Chapter 5.- Connecting ties
Attempting to cross over to Kagome-san's time had always been a part of his plan;,after all, Itachi needed to know just how far this bond of theirs extended and how strong it remained But his original intention was to wait until the night before the girl was scheduled to return to the feudal era to try and jump through the well, he didn't want to intrude in her life just to assuage his worries. The time period she came from was more peaceful, and from what he'd gathered from their conversations, it seemed her country was widely considered safe. His butterfly could traverse her native world on her own without needing someone watching over her, and he could deal with the anxiety that would inevitably come with this separation if it gave her the privacy she so obviously needed. Because it was evident the young priestess ended up fighting with Inuyasha-san and could use the space to unwind and calm down.
But then, Miroku-san wondered out loud if the bond that allowed them to cross universes would also let the young shinobi jump through time as well.
Surprisingly, Sango-san was the one who almost pushed him into the well while insisting that, really, there was nothing to lose by trying, and he could even keep helping Kagome-san study over the weekend. Even Shippo's question about the hanyou's potential response was easily waved away. It wouldn't be the first time they'd had to keep the silver-haired male from jumping through before, and they could do it again, or so the older girl said before patting him on the back. Unfamiliar with Sango-san's character, it was still painfully obvious something else was going on, but with the little information he'd gotten so far, there was no way for him to know what she'd been planning. Repressing a sigh, the Uchiha moved to grab the next empty dish, he may not have the best insight on the rest of the ragtag team's members personalities just yet, but if there was one thing that was abundantly clear, it was that all of the girl's friends cared deeply about her. Even if the demon exterminator wasn't as involved with Kagome's training, she'd been quick to agree with the idea and was always there to offer a kind word. Odds were that whatever Sango was attempting to accomplish by sending him through the well wouldn't negatively impact his plans.
Besides, he wasn't about to complain for the excuse to remain close to his butterfly.
The girl's surprise didn't take long to transform into a happy acceptance as she warned that staying here was the same as volunteering for longer study sessions for her upcoming exams. Of course, panic took over as soon as they stepped into the two-story house, only to find it empty. With an unassuming letter being the only thing waiting for them, explaining how the family ended up taking an early weekend trip and expressing their apologies for not waiting for Kagome's return, since they weren't sure she'd be back for the weekend. For just a heartbeat, her shoulders dropped, the oceans of her eyes dimmed while she re-read the words, and then she was running around the house.
Itachi had to admit he wasn't exactly surprised when Kagome jumped into action, trying to do everything on her own. She'd been rushing through her explanations at such a pace the Uchiha couldn't help but laugh softly before urging her to go and get ready. The household appliances, while not identical, were similar enough he should be able to survive half a day without breaking or setting anything on fire. Quite a feat, from what he'd heard. So, after a small test to confirm the kitchen worked as he thought it did, the former ANBU set out to cook for another person for the first time in years. The last time he remembered cooking for someone else was when Itachi was just a child when his mother got sick. Honestly, his cooking skills hadn't gotten any better from the well, it's certainly edible level they'd been back then. Still, the girl seemed overjoyed at the plain omelet as she briefly stopped her incessant race to eat the offered breakfast while reviewing one of her books. All in all, the whole thing had been decidedly domestic, a slice of the life their bond allowed him to glimpse, but he'd never thought he'd ever experience, and it felt surprisingly…fulfilling. Especially considering the banality of it all. Death and tragedy had infected every part of his life, to the point that his mind had been fraying at the seams while waiting for his imminent death. This sort of everyday activity that spoke of a normality denied to him was almost therapeutic.
Unexpected as this development may be, the Uchiha supposed things had worked out in his favor.
