Chapter 8 - Dinner
It was late in the night when the doors to the council's room opened. Mizuki stepped out of the room and stretched her arms high above her head. She had spent the last two hours in a meeting with the stuffy old geezers. They had grilled her over every little detail regarding the training program.
Tsunade had planned on joining her for the meeting since she was the co-head of the program, but something came up at the hospital that required her attention. Unfortunately, that left Mizuki to deal with the stubborn old men and women who wanted to ensure that Konoha would get something beneficial out of it which they would. Sharing a medical breakthrough like this with their allies would put them in good grace with the other nations, it would only do good for their reputation. After those two grueling hours, they had finally approved the program. She would give the good news to Tsunade tomorrow and then they could start moving into the second phase of mobilizing their medics and resources.
The meeting was absolutely draining on her person and it was well past her dinner time so she was starving. She was so lost in contemplating what she was going to have for dinner that she ended up carelessly crashing into someone who was staying late in the office.
"Are you okay?" A gentle voice asked while Mizuki was nursing her sore nose.
She looked up and was a little surprised she had run into Kakashi. Honestly, it happened so frequently these last couple weeks that it was starting to freak her out a little. "I'm okay. I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going."
Kakashi waved off her apology. "No need to apologize. What are you doing here so late?" He asked.
"Err...I just finished the meeting with the council about the program, they approve! Tsunade and I can start planning the second phase of things tomorrow!" She said excitedly, her exhaustion and hunger momentarily forgotten. Although, her stomach was quick to let out an embarrassingly loud rumble so it wasn't forgotten for long.
Kakashi smiled a little when Mizuki blushed sheepishly. "Would you care to join me for dinner, Mizuki-san? I haven't eaten yet, and perhaps I can return the favour from when you introduced me to that cafe?"
Mizuki was left in somewhat of a daze when she heard him ask her that. Her loud starving stomach would not let her choose otherwise so she gratefully accepted his invitation.
"Sure, but on one condition." Kakashi regarded her closely. "And what would that be?"
"Drop the suffix. After the many times we've run into each other, we're considered friends right? Mizuki-san sounds far too formal for that.
Kakashi couldn't help but chuckle. "That I can do, however I expect the same from you Mizuki."
"Of course!" She smiled tiredly up at him and quickly remembered something else. "And this time I get to pay!"
Kakashi tilted his head and looked down at the short woman. "We'll see." He turned and began walking out of the building. Mizuki huffed before begrudgingly following him outside.
'That was not a yes!' She thought.
They left the building and were greeted by the hot breeze of the night. The seasons had changed from spring to summer and with that it brought more humidity and heat. It was at times like this where Mizuki missed the cooler climate in Kiri. The village was quiet, the only places that were still open were the restaurants and bars. Many of the shops had already closed so the streets were relatively deserted.
Mizuki silently followed Kakashi until he led her to a corner shop which appeared to be a curry restaurant. She could feel her mouth watering at the thought of eating some spicy rich curry over rice. Kakashi graciously held the door open for Mizuki who gave him a smile in return. The restaurant was empty other than the staff and an elderly couple. The two sat themselves by a table in the corner. A waiter approached their table hastily with some menus and drinks. Kakashi hadn't bothered picking up his menu because he always ordered the same thing but this was the first time Mizuki had the pleasure of trying this restaurant. However, she didn't take too long to look through the menu as to not keep her companion waiting. She had settled on trying the house special original curry with beef and he got the curry udon. This time when they were left alone, it didn't feel as awkward as it had when she had lunch with him several weeks ago.
"How was your day?" She asked. "It must have been busy if you had to stay this late."
Kakashi ran his hand through his hair. "Not too busy, there wasn't a lot of paperwork or meetings today."
Mizuki smirked. "You ran and procrastinated again, didn't you?" She knew she was right when Kakashi looked away sheepishly. She knew this was a bad habit of his because whenever she ran into him, it was usually while he was hiding from Shikamaru and his responsibilities.
Kakashi shrugged. "I finished the work in the end and I promised Shikamaru he could have a few extra vacation days to visit his girlfriend."
Mizuki chuckled. "Sounds like it'll be more of a vacation for you, no? If he's out of the village then you get a few more days to slack off."
