Chapter 30 Part 2
Speaking of light: it's already flashing warnings outside the window.
"Ohoo... The thunder spirits are playful tonight." I feel a small smile on my lips. How fortuitous—perhaps, this time, I'll manage to catch a few of them???
"Hn. That wasn't bad—but I've spent enough time on this little gathering." Sasuko spoke, rising to her feet. "I'm going hom—"
HSHHHhh—BOOM!
SHHHHHHHHHH
"Ou..." I wasn't sure how to comment on this: Sasuko hadn't even finished before the sky abruptly erupted in a deluge of water. Mmh—and I had noticed there were more spirits than usual this time. "It seems the heavens have a slightly different opinion, Sasuko-chan."
"It's just rain," Sasuko answered, impassive—but the corners of her lips were slightly pursed in a displeased expression. The prospect of getting soaked to the skin held no delight for her whatsoever.
"I don't think that's the best idea, Sasuko-chan," I shake my head. The downpour outside was gaining momentum, so I could say with certainty that in a little less than half an hour, the streets of Konoha would turn into small rivers.
"It's just a pitiful rain," the Uchiha threw out with more obvious displeasure—but this time, the displeasure was also because I'd doubted her capabilities. Haa... stubborn girl.
"And why are all shinobi so careless with their own health?!" I exclaim, heartfelt, feeling a faint twitch in my left eye. Yes—I'll honestly admit: this shinobi negligence is slowly but surely getting under my skin. Useless shinobi. "Don't treat your own body so dismissively, Sasuko-chan! Even if you don't end up catching cold, there's no need to strain your system beyond measure—besides, I doubt you'd find getting soaked to the bone pleasant."
"And?" She asked, challenging. Outside the window, thunder boomed once more, and lightning flashed.
"Why not wait it out here?"
"Eh?!"
"Hm—well, not exactly here," I corrected myself, realizing such a proposal might be taken the wrong way by Sasuko. "You can either stay with me—or at Naruko's apartment." I point a hand at the wall. "Yes—that'd be even better, since you're both girls. So, Naruko-chan—you don't mind if... Naru... ko?.."
Naruko had vanished.
I blinked in bewilderment. Rubbed my eyes, blinked again: the bed was empty—no Naruko.
I looked at Sasuko and received her equally puzzled look in return.
Lightning flashed again outside. Very brightly.
SHHK—BoooooOOOOOoooooOOOOO
The thunderclap was so loud the windows rattled in the room!
"Ugh! Damn!" — Ducking involuntarily from the shock, I mentally cursed: the thunder spirits had seriously run wild! I fear they're far too strong for the set traps to hold them. "Hope they don't break everything I've got out there—bastards!!!"
"Ah," was all I exhaled when, completely unexpectedly, the light went out in the room. It seemed the district substation had been knocked offline. "Simply lovely! What could possibly go wrong?"
"Pheh..."
"Yes, yes—very funny, Hedgehog-chan," I grumble, cantankerous. "Hm? Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
SHHbooom!
"Eeek!"
A quiet whimper, rustling.
"That," I say, igniting a small orb of light in my palm.
"Another one of your 'tricks'?" Sasuko arched an eyebrow.
"Yes—that one," I nod, bending toward the source of the sound. "Naruko?!"
The missing girl was found in a completely unexpected place: under the bed. Pressed back against the wall, the girl hugged her knees to her chest and clamped her palms over her ears.
No—it can't be!
"U-umm..." The girl timidly opened one eye and looked at me.
No, surely...
"Naruko—are you... afraid of thunderstorms?!" The realization of this fact came slowly and seemed somehow unnatural.
"I-I-I'm... nnnot a-afr—"
flash-flash
Choking on her words, the girl squeezed her eyes shut in desperation so as not to see the gleam of lightning.
"Hee... Who would've known," Sasuko pronounced, peering under the bed.
"Sasuko-chan." I look at the girl with reproach. The girl snorted but stayed silent. "Naruko. Come on, Naruko—come out of there."
"N-no!" The blonde nearly shrieked, panicked.
"Naruko..."
"Seriously?..." Sasuko's voice behind my back sounded disbelieving.
"No! No-no-nooo! It's still thundering out there!"
"You can't just cram yourself into a corner and sit there, dummy! That's stupid!" The brunette exclaimed.
"I can!!!" The blonde shouted back. "I-I-I a-always d-do this! Th-that w-way I..."
I felt ill at heart. From Naruko's disjointed account, it followed that she'd always hidden from thunderstorms this way. Left to her own devices from an early age, she'd never received comfort in such situations. I already knew of her phobia of ghosts, and so I tried, in the girl's presence, not to focus too much on the fact that I'm connected to "ghosts" just a little less than entirely. But I hadn't even been able to imagine that one of Naruko's phobias stemmed from another—from a fear of thunder! She'd never had a person—an adult—who'd soothe the child during storms, and so little Naruko had, in the end, independently arrived at a dead-end solution: "I don't see it, I don't hear it—so it doesn't exist!"
