Okay, so this is probably too person to share with like a bunch of people but... I kinda have to explain to not feel guilty.

Have any of you jumped/fell into deep water and did not know how to swim or even float? Well I have and it's fucking terrible. You're struggling to not go down, your lungs feel like they're about to burst and even though you know that you're screaming and flailing for someone, anyone to fucking save you, no one can hear you because they are not there. No one is there and it's terrifying. That's how I've been feeling these past few months. It's tiring and it's shitty. I didn't want to vomit that shitty into my writing so I took a short (long) breather. With that being said, I am now in a state that allows me to function so progress.

I acknowledge that not everyone will take the time to read this but that's okay. Or they will read it and think I'm an idiot for various reasons (probably for explaining myself) and that's okay too.

Onward my children and enjoy the ride!

(**)

The door burst open and, in the freshly rising sun, the bodies were nothing more than large silhouettes that caused fear to course through his body and he panicked. He knew that he should fight, should reach for his weapon that was never too far or preform some sort of jutsu, whether it would protect him from attack or lodge itself in the monsters' brains. He knew this and yet, Haku found himself unable to do any of those things. So he hid. He burrowed under his blanket, curling as tight as he could with his teeth cutting through his bottom lip and his nails biting into his skinny legs. He stifled his whimpers in his knees as tears streamed down his face like rivers.

He was going to die. Haku knew that he was going to die a death covered in blood and tears and stunk of fear. He was going to die, alone and scared with no one to reassure him that it would not take long for his bones to be crushed and his flesh to be eaten. He was utterly, helplessly alone and that scared him more than anything. The creature was by his side within moments and a hand landed roughly on the blanket so close to his head. A hand covered in blood with flesh dripping off the bones. He could imagine those fingers twisting through his hair and bringing him closer and closer toward the mouth covered in sores and breath that smelled of rot.

The covers were ripped off and the monster latched onto his arms to yank him into a sitting position. With eyes tightly closed, Haku lashed out with skinny feet and flailing arms.

"PAPA, HELP ME!" he screamed, struggling against the monster. He didn't want to die. He didn't want to get eaten right up, he wanted his papa to come and save him. Why wasn't he coming!? Haku struggled harder and tried to bite the monster as he struggled to bring him closer.

"PAPA! PAPA! PLEASE!"

"Haku, calm yourself!" the hands on his arms shifted around him until he was being held in a tight hold that felt almost like a hug. His face was pressed against the monster's chest and he could hear its heartbeat, he could smell spicy ingredients that he knew went into his food and knew of the man who always smelled that way. The monster began to rock him, its voice vibrating his head with words that he wasn't sure made sense but they were familiar. They always came after his few nightmares, were murmured when Gaara was so close to destruction and when Naruto whimpered and cried out.

Only one person said those words. What…? Haku's eyes snapped open and he shifted his head until he could catch a small glimpse of a bare arm, so pale and skinny. He knew that arm, saw it whenever the sleeves were rolled up during hard labor like gardening.

"Papa?" Haku croaked, his throat felt like a fire had been set there. He felt the arms loosen from around him and he looked up at the man who had saved his life. This was the man who had, for some reason, saw fit to reach out into the dark pit where so many once innocent people fell inside. He reached and caught his little hand to pull him out with only a single gesture. He did it for all of them. It was his papa who would put his life on the line to save him. To save any of his brothers. And he was already starting to bruise and the scratches looked like welts.

"I…papa, I didn't…" Haku buried his face in the man's bare chest.

"They are inconsequential, now tell me what has gotten you into such a state," Severus said firmly. Haku opened his mouth, trying to find the words and discovered that he couldn't quite grasp it. It was on the tip of his tongue like a name long unsaid and it caused new tears to sprout to his eyes. He knew it was important, it was something that caused him to panic, to lash out at his own papa! Something had him scared, made him believe that he was truly going to die. Haku pressed the heel of his palms hard into his eyes. He had to think, had to believe that something important had happened.

