My Sunshine

Mingling Fates - Iruka

Iruka showed up hours later at the Hatake residence umbrella in hand. The afternoon rain looked as if it were turning into a monsoon. After taking a long, hot shower and laying on his bed, staring at the ceiling, he knew he needed to speak to Mizuka. It was the best way to deal with it. Knocking softly, Mizuka answered.

"Hey, I was hoping you would come by. Come on in."

She opened the door wider, letting him in. He left his umbrella outside and thanked her. The windows were open and there was a small fire in the hearth. It was cozy inside of the living room compared to the torrential rain that was pounding the roof above them. Iruka could hear Mizuka bustling around in the kitchen.

"Have a seat anywhere you'd like!"

He sat in the overstuffed arm chair next to the hearth, waiting patiently for his host. The Hatake clan house was neat and cozy, yet quite large. There were herbs hanging from the ceiling and garlands of dried fruit. The whole house smelled like an herb garden. It was exactly the type of place that Mizuka would inhabit. She returned a few minutes later with two steaming mugs, handing him one before curling up on one side of the couch, feet tucked under her as she gazed at him kindly. She looked comfortable in an oversized sweater, shorts, and bare feet. She held her mug in both hands, blowing on it gently. Her long hair freshly washed and pinned up.

"Let me know if it's too hot in here. I love the sound of the rain so I opened the windows, but sometimes the dampness alone makes me cold. That's funny, isn't it. I can swim in freezing water with no problem, but the sound of rain at night chills me sometimes."

She grinned into her cup. Same Mizuka as always. She looked up at him.

"I hope you're holding up okay, Iruka."

He gazed into his own mug and shrugged.

"I don't know. I feel a mix of worry for her and embarrassment for being worried at all. I'm a shinobi. We see this stuff all the time. Why did it hit me so hard today?"

"We don't see this stuff all the time. No anymore. It's been a few years since the Fourth Great Ninja War, and most of that has stopped in this time of peace that followed. You're also a teacher, so you weren't around all of this as much as a shinobi on regular missions would be. You have no reason to be embarrassed for showing emotion."

"But I teach my students to put emotions aside-"

"You weren't on the battlefield; you were barely outside the gates.  You were a man saving a dying woman's life. And no students were there to see you, only a group of your friends."

Mizuka leaned in a little, continuing.

"I don't know about you, but I don't believe that life is a roll of the dice. I believe that everyone is where they are supposed to be. For some reason, you were meant to stumble over that woman, pick her up, and bring her to me. Ino was supposed to be there. And Sakura. And Choji and Shino. We don't know how fate will react in other people's lives, we can only worry about our own. And, as of right now, both of your fates are mingling, even though she doesn't know it yet. She wasn't meant to die, and you were meant to find her. Anything could come of this... or nothing. But, right now, you're exactly where you need to be. In the same village as her, and sitting in my living room."

She gave him a big grin. She gave him a small smile in return.

"Thanks, Mizuka."

"You can call me Z, you know."

He chuckled.

"I know."

She sat and gazed at him thoughtfully before sipping her tea. She spoke gently.