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Naruto was moving on to the next scroll on his desk when a ninja from the coding division came in.
“Lord Hokage,” he said, “an urgent missive from the Mist.”
Naruto and Kakashi both looked up. Then Kakashi smiled at his own mistake. He was slowly getting used to the fact that he wasn’t the only Lord Hokage in the village anymore. It was actually kind of comforting. However, Naruto’s expression upon reading the scroll put Kakashi on edge.
“What is it?” Sakura inquired.
“Mei’s house burned down,” Naruto said continuing to frown as he read.
“Is she alright?” Kakashi blurted out instantly. He reigned in his expression when he saw the shocked looks on his students’ faces.
Of course she’s alright otherwise Naruto would have led with that news, Kakashi thought quickly, chastising his overreaction.
Adopting a more serious expression and tone Kakashi asked, “was it an accident or arson?”
Apparently he’d been too forceful in changing the subject. Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto, who had turned their attention back to the scroll, all looked at him again, enquiringly. Kakashi quickly threw up defenses. “Lady Mei uses the lava style.” Of course they know that! Just move on. “I’m simply wondering if it was an accident or someone meant her harm. If the latter, then something has to be done.”
Naruto nodded and looked back down at the scroll. Sasuke however, stared at his sensei, suspicion growing in his eyes.
“Mei came to no harm and it appears to be an accident,” Naruto said. “Or so it’s reported. I’ll send-”
“Me. I’ll go,” Kakashi broke in. This time all three of his students looked suspicious.
Naruto frowned, “don’t you think you’d better stay here sensei? I mean, it’s not like you’re a regular jonin anymore. I don’t just send you out on missions.”
“And you’re not,” Kakashi said, regaining some of his composure but there was no fooling them now. Sakura’s look was now part mischievous and part wary. The look of suspicion on Sasuke’s face became even more apparent. Even Naruto’s confusion was giving way to a more knowing look. “But I’m not doing anything right now and what better way to express goodwill than to send a former kage to aid a fellow former kage?”
“So what you’re saying,” Sakura said, hands on hips, “is that you want to go see Lady Mei?”
Is Sasuke grinning? That’s actually a little weird, Kakashi thought surveying his students. “I want to be a good diplomat,” Kakashi tried correcting, “isn’t that what us former kage are supposed to do?” This seemed to have the opposite effect of what he intended however, as Naruto openly grinned.
“Alright sensei,” Naruto said, writing a note with a flourish. “Here are your orders.” He winked at Kakashi. Kakashi snatched the piece of paper with a scowl, shoving it into his pocket without reading it.
The trip to the Mist was uneventful and after leaving Mizukage Tower, Kakashi hurried down the street Chojuro had indicated. When the houses became few and far between Kakashi began to think that he’d gone too far when he saw it. The charred remains of a house were at the end of the lane. There was a lone woman there wearing a simple green dress that went down to her ankles. The auburn hair was unmistakable but Kakashi was shocked to realize he’d never seen Mei in anything but her blue dress.
She looks even more beautiful in green, Kakashi thought. Then he mentally slapped himself. Where did that come from? Get ahold of yourself. Kakashi calmed himself and then advanced toward the burnt down dwelling.
Mei turned as he approached. Her face was marked with soot as if she’d been rummaging in the debris and then touching her face with her soiled hands. Kakashi’s heart clenched, the soot was further streaked by the passage of tears.
“Are you alright?” Kakashi asked walking up to her cautiously. Somehow the usual protocol of greetings and polite inquires was completely swept from his mind. He wanted to hold her, reassure her. He checked himself, scowling at his own indiscretion.
Mei gave him a small smile. “Lor- Kakashi, it is very kind of you to visit. I am doing well.”
See? Kakashi thought to himself sternly, she wanted to call me Lord Hokage again. There are boundaries. Don’t corner her.
“It’s unusual for the Leaf to send their former Hokage for a social call,” Mei said neutrally.
Kakashi’s heart was beating wildly in his chest. Calm down, he thought sternly. He took a deep breath but that didn’t seem to help. Then he said, “Naruto…wanted to make sure you were alright. If I can be of any assistance at all, just let me know.”
A corner of Mei’s mouth turned upward. Kakashi’s hopes soared and then immediately crashed at her next words. “There’s no need. Everything is fine.” By the time she got to the word ‘fine’ her voice was so faint and strained that he nearly didn’t hear her. She turned her back on him.
Kakashi’s breath caught in his throat. She wants me to leave. His mouth was dry. He couldn’t leave. Not now. It would kill him to leave her alone like this.
Mei’s shoulders shook and Kakashi had to restrain himself from approaching her. She probably doesn’t like you very much in particular. You went on one pretend date and haven’t spoken since then. How comforting could you be?
Mei, who was still turned away from him, cried out, “why are you still here? Just leave me alone.”
Kakashi tried moving but his feet remained rooted to the spot. “I can’t. I came here to help you and that’s what I’m going to do.”
What am I saying? Kakashi panicked. She asked you to leave idiot!
“I’m sorry,” Kakashi blurted out. “I’ll leave.” He quickly turned and began to walk away.
“Kakashi,” Mei called.
The former Hokage’s heart stilled and he whirled around to face her. She had turned back and was even coming toward him. Her hand was shaking as it reached out and grasped his.
Kakashi could hear a roaring in his ears. If he didn’t know any better he’d think that he was about to pass out. That would definitely be impressive, he thought sarcastically.
“Please stay,” Mei said, “with me. Just for a little while.” She was staring at his hand, not meeting his eyes.