Dark eyes found the abandoned letter on top of the kitchen counter. Yes, it was a good thing he ended up jumping through sooner than expected. Kagome-san was very much a social person, and he knew the girl was close to her family, and even if she'd jumped back into action, Itachi wasn't sure the girl could keep herself occupied enough for the whole weekend to avoid feeling lonely. Between the way the note was written and her response to it, things hinted this wasn't the first time she'd returned home only to find it empty. There was probably little he could do to help her in any way when it came to this, but he supposed being able to travel along with her could at least allow him to offer the girl some consistency.
Placing the last of the newly clean dishes in the rack, the Uchiha tried to get to his borrowed room to take a look at the clothes he'd been offered for the time being when his eyes found the calculus book he'd become increasingly familiar with. It was there, resting on a small table, right by the bunch of paper money the girl was supposed to have placed in the forgotten wallet right behind it and the bento box that was meant to be her lunch. Now that he thought about it, didn't Kagome-san leave the kitchen only to rush right back inside looking for her house keys?
The Uchiha shook his head and let out a soft laugh.
Well, this solved his question about what to do with the rest of his morning.
The cities here were far bigger, and more confusing than anything there could be found in the Sengoku era. Although, according to his butterfly's hurried explanations, he should be able to navigate the modern streets as long as he stuck to walking distances and didn't try his luck with public transportation on his own. Investigating the girl's time period was nothing but his personal curiosity. There wasn't much he could do to help his butterfly on this aspect of her life. But questions about how her world worked had always fluttered around in the back of his mind. It was one of the things he used to think about when he needed to distract himself from the violence of his everyday life. Not once did he think he'd get the chance to actually explore this world, and maybe, this would let him finally push down the worries that had been buzzing in the back of his head.
Because the one thing his ability to follow her through time proved was that their bond seemed to be able to cause the barriers between their worlds to weaken, their bond was created thanks to the Goshinboku's interference. And then, their connection became the equivalent of a one-way glass. When the sacred tree got involved once more, the glass was shattered. Nothing more, nothing less. Meaning that, in reality, either of them could've crossed over to the other's side. Even if he were to completely ignore the utter disaster it would've been to have Kagome-san show up, saving the life his brother spent years attempting to destroy right in front of him. If Itachi was right about how the girl's reiki would react to chakra, he had no doubt she'd be hunted down for either acquisition or elimination. Neither option would be easy to solve when the Uchiha prodigy was basically an outcast with no backup whatsoever. But that wasn't what had happened, and hopefully, that would make it so there would no longer be any weaknesses in the barriers between worlds now that the two of them were on the same side of that one-way glass. With a bit of luck, their research into world hopping would be fruitless. So with a shake of his head, the shinobi moved to look for a bag he could use to carry the forgotten items. If his estimations were correct, he should have some time to wander around town and indulge his curiosity a little before the girl actually needed them.
Note-taking had never been something Kagome was bad at, but recently, her notes had been taken to the next level. Granted, the change had more to do with her desperation to keep her grades at an acceptable range than any genuine interest in the topics her classes were covering, but she supposed the end result was what really mattered in this situation.
Giving one last check at the overly-inked stuffed pages, the girl had to repress a sigh.
History was the one class she wasn't trailing behind, virtue of constantly traveling to the time period they were currently covering, sure, she still needed to refresh herself on some of the fates and names of historical figures, but for the most part, she could handle it. But that wouldn't last for the rest of the year, and she'd probably have to start taking more books back with her. Then again, the priestess was already using a decent amount of space for her school work in her backpack, and more books also meant more permanent weight to carry around. Maybe she should start making copies of a handful of chapters and take them with her in a binder. She hadn't wanted to keep wasting paper and ink, but she could use the extra space in her backpack, and…
"…gome-chan, Kagome-chan!"
"Huh?"
Dazed eyes refocused only to find Eri looking at her with a hint of worry hidden behind her gaze. Shoot, she'd been getting lost in thought a lot more lately.
"Are you sure you're alright," her friend asked, getting nods from the others around her. "If you still feel sick, we can tell the teacher so you can visit the infirmary; or even go back home."
