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frostmarris · 7 years

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[Chapter One]

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summary: The locals are strange and there’s something about the lake that just does not sit right with her. Odd shapes caught in photos and eyes under the water - Sakura isn’t so sure she wants to get to the bottom of this mystery.

pairings: KisaSaku, ChojuSaku, SuiSaku, possible? ZabuSaku, and some platonic HakuSaku. maybe some others by the end.

notes: a small spooky fic im doing for halloween, featuring some kiri boys and sakuraaaa. hope you enjoy!

“And you’re sure none of the neighbors are secretly axe murderers, one wrong word away from chopping me up and using the bits for fish bait?”

A pause.

“It’s a left onto Greengrove, right?” Sakura frowned at her windshield, squinting at an upcoming sign and waited for a reply. She nudged her scarf down slightly and pursed her lips, resisting the urge to tap her phone screen and make sure the call hadn’t ended.

“Well, Zabuza has definitely killed a man, but I can’t vouch for the others. And, yes, a left onto Greengrove.”

“Hakuuu!” She could hear his laugh through the speakers of her car and she shot a glare down at her cell, groaning under her breath while she could practically hear the amused smile in his voice. “I’m being serious, Haku. If I get murdered, my death is on your hands.”

She’d been driving for a little over three and a half hours, the city and her cozy apartment far behind as she traveled deeper into the countryside and into the woods. The sun was high in the sky by now, the rays breaking through the canopy overhead and dotting her path with pretty beams, but each glimpse of the sky she spotted was marbled with the bleak colors of a November chill. The road she was following was fairly well-maintained and the small town she’d passed through only about ten minutes ago, before entering the forest proper, had seemed relatively pleasant enough, but it had been nearly a year since her last visit to Haku’s lakehouse and she still insisted that the location was spooky.

Lake Kiri, oh so appropriately named, was perpetually shrouded in mist and fog, rarely clearing even in the middle of summer, and she was not looking forward to housesitting the lakeside home for three weeks. But, she owed her friend a favor and the location could provide some nice shots for her portfolio.

Adjusting the heater, Sakura turned onto the next road and allowed her frown to deepen, imagining the pretty young man’s amused face clearly in her mind.

“I’m just joking, Sakura; don’t worry.” He gave another muffled chuckle at her derisive snort and continued. “Zabuza is ex-military and my other neighbor is a police officer. Even if a serial killer were to pop up on the lake, you’d be perfectly safe.”

She held back her mumble of “I bet the cop thing is just an act and they keep their victims in their basement,” and sighed, continuing down the road until it branched again. Flicking on her blinker on reflex, Sakura turned right onto a well-tread rocky road and took a sip of lukewarm coffee from her thermos.

“Fine, but I’m not socializing with the locals.”

“Aw,” Came Haku’s equally pretty voice, “I’m sure you’ll like Zabuza well enough when you meet him. He’s supposed to drop off a- Oh!”

She glanced down at her phone when he cut himself off suddenly, both wondering what had caught his attention and what he’d meant by meeting one of his neighbors.

“I think I see your car! I’ll meet you outside, hang on.”

Sakura could only let out a short hum of agreement before Haku ended the call and she broke through the tree line.

The road melted into a driveway that led up to the nice-looking house, the lawn lush with green grass and a few trees standing tall outside the building. Behind it, Sakura could see the lake – her lips thinning at the sight of rolling wisps of fog – and the small boathouse off to the side. The ground sloped up slightly, leading to the house, and Sakura could vividly remember the living room inside that looked out over the lake, part of the house supported by sturdy framework as it extended out over the water. Just as he’d said, Haku was waiting outside, standing on the porch and waving in greeting as she pulled up next to his jeep.

He quickly ran towards her when she parked, skipping the last two steps, a bright smile on his face and his enviously-long, black hair pulled up into a bun. The moment she stepped out of her car, she was tackled into a hug and nearly knocked over by the taller boy.

“It’s so good to see you!” A pause as he pulled back to look her over, holding her at arm’s-length. “You cut your hair!”

Smiling sheepishly, Sakura reached up to run her fingers through her pixie cut before dropping her hand to play with her scarf. “It’s only been a month since you were in Konoha! And, yeah, the hair is... well, it’s new.”

Haku gave a soft laugh and reached up to ruffle her hair, his brown eyes sparkling and excited.

