Golden Child

Confessions Of A Broken Mind

Chapter 6

The light was just beginning to pour in through the open blinds when Kimiko was awoken with a gentle shake. Tired eyes blinking, she took a moment for her eyes to properly adjust to the figure above her. When she did, Kimiko was greeted by the grinning face of Kushina Uzumaki.

"Kushina?" She mumbled, yawning softly. She had gotten better at addressing the woman without '-san', no longer feeling like an extra to do so, more of a reflex which widened Kushina's smile every time.

"Mornin', Ko-chan." She beamed.

Kimiko peered up through heavy eyes, muttering back. "Mornin'."

Kushina sat back and allowed Kimiko to lift herself up from her pillow, blankets spilling off her to reveal her oversized gown. Kushina frowned a little before smiling, patting the little girl's head. She did that a lot.

"We're going shopping, Ko-chan. So get ready!" Kushina told her, ecstatic. "Still gotta get ya out of those rags!"

Kimiko shook her head. "Ya don't have to, Kushina. I'm more than happy with-" But her words were cut off when Kushina raised a hand to silence her.

"No buts." She ticked, before smiling. "Get dressed, breakfast is on the table."

With that Kushina left the little girl on her own, Kimiko sat in silence for a few more minutes, before throwing off the blankets and preparing for the day ahead.

::

The soft patter of Kimiko's feet on the tiled flooring was all the warning Kushina needed, turning around to greet the girl with a bright smile. Kimiko was standing awkwardly by the door, unsure what to do, but relaxed at Kushina's expression.

This made the woman's smile brighten. "Sit down, eggs okay?"

Kimiko nodded mutely, pulling out a chair with a screech and taking a seat, taking notice to how heavy the chairs are. She had taken her meals in her room and this was actually the first time she was dinning with Kushina, Kimiko would be lying if she said she wasn't at least little nervous.

But Kushina's soft eyes and kind smile were enough to calm Kimiko's nerves, the overall presence of the woman settled even Kimiko's wildest thoughts. It was strange when she thought about it; a woman she knew next to nothing about and yet Kimiko felt more at home with her than anyone.

Kimiko's thoughts were cut off when Kushina placed a plate before her, smiling at the girl's confused expression as she took a seat across from her.

"Minato has border patrol again so it's just us." Kushina smiled, digging into her scrambled eggs on toast. She silently watched Kimiko poke it warily with her knife, clearly unsure how to eat it.

"Have ya never had scrambled eggs on toast before?" Kushina blinked and the little girl went pink. Kushina's eyes softened as she placed down her knife and fork and took Kimiko's.

"It's simple, watch." Kushina told her as she cut up Kimiko's food into small bite sized pieces, then she placed one on the fork and held it out for Kimiko. To the girl's disbelief, it seemed Kushina wanted her to eat it off the fork she had extended to her.

Kimiko's cheeks were dusted with the faintest of reds as she slowly ate the scrambled eggs. Her embarrassment fading as a smile light up on her face, taking the fork from Kushina she began to eat as shown, munching happily as Kushina smiled.

"Now, I thought we could stop by main street again, I'd be with ya of course." Kushina said between bites. "Get ya some necessities; pants, shirts, shoes, basic Academy tools as well. It's good to prepare early. Maybe we can go shopping later, get something you'd like? I can cook it up for dinner tonight, how does that sound?"