his mother (images of his mother, plural, for one of the ice spikes had split the computer display down the middle) tapped her (their) chin thoughtfully, as she always had done whenever she was in a playful mood.
"Then again, it's understandable why you'd be this angry -- you did promise to protect her that day when you two met, didn't you?" Their smiles cruelly twisted into vicious smirks. "This is the second time you've broken a promise to someone you cherish. What do you think will happen if there's a third time?"
The words hit him him like a knife thrown then twisted in his gut coupled with a sledgehammer to the head. He had betrayed Zabuza with his weakness. Already he was betraying Sakura in not being able to find her. What would happen if he also failed Kakashi, who had entrusted his entire well-being and sanity to Haku?
The image on the glass flickered and disappeared, but its soft metallic laughter continued to resound in his ears.
What: As waiting for days turned into waiting for days, the frustration also built up.
Where: The tenements (building 4, room 607).
When: After this thread.
Rating: G.
A loud crack resounded throughout the apartment as large spikes of ice pierced through the computer and the wall behind it, effectively destroying the monitor. The silence after was only punctuated by Haku's shallow breathing as he tried to recover from the sudden drop in his chakra levels.
It had been years since his chakra had last responded to such a sharp burst of emotion.
Even before he had agreed to play along, he already had known that the network was toying with him, as it was with everyone else replying to that voicepost. However, he couldn't dispel that tiny hopeful voice in him saying that maybe, maybe, the network wasn't as sadistic as it was.
You're too naive, Zabuza had said to him once, before telling him to sharpen the kunai in the bag. Haku had been seven at the time, and one of the kids staying down the street from the house where Zabuza lived (or, rather, slept in every now and then) had offered him candy. The other boy made a show of slowly taking the cellophane-wrapped sweet from his pocket and, just before it touched the palm of Haku's hand, the other boy grinned wickedly and popped it in his mouth. Haku merely smiled at the boy and watched him run back to his friends and reminded himself that it was okay even though it hurt, because he didn't need anyone else except Zabuza-san.
In some ways, he was still naive and hopeful as he had been eight years ago, moreso now that he had to rely on hope to pull himself together and stay strong. However, relying on hope too much was a double-edged sword: there was always, always the possibility of betrayal.
What was snatched from him wasn't a shallow offer of 'friendship'. It wasn't something he could brush off with a smile on his face and the certainty that his guardian would still be there when he woke up. A young girl that he cared for had been missing for weeks, and any kind of information about her whereabouts was something he was almost desperate to find. That was why he had been strongly affected by the network's baiting, even if he had already known he was being toyed with.
It didn't help that the network had called him 'Haku-mama' with Sakura's voice. That only emphasized how long he hadn't heard from her, with her heart-warming smile and cheerful laugh...
There was a mechanical beep from the computer. Haku looked up and saw his mother smiling at him from the monitor's shattered glass.
"At least no one died this time," she said. "You'd think, after all those years, you'd learn to control that particular reaction."
Haku could only look on in shock as the image of his mother (images of his mother, plural, for one of the ice spikes had split the computer display down the middle) tapped her (their) chin thoughtfully, as she always had done whenever she was in a playful mood.
"Then again, it's understandable why you'd be this angry -- you did promise to protect her that day when you two met, didn't you?" Their smiles cruelly twisted into vicious smirks. "This is the second time you've broken a promise to someone you cherish. What do you think will happen if there's a third time?"
The words hit him him like a knife thrown then twisted in his gut coupled with a sledgehammer to the head. He had betrayed Zabuza with his weakness. Already he was betraying Sakura in not being able to find her. What would happen if he also failed Kakashi, who had entrusted his entire well-being and sanity to Haku?
The image on the glass flickered and disappeared, but its soft metallic laughter continued to resound in his ears.