Chapter 7
Finding a job
Beta/RileyyHeartt: Not much changed in this chapter, just some spelling errors.
Three days later.
She was allowed off the crutches. Tsunade had deemed her fit, however she had given her a walking stick which made her feel old.
Still, it allowed her out of the house and in search of a job and an apartment.
She needed to distance herself from Minato and baby Naruto.
This led her to wandering the streets of Konoha for most of the day. Minato said that she could stay for as long as she liked, he even gave her some money, which she tried to refuse. However, that failed when he spoke in his Hokage voice, saying that: "All new citizens receive a small loan large enough to support them for one month or at least until they could provide for themselves. Once they have a job, they pay it back in small instalments."
So she reluctantly accepted the money.
She had found a job, it wasn't much but it was something she liked doing and it would keep her up way in to the small hours of the morning, she was a barmaid.
She liked interacting with people and the manager had said he couldn't find anyone else for the job. He said most civilians don't like working around drunk shinobi, she a showed him that she had no problem with that and he excepted her offer, saying she could start tonight as a trial and if he liked what he saw she could have the job.
That left only the apartment to find.
She was on her way back to Minato's house, she knocked on the door and Minato answered and allowed her in.
"So" he said as he walked into the kitchen, he was making tea "How did things go?"
"Well I found a job, but still no luck with the apartment though"
"Well that's something, what job did you get? If you don't mind me asking?"
She sat at the table "No, it's fine. I got a job as a barmaid, it's not much but I like it."
The kitchen was silent for a few minutes Minato stirred whatever he was making in the big pot on the oven. Rachel haf to admit, it smelled nice.
"There was one thing though." she paused to make sure she had his attention "Is there a divide between the Civilians and the shinobi? The only reason I'm asking is the manager said he couldn't get a civilian to work because of the drunken shinobi. I had to tell him over and over that I was fine working with them."
"Not that I'm aware of, but if a rift is forming then it's worth looking in to." He half turned "Thank you for bring it to my attention."
She waved him off as he began to make the tea. It was so odd seeing the leader of the village, a person who is feared by many, stand there at the oven cooking in a pink apron. It was laughable really.
She shifted her knee under the table. Even though it was healed, Tsunade had said to take it easy and she had done anything but.
He must have seen her discomfort.
"You over did it didn't you?"
She grimaced and nodded not daring to speak.
"Why don't you go rest for a while, I'll call you when tea is ready"
She thanked him and headed off upstairs.
Minato continued to make tea he heard a puff behind him and knew who was there.
"Sensei, why are you keeping her near Naruto after what I reported to you?"
"Because Kakashi, haven't you ever heard the term keep your friends close and your enemy closer?"
"But she is a threat."
"Maybe, but it still puzzles me. If she was a threat then why say protect what Naruto holds dear? She is clearly hiding something but at the moment I don't think it's any ill intentions. If she wanted to hurt Naruto she could have done it that first night she arrived. Instead she chose to protect him." he tasted a bit of the soup he was making, "If you're that worried I could assign you to watch her."
Kakashi nodded his head in affirmation.
"Very well then. If that is what you want, but I would rather have you guarding Naruto."
"I can do both."
"No, are you even sleeping? You're almost as bad as Rachel. She hasn't slept since she woke up."
"I can handle it."
"Right, like the last time when you were chasing imaginary white bunnies down the street claiming they had stolen your book."
Kakashi stiffened "Do you always have to bring that up?" he drawled out.
"Yes" he smiled mischievously at his student.
In the end Kakashi had decided to guard Naruto, that didn't mean he could keep a watchful eye on the girl whenever she was near.
He would protect his sensei and his child he would not fail again like he failed Obito and Rin.
Rachel was all set to go to work. Minato had given her a key to get back in to the house, and again she thanked him and headed for work.
The bar was a fairly small one. Only a few tables and chairs and the long bar. Once she got to know where everything was, and how much things cost, she was quite happy. There wasn't all that many customers, but it was still early.
The manager of this place was a large fat man with brown hair and a thick unruly beard. He had dark green eyes and he always looked tired. The customers referred to him as slick. She had no idea why that was but she was almost positive she would find out in the near future.
She was clearing a table when familiar face entered, it was Tsunade and a young girl with dark short hair.
"So, I take it this is where you're working now?"
Rachel nodded as Tsunade took a seat at the table. "Sake then please."
"Alright, rice or plum?"
"Rice. Do I look like a kid to you brat?"
Laughing slightly, Rachel moved to collect the bottle. The manager already had it waiting, he also said to keep an eye on her. That she could drink most men under the table and sometimes refused to leave.
She took the bottle to her and Tsunade handed a wad of money "This should take care of my bill for the night" Rachel nodded and thanked her.
