Chapter 15:Unfold


(Monday September 22 Amegakure Inn Room 302)

~Nina~

Nina dragged in rapid, gasping breaths as her body surged upright. Through the blurring adrenalin rush, her restrained wrists were the first image to come into focus. From her right hand, shed dropped a kunai which fell into the puff of duvet between her and Kakashi.

"I…" Nina swallowed, her mouth dry. She frantically searched him for any injuries. "Did I?"

Slowly Kakashi lowered their hands to the space between them. "No harm done." He tepidly rubbed his thumbs over the backs of her hands, a lazy look falling over his eye.

When their eyes met again, Nina passed him a soft smile, a small gesture to say, "I'm fine". Meanwhile, she was mentally scrambling to put her ducks in an orderly line post-night terror and at some ungodly early hour between midnight and dawn.

Kakashi tapped Nina's knuckles twice before letting go of her hands. "Lay down."

"What?" she asked.

Without a reply from the Copy-Nin, she raised an eyebrow, watching as he located her kunai and stashed it under his pillow. He laid down on his side, stretching his long body beneath the covers and grabbed Nina's pillow. After propping his head up with one hand, he patted her pillow he'd positioned between his side and bent elbow with his other hand.

Nina crossed her arms firmly across her chest, willing herself to look from her pillow to his face. "Pervert," she grumbled.

Kakashi groaned, tussling with the bed coverings to sit up more. Despite the lack of adequate light, Nina intently watched how he hooked his fingers around one of her wrists. His fingertips lingered at the exact spot where her racing pulse was sure to be making itself known—just under the arc of her thumb.

It would be easy enough for Nina to pull away and retreat to the bathroom, but maybe this was innocent—all in the name of training. Or maybe he did have some ulterior motive. Perhapshe felt obligated to—

"Lay down, Sarutobi," Kakashi repeated, giving her wrist a gentle tug as he leaned back.

Sincerity was etched into his eye, and Nina stilled. Hana's less-than-sound advice nagged at her insides, stirring with her other thoughts and insecurities.

"Why don't you just let things just…unfold with Kakashi-Sensei? You may be pleasantly surprised."

Unfold.

As if on command, Nina uncrossed her arms, resting them limply in her lap. She pushed back her thumb's cuticle with her other thumbnail; the silence felt deafening and heavy.

"This mission," she exhaled heavily. "I know Lady Tsunade wants me to have a break." Nina lifted her gaze to Kakashi's briefly. "But you fucking know what Ibiki is like, Hatake." She shook her head, hating that she was ranting about a situation she knew couldn't be changed. "I'm just wasting my time here."

Nina dropped her head and breathed another sigh. With her eyes glued to her hands in her lap, guilt and frustration muddled together in her stomach, and the only way she could think to settle it was to run away.

"You didn't object to being assigned," Kakashi remarked, cutting through the silence.

"No. I didn't, " Nina chuffed softly. Clearing her throat, she looked at the Copy-Nin. "Anyway, I'm pretty tired."

Laying on the flat of his back, looking oddly triumphant, Kakashi lifted the covers, offering space for her beside him. Nina's lips curled into a sleepy, wistful smile as she shuffled down under the covers, finding comfort with her head and pillow on his chest.

Although she'd very little to compare to, their current position was, yes, a little strange but not necessarily unpleasant. It wasn't particularly sexual either, something she quietly appreciated and filed away in her mind for future reference. The rhythmic feel of Kakashi's chest rising and falling under Nina's head was almost reassuring. Like this, she could simultaneously hear and feel his heartbeat's steady, peaceful thump-thump right beneath her head and fingertips.

For someone renowned as being cold-hearted, he radiated warmth.

"Good?" Kakashi whispered.

Nina drew her hand away from her mouth just enough to give a muffled reply. "Mm, yeah. Thank you."

She felt him tense and heard his heartbeat speed up for a few seconds, but she ignored it. Maybe she would tease him for it tomorrow.

Maybe.


(Amegakure Inn Room 302)

~Kakashi~

Old habits formed from suffering under the afflictions of night terrors, and years of ritualistic visits to Konoha's cenotaph, had Kakashi awake as the first slivers of light spilled out from between the hotel curtains. He watched the narrow beams inch across the futon bed. Nina was still cosied into his side and peacefully, sound asleep.