"N-no need, really. I'm just fine." Her laughter was a bit forced, but it was all she could do.
"You don't have to force yourself. That bone disease you got was nothing to make light of." This time, it was Yuka who spoke from her right.
"Ahahaha, no, no." Mind reeling, Kagome attempted to change the conversation. Thinking back on it, the letter didn't specify what she supposedly fell ill with, did it? "I was just trying to figure out what will be on Monday's test."
Bone disease…really?
Oh, she was so having a chat with her grandfather once he was back. The priestess knew there was no way consistently claiming she had a fever would work, so some of the illnesses would end up being more severe than they should. This, however, was getting beyond ridiculous. Fast. At this point, they might as well claim she had an autoimmune disorder or something unless they wanted people to begin thinking she possessed both the weakest and the strongest immune system ever. What with all the obscure and dangerous illnesses she suffered immediately followed by miraculous recoveries. As much as she hated having to shove more on her mother's plate, this was going too far, she'd need to ask Mama to keep an eye on her grandfather from her on out.
Willing her smile not to falter, the girl waved her friends' concerns away. Lying had never been something she enjoyed doing, but the priestess comforted herself with the knowledge that, technically, this particular excuse was mostly true, even if the implied reason was completely different. Those little wins were all she could get when talking to those with no knowledge of her travels. Pushing down a sigh, Kagome closed her notebook, blindly looking for the bento box Itachi-san had thankfully made for her. Had she been alone, the girl doubted she would've had enough time to prepare a decent breakfast, let alone cook a single dish for lunch. Slender fingers fumbled around while trying to follow through with the rumors she'd missed since the last time she was at class. Rough, familiar textures met her fingers, but try as she might, the soft fabric that wrapped the box was nowhere to be found. Her head turned in a heartbeat, ignoring the confused looks sent her way as Kagome panicked and insisted on looking for something she already knew wasn't there. Because it wasn't just her lunch that was missing from her bag. She didn't want to believe it, because there was no way this had really happened, but she had been carrying several things by hand when she first raced out the door.
"What's wrong?" Ayumi's soft voice pierced her whirlpool of denial.
"…I forgot my lunch."
"Well, we can always go to the cafeteria," Yuka said.
"I also forgot my wallet." Kagome closed her eyes before uttering the words she dreaded. "And my calculus workbook."
"Oh, humm, it's not that bad, is it?" Eri asked, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure the teacher won't mind if we share a book, and we can share our lunches."
With a heavy sigh, Kagome could only nod.
She could deal with the hunger, it wouldn't be the first time she had to keep going after missing a meal. Her supplies could only last for so long, and while they could always hunt, it wasn't as if Naraku or the other assorted demons they faced respected the concept of lunch hours. Really, she didn't mind it… but Kagome needed her notes to compare the methods Itachi had taught her with what was officially used in class. But she wasn't sure she could make it all the way home and back before lunch was over. Resisting the urge to slam her head against her desk, the priestess attempted to accept her friends' optimistic view when she felt it. A little ping on the edges of her senses, the brush of a familiar aura that managed to catch her attention despite the loud buzz of the classroom. Looking up, she found an increasingly familiar face peering inside the room. Itachi-san knocked on the open door lightly, clearly trying to get the attention of an of the teens that chose to eat close to the entrance. It was clear that the young man was starting to attract attention as he exchanged a few words with the girl who'd stood up to ask the usual questions. He wasn't wearing a uniform, and was not a teacher, of course, people would be curious.
"Oh," her classmate exclaimed before turning back to the classroom. "Higurashi-chan!"
"Uhmm…"Kagome glanced at her friends.
"Huh? You know him?" Unsurprisingly, Eri was the first to recover.
"W-well…just give me a minute."
Avoiding the girls' questions, the priestess hurried to cross the room, with a hundred of her own swirling inside her mind. Why was he here? How did he find her? Did anything happen? Did anything happen in the feudal era?
