Trigger Warning for this chapter. To know what it is, please see the ending notes.
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"Japanese"

Chapter 6

The soft sound of pencil on paper filled her ears. Soft rays of sun warmed her skin and reflected off the pristine white paper. How long had it been since she had focused so much on a single drawing? A drawing that grasped all of her attention and care. One that she just couldn't put down. She wanted every line to be perfect. His strong jaw, hair white as snow, and those mysterious eyes.

She paused looking down at the Sharingan on the paper. It really was beautiful. Every time she looked at it she was reminded again of how he was literally otherworldly. It was a sight worthy of some color. Twirling the pencil between her fingers, she made her decision and reached out toward the colored pencils on the desk.

A strong hand suddenly reached out from behind her and held her wrist like a vise.

Alysha yelped, trying to pull back her hand but the grip on it would not budge. Panic welled in her chest when another hand slammed down on the desk over her drawing.

"What's this?"

Icey terror flushed through her veins, rendering her still and silent. She was afraid of what would happen if she spoke. Instead, she watched wordlessly as the hands owner crowded behind her and he picked up the drawing, inspecting it.

A dark humorless chuckle reverberated in the room and she began to tremble.

"I always knew you were a whore."

"N- no, it's not-"

Her words were cut off by her scream. Swiftly and without warning she was pulled from the chair and bent over the table. Her cheek pressed firmly into the wood of the desk thanks to the hand pressing painfully into the back of her neck.

He held the drawing up for her to see and leaned over her to say, "Once you got rid of me you just moved on, was that it? Was I nothing to you? Did my feelings mean nothing?" The paper was crushed into a ball and left to fall next to her face.

Tears fell and she shook her head violently, trying to ignore what he was saying. She did well at ignoring his ramblings until she felt his hands reach under her hoodie and scrape against the soft skin of her back. She stilled, not able to believe what she was feeling or where those hands were reaching.

His voice was pained, almost sincere, "How could you leave me like that? I told you I'd die without you. I love you so much, Aly Bear. Just let me show you how much."

Galvanic horror shot through her entire being when she felt those hands try to work her pants down. "No!" She screamed, only for a blow to send her head colliding with the desk, sending stars into her vision.

"What's the matter, babe? I thought you liked it this way?"

The blow did nothing to stop her struggles. She yelled, screamed, begged for him to let her go and like so many times before it only seemed to accentuate the glee he felt. She had to get away!

"No!"

"Stop!"

"Please!"

~0~

Kakashi wasn't sure he would ever get used to just how soft his new bed was. He was used to the harder and worn mattress in his small apartment, not the soft and pillowy clouds he was in now. Sometimes he wondered if her bed was just as soft since it was used every night. Before he showed up he was sure no one used this bed.

He stretched, noticing a shrill whistle emanating from the window, but he ignored it. Sometimes the wind was just too strong and would weasel its way in. Groaning, he threw off the covers and made his way to the window to close it further and suppress the wind.

When he moved aside the curtain he was surprised to see so much snow. The drifts were rolling like sand dunes in the yard below, and there was more falling every minute.

Would Alysha leave in all that?

Kakashi still didn't trust that thing she called a car. It was much more advanced than the machines he was used to. He also had a feeling that it wasn't meant for this kind of terrain.

Speaking of Alysha, she wasn't awake yet. He could see the light in the hall was still off. Alysha would always turn it on when she woke up. He moved to the door and pulled it open, flipping the lights on as he went.

Only, they didn't come on.

He paused, looked up at the light and then back at the switch. Flipping it back and forth he tried the light in his room, and then the bathroom.

Well, time to see what people in this world did during a power outage.

Kakashi ventured over to Alysha's bedroom, knocking softly since the door was already open slightly. She kept it open so Jasper could make his way in to cuddle during the night. He was about to call out when he heard a distinct worried whine from within.

Formalities flew out the window and he stepped inside. With his Sharingan, he could see in greater detail in the low lighting. Jasper lay on the bed, his massive head resting on her stomach as he whined softly. And Kakashi could see why.

Alysha was on her back, hands and fingers twitching sporadically. His eyes were drawn to her face, twisted in pained anguish. Her lips trembled, her eyes moved frantically behind her eyelids as tears found their way down her face.

He moved closer until he was sitting on the edge of the bed. He grabbed her shoulder, shaking her gently, "Alysha. Alysha, wake up!"

She awoke with a start and sat up, gasping and sputtering as she scanned her surroundings. He was about to speak when she locked eyes with him and she screamed, scrambling back away from him and pulling her hands and knees up to shield herself.

Kakashi yanked his hand back like he had been burned. He recognized a nightmare anywhere. After all, how many nights had he woken up crying, trying desperately to scrub off the blood that wasn't there? Nightmares could follow you into the waking world, he knew that all too well.

He reached out slowly, resting his touch on her raised hand with the utmost gentleness. "Alysha, it's okay."

As if to help prove his point, Jasper whined and nuzzled his large head into an opening, forcing her fetal position to open up so his head could nuzzle against hers. Her arms looped around the large dog reflexively in a firm hug and he could see her breathing slowly begin to steady. Just how many times did this happen? He hadn't noticed it before, though he hadn't been there for very long, all things considered.