It was clear the recent events had penetrated Sarutobi's typically impervious front. Terrors were commonplace in the shinobi world. It was an aspect of their chosen profession they all had to learn to accept and control. Shinobi were often pushed into doing terrible things without another option.

Kakashi stared at his right hand.

'Blood on your hands,' they say. As though it stops there, at your wrist, like a glove. As though you—a shinobi—could do this, and there could be any part of you that wasn't stained in blood.

Closing his hand, Kakashi took great care not to wake Nina when slipping out from under the covers to sit on the bed's edge. He twisted his head to look over his shoulder, tracing her profile with one eye and keeping his sharingan eye closed. The kunoichi snuffled in her sleep, a sweet little noise; her eyes were darting back and forth beneath her eyelids. The slightest possessive worry crept into his mind. Again.

As Nina had prompted, yes, Kakashi was well-acquainted with Ibiki's impatience and hatred for drawn-out investigations. However, it wasn't like he could go and have a quick, friendly chat with the head of Konoha's Interrogation Unit. The man was a fucking sadist.

Nina was also aware of the underlying reason for her selection for this mission, and whilst she may have felt Kakashi was coddling her, she really needed to take it easy. He was willing to lie, disguising it all behind the cover of training if it eased her discomfort.

Then there was the bet.

Kakashi rubbed one hand over the back of his neck; he needed to clear his head. Pulling his long-sleeved shirt on, he nipped his thumb, summoning Pakkun.

"Bo—"

"Shh," Kakashi lifted his index finger to his lips, "I'll explain later, Pakkun." He quickly removed the pug's hitai-ate and then left the room together.


(Amegakure Village Mid-Morning)

~Pakkun~

Through the crowds, Pakkun kept a few steps in front of the kunoichi, glancing back every now and then, ensuring she hadn't wandered off. None too soon, he lost sight of the girl. He'd have liked to open his muzzle and call out her name, but given their dodgy location, he had to rely on his hyper-sensitive sniffer.

Thankfully, she hadn't gone too far. Pakkun found her paying a man with one hand and balancing a ring of pink flowers on her head with the other. He pressed his wet nose to her shin.

"Sorry, Pakkun," Nina said, kneeling and ruffling his head.

Without his master to break it up, the pug happily lapped up the physical affection. Pakkun often wondered if Kakashi had ever noticed that the medic would sneak him extra treats or if he didn't care to battle her considering she was doing him a favour because, by rights, she was a people doctor and not a vet.

He continued to lead the girl, narrowly avoiding being trodden on several times, to the spot where he'd left his master earlier—just past that enormous tree on the very outskirts of the village. As they approached, the pug's attention was pulled to the sound of giddy laughter from a group of girls huddled together under the shade of the tree.

No guesses as to who they're looking at.

"Hmpf. It seems he has an audience," snorted Pakkun, traipsing up the hillside.

Once they'd reached the top of the hill and his master was finally in view, they stopped. The girls' verbal desirous observations were unmistakable.

"He's hot."

"I've never seen him before. I wonder how long he's been out here."

"Do you think he has a girlfriend?"

"Who cares? I could still get him."

Overcome with the inherently feline trait of curiosity, Pakkun tilted his head to see the kunoichi's reaction to all the chatter. Nina's eyes were closed, but she was smirking.

Or is she blushing?

~Nina~

Nina shut her eyes because it was the only way to prevent her from having an impulsive outburst. Hatake—the fucking idiot—was training—Tai Chi, if she wasn't mistaken—in broad daylight and with a crowd. The girls barefacedly fawning over the Copy-Nin sparked a twinge of something that Nina likened to the sentiments she held towards Raidō. In fairness, they couldn't be blamed for doing so when they were being given…that.

"Hey lady, is this your dog?"

Nina's eyes snapped down to Pakkun and a little boy. The same boy from yesterday.

"Yes, kid," she knelt, "his name is Pakkun." The boy wore the same filthy clothes, and his body was still marred in numerous bruises. "You can pat him, but just make sure you let him—"

"I have a name, you know, lady," the boy chided, lifting his hand, holding it away from Pakkun's muzzle, allowing the pug a cautionary sniff. "It's Marco."

"Nice to meet you, Marco." Nina giggled as Pakkun rolled over to request the boy for a tummy rub.

"He's really cool!" Marco said, his face lighting up.

Someone is taking advantage of their master's absence.

"That he is," she agreed and joined in on petting the pug.

