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The three of them spent the day taking turns sparring each other. Haku focused on his forms, movement, and strength, while Ann focused on control, masking strength, and expressing strength in short bursts.
Zabuza was starting to get a good read on both of them. He thought about making them team up against him on the next spar. But the next day instead. They had regular breaks throughout the day, but he had drilled them hard on what they each needed to refine.
So that night, much to Ann's displeasure, they went over anatomy for Haku to learn.
Ann~Why are we doing book work???
Zabuza~I already told you, Haku needs to learn it too. You teaching him doubles as a review.
Haku~You already explained some of that to me, Ann. Remember?
Ann~Yeah…but it's boring.
Haku~Well, is there anything that you find interesting?
Ann~There's one but Zabuza didn't teach it and we already made a deal to not discuss it.
Haku~Why is that?
Zabuza~This is talking about it. Move on.
She rolled her eyes and he smacked her.
Haku~Do you do that often to correct her, Zabuza?
Zabuza~Yes. It's all encompassing. Ann, I thought you liked the respiratory system?
Ann~No, it was the circulatory system. You don’t listen.
Zabuza~I remember you saying you liked the heart.
Ann~Yeah, because it's the strongest organ second to the brain. *quietly* Sometimes you seem brainless…
Zabuza smacked her again.
Zabuza~I heard that, brat.
Ann was about to tackle Zabuza had Haku not spoken up.
Haku~Ann, what about the heart do you like?
Ann~Hmph…I like that it works hard and never tires. Even the brain needs to sleep to work properly. The heart just keeps going.
Haku~Is there a reason for that?
Ann started to answer, then paused. She hadn't considered that before.
Zabuza~Haku is almost philosophical…But it seems it stems from being analytical and logical. I might have a hard time keeping him engaged if his attention span is as short as Ann's. He's a bit older though, so I could be lucky. Haku, do you know anything about the circulatory system?
Haku~Ann has told me that it's the flow of blood throughout the body.
Zabuza~Accurate generality of the system's process.
Haku~Uh huh…That was too many big words…
Zabuza studied his face for a moment. Haku nodded along, but Zabuza saw the blank stare in his eyes that told a different story to the blank expression on his face. The stare was the same look that Ann gave to him when she stopped listening because he got too technical.
Zabuza~What you said is an okay answer.
The boy blushed.
Haku~O-oh. Th-thank you.
Ann~I don't know why.
Haku~Huh?
Ann~Why I like the heart. I don't know.
Zabuza~You can think more about it while you explain what the heart does in the system.
Ann groaned again but started talking. Zabuza occasionally filled in any gaps or vocabulary she was skimping on, but for the most part he didn't interfere. Even Haku's questioning to further explain something helped her memory and understanding better than he could. Zabuza already knew her way of thinking, so he would easily make connections that someone like Haku wouldn't
At some point Zabuza handed them dinner without pausing. Neither of them noticed enough to pause the anatomy lesson, but they ate as they continued.
Once they finished dinner, Zabuza took their bentos.
Zabuza~Wrap it up. It's about time to sleep.
Ann~Oh. Already?
Zabuza~We've been at it for almost two hours.
Ann~Oh…uhhh…I lost my train of thought…
Haku~You were talking about caterpillars?
Ann~Caterpillars?...Oh! Capillaries! They're the tiniest of the blood vessels. They're as big as a single blood cell to exchange gasses before going back to the heart and lungs.
Haku~Oh. Capillaries.
Zabuza~Both of you, lay down. Tomorrow we're doing some more sparring.

