In which clothes are bought and ice is broken.
Shout out to my main girl, this ones for you.
He blinked.
She grinned broadly, her fresh teeth glinting in the light coming from the door.
He swallowed, Adam's apple bobbing under the mask.
She leaned to the side, washcloth riding up one of her legs. His one stupefied eye following the motion. She guessed it was a transition, from only seeing her in oversized sweatpants, to suddenly covered only in a washcloth.
"I am going to put these away." He stated blandly, and walked to the connecting kitchen.
Poor, awkward Kakashi.
Now that Pakkun wasn't here, she really had no other option but to watch him. Besides, she was hungry, dinner was last night and she just did some intense maneuvering. Walking through the goliath opening, she watched as Kakashi methodically put fruits in her favorite bowl and perishables into the fridge.
Cool beans.
From her position on the tile floor, she wasn't sure she could actually make it up onto the counter and into the fruit bowl. He had chairs, but way too big for her to move, and the sides of the counter were polished wood-no climbing that.
"Hey, could you give me a lift onto the counter?"
He pauses and looks at the washcloth toga like it's was an alien. Feeling the need to reiterate she licked her lips and spoke under his gaze.
"I'm hungry and the fruits on the counter in the bowl."
He didn't reveal his feelings at the simple answer, and instead slowly walked over to her. She tensed at feeling the vibrations, even though his steps were soundless. He splayed the back of his hand against the tile and watched as she glided over, cautiously kneeling on his gloved palm.
The giddy swoop in her stomach made her giggle as she was deposited directly into the fruit bowl. Part of the cloth covered her face and by the time she removed it, Kakashi was gone, probably putting groceries away. Looking to her left, she spotted a bright orange clementine.
Perfect.
Shuffling so the clementine was blocked by her Julius Caesar robe, She took the small, sharp piece of metal that had been used to cut the floss out of her bra, and made an slit into the orange skin. Hastily putting it away, she ripped at the new opening so Kakashi wouldn't know she had mutilated his floss. Not that Pakkun probably wouldn't tell him all that he could.
As she chewed a slice the size of her forearm, she wondered what was taking kakashi so long. Climbing as quickly as she could while juggling her dignity and the slice, she stood atop a pear and watched him slowly put packaged ham away.
Why was it taking him so long?
Narrowing her eyes, she continued to watch him. He seemingly avoided her gaze as he came back to a different part of the counter to unpack.
"Did you see your friend at the check-out as last night?"
He seemed to take that as an opportunity to stop.
"Yes. Night shift." He stayed still a bit longer, almost as if hoping to put off unpacking as long as possible. Before sighing and resuming.
"Are we still going?"
He didn't react, like the trained elite ninja he was, and continued what he was doing. Which was unpacking the groceries. Slowly.
"Quit stalling!" She suddenly shouted around a mouthful of clementine.
This time he did react, freezing for a split second, before going so fast he turned into a blur. All the items were put away in three seconds, and he was suddenly standing in front of her, slouch in all.
She didn't even blink, too used to it. But she did shriek when he suddenly grabbed the washcloth, making her drop the orange slice. He lifted her, dangling like a baby in a sling, over the side of the bowl and onto the counter.
"Maa, soon."
"Oh! How soon? Like in five minutes?" She asked, immediately rebounding. She sat up, clutching the front to her chest as it was slipping off both shoulders. Unbeknownst to her, his eye followed the movement in a suitably dumbfounded gaze.
"Now sounds fine."
"Cool Beans!"
She shuffled up, in that awkward way you do when you make a snow angel and are trying not to ruin it.
"Pocket time? Cause if we're going shopping i'm not sure you want anybody to see me." She thought that was reasonable. Plus she didn't want to meet anybody knew without her fancy new slacks.
He slowly wrapped his hand around her middle, seeing as she couldn't exactly stand well. Lifting her to the pocket he asked;
"Can you fit?"
"You calling me fat!?"
He sweat dropped, panicking slightly as he didn't really know how to deal with mad women.
Or really, women in general.
Chuckling in good humor, she grinned impishly as a mischievous idea crossed her mind.
"It's all good, man. I can fit, but only if I take off the washcloth."
...
He said nothing, living up to his namesake as a scarecrow. It was a look of absolute shock and slight fear. She grinned, happy she could read him so easy.
