A Life with the Akatsuki [ABANDONED]

The Misadventures of Nagareboshi: Chapter Four

“You recognized us immediately.”

XChapter 4XX Wings of Liberty X

The day passes by in a flash. Shigure-san ended up staying for a lot longer than he originally planned and even assisted me in taking care of the girls. I had thought that teachers would have better things to do during the weekend, but he was happy to stay and chat.

But it is dinnertime now and he doesn’t want to ‘hinder us anymore than he already has’. I protested, as I enjoyed his company. However, he has an old friend coming to town tomorrow and he wants to tidy up his house before he forgets.

“I look forward to our next visit, Hitsumi-chan.” He says as he opens the front door, “Take care.”

I walk out with him. “You, too.”

A minute later, he disappears around a corner and I am left alone in the middle of the street. Inside, I can hear the Twins laughing and it worries me when everything suddenly gets quiet. I close the door behind me and move into the kitchen, where I last saw the Twins.

Relief fills me when I see them staring the open cookbook I left on the counter. They look up when I enter the room before looking down sheepishly. “Can we help you cook?” They ask in unison.

I stare down at them for a long moment, trying to figure out with they have any mischievous ideas going through their heads. Naomi, I trust. But her sister, Chihiro, can be very tricky and manipulative. This could all be a trick devised by Ayame’s scheming daughter, or the girls could actually be interested in cooking. At their age, it is possible they might actually be interested. I know that by the time I was eight, I had become my house’s best omelet maker.

“Alright, but you have to promise not to touch anything sharp. Your mom would murder me if you two ended up with bloody fingers.” I answer as I pick up the cookbook and set it down on the table so we can all read it without the girls having to stand on their toes.

Together, we read out the recipe for Chicken Teriyaki. The preparation goes smoothly and it is around halfway through the cooking process that we hear the front door open. Mori is the first to enter and the girls tackle hug him. He smiles slightly, but does not say anything. He is a rather quiet man, but I can tell that he is happy to see his girls again.

Ayame walks in next, reading a piece of paper, but she looks up with surprise and happiness when the girls attack her after releasing Mori.

“How were they? They didn’t give you any trouble right?” Ayame asks as she moves further into the kitchen. The girls have let go of Ayame so they can hitch a ride on Mori’s legs by sitting on his feet and holding on as he moves.

I shake my head, “Strangely enough, the Twins behaved like angels. No trouble on my side. How did the meeting go?”

“It had to be postponed…” She glances down at the Twins before whispering into my ear, “A couple of high-ranking criminals were sighted near the meeting sight. Most of the non-shinobi clans went home before the meeting, while the shinobi families went chasing after the criminals. No one was left to have a meeting with.”

“Okay, so why didn’t you return…Oh, you sly devil.” I say as she straightens up, her cheeks clearly red. “Should I be expecting more little children to babysit sometime soon?”

Ayame blushes harder and Mori looks away with a slight smirk. The Twins must have comprehended some of that because they start tugging on Mori’s pants. “Can it be a boy? We always wanted a brother?” Chihiro asks excitedly.

If she could blush any harder, she just might explode. “You just had to give them that idea.” Ayame mutters as the girls start to chant “We want a brother!” over and over.