The following morning, Zabuza woke the kids up one at a time to relieve themselves separately. After that, he gave each of them a piece of fruit.
Ann~This is breakfast?
Zabuza~You’re earning breakfast by sparring me.
Haku~Me too?
Zabuza~That's right.
Ann~So if we beat you, we get to eat?
Zabuza~Essentially
Ann~Rules?
Zabuza~You and I will match to Haku's strength. No chakra nor jutsus.
Haku~But wouldn't it make more sense to fight as you do? You're fighting both of us.
Zabuza~Possible, but not right now. Remember that Ann needs to learn to fake weakness and you're not able to defend or evade properly against jutsus yet. Also, the point isn't for me to switch fighting styles between the two of you. That'd be difficult to pull off with their skill difference anyway…
Haku~Oh…
Ann~But if Haku manages to scale up, then we can too, right?
Zabuza~The rule was to match his strength.
Ann~That's not a yes or no though!
He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
Zabuza~Yes, stupid brat. Yes, you can scale up if he improves mid-spar.
Ann~Don't call me stupid!
Zabuza~Extrapolate information then!
Ann~I don't know what that means!
Zabuza~Figure it out!
Ann~I can't figure it out if you don't give me more information!
Zabuza growled
Zabuza~That's not– Nevermind!
He signaled for the two to follow him to the lake. Ann was pouting the whole walk at the dismissal, and Haku was still unsure of how to keep them from escalating.
Zabuza~Ready?
They both nodded. Zabuza moved first, aiming to knock Ann down and throw Haku when he got near. Instead though, he watched Ann kick the boy out of the way and duck around to close the distance.
Haku had recovered and tried to come in to support Ann, but before he got to his feet Zabuza had thrown Ann into him, getting knocked down again.
Haku~Ow…Are you okay?
Ann~What the hell, Zabuza?!
Zabuza~Use each other for support. Otherwise you’ll just get thrown around or whatever bullshit protection that was gets used against you instead.
Ann huffed as she got off of Haku. As they reset their positioning, Zabuza started to wonder how well they can work together now that he’s told them what he expected.

Zabuza did his best to set up openings for them to team up together, but they either ran into each other or Ann became more dominant in her attack. He was going to stop them after an hour anyways, but throwing Haku into Ann again made them stop out of his terms.
Ann~This is ******** bullshit!
Zabuza pulled Haku up then gave her a firm smack
Zabuza~We've talked about the swearing
Ann~No! You keep throwing us around like trash! How the ******** can we beat you if you keep doing that?!
He hit her again
Ann~Stop it!
Zabuza~Stop swearing and stop yelling at me.
Ann~You’re not my dad!
Tears ran down her face now. Something in Zabuza's chest pulled when he heard it. He knew she was upset, but it didn't hurt any less. He never once thought about the father figure role he stepped into, and he never considered familial titles seriously either. Only recently did he get used to her calling him ‘uncle’ or even ‘uncle Zabi’ at her childish insistence. That distinction deeply bothered him in a way he never expected. His voice was softer than he intended when he spoke.
Zabuza~Get up. Time to eat.
He tried to help her up, but she pulled away. That pull in his chest turned into a twist.
Haku~Zabuza?
Zabuza~Come when you're ready.
He walked back to their things, leaving the two to follow at their pace. Ann had pulled her knees to her chest
Haku~Ann? Are you okay?
She shook her and tried not to cry any more than she already was.
Haku~Will you come?
She shook her head.
Haku~Do you want me to stay?
She shrugged
Haku~Are you hungry?
She shook her head again.
Haku~Okay…I'll come back.
Ann nodded and he followed Zabuza. When Haku sat down, he was handed a bento.
Haku~What happened?
Zabuza~I went too far. She did too.
Haku~Are you okay?
Zabuza~Yeah. Barely. As much as I want to leave, I can't. I don't want her to feel abandoned if I take them home now and go on a mission to relieve tension for myself…I never expected that truth to hurt this bad…
They quietly ate together. When Haku finished and got up, Zabuza gave him another bento.
Haku~What–
Zabuza~She should be hungry now. I'll be here when she's ready. All I can do for now is wait until she's done sulking.
Haku watched him pull out a couple kunai knives from the bag and a stone. He walked back to Ann as Zabuza started to run the stone along the first blade's edge.

