oOo

Pieces

A Kakashi Romance

2: A Proposition

Emiri ran to her meeting with the Hokage. With Sakura and Ino both away on missions, running the children's clinic was stressful for one person.

Running up the stairs, Emiri paused outside of the Hokage's office to control her breathing so it didn't look like she had run halfway across the village. Standing up straight, she fixed her the long strands of hair that framed her face and adjusted her short black and blue kimono. Finally, she knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Emiri pushed the door open, entered the room, and closed it behind her. Kakashi sat behind the large wooden desk, dressed in black with his Hokage robe and hat hanging on a hook nearby, his pen scratching across paper as he seemed lost in his work.

Quietly, Emiri took a seat at the chair across from him—the first time she'd sat down in over ten hours. She refrained from moaning in relief as she let her muscles rest. She then smiled sheepishly at Kakashi. "Sorry I'm late."

Kakashi stopped writing and glanced up at Emiri. His eyes were expressionless, and she wondered if his face changed beneath the mask.

"That really is no problem," Kakashi said with a chuckle. "I'm rarely on time."

"So I've heard," Emiri said dryly. If there was anything she hated, it was being late. And tomatoes. She hated tomatoes too.

That earned another laugh from Kakashi, and Emiri found that she had to smile too. She had heard stories of the famous Hatake Kakashi, but she had never interacted with him until he had become Hokage, and from what she has seen of him—he was someone who managed to put people at ease while he still retained mystery and subtle prestige.

"So," said Kakashi, sitting up straight, folding his arms on the table. "Tell me about the children's clinic. It's been a month since Ino's proposal received funding."

"Blossoming," Emiri smiled. "Ino and Sakura have done excellent work. Unfortunately they've both been away on missions these past few days so I've been managing our clinic, as well as Sunagakure's, on my own, so that has been tricky, but otherwise, we're attempting to meet a very large need."

Kakashi nodded once and closed his eyes in a way that led Emiri believe he smiled beneath his mask. "That is excellent to hear. I, however, have a proposition for you, and it seems it may have come at a bad time." Kakashi chuckled lightly.

Emiri frowned and narrowed her green eyes at him. "What proposition, Hokage-sama," she made sure her tone conveyed wariness toward the man.

"Kirigakure has heard of the clinics and expressed interest in starting one of their own. Therefore, I want to offer that to you, Sakura, and Ino and see if you are willing to expand your visions further."

Emiri's eyes widened fractionally as she sat up straighter. "I'm sure Ino and Sakura would agree to it, and when they return from their missions I will inform them of this."

"Excellent," said Kakashi. "Is there anything else?" He was not dismissing her in a rude manner, Emiri observed the large stack of papers that piled on his desk, and she knew he was a busy man.

Instead, Emiri nodded and stood, taking a brief moment to stretch her tired muscles. As she reached for the ceiling, she became acutely aware of the way her Hokage's onyx eyes fixed on the curves of her waist and hips, ivory skin visible beneath the slit of her royal blue kimono top. Immediately she pulled her arms down, one arm crossed over her body casually—but shyly.

"I think that is all, Hokage-sama," said Emiri as she turned to leave. She then paused by the wooden door of his office, half in and half out.

"Hokage-sama?"

"Hmm?"

"Come visit the clinic," Emiri encouraged. "When you get the chance."

"Emiri, are you going back to the clinic now?"

"Yes. It's lunch time, and I usually try to have lunch with the younger ones a few times a week."

Emiri was surprised when Kakashi rose from his seat and reached for his Hokage robe and hat. "I have some time now. Lead the way."

Author's Note: OKAY! I find the need to say-the idea of the children's clinic is not fully mine. SPOILER ALERT! But not really since it's part of an Arc that has not been published. Therefore, I only know of the clinic run by Ino and Sakura in name, and I'm creating a story around the idea. Anyway, I felt the need to clarify this because I've received a lot of positive feedback about it. I care deeply about mental health, so naturally, I gravitated toward a story that mentioned it.

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