.: After I posted the last chapter, I had the urge to write the next. So here we are like two days later! I do want to post a lot more often this summer since I've been away for awhile and I'm not sure if I can post much this autumn, so this is fine, right? Thank you lizyeh2000 for reviewing, I'm glad you like the story! And Thomas, believe me, I already had something like that planned for the future. Akamaru scared the crap out of her before, so meeting Kakashi's talking ninja hounds might be fun to explore ;) :.

The Archangel of the Hidden Leaf

Chapter 19:

Safe

Kakashi pulled his key out and used it to unlock his front door. When it swung open for them, his dark studio came into view, everything shrouded in shadow because of the dark storm clouds hanging over the entire village. The first thing Dolia saw was the big window on the opposite end of the room. With the little light that was drifting in from it, she could see a bed pushed up against it with a table and chair next to it. There were even a couple of picture frames standing up, but what they displayed could not be deciphered at the moment. Everything else inside was unknown to her.

She felt Kakashi pull his arm away from her so he could hang up his key just beside the door frame and then kick off his waterlogged sandals while slipping the heavy backpack off. They were now shielded from the rain, but it was far too late to simply discard wet shoes. Droplets continuously leaked and dripped from all over both of them. Not tracking water throughout his home was going to be a challenge just for himself, but Dolia's involvement was just going to make it even harder.

Mimicking the man who was providing shelter for her, she slipped her sandals off her feet without bending over. He then turned on a light that revealed wooden floors and a green bedspread. She felt his other hand rest on top of her head to brush off her hood. "Follow me," he prompted, stepping inside and taking a right.

With her hair bundled in clumps against her neck, she also stepped inside. A low rumble of distant thunder rolled in through the open doorway as she closed the door behind her. Kakashi turned on the light to his bathroom and motioned her over. The best way to clean up was to utilize the shower drain. It would collect the excess water.

Dolia walked in behind Kakashi and watched as he opened the shower door for her. When she went inside to be surrounded by the blue tiles, he shut it. "Change out of those wet clothes. I'll be right back," he said, his voice slightly bouncing off the walls.

The glass that made up the shower door was misty-looking. When she tried to peer through it to see him leave, everything on the other side was too blurry to distinguish if it did not move. Kakashi would not be able to see her but the fact that it was not completely opaque left her feeling a little insecure. Feeling embarrassed, she gulped but complied. The tiles underneath her feet were dry from the shower not being used in Kakashi's absence, so she took out the bag of dry clothes from under her cloak to put it down. Every article clung to her skin and dropping them into a pile made plopping sounds and formed a thin puddle underneath. It felt better being free from the extra weight and source of her shivering.

Something snagged in her hair that she had forgotten about. When she pulled it out, it was the wooden-stemmed flower Yamato had given her the previous night. The rain caused its small white petals to shrivel a little bit.

The door became slightly ajar as Kakashi reached in with a couple of clean white towels for her. He looked away, though. But she did not know that. The sudden intrusion forced an alerted squeak from her. She took the towels quickly so he would close it back up, and he did.

Sorry. I wasn't trying to startle you, he thought, not having the energy to say it aloud.

Her face felt hot enough to let off steam, she quickly wrapped her naked body to dry it of lingering moisture. She did not like feeling exposed like that. It made her think about him…

She quickly shook her head to get the memory out. That man was far away from here, and Kakashi was nothing like him. He was only giving her what she needed.

Dolia used the towels to explore every inch of skin and then took out the loose long-sleeved shirt and pants from Sakura's bag. They were probably loose on her, but because Dolia was extra skinny, they looked baggy. But she did not care. Them being baggy on her only helped warm her up. With the now damp towels in hand, she opened the shower door to find Kakashi waiting patiently. He noticed how the ends of her hair still had some droplets dangling from them. Some had already made wet spots in the collar of her shirt. To fix it, he took one of her used towels and draped it over her head. She gave him a funny expression that was basically nonexistent on her blank face as he rubbed his fingertips around the outside of the towel to stimulate more absorption. He lightly hummed to himself in amusement; this was probably what it felt like to be a father. Yeah, he was nowhere ready for something like that.

Satisfied with the remaining dampness of her brown curls, he moved the towel to the back of her neck so that it hung off. "I'll feed you after I'm done," he promised. "Go and make yourself at home."

Using that as her indication to leave the vicinity, she walked out to return to the first part of the room she was introduced to. The bed and table returned to her view when she rounded the corner. With the bathroom door closing, she was free to do whatever she wanted, but she remained wary. Sitting on something like his bed felt like a boundary was being tested. So, she opted for the safe option by pulling out the chair to the table and having a seat on it. Almost as if the heavens sensed her, a whole stream of lightning bolts connected in the underbellies of the crying storm clouds and crackled with wall-shaking thunder chasing after it. Dolia stared in awe. This window in Kakashi's home had a great view apparently.