Haku sat with Ann and placed the bento in front of her.
Haku~What happened?
Ann~I don't know…
She sniffed and wiped her eyes.
Haku~Do you want to talk about it?
She curled tighter and shook her head.
Ann~He hates me…
Haku~Zabuza? You think he hates you?
She nodded and choked back a sob.
Haku~Why do you think that?
Ann~He left! He said he'd never leave!
She kicked the bento away. Haku turned to look for him. He only just left the man, but he said that he was going to stay by the bag. Turns out that Zabuza was making his way over already. Had he heard her?
When Haku moved to give Zabuza some room to come between them, Ann screamed and latched onto him
Ann~Don't leave me too!
Haku~I-I'm not
Zabuza~Ann…
She gasped and turned to him
Ann~Zabi!
She wailed and cried into his chest as he pulled her into his lap.
Zabuza~I didn't leave you, Ann. I'm right here. I’ve already told you, I’m not leaving you. Why are you so worried about being abandoned? Is it from your parents’ death or from having to go to the Leaf in the spring?
He patted Haku's head and signaled him to get the kicked bento. Once it was picked up, they made their way back to the bag, Ann still crying in Zabuza's arms. Zabuza sat against a tree so he could lean back a little as she continued.
Haku~What now?
Zabuza~Let her finish. Go from there. Get some rest while you can if you like.
Both kids ended up falling asleep, and Zabuza couldn't put Ann down without her waking up enough to resume her crying. So he sat.

Zabuza ended up falling asleep too. He stirred awake because of Ann sliding to one side and getting kicked when she tried to adjust.
Zabuza~Hey. Are you okay?
He felt her shake her head.
Zabuza~Do you want to go home?
She shrugged. He quietly sighed. She might have regressed again if she doesn’t make any choices soon.
Zabuza~If you want chocolate to feel better, we will need to go home.
She shook her head again.
Zabuza~Okay. Do you want to eat now?
She hiccupped but still nodded.
Zabuza~You'll need to let go so I can grab a bento.
Ann hesitated, but she let go after a few moments. As he was up to grab her a bento, he saw that Haku was still asleep, so he left him to rest. Ann needed his attention anyway. Zabuza sat back down, and she pressed against him and took the container to eat.
Zabuza~Do you want to talk?
Ann~No…
Zabuza~Alright. Just let me know.
He leaned back against the tree again and rested his hand on her waist. Hopefully she'll tell him what's on her mind.

The rest of the day was quiet. Ann made no attempt to continue training, and neither did she attempt to talk to Zabuza. He continued on with training Haku though, and positioned himself to keep Ann in his peripherals.
Haku~Will she be okay?
Zabuza~Yeah. She will. She just needs a bit of time.
Haku~And you?
He almost scowled
Zabuza~I'm fine. He seems to be more perceptive than I thought. That's both useful and annoying.

By evening, Zabuza decided to start heading home. Ann wasn’t interested in continuing their training, for now at least. Luckily it was a short session anyways, so going back a day early isn’t a big deal to his plans for them. Ann still got a new jutsu, and Haku has a basic understanding of fighting.
When they got home, Zabuza sent Ann to take a bath first while he had Haku help him with making dinner. Then he made Haku bathe when Ann came into the kitchen.
Zabuza~Are you doing any better?
He saw her shrug, and he sighed.
Zabuza~I want to talk about this morning.
Ann shook her head.
Zabuza~You don’t need to talk right now then. I know I pushed too hard. I expected too much without giving you more instructions.
He picked her up and carried her on his side as he continued cooking. Ann wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder.
Zabuza~I focused too much on the wrong thing when I corrected you. I should have listened to your complaint better.
He turned slightly to check her facial expression, then he leaned his head onto hers briefly to kiss her cheek before returning his attention to their dinner. Then he heard her sniffle and hugged him tighter.
Ann~I’m sorry, Zabi…I love you…
Zabuza~I know you didn’t mean what you said. I lo–
He caught himself, but he didn’t want to stop. He just couldn’t bring himself to say it still. It started to annoy him that he could physically dote on her all day but didn’t have the capacity to verbally express it.
Zabuza~I do too, Ann.