Falling for Temptation (A Kakashi Hatake story) Naruto fanfic

Chapter 23: Confusions of Love

"The power of a glance has been so much abused in love stories, that it has come to be disbelieved in. Few people dare now to say that two beings have fallen in love because they have looked at each other. Yet it is in this way that love begins, and in this way only."
-LES MISÉRABLES, VICTOR HUGO

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They returned late at night, she wanted to stay for longer but Itachi sternly reminded her of her pregnancy and adamantly carried her back to their small house. It was his and Nhira's little comfort zone. Their escape.

It was not shabby but in its simplicity, it was a gateway to a completely different feeling. Small, homely. He had her sitting down by the Kotatsu to warm herself and he prepared tea.

Nhira smiled, stretching like a cat and laying her head down on the soft cushioned tabletop. Itachi then came and draped a blanket over her, with a passing comment.

"For someone urging me to take care of my health, you're so callous with yours."

He sighed, watching her fluttering eyelids. The tiredness, nausea while they were travelling and the sudden bouts of irritability made sense after a long while and he couldn't help the feeling of nostalgia.

A déjà vu sinking deep into his bones.

'Come to think of it, Nhira and I were like this too when she was pregnant with Heimich.'

He smiled softly, almost tragically. It was the same. They were in the same house, the same warmth. With the chirping chorus of crickets outside, the occasional lost firefly.

How she snuggled against the blanket in her sleep and how he took care of her.

'Except now, she's pregnant with someone else's child. I hope it ends well for them... I hope what happened to us won't repeat. I don't know if Nhira can take anymore.'

She was a beautiful, trailblazer of a woman with a burning fire that devoured everything in its path to ashes. A wild, mad woman who captivated everyone who met her, that's right. Mad.

A ticking time bomb. And Itachi feared the day she would break. He lost too much and too many, he wasn't ready to lose one more.

He carried her, careful not to wake her. She began to stir in his arms and after a few hushed reassurances, she fell back asleep convinced she was safe and that she was with someone she trusted.

Tucking her underneath the soft, fur blankets Itachi removed her slippers and finally, after watching her lull back to a deep, well-deserved sleep he whispered, "Sleep well."

The morning came quickly and the two sat by the porch. She sat on the swing, enjoying the soft, rhythmic sway. She poked Itachi's side each time the swing slowed to a halt and he would reach out his hand and push, gently.

They began to talk about a few things they had to do. She was his link, the messenger that carried his reports back to the Leaf and she was his eye, informing him of the current situations in the village he was desperately trying to protect.

"It's Kakashi now right?" He asked, thinking 'In hindsight, it might not be the best conversation starter.' But he was never one for small talk or socialization. That was her, her talent her skill.

"Hmm, I can't imagine him falling for your charm he's not that easy.."

She just laughed at him mockingly, he didn't know why but as time passed the friendship between them brought a deeper understanding of her weird, twisted humour.