A/N- Glad that everyone is still reading, I know our hiatus was a touch too long but we're continuing as quickly as we can! Thank you for reading!
Kakashi POV
"All hell just broke loose! We heard gunshots—s-s-several," a man recalled, his arms animated with expression as he retold his story to Kakashi, "I told my wife to get our kids and hide under the bed—it all seemed so close. Looked out the window and it's the house across the street—the beige one, well it's burnt to a crisp now."
Officer choy stood beside Kakashi in the doorway of a minka-styled home Monday morning. Choy scribbled in a small notebook while Kakashi admired the witnesses' traditional home. He was a fan of traditional Japanese homes; they had a quaint sense of style and were becoming a rarity in Japan.
Tatami covered floors, chabudai tables and translucent shoji screens…Rin would adore a place like this.
He could just see her now, flailing all over the place—asking Mr. Miwako about the interior design.
Always into timeless things…
"You and your wife have a lovely home," Kakashi compliments, admiring the golden kamidana ornaments which graced the walls. "quite—creative. May I—?" Kakashi asks, crossing the threshold before Mr. Miwako could answer.
Spiritual folks.
You can deduce much from someone's home.
The man seemed slightly off-put by Kakashi's musings but twisted around to examine his own home.
"Uh—of course, t-thank you officer. We're simple people."
"Please, Hatake," Kakashi offered his name casually, prying a shoe from his foot with the heel of another and then doing the same with the other. "Simple? Your modesty is refreshing. Don't find too many of these on the market where I'm from, your wife has a very good eye for antiques."
Kakashi treads carefully, examining photos propped on top of black lacquered dressers and frames decoratively placed on walls.
Three children, cute, photogenic and happy.
Both Choy and Miwako follow him through the living room.
"We are blessed and favored." Miwako replies to which Kakashi agrees with a small nod.
"Tell me," Kakashi begins, pausing in the center of the living room, sun spilling through the parted curtains behind him, "Have you ever met or interacted with the young man who lived in the house across the street?"
Miwako scratched at his graying beard and shook his head, "I can't say that I have but my wife has."
Kakashi nods, though his eyes wander up the staircase, "I'd hate to trouble her with questions—especially after the events that took place yesterday. I can imagine that it must be a shock to the communit-"
Miwako held up his hands in protest, "It's no trouble at all Mr. Hatake—I'll get her."
"Thank you."
Mrs. Miwako was the perfect host of hospitality. Although the household wasn't a carrier of coffee, she brewed fresh bancha tea for Kakashi and poured it from an iron jade kettle.
"I would have prepared a tin of snacks had I known we were expecting company."
"You're too generous Mrs. Miwako, the tea is kind enough." Choy comments, sitting next to Kakashi on the sofa.
"I have to agree, you've spoiled us quite enough—I assure you; neither of you are in trouble." Kakashi explained behind his face covering.
Mr and Mrs. Miwako burst into an honest fit of chuckles.
They shared more small talk before they finally got down to business.
"A very handsome young man, blonde hair—blue eyes, quite athletic like our eldest son. He helped bring my groceries in once, a few days ago."
"Oh." Choy comments, shocked.
Kakashi however wasn't fazed by the description of character. Women always seemed amused and taken with Menma's charismatic charm. He appeared to be quite sociable, well-mannered and outgoing according to other reports. He was well versed when it came to playing to the part of normalcy, and none of the witnesses could ever believe that he was capable of harming a soul.
"Did you notice anything off about him?"
"N—no not at all, though he seemed to be in a haste, I'd imagine he had somewhere—like maybe a job, to be off to? You know young people, always have somewhere to be but it seemed so nice of him to even bother to help."
Mrs. Miwako placed the kettle down on top the tray on a table, she sat next to her husband on a sofa opposite of Kakashi and Choy.
Choy scribbled in his notebook and Kakashi stared into his teacup for a while.
Must have just been covering his ass, trying to look like he belonged.
He looked up in time just to notice an exchanging of looks from the couple. Mrs. Miwako swallowed hard, and her husband nudged his head.
"Tell them…it could be useful..."
The space between them seemed negatively charged for a moment and then Mrs. Miwako very hesitantly turned to face Kakashi.