"Uh…" a voice said in the doorway. Haku and Severus looked in the direction of the voice to see Naruto with a thoroughly confused expression on his face, half-naked. Kimimaro had a comb in his tight grip as though he would have used it as a weapon to save his newly found family while Gaara silently observed them. Severus sighed and looked at his eldest. Anyone with eyes could see that the boy could not go to school, he probably shouldn't even be out of the bed. Whatever had gotten him in this state was enough to probably scar the boy for years to come.

"Zabuza, please take the boys to school. I will stay with Haku," Severus instructed his boyfriend. The shinobi stepped from the shadows of the room, obviously not wanting to frighten the already fragile Haku with his presence and gave a silent nod.

"Naruto, pants. Gaara and Kimimaro, grab your lunches and shoes," Zabuza instructed immediately, not wanting his boys to see their brother in such a state longer than necessary. He closed the door behind him and went off to grab a cloak. Whatever was happening, Severus could fix it. For now, he had to find a cloak with a high collar so that no one could easily recognize him. Then again, he wasn't sure that he mattered anymore. It had been forever since he attacked the Leader of the Mist and seeing as no one was really looking for him, he supposed that he should consider himself forgiven. Zabuza sighed and shook his head, it would take more than staying out of her hair to make the Mizukage forgive him. Unforgiving hag… but that was unimportant.

His mission was to make sure that boys were safe, he had to stick with that. He could not mess up another time. These boys were his sons, something that was half his. Holy shit, he technically had children. Four boys. He looked to the three that he was responsible for not only getting to school and back but for growing up with the right social values and morals. He was going to be a role model for these kids. Oh Kami… he only hoped that he didn't screw them up too badly.

(**)

Severus heard the door close and stood up with the boy still in his arms. Haku was a bit too old and big to be carried but he cared not. The boy was in pain, it was practically tangible with every mutter he emitted and every expression he gave. Severus hugged him tightly until they came to the bathroom. A muttered spell had the taps turning until steaming water gushed out and another stopped the water from going down the drain. He placed Haku on the edge and began the work of undressing him. The clothes stuck to his skin due to a huge amount of sweat despite his skin being cold and clammy to touch.

Even though his recently turned dark eyes were gazing off somewhere distant and far, he still lifted his legs when the time came and let out a sigh as he was sat in the tub of steaming water. Pale skin turned a light pink and a bit of life flooded into the boy. Severus ran his fingers through the string clumps and wrinkled his nose. His hair became the same way when it was too greasy and damn, he had hoped that would be something he didn't pass onto any of them. But they were his, they were connected to him and no one could take that away. He grabbed the shampoo and started to work over the strands.

"Papa… it was a nightmare," Haku whispered. Severus paused and looked at the child with his bowed head. He remained silent, understanding that some things could not be forced, "We were… I don't… it was quiet, so quiet and I didn't like it but no one would listen to me. I wanted to leave, to go home but we kept… we got to a big building and we opened the door and… there were monsters. They were so ugly and they smelled really bad. They were dying and they wanted us to die too. They came closer and closer and I couldn't run. I tried to shout, tried to warn you guys but they kept coming closer and you guys couldn't see them!"

It was as though he were back in the dream, staring at the monsters as his family innocently chattered with each other. They were so oblivious, unaware that death was coming closer and closer. His chest fell and rose rapidly. It felt so real, it smelled as though he was right there in front of them and he could see them with faces that were so familiar. Faces of his teachers, his classmates, people that he knew! They were coming for them all, to hurt them like they had been hurt.

"Haku, I am right here. Your brothers are fine, there is nothing to worry about. Nothing at all," Severus assured the boy. He tilted the changed face up to face him and looked into the eyes that so obviously matched his own. "We. Are. Safe."

Even as his father said this, Haku knew deep in his heart that the man was wrong.

