Notes:
And here's chapter 11 and 12! So don't forget to check out the previous one as well! :)
Enjoy!
Chapter 12: No Communication Is Communication Too
Hermione couldn't believe the guy. He seriously needed to learn how to communicate properly. After she had left the kitchen, he had stormed off to Merlin knows where, slamming his door on the way out. She was seething. What gave him the right to demand answers like that? Frustrated, she sat down on the bed.
Okay, sure , she could've told him about her theories of what had happened. But it didn't make sense. Because those shocks she had gotten… If the books are right, and they usually are, then she should only feel this way with one single person. But so far, she's felt it with two. So it couldn't possibly be a soul bond. If it wasn't a soul bond, however, then what was it?
She should really try to see if she's feeling the same sensation with other people. Maybe that's what's happening. People here have a different energy, after all. So, that could explain it all. Hermione figured she could test this theory on Inoichi, if she saw him again. That'd answer the question for her.
Letting out a sigh, she looked down at herself. After all that cleaning, and the arguing, she could really use a bath to relax a bit. She grabbed her bag and took out a clean shirt and jeans as well as undergarments. Checking on Teddy, she noticed he was awake. He could definitely use a bath too, she figured. Might as well kill two birds with one stone. Smiling at the boy, she lifted him up as he started babbling.
She walked to the bathroom down the hall. When she was cleaning, she noticed there was a bathtub, which actually came in handy in this case. "Alright, let's get the tub filled up." She said as she closed and locked the door. She didn't want any unwanted visitors while she was in here. She turned on the water, feeling the temperature to make sure that it wasn't too hot for the boy. Satisfied that it wasn't too warm, she undressed herself and then Teddy as well.
"Ready to take a bath, bud?" She said, getting a laugh in response. She smiled again as she carefully lowered him into the water. Letting him get used to the temperature, before stepping in herself. Hermione grabbed a washcloth and slowly but meticulously cleaned his small body. Once she was satisfied that he was clean, she cast a simple spell to keep him afloat as she cleaned herself.
Knowing it wasn't a good idea to keep Teddy in the water for a long period of time, she allowed herself about ten minutes of relaxation before climbing out, drying herself off. Teddy was still happily floating around in the water, as she finished dressing herself. "Okay, time to get out. You must be hungry, huh? I'll check the kitchen in a bit to see if there's something I can make for us."
While Teddy wasn't old enough to talk back, he did seem to pay attention whenever she spoke to him. It also really helped her, not feeling as alone in the house. In the village even. Man, she couldn't wait until he was able to talk with her. At least she would have someone to talk with about magic and the world back home. He wouldn't know anything about it, so it was up to her to educate him properly.
Having dried and dressed Teddy, she drained the bathtub and collected the used towels and their dirty clothing, putting them in the hamper that stood in the corner. "Upsy-daisy," she said as she lifted Teddy back into her arms.
Walking into the kitchen, she placed Teddy into the highchair as she looked in the fridge for anything she could use. Grabbing some ingredients, she put them on the counter and took out her wand. Kakashi already knew she had a wand, so she might as well use it, momentarily forgetting there was also supposed to be an Anbu keeping watch outside until after she took it out. It didn't matter now, did it? With a flick of her wand, she made a meal for both her and Teddy within a few minutes.
They had nearly finished eating, when she heard the front door open and close. A moment later, a totally dishevelled and beaten up Kakashi appeared in the doorway of the kitchen. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. What the hell had happened to him?! It was even worse than with Harry and all his shenanigans. Did their argument really anger him this much? If it did, it would be a hell of a stay here.
Without a word he turned away and walked off, causing Hermione to let out a huff. He was way worse than Harry and Ron. A second later she heard a door close, indicating he went into his bedroom. Well, suits her just fine. She didn't really want to see or talk to him at the moment anyways. Not that she knew what to say to him is they did decide to talk. She turned to Teddy and cleaned his face and hands, before grabbing their plates and put them in the sink.
She took Teddy out of the high chair and took him to the living room. She glanced around to see where she could put him down so that he could play. Choosing a corner, she took her wand out of her back pocket and quickly conjured a play mat and put him on it. Conjuring a small stack of blocks, Teddy started playing which gave her time to do the dishes.
