Chapter 7 - Silent Comfort
After Mizuki passed out from the surgery, she was placed on bed rest for at least a week so she could recover her chakra. She felt overjoyed when she received congratulations from all around on the success of her new technique. After nearly two years of work it was finally completed. She was even more happy that it had saved Hideo. Around the time that she was relieved of her bedrest, Hideo had awakened up from his coma.
When she heard he was awake, she went to visit him as soon as she could. Hideo was elated to see her again and couldn't thank her enough for saving him. But Mizuki had felt so guilty because it was really her fault that he was in that position to begin with. Hideo had told her not to worry about it. He saved her and she saved him in return so they were even.
Once she made a full recovery, she and Tsunade began working on the next phase of introducing this technique to other medics. They drafted up a proposal for a training program that they would host in each major village to a few select medics, similar to Tsunade's earlier program that Mizuki joined.
For this particular training program, because of the advanced nature of the technique, they thought it would be more beneficial to teach the most skilled medics. Over time those medics could then train their prospective students. The plan was to send out three units, each headed by a primary instructor with supporting medics to provide the training. Shizune would lead one group to Kumo, Tsunade and Mizuki would lead another group to Kiri and Sakura would lead the final group to Suna. Iwa had decided to do joint training with Suna since it was easier for them to travel there. Mizuki was really excited to go home because it meant she could see her grandparents again! Writing letters to them was just not enough, she wanted to see and talk to them in person.
After several weeks of non-stop work, they finally finished the proposal. Currently, Mizuki was holding the file that contains that document. She was hoping to catch Kakashi while he was in his office so she could pass it along to him for review. If he and the council approves of their plan, then they can begin preparations by notifying the other villages of this amazing medical advancement. The training will take a month, so they need to ensure that there is enough manpower at the village to keep things functioning normally. Each team will consist of about 6 medics so sending 18 of their skilled medics could potentially have a negative impact on the village.
Mizuki stepped through the doors of the Hokage building and saw Mai sitting at her usual spot behind the front desk.
"Good morning!" Mizuki chirped happily.
"Hey! Long time no see. How are you?"
"Good. I'm a bit tired from work but I'm feeling great nonetheless."
"I'm glad to hear that. So what brings you here today?" She smiled.
Mizuki lifted the folder in her hands to show Mai. "Lady Tsunade and I finished the proposal for the training program. I was hoping to go over it with the Hokage. Is he in right now?"
Mai frowned and shook her head. "He's taking the day off." She said softly. Mizuki noticed Mai's somber tone and asked her what's wrong.
Mai sighed. "Are you familiar with Kakashi's past from when he was newly promoted to jonin?"
Mizuki shook her head. "I can't say I do. Why, what happened?"
"It was around the time of the third war. Kakashi had a girl on his team, Nohara Rin. Unfortunately, she was captured by Kiri when they were corrupt. They forcefully sealed the three-tailed beast inside of her in hopes that they could control her and have her kill Kakashi and destroy Konoha. Rin sacrificed herself by throwing herself in front of Kakashi while he was battling an enemy. He accidentally impaled her in the heart. The other boy on his team was Uchiha Obito, who had feelings for Rin. He became enraged and killed all the mist nins around them and disappeared afterwards. Even though during the fourth war Obito told Kakashi he didn't blame him for Rin's death, Kakashi still feels guilty for not protecting her and keeping his promise to his friend. Today is the day she died."
Mizuki gasped at the tragic story. She remembered hearing the name Obito and how he was thought to be dead but as alive and was being manipulated by Madara. Luckily for them he defected to the allied forces' side and helped them win the war in the end.
"That's so sad. I-is he going to be okay?" She asked, biting her bottom lip.
Mai shrugged. "Probably, every year he spends the day at the memorial stone. He usually looks fine the day after. Do you want me to leave the proposal on his desk?"
Mizuki looked down at the folder and shook her head. "It's okay. I'll just come back another time, thank you though."
20 minutes later she was standing beside a tree holding a bouquet of flowers in her arms. She didn't know what prompted her to do this but after she dropped off her files at home, she stopped by Yamanaka flowers and now she stood a little ways away from the memorial stone. Just like Mai had said, Kakashi was standing in front of the stone with his hands in his pockets and a dark cloud hanging over his head. Mizuki quietly walked towards the stone so she didn't disturb his thoughts.
Kakashi didn't even notice her presence until he saw her set the bouquet down on the wooden platform of the stone. He silently watched her clasp her hands together and bow her head in respect.
She pushed herself up and stood beside him. That is how they remained for nearly half an hour, each lost in their own thoughts. Mizuki frowned when a large shadow fell over them. She looked up and noticed storm clouds were quickly moving over the village.
"Ne...it looks like it's going to rain. Would y-you like to grab some lunch...it's kinda late…" Mizuki said, suddenly feeling a little unsure of her suggestion.
Kakashi watched her wring her hand nervously, he smiled at her nervous habit. When he realized she was there, he was honestly a little surprised that she was visiting the memorial stone since she was so new here. However, when she placed the bouquet down he had a good idea why she was there. His past wasn't exactly a secret, she was bound to find out about today eventually. He was a little surprised by her appearance and her invitation to lunch but he still appreciated her kind gesture which is why he gladly accepted.
"I would love to." Kakashi chuckled when he noticed her eyes widened briefly. Cearly she was not expecting him to accept. Kakashi glanced up at the sky when a low rumble echoed throughout the area. "Looks like it's going to rain sooner than we thought."
Mizuki followed his gaze, the entire sky was now covered by the dark clouds. "Yeah...c'mon then, I have a place in mind and it's not too far from here!"