"...Are you sure you can't fit?" He sounded slightly strained.
"Well yeah I could, but it'll look funny and its wet."
Frowning slightly, she rolled off his palm and quickly into the cover of the pocket. She was right; it was crowded and uncomfortable. Grinning, she unwrapped herself and threw the damp washcloth out, the pocket flap hiding everything except her arms and head.
She was now naked in Kakashi's pocket.
In a lighting quick move, she watched his hand catch the washcloth in a mechanical action as if his brain had short-circuited. Ducking back in to hide her shoulders, she cheered;
"Let's go, Kay-Kay-She!"
And with that, he took his usual slow steps towards the door. Opening and then closing the door, she blinked and smiled happily-the air smelled fresh and dewy. It seemed to be a school day, with kids carrying books all in the same direction. Good. Looking closer, she noticed some of them were wearing ninja sandals and had weapons pouches. The academy? With a stab of fear and excitement, she wondered if she'd see any of the rookie nine.
"Slow down Kiyo!"
"We can't be late for the test!" She shouted back faintly to her friend. Maybe they had a unit exam thing? At any rate she felt Kakashi tense slightly. It must mean something to him and because of that, was important. They moved out of the residential section, and the houses melded into markets. Trees popped from alleyways and the cobblestone street was dappled with shade. And while the road was pretty, she'd like to know where it was taking them.
"Do you know any places?" She asked. Waiting in silence for a bit, she peeked out and turned upwards. He was blushing slightly and staring ahead, coming to a dead stop-in front of a toy store. Porcelain dolls with lacy dresses filed the windows. Their version of barbie was decked out in ninja gear.
Good to know they started the indoctrination young.
They stayed put right outside the shop. Kakashi's fingers had stopped inches away from the door handle, and now stood frozen in the air.
"Aw, is Kashi-kun afraid of a door handle?" She cooed.
Craning her neck again, she yelped and almost fell out of the pocket as he took a sudden step forward and opened the shop door with a single, slow, push.
The bells on the handle were ominously silent.
There wasn't much activity going on in the store, as most of the kids were at school or still asleep. A bored employee was putting away handmade dolls in a glass case behind the cashier. Kakashi approached again, walking at a snail's pace.
He stood silently in front of the desk. The employee continued putting the intricate dolls away, having not noticed the silent Kakashi. He awkwardly cleared his throat.
The girl started, whipping around and clutching the dolls to her chest, looking on with shock. Then doing a double take when she saw the vest (but not her) and the obviously masculine appearance. Now she had nothing against guys and dolls, it's just seeing a Jounin in their little shop was surprising.
"Is there anything you need help with, sir?" She asked, recovering slightly.
"Yes, I have a...special order. Can I speak to the manager?"
"Of course, be right back."
The employee disappeared into the back room. Soft talking could be heard before muffled footsteps headed towards them. The girl came into view, hands clasped in her front and smiling sweetly.
"You can go in back. She'll see you. Call me if you need me!" And with that incredibly good service, Kakashi headed towards the door with a soft 'thanks'.
The back room was slightly darker than the main shop. Scraps of cloth for doll clothes laid around, and broken dolls and missing plastic limbs were in piles in the back, waiting to be repaired. She was slightly intimidated. In the very back of the room, in a very comfy looking chair, sat an older woman. This lady didn't look like she didn't messed around, with glasses sharpening her gaze, and long nimble fingers with callouses at the ends. She turned an interested eye towards them.
"What special accommodations do you need? Cloth repair? Or new doll clothes?" She fired off questions.
"The latter, please."
She leaned towards them slightly and patted her desk expectantly.
"Show me what i'm working with."
He heart was beating rapidly and her palms were sweating. She was peeking over the top, still concealed-but not for long. She was feeling incredibly vulnerable, wishing she had just brought the washcloth with her, even if it would have been uncomfortable. Bravely, she said;
"Kakashi, put me on the table so she can see." And with that, she rose, supporting herself by pulling on the corners and lifting her head and shoulders into view and giving the woman an lopsided, nervous, smile.
She gasped in shock and openly stared, an expression probably not seen often. Her eyes scanned over what she could see of her from the pocket.
