Sown

seven

Luck had never really been on Kakashi's side. He had never gotten a Gari-Gari Kun lucky stick, never found a four leaf clover, and had never been the nth visitor to an attraction. The first time he hopped a fence his foot got caught - that day ended with a broken wrist. As a puppy, Pakkun peed on his clothes more than the floor before he finally got the hang of potty training. And the other ninken . . .

Just last summer his air conditioning broke in the middle of Konoha's biggest heat wave. The rain always started minutes after his clothes were hung on the line. His alarm clock especially seemed to hate him ; Kakashi wasn't sure how the batteries always managed to pop out of place, but at this point he was sure it was divine intervention.

Kirigakure, Sakumo, Rin, Obito, Minato - the list could go on forever.

However the world seemed to be taking pity on him as of late.

Hanae - who had been the founder of a double-yolk egg at least twelve different times - had been experiencing a business boom in the past month, which was rather lucky in her case. Every time he came into the store there would be at least four other people inside. Three more would come in behind him, leaving her no time to talk outside of asking how he had been doing. Other days she would be outside handing out samples of a particularly good harvest or a new vegetable she was giving a go at. The group surrounding her would grow in volume every week she did this.

His visits to her farm weren't as frequent as she would be too focused on work rather than him. Her stamina was admirable, something he had commented on after watching her till the ground with a wooden handled hoe for five hours straight.

"That armor weighs 65 pounds. Running around with it in the snow everyday gave me quite the body!" Silence permeated the air she flashed a flexed bicep.

If she remembered the inquiry about his past, she didn't show it. Most topics not pertaining to farming were about ninja activities. Hanae was eager to know more about the ways of the shinobi and the former teacher was willing to talk as long as it kept her mind busy. Not to mention there was something about her eager expression that he couldn't quite say no to. Despite living in Konoha for less than a year, she now knew more about the village itself than most students.

Nonetheless he was quick to notice the pink meditation cushion placed suspiciously close to the side of the door frame he always leaned against. Hikoboshi had started to warm up through the sparse visits, not staring at the ninja quite as intently and seeming to be able to distinguish his footsteps. The fact that he seemed to be gaining a niche in the rural setting served a role into his trying to distance himself.

Missions sprinkled into the jounin's schedule didn't hurt anything. No, his luck only ran out when the nightmares returned.

Rin's horrified expression would follow him into his waking hours. The Uchiha symbol emblazoned on Sasuke's retreating back would stare back at him over his shoulder in the mirror's reflection. His torso would burn as Itachi sank pitch black blades further and further into his body. And as all of this repeated through the sleepless nights, the dark circles under his eyes grew darker.

Of course Hanae was the first to notice. Initially enlisting him to help hauling her most recent Tuesday harvest into Gishi, she had stopped him with two tender hands on his uncovered forearm.

"Are you alright?" The concern in her voice was sickly sweet. She led him to lean against the counter while the ninja passively resisted. "Sleep is important. Let me get you something, stay right here." He knew he should have taken a different road to the Hokage's office, but his subconscious routine of checking up on the farmer through the shop window had roped him into this situation.

She slipped past him, three jars of dried root, flower petals, and leaves encircled in her arms. Turning, he watched her grind the root in a mortar until it loosely resembled a powder, mixing in the dried petals and leaves with her fingers. Hanae went between looking focused on the task at hand and sneaking all too obvious side glances. She grabbed two more jars from behind the counter, mixing pinches of these in as well before scooping the mixture into a small container made of bamboo and handing it to him.

"Valerian root, lemon balm, passionflower, peppermint, and licorice. It will have a very strong smell when you brew it but it will give you a good night's sleep. Your body will grow used to it after two weeks, so if you still can't sleep by then I suggest a hospital." Her eyebrows quirked in worry as he popped the lid off to sniff the blend. "I know you're busy, but please take care of yourself."

Kakashi shifted his gaze to her, then back to the container. "Thank you." The reply was quick and judging by her expression not exactly what she wanted to hear. "I appreciate your concern," he corrected with a closed eye smile, successfully bringing her own smile back.

"Health is beauty," she announced whilst replacing lids.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Hanae's eyes grew wide as she stammered for a response to his joke. "N-nothing! I just mean I want to see you looking your best." She went back to replacing the jars. "You're a very important friend to me, Kakashi. I'll feel good knowing that I at least tried to help."

A hand ruffled her hair from behind, causing her to stiffen.

"Thank you for taking care of me, Hanae."

She turned to him with a wide smile, slapping his shoulder after he placed the tea in his vest pocket. "You're welcome. Now get back to work!"

Everything stocked and displayed, the two waived each other goodbye as Kakashi made his way toward his previous destination. Throughout the day Hanae found herself blushing as she mentally replayed him saying her name for the first time.