Habit had her grabbing his hand as she pulled the otherworldly warrior with her out into the semi-crowded hallway. It would seem like Itachi-san had paid attention to her instructions this morning and chose to forgo his usual mix of odd semi-traditional clothes in favor of the ones kept in case family decided to stay over. The black, long-sleeved shirt he'd picked was similar enough to what he'd usually wear in the feudal era, but the rest made for quite an interesting sight; Itachi had chosen a pair of jeans one of her older cousins left behind as well as a light sweater. And yet, it didn't look like he felt uncomfortable in it. Inuyasha was never particularly interested in knowing more about her time, always doing his best to convince her to go back at once, so she'd never worried about buying any extra outfits for her non-modern era guest, but the girl had the feeling that this wouldn't be the case with Itachi. Taking a closer look, Kagome decided to make sure to get the older teen some new clothes, the borrowed pieces weren't what she'd call a hideous fit, but it was still a bit too big for him. Hopefully, the outing wouldn't become a game of tug of war with her having to drag him to a clothing store, though she'd probably end up having to give him a gentle nudge into actually buying something for himself and not just pick whatever was cheapest. The young warrior never asked anything for himself.
The light hush in the hallway finally got her out of her thoughts. They were attracting attention, but while she wished to just go and find a place where they could talk without being overheard, such an action would only have more people talking.
"Itachi-san…what are you doing here?" The questions were a bit rude, but the girl was confident he could understand what she meant. "How did you find me?"
"You forgot this," he said as he offered her one of the bags her mom kept for shopping. Peeking inside, Kagome could see the assortment of things that had been forgotten during her morning race. "When I noticed you also left your wallet, I took a peek inside. A convenience store clerk gave me a map and pointed out the easiest routes to the school after I explained I wasn't a local and showed him your student ID. I did end up taking a couple of wrong turns, so I hope I'm not too late."
"No, not at all. I actually just noticed things were missing, actually. Thank you," she laughed.
Embarrassment had her tongue tied in knots, and the girl really wished for a hole to swallow her whole. She was such a mess. The world seemed intent on ruining her attempts at giving good first impressions. Back in the feudal era, Kagome had panicked so much that the young warrior was forced to comfort her. And now that they were in the modern era, the place she'd been born in and where she should be able to handle herself, the girl had been so frazzled she left half of her things behind. The priestess was about to open her mouth once more to hopefully give him a less convoluted thank you when she noticed his gaze moved slightly to her left to look at something behind her. Glancing back, she had to bite back a groan at the three very intense eyes locked on the two of them.
Life could never be simple.
"Kagome-chan," Yuka's hand closed around her shoulder, resolve clear in her voice before turning to address Itachi. "I'm really sorry, but we're going to steal her away for a bit."
Without giving them any time to respond, Yuka pushed her into the impromptu circle of her modern-time friends.
"Ok, I need you to be completely honest here." Yes, this probably wasn't something she could get out of. "Kagome, do you know this guy? Or did he just happen to find your stuff on the street?"
"I-I know him, but what…"
Before the priestess could utter another word, she was being pulled again, this time by Eri, who seemed to take command. Moving as one, the three girls were now openly studying Itachi-san, and Kagome could almost feel an incoming headache. What exactly they were attempting to get from this, she wasn't sure, but it would more than likely be a permanent topic in their conversation for the coming week.
"So…how do you two know each other?" Eri's eyes narrowed in suspicion.
Crap.
She hadn't thought about preparing a cover story. Though, to be fair, she hadn't been expecting an interrogation to happen at school.
"My health took a bit of a dive recently, and since my grandfather is fairly religious and knows Higurashi-san, he thought it might do me some good to be in a more spiritual environment." The young man didn't miss a beat, voice unwavering as he explained something that had never happened. "Kagome-san and her family have been nice enough to lend me one of the unused rooms at the shrine."