Once she was done, she quickly checked on Teddy who was still playing. Making her way towards their room, she grabbed the book she bought on Metamorphmagi and brought it with her to the living room. Sitting down on the old couch, she tucked her legs under her and leaned on the armrest as she put the book on her lap and turned the cover. Checking the index, she skipped past the Animagi, Werewolves and other shapeshifters until she found the chapter she was looking for.
Of course she wasn't entirely clueless when it came to Metamorphmagi. She actually learned quite a bit when Tonks had explained some of it to them. She knew the standard information, basically, which was the ability to change their appearance at will. As far as she knew, there weren't really any limitations, although she wasn't entirely sure if they would be able to turn into an animal, like Animagi could. She really just wanted to figure out if there was some information on the how , so that she could explain it to Teddy once he was old enough. If needed, of course. Unfortunately, there wasn't a lot of information in the book. It seemed the ability was quite rare then, if there was so little information on them.
Letting out a sigh, Hermione softly closed the book while glancing at the young Metamorphmagus. For now the glamour would have to do, until she figured out how to educate him on his abilities. She just hoped she was able to keep his abilities hidden from the shinobi, especially since she was supposed to stay in the same house as one. Turning her gaze towards the bedrooms, she thought about the silver-haired man.
While they definitely got off on the wrong foot, she hoped that they would be able to work something out. At least to make it more manageable for both of them. Although, she would probably have to spill the beans on what she knew about what was happening between them. She wasn't sure if she was ready to talk about that with him. With anyone, really.
Without realising it, the room had started to become dark, indicating that it had gotten quite late. Teddy had also become a bit slower with playing. It was quite obvious he was tired. He had slept quite a lot since they had arrived here, but in all fairness, quite a lot had happened, hadn't it?
Hermione stood up, tugging the book under her arm while bending down to pick Teddy up. "Time for bed, bud." She said to him, getting a whine from him in response. Yeah, it was definitely time for bed for him. She lifted him up and sniffed his bum, ugh, okay. First he needed a change.
As she walked into her room, she put him on the bed, placing the book on the nightstand. Grabbing the necessary items, she started undressing Teddy, placing his clothes in a pile so she could fold it later. She grabbed both his legs with her left hand, raising his bottom so she could place a towel underneath, just in case. She then proceeded to remove the diaper, wiping his bum and put on a new diaper. Quickly dressing him in his pyjamas, she put him down in his crib.
Stifling a yawn, she grabbed the dirty diaper and put it in the trash can, before changing into her last remaining old t-shirt and shorts. Hermione hoped she'd be able to sleep, as this was the first night in this house. She usually had a little trouble falling asleep in strange places, particularly places where she didn't feel completely safe. This house unquestionably fell into that category. Turning to Teddy, she placed a soft kiss on his head. She then climbed into her bed, pulling the covers over her shoulders. After about an hour she finally drifted off.
If you would have told Hermione a few weeks ago that she'd quite easily gotten used to living in a different world, she would have laughed until she cried. It was weird to think it was so simple to get used to living somewhere where there were no wizards and more importantly no friends or family.
Although, one of the reasons it was so simple was because she barely saw the owner of the house, Kakashi, nor did she manage to speak to him. The morning after their fight and him walking in all beat up, they hadn't actually spoken a word. He had left before she had even woken up, not leaving a note or anything at all. It frustrated Hermione quite a bit. She didn't want to deal with animosity. If anything, she needed a friend here and while Inoichi was a friend, it would be better to have a friend she would be able to speak to on a regular basis. Especially since he would be helping her with learning the language.
But, no. She had barely seen the guy. Every morning he had left the house before she had even gotten up and most of the time he came home after she had gone to bed, if he even came home at all. The only evidence she had was used cups and bowls he would leave loitering around. In the beginning she just left them, not wanting to be some kind of maid. But as the days progressed, he didn't clean it up either, the stack of dishes only growing and growing.
You would think the last straw would be when she woke up today to find no clean plates, bowls or cups, she had no choice but to do the dishes then. However, it wasn't. The last straw actually was when she found out he had eaten the last remaining vegetables, which she had prepared the night before for her and Teddy. Hermione had definitely been annoyed at his childish behaviour before. Now, however, she was seething.
He had left the house, leaving no food, no money and no way to reach him so that she could go out to go to the market. She also didn't think it would be a good idea to reach out to the Anbu that was supposedly stationed outside. Merlin, it wasn't even that she was angry because she wasn't able to eat. It was Teddy that had nothing to eat now, either. Was he so much of an arsehole, that he didn't care about that?
