"You know, now that the stacks of paperwork behind your desk are gone, someone could assassinate you with a projectile through the window?" Mei suggested one day when she was waiting for Kakashi to finish work. They had a scheduled date that night.
Kakashi looked up and then out his windows. He was able to see outside now, since his aides had helped him through the backlogged paperwork. "I think the increased light is an improvement."
"But it puts you in a vulnerable position," Mei argued.
Kakashi hummed, unconcerned. His silver head bent over his work again. "If someone was high enough and close enough to this window, having gotten past the seal barrier around the village, several lookouts, and my personal ANBU guard, then they probably deserve to assassinate me. However, I'd take it personally and would have objections." He glanced up and his eyes sparkled. Mei could see his smile through his mask. "Besides, Itsuki likes to hang around outside my window in case I have an errand for him. I'm sure he'd handle anything coming from that way."
As if summoned, a tan face with watchful blue eyes popped into view just outside the window. Mei nearly shrieked but reigned it into a gasp.
"You need something Lord Hokage-senpai?"
Kakashi huffed, still not looking up. "I told you not to call me that Itsuki, it sounds ridiculous. And no, thank you. As you were."
The tan face disappeared. Mei caught her breath and said, "is he out there all the time?"
"Just about," Kakashi replied, finishing up the document he'd been pouring over.
"Would you be insulted if I said that your ANBU operatives are crazy?" Mei asked, only half joking.
Kakashi closed a file and put it in a stack. "The Mist doesn't exactly have a corner on the sanity market my dear wife."
"Good point."
The aide who was actually on duty, Kiro, chose that moment to appear. When he saw the Mizukage his eyes brightened with mirth. Kiro was always trying to tell jokes, most of them terrible. "Hey Lady Mizukage, what's black, white, and read all over?" The word read sounded like red, intentionally misleading the hearer to think that the joke was about three colors.
"An exploding tag that has taken out its intended target." Mei answered promptly.
Kiro's face fell. "No, a newspaper. Geez, Mist ninja are dark."
"Kiro, we're done here right?" Kakashi ignored his Kiro's jokes as a general rule.
The former ANBU turned to his Hokage. "Yes sir, I can finish up if you two want to head out."
"Thanks, I appreciate it," Kakashi stood and stretched. He turned his attention to his wife as Kiro gathered the stacks for filing. "Where were we going tonight again?"
"You were supposed to choose." Mei had suggested they leave the tower more and Kakashi had agreed. Their walks were nice and their private talks were cozy but Mei wanted to mix in some traditional date nights.
"Ah," Kakashi turned thoughtful as they strolled out of his office. "Barbecue?"
Mei smiled. "That sounds perfect."
It might have been perfect, if they were any other couple. One of the many reasons Kakashi and Mei didn't go out in public often was because their stations in life led to…complications.
Kakashi finished greasing their grill and Mei moved a few pieces of meat over to cook, a few seconds later she added two more. The atmosphere was warm, both figurately and literally, and the booth was snug around the grill. The sizzling meat gave off a certain feeling like cooking out on missions, at least it did to Mei. Mei smiled at her date and Kakashi replied in kind.
"So, what do you think of-" Mei began but then stopped. She felt an uneasy sensation crawl up her neck. Kakashi seemed to feel it too and they both turned at the same time. Half of the restaurant was staring at them, waiting to hear their Hokage's opinion on whatever the Mizukage had been about to ask.
The other diners couldn't believe their luck. The Mizukage and Hokage were eating right next to them! Wait until they told their friends! What would the pair talk about? World politics? The state of the Leaf's economy? The latest promotions? Or maybe it'd be something more personal, like their feelings for each other? What if they had a lover's spat right here? Whatever they said, it'd be incredible gossip for tomorrow. The diners seemed to lean in a little as Mei's question hung unfinished.
There was a sudden flash as someone snapped a picture. Kakashi frowned and the camera vanished. The pair turned back to each other and looked down silently. Kakashi turned the meat robotically. Mei added a few more pieces.
"You were saying," Kakashi muttered in a subdued tone, trying to ignore their audience.
"I was going to ask what you thought of the weather," Mei replied, her tone now flat and formal. She hardly glanced at her "date".
