"Hey, Dad. This is Mei— well, I ought to introduce her as Lady Mei Terumī, or Lady Godaime Mizukage, but she's Mei to me."

Mei looked up from her task of spreading a small blanket on the ground. "Hello," she smiled at the stone that marked Sakumo's resting place.

Kakashi looked back at Mei when she spoke. The midday sun shone on her long auburn hair, and the sight matched the bright, warm tone of her voice. He smiled behind his mask as she began to unpack their picnic, already pleased with how this visit was different from the ones that came before it.

He returned his attention to the stone. "Anyway, she's the one I told you about before, Dad. I uh, managed to ask her out since my last visit and we've been spending a lot of time together. I think it's actually turning out well for me," Kakashi chuckled quietly and looked over his shoulder at Mei's soft giggle.

"She makes the days much more interesting, better. I'm glad that I have so much time to spend with her," he spoke as he eased himself down on the blanket and lifted the lid from the bento box Mei had placed near him. "This picnic was her idea so, be on your best behavior now Dad." Kakashi separated a pair of chopsticks and prepared to eat his lunch in record time before their outing could draw too much attention to themselves.

Mei left her lunch for the time being as she placed the flowers that she'd been suspicious of the day before, in the holder that was attached to the marker. "I'm glad to know of you, Hatake-san. Your son speaks highly of you, and I hope to learn more about you from him." Mei retrieved the third bento box she'd put together, opened it and placed the offering near the flowers.

"Thank you for giving Kakashi to us; he's important to us. We wouldn't have this peace without him." Kakashi looked down at his lunch as she spoke, slowed his chewing and swallowed a portion of the large mouthful he'd taken.

"And thank you for helping to shape him into the man that he is. He brings me happiness; he's become rather dear to me." Mei brushed the fingers of one of her hands over Sakumo's name, etched in the stone. "Please look kindly upon us," she finished.

Kakashi watched as Mei sat back and separated her pair of chopsticks. He chewed the last bite of his lunch and swallowed it. "You'd like to know more about him?"

"Yes, if you don't mind telling me." Mei took a bite of her lunch and covered her mouth as she chewed it. "It's fun for me to imagine you as a boy too," she giggled and returned her attention to her meal.

Kakashi pulled his mask up over his nose as he considered which story to start with. Several stories later, he was too involved with the tale to notice that his rival had crept close enough to hear Mei giggling. Gai smiled, briefly watching without a single tear to blur his vision as Kakashi looked up at her from where his head lay in her lap, and reached his hand up to brush her hair out of her face.

The End

A/N: For the fans of this rare pair, there's a Tumblr event on May 5 and 6, 2019! I'll be sharing all of the submissions from my blog too (also ohayohimawari), so be sure to follow me if you'd like to see them! Time permitting, I hope to have the next installment of this series ready to post for the event. Thank you for reading, and for your kind comments. I appreciate the encouraging feedback on my stories XOXO