TICKING SAND HOUR
Naruto fanfiction
A/N:
Happy New Years people!
I hope you're having as good of a time as I am. And because I'm spending it in France, I'm not focusing my attention on stories until I'm back at home next week.
Chapter 9: Domestic
How did a simple one night stand end up with the Hatake Kakashi watching her cooking a dinner?
She hadn't planned on him coming over, otherwise, she would've gotten more ingredients but that didn't look like an issue for the man. He'd busied himself in her couch, taking out that infamous book he loves. Icha Icha series was something Nora was guilty of having bought and read as well, heck they sat on the bookshelf right above the man. He was dressed in his normal Konoha Shinobi uniform, legs crossed and leaning comfortably on the corner sofa. That specific furniture was Nora's favorite thing to be in her apartment, it was the first thing she'd purchased and Chuuya had simply shaken his head in amusement, watching her trying to find a spot she was satisfied within their living room.
Her body went rigid at the memory that caused Chuuya to resurface in her mind, it's not like he's ever left it. But when she was with Kakashi, it was easy to ignore that gaping hole in her heart. That three pieced holes they'd left when leaving her behind. She covered it up with chopping up meat she'd surprisingly found in the back of her fridge, it was still good and long before its expiry date. It wasn't a planned meal but Nora had ended up making Nikujaga, it would be enough for Kakashi as well if he decided to stay until then.
So far, he wasn't showing any signs on leaving.
And in a way, Nora almost didn't want him to leave, he'd proved to be a good distraction when the kid wasn't bothering her. When Anko wasn't around to pull her to the closest bar to get as drunk as it was humanly possible. Nora can't count all the times she'd come dangerously close to spilling her entire locker of secrets to the woman she considered her best friend. Her only true friend, despite their age difference. Six-seven years of her senior. Maybe less, maybe more. She couldn't remember which age as her real age, the one she pretended to appear as or the one she'd died at?
She remembered, when Shisui had told her something interesting, and how she'd laughed at him back then. But now? Now she wishes she would've had more, more, more (!) time with him. With them both. Nora nearly broke down in her kitchen with Kakashi sitting right behind her as she unwillingly remembered her happiest moments that she can never return to.
Maybe in death.
THUD.
A teacup had fallen out of her fingers, falling right down at the floor and breaking. Instantly causing Kakashi to leap on his feet and heading right towards her. She somehow noticed how stiff his body had become as if he'd been expecting an enemy attack. And not a domestic item breaking.
"Are you alright, Nora?" He questions her, gently pulling her away from the pieces, inspecting her hands for signs of injury and blood. Unaware that she's mentally imagining death, blood, screams, battlefield and a river. The broken pieces reminded her much of a broken human body, laying everywhere her eyes could see. "Nora?"
His lips are so close to hers, she numbly realizes, allowing him to guide her to the chairs around the kitchen table. It felt weird for Kakashi to be this gentle with her, especially since they weren't having sex. Nora felt herself to be in a daze, staring numbly at the fingers.
"Did you get hurt somewhere, Nora?"
"Yes," the response slipped from her lips before she could control herself. Before she realized what had happened. Her eyes widened in sudden shock and fear as she looked at Kakashi's face. The kettle was screaming for attention, having finished boiling the water. But neither moved.
"Where?" His eye tried to find a cut, having found the first-aid kit in one of the cupboards.
She shook her head, not meant as a response to the man, who was taking care of her but to clear her mind from thoughts. Nora couldn't tell him anything, no matter how much she wanted to. She gently laid her hand on his cheek, feeling the fabric of mask under her palm. She disliked how he could simply hide behind a mask, while she had to disguise her entire being.
The person who she was, would've been too easy to recognize.
She wouldn't have been able to live a normal life, one that Sandaime Hokage wished for her to do, unaware that not all of her demons existed in the real world.
"I'm alright, for now," she added to his unspoken question, knowing full well that he wasn't convinced and could see the conflict in Nora's blue eyes.
Neither spoke for some time, and they didn't have to. She could see how he wanted her to trust him, at least enough to tell why she'd broken a teacup. It was only the scent of burning meat that snapped the two back into reality, Nora instantly leaping back to the kitchen area. Fully ignoring Kakashi's protest as he told her to watch out for the broken pieces, adamant on saving the dinner. A part of her knew that night sleep wouldn't come for hours.
It hardly did without Kakashi beside her.
Or Anko snoring loudly in her guest room.
Or Naruto making a ruckus after returning from his training and missions, but that would happen later on.
"Don't judge the food," Nora said a bit later after they'd sat behind a table to eat the half-burnt Nikujaga. Kakashi chuckled at the way she was pouting, finding it hilarious. "It ain't the food's fault it nearly burned."
"Right, that was your fault," he smirked, even though she couldn't see it under his mask, sending a prayer for a good meal before grabbing a pair of chopsticks she'd offered him.
Everything felt weird, terrifyingly domestic relationship but we weren't one. It would've been wise of me to have thrown him out, to prevent hearts breaking but I didn't…