He watched her critically, studying her silently as she held Jasper in her arms. She didn't scream until she had looked at him. Surely, she wasn't scared of him. He had done what he could to be as friendly as possible. Or at least, not as cold as people told him he was. Kakashi found it easy to be kind to her. She meant well with her actions, and she wasn't all up in his face about their awkward and strange situation. But then, why had seeing him caused her to scream and flinch away?

His eyes narrowed.

Thinking back, she was very jumpy around him for the first few days. There were times he thought he could literally smell her fear radiating off of her in waves. Especially after she told him he was essentially a soldier. No doubt she had drawn the connection between that and the weapons in the attic. She still had no idea he knew they were there. But, after trying to gain her trust, cleaning around the house while she was away and keeping her dog company, she started to relax a little to their situation. He couldn't fathom that he was the cause for her nightmare. Especially one bad enough for it to linger after she awoke.

"Who hurt you?" He muttered to himself as he put two and two together.

Alysha flinched and raised her head, not sure of what he said. She wiped the tears from her face and forced a smile, "Sorry, Kakashi. It happens sometimes. Could you turn on the light?" She cleared her throat and raised one hand to point at the light. She was sure to leave a pause between her sentences so he could easily distinguish each phrase.

After processing her words, he shook his head and also pointed at the light fixture. "No. There is no light."

She rubbed her eye a little more and frowned, "What do you mean?"

Kakashi stood and went to the switch, showing her that nothing happened when he flipped it. And then did it a few more times for emphasis.

Once her tired mind caught up with her she cursed and turned in her bed to reach for the curtains of the window, pushing them aside. Sure enough, she was greeted by the view of a winter wonderland. Only, she didn't think it was all that wonderful.

Kakashi watched as she stood and shook out her hair, making her bed head worse. His breath caught when the blanket fell away and he could see the full extent of what she wore. The tight fitting tank top and short shorts left little room for his… overactive imagination. He was used to seeing her in clothes that were slightly too big or a little baggy. Only her work clothes hugged her figure as snuggly, but this was different. He could see the smooth skin of her legs and where her shirt rode up on her stomach just a few inches. Before he could be outed for acting like a salivating dog, he wordlessly left the room and shut the door behind him. Shutting it a tad too aggressively.

Alysha jumped at the sudden slam and whipped her head around to see the bedroom door shut and Kakashi gone. She had never told him he couldn't come into her room, he was a respectable person and hadn't done anything to make her think otherwise. This time she didn't think anything of it. For all she knew she had been screaming in her sleep and woken him up. She couldn't fault him for checking on her. But leaving so abruptly like that… "Maybe he just really had to use the bathroom?"

Unbeknownst to her, Kakashi stood in the hallway, face flushed as he scolded himself. Cursing under his breath in Japanese as he went. He could feel his face warming and he ran through several mental exercises as he went to go get dressed in fresh clothes. She was his host. He couldn't be thinking like that! The last thing he wanted was for her to think he was some kind of pervert. …cause he wasn't... usually.

Once the two of them had let Jasper out to go to the bathroom, they returned inside and Alysha once again checked the power. Nothing. With a sigh of defeat, she shrugged off her jacket and reached for her phone. Ninety-six percent, hopefully that would be enough until the power came back on. Aware that Kakashi was watching her as he shook the snow out of his hair she dialed her work. No way she was making it in today.

After a few rings she heard a familiar voice, "Thank you for calling McDonald's, how can I help you?"

"Hey, Steven, it's Alysha."

"Oh, hey! Calling in I assume?"

He laughed a little, "Yeah, I guess I'm not the only one?"

"Not even close. I'll be shocked if we stay open at this rate. We are absolutely dead right now. We've only had fifteen cars so far this hour."

"Dang, roads must really be bad." She mused, not surprised.

"Yeah, I was actually going to call you and tell you to stay home. I'd rather not have you get stuck out in a blizzard and make me worry."

Alysha could feel her eyes widen at his words, "O–oh, well, I wouldn't want that."

He laughed, "I'm just teasing. Enjoy the snow day, alright? I'll see you for your next shift."

"Um, right. Thank you. Bye." She hung up the phone, a little taken aback by the interaction. She fiddled with her phone for a moment, not sure of how to process the information. It wasn't until Kakashi spoke that she was brought back to the present.

"Steven?" The people in this world certainly had strange names. He was sure to them it was a completely ordinary name though. Either way, he was sure Alysha didn't realize that he could hear the other person speaking fairly easily. The man spoke quickly, so he didn't catch everything. What he did catch was the tone to his voice. He sounded genuinely worried about her. Being naturally curious, he had to wonder what kind of relationship the two had.

Alysha smiled and put her phone down, "Oh, just a friend from work. I had to tell them I wasn't going."

He nodded but his eyes narrowed a little as he tried to think of the right words, "Hm, is Steven…" He thought back to the anime they had begun to watch together. What did those teens call it? "...boyfriend?"