Biting the nail of her thumb she thought about the options she would have. Seeing as she had no money, she wouldn't be able to actually go to the market. It would seem the only safe option would be to call the Anbu in. Steeling herself, she went into the garden. She figured this was probably safer than calling out to someone in the middle of the street, no matter how secluded this house was.
"Um, excuse me? Anbu-san?" She hesitantly called out, looking around for any movement. After waiting a moment, she sighed. Really? They wouldn't even come out when she called? Obviously, this wasn't an emergency. Well, it was, but not a life-or-death kind of emergency. Shaking her head, she turned to walk back inside, when she bumped into a hard body. Biting back a yell, she almost fell back but two hands quickly reached out and steadied her.
"Can I help you?" A muffled voice asked.
Hermione looked up at the person she had bumped into, and saw a cloaked figure with a white mask, as expected. The mask actually looked quite familiar. She could've sworn she'd seen it before. Also, it was definitely a man, judging by his voice. She wondered if there were any females in Anbu at all.
"Ah, yes! I'm so sorry, I didn't see you." Hermione replied, which made the man chuckle.
"I didn't think you would, no. I'd be pretty amazed if you had, heh. Anyways, why did you call?" Hermione blinked at him in surprise. His English was surprisingly good, almost as good as Kakashi, Inoichi and the Hokage. She was sure he wasn't Kakashi though, she didn't feel anything when she bumped into him. That knowledge made her frown a little, actually. Because she had felt it with-
"-iss?"
"Sorry, I must've zoned out a little." She softly shook her head. "I called you because I'm in a bit of a pickle."
The Anbu cocked his head, "a pickle?" He asked.
"Yes, see, there's no food anymore. And while I don't mind skipping a meal, I do have to feed a small child. So, I really need to go to the market."
"That's no problem, as long as you don't disappear, you're allowed to go to the market."
"I can?" Hermione looked at him in confusion. How did she not know she was allowed to leave the house? She was going crazy, being cooped up inside.
"Yes? Didn't bo- Uh, Kakashi-san tell you?"
"No. He didn't." She bit out in anger. Of course he didn't. Really, she shouldn't be surprised, should she? All he did was make her life even more difficult.
"Right, well. If that's all, I'll-"
"Actually, no. While it's nice to know that I'm allowed to go outside, I can't actually get any food. I haven't any money."
"..."
Hermione looked at the Anbu as he stayed silent for a few moments.
"Did, um, did you hear what I said?" She hesitantly asked.
"Oh, I did hear you, don't worry." He scratched his head, "alright. Come on, I'll take you to the market. I'll lend you some money." He said as he turned to walk inside.
"Wha- But, how am I supposed to pay you back? I mean, from what I gathered, I receive an allowance, but I haven't gotten anything yet."
"I know," the Anbu said with a sigh. "Don't worry. I'll sort it out for you." A moment later, Hermione could've sworn she heard the man mumble something.
"Right, well. I still have to wake Teddy up and change his diaper. Do you mind waiting for a few minutes?"
"I'm going to be here either way," he said with a chuckle and a shrug.
"Oh, right. Of course. I'll be right back then." Hermione made her way to the bedroom where Teddy was still sleeping, softly shaking him to wake him up.
"Good morning sweetie, let's get you all settled so that we can make a trip to the market, what do you say, huh?"
Half an hour later Hermione carried the toddler in her arms as she walked towards the market. The Anbu was no longer in sight, but she knew he wasn't far. He had given her the directions towards the market and some money so that she could get food for her and Teddy. She felt a bit anxious walking outside, especially since she hadn't been outside since she moved into Kakashi's home, besides the garden, of course.
It wasn't that hard getting to the market, which she was grateful for. It was a very straightforward route and the market wasn't actually that far from the house. As she reached the first stall, she found that there were a lot of foods she didn't know. She'd definitely have to try some of them at some point but decided to play it safe for now, only choosing things she recognised.
While she knew she stood out, looking nothing like the locals, the people browsing the market didn't act like it. It made her feel like less of an outsider. She didn't speak the language yet, aside from a few words Inoichi had taught her. But, the vendors were quite nice and simply wrote down the numbers of what she was owed. Smiling in thanks, she took the plastic bag that was handed to her.
