Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Naruto. Only the OC is my idea, her backstory, abilities, appearance, etc. I do not make any money from this story. Some characters may be a bit out of character.
The morning sunlight filtered in through the window although what roused Neji to wake up wasn't the sunlight. It certainly helped, but it was the scent extracted him from his slumber. He stretched before sitting up on the futon, and took in the surroundings. He was in his living room and someone was in his kitchen. He made his way to the washroom, running cold water from the tap before splashing some water onto his face, washing the sleep from his eyes. Looking at his own reflection he quickly remembered something important. Running back to the living room he grabbed his headband, securing it to his forehead, tying it at the back of his head, under his hair.
He inwardly sighed in relief. Hopefully she hadn't seen it, at some point he may consider explaining it but for now it's better that he keep the truth of that symbol to himself. He then went into the kitchen and smiled a bit when he noticed the bowl of egg on rice, Chiaki was eating her bowl and stopped when she spotted him. Her hair was not currently in a bun, but hung loosely framing her face, and reaching down to the middle of her back, she currently wore a tan knee length kimono with autumn leaves of red, orange and yellow giving it a nature themed pattern. He'd only seen it in the shop and based on the colours she wore in her Shinigami form had suspected she'd like it. Placing her serving down, she grabbed another egg from the fridge and served up a bowl of rice for him.
"Good morning," she greeted him.
He sat at the counter island as he returned her greeting, "Good morning. Did you sleep well?"
"It's a strange bed, in a strange building, in a strange world. I didn't sleep horribly but I didn't sleep like the dead either," she admitted.
Neji chuckled a bit, "most say 'sleep like a baby'."
"Babies wake up every two to three hours," Chiaki pointed out as she cracked the egg onto the rice, then added soy sauce and handed Neji his serving with some chopsticks. He thanked her as he mixed the ingredients together, the heat from the rice cooking the egg and he then added some seaweed before he began to eat. He noticed she resumed eating as well, and she also had some seaweed in her bowl.
He then revealed, "I haven't had this for breakfast in a long time."
"Oh?"
"My aunt used to make it for us," Neji elaborated.
"It's pretty simple," Chiaki hinted.
"Yes. That's not why I haven't eaten it," Neji confessed. He offered a small smile before confessing, "I was angry at them for a long time. I blamed them for my father's death."
"I see. That would sour it to the pallet," she agreed then her eyes went to his headband and she stifled a laugh.
"What?"
"Do you sleep with your headband on?"
"No," Neji admitted, he mixed the egg and rice a bit more before taking a rather large amount, effectively stopping the conversation. After he swallowed he resumed speaking but made it clear that he didn't wish to continue the prior conversation.
"I'm going to check in with the Hokage after breakfast. If she has any missions for me I suppose you could come along," he offered while changing the subject.
"Alright, I guess. I was going to see if I could find a job somewhere," she admitted.
"Hmm? That magic you do… kido?"
Chiaki glanced at him with a raised eyebrow, " what about it?"
"Does it heal injuries?"
She slowly nodded and agreed, "It can be used to heal people, yes. I'm pretty good at it. Not as good as the Captain of our forth squad, but still pretty decent. Why?"
"Well, If I'm sent somewhere I could ask Lady Tsunade if she'd be willing to let me take a healer of my choosing with me. We could share the rewards I earn," Neji suggested.
Chiaki's eyes widened before she regarded the boy trying to discern if he was trying to pull a fast one on her.
Finally she settled on, "First you invite me into your home as a complete stranger. Then you get me the supplies I need to blend in here, you feed me, you give me your room, and now you're offering to share your salary with me? What are you Neji Hyuga?"
Neji chuckled as he answered, "Someone who was in a unique situation to help someone that others couldn't see. We don't know how long you're going to be here for, having you enroll in the academy would be pointless. Besides you'd be in attendance with five year old children."
Chiaki's eyes widened a bit at the idea, 'uhh no. I'm likely to set something on fire. I like kids but only in small groups.'
"I could appeal to the Hokage that you're a skilled healer and good with ninjutsu but you need help with taijutsu between meals and rest on missions I could say that I'm training you in that. I've been practicing taijutsu since I could walk," he continued.
"I'm certain she'd agree to it. It makes sense that a close range combat expert would want a healer to come along," he concluded, taking the last bit of his breakfast.
Chiaki smiled a little and nodded, "Alright. If she agrees it's okay." Neji stood and gathered the dishes, when he caught her astonished expression he stated, "you cleaned up after I cooked last night. I'm cleaning up because you cooked this morning."
"Fair enough," Chiaki conceded as she stood from her spot, glancing at Neji she asked, "are you going to need the washroom right away?"
"No. Go ahead and wash up. I'll change while you do," he offered.
Chiaki was about to head to the bathroom when she sheepishly looked to him inquiring, "Where do you keep the towels?"
"In the closet by the washroom," he answered.
She smiled, and opened the linen closet, grabbing a few towels before heading into the washroom. Neji finished with the dishes and headed into the bedroom. He quickly changed his clothes, dawning the same style of outfit as he wore the previous day. Picking up his brush he began running it through his long hair, eventually pulling it back into its usual loose ponytail.
He picked up his pajamas and turned to leave the room but something caught his eye under the bed. Crouching down he pulled out what looked to be a tubular object however it had a duck's head at one end.
'What is this thing? I've never seen anything like it,' He wondered to himself. He noticed a note attached to it, in curiosity he opened the note and quickly blushed. Of course it was hers!
He quickly placed the object on the bedside table and noticed that she was standing in the doorway.
"Chiaki, I'm sorry I read something that was addressed to you. It was attached to that thing and I didn't know what it was," Neji apologized, trying to explain his reasoning.
"Ah, my soul candy! That's awesome! I thought I'd left it in Soul Society," Chiaki squealed in delight, ignoring his apology.
"You're not mad I read the note?"
"Why? Not like I'm really hiding anything major. I'm not married, there's no boyfriend," she explained.
Neji knitted his brows together in slight confusion, "'soul candy'? You said you don't like sweets."
"Oh I don't," she reiterated, "originally this little invention was called a gikon, but the Shinigami Woman's association petitioned to have the name changed to 'soul candy' because it sounds cuter."
She shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know. I'm a woman but sometimes I don't understand other women."
Neji chuckled and nodded, "I suppose I could say the same about men. I am one, but I can't grasp the reasoning of some men."
"So you get it. Umm, could I have the room though?"
"Of course, I apologize for delaying you," Neji replied as he vacated the room, hearing it close behind him.
