- Angst Warning - Chapter 25
The next day found Mei happily at work once again. She had plenty to do catching up on everything that had transpired during her absence. In the back of her mind, however, the Mizukage was looking forward to dinner and seeing her husband. That thought had kept a small smile on her face the entire day, a smile that her aides did not fail to notice.
However, as she was about to finish up and head to the evening meal, Mei received a summons to the council chambers. This puzzled her since Chojuro hadn't mentioned anything about a council meeting or that the council members had wanted to speak with her. Considering most of her day had been spent reading through Chojuro's notes, this should have come up at some point.
Upon her arrival, the Mizukage could guess why the swordsman hadn't mentioned it. Chojuro wasn't present and had probably never known about the meeting. Her unease grew as she took her place at the table. Had something happened? Were they unhappy with Chojuro? Mei mentally prepared to be verbally assaulted about her choice of successor.
"Lady Mizukage, welcome home. We trust your vacation was refreshing?" The councilman, Jun, didn't wait for her to respond. "I'm going to get right to the heart of the matter." Jun had been the first to suggest the marriage between the Leaf jonin and the Mizukage a little over a year ago.
Mei nodded, hiding her displeasure as best she could.
"Why have you and Lord Hatake not yet conceived a child?"
Mei was dumbfounded, blindsided. It was one thing for this to come from the Water Lord, who was determined to stay ignorant of ninja affairs and therefore, not understanding the exact reason why Mei had married and Kakashi had moved to the Mist. It was quite another to hear it from her own council. They had proposed the marriage, yes, but they had never even hinted at the suggestion that she and her forced husband would have to consummate the marriage, much less produce a child. The idea was ludicrous. These times were not the era of warring states. People were not married off to bear peace children but to simply keep the peace. Kakashi was a deterrent, an assurance that Naruto would not attack their village. Although, now that she knew the jinchuriki herself, Mei realized that the precaution was unnecessary.
"I'm sorry, I must have misheard you," Mei forced out, tone venomous. Her eyes blazed. Her carefully controlled expression threatened to reveal what she felt. She pushed forth the anger to hide her uncertainty and fear. She was the Mizukage but the council had a lot of sway, especially over the civilians in the village. If they'd been working against her while she was away… Mei attempted to push her fears aside.
"Are you or are you not pregnant Lady Mizukage?" Hosono asked gently. He flinched when Mei turned her eyes to him.
"No," Mei ground out. Then she reined herself in, this was a council meeting, not a battlefield. Like it or not, she had to be civil here. "No."
"Have you even shared the same bed?" Jun spoke again. Hosono winced at the man's lack of tact.
"Why is this the concern of the council?" Mei asked angrily. What would they do? She'd been away for months, they could have been building support for a coup all of this time. Is Kakashi in danger? Her heart picked up speed. Mei wondered where her husband was at that moment. She imagined guards seizing Kakashi, beating him. The Mizukage stomped out the fear; her guards were loyal to her, not the council. Besides that, Kakashi could take care of himself.
Several members flinched back in their chairs at the feeling of the Mizukage's fury but Jun pressed on. "The civil wars and purges were terrible times in our village's history. Not only did they weaken us internally but they also stole from us our powerful bloodlines, they stole future generations of that strength. You, Lady Mizukage, possess two of the last powerful bloodlines. Your husband is the last of his line as well. Did you think we chose you two to be married simply because you were single?"
Mei's breath caught at the barb but she held her facial expression steady. She felt as if she'd soon have to put her hands to her face to hold her fracturing mask of neutrality in one piece. Her chest constricted, making it hard to breathe.
"The Mist needs your bloodlines to continue," Hosono said gently. "And you are now married. Multiple children would be the best for the village of course."
"Of course," Mei whispered. A great sinking feeling settled into her heart, the beginnings of love crushed beneath her ever-present duty. Mei had been dreaming to think that she could set the burden of her village aside just for one small smidge of her life. Kakashi was…she didn't even know. He was oxygen. He was air when she'd forgotten that she needed to breathe. He was warmth when she didn't even realize that she was cold. He was the pulse in her veins. He was a hundred things that she needed every moment of each day or else she would die.
Mei took a breath and swallowed. She would not die, she couldn't. Kakashi was a ninja of the Leaf; she'd been a fool to forget. Whatever she'd felt between them, it couldn't possibly be real. And even if it was, there were greater things at stake. Her village needed to come first; she was the Mizukage. Their feelings did not matter, the marriage did. The marriage and what it produced was what mattered to the Mist. Love only mattered to the two of them. Two against the security of a nation just did not measure up.