"So, you got a name, lady?" Marco asked, adding a second hand to the tummy rubs.

"I do," Nina replied.

"What is it? I mean, I told you mine, so you gotta tell me yours, right?" Marco pushed.

"Sure, Marco. My name is Nina."

The boy's sparkling blue eyes reminded her so much of Naruto, not to mention his way of talking—unfiltered and direct.

She looked down at Kakashi; he remained seemingly unaware of their presence. A loud grumble rumbled from the boy's stomach, pulling her attention back to him and the pug. "Are you hungry, kid?"

"I…I…yeah, but…no," Marco stuttered. He stood up, holding his stomach and took a few steps backwards.

Shit.

The last thing Nina wanted was to spook the kid and for him to run off again to god knows where. He was in dire need of a good feed and a hot, soapy bath. But at this point, she'd settle for just getting food into him. Nina stood up, brushing her hands together to rid them of Pakkun's fur. "What do you feel like?"

"Really?" Marco asked keenly but quickly averted his eyes. "You don't have to," he mumbled.

"Nonsense, my treat. I haven't eaten breakfast either." Nina's heart lifted when the biggest smile spread across Marco's face, his eyes a little glassy. "So where to?" she asked, holding her hand out.

"I know, follow me!" he gleefully commanded, grabbing hold of her hand.

Nina gave a short, sharp whistle, signalling for Pakkun to tag along.


(Amegakure Village Café)

~Nina~

Nina looked around at all the tables filled with people enjoying their meals. The café was different to the one she and Kakashi had visited yesterday. It was brightly lit, and everything was splashed in the colour yellow, and somehow, it didn't come off as gaudy. Instead, it was warm and homey, inviting people inside and making them smile and relax. The waiter who greeted them had no problems with Pakkun joining them inside. In fact, he'd rushed off to the kitchen and returned with a fresh bowl of water for the pug.

"That good, huh?" Nina chuckled, watching Marco over-stuff his mouth with pancakes.

"Mhmm." Ice cream dribbled down his chin before he wiped it off with his sleeve. "The orphanage has food, but uh..."

Nina paused, setting down her fork and eyeing the boy's face for a minute. Following the Third Great Ninja War, Konoha's Third Hokage established an orphanage, as did many of the other Hidden villages. She'd doubted this village had one, believing it to be too small to warrant one.

"Are there many others like you?" Nina asked.

"A few." Marco picked up his plate and slurped up the melted ice cream. "Most of us have parents, but they couldn't afford to feed themselves and us."

While it wasn't a great comfort, Nina was relieved to know Marco had a roof over his head and wasn't sleeping on the streets. But she had suspicions about the quality of his care at the orphanage. After all, she'd seen first-hand how one of Konoha's Hokage had treated an orphan. Nina balled her fists on her lap.

"Marco, about your bruises…." Nina hesitated, unsure what to do with the answer to her question or if she would even get one. "Do they hit you?"

"No. Never," Marco answered.

Undernutrition and malnutrition were the leading causes of easy bruising in children from low-economic families. Children like Marco lived, no, were barely surviving,well below the poverty line. It wasn't right.

Nina handed over her hardly-touched plate to the boy. "Eat up, Marco."

"Gee, thanks, Nina!"

She gave him a small smile back.

"Uh, Nina," Marco began, "I was wondering if you could walk me back home when I'm finished?"

"Sure." Nina grimaced, feeling the prick of Pakkun's teeth in the flesh of her calf muscle. "I'll be right back, kid."

"Mhmm," Marco muffled with a mouthful of fruit salad.

In the ladies' bathroom, Nina ducked into the farthest cubicle to tend to the bite from the pug. "What the fuck was that for, Pakkun?"

"You're too trusting," he replied, sitting back on his hind legs in the doorway of the cubicle.

Exiting the cubicle, Nina tore a paper from the roll affixed to the wall, dampening it under the running tap and then dabbing up the blood on her calf. "He's just a kid," she rebutted.

"You, of all people, should know that doesn't make him any less dangerous, Sarutobi."

Nina threw the soiled paper into the provided bin and washed her hands under the tap. As a medic and a shinobi, she'd learned and understood that it wasn't her duty to heal all wounds, and not all wounds could be healed, regardless of intent. However, against objection—Pakkun's or Hatake's—she intended to better this boy's situation.

~End of Chapter~