The Lost Uzumaki (Kakashi x OC)

Chapter Thirty-One: Lunch time

Naruto tapped his foot anxiously as Meilani unraveled the last of his bandages. His eyes were darting across his bedroom right to left as they followed her hands. She balled the material up and showed it to him one last time before slamming it into the trash. He laughed giddily while they clasped their hands in a high-five.
"Finally! Now my training with Pervy Sage can really begin."
Mei's lips pulled into a straight line and her eyes widened slightly. "He didn't tell you? He has a mission that he's heading out for soon."
"WHAT?!" Naruto leaped up on his bed. "What do you mean?!"
Meilani didn't bother answering, he had already leapt past her and dashed out the door. With a sigh, she locked up and continued on with her day. Which was walking around the village for a place to read. She didn't get far before she noticed the Hokage's eagles circling her.

"You wanted to see me, milady?" Mei's mouth twitched to a small smile as she waved quickly to Kakashi and Iruka. He removed his hand from above Pakkun's head and waved back before teleporting away.
"Well, get to it Iruka." Tsunade glared at Iruka's back as he hurried away, throwing a wave over his shoulder. "Meilani, I received this letter just a while ago, following Anko's previous update."
The next time Meilani was in her office, Tsunade was sure to update her on the situation. She meant what she had said about no longer keeping secrets, but Tsunade didn't want to worry her with possible delays or miscommunication. She needed the cold hard facts and so did Mei.
"I sent Jiraiya to retrieve the missing Shinobi. Anko believes they might have been captured by the Akatsuki for information."
Mei's eyes scanned through the letter. "The Akatsuki, and not Ingyo's men?" She brought the page closer to her. "Oh, I see. The meeting went sour because.... Shit, Itachi spotted one of ours."
"Anko found their cold trail soon after. There's also the matter of that Isao fellow. He's been requesting to see you."
"They're probably anxious about the twins. Hey, so... I was thinking..."
"Yes?" Tsunade's tone indicated that she knew what Mei was going to ask.
"They're probably going stir crazy in there. I think some fresh air might make them more open to talking to anyone except me?"

"They are more open around Lady Meilani." Shizune agreed, handing Meilani a cup of tea. "And if the twins come back with an acception to the deal, then we're technically on the same side."
"I'm still ticked off about the genjustu."
The other two women nodded in agreement.
"Me too," Meilani twirled a strand of hair behind her back. "But, they already admitted to not intending any harm. I think the more we treat them like prisoners, the rougher any exchanges will be in the future..." Meilani clenched her jaw nervously as Tsunade debated. "I'll escort them around town, get a bite to eat, all while being watched by some Anbu. Their cooperation is my mission, right?"
She held her breath as the vein in Tsunade's temple protruded. "Kakashi certainly has his work cut out for him, doesn't he brat? Fine!" She leaned forward. "If anything goes wrong you're going to be on gate duty for the rest of your career, got it?"
"You're the best, Auntie!" Mei caught the letter she threw at her and scurried off.
On her way towards the cabins where they were being kept, Mei hummed to herself quietly. The air was warm, nearly humid. No clouds were yet in the sky, but Konoha has a way of being unpredictable with weather.

"You sure about this?" Inoichi raised a brow at the paper.
"We'll be fine. You know, you really should trust me more."
He grumbled, but gave her the keys anyways. Meilani entered Isao's keep with a confident smile.
"You were asking for me?"
Isao's lifeless eyes flickered to her before back to the book he read. His usual silky voice was monotonous. "I was. I had some questions about your past."
"Why don't we save that for later?" She offered her hand with a forced grin. "I'm starving, let's go get Yuri and Tokomaru and grab a bite."
Isao cursed himself for being so eager to follow her, but the same 4 walls of that terrible green-yellow paint were driving him crazy. He needed fresh air. His hand hovered over his brows as they walked out, eyes watering from the shift in brightness. He used his hearing to follow Mei's footsteps to Yuri's door.
"Yuri, c'mon. Let's go get some ramen."
Skeptic, Yuri rose and followed a shrugging Isao beside her. Mei paused and turned to them, hands clasped together. Yuri and Isao watched the young woman enter Tokomaru's keep with curiosity. The elder politely declined, on the grounds of feeling unwell. However at the mention of a warm, harmonious broth, he accepted Mei's offer to bring some to him.