Making her way back towards Kakashi's house, she noticed a man staring at her, with wide eyes. Was he actually wearing a green jumpsuit? His bowl cut and thick eyebrows stood out even more as she glanced at him from the corner of her eye. Softly shrugging to herself, she continued to make her way back to her temporary home.
Hermione reached the home in no time, getting used to her surroundings and not having to think about where to go every step of the way. Right before she entered the house, she heard a loud gasp and shout, making her turn around right away in shock. Her eyes widened as she saw the same man with the green jumpsuit. Did he follow her? Why would he do that? Is he a threat?
A second later she was quite sure he wasn't a threat, however. Hermione looked at the man in confusion, with a raised eyebrow, as she saw tears streaming down his face. He had his fist raised in the air and was shouting something she didn't understand. The only thing she did understand was a name. Kakashi's to be exact. Did he know Kakashi?
Suddenly the man was gone, she looked around in fear, thinking he would appear out of the blue to attack her.
"Don't worry, he left." Was suddenly heard from behind her, which made her shriek and jump a little. "Ah, sorry, Granger-san. Didn't mean to scare you."
She looked at the Anbu that had appeared out of the blue. "Maybe next time appear in front of me?"
"You sure that won't scare you as well?"
Hermione let out a huff, shaking her head. She unlocked the door and walked inside, leaving the door open in case the Anbu decided to come in which he did.
"So, you got everything you need?"
Small talk, huh? Hermione thought. It was weird how one moment she never exchanged a word with the Anbu that guarded her, and the next he was in the kitchen with her making small talk. She smiled at that, "yeah, I did actually. Thank you again for helping me out."
"Of course, anything for a lovely young lady," he responded and she could swear that if she could see his face, he'd be smirking. She decided not to respond to that comment. People flirting with her, how rare it may be, was one thing. But people wearing an animal mask flirting with her? No, thank you. That was just weird .
"Right."
"Anyways, I'll leave you be, Granger-san. My shift ended at nine. See ya!" He said with a mock salute. She watched him turn around to leave the kitchen. Before she turned back to the counter, she watched him pop his head back in the kitchen. "Oh, just a friendly reminder that Hokage-sama summoned you for a meeting at eleven o'clock. Don't be late, hm?"
"Wait, what?" She said, looking at him in shock. "What do you mean, don't be late? I didn't even know I was summoned for a meeting." Hermione frantically started moving around in the kitchen, noticing she only had an hour to feed Teddy, make herself something to eat and get to the Hokage. Plus, she didn't even know where to go. "How am I even going to get there? And where am I supposed to go?"
"Wow, geez, calm down. Kakashi-san is going to take you, obviously. Didn't he-"
"Of course he didn't! And how exactly is that obvious?! I haven't seen the guy in days!"
She couldn't believe this guy, nor Kakashi. How in Merlin's name was she supposed to adhere to the rules given to her, if the one responsible for her didn't say anything to her?
"Try and calm down, Granger-san. It'll be fine. The Hokage Tower isn't that far, he'll be here in time, don't worry." The Anbu said with his hands up, trying to stop her from freaking out.
"Easy for you to say," she mumbled, looking away. She was really trying her hardest to keep it together, to make sure she and Teddy were alright. But things like these didn't help. At all.
"I know. But he'll be here. It'll be fine. Just do what's asked of you and you'll be alright. Who knows, maybe we'll even be able to go on a date, eh?" He said cheekily.
"You're impossible, Anbu-san," Hermione deadpanned while shaking her head.
"Just hopeful," he said with a laugh and with a wave of his hand he disappeared.
Hermione let out a sigh and hurriedly started on making food. Half an hour later she managed to feed Teddy and get him ready, while having a quick bite herself. She anxiously kept glancing at the clock, fidgeting the whole time. Where was he? Honestly, she didn't want to be late to this meeting.
Ten minutes before her meeting would supposedly start, she heard shouting and a door slamming shut. A second later, the door was slammed open again and the shouting continued. Looking towards the hallway, an exasperated Kakashi entered the living room, followed by the man she'd seen at the market, who seemed to be furiously shouting something at Kakashi. Hermione incredulously looked at the pair of them before quickly standing up and addressing Kakashi in anger.
"Where the hell were you?!"