their secret garden
"Even a patch of dirt will become a garden, if given time to grow and love that will last forever,"
.
.
the umbrella that was returned
The next morning when Niwa ventured out of her home, she had an empty bag over the shoulder of her bottle green yukata and with one hand, she tucked her bangs behind her ear. With the other she locked the door to the house she and her two aunts lived in. She inhaled a breath of the fresh Konoha morning air and when she exhaled she felt lighter.
Konoha had a way of doing that to her.
In the early mornings such as these, Niwa felt like she was the only one in the world when it was still fast asleep. She was the one who got to see the beauty of every blade of grass, each flower in bloom—even those that were still just buds. She saw how the sun reflected off the roofs of her neighbor's homes and heard the birds sing to each other.
Every morning was different, Niwa had learned, and whether it was in the songs the birds sang or the breeze in the air, nothing was ever the same to her.
It was during mornings such as these, that Niwa truly appreciated the ninja who came together— who cast aside their deep sated hate and prejudice towards one another and created something that was more than all of them.
Niwa loved this village that those ninja made. She loved it so deeply she felt it in her bones.
Once Niwa had gotten to the market the morning air shifted. No longer was she alone, instead shops were being opened and other people were walking with a purpose. The haze of the morning lifted from Niwa's thoughts and she was now on a mission to get the food needed. Eggs, and more rice were at the top of the list but Niwa was moving to the fruit stand where she saw some very tasty looking kyoho that would be a perfect snack later on in the day when there was a lull of visitors in the bookstore.
"Ah, Niwa! What a surprise to see you here," Hajime said with a knowing smile. Niwa, at seeing the smile, looked slightly sheepish as she tugged on one of her brown braids.
"I couldn't help myself, Hajime-san. Everyone knows that your kyoho are the best." Hajime preened under the compliment and Niwa smiled back at him. The kyoho were large and dark purple, some of them easily the size of a plum. Niwa continued to make small talk with Hajime, an older man with greying hair who had crows feet and laugh lines. He looked a lot like what Niwa imagined a father would look like.
"You'd have as many kyoho you wanted if you married my oldest—Tatsuya, I've mentioned him haven't I?" Niwa hid a smile behind one of her yukata's sleeves as Hajime began to get more animated as he talked about his oldest son.
"I'm sure Tatsuya-san appreciates how much you care about him, Hajime," Niwa said.
Hajime's eyes softened and he dropped his hands from where they were reenacting out a story from Tatsuya's youth when he had stolen the neighbor's chickens. Soon after, Niwa said her goodbyes to Hajime, words that he parroted, and Niwa turned away to continue walking through the market.
Something heavy landed on Niwa's shoulder and if it wasn't holding her down, she was sure she would've jumped a foot in the air.
"You," a rough voice grumbled. Niwa glanced at the tanned hand on her shoulder and followed it up to the shoulder and then face of the one who had scared her.
"Me?" Niwa pointed at herself with wide eyes, but he didn't see the action. His nodded stiffly and Niwa turned around to face him directly. She noticed a 'X' shaped scar on his chin and she briefly wondered how he got it. Niwa looked up once she realized she was staring too long to be considered polite.
"Are you feeling unwell?" Niwa asked, concerned. His face was screwed up tightly and it reminded her of her Aunt's face when she ate something bad and then had indigestion because of it.
"I'm fine," was his curt reply.
"Oh," Niwa glanced away from him as she thought of what to say, "May I...help you?" She asked with hesitation. He shook his head as a negative and pushed something into Niwa's free hand. When she looked down, she realized it was a green umbrella. Her green umbrella.
"I borrowed this from you awhile ago. Thank you." He said.
"Ah, thank you for returning it," Niwa said, her signature smile still in place.
"I would've retuned it sooner, however, I had a mission the next day and only recently got back. I apologize." That explained his rather haggard appearance then.
"It's fine! You returned it, so no need to apologize," Niwa waved the apology away, yet he remained insistent.
"May I carry your bag for you," it didn't sound like a question, especially since he was already reaching for the bag slung over her shoulder. Niwa took a step back, waving her hands in front of her.
"It's fine! Really," she reiterated.
"I insist," he emphasized with another step closer to her.
There was nothing wrong with him wanting to help her—especially since it had been a month since she had lent her umbrella out. The only problem was that if her aunts saw him, they would ask questions and be nosy and she would never hear the end of it. So the decision Niwa made next was entirely sound to her.
"Uh, here! You can eat these with me," she offered.
He had to lean back because of the box of kyoho that were suddenly shoved into his face without warning. He tilted his head to the side and looked at her from around the box. Well Niwa thought he looked at her. It might've been a glare.
"You want me to eat—" he glanced at the box full of large, dark purple fruits, "—kyoho with you?" Niwa felt very judged by his tone but she soldiered on.
"Of course," Niwa flashed a megawatt smile at him but she wasn't sure it did much to reassure him.
"Right." He sounded unconvinced but he still walked with her to the red bridge that was just built only a few weeks ago. It was over a small river and Niwa's legs swung idly back and forth over the water's surface. The boy had only one leg hanging over the water's surface, the other was pulled up and he rested his elbow on his knee. The box of kyoho was set between them.
Niwa picked up a kyoho and offered it to the boy with an easy going smile, "I'm Niwa. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
He briefly stared down down the small fruit like it was poisoned. Niwa hesitated to make a joke about that since he was a shinobi and Niwa had heard many stories of when a civilian made a joke in bad taste.
"Likewise," he said and plucked the kyoho from her. Their fingertips grazed for a moment and Niwa was reminded of when she had grabbed his wrist a month ago and how hot it was.
"Shimura Danzo," he motioned to himself and Niwa's lip quirked up at the name.
Very interesting indeed.
.
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AN: second chapter is out. It took me a bit longer but I wanted it to be perfect. jiemae is wonderful for looking over this for me. Love her. Kind of a short AN so onto questions.
Questions:
What do do you think of Danzō's character so far?
What do you think of slow burn romances?
Are there any characters you want to see Niwa interact with? (If yes, then who?)