“I like it! It’s cute.” At her pleased smile, he continued. “And I only got to visit for a day last time. I missed you, Sakura.”

Bright smile returning, Haku quickly pulled her close for another hug and pecked her cheek before moving to help her grab her luggage, chatting happily as they approached his house.

“I’ve got a couple hours before I need to get going so we can hang out for a bit, and, I promise, I’ll treat you to dinner as thanks when I get back.”

“Sounds like a deal.” Bulky camera bag slung over her shoulder, Sakura followed Haku up the porch and locked her car behind her, the tips of her ears turning red in response to the chill in the air.

“Seriously, I can’t thank you enough for this, Sakura. Usually I’m fine with leaving the house by itself – Zabuza stops by to water my plants if I’m gone for a while – but this is longest trip I’ve taken yet and I can’t take the rabbits with me nor do I want to leave them with someone else for so long.”

As if on cue, and no more than two steps past the door, two small masses of fur – one white and one grey – came bounding towards the pair, circling Haku’s feet before pausing next to her, sniffing her pants legs and boots. Smiling, Sakura crouched down and held her hand out, expression brightening when the pair quickly investigated, their noses pressed to her palm before the white rabbit gave her hand a lick, her little black paws on her knee, and the grey bun quickly circled her a couple times.

Haku paused, setting her suitcase aside, and chuckled under his breath as he crouched down as well, stroking the white rabbit.

“Looks like Mochi and Pebble remember you, Sakura. You’re one of the few lucky people they’ve taken a shine to over the years.”

With an amused grin, she reached over to pet Pebble, the smaller of the pair, when she stopped next to her free hand. Sakura’s ran her fingers over the darker grey spots on her forehead before she glanced up at the sound of soft thumps, smile faltering slightly.

Haku’s third and final rabbit, smaller than Mochi but larger than Pebble and covered in black fur marbled with brown spots, was watching them, crouched a few feet away and her brown ear twitching. A little hesitantly, Sakura held out a hand and waited before her expression fell into a deadpan when the bunny simply turned and hopped away, kicking her back feet up at Sakura.

“And Marzipan still hates me.”

Giggling to himself, Haku gave Mochi’s ears a few final scratches before standing and taking Sakura’s arm, leading her further into the house as the rabbits followed after them.

“She’ll warm up to you after you feed her, don’t worry. I think she knows I’m leaving so she’s acting a little passive aggressive. Now! Let’s get you settled in and I’ll make some hot chocolate.”

An hour and a half later found the pair on Haku’s couch, a second batch of hot cocoa in hand and the rabbits lazing around them. With Mochi in her lap, Pebble flopped next to her thigh, and Marzipan tucked under Haku’s knee as he sat cross-legged, Sakura inputted the list of emergency contacts and general numbers of importance into her phone while he flipped through one of her photo portfolios. Absentmindedly stroking the white bun, she glanced up to gaze out the glass doors leading to the small terrace that looked out over the misty lake for a moment before returning her attention to the list, pausing on the last name.

“You mentioned me probably meeting this Zabuza guy, right?” She finally asked as she finished keying in his number. Haku glanced up, expression shifting to one of remembrance before he nodded.

“Oh! Yes, he’s supposed to be dropping off a package for me when he gets back from town later this afternoon. I’ll be gone by then, but he already knows you’ll be here.”

“And who exactly is he again? You’ve mentioned him several times already but I don’t think I know him.”

He smiled at her confused expression, chuckling under his breath before carefully closing her portfolio.

“Zabuza is one of my neighbors – his home is the house closest to mine – and he’s been living on the lake for years longer than I have.” When she nodded in reply, his smiled turned a little more teasing, a playful glint in his eyes. “Big scary guy – could probably crush a man’s skull with just his hands if he tried hard enough. And definitely an axe murderer.”

Sakura sent him an unamused look and he laughed, reaching down to pet Marzipan’s back.

“Kidding, kidding. He’s a little intimidating at first, but a really nice guy once you get to know him. I think you’ll get along.”

Lips pursed, she slowly nodded, leaning back into the couch and smiling fondly when Pebbled shifted, moving to hop up next to Mochi. Sakura hummed under her breath for a moment before glancing over at Haku, eyebrow quirked and her mug of hot chocolate at her lips.

“And what about the other locals? Anyone to... watch out for?”

