Let's get two things straight: I don't like romances, and this is most likely the only one I will ever write. But my girlfriend likes them, so I thought I'd give it a shot.

I do not own Naruto or any of it's characters. Rose is my character, though.

Dark clouds floated across the sky, a sure sign of rain

"Great," Zabuza growled. He hated the rain. Even though his specialty was water-type jutsus, he still didn't like the idea of water falling on him from the sky. He got up from where he was laying on a grassy hill and picked up his huge sword.

He began walking. To where, he didn't know. He just wanted to find somewhere dry. He wasn't sure of where he was, only that it was somewhere in the Land of Waves. Zabuza hadn't seen a village in three days. Or was it four? He sighed at his lack of knowledge about where he was and what day it was. Then he smiled.

He loved being on his own, going wherever he wanted. He loved not being around, like back in his old village. The only part he didn't like was the fact that he had no one to talk to. It got boring sometimes. That's when he'd find a job and go kill people. That was what he loved best: the killing. He could kill whoever he wanted, and no one could stop him. Plus he got payed for some of the killings. Zabuza loved it.

After walking about two hours, he came across a forest. "This'll work," he said approvingly. He kept going until he found a large tree with lots of branches. He sat down and started dozing off. Above him, he heard a loud crash of thunder. The rain started and the sound of it pattering on the leaves lulled him to sleep.

There was screaming all around him. The air reeked with the smell of blood. People were running around everywhere. Houses burned and crumbled into ashes. Zabuza laughed insanely as he ran through the village, cutting down anyone in his path. He jumped on top of a house that hadn't been set on fire and stared down at the scene below him. He lifted his sword and looked at it. He stopped laughing. The blade was completely red with blood, and his reflection in the blade was red as well. He looked like the devil himself.

He awoke with a start and sat up. His whole body was shaking and his forehead was soaked with sweat. Everyone called Zabuza a demon, but the thought that he really was one scared him. His breathing was fast and shallow, and he sat there for a moment until it had steadied. He looked up at the sky and saw that dawn was just breaking and that there were still gray clouds floating about. He got up and started searching for food.

After a while, he came across a boar sniffing about in the bushes. He crouched down low and began crawling towards it. when he was a yard away, he took hold of the hilt of his sword and began to raise it up. Before he could bring it down, three piglets emerged from the bush and started sniffing around the boar. Zabuza realized that it must be the mother. He stared for a moment and then lowered his sword. The pigs saw him and ran away, frightened. Zabuza stood up and stared after them for a moment, then turned and walked off.

An hour later, he had started a fire and was roasting a rabbit he had killed. He ate it and sat back, satisfied. Once his food had digested, he stood up and continued on through the forest. The rain clouds were nowhere to be seen and the sun was shining brightly. Birds chirped and flew about in the air. It was a peaceful summer's day. Too peaceful, Zabuza thought. By the time the sun was going down, he had reached the other end of the forest. There was a small cabin that looked empty. He looked through the window and saw a basic home: a bed, a table and chair, a couple cabinets, and a dresser. He tried the door. It was open. Zabuza went inside and started looking around.

One of the cabinets had some cans and boxes of food in it, and the other had some bottles that looked like they contained medicine. He uncorked one and sniffed it. His nose wrinkled up and he jerked his head back. Definitely medicine. He walked over to the dresser and opened the top drawer. He felt his face go hot, and he slammed the drawer shut. A woman lived here. Zabuza looked out the window and saw the sun setting. He realized how tired he was, so he got into the bed and fell asleep. His sleep was undisturbed until he heard a woman scream. It took a moment for his mind to register that it wasn't a dream. His eyes popped open and he grabbed his sword, which he had left by the bed. He jumped out of the bed; or at least, he tried. He had gotten tangled up in the sheets and he fell to the floor in a heap of blanket and ninja. The sword cut his cheek in the chaos.

Zabuza looked up to see a young woman standing above him. But instead of the usual horror on someone's face when they see him, she was chuckling. This irritated him, because she was laughing at his being tangled up.

"And just what's so funny?" he barked menacingly at her.

She got herself under control and opened her watering eyes to look at him. "You are!" she said with a giggle. Zabuza's anger drained away as he looked at the woman's beautiful ice-blue eyes. He was completely stunned and felt his face getting hot again. The woman suddenly seemed to realize that Zabuza was an intruder and she backed up a couple steps. "Who are you?" she demanded, "and why are you in my house?" He was speechless and continued to simply stare at the woman.

Zabuza's mind came back and he replied, "My name is Zabuza. I'm sorry for intruding. I just needed somewhere to stay and the house was empty." He then realized he had said 'sorry' and wondered why he was being so nice. Why hadn't he cut her up already? Why was he so calm? What was this feeling in his stomach?

And then it him: he liked the woman.

This is supposed to be a softer side of Zabuza. It's a little different, but I thought it would be interesting. Hope you liked it!

-S93