Kakashi laughed and shook his head. "Now, now...no need to make such accusations."
"It's not an accusation if it's true." She teased.
"Do you doubt my ability to be a good Hokage?"
Mizuki shook her head. "Nope. You're a great Hokage but your habits are atrocious for a person in your position of power. "
Kakashi smiled to himself. That wasn't the first time he's heard that. A lot of the elders took issue with his laid back attitude, the other Kages didn't mind it though. Although, he really didn't care for their opinions anyways, as far as he was concerned the council was irrelevant. They didn't really have a lot of say in the matters that pertained to the village, it was mostly for show. A majority of the village views the council as an obsolete entity. Had the council denied the training program, he would've still been able to veto their decision alongside Tsunade.
"You sound just like Shikamaru when you say that."
"Oh gosh, I feel so bad for him. Imagine how many times you've had him worried or stressed out when you disappear! Why would the poor man put himself through that." She frowned.
Kakashi leaned back in his chair and shrugged. "Naruto is the prime candidate for Hokage when I retire. Shikamaru had promised himself that he would become an advisor and stand by Naruto's side until the end, it was something he decided during the war. As a Nara, he possesses incredible intelligence. He was trained by Shizune-san to gain some experience working under me so he'll be fully prepared to help Naruto."
"That's very admirable of him. How is he adjusting?"
"Well, he's a Nara I think that explains itself." Mizuki chuckled. "True."
Mizuki was about to say more when the waiter returned with their steaming food. Her hunger was forgotten during their conversation but at the sight of the mouth watering food, the annoying sensation came back full force. They happily dug into their food, it's been a long day for the both of them and this was a very good end to their day.
Neither spoke much throughout dinner, not that they had to; it was a comfortable silence. Kakashi would occasionally glance at the woman who had come to quickly befriend him in the most unexpected way. The times that he had run into her started off awkward but slowly became comforting and welcoming. He couldn't quite understand it but he enjoyed the little moments they fell into each other's company. It was hard for him to describe but when she was near, he felt something akin to peace. He wouldn't say that he had feelings for the woman...but it was damn close to anything he's ever felt for the opposite gender.
These realizations and epiphanies startled him because it was an unfamiliar territory to him. Although being who he was, he pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. Instead of spending his time overthinking this situation, he would just go with it and see what happens down the line. Right now, he just wanted to continue to enjoy the peaceful company she provided.
"Are you excited to see your grandparents again?" Kakashi asked halfway through their dinner. He let out a soft laugh when Mizuki looked up at him with her cheeks full of food, she almost resembled a chipmunk harboring nuts.
"H-huh?" She mumbled, a mouth full of food.
Kakashi smiled beneath his mask. 'She really is hungry.' He thought. "I asked if you were excited to see your grandparents again. If I remember correctly, you and Tsunade decided to lead a team to Kiri if the training program was approved, yes?"
Mizuki blushed profusely and harshly swallowed the food in her mouth. 'Gosh, I must have looked like a pig!' She thought, embarrassingly. The food had tasted so good she couldn't contain herself, it was one of the best curries she's ever had! She hastily wiped her lips with a napkin before answering him.
"Yes, that is correct and yeah I'm pretty excited to see them again. Although, it'll still be at least a month before I get to see them. There's still a lot of preparations we have to make first."
"The anticipation will make the moment even better when the time finally comes."
"Agreed, but the anticipation might also kill me before that time comes." Kakashi laughed. "That is true but I'm sure the preparations will keep you busy enough you won't even notice."
The two continued to talk quietly amongst themselves while they finished off the rest of their dinner. When it came time to pay, Mizuki threw a little hissy fit when she found out that because Kakashi frequented this restaurant so much, they automatically forward the bill to his secretary.
"Better luck next time." Was all he said in reply to her glare.
They thanked the staff for the tasteful dinner and left. Kakashi had offered to walk her home but she politely declined saying that she didn't want him to go out of his way to walk her home. He lived in the opposite direction of her home, it didn't seem fair to her to make him back track.
"Alright then. Have a nice night, Mizuki."
"Good night, Kakashi." She smiled before turning down the street.
Kakashi watched her retreating back for a bit before turning in the opposite direction.