He reached over to massage the white bunny’s ear and looked thoughtful, turning his gaze out over the lake view.

“Chojuro, the police officer, is my other immediate neighbor and he’s really sweet, if a little shy. Do you still like to take early morning jogs?” At her nod, he continued, leaning back slightly when Marzipan moved out from under his knee and halfway into his lap. “Then you’ll probably meet him if you use the trail that circles the lake – he’s up for runs pretty early in the day.”

A pause as he took a sip of his hot cocoa.

“There are only seven houses around the lake and the two vacant ones are next to each other on the other side of Chojuro’s property. I’ve never personally met Zabuza’s other neighbor, Kisame, but they’re close friends so I hear about him sometimes.” He shrugged, brushing his long, parted bangs over his shoulder. “He works at home and he’s a bit of a recluse, so I doubt you’ll meet him.”

“And the last neighbor?”

Here, Haku’s lips pursed into a frown and he looked back at the lake, expression dry as he pointed into the distance.

“Suigetsu is a... character. He lives on the other side of the lake from me, fortunately. He’s, er... frustrating.” Sighing, he rubbed his forehead, obliging the brown rabbit with chin scratches when she nudged his free hand. “His brother is a lot nicer – more tolerable, at least – but I think he’s in Europe at the moment.”

A dutiful nod.

“So I should keep some pepper spray in hand if I happen to meet a ‘Suigetsu’, got it.”

Haku’s laugh was immediate and he quickly cooed down at the rabbits when they all jumped in surprise, composing himself as he grinned at Sakura.

“No, no! He’s not a bad guy or anything, just a little annoying. Suigetsu keeps to himself usually, so I don’t think you’ll end up meeting him.” She still looked a little dubious and he chuckled under his breath, sending her a lopsided smile. “Every town has that one kooky local – Suigetsu just so happens to fit that bill.”

It was about then that Haku pulled out his own cellphone and checked the time, giving a reluctant sigh as he gently moved Marzipan out of his lap.

“It’s about time I got going.” Lips turning down in a frown as he rose from his spot on the couch, he glanced around and mused aloud. “I already gave you the rabbits’ meal times and showed you where their supplies are...”

“Did you need help loading up your luggage?” Pebble and Mochi begrudgingly hopped out of her lap as Sakura moved to stand as well, all three of buns piling up next to each other as the Haku tried to make sure he wasn’t forgetting anything.

“No, no, I packed up the jeep earlier this morning. You’ve got the vet’s number and you said you still remember their general care routine – what else, what else...”

The pair moved out of the living room, Haku absentmindedly pocketing his phone and wallet, and towards the kitchen, the young man gesturing towards the fridge.

“Everything is pretty stocked up but keep receipts if you do any extra grocery shopping so that I can pay you back.” He quickly pressed his fingers to her lips when she looked like she was going to argue, his smile unfaltering. “And that’s not a request. It’s the least I can do!”

After spending a few moments to show her where various items and appliances were in the kitchen, they headed back towards the front door.

“WiFi password is on the nightstand next to the bed, I showed you where the laundry room is earlier, and, oh! The pizza place in town does deliver, just mention my name when they ask for the address. What am I forgetting?”

They’d finally made it to the door and Haku’s eyebrows were furrowed, his hands patting his pockets before he glanced over at the foyer table next to the entrance and his expression brightened with realization.

“Keys!”

Sakura accepted the ring of keys that he plucked out of a glass bowl on the table, checking a few of them over for a moment to find that they were all labeled. Grabbing his car keys from the bowl as well, Haku reached for a coat hung up on the coat rack next to the foyer table, sending her a smile as he pulled it on.

“House key, key to the boat house – feel free to use it if you’re in the mood for a ride on the lake, and my PO Box key.” The rabbits had joined them at this point, hopping up Haku as they seemed to realize that he was leaving and, smiling softly, he crouched down to offer goodbyes and pets. It was only a few moments later before he finally stood and pulled Sakura in for a hug, pecking her cheek once more.

“Give me a call if anything comes up or if you have any questions, okay?”

Smiling, she quickly returned the hug and moved to open the door for him when they separated, nodding as she replied and pocketed the keys.

“Have fun, Haku, and drive safe. I’ll keep you updated on how things are going!”

He gave a final coo to the buns before finally heading towards his jeep, sending Sakura a wave as he moved to climb in.