Mei rose slowly from the table, the entire council watched her with nervous eyes. "I'm sorry, you'll have to excuse me. I apologize for this oversight. We will discuss this again tomorrow."
The members were confused but slowly they all agreed. Mei was the first out of the chamber. She wanted to be angry at them, to rage and scream, but they had a point. She was a Mist kunoichi. Her duty had to always be to her village, that was the burden she took on when she, with Ao's help, took control from her predecessor. The Mist needed her to bear children, whether she liked it or not. She was married now, there was no excuse. But Kakashi and I… Mei's thoughts raged back and forth as she walked.
The Mizukage marched down the hallway, her steps light as always. Orino moved to join her but was shocked at her expression. "Mei-" he coughed to cut himself off. He tried again, "Lady Mizukage?"
"Tell Kakashi that he's needed in my room at once," the Mizukage said. Her voice was like frost, light but chilled. She brushed ahead of Orino and continued down the hall.
Orino stared after her, mouth agape, until he mastered himself and teleported directly into Kakashi's room. Kakashi was laid out on his bed, reading. The intrusion irritated the Leaf ninja but when he saw Orino's face the emotion turned to alarm. He stood up, tossing the book aside.
"It's Mei," Orino burst out in a panic. "She- Something's wrong."
Kakashi ran past the Mist ninja without another word, down the hallway, and into Mei's room. He hurried in through the door calling her name and it slammed shut behind him. Kakashi whirled around.
Mei stood there, back to her door, staring Kakashi down. Something in that look heightened his awareness, adrenaline pumped in his veins. Despite this he spoke slowly, "Mei? What's wrong?" He searched her face for an indication of the problem. There was nothing there. She was as blank as a fresh page. The term Hunter whispered in his mind and the back of his neck prickled. Kakashi's voice was as uncertain as he felt. "Mei?"
Mei reached to her side and began undoing the clasps on her dress. The zipper came next and the garment fell away, leaving Mei in her mesh armor and the undergarments beneath. She stepped out of the puddle of blue dress that was now gathered at her feet. Although the action was meant to be alluring, the robotic execution repelled instead.
Kakashi's eyes grew wide. The worry he'd felt turned cold and twisted in his gut. "Mei? What are you doing?" His eyes darted around, seeking an explanation as she slowly walked toward him. "Mei, what are you doing," he demanded, enunciating every word. For every step she took in his direction he retreated. He tried disrupting his chakra but the image was the same.
"Make love to me," Mei requested in a monotone.
"What?" Kakashi breathed out in shock. Wrong, this is all wrong, Kakashi's instincts screamed.
Kakashi tried circling back to the door but she cut him off, grasping his wrist. She pulled him close and leaned into him. Kakashi pushed her away with all the force he could muster. His heart pounded wildly. His face was hot as he tried to ignore what every sense had registered in that touch. On top of that was the overwhelming dread of something being terribly off. "Mei what is this?"
"We're married Kakashi," Mei said, slinking toward him. "And the only point of that is for us to make children." She spoke as one would recite rules from a book.
Kakashi frowned, his fear fueling his anger. "I didn't think you believed that." He thought of all the talks they'd had, the laughter they'd shared. That woman he knew was not this creature before him now.
"Am I not good enough?" Mei asked as she removed her armor leggings.
Kakashi's mouth grew dry as his eyes tracked the motion. He quickly directed his attention to his wife's face. "Of course you are," he breathed.
"Don't you want to have sex with me?"
She was suddenly too close again. "Mei," he protested. Kakashi held his arm out to keep her at a distance. His hand landed safely on her sternum and cool glass met the base of his palm. Kakashi looked down at it and Mei froze. Withdrawing his hand, Kakashi saw the pendant he'd given his wife. The swirled green and blue were barely visible in the dim light.
Suddenly Mei stepped away from him as if burned. She made to turn and walk away but Kakashi caught her hand this time. Mei pulled her arm back but it was a poor attempt to free herself. Kakashi, more confused than ever, stepped around to look into his wife's face. What he saw there nearly broke his heart.
Mei's face trembled with feelings that did not match her actions. Her eyes were filled with emotion that threatened to escape in tears. Kakashi slowly pulled her close to him and held her there. She pressed herself into him, not as a poor sham of seduction as before, but clinging in desperation, as she'd clutch at a lifeline.
Mei buried her face in his shoulder. "Why?" The question came out as a broken whisper, weighed down by something Kakashi couldn't see.