She watched as the honey eyed woman got drunker and drunker until she was in that much of stupor she could hardly stand.
All you could get out of her was few incoherent sentences something about a guy named Dan she mumbled the rest.
She had sent the young girl home saying that she didn't need a baby sitter she was old enough to take care of herself.
Rachel watched the whole scene with amusement.
She cleaned up the bar washed the mugs put the empty bottles outside. The manager was impressed and said that she could have the job if she still wanted it.
Rachel was thrilled except for the last part, he had asked her to take the drunk woman home. Unfortunately she didn't know where Tsunade lived, so she staggered with the honey eyed woman on a cold and crispy night. She was leaning more on her walking stick in an attempt to keep the woman from falling.
"Y-ya know kid, you-" hick up "Y-you're all right."
She took that as a complement. As they slowly made their way down the street she found herself hoping that Minato wouldn't be mad at her bringing the busty blond home.
After what seemed like forever they finally made it. With Tsunade putting all of her weight on her, Rachel struggled to slide the key in the door. Finally she managed it and they both entered. She kicked the door shut with the leg she kept the least amount of weight on and shushed the woman who was still talking nonsense. She tried to navigate her forward but the honey eyed woman lost her balance causing Rachel to lose hers as well. They both toppled over knocking over a stand that was behind the door, they both landed with a not so delicate "umph".
Within a second Minato was standing over them with a kunai razed ready to defend his son.
His expression changed from heated to recognition.
"Urh… I can explain" she said quickly.
He lowered his kunai.
"She," pointing to the now passed out woman "Was-is- really drunk. The manager said to take her home but I didn't know where that was and I didn't feel right just leaving her on the street."
Minato sighed, maybe he should ban her from drinking on week nights. He put his kunai away and helped Rachel up since the Sannin was passed out half on top of the poor civilian.
"I'm really sorry about this... I didn't want to leave her out on the street"
"Don't worry, she done this before, I take it she sent her apprentice home?"
Rachel nodded.
"Can you help me to get her to the sofa?"
"Sure, I was going to let her use my bed" Not like I need it she mentally said
"Then where will you sleep?"
"The floor" she said to quickly and her head was turned away from him so he wouldn't see the lie.
He narrowed his eyes at her "She'll be fine on the sofa. So you can sleep." he said it warningly, daring her to challenge him.
"O-ok." she said meekly.
He pulled Tsunade up and dropped an arm around his shoulder Rachel took the woman's free side and together they steered her into the living room and dumped her on the sofa.
"I'll go and fetch a sick bowel and get some blankets, can you make her comfortable?"
Rachel nodded and quickly began to move he woman's sandals and green coat. Which was not easy since she was completely dead weight. Finally, she laid her on her side so that if she was sick she wouldn't choke on it.
Minato came back with a blanket and a bowl, he placed it beside her and covered her with the blanket.
"Does she do this often?" Rachel asked
"Yes, she is quite famous for it. I'm just glad she didn't destroy anything this time." he mused
They both shuffled back to the hallway Rachel picked up her walking stick.
"Rachel" she turned to look at him "Since you're up, do you have a moment?"
She nodded and followed him in to the kitchen, he gestured to a chair she sat
"Tea?" he asked
"Err-yes please."
Minato made the tea and sat back down, Rachel held the mug in her cold hands she made a mental note to buy some clothes with the money Minato had given her.
"I still have some questions for you, if you don't mind?"
"No, it's fine ask what you want" she smiled but Minato could see there was an edge to it.
"You said your brother was a shinobi and that he trained you, what village are you originally from?"
She bit her lip she wasn't expecting that question she would have to tell him there was no way around it.
"We-we were from a new village it only had shinobi for about ten years so we were fairly new to it all."
He noticed she wasn't looking at him at first he thought she was lying but he caught the sadness in her sea green eyes, she was staring at her tea that she had in her hands, and he noted that they were shaking slightly.
"We were called the village hidden in the wind."
Minato gasped, he knew that village was destroyed. They had asked for Konoha's help and he said no. He needed his shinobi here because Iwa was threatening war again.
When he did finally send someone the whole village had gone much like Kushina village, there was nothing left no survivors were to be found at least that what he thought.
"You survived?" he asked gently.
She nodded "My brother encased me in a earth dome h-he made it so that it would last for three days. He said he made sure there was enough air to breathe. Wh-when it dissolved, the village was gone… a-and so w-was h-he"
She was shedding silent tears now, he felt for her he really did.
"I'm sorry for your loss" he said. There wasn't much else he could say.
She nodded acknowledge his words.
She bid him good night after that.
He sat there silently watching her go, she had left the full mug of tea untouched.
As she made her way upstairs her thoughts lingered on one thing
That's not all of it. I wish I could tell you, I wish you would believe me, I wish I didn't have to lie to you.
