*Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in it. I simply borrow them for my own musings and fantasies and do not get paid for their use in said musings or fantasies. –Nira

Chapter 22

Kakashi had gotten home just before the rain started and changed into a pair of sleeping pants before lounging on his couch with his book and a hot cup of tea. It wasn't long before the low rumblings of thunder caught his attention and he looked out his window at the rain coming down in sheets, blurring the lights from the street lamps and other buildings. He was exhausted, he realized, and the warmth from his tea coupled with the soothing sounds of rain was working wonders to lull him to sleep until he heard a timid knock at his door. Guessing that he knew exactly who it was, he closed his book and made his way over with a slight grin and puff in his chest. For all of the times that he thought "it should have been me" when he saw Yuriko with Iruka, he was finally having his moment of "it gets to be me." He opened the door to see his neighbor in pajamas and her mask, a blush just barely visible on her cheeks and gaze turned to the ground.

"Yes, Yuriko-san?"

"I'm sorry to bother you. I saw that your light was on and-"

Before she could finish her sentence lightning struck in the distance and was followed by thunder that boomed through their chests, rattling their bones. Yuriko let out a small shriek and leaped into him, burying her face into his bare chest, clutching for the excess fabric of a shirt that wasn't there to further hide from the storm. Kakashi blushed, completely floored and shocked. He couldn't believe how adorable the act was, though he knew that she was genuinely terrified by her shaking.

"I'm sorry, I just… I really don't want to be alone… just until the storm clears… please?"

The desire to wrap his arms around her was stronger than ever. His mind raced, thinking about how nice the heat of her body against his felt and how the lavender and vanilla scents of her freshly washed hair were soothing. All he wanted to do was bury his face into her silken tresses and hold her through the storm, safe and warm under a blanket. He imagined that he'd sleep well, but he highly doubted she'd let him be so close. Almost as soon as he had the thought, Yuriko pulled away, still not making eye contact and mumbled an apology.

"I'll put the kettle on," Kakashi stated as he stepped aside to let her in. "Go ahead and make yourself comfortable."

"Thank you, senpai. I appreciate your generosity. It really means a lot to me."

While Kakashi boiled water for tea, went to his room to put a shirt on, and took a moment to use the restroom, Yuriko paced between the kitchen and the living room, quickly humming her lullaby and wringing the ends of a chunk of her hair around her fingers.

"Yuriko-san, I know we've spent quite a bit of time together today and I've already learned so much about you, but would it be too much for me to ask why you're afraid of thunderstorms?"

"Please no. I don't want to talk about it. Don't like to talk about it. Brings back bad memories."

Another flash of lightning and earth-shaking boom of thunder. Yuriko jumped again with a screech, covering her ears and closing her tear-filled eyes as her body quaked. She rocked on her heels, humming her lullaby both too loud and too fast and Kakashi couldn't stand to continue watching her completely dissolve right before his eyes. He closed the gap between them and tenderly wrapped his strong arms around her in a comforting embrace. She was extremely tense, he noticed, and she abruptly pulled back, breaking his hold with a look of confusion, fear, and anger on her face as she glared up at him. Kakashi lifted his arms defensively, palms open and exposed to her as he took a step back.

"Sorry. I don't mean to overstep boundaries. It's very perturbing to see you like this and I'm at a loss for what to do. I just want to help," he explained and her gaze narrowed in suspicion.

Thunder crashed once again, rattling the windows. Yuriko yelped, her eyes widening before she sprinted to refill the space between them, her arms around him, fingers clutched onto his shirt, and face buried in his chest once again. Kakashi was knocked back by the force of her colliding into him until he felt the counter on his backside and he relaxed slightly as his arms cautiously wrapped around her again. When his arms were comfortably around her, he felt her tense up again but she didn't withdraw this time.

The lightning strikes and thunder had gotten more frequent, making it extremely difficult for her to focus on anything but the crippling anxiety. The water had begun to boil and they could both hear it, but neither made a move to separate to turn off the stove or remove the kettle from the heat. Yuriko realized then that he'd put a shirt on and silently thanked him as she focused on the clean scents of it and him, and the warmth emanating from him to try to calm herself down. When he started to hum her lullaby at the proper tempo that it was intended to be sung, all of her resolve dissipated and she couldn't help the tears that flooded her eyes. She tightened her hold on his shirt and cried silently, the only indications to Kakashi that she was crying at all being an errant sniffle or the shaking of her body as she choked down her sobs. Kakashi slowly rubbed her back and stroked her hair as he rested his cheek on the top of her head, unashamedly taking in the soothing scent of her hair products. A few moments passed before Yuriko's grip slightly loosened and she pulled back just enough to create a few inches of space between them, her eyes still downcast and face hidden by her bangs.

"The kettle…" she muttered with a sniffle. "It'll burn."