When the lightning moved inside the clouds to hide, Dolia lost interest in the white flashing and shifted her attention to the busy windowsill. There were a couple of potted plants that looked like they needed a drink and a weird gadget she had never seen before. But the two picture frames were what intrigued her the most. The photos they displayed had familiar faces in them.

Glancing over her shoulder at the closed door, she wondered if Kakashi would be out quick. It would be embarrassing if she was caught on his bed after all. But it was something she did not want to miss. Swiftly trading places with herself, she dug her knees into the green comforter of Kakashi's bed to have her face up close to both picture frames. They were both the same size and had the same number of people. The one on the right, however, presented three people she was familiar with instead of just one. It had Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura, and someone else all together. She smiled when she saw how young Naruto and Sakura appeared. This photo was a few years old. The raven-haired boy she did not recognize did not sport a happy face like Sakura did as Kakashi's hand ruffled his hair. Naruto had his arms crossed with a grimace aimed at him as Kakashi did the same to him. Did they not like each other?

As for the picture on the left, Dolia immediately recognized the white-haired boy in it as Kakashi. He was probably the same age in the picture as Naruto and Sakura were in the other one. The sight of Kakashi's face still being masked up even in his youth entertained her. He was such an interesting man.

She observed the older picture longer. The three other people in it – a boy, a girl, and a man – were ones she had not met yet. And what about Yamato? It seemed like he and Kakashi were old friends just by being around them a little while. Why was there no picture with him in it? Looking back down to her hand that held the flower, she remembered to slide it back into its rightful place in her hair.

The sound of the bathroom door opening back up gave Dolia a brief adrenaline rush. She just as swiftly moved back to the chair and pretended to be back watching the storm unfold outside. Kakashi emerged wearing a sleeveless shirt and lounging pants. Everything wet was busy tumbling in a dryer for the time being. The next course of action for him was an early dinner for his guest who was still recovering from malnutrition. When he peered around the corner, he found her sitting quietly in a chair with her eyes glued to the window. That was fine with him.

He grabbed an extra blanket and unfurled it. Then he came up behind her and draped it over her shoulders before snatching the damp towel from her neck. Dolia watched their reflection in the window and got the impression that he wanted to say something, but he remained silent. Instead, he walked away to prepare a meal for them both. She watched him disappear back around the corner. Something told her that he was not acting like his normal self. If that was the case, then having her here was probably something he did not want right now.

"Here, see how much you like this," Kakashi said as he offered Dolia a bowl of food.

She opened up her palms for it to be placed in. The polished ceramic gave off a warm temperature from the moment it touched her. Inside was a heap of cooked rice with some vegetables and meat scattered throughout, a simple dish Kakashi whipped up. The aroma everything gave off was welcoming as it gently steamed. He split a pair of chopsticks for her before picking up his own bowl and sitting on the edge of his bed.

Balancing the bowl in one hand and the chopsticks between her fingers, she had to remember how to use them. Naruto was the one who taught her at the ramen bar, but that was a few days ago by now. Kakashi watched her work her utensil to get a portion of food in her mouth. The flavors that touched her tongue surprised her; he could tell by the way she exhaled and gently hummed, sliding the chopsticks from between her lips. "Thank you for the food," she whispered chewing.

"Thank you for the food," he repeated, tipping his head back to take a bite of his own.

Dolia pulled the bowl closer to her face to eat faster. Kakashi's cooking was almost as good as the ramen bar's. He watched her with amusement with his Sharingan eye closed. Just then, she remembered his comment when he gave her the bowl and pulled it away from her face. "I like it a lot," she told him in a soft voice.

"Good," he replied, swallowing. He then looked over at his picture frames and picked up the one that had his old team in it. "It's been a while since I've cooked for someone else."

"How long?"

"Before this picture was taken, I would say." He turned it around to show her. "Rin and Obito used to snoop around, so I just started making enough to feed them, too."

Dolia smiled. Now was a good time to inquire. "What about Yamato?"

"Yamato? Oh, I've never cooked for him before," he admitted, putting the picture back above his pillow to pick his chopsticks back up.

"Why not?"

"He's…different. I met him a few years after Rin and Obito…" He did not finish his sentence, choosing to take another bite of food instead.

But Dolia assumed what the rest of his sentence was, and she felt more pity for him as a result. Rin and Obito, the two other kids in that old picture, were probably no longer alive. And today, Kakashi lost another friend. Were there more? She hated to ask and hit a nerve from it.

To divert to another curiosity of hers, she pointed to the newer picture of the two. "Who's that with Naruto and Sakura?" she asked.

He glanced to make sure he knew who she was referring to. "That's Sasuke."

