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You’d think he’d be used to how loud it is to be in the city by now. The night market is well and truly in its busiest hour, the air filled with so much noise and smells it’s making him dizzy. His magic has been buzzing beneath his skin since he got here to set up the stall and it’s only getting worse.
Grimacing, Zabuza shuffles his Tarot cards and places them on the table in case they’re needed. Most his customers have been coming in for confirmation of their own ideas rather than actually wanting their future seen, but you never know.
Someone steps into the stall, shoving curtains aside impatiently. “Oi!” The burly man glowers at him, negative energy clinging to him like static. “Where’s the toilets?”
This is his most common question.
Given he’s essentially been blackmailed into this job, he doesn’t really care. Mei wants to hold his student’s tutelage as ransom for a laugh? Fine.
“Down the aisle and to the right,” he replies flatly, narrowing his eyes. The man stands tall like he’s looking for a fight so Zabuza dispels his glamour for a second, just long enough to flash his rows of sharp teeth. The man pales and with a flash of curtain, disappears.
“Wanker,” Zabuza mutters. One of the seven strongest Warlocks in Kiri and he has to deal with kids and drunks when he could be creating new potions at home.
Mei’s a bitch. He loves her for it, but really. If she wasn’t the most skilled Warlock in ice magic he never would’ve considered this gig.
“Mister!”
Zabuza has to peer over the table to see the child clutching fairy floss and grinning at him. “Where’re your parents, kid?” he grunts.
“Mummy said to wait with you while she goes toilet,” the girl says with a trust he definitely didn’t earn. Which means…
He tilts his head and sees it – she has gills. Warlock.
“I’ve become everyone’s bitch,” he grits his teeth, ignoring her giggle. An idea strikes him and he comes around the table to kneel next to her. “Have you learned fire yet?”
The girl’s eyes widen. “Can I?”
She can’t be older than six. Perfect. “Hold out your hand,” Zabuza says, “feel your magic move into your palm. Yes, like that. Now, imagine it rubbing against itself, warming up and getting hotter…”
The girl has it in a few minutes. She won’t burn down a church, but she’ll definitely be causing some mayhem.
“There you are!” A woman comes in and takes the girl’s hand. “Thanks for your help, Zabuza! Mei recommended you.” She has the audacity to wink.
Any lingering regret he has over teaching a child to start fires is promptly strangled.
He tidies the rest of the table and hears the curtain move softly. He turns to see Haku watching him with amused eyes. “You seem irritable,” he says offhandedly, a rabbit in his arms.
Zabuza eyes the animal, taking in its groomed fur and clear eyes. “You didn’t steal that, did you.”
Haku only smiles. “They’ll try me as a minor. If they catch me.”
Zabuza rolls his eyes and takes a seat, but his magic is so restless he ends up pacing.
Haku takes a seat in the back corner, stroking the rabbit and watching him with a small frown. “What’s wrong?”
“Wish I knew,” Zabuza growls, fingers itching for his sword. Maybe a good fight would put him at ease.
Haku suddenly perks up, eyes closed as he strains to listen. A moment, and he lets his rabbit ears come out from their glamour. “Shadowhunters,” he notes, and Zabuza doublechecks his truth potion is tucked so deep into his pocket they won’t find it without feeling him up.
“Wonder what they’re doing down here,” he murmurs, and then the curtains fly open. Zabuza very carefully doesn’t glance at Haku, trusting him to have hidden his ears already. The blonde takes a confident seat at the table and fixes him with a determined glare.
“Hello! My name is Ino and my best friend is fighting with me over a guy. Tell me the outcome! Please,” she adds too soon for it to be an afterthought. Zabuza isn’t sure whether she’s rude or just nervous.
“Lend me your hand,” he says, and is surprised to see despite the freshly painted nails the palms are calloused and scarred. He doesn’t sense anything at first put as soon as his magic gives her skin a curious touch, he knows. “Werewolf.”
