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A few weeks had passed since Zabuza told Ann about his past. She took it well enough, but the first few days were rough.
Ann didn’t mean to be cold, but she still avoided him. She moved to another room if he stayed longer than a few minutes.
Zabuza didn’t force her to stay anywhere he was nor did he linger in the same room she was already in if he didn’t have to be there long. It annoyed him that she couldn’t voice what was wrong, but her hands were scratch free and there were no obvious markings of her picking at anywhere else. At least he didn’t need to intervene that tic while she was trying to hide from him.
The breakthrough with her coming back around was when she had a night terror. He was at her side in seconds and she clung to him all night. Zabuza didn't get much sleep, but she slept through the rest of the night and that's all that mattered to him.
The next morning and the following days, Ann wouldn’t tell him what she dreamed about, using the excuse of she didn't remember, but she had finally stopped changing rooms when he was present, so he wasn't going to make it into a big deal.
Haku on his part helped the two Momochis speak to each other. They didn't realize it, but they were speaking through him when they needed the other to do something. It was tense, but they weren't hostile with each other at least. Zabuza also seemed to relax a little when he clung to him because Ann wouldn't until that night terror.

Now that they were close enough to their normal again, Zabuza decided he could teach Ann one more jutsu.
They were at the beach, and Ann and Zabuza were at the shore while Haku was training to use his ice mirrors.
Ann~Am I practicing to use Pookie again?
Zabuza quietly took a breath. He still didn't like the name she chose for her dragon. It wasn't that she named the dragon, she did that with anything she played with, it was the name she went with. She's named pancakes with vague faces with more normal names than pookie.
Zabuza~No, brat. One last jutsu to protect yourself with.
Ann~The last one? But…
Zabuza~Yeah. Last one that I can teach you that's useful in a fight.
Ann~So, what about outside of a fight?
Zabuza~There's one that you might find useful. Remind me when we go home.
She nodded.
Zabuza~This jutsu is going to be the toughest one yet. The dragon takes up a lot of chakra as it is, but this one might use all of your chakra because of how powerful it is.
Ann~Will it use all of yours?
Zabuza~Depending on how big I decide to make it, yes. It has the potential. I'll make a small one. This jutsu is called the Water Vortex. Watch the signs.
Ann followed along and copied the hand seals he made, then watched the water gather together until it was as big as a house before jutting out.
Ann~That's small?
Zabuza chuckled~Yeah, so it has a lot of potential for destruction. Use it as a last resort otherwise you could hurt yourself too.
Ann~Then why teach it to me?
Zabuza~Because if someone stronger than me attacks you, you can always get away if you catch them by surprise at knowing this kind of jutsu.
He patted her head.
Zabuza~Give it a try. If you can make it as big as yourself, that's mastery enough. If you make it any bigger than me, you over did it.
Ann nodded and built up her chakra as she made the hand signs. When she released the jutsu, her vortex was barely half her size and didn't go more than a few feet.
Zabuza~Not bad for a first attempt.
Ann~That was so much effort…Why is it so hard?
Zabuza~Like the name implies, it's a vortex. The water is supposed to spin. You're not making it do that.
Ann~How do I make it spin?
Zabuza~How do you do that in the bathtub?
Ann~Oh…huh….
She thought for a few moments before trying it again. This time, the vortex spun a little bit, but it was enough to go a few feet further than her last attempt.
Ann~That was still hard…
Zabuza~But was it as hard as the first one you made?
Ann~Not to push it out. But gathering the water is still hard.
Zabuza~Does it feel like prison jutsu?
Ann~Oh! I can do that.
He smacked her head.
Ann~What?! I didn't do anything!
Zabuza~Don’t overdo it like the prison jutsu. You used too much chakra that time.
Ann~I wasn't gonna…
Zabuza~Sure you weren't. Keep practicing. I'm going to check on Haku's progress. If you overdo it, you're doing book work until you recover. You're not exhausting your chakra again. Ane might do more than visit you in your dreams to pass a message to me again…

Zabuza came to where Haku was training. He saw there were a dozen mirrors, almost double than the last time the boy summoned them.
Haku slipped out of the mirror closest to Zabuza.
Haku~Yes?
Zabuza~Your chakra control has improved substantially compared to when we first started training. Faster than Ann and better than her as well.
Haku blushed. He knew that, but he didn't expect Zabuza to verbalize it.
Zabuza~Is this the most you can make while maintaining your speed between the mirrors?
Haku~For now, yes.
Zabuza hummed at his response, then summoned a clone.
Zabuza~Let's see it. Give me your all.
The clone walked into the mirror dome, and Haku stepped back inside the pane of ice. Within seconds Haku took out the water clone and exited his ice mirror.
Zabuza~You move faster than a normal person can react, however I can still see how you're moving and the feedback from the clone confirms it. You’re too linear and you don't utilize all of the mirrors you made.
Haku~I…I am?
Zabuza nodded and pointed at the mirrors.
Zabuza~You go between these three and the ones directly across, completely ignoring the others on the side and the ones at the top. If you have multiple enemies trapped, one is bound to escape.
He patted Haku's head.
Zabuza~Just because you can overwhelm someone with speed, that doesn't mean you can solely rely on that gimmick. I'm trying to make Ann realize that same thing with her strength. That's why we train.
Haku~Yes, Zabuza. I'll do better.
Zabuza~I know. What do you hear from Ann?
Haku~Sounds like she's frustrated…Is she doing the water prison again?
Zabuza~New jutsu, the Water Vortex. What's her complaint?
Haku~She's having a hard time gathering and…spinning? Spinning the water? Huh?
Zabuza~A vortex is like a whirlpool. It needs to swirl.
Haku~Ohh. That– That makes sense…I should have known that. It's in the name.
Zabuza~How easily can you form your ice needles now? Do you still need a water source?
Haku~No, but I'm still limited on how many I can make.
He raised his hand and closed his fingers around several ice needles that formed in his hand.
Zabuza~That's still good for when you run out of your needles. How about your other jutsu? What was it…a Thousand Flying Water Needles?
Haku~Yes, that's right, Zabuza. I still can't make enough needles yet, even with a water source…
Zabuza~You don’t have to literally make a thousand, you know…No one is gonna count your needles
Haku~I know, Zabuza…But I…I want to be able to have that many.
Zabuza smirked at his ambition. Even a few hundred needles was impressive with how old he is and the kind of control that was needed to form each one of them. He didn't doubt that Haku could do it either. He just wants him to pace himself in growth, otherwise he could burn himself out and end up like Ann when she exhausted her chakra.
He turned a bit and saw her fire off another vortex, going even further than before, before dropping on her butt. He called to her.
Zabuza~Take a 15 minute break, brat. You'll use too much chakra again.
He watched her wave her hand and flop to her back. Zabuza rolled his eyes.
Haku~It's a relief that she's returning to herself again…
Zabuza grunted in agreement. However, things were going almost too smoothly. Hopefully he didn't just jinx anything for realizing that.