And I hadn't known... All this time, all these rains and storms—right through the wall—each time, Naruko had squeezed into a dark corner and trembled with fear, and I simply hadn't known. I'd been nearby and hadn't even guessed. How... I didn't even have words to describe the situation at hand.
"Hn. Fine—alright—I'll stay with this coward," Sasuko spoke after a brief silence. Turning to face the girl, I nearly protested her words—but then realized her speech lacked its usual sarcasm and dismissive condescension. Rather, there was unusual seriousness and something akin to... a certain "careful gentleness."
"You—"
"Shut up—and do something about this!" Sasuko turned sharply away from me, hiding her face in the darkness. "We need to somehow get this dimwit out of there."
Yes—right. It seemed what had happened had shaken me enough that I'd lost my bearings.
First: remove the cause!
Reaching the window, I poured energy into a seal, activating a simple barrier. I'd installed it quite some time ago: simply put—a city street isn't the quietest place, and outside noise sometimes made it very hard to concentrate. The result was this seal—dampening incoming sounds. Complete, absolute silence couldn't be achieved with it, of course—but a significant reduction in audibility was entirely possible.
Done. The apartment instantly grew much quieter.
With a soft rustle, the bamboo blinds descended, covering the window. Good.
"Come on, Naru-chan—come out of there," I called the girl in a gentle tone.
"I-is it over already?" came the shy reply from the darkness beneath the bed.
"Pfh..." The Uchiha snorted quietly. But again—with no mockery whatsoever.
"Yes—no more thunder," I softly lied.
Seconds of silence, then sounds of rustling—and Naruko, at last, emerged from her "shelter." Sniffling, the blonde bowed her head, dejected, as if unwilling for anyone to see her face.
"Well, you..." Sasuko murmured with a complex expression. She clearly didn't know what to say. It seemed the current state of her eternal rival/opponent/comrade/irritant had knocked the girl out of her usual rut.
"Sh-shut up!" Naruko grunted, aggressive—but her voice sounded more miserable than angry. Ah—I think I understand. She was upset that someone had learned of her fears and, apparently, expected us to mock her.
Gods—what a... dummy.
Stepping closer, I gently stroked the girl's head:
"There, there—everything's fine."
"Koru... you're a liar!" The girl murmured, squeezing her eyes shut in desperation. "It's still flashing out there!"
"Pf! You're the liar." The background snort from the hedgehog was ignored by me.
"But it's alright now. Nothing to be afraid of, Naru-chan." I continue soothing the girl. "You're not alone now. Sasuko-chan will stay..."
"Pheh..." Ignoring, ignoring...
"...here with you tonight. Now—you'll go to your place, and—"
"No!" Naruko declared sharply, seizing my arm with an iron grip. "At home, it'll be loud again! I don't want... don't want that... again..."
Ah...
Yes—that is a problem.
It seems there's not much choice.
"Sasuko-chan?.." I ask, with entreaty in my tone.
"Pheh! For kami's sake!" The brunette crossed her arms over her chest, irritated. "Fine—have it your way—if this dope is so scared... I'll... keep an eye on her—since I must..."
Toward the end of her speech, Sasuko's voice grew noticeably quieter, and some strange notes slipped through. Something akin to: "Didn't really want to, but since I have to... I'll do you this favor." Ah—she's "tsun" after all... Even if she sincerely wants to help Naruko, she won't do it "just because."
"Mm." I smile, grateful, saying almost soundlessly: "Thank you, Sasuko-chan."
"Pf!" She turned away. Yes—a true tsun... But Sasuko is a good person, even if her outward behavior says the opposite.
"Mm... Then you girls will take the bed," I said with a small sigh. And I, it seems, will have to unseal the camp sleeping bag. "Alright... And I think I'll go fetch a nightshirt... Naruko—I assume you have another set you could lend Sasuko?.... Just tell me where?.."
"Bu-bu-bu..."
"Mm—what?" I asked, not catching it.
"Don't..." The girl murmured, lowering her face.
"What? Why?" I look, puzzled, at the shrinking girl.
"She... well—she... there..."
"There?" I tilt my head.
"Umm... w-with the und... underwear..." Naruko nearly whispered—and I, at last, caught the shame in her voice.
Under?... Ah! She means "underwear." Yes—that's a little... awkward.
I feel someone's gaze. Sasuko is looking at me with a suspicious squint.
"You were just now thinking something nasty about me, weren't you?" I ask, physically feeling the prickliness of the girl's stare.
"Hn."
Yep—she was.
"You do understand I wouldn't?.."
"Pheh." Translating to human: "Excuses won't help."