"Hmm...and you just noticed the stuff Kagome left behind and decided to bring it to her?" Yuka took up the questioning.
Itachi nodded. "Since I've been feeling better this morning."
"Alright," With a huff, the priestess intervened. She wasn't sure how far ahead the young warrior had thought this story up, but this was not about to go on if the priestess had any say about it. "If you're satisfied, then we should let Itachi-san go back. He shouldn't strain himself." Her friends' protests were quieted with one of her glares; the health tidbit gave her an excuse she could exploit, and she wasn't about to waste it.
Letting out a sigh at the image of her retreating friends, the priestess knew they weren't really going to let this go. At least Itachi gave her enough material to work with. The made-up story was simple, boring, and easy to remember, with the tiniest bit of truth mixed in. It wouldn't take much effort to build up on it since there was nothing she'd need to explain away. Thankfully, the young man seemed to understand that living under the same roof as a male not related by blood wouldn't do any favors to a young woman's reputation. By claiming he was staying at the shrine and not her house, he'd given her more than enough leeway as long as she pretended her family was still here.
"I forgot to check before leaving, but is there anything I should buy on my way back?" The soft-spoken question broke her train of thought.
"Hmm," she hummed. "I think we were running a bit low in the basics, just , and anything you may want to eat for dinner."
With a silent nod, the young warrior turned and left, and her gaze couldn't help but trail after him and marvel at his ability to adapt. Kagome had thought herself an adaptable person before, she could deal with the twists and turns life threw her way, but she couldn't hold a candle to how well Itachi-san was able to navigate completely foreign worlds with such ease. It made her wonder for what felt like the thousandth time just what kind of life he'd led before. Between that and his ability to lie and weave realistic stories, the priestess worried…though, counterintuitive as it may sound, she didn't worry about the trustworthiness of his words. He was always careful not to talk about his past in detail, only ever mentioning his younger brother when the two of them were alone. Why bother with such caution when he could offer lies no one would be able to unveil unless he was being truthful? No…Kagome wasn't worried of him, but for him.
Maybe she should try and budget a bit of her supply money to get her hands on some sort of psychology book? Her qualifications to try and help someone who'd gone through the trauma of being a child soldier were ludicrous at best, but as many times before with her group of friends, she was the best they had.
"So?" Eri ambushed her even before she could sit back down. "Spill."
"There's nothing to spill. It's just like Itachi-san said." Kagome tried to shut the conversation down.
"Oh, come on," Yuka didn't hesitate to take over. "How long has he been staying at the shrine?"
"A bit over a week, really it's not a big deal."
"And he calls you by name already?" Gods, they really weren't letting this go.
"We're too many Higurashis in the house," At least, the priestess was getting better at lying too. "We've talked and stuff, but that's about it. I've been sick too, remember?"
"What's he like?" Ayumi interrupted the others with a completely innocent question.
"Hmm? Well, he's…really kind, thoughtful too."
Dangerous.
Inuyasha had used that word to describe the newest addition to the group over and over. And Kagome really couldn't claim he was wrong to do so. The young warrior could get from one side of the battlefield to the other in the time it took her to blink. He'd only used his sword so far, but the way he handled himself spoke of a mastery she fully expected him to possess with each and every single one of the weapons they'd found hidden in his clothes when they were checking for injuries she failed to heal when he was first pulled through. All that without even taking into account the techniques he'd only used in that one fight against the Nomori. He was hiding more, the girl was sure of it; the word dangerous probably fit him to a T, and yet, that wasn't what came to mind when she tried to describe him.
"Smart, too," she added, shaking the worry out of her head. "He offered to help me out with calculus when I had a bit of a breakdown at dinner the other night."
"Ok…say do you know if he has a girlfriend?" Her friend seemed to jump at the chance.
"Not…that I know of." Oh, uh, she could see where this was going.
"And how much older is he?" Eri didn't pick up the questions.
