Salvation (Kakashi x OC) (Standalone)

8.2

I sighed, tugging my eyes back to my sister, choosing to ignore the rather—attractive—problem I'd somehow become involved with.

Tenna's long hair looked fluffy and beautiful, like she spent seven hours on it every morning. With her trembling under the blanket of her blonde curtain of hair, she looked like a movie star in the middle of the kind of performance that won them sympathizers and awards in abundance.

My sister was certainly not grown up enough for a long-term boyfriend...or for taking care of two children. She'd always been a flighty, restless spirit. Tying her down with real-world responsibilities was almost too cruel for someone as free-spirited as Tenn.

But she'd made her choice. Not once but twice. It was past the time of wondering whether or not she should pursue the path of a doting mother and girlfriend.

"I'll be back soon," I said, glancing up one more time.

Kakashi nodded.

For now, that was enough.

The sky was dark when I reopened my shiny new front door. The nights were coming quicker now as summer faded to fall, but it was also quite late.

I sighed. Good thing I didn't have to work tomorrow. My night had been scrambled up enough that I wouldn't be able to sleep for quite some time.

Can't use those days off for relaxing, can I?

It wasn't fair to lament against the things that suddenly popped up. Life was full of little landmines. It wasn't fair to feel like the universe made them spring up before me just in time for me to have a precious day off.

The smell of baked cheese greeted me as I stepped onto my entrance's linoleum. I stalled putting my purse down as I inhaled the heavenly aroma.

My eyes sought out a vat of baked mac n' cheese sitting on the stove. I'd shown Kakashi how to look up recipes, since a lot of the ingredients more easily available around here wouldn't be ones he was familiar with. Since I worked at a grocery store, it was easy enough to grab ingredients here and there based on his search history.

It seemed he'd become somewhat of a recipe connoisseur. Not that I was complaining.

The box of kittens and Tenna were nowhere to be seen, but a quick look at my closed door just past the kitchen told me all I needed to know. She'd probably exhausted herself, falling asleep like a kid after having a meltdown. I'd missed the kittens' last feeding, so Kakashi had probably plopped the box in its usual place on my bed.

I shook my head. Just how dependable could one man be?

Kakashi sat on the couch, my iPad lighting his face in the blue glare of a lit screen. The headband was off and he'd changed into another one of those baggy sweatshirts. But the mask was still there, as always.

I kicked my shoes off, uncaring when one flopped a little too far past the doorway to be neat and orderly.

The shoe was the least of my concerns.

I'd never really sat on the couch with Kakashi before. Not since that day he'd first arrived. Our schedules were always just missing each other. If we sat together, it was always at the round kitchen table with all its imperfections dented in its blue-glass surface.

Approaching cautiously, I settled on my knees on the taller middle cushion, recognizing the sounds on the iPad to be Tanjiro's beautiful voice. With a quick look, I recognized Mugen Train playing.

It seemed Rengoku's appearance had awoken some curiosity within the shinobi.

Not that I could blame him. Rengoku was one of curiosity's favorite subjects. Just look at those eyebrows. How does he take care of such heavy things, sitting on his face all day?