(**)

Severus breathed in the soothing scent of green tea, allowing the steam to clear his sinuses. Haku had exhausted himself before he had even gotten out of bed, protesting that they had to pack all their things and leave. They had to leave and leave now but the boy was simply frightened by a nightmare. A rather strange nightmare that caused uneasiness to bubble in Severus's gut just by hearing about it. Haku was not one to exaggerate, he was not very dramatic and theatrical like Naruto.

Was this his fault? Had he damaged the boy mentally when allowing the child to share his blood? He knew that wizarding blood and chakra did not exactly mesh which was why he had included Zabuza. And yet… perhaps he had done something wrong. After all, Haku had gone last and he hadn't waited a full hour in between. Instead he had insisted that he could do it only after thirty minutes and a Pepper Up Potion.

Could his magic be slowly eating away at the boy's brain? If this was his fault, he would never be able to forgive himself. What was his first step? Running tests of course but what were the chances that the ritual had done this? And what if it wasn't something he could fix, something genetic in Haku's family? He didn't like to think about being unable to fix something with magic but it was true. Magic didn't solve everything, even though he wanted it to have that ability, it didn't. It could be weeks, months, years, decades but Suna's Plague could resurface once it worked around the magic of his potions. He wasn't perfect, he simply had enough luck to get by in this world but eventually, luck would fail him. Severus looked at the ceiling and prayed that his luck would last long enough to keep the boys alive and healthy.

(**)

Haku was sitting in the window, gazing out. He was looking for something, what was he looking for? Oh yeah, he was worried. Something was coming and it was coming fast. He could feel it in his feet, in every breath his lungs drew, he knew that something was going to happen. He had to watch until it did. He had to keep his eyes open and look through the mist that surrounded everything. He squinted as he spotted a shadow… no, not just a shadow. It was many shadows. A lot of shadows and they were coming fast.

"Papa!" Haku shouted as loud as he could, pressing his face into the glass, "PAPA!"

Haku ripped himself away from the window and rushed down the stairs, nearly falling several times. He let out a gasp as he spotted the wide open door, a draft causing a shiver to run up and down his spine. He stumbled to the door and, just as he was going to close it, he saw that the four figures weren't monsters. No, it was his family. Zabuza, Naruto, Kimimaro, Gaara. They ran as though they were stuck in mud, terror coloring their faces and desperation moving their lips. They were shouting to him, all shouting something that he couldn't hear. Why couldn't he hear them? Haku started outside and nearly let out a shriek as he saw what was behind them. Monsters. Monsters! They darted after them with blood pouring from every orifice and skin covered in disgusting, oozing sores. Bile climbed the back of his throat as one of the monsters suddenly launched itself and caught Zabuza's arm. The man went down in silent, a blade in his hand but he was too slow as more monsters swarmed to aid their brother. Haku wanted to help, he wanted to run out and help them. He had to help them, they were going to die. The monsters were so fast, so fast and strong and—

"GAARA!" Haku reached out desperately as a monster tackled the boy from the side. Sand erupted from the house and tried to help, tried to attack the monsters but everything was slow but not the monsters. They were fast and deadly. They lurched terribly but quickly.

"NARUTO! Kimimaro…" the last was said in a whisper as he watched both his brothers go down. The monster had caught Naruto, had grabbed the soft blond spikes but he had been holding hands with Kimimaro and the bi-colored haired boy went down as well for he tightened his hold rather than released it. The blond covered his face as the monsters fell on them, Kimimaro throwing out his hand over and over, trying to hit them with any attack possible but they could not be deterred. They too were consumed.

Hot tears fell down Haku's face and he felt something heavier than exhaustion land on his shoulders. This was his fault, he should have helped them. He should have… something was touching him. Something that smelled of rot and pee and death… it was holding him with skinny fingers that burned his shoulders like fire. Haku didn't want to look but he had to. He couldn't stop himself from looking, couldn't convince himself to face the monsters outside the door in favor of whatever was grabbing him. With trembling lips, Haku slowly tilted his head up.

