The Case-Book of Kakashi Hatake

A Study in Silence {Part 5}

"And I can't even begin to tell you how improper it is that you live with two men."

A polite nod and a sip of tea.

"I thought that you joining the army was bad enough, but if you carry on like this..."

"Of course, Mum."

"This is a serious issue, mind. How will you ever get anything even close to resembling a good marriage?"

I eyed the tray of perfect looking biscuits between us, not nearly enough of a barrier. "I don't know."

"And that man that you live with, do you know what sort of things I've heard about him?"

"I don't." I took a biscuit and started to nibble it slowly with the hopes that my mouth would be full the next time I was required to give a response.

"Well, I've heard that his mother and father were from very respectable families, but after the mother's early death, the father fell into a bad sort. He lost all of their fortune before ending his own life."

That was shocking and more than just a little scandalous. I took a sip of tea to wash down the remnants of my biscuit, "You know that I don't participate in gossip like that. It's a very private affair that should stay within the Hatake family."

She sent me a cross look for spoiling her fun,"Fine. But about those books that everyone says that he reads."

I stared at the biscuits again. They were wonderful, and I really wanted another. But, I knew that Mum was counting the number of cookies that I had eaten so far, and I didn't want to get the "preserve your figure" lecture either. You know, she might still give it just for kicks.

Why would she put out that many biscuits if I'm not actually allowed to eat them?

Huh...

"Hatake does read a lot, but I've never thought to ask him what his books are about. He's a very private man."

Mum continued as if I hadn't said a thing, "They're supposedly dirty books, sinful in nature. Such a man who reads those should never be allowed in the company of women."

I had to keep myself from laughing. First of all, no matter what the actual content of his books may be (not that I was inclined to take my mother's gossip as the gospel truth), Hatake had been nothing but a gentleman to me since I had first met him, and I didn't think that would just suddenly change. Second of all, living with lots of men on a war front gives you top-notch immunity towards things of a perverted nature.

"He's a brilliant man, and I think that he's allowed his eccentricities."

Mum winced like the word "eccentricities" was a physical blow to her uptight ideals.

Five biscuits and a lecture about maintaining feminine charm later, I slammed the door to 221B behind me with a huff.

At the sudden noise, Pakkun's head popped up from where it had been resting on Hatake's lap, and the said man's eyes lifted slowly from the pages of the orange-bound book that he was reading.

"How was your mother?"

I sighed and plopped into the armchair across from him, "Sure, I'll bite. How did you know that I had visited my mother?" This would probably be more interesting than all of the last two hours of conversation combined.

Hatake's eyes curved up into a little smile that didn't reach the rest of his face. "You're wearing your best yukata, your hair is pulled back elaborately, and you actually applied makeup this morning. Now, those things could also be indicative of a date, but I know that no one is courting you. Yesterday you received a letter that set you grumbling for a solid thirty minutes and the address on the letter held your last name so obviously it was a family member. Now, that combined with your appearance and it was safe to conclude that you had visited a demanding mother."