"…well it's likely of no consequence but—the girl on the news," she paused, using her left hand to symbolize hair length, "the girl with the dark long hair—the one who's missing—"
"Hyuuga, Hinata." Choy filled in, wagging his pen.
"Yes, I saw that girl many times—sometimes when the young man wasn't home. She left packages for him…outside his door. Especially when he first moved in, I'm ashamed to say but sometimes when the kids are off at school—I enjoy birdwatching, or I'll water the hydrangeas in the garden, and she'll be there,"
Kakashi listened carefully from his lounge on the sofa.
"At first, she never came when he was home—which I found very odd, though I figured maybe it might have been some sort of crush. She seemed quite young and frightened. Yesterday afternoon, was the first time I've ever seen the two of them together. I got a glimpse of him—carrying her from the house…"
She paused, picking up her own teacup pensively, she blew over the brew patiently and Kakashi could smell the strong tealeaves pervade the air.
"About what time would you say this was?" Choy inquired, hunching forward—Kakashi could tell he was very intrigued in the case and found it compelling.
The woman rolled her eyes heavenward in thought, "Well my youngest child came home around four so perhaps this was a little later—around maybe seven-ish."
"Would you say that Ms. Hyuuga appeared to be conscious?"
Mrs. Miwako took a long pause, as if recalling the scene in her head and placed a hand flat against her chest, "No, her eyes were closed though I couldn't see much. He placed the young woman in the back of his car but once again, I don't like to pry so I didn't interfere. But god, now that I know—what's happened, I feel downright awful…" Mrs. Miwako had a glassy look to her eyes and guilt wore at her face.
"Don't," Choy intervened, shaking his head, "you couldn't have known, and even if you had—you could have been hurt had you tried to confront him,"
"Or worse," Kakashi interjects gravely, "You did the right thing, staying away, please don't beat yourself up. Though he appears to be just an average young man—I've been following the breadcrumbs of this case for years and I've seen what he can do. You've given us more information than we had and for that we are grateful." Kakashi bows his head in respect and after a moment of comical unpreparedness, Choy follows suit.
"I'm just glad that I could help, it's just so haunting—with all the new developments, knowing that I crossed paths with him."
Mrs. Miwako expresses, a worrisome expression crosses her face.
"She hasn't been able to sleep much, nothing like this has ever happened here," Her husband replies, rubbing at her back comfortingly, "and he's still out there."
Kakashi nods sympathetically, "I can imagine. The property across the street is a crime scene, and it's still being analyzed for pertinent evidence. I hope it'll ease your minds to know that there will always be a few officers around keeping an eye on this neighborhood until the culprit is brought to justice and he will be found."
"Thank you." Both husband and wife spoke in perfect union.
"You were perfect in there Kakashi!" Officer Choy gushes, "Those people seemed so much more relieved after you talked to them. You just have a knack for this stuff, man—I can't believe I got to interrogate with one of the greats!"
Kakashi had wondered when Choy would return to a fawning fanboy and here it is—the moment they left the home of a witness.
"You contributed." Kakashi attempted to give him some credit to which Choy scoffed.
"I just mumbled the usual protocol mumbo jumbo but you—you just walked right in and made yourself at home and made those people love you!"
Kakashi withdrew a handkerchief from the inner fold of his jacket and wiped at his hands, he stared at the burnt ruins of the house across the street and shook his head.
"Confidence is the best ice breaker. It also helps to know what you know."
Choy struggled to keep in step with him, breathing heavily at his side.
"Thanks to Mrs. Miwako—we know there's a good chance the Hyuuga girl could be dead in a ditch by now."
Kakashi shook his head, "No, injured if anything but not dead. The librarian in that house over there," he says nudging his jaw to a white house that stood behind a picket fence. "Stated that he saw a girl with black hair sitting in the passenger seat of an Audi—and shortly after, the house caught fire. He called the cops immediately after, like several of his neighbors."
It was an odd contrast, the houses lined up in uniformity—looking new and beautiful and then the charred remains of a home. Like a cancer. The world seemed to be on high alert for once about all the things occurring in Konoha.
Choy sighed exhaustedly, "This is all…going to get worse, huh?"
Kakashi passed him the handkerchief, "There's a spot of tea on your lip."