Dancing On Glass and Other Stories
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A/N: A Morino. In love…(Caliko's knees go wobbly as she melts under her computer desk.) Think chapter 18 (of Cou) and go from there. And also, this really reminded me of Tahle and I's old story. Kinda wandering, but really cute.
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4. The Elephant In the Room
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"What…?" Dalzen followed her. "What'd I do…?"
Once reaching the end of the hall, the shorter woman turned briskly on her feet in one hundred and eighty degrees, biting back a smile. Despite how painful the subject was, she brought it with them from the door in reverse: "I am sorry about your friend. I hope he can recover."
"…Oh," Dalzen frowned instantly, thinking of Coushander. "Yes…"
"Bye…!"
Dalzen opened his mouth, but she was off again, turning left. He was about to move, but he hesitated. Then, springing from a concern he'd never bothered to foster before, he turned and stopped, calling, "I really am sorry…!" Yeah, he really was sorry he thought her name was pretty, and here she was, taking offense…
Chinatsu simply waved her hand behind, waving him off not in an unkind manner, but to show she had heard him.
Dalzen frowned, wondering how he could make up for this awful intrusion.
The woman was blushing, smiling wider than the tile on the floor.
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It was a while before he ran into her again. Oddly enough, it was at the hospital. He noticed her coming out of a room on the main floor; she was an intern with what appeared to be an interrogation unit. Since the Kiri team's return and Coushander's departure, Dalzen had walked the halls of the new Intelligence Division, seeing the same cycle of men he saw now. And while they were still hesitant to accept him, Dalzen knew one day his future rested there.
Until then, he and Takato had been on several missions lately. Most of them barely lasted two weeks. All were successful. It was a welcome change from the prior mission of two years, stumbling around in water country, chasing after renegades. Dalzen was here at the hospital now to see Keiko, and see how she was doing. True he never really checked up on anybody before…but that was before he had friends.
At first, Chinatsu didn't notice the Morino, which was saying something because you can't really miss an elephant in the room. Dalzen stood over six feet, and he was dressed in the trim indigo uniform with a teal color vest draped over his figure. He stood miles ahead over everyone else, with a view like a bird on a lamp pole.
Chinatsu was almost the opposite. Standing a little taller than Takato, about five-seven, she had blonde-brown hair cut short around her face, not unlike the Morino. Her eyes were beautiful—a shade of deep grey and blue, rather than black. The man saw they were filing papers at a desk; Dalzen paused as she turned at last, seeing his face and frame. She turned away at once—disappearing into another hall.
He followed her.
She was on no official business now—"Hey, wait, please?"
She stopped, and turned slowly, hugging a brown notebook over her blue and green uniform.
"I—I really am sorry about…last time. I only meant…"
She smiled, closing her eyes briefly. "Yes. I know you meant well. It's just…I hate my name."
"You…hate your name?" he repeated.
She nodded. "A thousand summers? It's a little extravagant."
"It's…" he resisted the compliment already fumbling out of his mouth. "Well, I am sorry."
"It's okay. It's not your fault. It's my mother. She was a Senju."
"Oh…"
"Yeah," she smiled again. "So…I'll let us start again—hi, I'm Hina."
"Oh…Um…Hi…I'm Morino Dalzen."
"…Have you heard from your friend?"
Dalzen's tone softened. "No…And…I'm not expecting that we will, for some time…" he said sadly.
"Yes…I think so too—I am very sorry."
"It's not your fault."
"So…"
He actually mimicked her, not out of teasing but from a genuine lack of knowing how to make small talk. "So…"
She smiled, waving with her left hand, "See you…around."
"…Oh, um—sure."
Dalzen totally forgot about Keiko, and why he was there.
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Walking the intel ward that day, three weeks later, he finally saw the fair-haired woman again. Dalzen approached her, "Hello, Hina."
"Hi Dalzen."
Silence.
"Working?"
"Oh—yeah," she smiled. "And you?"
"Went to file some papers," he pointed behind him awkwardly. The room he'd been in was in the opposite direction, but the fact actually slipped his mind.