The girl doesn’t flinch. “Warlock,” she says. “Well, now that we’re acquainted, feel free to go beyond mundane methods.”
Haku gives a quiet snort. Zabuza raises an eyebrow and the bemused expression he receives is all he needs to know Haku’s known what this girl is the moment she entered. Drawing his mind back, Zabuza closes his eyes and lets his magic blend with Ino’s. He gently knocks against the gates of knowledge, inviting but not demanding an exchange.
Ino is lucky; the gates creak open and Zabuza sees – she will become head of her clan when her father dies next year, she will study psychology and work with youth, she will break up with her best friend but come together again before she’s thirty.
Zabuza can work with that.
“What was your exact question?”
Ino rolls her eyes like she can’t help it, but Zabuza can sense her anxiety. “My best friend. The guy. What’s going to happen?” Their faces flash in his mind. He’s never met them but he knows Sakura has been in love with Ino since they were children, but won’t know it yet. He knows Sasuke is gay, but deeply closed off and afraid.
That wasn’t her question. “They won’t get together. She won’t know how you feel unless you tell her,” he says gruffly, assuming Ino isn’t looking for touchy feely handholding.
Ino blinks wide blue eyes, her cheeks flushing lightly. She takes her hand back with a cleared throat and digs into her bag for coins. “Thank you. Have a good night!”
She practically flies out of the tent. Zabuza collects the coins and wonders why Mei even runs this tent. Even with an unexpected tip, there’s no way she’d run this without losing money if he wasn’t being paid in a favour.
“Someone else is coming,” Haku says suddenly. Zabuza takes a sip from his water bottle and nearly spits it out when a pink-haired Shadowhunter comes in with a sheepish smile.
“Hello! I’m not sure how accurate this is, but – oh, you’re a Warlock! Fantastic, my name is Sakura.” She places her coins on the table near him and takes a seat. “I know this is silly but I was passing by and just thought, why not? I would like to know if you see anything when it comes to me getting into medicine.”
Ino comes in for love advice and said love interest just wants to know her odds for getting into studying a competitive course? Zabuza almost feels for the blonde.
Regardless, Zabuza takes her hand and barely has to whisper his magic to the gate before his mind fills with images – not only will she get into the course she wants, she’ll attempt three different specialties before deciding on general practice for Downworlders. Coincidentally, this is when she’ll get back with Ino.
What a headache.
“You’ll get into the course you want,” Zabuza says. He waits a beat to see if she asks anything else but Sakura breaks into a grin and slams a hand onto the table.
“I knew it! Thank you so much! Have a great night,” she almost spins out of her chair and dashes out the curtain. Zabuza thinks he can see a dent where her hand was. He tugs at the satin sheet until it reveals there is indeed a dent.
Haku shakes his head and stands to set the sheet back. “Shadowhunters,” he rolls his eyes. “More are coming. I’ll take Drogon home.”
Zabuza stares at the objectively adorable rabbit. “Drogon.”
Haku’s smile reaches his eyes. “Yes.”
Zabuza waves a hand at him and takes another sip of water, part of him wishing it was alcoholic. If he tried, he probably could convert it to vodka…
There’s bickering near the entrance and then a boy enters. His blond hair catches the light and holds it, and those eager blue eyes –
The face is different, but fuck if he doesn’t look like his father. Zabuza may not be particularly interested in Shadowhunter affairs but everyone under three hundred knew about Minato. Whoever managed to kill him must’ve been one heck of a demon.
The boy takes a seat and puts his coins down with such energy a couple of them almost roll off the table. “Hi! I’m Naruto! Sasuke says these things are a bold-faced lie and waste of money but what’s the harm in it? Also please ignore the tattoos, I’m over eighteen!”
Zabuza stares at him. Does he. Does he not know what Zabuza is? Is this how he greets people he thinks are human?
He wonders how this kid has survived. He takes Naruto’s hand and is struck by how warm it is, given it’s midwinter. “What’s your question?”