"What?" She choked, shaking her head furiously, "Don't be ridiculous! Of course not! He's just a coworker is all!" She turned away from him and moved into the kitchen where she grabbed a few bowls and spoons. Pouring in some cereal she finally said with a sigh, "I don't date."

Kakashi wasn't as focused on the food as he was on her. He could read from her posture and tone that he had hit a nerve of some kind. But he wasn't sure what, and he wouldn't press the issue. It really was none of his business. He had asked more to satiate his own curiosity more than anything.

She waved him over and poured milk over the flakes and handed him a spoon before digging into her own bowl. "Breakfast!"

He picked up the bowl and sniffed it. Kakashi was caught off guard by the sweet aroma and took a bite. He was familiar with the concept of cereal and milk. His student Naruto had been fond of it but this was the first time he had seen it be sweet. After the first bite, his eyes widened and he looked at Alysha to see her eating it without a care in the world. He swallowed, feeling like he had eaten a mouthful of sugar. Sweet things were never his favorite, and this had to be one of the sweetest things he had ever tasted. Yet, Alysha seemed unfazed.

Alysha noticed his uncomfortable expression as he ate the cereal, feeling uneasy. He didn't like it. "Not a fan of Frosted Flakes?"

He assumed Frosted Flakes was what he was eating and shook his head. "Too much sugar."

As they finished up the small meal, both dissatisfied with the distinct lack of coffee thanks to the power being out. She made a mental note to pick up some not so sugary cereal for him when she went to the store next. She would have to take him to the store eventually anyway. He needed other clothes to wear other than her grandfather's hand me downs.

She spent a moment standing in the living room just thinking about what they could do with the power out. She didn't want to spend too much time on her phone since she wasn't sure when the power would be back on and she didn't want to be without a way to reach someone. Finally, she had an idea. "I know!" she bubbled enthusiastically, "we can play checkers!"

"Checkers?" Kakashi said slowly, tilting his head to the side. That was a word he hadn't heard yet.

"It's a game. I'll teach you." She smiled broadly and motioned him up the stairs into the spare bedroom she used as a hobby room. She opened the closet door and pointed up toward the top shelf, several inches out of her reach, "That red box right there."

Kakashi nodded, understanding that he wanted her to grab the box. When he pulled it out, he noticed a small stuffed animal get knocked over and Alysha gasped as she rushed to grab it. He blinked, taking in the small and very worn blue elephant. The soft smile she offered it was enough for him to know there was sentimental value. He didn't pry, but he had to wonder who had given it to her?

When they reached the living room they both sat on the floor on opposite sides of the coffee table. Knowing she would need her translator for this, she opened her phone and sat it to the side as she explained the rules.

Kakashi watched intently. He watched her make her moves and followed the basic rules she had set out for it. After a short time, he realized that the game was a lot like Shogi in some ways.

At first, Alysha felt bad for how easily she could beat Kakashi. She started to think she didn't explain the rules properly, until the fourth game came around and he completely curb-stomped her. By the time she had been set up, he had taken out four or five of her checkers in one move! Then he was getting Kings easily! The stubborn part of her couldn't take this sitting down and she insisted that they play again.

And again.

…and again.

Eventually she lost track of how many games they played. How could he be so good at the game already? She looked up at him in open mouthed awe and frustration. He only smiled, un-phased by the look on her face.

Finally, she huffed, "Fine, whatever. I'm just… I'm gonna read."

Kakashi watched her grab a book from the bookshelf before flopping herself on the couch. If he didn't know any better, he would say she was sulking. It was almost cute. He picked up the pieces and left the game on the small table. Sitting in the armchair, he grabbed his own book that he had arrived with and read leisurely. He hadn't read a passage from Make Out Paradise since yesterday and he could use the distraction. Especially after the morning they had. Knowing she wouldn't see it, he allowed himself to blush openly upon remembering seeing her in her night time attire.

He wasn't sure how much time passed when he heard soft snoring and he looked up. Jasper was curled up on the floor next to the couch, and the book Alysha had been reading was hanging loosely in her limp hands. Looking at the clock, it was about that time when she got tired. And, after the night she had, he couldn't blame her. She most likely didn't sleep well after the nightmare.

Kakashi noticed the slowly growing chill and grabbed the blanket that was bunched up on the end of the couch. Pulling it over her, he couldn't help but grin softly when she nuzzled into the thick comforter.

Closing the book, he sat them on the table and went to put on his shoes and jacket. Knowing that she would be asleep for a while was good. That meant Alysha wouldn't be awake to be frightened by his training. Something he only did when she was either napping or away. The storm had lessened, but the wind still howled around him as he did his stretches.

Just because there was no one to fight in this world, didn't mean he could let himself go soft.

Trigger Warning: Mentions of Abuse, Sexual Assault, and Domestic Violence. I don't go into much detail with it, but it is still there nonetheless. Only in the first part up till the break.

Sorry for the break I took guys! Been struggling with a little writers block after my back issues and stuff. Hope this was a good chapter and I can't wait to have the next one out! I've got the next few all mapped out and planned already!

Don't forget to Favorite, Follow, and Review~!

Posted - 4/20/2022