Konohagakure's Kakashi Hatake & Nina Sarutobi have only lived & prepared to die by the Shinobi rules.
Amid an intensive investigation into a spate of mysterious deaths, a birthday party for the elusive Copy-Nin sets off a chain reaction no one quite...
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(Monday> September 22> Amegakure> Village)
~Kakashi~
Walking back to the hotel, under cover of a borrowed umbrella, Kakashi reflected on the day's undertakings. Although he and Sarutobi had been successful for the most part, it'd been a mixed bag.
Nina had fled the orphanage without explanation, leaving him to surmise it was something to do with Kimi's apron. With the afternoon pulling into the evening, Kakashi busied himself preparing dinner for everyone. He went with Oyakodon, a classic comfort meal for home cooking that needed limited prep time and was also packed with plenty of protein.
The kunoichi arrived back at the orphanage just before a thunderous storm hit, again not disclosing her recent whereabouts to Kakashi. She sat opposite him at the table while the children squabbled amongst themselves, wheeling and dealing over who sat next to whom. By the meal's end, Maya was on his lap, unafraid of using her feet to guard the coveted spot.
When all the bowls were licked-cleaned—quite literally—Nina and Kimi cleared the table and took the dirty dishes and cutlery to the kitchen to be washed. Meanwhile, Kakashi lent Yuuma a hand with setting up containers to catch the leaking drips throughout the mouldering residence.
With the jobs done, the children settled in their new beds for the night, and feeling the effects of his early rise, Kakashi announced his and Sarutobi's departure. He humbly accepted the weathered umbrella from Yuuma. Popping it open, he forwent holding hands with Nina to hold the umbrella to provide the most even cover for them both.
Silence never particularly bothered him; twice as true when he shared it with Nina, but something felt...off. Neither had uttered more than a handful of words. Kakashi didn't know what to make of it. Had he said or done something wrong?
Hmm.
There wasn't anything he could pinpoint with surety.
~Nina~
Shit. Shit.
Nina raced to take cover under the overhanging eaves of the closest building, hugging her back to its external wall. The umbrella had failed, disintegrating under the weight of the continuous waves of hammering rain. She watched as Kakashi sprinted across the road to the adjacent shop.
The downpour made it near-impossible to make out little more than silhouettes; none matched the Copy-Nin's. With nothing else to do but wait for his return, Nina's mind travelled back to another rainy night.
~Flashback~
(Konoha's Cenotaph> Night time> Nina 14 years old, Kakashi 16 years old)
In the drizzling rain, Nina sat against Konoha's cenotaph. She twirled a kunai around her right index finger, wishing she had her brother to speak to rather than a fucking rock reserved for the names of the dead. Asuma wasn't dead; he was off playing bodyguard for the Land of Fire's daimyō.