The Leaf ninja shook his head. He wished it would stop spinning so that he could figure out what was going on. He and Mei had been very close to crossing this line several times before. However, Kakashi had thought that it would come naturally, in its own time. When Mei came charging at him, he'd been caught between desire and confusion. Why now? Why so suddenly? And why did she seem so upset about it?
"Why can't we just," Mei trailed off, the sentence ending in a choking noise.
"Mei," Kakashi said slowly, misunderstanding her meaning. "We are not having sex, not like this."
The silence hung in the air several seconds. Mei gasped for air. She shook her head at his words. Kakashi was at a loss. He desperately wanted to know what was going on but Mei was too upset to question. Kakashi knew that if she didn't calm down soon, she could hurt herself. Hyperventilating until unconscious was not something he'd recommend. Unsure of what to do, he just kept rubbing soothing circles on her partially exposed back.
Finally, after a few gasping breaths, Mei finished her thought, "why can't we just be a couple? Why can't it be that simple?"
Kakashi pulled back to stare into his wife's eyes. Mei was equal parts terrified, hurt, and quickly spiraling into despair. Mind working in overdrive, Kakashi pieced together the evening. He knew that Mei had gone to a council meeting; she'd sent word that she'd be missing dinner. Then she came at him talking about sex and children. Kakashi's brain jammed as the memory of his wife disrobing replayed. He closed his eyes and willed his desires away; his mind needed to be clear. The last Hatake opened his eyes and looked at Mei, his wife, the Mizukage.
Mei stood before him, begging for his love. She asked for his love but not in the way she actually wanted it, he realized. For a few seconds, just a moment ago, Kakashi had doubted what he knew of the Mizukage's character. The memory of his doubt ate at him, he should have known.
Something calm enveloped Kakashi's chest and he pulled his wife back to him, shielding her with his arms. Mei's tears slipped their bonds, the water diving into the fabric of Kakashi's stretched blue shirt.
"I can't," Mei sobbed quietly.
Kakashi rubbed her back with his free hand even more fiercely. "I know." The Leaf ninja felt the overwhelming urge to do something, anything. He glanced over and then grasped the bedspread, covering his nearly naked wife before wrapping her in his arms again. She clutched the blanket as if it were her last tie to sanity.
"Kakashi, I'm sorry," Mei said, calmly. She took slow, measured breaths.
The Leaf ninja nodded. "I'm sorry too." The Mizukage appeared to be going through a calming routine. Kakashi patiently waited for the explanation.
"The council is demanding that I continue my bloodline," Mei whispered into his shoulder. "But we aren't- I can't-"
Kakashi made an understanding noise in his throat. He didn't let her go. So that was it. She's caught between her duty to her village and…her feelings for me? He would have been jubilant if the situation wasn't so dire.
"I- I don't know what to do," Mei said softly. "The Mist needs me but I can't treat you like this." Get it over quickly, she'd thought, go back to the way things were when he first arrived. Avoid him, it won't be hard. Mei shook her head. Everything was different now.
The Mist wasn't the only entity that required her protection; she had a spouse to think of too. The council couldn't just assign her a mate and expect her to churn out bloodline babies. And Kakashi…whatever they were to each other, he was still her husband. She would not force her spouse to act on the whims of the council. If their relationship were to go that far, it would be because they wanted it, as a couple, and not because Mei felt it was her duty.
Mei looked up at her husband with brimming, emerald eyes. Her mind clearly made up, he waited silently for what she had to say.
"We'll both be damned if you stay. I won't make you do this."
Kakashi wondered if she meant what he thought she meant. But no, he'd already made his decision about this and he'd do it the same way a hundred times again. Now it was time for the Mizukage to make hers. "I won't leave you." Kakashi watched her with intent eyes.
Mei met his gaze. There was something there that made her blood rush. She looked away from him. Even in his arms, her duty hounded her. "Maybe you should."
Kakashi shrugged. "I've been damned before."
They stood there together, sharing the other's pain. They were two rocks, relentlessly beaten by the ocean waves. The water could try to wear them away but as long as they stayed together, the place where they met would remain intact.
Slowly, Mei withdrew to collect her clothes. Kakashi turned to give her privacy while she dressed. Once she had finished, Kakashi could look at her again. "Are you alright?"
Mei nodded, rubbing her arm. "Kakashi I-"
"No more apologies," Kakashi insisted. "We'll work this out together." He took her hand. It felt familiar, comfortable, and reassuring. "Let's take a close look at that agreement you and Lady Tsunade signed. Maybe we can figure something out."
000000
The next morning, the Mist council reconvened. The five members were abuzz with talk. What had the Mizukage meant when she'd stormed out yesterday? Where had she gone? What had she done?