“See you in a few weeks, Sakura! And thanks again!”

She was careful not to let the rabbits run out, waving in reply and watching Haku back up and travel down the driveway. She waited until he disappeared through the trees before returning inside, rubbing at her arms to beat back the short chill from outside. The bunnies waited at the door for a few moments longer, Mochi standing up on her hind legs while Pebble and Marzipan sniffed at the bottom of the door, before they finally moved away and followed after her. Sakura shuffled carefully into the living room as the grey rabbit wove between her feet and, with a stretch, she pulled her phone out of her back pocket.

“You guys still have a couple hours until your official dinner time but Haku said your hay rack might need a refill about now. I’ll check on that and then we can see if he left his Netflix logged in...”

After the rabbits had been fed their fresh veggies and Sakura triple-checked to make sure their water bowls were full of clean water, she turned her attention to the fridge, hands on her hips as she tried to decide what to make for herself. There were a few toys scattered around the kitchen as Mochi hanged out around her, the other two buns running and playing in the living room with more toys, and she was careful to watch her step as she moved towards the pantry.

Eventually settling on a simple sandwich, Sakura prepared her dinner and grabbed a bottle of water before returning to the living room. She took her seat on the couch, legs crossed and tucked close and the rabbits burning off energy on the carpeted floor, and returned her attention to the TV. Aladdin was still paused, only about ten minutes into the movie – just as she’d left it, and she only made it a few scenes in before there was a sudden knock at the door.

She, of course, jumped in surprise and the rabbits froze, their attention turning in the direction of the front door, and Sakura glanced over her shoulder. Frowning to herself, she hesitated for a moment before finally remembering what Haku had said about his neighbor dropping off a package. She shrugged to herself, guessing that it was the neighbor at the door, and moved to stand, veering off her path to the front of the house to slip into the kitchen and leave her food on a counter, out of reach of the buns.

Sakura ran her fingers through her short hair as she approached the front door, unlocking it before carefully pulling it open and pausing as she stared up at the man in front of her.

He looked like he could very well be an entire foot taller than her, his shoulders broad and entire build muscular, and Sakura blinked as she took in his appearance, remembering Haku’s brief description of ‘Zabuza’.

If the man standing in front of her was, in fact, this mysterious Zabuza, intimidating was pretty damn accurate.

He was dressed pretty light considering the chill in the air of the early evening, the sleeves of his dark blue hoodie pushed halfway up his forearms and the jacket itself open over a black shirt. He was wearing a scarf, Sakura noted in slight relief, but it hid most of his lower face from view and she was left taking in the few details that she could see.

Short, messy, black hair and hard brown eyes that were narrowed as he looked her over as well, and shit, she’d been staring, hadn’t she?

“May I help you?”

He watched her for a moment longer, one hand shoved into the pocket of his jeans while the other held a package tucked up under his arm. The man gave a short huff and glanced over her shoulder before refocusing his steely gaze on her, shifting his weight to his other foot.

“You must be the friend that’s housesitting.” He finally replied, his voice deep but muffled behind the grey scarf. “Haku said you’d probably be here when I stopped by. Did he leave already?”

She resisted the urge to chew on her lip and moved out from behind the door to face him fully, suspicions confirmed.

“Yes and yes, he left a couple hours ago. I’m Sakura Haruno – you must be Zabuza?”

His posture shifted slightly, shoulders relaxing into a slight slouch, and he gave a curt nod before holding out the package.

“Good, he told you I’d be stopping by.” Another grunt as he nodded at her and she held back her frown, lips pressed tightly together.

“Zabuza Momochi,” When she moved to accept the box, she caught the slight change in his expression and realized that he was smirking at her from behind his scarf. “Welcome to Lake Kiri.”

She offered him an awkward smile in an attempt to hide her sudden nervousness.

“Oh, uhm, thanks, Zabuza.” Feeling the need to keep the conversation going, if just to be a polite, she shuffled her feet and rubbed the back of her head. “Do you have any tips as a local? Any places in town to recommend?”

There was another change in his expression, gaze cold and hard set as he looked down at her and an icy chill passed over the pair.

“Don’t go in the water.”

Sakura froze, eyes going wide as her gaze flickered to the side and she resisted the urge to glance over her shoulder.

Grip tightening around the box, she watched him hesitantly.

