I re-wrote a section in Part 1 to correct some timeline discrepancies in the story. I started this story so long ago that I made an error in my own plot, lol. Also, thanks again to treyabarton for the beta read & feedback on this chapter!
Walking into work the next day was dreadfully difficult for Shizune. She was feeling this awkward mix of hesitation and elation flavoured with nervousness and indignation. And for the next few days, Shizune made sure to keep her distance, keeping ample space between them and being hyper-aware of where his hands were as her mind kept replaying the sensation of his fingertips on her skin.
"Come on, Shizu," she grimaced unconsciously, "Get it together!"
Kakashi didn't mention it, but he found her nervousness and trepidation amusingly endearing. It was a nice change from the outright fawning that he usually experienced from women in the village. Catching her occasional blush when she glanced away quicker than normal aided his assumptions that his actions weren't unwelcome, which was expected, of course. Kakashi was so accustomed to women in the past chasing after him that Shizune's resilience was a nice change of pace, but he got tired of the awkward tension hanging in the air and decided to tackle the problem head-on.
As the sun waned and their work for the day had been delegated, Kakashi peered through his open door towards Shizune's office. It had been about a week since he'd kissed her, and he wasn't exactly surprised that the woman-in-question had been so distant. He imagined her over-thinking nature had closed her off from pursuing the avenue that he'd opened up. Nodding firmly, Kakashi put down the diplomatic briefing from an envoy in Iwa and crossed the hall into Shizune's office. She was luckily packing up for the day, but she stiffened slightly as she caught sight of him out of the corner of her eye standing in her doorway.
"Hokage-sama," she began, looking up at him through the hair that had fallen into her face, "Did something come up?"
"No," he replied shortly, "I feel we need to have a chat."
He said this so definitively, and the authority he projected in his voice caught her attention as a ripple of anticipation heated her skin. It was so rare that she had to stop herself from reacting unprofessionally, but she caught herself biting her lip to maintain some control. Shizune sighed as she finished putting away her things for the day and steeled herself for the upcoming conversation.
"Don't let him get to you, Shizu. Remember, he's your boss."
"You've been awfully tense recently, Shizune," Kakashi drawled with his signature lazy look, "If something is upsetting you, I find talking things out can be helpful."
"My apologies, Kakashi-sama," Shizune replied, trying to keep the atmosphere formal between them, "I have just been preoccupied by something."
"You should know why with that mind-numbing kiss, you bastard," Shizune thought, a frown playing on her face.
He slowly stepped towards her, closing the gap between them as Shizune stood still, trying to compose herself, trying to ignore her racing heart and the warmth and expectation coursing through her. Kakashi's eyes crinkled, the whisper of a smile playing on his lips because he could tell that Shizu was trying to keep her calm facade in place. He tended to have a pretty strong effect on women, and he was aware of it. Usually he didn't have to do much to make girls swoon, but the ease of it got boring for him. However, Shizune wasn't disintegrating into a puddle before his eyes like he expected, which just upped the intrigue for him. She was biting her lip like she did when deep in thought, fist clenched at her side as she looked up at him, her brow stiff with determination
"Hokage-sama," she began, holding her hand up so as to stop his advance, "Things just got carried away...the other day… "
"You're right," Kakashi replied, nodding slowly, noticing the bright blush making its way across her cheeks, "Things just got carried away…"
He stepped back ever-so-slightly, still close enough to catch a whiff of her perfume, as he grazed his eyes over her clenched jaw and met her determined gaze with his own. His own mirth was surprisingly apparent on his face in a rare of show of expression from the shinobi as he glanced back at her, turning to leave.
"Oh, and Shizune, drop the '-sama,'" Kakashi called back towards her as he sauntered out of her office, noticing her shoulders slacken as he exited.
"This is getting interesting," he thought, smirking to himself as he walked out of the tower, a low laugh escaping his lips.
But in the other room, Shizune's resolve had grown into a flurry of emotions, tempestuous rage and unbound excitement coursed through her. It took so much of her self-control to keep herself professional, and she knew that he knew it. His languid eyes betrayed him, charm and amusement flitting enchantingly behind them.
"That infuriating bastard! He thinks this is a game!" she cursed, slamming her fist on her desk, "Well, fine. I can play this game, too!"
With Chunnin exams being hosted in Suna this year and preparations needing to be made for travel, supply transport, and accommodation for their Genin teams, Shizune was soon too busy to dwell on what happened between them. It was a three-day journey, and even with peacetimes, precautions had to be taken.
Kakashi continued to act as he always did with little change in his behaviour toward her. He let Shizune plan most of the trip there and back as he knew she was plenty competent to make the executive decisions that the assignment required, but he insisted that they stop in a small village on the outskirts of the Land of Fire on their first night out. The inn that he'd chosen for them had ample space for the camping children and had plenty of places for strategic security detail, so Shizune agreed. What she should have guessed was that she would get stuck trying to find where the elusive hokage had disappeared to in the chaos of preteens and fiery twenty-something senseis.