The boy’s aura abruptly folds into itself, all confidence stifled. “I, um. I really love someone, and I don’t think they… get it. I’m not sure that they will.”
Zabuza’s taking shots tonight.
“Alright, let me see…” Zabuza closes his eyes and follows the same process, letting his magic flow into the boy and chase its path to the gate –
An eye opens. It’s the red of blood and full of malice, notices him and grows –
Zabuza ducks down beneath it, heading deeper and deeper until he finds Shadowhunter magic and hides inside it. Giant fucking demon aside – goddamn, did Minato seal a greater demon into his child?! – the rest of the way is easy as following a river. The gates quiver like they’re anticipating him, and as soon as he meets them, they open the most he’s ever seen them.
Minato did indeed seal a greater demon, the strongest of the terrible nine, inside Naruto – and the boy will befriend it. That itself is so absurd Zabuza decides to pay it no mind. The boy he speaks of, Sasuke – the same he’d seen with Ino, filled with trauma and guilt so deep he’s almost drowned in it… but with just a bit more time, he will open his heart and begin recovering. His fate is so intertwined with Naruto’s it’s almost like they’re soulmates, if Zabuza believed in such a thing.
What a night. If he has to deal with any more Shadowhunter drama, he’ll make Mei shout him the shots.
“Keeping in mind I’m a Warlock, what is your question?” Zabuza asks, deciding to throw the poor idiot a line.
Naruto’s eyes widen so far Zabuza almost worries he has a thyroid problem. “That’s so cool! Um, I mean. I have two questions then. Or one. So, you probably know there are two stubborn, angry, I’m-too-good-for-friendship guys in my life. Am I good enough? To get through to them?”
Zabuza is absolutely not paid enough for this. If he’s not careful he’s going to end up adopting even more brats, and he’s been spoiled with Haku’s wit and humour. “You’ve always been good enough,” he says and fuck, the boy’s eyes are tearing up, abort mission, “Keep trying, but take care of yourself. You’ll get there in the end.”
Naruto sniffs, lets go, and Zabuza can finally breathe. That demon is no joke. “Thank you so much! Mister – I, oops, didn’t ask your name.”
“Zabuza,” he replies, starting to fantasise about his liquor cabinet. He may even add chocolate to the mix. “You’ll be fine, kid.”
Naruto’s eyes water again and for one horrifying moment Zabuza thinks he’s going to get hugged. But the boy bows and takes his leave.
“Please,” he says to the table, “that’s enough drama for the night. Got any mundanes for me?”
The world probably hates him, but it’s worth a try.
He goes through five boring, simple, mundane clients and only two with screaming children.
He’s considering calling it a night when the curtain lifts. He glances up to see a tall, almost lanky man slouching in the entrance. The guy has an eye covered with part of his headband, as well as a face mask. Zabuza would think him a hipster if the Shadowhunter tattoos weren’t clear as day. “Yo.”
Zabuza’s just about had it. “You’re not going to bring more Shadowhunter nonsense to my night, are you?”
The guy strolls over and turns the chair around to sprawl over the back of the chair. A bright grin Zabuza doesn’t believe for one second crosses his face and scrunches the mask. “You’ve met my children.”
Zabuza eyes him suspiciously. His hair looks naturally white but his face and body are certainly young, if displaying the memories of battle in scars. “Bit young for kids.”
The man’s eye widens with false offence. “Me? Oh, no, I just mentor them. Wouldn’t touch kids with a ten-foot pole.” There’s an implication in there but the man leaves it with an amused glint to his gaze.
He’s not gonna pass that one up. “Good to know you’re not into touching children,” Zabuza says with a smirk, letting his glamour fall to show off his teeth.
The man isn’t the slightest bit perturbed. “I already get shit for reading porn in public,” he says, pulling a book out of his pocket to wave in the air.
“That’s what phones are for,” Zabuza says flatly. The man’s eye goes wide again, this time with genuine surprise. “I’m Zabuza. You here to escape your punks or for a reading?”
