On My Mind ━━ Kakashi Hatake

32 ━ Something Nice

Kakashi reached out and grasped the glass of water from her hand, their hands touching for a moment. The water did indeed soothe his throat, as she had predicted. "Thanks." He rasped out.

"You're welcome." Izumi gave him a warm smile, tilting her head in delight.

The silence blossoming between them was anything but uncomfortable, more something they had gotten used to during each of Izumi's daily visits. She would enter the room, a grin tugging at her lips, and pull up a maroon chair to sit beside him. It was usually then that she would start to tell him about her day, the most nonsensical things she could think about. And truly, he enjoyed listening to everything she had told. He practically hung onto every word pushing past her lips, as though caught in some sort of genjutsu. Stories about customers she had been confronted with during her work times at the Yamanaka flower shop or the various bouquets she had created, the words were welcomed by him.

As he had always told Izumi, listening to her was something that brought comfort to him. She did not expect his replies to be long and thorough but at the same time knew he was listening intently from the way underneath his mask a smile would tug up, the material moving along with his lips. Then his charcoal eye would crinkle, an effect of his reaction. It was what she appreciated the most: his wordless understanding, the way he showed he cared.

"What did I miss?" With his question, Kakashi broke the silence between them, feeling as though the two of them were during one of their weekly meetings on the flower field, sharing their thoughts and happenings. In his mind he could imagine the soft breeze blowing through his hair, short strands of umber hair falling onto his arm, tickling him. The sun would shine upon the two of them, soft beams decorating their peaceful features.

The brunette beside him blossomed into a state of delight, eyes widening in absolute glee. "For starters, I finally made Jounin!" When their gazes met, her expression only intensified, a warm feeling seeping through her body.

"You did?" Kakashi feigned surprise when he asked.

She reacted to his teasing. "With you having helped me, how could I not?"

"I'm proud of you." said Kakashi, his visible eyes crinkling with a small smile.

"Thanks, Kashi!" Izumi grinned brightly, feeling absolutely elated. "Oh I'm so happy. Ah." With her grin persistent, she leaned towards her friend, moving off of her chair just a little. In a quick motion and without much thought she pressed a kiss to the uncovered part of his cheek before moving away again to lean against the back of the chair.

Kakashi felt his cheek become warmer than it had been before, not having expected the action. "What was that for?"

It was almost comical the way Izumi shrugged where she sat. "I am just happy, and I need to let it all out. I wanted to hug you, but was scared to accidentally hurt you. So I did that ... if you don't mind."

"It's fine." He wanted to tell her that he didn't mind, that he appreciated it, but the words felt like they were stuck in his throat, his tongue-tied.

"Good," Izumi could not breathe ethought,asier, feeling relief wash over her. "The last thing I would want to do is upset you."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, because-"

Izumi was interrupted once the door swung open to reveal two visitors, joining the two Shinobi. In the doorway stood a familiar pair of senseis, with their expressions drawn into two almost identical looks of both concern and love.

"Hello you two." greeted Minato softly after entering the room.

"Minato-sensei," Kakashi's surprise was evident, he looked at his teacher wide-eyed. "What are you doing here?"