"I have to catch up to Sasuke!" Naruto had shouted from the big tree branch earlier that day. Now there was a face to the name. Naruto had also told her that he was a friend and that he promised Sakura to bring him back to the village someday. Now Dolia could see that he was not only a friend, but he was their teammate and Kakashi's pupil.

Kakashi knew she had heard about him before. "Sasuke left the village three years ago. He's consumed by revenge for the loss of his entire clan, so he left to train under the man who headed up the experiment you were a part of," he explained.

Dolia paused in her eating. His sentence was loaded with deep information. Weird connections and similarities to herself. The loss of his clan just like her, and he just so happens to be with the one responsible for putting her in that miserable hole. "Could it be him? The one who's after me?" she suddenly questioned.

"Sasuke? No, I highly doubt he has anything to do with you. The target on his back is too big for him to come back to the village like that," he assured her.

Even with how sure he was, Dolia still had worries. Naruto talked about wanting to catch up with him in skill. That can only mean Sasuke is powerful and dangerous. As she relented in taking another bite of food, Kakashi could read the new alertness in her actions. "Whoever it is, they aren't getting you. I'll be here to make sure of that," he added.

The sureness in his voice comforted her piqued apprehensiveness. She had not seen him fight someone or even have confrontation yet, but she believed him when he said that she was safe.

The weather transformed from grieving to a tantrum to just straight up furious. Dolia still sat in the same seat in front of the window. Her belly full, she sat in silence as she watched the extraordinary lightning show perform outside. Kakashi turned off the lights but kept a single lamp on behind her as he unpacked his bag. He figured that if she was going to be occupied, then she might as well be as immersed as possible by letting the lightning keep flashing as bright as possible.

The barrage of rain beat against the glass and exterior of the building like bullets. Strong gusts of wind intensified the sounds on and off. But nothing was stopping the white streaks from exploding out from the clouds to dazzle her eyes in split seconds. The wrathful thunder was slung around to shake the foundation of houses. There was no break between them, either. The game of cat and mouse was a violent one.

But still, no matter how hard it tried to startle her, she found that being inside Kakashi's home lessened the effects it used to have on her. When she was underground, where any and all sounds bounced off concrete walls, thunderstorms were horrible to endure. Aside from the deafening sounds that she would have to cover her ears from, the rain would pour down through the hole and accumulate into the little pool she drank from. But it would also soak the ground and turn it to mud under her feet. Those nights were terribly freezing and sleepless. In the morning, many insects and small critters made their way inside the dome and would not go away easily.

Reflecting back and comparing it to what she had currently was a major eye-opener. She was dry, warm, clean, full…Not to mention sleepy. A gaping yawn escaped from her. It was a good night. The chair creaked as she leaned forward to cross her arms on the windowsill and rest her chin on top. Outside elements may have been trying to convince her that she was in danger, but she was not falling for it. She was just going to watch the lightning dance as her eyelids sagged, something she never was able to do in the hole.

Kakashi completely unpacked his damp paraphernalia and scattered it across the floor to dry for the night. Hopefully, for the rest of Naruto's training, the inclement weather could hold off. Everything being wet was really a hassle to clean up and deal with.

The piercing white flashes that filled the room constantly made him lose track of time. It was probably still relatively early in the evening, but the darkness encompassing the sky made it feel like it was midnight. He got up from his handiwork to go check on the dryer and found it finished its cycle, so he unloaded it to fold everything inside. When he pulled out Dolia's clothes, he kept them separate so she could wear them again in the morning. And the black cloak was good to have, considering the funeral was tomorrow.

Exiting the bathroom, he thought about reading a chapter or two of Make-Out Tactics. Dolia was still busy watching the storm when he reappeared, or so he thought. The closer he got to her, the more he realized that she was snoozing with her head nuzzled in her arms and the blanket he gave her hanging off her back. He did not try to wake her up, but he instead watched momentarily as her shoulders rose and fell with her breathing.

He had not really thought about where she was going to sleep, but it was obvious now. Reaching over to his bed, he pulled down the blanket and sheet. His arm tucked underneath her knees and the other made her lean into him to pick her up like a bride. Then he placed her into the bed gently and covered her up, adjusting the blanket he first gave her as well.

The feeling of everything he did woke her up. Her heavy eyelids opened halfway just as he was about to walk away. With warm blankets coming up to halfway up her face, she spoke a little louder to be heard. "Kakashi?"

He turned back around to show that he heard her and was listening.

"Will you teach me how to cook someday…?" she asked, her tiredness wanting to drown her out with the thunder.

He briefly smiled underneath his mask. Such an innocent request like a child would make. "Sure. Now get some rest."

With his back turned to her once more, she nestled deeper into his comfy bed with no hint of moving all night, and closed her eyes. She was wrong before. Her presence here was no burden after all. So falling asleep surrounded by warmth and background noise was no problem for the girl with no face.