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Zabuza spent the night sleeping on and off thinking of how he’d spar Ann. He’d never gone against someone so small, and he’d never gone against a weaker opponent without the intention to kill unless he needed to interrogate them as well. He heard Ann roll over and saw her curl up.
Zabuza~Must be cold.
He pulled out a sheet and laid it over her, watching her relax.
Zabuza~At least it won’t be hard to pull punches for her…
He quietly sighed when he realized what he admitted to himself.
Zabuza~I’m getting soft…What did you do to me, brat?
He ran his fingers through her hair again.

Zabuza~Alright, brat, I’ll go slow because it’ll be your first fight. Can’t learn anything if I don’t give you a chance. However, you need to throw everything at me. *Smirks* You won’t hit me anyway
Ann~Hey!
Zabuza~Keep showing that drive you had the other day. I’ll make sure you can grow. If you slack off, I’ll force it out of you. We go for as long as you can keep getting up.
Ann~What happens when I can't get up?
Zabuza~Time to go home.
Ann~That’s it? No catch?
Zabuza~You’ll likely get injured if you’re not careful. Rest days are important for training too.
Ann~I won’t get hurt!
Zabuza~Show me then, brat.
He lowered his stance to accommodate her size. Ann took out a kunai and charged at him.

They fought. Zabuza pulled punches to not floor Ann, and Ann did what she could to try to hit him. The basic forms he made her practice came naturally to her, but it also forced her to stop part way or take a hit because Zabuza used it to anticipate her moves.
Zabuza~The forms I showed you are building blocks to fight. You have to anticipate the enemy’s moves otherwise this happens.
He blocked her and punched her down, barely containing a wince from his face.
Zabuza~Too hard. Get up.
Ann~This isn’t fair!
Zabuza~I’m already holding back, and I already told you the rules. Now get up
He threw a kunai at her that landed too close for comfort, even though he knew it wouldn’t hit her. Ann scooted backwards in a panic to avoid the knife, not knowing he meant to miss.
Ann~That’s too close!
Zabuza~And I waited long enough. Your enemy would’ve killed you already. Stand on your feet and attack.
She growled and grabbed the kunai. As she got up, she threw the knife and started to run at him. Zabuza blocked the kunai and was about to redirect Ann when his attention was pulled to the left. She had made a water clone and it came to attack. He didn’t even have a moment to be proud that she figured out how to make it fight before he threw the clone at Ann. He watched her stumble backwards and get soaked.
Zabuza~Stop pausing to lick your wounds. You don’t get that chance until you end–
Another clone had tackled into his side, making him take a few steps to recover balance. He threw the clone down before stomping it into water. Zabuza turned back to face her when he heard Ann running at him again. He’ll need to correct her frontal approach soon, or at least give her better tools and strategies for it.

They continued for a short while longer and Ann was actually making him work to keep his eyes on her because of the clones. The last one he saw he threw two kunai at it, expecting it to collapse while Ann came at him from a different angle. Instead, it screamed. His scowl hid the guilt.
******** you!
She dropped down, holding back tears, holding her left arm and keeping her right leg straight.
Zabuza~Stop swearing
He came over to inspect the wounds, but didn’t reprimand her for cursing again. She earned this one.
Zabuza~Are you done or am I carrying you again?
Ann pouted~Will you carry me anyway?
Zabuza~yeah. Don’t touch the knives. I don’t want you making it worse.
He grabbed the bag and first aid kit. He shouldn’t have done serious damage, at least nothing life threatening, but since he expected a clone, the wounds will likely leave a scar once it heals.
Ann~Why did you do that? *sniff* You said you’d hold back…
Zabuza~You made me lose track of you. You really think I wanted to hurt you like this?
Ann~Sometimes…
He rolled his eyes
Zabuza~It’s no fun if it’s not on purpose.
Ann~What do you mean fun?!
She missed the point that it was an accident.
Zabuza~When you like someone enough, or don’t like them, you make a game out of how much damage you can do without actually hurting them.
Ann~That doesn’t make any sense…
Zabuza~It does when you have a sibling.
Ann~Why don’t I have a sibling?
Zabuza~Because there’s no way I’d be able to handle a second brat like you.
It was too soon to tell her that her mother had already passed, and that it was likely her father did too. He only just told her that he was her uncle after all. He wiped the blades clean before packing up the weapons. He then put the bag on.
Zabuza~If I’m carrying you home, you can at least stand up.
She struggled to stand, not being able to put weight on her leg or arm the way she usually could. Ann adjusted and was eventually able to get to her feet. Once she was up, Zabuza picked her up and started for home.
Ann~Did you really lose track of me?
Zabuza~Yeah. Keep that up. You also need to learn to avoid my attacks better.

