Here is a one-shot that has been tugging on my brain for a few days now. I don't know what it was that made me think of it, really.
Enjoy!
Babysitter
She'd just finished school and was on her way out. Luckily, the weather wasn't too bad,which meant that she could possibly even walk there without the rain returning. She didn't want to get wet, because then she'd have nothing to change into. She left her gym clothes in her locker in hopes of that she wouldn't need them.
Today, Hinata would begin her part-time job as a babysitter. She had always loved to work with children, even as a child herself. Since her family was quite big, she would always be tasked with taking care of all her younger cousins during holidays and family get-togethers.
Most of her older cousins would just leave and hang out with their friends, so Hinata was alone most of the time with fifteen cousins to be with.
She smiled a little, because they were fond memories of hers, and she loved to think back on them.
A gentle breeze passed the streets she walked on and picked up strands of her hair that caressed her cheeks, nose and lips with their tickling softness. She closed her eyes and hoped, hoped that they wouldn't be afraid of her rare trait. The fact that she lacked pupils was nothing she could do anything about, but she wished that she could. Some children would find it scary that her eyes were just one simple shade of lavender.
'Could this be the place?'
She stopped and stared up at the enormous skyscraper in front of her. It was modern, with lots of windows that made Hinata question the amount of privacy that the family had. Since the apartment was in Kasumigaseki, she already knew that it was going to be extravagant, but this? The monthly rent of this skyscraper must be at least 600,000¥! (Around $6000) Hinata was only taking 1000¥ (around $10) per hour. It's not like she wanted to raise it, but why would they hire such a cheap babysitter?
She double checked the address to see that it was correct and slowly began making her way into the building. It must've looked weird to the people walking by, since her uniform was not the kind you'd expect someone from this apartment building to have. The Tokyo Metropolitan Koyamadai High School was quite popular among people with normal income, but the children that lived here surely went to private schools.
She was met by a doorman. He bowed and asked:
"Who are you seeing?" Hinata fumbled a bit and straightened her uniform in an attempt to look somewhat more professional before responding.
"I-I'm here to see the U-Uzu-Uzumaki f-family." She handed him the paper with their permission to enter.
"I see. Welcome in."
The doorman stepped aside and opened the doors for her.
Once inside, Hinata had to stop to admire her surroundings. A fountain, a beautiful, long red staircase like the ones you'd see in foreign romance movies where the girl would come walking down in a beautiful dress towards the boy at the bottom. He'd turn around and gasp at the sheer sight of her beauty and they would together make their way to dinner at some wonderful restaurant. Hinata sighed. What a dream...
There were security cameras everywhere, which made her a bit uncomfortable, but she was nevertheless very excited to meet the family.
'This family is probably very nice. I bet the children are well-behaved and fun to be with, too.' She approached the elevator nervously and told the elevator operator man which floor she was going to. She'd already memorized everything last night, but was completely new to the fact that the family lived on the top floor. She looked out through the glass wall that separated her from outside and sighed anxiously. Only a few meters away now. The elevator slowed down and made a "ding" noise upon arriving on her floor. The elevator operator smiled and bowed before going back down to the first floor.
Hinata gulped audibly.
"Okay... This is it."
She rang the doorbell and waited.
And waited.
And waited.
No answer.
She rang again.
'No way... But I thought this was the right time...!'
"I-I guess I'll come back another time..." She put the note back into her bag and was about to leave when the door suddenly opened and she was greeted by a boy in her age. He wore a towel on his head and sported nothing but a white t-shirt and a pair of simple beige-brownish shorts. From where the towel didn't cover, Hinata could see that he had a strong color of blond hair. He looked very confused, to say the least.
"Uhh... Do I know you?"
His tall figure towered over her as he leaned forward to get a better look of her.
"U-Uhm... I-I'm the babysitter, Hyuuga Hinata." She bowed as low as she could to show her deepest respects, but his expression only grew more grave.
"B-babysitter? Do I look like I'm old enough to be a dad to you?"
"N-no, but maybe your pa-parents..."
'Don't tell me, I'm going to babysit him?!'
The boy scratched his head awkwardly and pulled the towel off, revealing his wet, bright hair. After a few seconds, he opened the door for her and motioned for her to enter. Hinata obliged and stepped gingerly inside the apartment.
It was messy, dirty and smelled of ramen. There were boxes everywhere and clothes lay all over the rooms. Everything she thought it would be, was crushed by reality and the guy who stood in front of her. He looked pleased.
"N-nice...H-House..." She forced herself to say in order to break the silence, but the boy didn't answer.
He looked like he was contemplating something very important.
"Uhm... Wh-where are your parents..?"
"Have a seat somewhere."
Hinata really didn't want to, but she sat down on one of the dusty chairs and coughed when the dust flew in her face. She tried to be as formal as she could, but this was too much!
"Say..." It looked like he'd reached a conclusion. He turned to her and grinned widely. He looked so happy, and his grin was so childish, it made Hinata blush slightly.
"I don't have a little brother, so I don't really know why you're here."
His grin faded into a smirk and he approached her slowly.
'Wh-what...?!'
"Nor do I have parents."
He looked awfully content for being wrapped up in this mess.
'Th-then why did he let me in...'
He slammed his hands down on the table in front of her and leaned down towards her face.
"But I do have a proposal."
"U-uh..."
"You can become my personal little maid. I'll pay you well."
Hinata's eyes widened and she stood up.
"I-I think it's about time I leave!" He grasped her wrist and smiled.
"You won't regret it."Hinata's face was so red, one couldn't tell the difference between her and a tomato.
Suddenly, he burst into laughter.
"I'm kidding, but I could use someone to clean this place up." Hinata pulled her wrist out of his hold and averted her eyes.
"I-I don't know... You could hire a cl- cleaner to do that..."
'He held me... He actually held my wrist... No boy my age has ever done that before...'
"That would be boring."
The smirk dancing upon his lips seemed to match his behavior. He was so friendly, with a tint of awkwardness, but somehow, Hinata couldn't bring herself to turn him down. Before she could think about what she'd said, the words had already left her mouth.
"O-okay... I could tr-try..."
"Cool!"He fist pumped. "Then, I want you here every Monday, Wednesday and Friday." Hinata quickly spoke up.
"Fr-Friday..?"
"is there a problem?" Hinata didn't have many friends, so working on a Friday couldn't be that much of a hassle. She shook her head and lowered her eyes to the floor.
"Great. How does..." He thought for a while. "10,000 sound?"
"T-ten thousand per v-visit-"
"Per hour." Hinata dropped her jaw.
"I-I'm no professional!" She resisted.
It sounded so crazy, and it was hard to believe, but she felt like she was a manga character in a Shoujo or something. Although the guy in front of her wasn't really like most of the guys in those.
"I don't really care as long as you get the job done. So, it's a deal?"
"I couldn't accept th-that much..."
"Is it a deal or not?!" She nodded eventually.
And that was how Hinata became a cleaner at the Uzumaki residence. She would have lots of things to look forward to, but also lots of things that would test her loyalty and intelligence. She didn't know if she'd made the right decision, but she knew that she was following her heart, and it felt right.
Maybe it should be a story rather than a one-shot.