"Why are we talking about this again?"
"Because he's quite easy on the eyes, isn't he?" Yuka smiled as she continued. "Does that delinquent boyfriend of yours know you're living with…"
"Not living together."
"Living next to a guy like that?" Her friend finished.
"Yeah, he knows," Alright…maybe she wasn't sure where this was going anymore. "And no, he isn't exactly super fond of Itachi-san, but it doesn't matter. Now can we please just eat?"
Huffing, the girl took her chopsticks out, pretending not to think about what the girls had said and failing miserably.
Logically, Kagome knew what Itachi looked like. She'd become familiar with the details of his face, his usual posture, and his motions. Of course she did. It was her (admittedly self-imposed) job to notice if any of her friends were feeling off and trying to hide it, she'd memorized what everyone looked like when they felt fine so she could catch the signs that would let her treat them early on. It was the same thing when it came to feeling embarrassed when seeing or touching someone else's boy when healing wounds, after all, there was no time to get flustered and blush when she should be doing her best to determine if a cut was deep enough to require stitches or if bandages would be enough. Kagome had treated everyone in her group, plus a wide assortment of people from all ages and body types. So really, of course she knew what Itachi looked like, and yet, she'd been so worried about his physical health and his emotional state that now she couldn't help the heat she felt rushing to her cheeks. After a week, it felt like he was back in full health, and both, the dark circles under his eyes and the stress lines that marred his face were steadily fading away, which made it easier to notice his sharp features, and while his frame was lean, the young man was most certainly in good shape. There truly was no way to deny he was attractive, even if it wasn't in the ethereal way she'd gotten used to seeing in youkais and more divine-esque beings.
Fighting back the urge to shake her head, the girl took a bite of rice. Kagome wasn't even sure why she was getting this flustered. She had Inuyasha…didn't she?
It probably said a lot about the estate of his psyche that it took him two hours after he came back for Itachi to realize that he actually felt calm as he read a book on ancient myths he'd grabbed from one of the shelves adorning the living room. There was no need for him to worry about someone trying to take his head off; or having to be under constant watch by his so-called partner. No ever present dread as to what atrocities he'd have to commit in order to protect both, his brother and his village. Sure, he was still trying to figure a couple of things out, but for the first time in years there was nothing he needed to do.
So, using what he knew about the girl's school schedule, Itachi took some time to wander around the city and fill his curiosity.
Tokyo was entirely abnormal and somehow familiar too.
Buildings here were far taller than anything that could be found within the Elemental nations, but the hustle and bustle were reminiscent of the major trading cities. Of course, the kind of vehicles that could be found in the streets was like nothing he'd ever seen before, and Itachi could understand why his butterfly warned him to only move by walking at her average speed. After all, he'd noticed a lot of places sported security cameras, and it wouldn't do to be filmed suddenly disappearing. Without a guide, it would probably take him a while to get used to this time period's methods of transportation, half of what the store clerk mentioned while giving him directions flew over his head.
Ideally, he should simply stay over the weekend to keep Kagome-san company and go back through the well when her family returned. That way, he could get familiar with the area surrounding the village that seemed to be their home base, scout around a little, and further test his skills against other kinds of youkais. The girl claimed she could deal with most of her exams on her own, and even if she struggled, she could always ask her classmates for explanations if needed. Remaining here would do nothing for her.
And yet, even being aware of the selfishness of his desire, Itachi wanted to take her offer and stay here for the whole week.
He wasn't sure if their bond would still work as a one-way glass if what was separating them was just time instead of a different dimension, and a part of him really didn't want to test it. He'd grown so used to being in her presence already. Plus, he genuinely wanted to know more about the world his butterfly was born and raised in, even if the Uchiha wasn't quite sure what to do with himself now that he had free time. He'd lived all his life under such strict conditions that he really didn't have to struggle to understand what the girl had asked when they talked about finding new goals.