Kakashi gently coaxed her hands from his shirt and meandered to the stove to turn off the burner, but he was surprised by how light the kettle was as he moved it. Surely enough the water had almost completely boiled away.

"It seems we let it go for too long. Should I refill it and try again?" Kakashi inquired in a hushed tone to keep the atmosphere as calm as possible.

Yuriko answered with a shake of her head "no" and started wringing her hair again. "Tea means sleep. I don't want to sleep. If I don't fall asleep I won't dream."

Kakashi watched for a moment, wondering what she'd do next but when she didn't make a move to do anything except keep twisting her hair around her fingers, he spoke up.

"Is something bothering you? Aside from the storm, I mean," he asked and she shifted her weight from one leg to the other.

"That song… My mom used to sing it to me. It calmed me down when I was scared or upset. It's strange hearing it in a deeper pitch from you."

"You've sung it multiple times on missions, especially when there was something on your mind. I assumed that it was something of a safety blanket or coping mechanism for you. Had I known-"

Yuriko shook her head, cutting him off mid-sentence. "It doesn't really work if I sing it. It's just… nobody has sung it to me since my mother. It's an odd feeling that I'm having about it right now. I'm trying to process it."

"Odd how?"

Yuriko blushed as she retreated to her mind, trying to put into words the whirlwind of emotions running through her. Hearing the tune was bittersweet as she was both comforted and haunted by the memories of her mother singing to her, but hearing Kakashi sing it was comforting in and of itself. He'd paid enough attention to her to not only recognize that it was a way for her to deal with whatever stressful situation she found herself in but also memorized it so that he could sing it to her at the proper cadence and tone without prodding or guidance to coax it out of him or her needing to correct him.

She was flattered, but she was also extremely confused as to why he'd been paying so much attention to her, to begin with, and why it made her feel so safe and untroubled around him. She hadn't been so close to a man before and actually wanted to be in his arms- to feel small and allow herself to be vulnerable- but there were so many things about her former Captain that drew her in rather than repel her despite his promiscuity. And though she would never admit it aloud, especially not to Kakashi directly, she found that she didn't want to stay so distant with him. For some odd reason, it just felt wrong to push him away as she'd done for so many other people- not just men- whose paths had crossed hers. But how could she say any of that to him? And did she really want to? There was nothing that said he needed an immediate answer to his question or even that she had to provide an answer at all.

Kakashi noticed Yuriko's withdrawal into herself as she contemplated the response to his query. He was genuinely curious but honestly didn't expect an answer. He gestured for them to make their way into the living room so she slowly followed, and Kakashi glanced outside again, noting that the storm seemed like it would rage on throughout the majority of the night and wondering what Yuriko intended to do if it continued into the next day. The greater concern was that she had said that she didn't want to sleep. He had no problem with staying awake with her for support, but he wondered if his body would let him after the eventful day they'd had.

The world outside momentarily illuminated and thunder crashed sounding like it was directly overhead. Yuriko had slowly begun to calm down and come back to the present but with that flash, she instantly regressed with a scream and tears rolling down her cheeks as she curled into herself with her hands over her ears and eyes squeezed shut. In the flash, she'd seen her father fall to his knees followed shortly by her mother's head separated from her body and thrown into the air by the force of the giant blade that had severed it. She couldn't take it anymore and bawled, sobbing profusely as her entire being shook in terror.

Almost as instantly as it had happened, Kakashi was at Yuriko's side, gently urging her to stand and walk the last few steps to the couch so they could sit comfortably. She plopped ungraciously onto the couch, drawing her knees to her chest with her hands still over her ears and pulling at her hair as she wailed. When Kakashi sat, he tenderly pulled her into his lap and stroked her hair, cradling and shushing her like a parent calming their child. Yuriko clung to him, desperate for comfort- something real and tangible in the here and now rather than the ghastly memory of a time long gone. They sat like that for a long time while Yuriko slowly calmed down and after a while, Kakashi noticed that her breathing had deepened and slowed. The storm was gradually dissipating outside, but the atmosphere of the room had calmed significantly. When Kakashi peered down, he saw that she had fallen asleep, her fingers still clutched tightly around his shirt and her head rested comfortably on his shoulder.

Not wanting to wake her since she needed the rest after such an excruciatingly long day and unable to move without doing so, Kakashi made a clone to retrieve a blanket, lock the door, and turn off the lights. As the clone tucked Yuriko in, Kakashi couldn't help but stare. She looked peaceful, though her face and his shirt were still stained with her tears. Kakashi tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, caressing her jawline and admiring the serene expression that had befallen her. She really was beautiful, he thought, a sense of calm and content overcoming him as he gazed upon her slumbering visage.

"Sleep well, Yuriko-san. I pray the nightmares leave you be at least for tonight."

With his arms wrapped loosely and comfortably around her and his cheek resting on her head, Kakashi, too, fell into a deep sleep.