"It could be better, could be worse," Kakashi replied, matching her bored tone. Maybe the other diners would lose interest if their conversation was dry enough.
Two plates of meat later and their dinner date still had a captive audience. The other diners continued to eat of course, but they kept giving the kage pair subtle glances. Mei's face was beginning to feel warm and it had nothing to do with the hot grill. Kakashi's calm demeanor helped her endure the scrutiny. She sent him a grateful look.
"I think I'll need to walk off this meal," Kakashi finally said.
Mei met his eye and smiled in relief. "I agree." They settled their bill and left.
The couple hurried out of the restaurant and into the night air. It felt fresh and clean in their lungs. It tasted like freedom, but only for a moment. Some of the diners had followed them out of the restaurant, and down the street, and around the corner.
"That's the last time I suggest eating in public," Kakashi growled. He saw their tails too and he let his irritation show.
"It wasn't that bad," Mei lied. It had been that bad. She should have expected it but somehow didn't. Some of their other dates, although outside of the tower, had been in more private dining settings. "Was it like that before I came?"
Kakashi shook his head but then he paused to think about it more. "I didn't think so but I hardly ever went out, so I can't be sure now. When I did go, I was with Team Seven or my jonin friends. Naruto gets that kind of attention all the time now, so I assumed people were looking at him." Kakashi checked the cross streets and gestured with a hand. "I've got an idea, this way."
Mei followed without hesitation. Kakashi knew the village much better and it was dark. Her usual landmarks were shadowy and uncertain. Besides, she didn't know where Kakashi was headed. They were going the wrong way to head home.
"Clone," Kakashi advised. He weaved his hands.
Mei was only a step behind him when the buildings surrounding them gave way to an open space before a bridge. The moon and stars spread out above them as they stepped into a treeless park.
Their road was headed for a bridge over a stream. Mei knew where they were now. The road would cross with a path going along the river's dike. The path paralleled the river and dike, making a long skinny park that wound its way through the village as the river did.
"On three, our clones will cross the bridge and keep going while we slip into the park," Kakashi suggested.
"How are we supposed to lose them here?" Mei looked around. Even in the moonlight, she didn't see a likely place to hide. There were no trees, only the occasional bench along the path and the rise of the grassy dike.
"Are you a ninja or not?" He teased. "Trust me?"
Mei smiled. She wanted to giggle but didn't know why. "I do."
Their clones appeared in front of them and the real Kakashi and Mei slipped away right as the clones stepped onto the bridge. Their followers rounded the corner a second later. They saw the clones and pursued them across the bridge.
Instead of following the path on the park side of the dike, Kakashi headed to the river side. Mei went after him, slipping into the tall grass. The river was on their left and the mound of earth on their right. The village buildings were blocked from their view. There was only the grassy mound, the river, and the stars. They went along for a minute before they rounded a bend. Looking back, Mei couldn't even see the bridge anymore. Then Kakashi faced the river and leaned back into the slope like a lounge chair, letting the grass cushion his fall. Mei flopped down next to him, feeling less than dignified but not caring. They were alone, but they hadn't had to retreat to their rooms to be that way. It was nice.
"I come out here to think sometimes," Kakashi explained. "It's less effective as a hiding place now that Shikamaru and my aides know about it, but it's still a nice spot."
"It's beautiful," Mei exclaimed, "I can't even tell we're in town."
"There are silver linings to having your village completely destroyed," Kakashi replied. "It gives city planners a chance to move some things, make wider streets, and add more parks."
"And have your clan heads squabble over the size of their territories within the village borders?" Mei asked.
Kakashi nodded to acknowledge her point. "That actually wasn't so bad. Some clans expanded but others…are not what they once were. Tsunade doesn't need a clan compound, neither does Sasuke. It's ironic considering their founding clan status."
"And the Hatake?"
Kakashi turned his head to look at his wife. "What about the Hatake?"
Mei flushed. She wasn't sure what she wanted to say. She didn't want to misstep anymore than she probably already had. What had made her say anything at all? Whether she'd meant the Hatake of the past or the Hatake of the future, both were touchy subjects!
"I um- sorry," Mei finally sputtered out when Kakashi didn't look away.
"What are you sorry about?"