"I'm home!"
Kagome-san's bright azure peered at him from the corner of the room, there was a slightly embarrassed smile on her face as she fully entered the living room.
"Welcome back, Kagome-san."
"I don't remember if I said it back in school, but thank you for bringing my stuff." The girl blinked a couple of times, eyes focusing on the book in his hands. "Oh, is that one of jii-chan's books?"
"It caught my eye when I was looking through the shelves after getting back," he explained despite the lack of accusation in her voice.
"Hmm, you know, we could probably go to the library this weekend and use my card to check out more books since most of what we have here is fiction or gramps' old mythologies. If you learn the way, you could go during the mornings." It was clear she was mostly talking to herself before her eyes widened. "Oh have you eaten yet?"
"I bought some food; but I didn't want to risk using any appliances on my own." It was unlikely he'd have any issues, but even if any accidental fires could be put out, the Uchiha didn't want to waste her money.
"Alright then, did you have anything in mind for today's menu?" The girl let her backpack fall on the sofa. "I'm not the best chef out there, but I know my way around the kitchen, so I won't take a whatever is fine for an answer. You can help me, but that's about it. There's no changing my mind."
"Maybe…tonkatsu, then?" It was still a simple dish, and from the laugh the girl let out, she knew what he was doing as well but decided to go with it
"Alright, tonkatsu it is then!" The girl's slender fingers closed around his right hand, pulling softly. "Come on."
It was so easy to allow himself to be carried away by her rhythm without even thinking.
What staying here solidified in his mind was how vastly different the two time periods were. Yet, it didn't look like the girl was struggling to make the switch between them. He took a second to admire her form as she moved to the kitchen before joining her. Confidence was evident in the way she danced around the room, grabbing the few ingredients he'd brought back and picking up the pans and knives they'd need. If he thought it slightly odd to be cooking in a proper kitchen this morning, it was nothing compared to what he felt cooking with anyone by his side. It gave him a sense of tranquility he didn't remember experiencing since before he graduated from the Academy.
"So," she asked while she passed him the washed vegetables. "What did you think of Tokyo after getting a glimpse of it?"
"It was…different, peaceful. People here have no access to chakra, or even the sort of abilities demons and holy people from the past. Yet there's been so much progress. It's amazing what can be achieved when there's no conflict."
"Well, it's not like this time period is perfect. Japan is pretty peaceful now, but it wasn't always like that, and there are still a lot of conflicts and wars in other places. But well, we do the best we can." There was something hidden in her voice he couldn't quite get just yet, but it left as soon as it came. "That said, if you find the city interesting, I could show you around a little. I mean, we are in the capital. There's definitely a lot to see…oh, we could make a day out of it!"
"Hmm, is this just an excuse not to study?" He asked, cutting the cabbage given to him into thin slices.
"Hey, just so you know, it's been proven recreational activities can help you focus as long as you do them from time to time." Despite her words, there was an amused grin on her face as she turned on the stove. "Technically, that would help with my studies."
"I admit I am curious."
He could only smile as the girl began to wonder out loud what kind of places he'd be interested in seeing while she moved to take the chopped vegetables from his hands. It would be a selfish decision to make, to remain on this side of the well for the full week. That said, Itachi knew the choice was already made. It wasn't like there was no danger, and it was clear the girl remained conscious of the time pressure her self-assigned mission held, but from what he could see, this kind of cool-down breaks were probably what allowed her to remain mentally stable. And maybe he was using that as an excuse to stay here, but he honestly couldn't bring himself to be too bothered about it.
A/N: Happy New Year everybody! If you celebrated hope you had a fun time, personally I could've used with a bit less enthusiasm but it was still more than enjoyable enough. And here's the next chapter, I still don't really know where I want this to go, just going with the flow, but I'm happy with it so far.
Thank you guys so much for reading and any and all review/comment/criticism is greatly, greatly appreciated.