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Zabuza thought that his sister calling him would be about a mission. It wasn’t, when she finally asked him her request. Had it been a mission, he could have done it easily, and quickly. 8 different ways to kill a man; 20 if he tried.
But as strong as he was, his elder sister could still sit on him without breaking a sweat. He couldn’t say no even if he tried.
Zabuza~Ok, I'm here. What do you want?
Ane~Zabuza! Great! I want you to babysit Ann for me. Here I even wrote how you're supposed to spell it
Zabuza~I thought you said her name was Ann?!
Ane~It's short for Annaliesalayoshi. Now please watch her. It's only for about a week
Zabuza~why me?!
He was beyond annoyed. He couldn’t figure out which was worse: if this was another convoluted plan or the lack of one.
Ane~come on little brother, of all the things I've asked from you, this is the most important
Zabuza~No way. I am not taking care of some child. You know I'm the one they always call for missions. And I only just turned 14 a few months ago! What makes you think I’d be good for this?
Ane~But Zabuza...please...you know Auron is on a mission of his own and I'm going on one soon
Her face softened. They wrote, but it took weeks between letters to exchange. Auron’s last few messages to her sounded like they were getting dire, as they were coming more frequently, clearly sent without waiting for her replies.
Zabuza~But still why me? I can't even pronounce the kid's name
Ane~That's why you just use her nickname. She's practically almost always sleeping the whole day, so she'll be easy to take care of. Just…make sure you remember to feed her every couple hours.
Zabuza sarcasticly~Oh yeah and you expect me to naturally know how to change a diaper?
Ane~Just remember to powder the diaper to avoid diaper rash. That happens she'll be crying and that'll ruin your figure even more
Zabuza sighed in defeat
Ane~It'll only be until I get back from my mission
Zabuza~And that'll be when?
Ane~If you were listening in about a week. Until then, please be good to her
Zabuza~And what should I do if you do get KIA’d?
Ane~Well first off obviously train her...then...if you could...have her go to the Leaf?
She was hesitant. It was such a big ask after all, bigger than just asking him to babysit for a few days.
Zabuza~Why there? They’re spoiled. Even with the Fox attack leveling them *snicker*
Ane~Sadly they’re just more stable compared to here. And remember what we had to do for the academy? She's too sweet for that...and I already made Yagura agree to destroy any evidence that she existed.
She gently put her baby in Zabuza's arms, showing him how to support her.
Zabuza~But I still don't see why it has to be me...Why can’t she exist?
Ane~Just till I'm back, little brother. You really expect me to ask Fuguki or Juzo to watch her? And it's so she'll have a better future than us. We're doing fine now but something's eating at me that it won't last...
Zabuza~rrgghh you owe me big time
He resisted hitting her. She’d find a way to floor him and still keep the brat safe.
Ane~Alright alright, thanks so much
Zabuza~Anything else I need to know about?
Ane~Yeah...few things...
She left for a moment, then came back with a baby bag
Ane~Diapers and powder are already in there, as well as her bottles and formula powder. 3 ounces shouldn’t be too much, but you can always give her a bit more if she’s still hungry. Just not too much or else she'll puke it out...well she'll do that anyway so no big deal. She has a set of clothes here which is just basically shirts, shorts, and a few dresses. Then she has some ribbons that'll look adorable on her. Remember to take pictures, ok?
Zabuza sighed and took the bag. She was normally reckless and seldom overprepared for it. The child certainly changed his sister.
Zabuza~All this had better be worth it sis...If there isn’t anything else, I'm leaving now...
Ane~Take care, and please don't do anything stupid.
She wanted to say more, but stopped herself.
Zabuza~Yeah yeah I won't
Ane~I'm serious. You know it’s only us now with mom and dad KIA’d last year...And if you were there when I wrote her birth certificate, you'd know that you're her godfather
Zabuza~Look, do you want me to take her in or not cuz I don't need you nagging at me still
He wasn’t sure why a legacy would matter to her.
Ane~I'm sorry...I just don't want her getting hurt...
Zabuza~It’ll happen anyway as she gets older. Bye, Ane
Ane~Bye...
She kissed her daughter and hugged him goodbye, lingering a bit longer than she wanted to.
Then they left her home.
Zabuza didn’t turn back.
Her bad feeling worsened.

His walk home was quiet. The child didn’t stir the whole way back, and the only indication that he even still had her was the ache that started to build in his shoulder. Even packing for extended missions wasn’t this taxing on him for only a 20-minute walk. Once he arrived home, he lay Ann down and was amazed she hadn’t woken yet.
Zabuza~Now what? Stupid brat’s gonna take and stink up my bed...then later on she'll be a pain in the a** running and screaming around the house...
He glared at her a bit longer. Then Ann opened her eyes and yawned. She cooed like any baby would and raised her arms out from her bundle
Zabuza~Not gonna happen kid...
She screamed louder
Zabuza~How old are you anyway?
She just screamed again and babbled on. Zabuza sighed
Zabuza~Bottle? Pacifier? Something? Ugh...damn baby...
He slowly left in case she started crying and made her a bottle. After, he held it for her till she fell back asleep
Zabuza~This is gonna be long week...and I hope it won't be longer than that
A few minutes passed in complete silence. She had stopped nursing, and didn’t move when he took away the bottle. At least he didn’t have to deal with her crying.
Zabuza went back to the kitchen and came back with something small to eat. She hadn’t moved, which was good. But she hasn’t moved, and he didn’t see her chest move either.
He glared at her again, waiting and watching to see if she was actually breathing. The seconds ticked, and she was just too still.
Giving up, mainly because he didn’t want his sister to give him s**t for it, he gave her a nudge.
She frowned, making him scoff and roll his eyes, before letting out a wail.
Zabuza growled and cursed himself for worrying.