“Yes,” he said immediately. Then a part of his brain informed him that that didn’t entirely make sense so he tried again, “I will stay as long as you need me to.”
Mei withdrew her hand and turned her back on him again.
“Why did they have to send you?” Mei whispered to herself. Her arms were wrapped around herself as if she were cold.
Kakashi felt like his insides had turned into ice water. “I-I volunteered,” he stammered out. He could barely breathe. He tried a laugh at the end of the sentence but it came out as more of a squeak. He hoped she didn’t hear it.
Mei turned to face him once more, eyes wide. Then she carefully schooled her expression. Kakashi watched as she tucked her emotions away. “Please don’t-” he pleaded. What is wrong with you? Shut up!
The shock peaked out onto Mei’s face yet again and then she turned and hurried away from him. The former Mizukage resumed her inspection of the burned down house, picking through the remains of her dwelling.
Kakashi felt like there were boulders rolling around inside of him. He sat down heavily on a rock that lined the lane. She needs space but wants me to stay, he thought as he analyzed her actions and reactions. If this is love, Kakashi concluded, then I need to get out of it as soon as possible. This is insane.
Still, the work of scouring the debris of her house seemed to calm her. Her shoulders stopped shaking and she stood straighter as time went on. Every once in awhile she’d pick something up that was worth saving and placed it in a bag that Kakashi assumed she’d brought with her. I kind of picked and chose out of the things she asked me to do, he thought sullenly to himself. However, leaving her was unthinkable.
“Lord Hokage?” Mei called an hour or so later. “Is this yours?” She was holding up a crumpled piece of paper that she’d just picked up from the ground.
Panic cut through Kakashi like a knife. He hastily reached down and put his hand into his pocket. Naruto’s “orders” were gone. Kakashi’s face was as white as a sheet. He slowly raised his eyes to Mei. She was reading the piece of paper seeing as he’d never answered her question.
“Ah-” Kakashi’s throat constricted so it came out as a short wheeze. If I start running now… but I have no idea what her speed is like. Maybe if I-
“This is Naruto’s handwriting,” Mei commented. “I’d know it anywhere.” Mei smirked as if at a good memory. Then her smile turned deadly as she looked up at him.
Kakashi didn’t want to find out what being boiled alive felt like. In fact there were suddenly a great many things he didn’t want to know. What was not included on that list was what Naruto wrote on that piece of paper. The idea terrified him. Each thought was worse than the last.
“I thought you volunteered for this Kakashi?” Mei said, walking toward him. She held the page half-turned toward him indicatively.
Kakashi retreated a step. “I did,” Kakashi said as neutrally as he could.
“Thought you’d be a shoulder that I could cry on?” Mei spat, quickening her pace.
“What? No!” Kakashi responded. As he took another quick step backwards he almost twisted his ankle on a rock. He felt even more unsteady as Mei advanced toward him.
“Thought you’d come and save poor, lonely, old-maid Mei?” She snarled, catching up to him.
Anger ignited in Kakashi. It replaced the nerves that had arisen within him at being near Mei again and the uncertainty from the long silence that had stretched on as he’d sat, only half-welcome, in her presence. He stopped dead in his retreat and Mei almost ran into him. Kakashi almost snarled himself, reaching for the paper, “what did Naruto write? I’m going to kill him.”
Mei held up her hand to keep the page away from him. It was rather difficult because Kakashi was both taller and had a longer reach than she did. He seemed to be intent on getting that paper and igniting it with the sparks of fire in his eyes.
Mei put out her other hand to restrain him and stepped back. “You don’t know what this says?” Her face was a blank slate.
“I can only imagine,” Kakashi confirmed, scowling at the page. He thought back to the smug looks on his students’ faces as he’d left Naruto’s office.
Mei studied his face. His eyes were far away, as if imagining something else. The thin silver lines of his eyebrows creased over his eyes into a frown. The hard set of his jaw showed even through the mask that he was clenching his teeth.
Mei shrugged, tucking the piece of paper away. “I suppose you’re forgiven then. You really should try to keep those students of yours in check. Chojuro would never do something like that to me.” Mei turned around and walked back to the house coquettishly.
Like what? Kakashi thought. The anger had left him but he didn’t feel completely deflated.
That was when the Sixth Hokage heard a soft, low grumble. It sounded like two beasts fighting. Kakashi looked around, frowning, attempting to discover the source of the disturbance. His keen ear led his eyes to fall on Mei again, who had put a hand to her stomach for only a moment. Her cheeks were slightly flushed. Kakashi opened his mouth and words fell out, “when was the last time you ate Mei?”
Mei froze, hand only half fallen back to her side as if caught doing something she shouldn’t be. Her continued silence made him uneasy. Kakashi couldn’t tell if she was simply shocked by the question or contemplating her answer. However, the anger had made him bold. If his students were going to accuse him of dating the Mizukage, then he’d at least ask her out again and prove to them, and himself, that there was nothing going on between the two of them.
All of those thoughts melted away when Mei tilted her head up to look at him, her face wide open and honest. “You actually want to go on a second date with me?”
The way she cut through his various ruses, straight to the heart of the matter, both pleased and concerned him. Am I that easy to read? “Yes.” Kakashi said. As the single word evaporated into complete silence the last of the anger receded. Apprehension and insecurity rose into its place with a vengeance. Did I just ask her out again? Does she still want to see me after all?
Mei smiled. It was a kind smile, a happy smile. Kakashi remembered the first time he saw it. He’d been in a hospital bed and had been having a very bad day. There was no stress in it, no obligations, it was just a smile, a smile for him. Kakashi smiled back under his mask. Maybe, there’s a possibility, that she really does like me.