Golden Child

Bubblebaths, Lollipops And Laughter

Chapter 7

Kimiko felt the heat of the sun against her bare back and wondered briefly if she could be sunburnt through a closed window. It may be possible, the Land of Fire's sun was deadly. But she brushed the thought away, submerging herself deeper in the bubbles. 

She had to admit, when Kushina first proposed the idea of a bubble bath; Kimiko expected something a little more exciting. However, the warm water mixed with the sweet scent of lavender shampoo was rather relaxing — in fact the young girl could almost feel herself lulling into a gentle slumber.

Of course she splashed water in her face to insure that didn't happen, less she drowned, and reached for the fluffy white towel Kushina had left her. Now that the warm water had turned cold, she decided it was time she exit the bath.

Having dried herself off; Kimiko pulled on her emerald tight undershirt, her dark shorts and yellow-green jumper. As her boots were beside the front door, she opted to simply drying her feet and remained bare. Kimiko mindlessly ran the towel through her fire red hair, squeezing the tips for remaining water. 

When she opened the bathroom door steam rolled out in waves, and the only sound was the patter of her small feet against the tiles as she made her way to the sitting room. Kushina was lounging on an armchair, legs sprawled out as she turned the page of her book.

She glanced up and grinned. "Ko-chan. How was ya bath?"

"It was nice." Kimiko muttered softly, taking a seat on the floor beside Kushina. "Thank you."

Kushina just continued to grin. The little girl sat silently on the floor and it took a few moments for the older redhead to release that the younger had no intention of doing anything. Then, after studying Kimiko's dripping hair, she grinned.

She took the towel from Kimiko's hands and began scrubbing the child's head. Kimiko blinked in surprise, lips parted slightly as she looked up at the older woman. The thick fluffy white towel was considerably larger than Kimiko, and therefore covered most of her face.

Kimiko's head swayed a little due to Kushina's force. The kunoichi smiled in amusement at the little girl's bewildered expression. Once she was satisfied, Kushina folded the towel beside her and retrieved a hair brush from a nearby dresser.

Kimiko was silent as Kushina ran the brush through her hair.

"It's so beautiful," She whispered, voice soft. "Far more than mine."

The little girl didn't know what to say to that, and simply stared down at her hands. She couldn't deny the bubbling happiness she felt at Kushina's gentleness and affection. The woman didn't have to do any of this but Kushina had made it clear a long time ago that she wanted to. 

"I..I like yours better." Kimiko muttered, barely audible. But Kushina heard it, her smile grew as she placed down the brush — beginning to plait the child's long hair.

The two sat in silence as Kushina finished, then she patted the girl's head softly before bending down to ask her. "What do ya wanna do now, Ko-chan?"

 Kimiko pondered over the question and, feeling a little bold, she asked — "Could...could ya read to..me?"

Kushina blinked. Surprised, but her features soon softened and she gladly smiled. "I would love to. What do ya wanna hear?"

"Anything." Came her immediate reply. She wasn't bothered. She liked the sound of Kushina's voice. It was soothing — it made her feel safe.

So Kushina retrieved her previous book and opened to the page she was reading; knowing that Kimiko wouldn't mind not starting from the beginning. It was a simple adventure book, one Minato had given her from his sensei. Appropriate for a child.