Maya - a Naruto Fanfic

26. Burning, Like Ice

Surprisingly, Kakashi actually lives in a house.

"Why are you so surprised?" Yūgao asks me.

"Where I'm from, people his age can't usually afford their own house. Does he have a roommate?" I ask. Most people his age would have to, to be able to afford a place like this.

The house isn't big, or fancy, but it must at least be a 2 bedroom setup, with plain curtains in the windows and fresh paint on the door and walls.

"Of course not. You must come from a pretty strange place, Maya."

"I guess." I keep forgetting that, in this world, I'm the one who's different.

"Well, I'll leave things to you from now on." Yūgao tells me, leaving me with a smile and a paper bag full of groceries. I just hope we didn't buy too much.

I ring the doorbell and wait patiently, holding the grocery bag to my chest. I never thought I'd miss plastic bags and their convenient straps.

When Kakashi answers the door, I can tell clearly that he's ill. Aside from the pale skin and dark shadows under his eyes, there's one huge giveaway.

He's not wearing his headband.

I freeze up. Whatever I was expecting under that stupid getup, it wasn't this. It's not unusual for him to have a scar, I guess, but it runs the whole way down his eye, appearing to keep it shut. Isn't it dangerous, for a shinobi to have such a significant blindspot?

Kakashi freezes when he sees me, too. For a moment, we just stand in his doorway, staring at each other. He's the first to break the silence.

"What are you doing here?" He asks, and I shake myself out of my stupor.

"I heard you were ill, and since I'm your assistant and it's kind of my fault, I thought I'd come and help out." I say simply.

"You don't have to-"

"To bad, I'm doing it anyway." I push past him into the house, ignoring the little anxious voice telling that this really isn't polite. Kakashi sighs and follows me into his home. He shuffles behind me, even more lethargic than normal.

"Have you eaten?" I ask, keeping my voice brusque.

"I just woke up." I can hear clearly the accusation in his tone. Oops.

"Where's your kitchen? I'll make you something." I'm already heading deeper into the house, setting the groceries down on the dining room table while taking a sneaky look around his home.

It's really bland, lacking anything more than the necessities. There's no art or decorations or silly little knick-knacks of any kind.

"On your left." Kakashi mutters, slumping down on the lone sofa. His head tips back, and he shuts his eyes. I'll wake him up when I've finished cooking.

Yūgao made me buy a fresh chicken from the market, rather than a frozen one, and I struggle more than a little bit. Kakashi doesn't appear to keep any recipe books anywhere, and this world hasn't created the internet yet, so I'm stuck with simple trial and error, like the women of old.

I eventually figure it out, but not without making a considerable mess of both chicken and counters.

I'm sorry, chicken, I think as I clean, the chicken left in a simple bowl on the side. He doesn't even have colourful kitchenware.

It's not long before the counters are clean, vegetables chopped, and everything is ready to go into the pot.

According to Yūgao, chicken soup is the best way to help a sick person get better, and Kakashi doesn't object to it. I've never made it before, but I know how to work with the individual parts, so hopefully it'll come out okay.

Hopefully being the key word here.

At some point while the soup's cooking, Kakashi comes up behind me and peers at it over my shoulder.

"You talked with Yūgao." He observes.

"What makes you think that?" I keep stirring the soup.

"She's the only person who makes me chicken soup." Thought so.

"Is she your girlfriend?" I ask finally. It's been bugging me since Yūgao refused to tel me who her boyfriend is.

"No."

"Wife?"

"No."

"Fiancée?"

"Still no."

"How do you know her then?" I huff.

"She's an old colleague of mine."

"Oh." I glance over my shoulder at him. He's watching the soup, so I don't think he notices when I stare at his scar. It's closest to me, right by my cheek, and still red. It can't be that old then, right?

"I got it a long time ago." Kakashi says softly, and I jump.

"I wasn't- I didn't mean to- I'm sorry, I just-" I panic, my gaze shooting back down to the soup as I stir it furiously.

"It's alright, you're curious, that's to be expected. I was only a little older than you." I go a little colder at that.

"It must have hurt." I try to keep my tone mild, but my chest's almost too tight to breathe.

"I suppose it did." Kakashi steps away, shuffling back towards the dinner table.

"You supposs?" I prod.

"Drop it, Maya." He sighs, and I do.

The soup's almost done when I hear a heavy thump behind me.

"Kakashi, what was-" Kakashi is sprawled on the floor beside the chair, breathing heavily.

"KAKASHI!"

A/N: no I am not implying a fictional ninja economy is fairer and more beneficial than the British economy, where would you get that idea?