Kakashi lifted his hand and pointedly looked in the other direction and she timidly climbed onto his palm. Taking a few steps, she stepped off onto the table and stood, shivering slightly, under the awestruck gaze of the woman. Her arms crossed in front of her chest, and she raised her thigh to cover the v of hair between her legs. She wished she had something to cover her belly.
She must have been a sorry sight.
"Do…" Haruhi struggled to talk past the lump in her throat. "Do you think you'll be able to make clothes for me?"
The awed expression was quickly toned down, and a snort left her.
"Don't insult me. Come over here so I can get your measurements"
Unexpectedly, she started to tear up. She guess she didn't realize how much it meant for her to get new clothes until she realized it was possible. Nodding frantically, she moved closer to the dollmaker, who was pulling out a coiled measuring tape. She stopped where the lady directed her too and waited, trying to collect herself and halt her slight sniffling.
The woman held the metal tip against her side, and she flinched as the cool metal raised goosebumps.
"Hold still..." the seamstress mumbled, wrapping it around her waist.
She did her best impression of a statue. She really wanted new clothes and definitely didn't want to mess it up. So she turned when prodded and out of the corner of her saw Kakashi's head starting to turn towards her. She was supremely uncomfortable.
"Give her some privacy boy! A Woman deserves her privacy!" The seamstress snapped at him. He tore his gaze away, embarrassed. She giggled, mostly amused he got told off and grateful. The seamstress winked at her and she grinned back. She sensed a future bro.
"I'm Haruhi."
"Kasumi."
"Thank you for doing this, Kasumi. It means a lot to me."
"Every self-respecting woman needs a decent wardrobe. And you did look quite sad, standing there naked..." Kakashi choked in the background.
"Uh, thanks?"
"If you don't mind me asking, why are you so small?"
She hesitated, not knowing what to say. The Hokage didn't specify if he wanted her to be a secret or not. Luckily, Kakashi stepped in.
"She's the result of an unfortunate jutsu accident." That was actually a very good cover story, especially since he was wearing the vest to back it up. Kasumi harrumphed and shook her head. Scratching down all the measurements she tossed her head towards the back of the room, where spare mismatched clothes were in separate plastic containers. Pieces of doll furniture were also there.
"Pick as much as you can carry. Clothes and furniture. These won't be ready for awhile" She said, gesturing to the new notes.
Shocked, she couldn't stop stuttering her thanks. Since the table spanned the room, she ran across the wooden top and all the way up to the boxes. Kakashi, who was determinedly avoiding looking at her still naked body, helped and opened some of the boxes for her.
A cute pink frilly dress-No.
An ugly box brown shirt-No.
An ankle length skirt with army green vines- Not her style.
"Picky." Kakashi said in amusement, watching the clothes land in a pile to the side.
Finally, she found something that suited her. A light Forest green tank-top with dark trim that was cut to reveal the sides, and a pair of baggy cream shorts with golden peaches(and pockets!) on them. Quickly putting them on, she ran in front of his line on sight (which was trained on the rejected pile) and he flinched before fixing his gaze on her.
"Hows this?" She spread her arms.
"...It suits you." He said simply, looking on intensely.
She grinned happily, blushing.
"I know."
After finding a couple a couple more items she liked, Kakashi opened some of the other boxes with the mini furniture. They picked out a bed, chairs, a table, miniature bookshelf, and a ton of other things. Heading to the main part of the shop, the girl had gone to the front to clean and Kasumi was checking them out. Sorting their things she asked what color bag they wanted.
"Pink."
"Black."
Kakashi and Haruhi made eye contact, her grinning. She would love to see him carry a pink bag all the way home. He had a different idea.
"Are you sure you don't want that pink dress?"
Scowling, she gave in.
"How much?" Kakashi sighed, looking back to the manager.
"It's on the house. It's not often I get customers like this."
That definitely made him happy, as he perked up and eye smiled. Picking up the bag in one hand and her in the other, he inclined his head and walked out the store. She climbed back into his pocket, happy with her outfit. Amazing what it could do for a girl.
"...We could always go back for that pink dress."
"Shut up!" She shouted in mock anger, and punched the vest. If anything, it amused him, as evidenced by his shaking shoulders.
All in all, it was a good start to their day. Hopefully, it would stay that way.
Haruhi is roughly 5 inches tall, btw.