"Mah, Shizune, let's discuss this as we walk," Kakashi drawled out, popping up in front of her suddenly from a room that she was sure she'd just checked.
As he walked away from the grounds of the inn, Shizune narrowed her eyes suspiciously but continued walking with him. She couldn't place why, but she had a feeling that he was going somewhere specific, and perhaps he needed some space to himself. He'd always been a bit of private man, so being respectful of what she assumed he wanted, Shizune lagged behind him a bit. If she caught wind that he wanted to be alone, it would be easier for her to slip away
Kakashi, though, had no intention of being alone at the moment and was purposefully leading her in this direction. He recalled from his younger days that Shizune enjoyed historical sites and cultural preservation, and he knew of this ancient garden that the fire daiymo's family commissioned for their summer home centuries ago. Seeing as his tactic of forwardness hadn't worked how he intended, he decided to try a subtler approach. Perhaps he could break down those walls around her this way.
As they began coming upon lush grasses and manicured hillsides, Shizune glanced around in wonderment. Everything was so verdantly green and manicured, with gentle, flower-covered hillsides sloping into a glass-still lake. She spotted a large castle concealed in the distance and almost completely obscured by tall, ancient trees, no doubt a few hundred years old. She couldn't help but think about how picturesque this all was as they walked up a path toward the quaint bridge that skipped across a narrow passage of water that flowed from one end of the grounds to the other. The slight mist from the water skirting against the bank sprayed back at her, and the smell of cool, fresh air welcomed her.
"How is he playing this?" she wondered as she looked around her then back at Kakashi, "Is he...trying to be...romantic?"
If he was, she could only scoff in bewilderment. Whatever he was trying to do was so far from a fairy-tale that she couldn't imagine what he could have been thinking bringing her here. Would it have been a good date? Of course...from almost anyone else. From someone as stoic as Kakashi, it came across as some fanciful, completely uncharacteristic ploy for a naive girl's affections. And while this was beautiful, and Shizune appreciated the thought, the practical side of her screamed that she wasn't naive enough to let herself fall for something like this. Though, she did soften a bit at the idea that he thought enough to bring her here. After all, he had to have somewhat planned this.
"Kakashi-sama," Shizune started carefully, looking at him with feigned impatience, "What exactly are we doing here?"
"I decided that we deserved a break from those boring walls."
"Kakashi-sama," Shizune said as she smiled wryly, making her way to a nearby gazebo, "You always think we deserve a break. Work doesn't do itself."
"She smells like plums today," he thought to himself as she skirted past him, curious as to why she changed it up before sitting down next to her to finish the assignments that she'd brought along.
Naturally she would be the type to think of work when surrounded by lush gardens and scenic landscapes, but Kakashi kept drifting off, staring at things in the distance. She was pretty sure he was doing it on purpose, but even her stubborn resolve was crumbling. Eventually, she allowed herself to succumb to the sweet sounds of the bubbling stream and the serenity of the wind as it skirted across their faces.
Sighing contentedly, Shizune decided to call it a day and turned only to find that Kakashi has wandered off while she was in her daze. He was making his way closer to the castle grounds, and Shizune found herself following after. She caught up to him quickly enough as his pace was slow, and she fell into a comfortable stride next to him as the explored what they could of the garden.
It had become a habit of hers in her adolescence to let herself get carried away by 'what if's. Shizune imagined how things might look to an outsider if someone happened upon them at this moment, strolling through the trees as they were now, and Kakashi's silence allowed her to indulge in fantasy. She could pretend that he wasn't her boss or a notorious pervert and let herself get carried away with thoughts of prince charming and grand gestures. He really was quite the catch when she thought about it. Accomplished, talented, attractive from what little she could see, and pleasant to be around when he wasn't being an infuriating fool. She could see herself having dinner with him without much effort, maybe even resting her head against his broad chest after a long day.
Kakashi, on the other hand, seemed so nonplussed about the whole situation. It was almost as if he was having a stroll, and Shizune was just coming along for the ride. Kakashi, however, was quite pleased to see her relaxing for once and couldn't help but smile at her wistfulness. He'd found that Shizune was fairly easy to read once you got to know her. There were the obvious signs that anyone could see like when she lost her temper or got frustrated with subordinates, but the slight changes to her demeanor were what really gave her away. She always pulled at the hem of her sleeve when she was worried about something, and she narrowed her eyes whenever she was trying to solve a hard problem. In this moment, he was just glad to see that Shizune seemed completely at ease.
Before they knew it, the sun was setting, and the pair knew that they'd have to get back to the inn soon. They were scheduled to begin travelling early the next morning, and the rest of the journey would be tiring. On the way back, Shizune was happy that he'd taken her to the gardens, deciding to worry less about whatever his intentions were. It was rare that she got to revel in something fanciful like that, so even though she hadn't forgiven him for his earlier behaviour, Shizune decided to appreciate the gesture all the same.
"This was pretty nice break after all," Shizune murmured.