The Red String of Marriage

The Favor - Hiruzen

"Hiruzen..."

Lord Third looked up from his paperwork. A familiar voice had just entered his office.

"Lady Suoh..."

He leapt to his feet and hurried across the room to greet her. Her elderly face was bright with a smile. She was adorned in a long, winter cloak, a standard piece of clothing among shinobi in the cold winter months. Hiruzen quickly took her cloak and hung it up. He turned to his assistant.

"I won't be seeing anyone for the rest of the afternoon."

"Yes, Lord Third."

The assistant turned and closed the door behind him, leaving the two alone.

"Are you here on business, Suoh? This is a long way to come in the snow for something that could have been done with a carrier bird."

She smiled.

"Sort of. Not really. I need to ask a favor of you, Hiruzen. And besides, it's never too far or snowy to come see you."

The pair went to a room in the Hokage's building with a kotatsu, and Lord Hokage began to make tea. Suoh sat down and, after a few minutes, Hiruzen was back with two steaming cups.

"What's on your mind.?"

"Well, Hiru, I've got one of your shinobi under my care. A Cold-Blooded Kakashi of the Sharingan."

Hiruzen frowned at this. He disliked that Kakashi had ever picked up that name. Suoh smirked at his displeasure.

"Anyway, he's actually under the direct care of Mizuka Haruno. And I was hoping that I could keep him for a few months."

Hiruzen laughed.

"And why do you need him for that long?"

"He is severely injured. He was scraped along the bottom of the Tenchi River for about half a mile before Mizuka and our guard managed to pull him out. He has lacerations across his body, he is missing a good amount of skin on his extremities, and he nearly died of hypothermia."

Hiruzen looked at her slyly.

"That's the only reason?"

"You know damn well that those two have a history together, Hiru. I've had to hear about this boy for the last ten years."

Hiruzen laughed again. He figured that's what this visit was about. Suoh was ever the romantic.

"But I thought Kakashi was on his deathbed."

Suoh looked annoyed, which made him laugh even harder. She snapped curtly at him.

"That boy will be just fine. I know Mizuka will handle it because she is my student."

"Might Guy ran in here two days ago screaming that Kakashi was dead."

"That's why I had him escorted back to Konoha by my assistant. He was hysterical. Even after we told him multiple times that he was, in fact, not dead. I'm not going to lie, the boy is in bad shape. Mizuka had to revive him, and his body is beyond exhausted. He overused his Sharingan. Unfortunately, his body is not built for that eye. We weren't even sure he was going to make it that first night. But, now, all there is to do is rest and heal."

Suoh was right, Hiruzen thought. Kakashi has never had an easy break in life. From his father committing seppuku when he was young to losing his entire squad, he's had to shut off his emotions in order to survive. But even through all of that, he remained a thoughtful shinobi toward his village and comrades. Maybe Mizuka could help him through his past. For his years of dedicated service as a shinobi to Konoha, it was the least he could do as the Hokage. But he wasn't letting Suoh off that easily.

"What's in it for me?"

Suoh practically jumped on the kotatsu, her face flushed with anger.

"What do you mean what's in it for you?! Don't you care about true love?!"

Hiruzen smirked.

"Does that mean you'll finally marry me, Suoh?"

Suoh got off the kotatsu and sat back down. Her face had gone from enraged to sad and contemplative.

"Our twilight is here, Hiru. We are set in our ways. If only I had met you before you met your wife. I know that no matter what kind of wife I would be, this crippled old woman could never hold a candle to your beloved Biwako. But these two are young. And they have a chance. I don't want them to turn into us and wonder 'what if.'"

She always gave him the same reason. And she was probably right.

"Of course you can keep him for three months. Please let him know that I'm pulling for him to make a full recovery."