Mizuki turned and started walking away. Kakashi lingered back just a little bit more to say goodbye to his old team before following the blonde woman. Unfortunately for them, the rain came down hard just as they left the memorial stone. By the time they got to the little cafe, they were drenched.
Mizuki let out a little laugh when she saw how Kakashi's hair unceremoniously flopped over his face. The workers at the restaurant peeked to see who had come in when they heard the chime from the door. When they saw it was there Lord and he was soaked from head to toe, they produced some towels for him and his companion to dry off. In no time at all, they had cleaned up the puddle of water they trekked in and dried off enough so they weren't dripping wet.
The servers led their two customers to a booth and left them to peruse the menu. "I'm sorry, we should've just gone into the first place we saw." Mizuki apologized sheepishly.
Kakashi shook his head. "It's okay, a little rain can't harm me. Besides I'm excited to try this place, I have never been here before."
Mizuki smiled, a little more relaxed. "My coworker introduced me to this place a couple weeks ago, it's my go-to when I don't have time to cook."
"What would you recommend then?"
"I usually get the omurice, it's really good but a lot of the food here is good so you won't be disappointed either way."
"I think I'll have that then, I trust your judgement."
After they ordered their food and tea, an awkward silence settled over the two. It was a spur of the moment kind of thing that made Mizuki invite him to lunch. A combination of the incoming weather, his somber mood, and her growing hungry prompted her to invite him to lunch.
Kakashi was the first to break the silence. "How have you been Mizuki-san? I hope you have recovered well from the incident."
Mizuki blushed lightly at his concern and took a sip of her tea. "I'm good, I feel a lot better now. Things have been busy with planning the training program but I'm also very excited so I don't mind the work."
Kakashi nodded, he was very familiar with the work she was talking about. Tsunade had a meeting with him about it last week and all he was waiting for was their proposal so he could bring it forth to the council. "If I remember correctly, you and Tsunade will be leading a team to Kiri?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Are you excited to see your friends and family again?" He asked. Mizuki smiled widely.
"Yes! It's been so long since I've seen my grandparents, I miss them a lot."
Kakashi took a sip of his tea. He noticed that she didn't mention anyone else but didn't ask. If she wanted to say more then he would let her but he wouldn't press for the information himself. "Do you miss home?"
She smiled sadly. "A little but not as much as I did before after meeting all the nice people here. My grandparents were the ones that actually encouraged me to come. You see...my family passed away during the war and a lot of my friends too. Staying in Kiri...it has a lot of good and bad memories. I guess they thought I needed a fresh start too." She said, shrugging at the end.
He knew exactly what she meant. His early childhood was rough, everyone he knew and loved had died one way or another. There were days in his youth when he thought about leaving and starting a new life somewhere else. But when he started making new bonds in the village, he couldn't bring himself to leave. He was very grateful that he had a new family now but it wasn't enough to rid him of the pain from the past.
"Do you miss them?" He asked.
"My parents?" He nodded. "I do but not as much as I did in the beginning. A lot of that was thanks to my grandparents, my friends, and Tsunade as well actually. She visited me when things settled down. I used to always be sad whenever I thought about them but now...now I feel proud. They gave up their lives so all of us could be free and I will always honor their sacrifices by being happy."
Kakashi admired the girl for the resiliency she has shown. It wasn't easy losing so many people in your life. In the short time since she lost her loved ones, she has already developed such a positive outlook on life whereas it had taken him more than half his life. He was about to respond to her when the server returned with their food.
He took a bite of fluffy flavorful egg and was delighted at how tasty the dish is.
"How is it?" She asked.
"It is very good, thank you." She smiled proudly at her own recommendation and took a bite of her food. They ate their meal in a comfortable silence listening to the pitter patter of the rain outside, occasionally they would ask each other a question. Kakashi was appreciative of Mizuki's nonchalance at him removing his mask. The telltale blush on her face was the only clue that she noticed, other than that she politely refrained from making any comments.
By the end of their meal the rain had completely stopped. Mizuki could hear the hustle and bustle return to the streets of Konoha as the villagers came out from their shelter to resume their activities.
Mizuki grabbed her wallet from her purse so she could pay for their meal when she was stopped by Kakashi.
"It's okay, please allow me." Mizuki opened her mouth to object but Kakashi was quick to tell the server to bill it to his secretary. Even though she was the one to invite him to lunch, he wanted to pay for their meal as thanks.
He was thankful for her comfort even if they hadn't talked much. He didn't need the chit chat, the quietness was more than enough. He was also grateful that she wasn't too pushy. There were many times when others with good intention tried to get him to talk about his feelings. They worried that he was bottling his emotions up and felt it was better if he talked things out with them. He didn't need that nor did he want that, he just wanted time and space to honor the memories of his dearest friends..
Mizuki defeatedly placed her wallet back in her purse. 'I invited him, I should've been the one to pay! And it's not fair to make him pay today of all days.' She silently sulked. She was determined to pay him back next time.
They stood up to leave. Kakashi glanced to his side and chuckled to himself when he saw the pout of her lips, no doubt it's because he decided to pay. They walked out of the restaurant and were greeted by the now sunny sky, the streets were now littered with puddles. Mizuki took a deep breath, the smell that lingered after a long rainfall was her favourite.
"Thank you for lunch, Mizuki-san." Kakashi said.
"I should be thanking you for paying." Mizuki frowned.
Kakashi shook his head. "My way of saying thank you for being such good company. Truly, I appreciate your gesture more than you think."
Mizuki grinned up at him. Well if that's the case then she was glad she decided to do what she did.