Uzu was relatively quiet during dinner. She didn't eat much of anything either. Something that worried both Kakashi and Sakumo since she was a member of their pack, even if it was by proxy. And it was simply in their nature to feel overly protective towards the female.
Kakashi pushed back away from the cozy little square oak table and picked up his dishes, then his father's and walked out of the dining room and into the kitchen to deposit them into the sink while Sakumo sat at the table and watched Uzu push her food around before taking a bite.
It seemed to be a habit she had. Probably developed when she was a child. She would sit for several minutes pushing her food around, then she would take a small bite. Then she would repeat the process a few more times, set her fork down and take a drink.
Her behavior appeared to border on obsessive compulsive. Which was the only reason he and Kakashi didn't say anything about it. They knew how some people felt about certain...quirks and didn't want to call attention to hers just in case it might embarrass or hurt her.
It was simply their job to protect her and see that she remained in good health. Perhaps provide a distraction of two and some companionship if it was asked of them. "Is the food not to your liking?" Sakumo asked curiously, wanting to know for future reference. Uzu looked up from her plate, a slightly surprised expression on her face.
She looked like she had temporarily forgotten that he was there before she frowned and shook her head no. "It tastes perfect-" The chicken had been fried perfectly, the vegetables were wonderful, the tomato soup was perfectly seasoned. Everything was good.
She just wasn't very hungry. "I'm just not very hungry. I think it's the new surroundings... It doesn't really feel like home to me, so I tend to feel a little-"
"Uncomfortable? Bashful? Painfully shy?" Sakumo supplied helpfully. Uzu cringed a little bit.
Uncomfortable, yeah sure she was uncomfortable. Who wouldn't be under these conditions? But bashful and painfully shy? No one had ever used those words to describe her before, but after her little verbal slip up earlier, she couldn't help but feel bashful and shy.
But not for the reasons that Sakumo might think.
It was because he and his son were in her new home. Sitting with her. Talking with her. She felt so uneasy around them that she kept having to suppress the need to bolt from the room and hide somewhere.
They were both just so overwhelmingly male that she didn't know what to do or say. "Maybe all of those things." Uzu finally said as she started pushing her food around again when Sakumo asked.
"What do you think of Kakashi?"
"I think that I could certainly do worse for an..."
"Mate-claim husband."
"Sure, lets go with that." Uzu muttered under her breath as she pushed her food around one last time and then laid her fork aside. Sakumo chuckled. That wasn't exactly the answer that he had been hoping for, but it was still telling.
Most females took one look at Kakashi and fell in a swoon at his feet. Females, in general, simply adored him. And Kakashi liked the attention, though there was never anything sexual about it from his end. He was simply too cautious around the women to enjoy any of the attention very much. He had too many females lining up to try and snag him as a mate.
But Uzu was different from the other females for some more obvious reasons than others. And it amused Sakumo greatly that she didn't seem to care a whit about Kakashi's physical appearance. Which meant that she would probably fight any attraction that she felt towards his son. Which again, he found very amusing.
"Your right. You could do worse. Kakashi, is young for one of our kind. But he's a good leader. He genuinely cares about people. He'll take very good care of you." Sakumo said gently. Uzu said nothing. She didn't know enough about the lupine alpha to comment.
Kakashi came walking out of the kitchen with a hand towel in his hands. He looked at her for a second, noting that she looked rather tired, then looked at his father. "I think it's time to say good night dad. Uzu looks tired." Kakashi said as he set the towel down on the counter inside the kitchen door as Sakumo sighed and slowly pushed back from the table and rose to his feet.
"It was good to see you again Miss Namikaze." Uzu looked up at him and nodded her head slightly.
"Yeah. You too. And it was nice meeting you Kakashi." Uzu said politely. Kakashi smiled at her.
"The pleasure was mine, Uzu-" Kakashi said as his eyes started glowing for a second before he looked away. Oddly enough, he had meant every word. "Get some rest." Kakashi finally said after a moment or so before he and his father walked out of her dining room and out the front door, quietly turning the lock before closing the door behind them.
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Uzu didn't sleep at all that night.
She merely finished up her unpacking, then watched TV then at about six in the morning she took a long hot shower, washed her hair in her favorite lotus flower and tea rose shampoo and conditioner, then got out of the shower and put on her favorite honeysuckle, almond and cream scented lotion then got dressed and fell into her new bed and lay there like a zombie, simply staring out into space. Vaguely aware of the dark shadows on the walls being dispelled by the soft pinkish, orange, and lavender hues of the morning light streaming through her bedroom window.
Finally at about nine thirty, she dragged herself out of bed and took her time getting dressed after looking through her closet and finding a nice long sleeved cream colored shirt with pastel purple and mint green flowers designs on the front and a pair of worn soft blue jeans, before heading down stairs to slip on her shoes so that she could go for a short walk around the neighborhood.
She had just unlocked her door and taken a small step outside when something big and black and furry slammed into her body from the right, and knocked her down. She hit the porch with a dull thud and lay there for a moment stunned.
There was only one person she knew who would jump her like this, and he was a big, furry, black-
She turned her head a little bit and stared into the familiar dark yellow green slitted eyes of her adopted brother, the panther shifter, Iruka. "You've been dying to pounce on me since yesterday haven't you?"
The panther gave her a bizarre parody of a smile and started purring loudly in her ear as it nuzzled her cheek before licking her. "Si-s-ter-" Iruka's rumbling voice sounded in her ear, affection lacing his tone as he alternated between licking and nuzzling her as a man with shaggy dark hair and almond shaped dark eyes came walking up.
"Alright Iruka. You've had your fun and pounced on your sister. Now get off of her and change back and greet her properly." The man said as he stopped at the porch steps and propped himself up on the railing and stared at the large panther pinning her down.
Iruka looked at the man and bared his fangs at him for a second then licked her cheek one last time and slowly got off of her. Uzu lay there for an extra second or so, trying to muster up the strength to sit up again as Iruka shifted back to his human (naked) form and walked down the steps to the man and gave him a dirty look before leaning in and kissing him on the cheek and saying loudly enough for Uzu to hear, "I'm going to go get dressed, then we're going to take you out to breakfast sis."
Uzu blinked and slowly pushed herself upright and gave Iruka a small half hearted smile as the man shrugged off his jacket and handed it to the naked man, muttering something under his breath about 'not scarring the human' and then gave the panther a small push towards the pale yellow house just three places down from where she lived and waited until Iruka was half way there before looking away from him and shifting his gaze to her.
"You must be Kotetsu."
The man gave her a mock suprised look and without missing a beat said. "And you, said that way too fast. I'm afraid to even ask what he's said about me."
Uzu smiled at her adopted brother-in-law. "You should be. He's told me such interesting things about you."
"He's told me some interesting things about you too, girly. So don't be trying to mess with my mind for fun. I have more than enough blackmail material on you to protect myself."