"Haa.... Fine." Merciful spirits—how exhausted I am. "Fine. We'll use my shirts, then. They're clean," I added, in response to yet another look from those black eyes. The eyes' owner wasn't overly convinced. Oh... "Still unworn. And they're long—since I'm taller than you."
"Hn—do what you want," Sasuko declared and headed for the bath, pulling Naruko along with her.
"Ha... Sasuko-chan is a good girl... But I'm glad I'm not her boyfriend. Once again—hmm..." I thought, weary, sending the little light through the bathroom door with a gesture. The girls weren't about to get themselves in order by touch, after all.
"Good night, Naruko-chan, Sasuko-chan," I said once everything was done. Having left the bathroom, the girls changed into the shirts offered to them and climbed into bed while I myself finished the water procedures.
"G-good night... K-Koru-chan..." Naruko responded, apparently still a little nervous. She takes so long to calm down... Strange—just a couple of minutes ago, she'd seemed more confident?..
"Don't even think of doing anything weird," Sasuko threw out, cantankerous. A warning and an order simultaneously. Haaa... "Hey—don't shove!"
"There's not enough room for me!.."
Rustle-rustle
"There's plenty! Gh!.."
"Ow!.."
"Hey—elbow!.."
"Yai!.. Move your leg, Hedgehog!"
"Move your own butt first!.."
"Mmmh!.."
"Kya! You're pinching?!.."
"Hyahh?!.."
Rustle-rustle-rustle....
"How comical..." I thought, falling asleep.
Morning. Morning was very quiet.
"Ah—right... noise suppression is active." I mumble, sleepy, climbing out of my sleeping bag.
Uaaah! It seems I overslept a little and now feel sluggish. Judging by internal sensation, the time must be nearing noon... Strange that I didn't wake earlier.
Yawning, I rose unsteadily to my feet and literally froze, staring at the bed.
Despite the late hour, the girls were still asleep. But that wasn't what was noteworthy—the main thing was how they were sleeping! Judging by appearances, they'd spent quite a while trying to find an "acceptable compromise" and perhaps had also slept restlessly through the night—so the entire bed was in complete disarray. But even that wasn't the most significant thing.
"Cute," my mind noted as I observed the sleepers. Quietly snuffling, the girls were hugging. Or rather—no, not like that: one was squeezing the other like a plush toy. And... it was Sasuko!
A truly astonishing turn. Who would've known our arrogant Heiress was such a grabber! At this moment, she was sleeping slightly higher on the bed, having commandeered both pillows beneath her left side... and nearly coiled in a ring around Naruko's head, embracing her with both arms and burying her face in her hair! The blonde, meanwhile, seemed not to object in the slightest to being used as a hugging-pillow, peacefully snuffling with her face pressed into Sasuko's bare midriff.
"I swear by all the gods—I will engrave this picture in my memory forever!" I sincerely swore, feeling an idiotic smile on my face. This cuteness was entirely beyond me! Even if Sasuko-chan tries to kill me—as the sole witness—it was worth it!
"Mmmm... raaaameeen..." Naruko mumbled through her sleep, stirring. "Nyum-nyum... raaammm...n..."
Just a little more of this sight and my face will burst from a moe-overload! Ah—Kami-sama—thank you for this beautiful morning!
schlllup-schllup
"Hee... hee-hee-heee..."
Emm?....
"Rraaammmmmmmnnnn!!.."
Oh—Kami-sama!
It seemed Naruko's dream was too realistic—because she'd begun, in reality, to taste her "ramen." The "ramen," meanwhile, was squirming and giggling in its sleep from the tickling—as the blonde licked its belly-button!
Hmm...
I need to flee! Before they wake up! If that happens now—a Catastrophe will occur! And if I'm here during the Catastrophe—I'll die.
I swallow the saliva that's suddenly thickened. The window?! No—if I open it, the abrupt sounds could wake the girls! Which means...
knock-knock
"!!!!" — An icy torrent of goosebumps ran down my spine. Nearly at a run—on tiptoe!!!—I dashed to the door, cursing the sudden visitor in every way.
I yank the door open with a sharp tug, not giving it even a chance to creak—and immediately nearly crash my face into the painted mask of an ANBU.
"Hokage-sa—"
"EXCELLENT!!!" I exhale in a hissing whisper, cutting off the shinobi. Leaping backward in several broad bounds, I deftly snatch up the stack of folded clothing, then spring out into the corridor and sloooooooowly close the door behind me. "Simply excellent! I'll be there immediately!"
"Ah... uhh... no need to rush so much..." The baffled security operative murmured.
But I couldn't care less about his bewilderment: I'd escaped! And now—when the bomb goes off—I'll already be far away! Haah... I feel a little sorry for my own apartment—but better it than me.
At least it can still be restored—and I'm not yet at that level of skill to sew my own torn-off head back on...
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