"Ooo, horrid business, papers…"
"Yes," he smiled lightly, dangling there, suddenly starting to feel his palms get clammy.
"I'm…taking lunch in a half an hour. Want to meet me at that ramen shop down on the corner?"
Dalzen actually stuttered, "Oh—um, yes, I mean sure, I mean, um, okay."
"I guess I'll take that as a yes." Chinatsu nodded slowly and turned on her feet, grinning wider than Konohagakure.
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He met her there. I mean, he was the first one there, taking a seat at the table and staring out the window with a watery glaze coming over his small dark stare. He didn't exactly look like he belonged in a ramen shop alone, but hey. Who cares. He was meeting someone. Someone other than Kano, or Takato. He smiled a little, when nothing in the shop necessarily provoked him to do so. The server was very displeased the shinobi had ordered nothing so far. To him, the shinobi was just taking up valuable space at his valuable establishment. The two other ninja seated at the bar stared at the Morino—one of them recognized him. A few whispers ensued. The three civilians at table noticed him too, like he were a bad ninjutsu just waiting to happen.
But Dalzen paid no mind. For the first time in his life, he was oblivious to everything and everyone except for that curious young woman. She came in soon, spotting the tall dark-haired man instantly. He tried to stand, but he stopped midway when she bounced in the seat comfortably and smiled. The steward at last took their orders and she grinned. In her blunt and sometimes biting manner, she smiled, "…Do I have something on my face?"
"No! No, no no, um, I mean no…"
She giggled, watching his head fall like gravity was claiming him once again. "It's okay. I've never really been on a date before either," she admitted quietly. "Most guys think I'm weird."
"Wait—what?"
"A date."
"…?"
She laughed. She had him now. "Just where did you come from, Morino Dalzen?"
"…Well…um…The…well…it's complicated."
"Oh really? Try me," Her eyes flashed like a pro. Her kind smile was enough to keep it casual.
Dalzen's stare turned downward; the elephant in the room lowered his voice, "County fourteen…did you ever hear of it?"
"…Oh!" she said, without too much incredulity. "Yes. Yes I think so. I'm sorry. And now…you're with Konoha?"
He nodded.
"Makes sense," she said. "It must be awful though for you, I am sorry."
"It's fine. But…thanks."
"…I was born here, bred here—Konoha is all I've ever known…" She looked at him again, and admired him. "You must be very brave."
They received their order. Dalzen's came in a box—he wasn't really intending on eating. He usually met Takato at the other shop around the corner. Chinatsu smiled eagerly at hers, picking up the chopsticks. "So," she continued after a moment, "Have you been running missions a lot, lately?"
"Yes," he nodded. "With Takato and a few others."
"Well, the Senju speak well of you."
"Oh?"
She smiled, "I hear things, being slightly in with that crowd…We gossip on end—privately of course. Even I am prone to it—I regret! But…Your mission…to water country…" she lowered her voice, "…must have been a covert one, hm?"
"Well…" Dalzen suddenly looked around. "Yes."
"Don't worry, I won't ask further than that, but I had the feeling…The Senju don't usually trust outsiders to handle things like that…" she worded carefully.
Dalzen knew where she was going. He nodded. "I understand."
She looked at him for a moment, wanting to probe deeper, but she refrained, pulling her head back from the conversation, and her chopsticks. She didn't know what he was thinking. So, she pursued him slowly. "I wonder—They…may have mentioned…you're good at genjutsu…" she trailed, swallowing something other than food. It was much more difficult. "…I'm not that awesome at it…Do you think…you might…show me a trick or two, sometime?"
Dalzen blinked. "Um…yes, of course."
"Thanks," she smiled. "We could…talk…and stuff…So long as you only call me Hina," she insisted.
"Yes—yes of course," he nodded his head instantly like one of Kano's dogs.
Chinatsu laughed. "Great." Dalzen had beautiful, dark eyes.
Hina's smile was warm as the sun—the tall man looked away, wondering.
Dalzen soon became aware of an elephant in the room.
And for once, it wasn't him.
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