Daybreak | Kakashi Hatake

12

Once back in Kirigakure, Mare was called upon by Ao for afternoon tea. She waited outside his house, the familiar little one she had spent a good portion of her life in, as he answered the door. Ao welcomed her in and poured a cup of tea as they sat around a kotatsu table.

"It's been a while," the stern voiced man spoke as he sipped his tea.

She nodded in reply, "It has indeed. We've both been quite busy. It's nice to have moments like these though."

"It almost feels like old times," Ao chuckled, smiling a bit.

"Almost does," Mare murmured, feeling sadness begin to build on her shoulders. That had been a lie. It felt nothing like the old days. How could it whenever half of their family was no longer in attendance?

They made small talk for a while about the Leaf Village, its people, its history, and its dichotomy to Kirigakure. Ao did most of the talking, knowing the most about Konoha, as he had spent much time there in his youth. They both spoke of their disdain for the village elders before Ao asked, "Well, did you meet any people you liked?"

Mare hummed a bit, "Yeah, I met a few people."

"Anyone special?" Ao smirked.

Her dark brows furrowed before the realization hit her. She cursed under her breath, "Fucking Mei."

Ao laughed and gulped down more of his tea. Mare huffed and asked, "What did she tell you?"

"Oh nothing much, just about Kakashi Hatake buying you a book. She was going on about it, almost sounded jealous, honestly," Ao answered, "but then again, you know that's just Mei."

She twisted her mouth and nodded, agreeing.

Ao piped up again, "Anyway, is he special to you?"

"No," Mare denied smoothly, sipping her tea and pushing a lock of hair away from her face.

The middle aged man kept a long gaze on her, and pressed further, "Don't lie to me, kiddo."

There was silence between the two. Mare kept a cool demeanor as she closed her eyes for a moment. She smiled a little, "He's a good guy, but we've only met briefly. Kakashi and I are simply acquaintances."

Ao nodded, not seeming to believe her. He whistled and replied with a light laugh, "Hell, at this rate you'll be married before Mei. Won't that be something?"

Mare rolled her soft blue eyes, clicking her tongue in disapproval.

After they finished their tea, Mare helped Ao clean up the dishes and then joined him in his garden. They walked around the thick, unkempt and wild greenery. Mare pushed vines out of her way as she followed Ao until he reached the pond. They sat on the edge of the pond, tossing rocks into the water and watching the ripples in the water.

They quietly listened to the birds and sounds of nature until Ao cleared his throat quietly and asked, "Mare, may I speak with you about something serious?"

"Go ahead," she answered carefully, her full attention on him.

Ao wrung his hands as he contemplated his words for a moment. He spoke up, "I wouldn't be telling you this if I didn't think it was in your best interest. I want you to understand that primarily."

Nods mechanically rolled from her head. "Okay?"

"I believe you should stop searching for Ezume," he spoke firmly, giving her a sad and serious look. "It's time to let him go, Mare."

"No," she responded flatly, her resolve apparent. "He's out there."

In a pained voice, Ao asked, "What if he isn't?"

"Is he dead?"

"I don't know," he lied calmly.

"Then the possibility that he is out there still exists," she replied smoothly, her face deadly serious, challenging Ao to question her further. "Don't dissuade me from this, Ao."

"You're too damn stubborn anyway," he grumbled back, tossing a rock into the water, watching it skip three or four times before it sank. 

✕  ✕  ✕  ✕  ✕  

My mental health is trash but I'm trying to get back to writing consistently because it puts me in a better mood :') 

xx