Ann eventually fell asleep against him, which made it easier to sneak back into town and get home. He replaced the jutsus that Mei had given him before dropping the bag and taking Ann to the bathroom. She was startled awake when he turned the faucet on.
Ann groaning~More sleep uncle…
He still didn’t like being called uncle.
Zabuza~If you don’t get cleaned up your wounds might get infected. Do you understand?
Ann~Yesss…
He put her down to undress as he checked the temperature.
Ann~Zabi, help?
Zabuza~Hm? Why?
When he turned, he saw her struggling with the bandage over her pant leg.
Zabuza~Ah…Com’here.
He tore it open and helped remove the rest of her clothes before placing her in the tub. She hissed.
Zabuza~Too hot?
Ann~Stings.
Zabuza~It’s going to hurt when I clean it. I’ll warn you.
She pouted but nodded anyway. Zabuza carried on with her bath, being sure to clean her hair thoroughly and any caked on dirt he found.
Zabuza~Alright, stand so you can rinse and so I can clean the wounds.
Ann~Okay. I can go back to sleeping after?
Zabuza steadied her as she stood. He drained the tub and started the shower.
Zabuza~Make sure you dress first. I’m cleaning the one on your leg first. I’m right next to you. Don’t scream if you can help it.
She braced herself as he cleaned the open wound, and groaned when he started scrubbing. The soap didn’t help either. It was the same when he did her arm.
Zabuza~There. That’s all clean. Out.
He helped her out of the tub and wrapped her in a towel.
Zabuza~Finish drying off and get dressed. I’m going to clean up first then bandage you. I won’t be long.
Ann~What if I fall asleep waiting?
Zabuza~You fall asleep then. I want you dressed.
Ann~Okay, Zabi.
She walked out drying her hair and headed to their room. Ann wrapped the towel around her hair and got dressed, nodding off a few times. She pulled off the towel from her hair and left it on the floor to lie down on the bed, immediately falling asleep and snoring as Zabuza walked in.
Zabuza~If only I could fall asleep like that…
He got dressed and grabbed the big medical kit to tend to Ann.
Zabuza~How did I lose track of her? Were those clones shuffling with her better than I thought?
He had to put two stitches in each stab wound because of how deep they were. He also opted to use closure strips rather than top stitches in an attempt at minimizing the resulting scar. No reason to keep poking her without numbing her first. Thankfully he managed not to cut into the bone. He wouldn't know what he’d do if she actually needed a medical professional’s help.

He finished wrapping her wounds, thankful that she decided to wear shorts to bed. Zabuza sat back a moment, and looked down at his side. He was starting to bruise. It was a slight discoloration and wouldn’t get any darker.
Zabuza~She could have stabbed me. She should have stabbed me. Why didn’t you go all out like I said?
He cleaned up, putting things back and tossing trash, then moved Ann under the sheets and laid down with her.
Zabuza~Don’t get too used to these comforts yet, Ann. You have about a year left before you’re allowed to be spoiled. I have a year left with you…
He pulled her close and kissed her head
Zabuza~What the hell did you do to me?