Daybreak | Kakashi Hatake

6

Missions came and went with little excitement. Mare searched for Ezume whenever she could, refusing to give up hope that he was out there and that she would be the one to find him and bring him home rather than him being killed by another hunter-nin. The thought of Ezume being dead was something that Mare still couldn't stomach. Until she had proof of his demise, she would never stop searching for him.

Days passed and Mare found herself dragging through each day in a daze. She worked, slept, ate, and read the book Kakashi bought her. Every now and then, she would spare a passing thought of the mysterious masked shinobi and hope that one day she would have an opportunity to thank him for his kindness. She also often thought of Naruto Uzumaki and hoped the little goofball was progressing in his dream of becoming Hokage.

Mare climbed the familiar stone stairs of the round Mizukage's tower before knocking on the door to announce her arrival. Mei bid her entrance and gave her a warm smile whenever she slipped inside.

Upon seeing the young woman, Mei twisted her face and remarked, "You look sad, Mare."

"You always have something to say, huh?" Mare muttered.

"Because I care about your well-being. I'm your sister, or have you forgotten?"

My sister, Mare thought with an inward laugh. In reality, however, Mei was the closest thing Mare ever had to a sister. There was a time whenever the pair was inseparable, before Mei became the Mizukage and Mare became obsessed with finding her brother. As time passed, the two spent less time together, but retained the strong bond they had forged. Mare wouldn't admit it outright, but she loved Mei Terumi with her entire heart.

"Mare?" Mei's voice broke her from her reverie.

With a weak smile, the black haired girl responded softly, "Of course I haven't forgotten, Mei."

The Mizukage approached Mare and laid her hands on her shoulders, holding her an arms distance away and sighing, "You can talk to me, you know that right?"

"I know."

Mei flipped her long layered hair over her shoulder and pulled Mare to a sofa before plopping down and kicking her feet up on the coffee table. "So," she began in a cheery voice, "tell me about your trip to Konoha? We haven't had much time to catch up. We've both been so busy lately, it seems like nothing but work, work, work."

"It was fine," Mare shrugged, resting her elbows on her knees and twiddling her hands. "Uneventful, really. The village elders are assholes."

A laugh sounded through the room and Mei answered, "I was wondering if you would have the pleasure of meeting them."

"I wouldn't call it a pleasure," Mare replied with a dry laugh.

Mei trained her emerald eyes on Mare and smirked, "You're hiding something. What is it?"

Mare met her gaze and with a lazy wave of her hand, she spoke, "I met a few of the shinobi. They were nice enough. The village itself is very... vibrant."

"Mhmm," Mei hummed with a pleased look. "The Leaf Village is quite interesting. Very beautiful."

Mare bobbed her head, agreeing with the Mizukage. She continued on, "You met some shinobi, you said? Tell me about them."

Mare groaned, "Mei..."

"Tell me!" the auburn haired woman commanded with a laugh. "Come on, Mare! I never get out of this damn office. The least you can do is entertain me with some stories."

Silence settled between the two before Mare sighed, "I met a tokubetsu jonin named Genma. He was a flirt, but actually pretty nice."

"Ooh," Mei wiggled her brows and sat up straight, listening more intently. "Was he cute?"