“I’m Kakashi. Here to enjoy your lovely presence,” he says, ejecting such an air of false ease that Zabuza wants to tear it apart to get to the core of him.
He ignores the urge and holds out a hand. His magic is buzzing beneath his skin, more insistent than ever. He hushes it and tells it to behave as Kakashi takes his hand. The moment their skin touches his magic soars with joy and rushes into the Shadowhunter before Zabuza has a say in it. He’s flung down the path to the gate, and pulls himself together for the gates to creak open again, but –
The gates burst open and he’s swept under –
Kakashi is five and already learning combat and runes, eager to learn from his father and bond in the only way he feels comfortable with –
He came home and his father is dead, dead, dead –
He doesn’t have friends so much as he has teammates who want to befriend him, and before their bond as a team can solidify, they’re torn apart and killed –
Kakashi is in another war with no time to grieve so he puts his whole being into fighting, if he kills enough demons then maybe he can slaughter his own –
He has another team, but they’re so young and who the fuck put him in charge of children when he’s barely holding himself together. They’re fractured and have their own problems and one of them has a demon who killed his mentor –
He walks into a night market and finds a fortune-telling tent, enters and meets Zabuza –
He’s taught his team so well they’re taking the system and breaking it apart, fighting for union between Downworlders and Shadowhunters; he’s in love and can actually see a future that doesn’t involve him just stopping and vanishing –
He’s actually ageing when he never thought he’d make it past twenty, he’s still teaching the newer generation and fighting the old –
Kakashi lets go with a shudder and looks at Zabuza strangely. “That felt weird. You okay?”
Zabuza’s mind is a hurricane and he has no idea what to do with any of that. “Peachy. Did you see any of that?”
Kakashi hums. “Not unless you mean your handsome face.”
He’s going to end up with that?
It’s confirmed. The world hates him.
Zabuza is definitely having chocolate with alcohol for dinner. “What’s your question?”
“My question,” Kakashi hums again, elbow on the table so he can lean his face onto his hand. “What did you see that made you scared?”
“Scared?” Zabuza scoffs, resisting the urge to have more water. That’d only look suspicious. “Of your pick-up lines, maybe.”
Kakashi’s eye squints with focus. “You smell scared.”
Zabuza honestly doesn’t know whether to be offended by that or not. “You part werewolf?” he sneers, debating just leaving and pretending he hadn’t seen his own future reflected in the man across from him.
“Yes,” Kakashi says, pleased. The odds he’s lying are equal with the truth. He leans in a little closer. “If you’re not going to tell me, I’m going to assume you’re involved in my future, whatever it may be.” His dark eye goes deadly serious and Zabuza is suddenly worried he can read him. His magic is crackling beneath his skin again, unsettled and wanting him to do something but he can’t figure out what.
A voice whines outside the tent. “Kakashi! Are you done yet? We wanna get ice-cream!”
That’s Naruto. The tension Zabuza hadn’t been aware of fractures a little, just enough he can breathe again. “Your children are calling. Did you have a question?”
Kakashi tilts his head and watches him with an assessing gaze. “Yes, actually. I have two questions. The first is, our institute’s been wanting to strengthen ties with Downworlders now that there’s less civil war. I’ve been told you know Mei, and so my question is would you be able to make an appointment for me to meet with her?”
Zabuza snorts. “You didn’t need me to read you for that. And I hope you realise she’ll eat you alive.”
“She can try,” Kakashi shrugs. “She’s not the one I want eating me.”
Zabuza is absolutely going off his face tonight. This is his future? “I’ll book it. Your other question?”
Kakashi’s smile creases the mask. “Would you like to go for a drink?”
Well. There’s no point delaying the inevitable.
Zabuza stands and gestures to the exit. “We’ll see if you survive Mei first,” he smiles with all of his teeth.
Kakashi stands, his eyes scanning Zabuza’s body with clear interest. “It’s a date.”