(**)

"PAPAAAA!" Severus jumped out of his chair and darted for the stairs. Before he could he get to the first step, the front door slammed open. Severus took a defensive pose and immediately dropped it as he identified his intruders. His boyfriend and children ran through the door, slamming it shut behind them. Naruto worked on locking the door while the Gaara's sand began to shut every window that was open. Kimimaro darted for their typical hiding places for weapons, tearing them from floor boards and tossing them as though they were preparing for war.

"What in the devil…? What happened?" he demanded as he took in their appearances. Zabuza was mostly covered in blood, his mask ripped and what looked to be the scratches of wild animals marred his cloak. Kimimaro's brow was bleeding as he too had a splash of blood across his face. Gaara seemed mostly unmarred but he had a feeling that his sand was stained as much as the rest of them were while Naruto had a distinct limp. Excluding the trained shinobi, they were all breathing as though they had run a marathon and Merlin, they stank to the high heavens! Severus wrinkled his nose and attempted to not vomit. It was as though someone had left meat out for a month then decided to piss on it in hopes of making it smell better.

"W-we were on our way to school—," Naruto started to explain but was cut off by Kimimaro. The boy was strapping a pouch around his waist and clipping his bangs into two little cylinders to keep them out of his face. Gaara had crossed to the closet and was now strapping the heavy item to his back, his sand dropping his elbow blades into his hands. Zabuza was quickly throwing together a weapons pouch for Naruto, shoving the chained blade at the boy as he worked as fast as he could with an intent that told Severus how serious this situation was.

"We were attacked, Mr. Snape," Kimimaro revealed, wiping at the blood on his forehead.

"Yeah!" Naruto nodded, fear paling his skin, "They were really scary and kept coming at us like… like… I don't know how to—."

"Monsters," a soft voice whispered behind Severus. The wizard turned around to see his eldest, sitting on the step with a haunted expression. He was completely dressed, onyx eyes wide as he stared into the open air. He held his katana in a tight grip even though the tones of terror wavered through his voice.

"The monsters are coming. Papa, they're coming and we're going to die."

Severus quickly walked towards the boy, crouching to his level. Haku flinched as cold hands cupped his face but he didn't pull back or attack the man. Instead he stared into eyes as dark as his and found himself being pulled in.

"Haku, I need you to concentrate and show me these monsters," Severus murmured, tumbling into the boy's mind. At first he saw nothing and he was sure that the boy was blocking him but then it happened. It started as a glimpse then a shadow, almost as though the boy's mind could not quite reproduce the image. Then it was right in front of him. Severus let out a shout and jerked away. He slapped a hand over his mouth but couldn't stop the vomit that spewed forward, staining the stairs with his small breakfast. He breathed hard through his mouth, keeping a second wave at bay.

"No, no," he whispered. It couldn't be. No, Haku could not possibly have that sort of ability. It was too rare, too… he could see everything. Blood, so much blood and the screams of his boys. He could see his own face through Haku's eyes. He had been so deformed with his face marred by sores and leaking blood. He could almost smell the death that hung around him. Severus swallowed hard and tried to calm his own mind.

"Those… infected… they look much like the citizens in Suna but how…?" Severus wanted to solve this, wanted to figure out a way to fix this but he couldn't. He knew that he couldn't because whatever was wrong with these people was completely different. They were strong and fast in a way that allowed them to get anywhere near Zabuza. Speaking of Zabuza, he should make sure that the man hadn't been harmed as much as his cloak suggested that he had been. He walked—

CRASH!

"PAPA!" Naruto shouted as a hand twisted into his hair and began to yank him out of the new hole through the window.

"NARUTO!"

(**)

TBC

So there it is… hope you liked it.

I know it sounds a bit like zombies but nope, no zombies.

Comment, like, subscribe… wait, this isn't a YouTube channel. Never mind, just comment! Tee hee, until next time.