The Case-Book of Kakashi Hatake

The Murders of Sliver Blaze {Part 8}

The next morning I woke to late morning sun flittering through my window and the deep contentment of snuggling in warm blankets after a full night's rest. With a sigh, I burrowed deeper into my covers and let myself stay suspended in the fuzzy comfort of half-sleep.

There was a gentle knock on my door followed by Hatake's calm voice, "Jin, may I come in?"

"One moment," I called back as I slipped from the covers to hastily change out of my night gown into my usual white blouse tucked into a brown skirt. Still running a comb through my hair, I called him in.

The first thing that hit me was the smell, the spine tingling and shudder producing ambrosia of a full English breakfast.

With a knowing grin, Hatake placed the tray in my lap as I sat on the edge of my bed and he took the chair across from me that was by the window.

"They put up the breakfast about two hours ago at nine thirty, but I had the innkeeper put this aside for you. And she was even kind enough to reheat it in the oven for you."

"You're wonderful. I take back every mean thing I've ever said about you being inconsiderate."

He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck with his left hand as his right pulled an orange book from his pocket.

I picked up the tea cup and cradled it in my palms as I brought it up to my lips, breathing in the delicious aroma through my nose.

"Is this Earl Grey?"

He nodded; I smiled in thanks.

"So," I took a quick break in inhaling my food. "You said that the case should be solved today, right? What's on the agenda?"

"In an hour we're having lunch at the Wagarashis."

I looked at the large plate of breakfast on my lap, "Then I should probably stop eating. It'd be rude to arrive already full."

"No, I would continue. I'm guessing that we won't get to the food serving part of lunch."

I raised a quizzical eyebrow but said no more as I continued with my meal.

"You know, I've been wondering," I stated as I polished off the last of my bacon, "how you meet the Moya Triad three years ago."

Hatake laughed and shook his head as he snapped his book shut and stuck it in his pocket once more. "Well, I suppose that we have nothing better to do while we wait for lunch." He cleared his throat, "Let's see, it was three years ago, and I had just returned from the Third Great War about a month and a half beforehand. I was slightly adrift at that point in time. The country was a at war, and the only trade I knew was killing, not exactly helpful in civilian life. I wouldn't find that I wanted to become a detective of sorts until a few weeks later, but that's a story for another day.

"I had become friends with the couple living next door in my building. Asuma and Kurenai Sarutobi, I still stay in touch as much as I can, considering... But, I digress. The two of them made it a personal mission to make me get out more and stop withering away in my tiny apartment and had decided it would be fun to go to the racetrack one weekend when they were both free from work.

"So down to the track I went, my protests and complaints falling on deaf ears.

"At the start of every race, I would look down at the horses and compare gait and musculature and how well the jockey seemed to be handling them and would predict who I thought would win. I never put any money on a race, but Asuma did quite well by using my predictions.

"About halfway through the day, I noticed some sort of drama going on in the stands a few rows down. Three men in their mid to late twenties were standing around a young woman who appeared to have come alone. The oldest of the men, obviously the ringleader of the trio of siblings, was trying to woo the young woman in a lecherous fashion, completely ignoring her polite but persistent protests. It was frankly disgusting to watch, and no one around them was doing a thing, all too afraid of the three men. Asuma had noticed as well, and when he began to rise from his seat, having had enough, I placed my hand on his arm to stop him, telling him to continue enjoying his day off with his wife and that I'd be more than happy to deal with it. I figured he could survive one race without me telling him who to bet on.