At Dawn (A Naruto Fanfic)

Chapter 9

Author's Note: Yes! At Dawn is off hold! Now please enjoy.

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Nami's POV

A sigh escaped my lips as I stared out at the street in front of me. I was currently sitting on a bench outside the ice cream shop. I had already been here for twenty minutes, seven past when everyone was supposed to meet here. Glancing up and down the pavement for the forty-sixth time (and I have been counting) I was once again disappointed. No sign of either Cora or Cain.

I stood up to stretch my muscles; asking myself yet again why I had left early. And I, once again answered the same as I had been for the past times I had asked myself. Not soon after I had finished talking with Cain, Kakashi had announced that he need to do some errands. Having only one set of keys he wanted to lock up; which left me with the choice of hanging out around the courtyard or leaving early. So I went the more interesting choice.

I just hadn't expected to be waiting this long. Cora was the kind of person that was on time, if not early to everything. So it was unusual for her not to be sitting next to me licking an ice cream cone and chatting nonstop. Cain on the other hand I didn't know. Which didn't help.

My thoughts flickered to the phone conversation I had with him earlier. His personality was different from when I first met him. Not that I could get much of it the first time within the few words he spoke. But this time he seemed more closed off; like he was trying to build a brick wall to keep everyone out.

Suddenly Cora's voice rang through the air. "Nami!"

I glance up to see Cora leaning out the window of the passenger side of her father's car. I felt a smile stretch across my face at the sight of her.

"Hey!" I called back as I began making my way to her.

She bent down to pick something up by her feet before grinning at me mischievously. "Think quick!" She shouted as she threw a large, brightly colored object at me.

I fumbled to catch the item and nearly ended up dropping it in the process. Cora climbed out of the car, through the window to join me. Leaving her father, who was wearing an expression that said he wasn't happy with her exit but it clearly happened often.

After glomping me and nearly making me fall over she pulled back, an over excited grin on her face. She opened her mouth to say something but her eyes then widened, like she just remembered something. Skipping back to the car, she reached in through the open window and pulled out a smaller bag covered with multiple pins, buttons and doodles.

"What's in the bag?" I asked, shooting a curious glance to the object in her arms.

I was suspicious of that bag. And I had a right to, considering that the last one carried a pocketknife, two Naruto books, a meter and a half of rope, a thick hard-cover dictionary (that one I remember the most, being hit on the head with it quite a few times), a blunt kunai, and a box of muffins. This one was however smaller with ruled out the possibility of the larger items.

"Noth'n much." She gave me a sly look.

Assuming that I would figure it out later, I shrugged it off.

"See ya!" She called back to her father.

He gave us both a hard look before saying, "Make good choices."

And without another word he rolled up the window and drove off. We were both silent for a minute staring at the place the car had been a moment before.

There was the usual goodbye from him.

Snapping myself out of my daze I scanned the street one last time for Cain. No sign of him but-

That was when I noticed that Cora wasn't next to me anymore. My eyes darted up and down the sidewalk; where had she gone?

"Ooh! What does that one taste like? Can I try it?! And that one too?!" I looked behind me, and sighed. Whether it was out of relief or weariness, I didn't know.

Cora was already in the shop gazing at her choices while taking advantage of the shop's free samples. I joined her, crossing my arms while leaning on the counter. She now had about three samples in her hand and was asking for several more.

"One scoop." I told her. If I didn't set a limit she would end up with more than she could handle.

"Five." She countered back sticking one of the samples in her mouth.

"One." I responded without glancing in her direction.

"Five. I'm paying for my own." She grabbled the requested samples from the server.

"Zero. You're coming over to my house."

She gave me a pouting look. "Fine! You win. Four."

"No," I frowned. "One scoop or none."

The person behind the counter was now looking at us weirdly.

"Four."

Seeing this was getting nowhere I altered my argument. "Two. But no more."

I could tell she was internally gloating, knowing that I was giving in slowly. "I guess since you're being so generous.." She shot me a devilsh glance. " Six!"

Well, I thought to myself, I tried. I turned to the server. "She'll have two scoops and I'll have one."

"Nami!!!" Cora cried. "We didn't agree!"

"Well-" I began, but it turned in to a startled yelp as Cora swiftly tackled me to the floor, cutting me off.

She folded her arms and gazed down at me from her seat on my stomach. "Four." She announced, starting the argument up again.

The poor lady that stood behind the counter was at loss of what to do.

"The answer's still two."

"Four or I'm not getting off of you."

"Sit on me all you like." I responded although my midsection was starting to ache. Curse my stubbornness.

We stayed in that position for awhile. Cora enjoying the rest of her samples and myself debating whether or not someone could receive serious injury from being sat on for too long.

"Can't say this's what I expected." A male voice stated, cutting through the awkward silence that had fallen over the shop.

Cora and I both turned our heads to the sound of the voice. There, in the doorway, stood a figure silhouetted by the late morning light. His hands in his pockets wearing a expression of that he couldn't care less.

Cain had arrived.