“W-why..? Is there something wr-”

His snort cut her off and he gave her a very dry look.

“It’s November. Even if the lake isn’t frozen over, the water is still colder than a snowman’s ass. You’ll just end up with hypothermia.”

The flush on her face was both due to the cold air and her embarrassment and Sakura coughed awkwardly into her fist, green gaze dropping down to the side as she mentally berated herself.

Duh, Sakura.

“R-right, of course. Thanks for the heads up...”

His amused grunt only furthered her embarrassment and Zabuza slipped his free hand into his pocket, that smirk returning as he watched her.

“There’s a bakery next to the post office.” He said after a moment and she glanced up, pink eyebrow quirked. “I recommend the blueberry glazed.”

She gave him a slow, nod in thanks and they stood silently for a few seconds before he shifted his weight to his other leg again. Rolling his shoulders in a shrug, he tipped his head towards her in a final nod as his gaze turned oddly thoughtful.

“Anyways, I’ll get going. Nice meeting you. Haku gave you my number?”

(It didn’t particularly sound like he meant it, but she appreciated the sentiment. He looked like he was more annoyed with the niceties than he was letting on, but she wasn’t about to say anything about it.)

At her nod, he turned, walking down the porch and towards a truck that she now noticed parked next to her car, a hand lifting from his pocket as he offered a short wave in farewell.

“O-oh! Nice meeting you too, Zabuza. Have a good night?”

She received a nod in reply and, in moments, he was making his way down the driveway and into the trees. Sakura stared after him for a few seconds, gaze following the glow of his brake lights, before she let out a sigh of relief, shoulders relaxing. Package tucked under her arm, she ran her fingers through her hair and quickly went back inside, taking a moment to lock the door once more.

She could now put a face to a name, one of four, and while first impressions hadn’t been too terrible, she wasn’t sure how she felt about this Zabuza guy. Intimidating, for sure. But she had a feeling that he had been trying not to act too sour towards her. Still, he was apparently pretty close friends with Haku, so that was reason enough to attempt to be friendly with him.

Hopefully she’d have similar luck with the other neighbors.

While the rabbits had their own cute little beds tucked into their large corner of Haku’s bedroom, complete with toys, fleece blankets, a little hidey-house, and bowl of water, Sakura wasn’t too surprised when she felt one hop up onto the bed later that night, sniffing at her face as she let out a groan. She couldn’t have been asleep for more than an hour and a quick peak at her phone confirmed that it was just past midnight. Rolling over onto her back, Sakura absentmindedly stroked the bun that was snuggling up against her chest, its nose tucked under her chin, and managed to spot white fur in the darkness of the room.

Draping an arm over her eyes, she let out a tired yawn.

Only to pause as her ears picked up the distant sound of water splashing.

Eyebrows furrowed, Sakura lowered her arm and glanced to her left - towards the window that faced the lake. Lips pursed, she listened for a moment longer and was just about to pass it off as her imagination when she heard far-away splashes again, Mochi nuzzling at her jaw as she frowned to herself.

Mumbling an apology to the rabbit, she slowly sat up and ultimately tucked the bun against her side when she didn’t hop off of her lap. Carefully supporting Mochi with her arm, Sakura slid off the edge of the bed and moved towards the windows, a hand raised to brush through her messy pink hair. With the rabbit snuggled into the crook of her arm, she pulled back a white curtain and peered out at misty lake, gaze narrowed as she tried to see anything through the rolling clouds of fog.

The moon bathed the lake with a soft glow, making the entire scene rather eerie and Sakura tried to convince herself that the chill creeping up her spine was completely plausible considering the cold weather. Fortunately, she saw no eyes in the mist or figures out on the water or spooky, unidentifiable shadows and, with a tired groan, she told herself that it was nothing, thank you very much.

Still, she was sure to double check the locks on the windows before pulling the curtains back into place, finally returning to the bed and mumbling a goodnight to Mochi when she took up a spot on her stomach, the pair quickly falling back asleep.

Had Sakura stayed at the window just a minute longer, she would have surely seen the distant shape rise out of the water, the fog drifting around it for a moment before it sank back down below the surface of the lake.

#thirrinwrites #thirrinfic #kirisaku #kisasaku #suisaku #chojusaku #though they havent shown up yet #also gonna tag #zabusaku #and hakusaku #though its mostly platonic at this point

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