Mei wished he wouldn't push the point but her discomfort was not making him back down. "I don't know, unnecessary prying?"
Kakashi snorted and looked back up at the stars. "The Hatake were always a small clan. We had a house, that was all we needed, and far more than I needed by myself. It wasn't a compound in any sense of the word." He turned to look at his wife again. "Unless you were worried about where we'd raise our children?"
They both laughed lightly in the night air but it came off as a little false. They got quiet at the same time, staring at the stars.
"Kakashi, please be honest with me," Mei finally said. She was looking up at the sky and took his silence as an affirmative. "Do you want children?" She turned to look at him; he was facing her already. "I know we should discuss this as a couple, but I want to know what you want, just you. I don't want to hear about the elders or your considerations for me or anything like that, I want to know what you want."
Kakashi pondered that for a few moments, looking into his wife's eyes. "I am not against the idea of having children. I worry what the village and the world at large would make of the children of two kage. I have no doubt we can make a family work but I- I don't know if I'm cut out to do anymore child rearing than I already have."
"I'm not sure if time with Team Seven counts as 'child rearing'." Mei laughed.
"They were children, assigned to me, and it was my job to keep them alive. That sounds like child rearing to me," Kakashi replied.
"Do you feel comfortable with a wife who has even less child rearing experience than you do? Especially since I'm so…dark?" Kiro's words were still fresh in Mei's head.
Kakashi turned to observe his wife's face. "Kiro has no stones to throw in that department and neither do I. You do your best with what you're given, as do we all." He looked back up at the black sky. "The stars are beautiful and so is the moon," he commented and it made Mei smile. As if that wasn't reassurance enough he added, "you kept a whole village alive; I think you could handle a family just fine."
"What are we talking about right now?" Mei laughed again but this time it was from nerves.
"You wanted an honest answer, I gave you one." Kakashi's smooth voice soothed her. They stared up at the stars together. "Relationships go somewhere. Where do you think we're going?" Now Kakashi was looking at her. Mei met his eyes. "Because I see us together ten, twenty, thirty, forty years from now. I don't know what we'll be doing, because life is going to change a lot in that time. But I want to be with you when it does. Every step of the way, I want to be with you."
Tears pricked Mei's eyes. She knew a dozen ways to hide them but chose to let them fall, to let them be part of her answer. "Every step of the way," she agreed. "I'll be there if you are."
Kakashi looked back up at the stars. "Good, I'm glad we got that settled."
Mei laughed so loud that she figured everyone within a block knew where the Hokage's hiding place was. Kakashi laughed too. They laid there in the grass, the cool night air slowly chilling them. Kakashi wished he'd brought a blanket.
"I suppose we'd better head home," Kakashi suggested. It was getting late and they weren't dressed to be out all night.
They both sat up. Mei could hear the stream bubbling along in its protective banks. The moon glinted off of the shimmery surface of the water. Mei turned to her husband to say something else. The look he was giving her pulled the air from her lungs.
"I would like to kiss you." Kakashi spoke plainly and clearly but it was his eyes that captured her.
Mei remembered to breathe and her lungs pulled in air. She hoped it wasn't too loud. She gave a little nod and leaned toward Kakashi, in case her answer was unclear. Was she leaning in too much? Not enough? Her heart hammered and her skin tingled.
Kakashi demasked and leaned in as one smooth motion. He tilted his head so their noses wouldn't bump. He only went halfway and then waited, awkwardly. Mei finished her lean and met him in the middle, the touch soft and tentative.
The feeling of his lips on hers was exciting but unusual. It was a little wet and warm but delightful. Mei was suddenly very aware of her husband's smell and closeness. She liked it but it also left her jittery. She ducked her head quickly and his lips brushed her topknot. It made her giggle. She pushed her face into his vest, nestling in the comfort of him. Kakashi put his arms around her, chin resting on her head. They both let out sighs of relief and contentment.
Eventually Kakashi loosened his hold and when Mei pulled away she saw his mask was back up. He stood and held out a hand for his wife. She looked at the offered hand and took it, letting him pull her to her feet on the sloped earth. Mei was shocked to discover they were still on the ground and not floating among the stars somewhere. They walked home together slowly, arms linked.