A few moments later, the doors opened and Mei stepped into the room. Kakashi followed closely on her heals and the doors closed behind them. Niikura rose to his feet, face indignant. "Lady Mizukage what is the meaning of this? The Leaf shinobi can't be here."
Mei raised an eyebrow.
The room was completely silent for a moment. After another few seconds, Niikura realized his mistake. He coughed nervously under Mei's stern gaze. "I mean, Lord Hatake can't…be here."
Kakashi remained passive even as the room seemed to cool several degrees. The Mizukage sat down at the table and Kakashi stood behind her right shoulder. Once she'd made herself comfortable, Mei deigned to speak. "Why not? I believe this meeting greatly concerns him."
"That may be so," Jun allowed. "But we cannot conduct a meeting while a foreigner is here. He'll have to leave."
"Perhaps I should leave too then," Mei countered, "while you decide my future? I believe you'd agree that the future of my family concerns me, but thus far I haven't been allowed to give any input on the matter."
Niikura sat and muttering broke out. Kakashi took this moment to withdraw a sheaf of papers from under his arm. He threw them onto the table where they landed with a slap. The noise silenced the room and all eyes were on the Copy Ninja. "This contract has no requirement for Mei to bear nor myself to sire children. The Hokage would have never agreed to such an arrangement without consulting me."
"Yes, well," Jun said, oily smile sliding onto his lips. "It wouldn't be in that contract since the Mizukage's offspring is a Mist matter. And the marriage has yet to be consummated."
"Whether it has or not," Mei ground out, "is none of your concern. And if you'd wanted it that way, you should have stated it when the Leaf and Mist made this arrangement. Since no rights to offspring was ever discussed in the contract, the Leaf would have as much claim to a child of ours as the Mist would. Perhaps I should try you for treason for implying that we should let the Leaf have one of our bloodlines?"
The air in the room became very still. Jun seemed to shrink in his chair.
"As it is, you will never bring this up again. Your interest in our relationship ended with our legal union. As long as Kakashi's and my marriage is acknowledged among the people, it and our potential family is none of your business. Do you understand?" Mei had come to an important conclusion the night before. She was the Mizukage and as such, she would decide how she would best serve her village. Children were not all she and Kakashi had to offer the Mist.
There was some awkward shifting. Some of the councilmen glanced up at Kakashi and then wished they hadn't. He was giving them all a hard stare.
"Lady Mizukage," Hosono spoke up timidly, ignoring Kakashi, "you have to produce a child."
"Make us," Kakashi dared. All eyes flew to him. The Leaf shinobi looked dangerous, like a wild animal let out of a cage.
The smallest smile crept onto Mei's face. She dismissed the council and left with Kakashi at her side. "Now how did that feel?" Kakashi asked smugly as they walked down the hall.
Mei scoffed but gave him a smile. "This isn't over you know."
He nodded, continuing to look straight forward. "Politics never are. But," he smiled down at his wife, "I think we can work toward a balance between your Mizukage duties and personal feelings."
Mei's face grew serious. "It hasn't been a problem until now."
Kakashi grinned in a way that was reminiscent of his most famous student. "I tend to cause problems. Just ask the last three Hokage."
Mei smiled and then rolled her eyes. "Not to mention the current and future Mizukage."
Author's Notes:
1. You wanted a nice fluffy romance chapter? Too bad! Here's all the angst! [throws it everywhere] Also, the fluffy romance chapter will be...next time. [runs away giggling]
2. I just said goodbye to mygraciousbenefactor (I'm thinking about calling him MGB for short, thoughts?) so I'm only a little weepy. Thank you to him and DimiGex for looking over this chapter for me. Despite their help, I still make errors. Sorry.
3. I hope this comes through to you all okay, I know the site has been having some issues lately. A thank you to all of my readers, reviewers, followers, and favoriters for getting to this despite the recent issues! We're almost to the 300th review and over the 100,000 word mark! Yippee!
4. I do have a plan for where this story is going and it will be continuing with the romance theme. There will of course be other things thrown in like politics and world building, mystery and friendship, some Team Seven shenanigans and endless trouble for our lovely couple. I know I gave you guys a rundown of the honeymoon before it happened but that was only because it was such a long arc. So do you guys want to know a few of the plot points that are coming up or would you rather just enjoy the ride? I'll only message plot points (rather than posting them here) since some people will want to be surprised. An example of a plot point would be: Darui's Coronation (and that's not a spoiler because Mei already told A that they were going to attend).
Anyway, have a good week everyone! I hope you enjoyed this.