sunshineverse | [Closed] We have to stop meeting like this.

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[Closed] We have to stop meeting like this.

Who: Tenzou and Kakashi

When: July 14th

Where: Entrance to Hokage Tower

What: Tenzou encounters Kakashi for the first time since his reassignment. Names and roles are questioned.

The novelty of filing paperwork in the daylight hours had still to wear off and Tenzou smiled softly to himself as he meandered back to the towers exit. A good majority of his life had just been filed for the archives and his ANBU status changed from ‘active’ to ‘request only’, his fate as a mentor and regular shinobi finally sealed.

Lord Obito had been incredibly persuasive in his argument and if he was honest with himself, Tenzou was simply glad that his reassignment was due to his competence rather than failing.

His musing continued as he made his way out into the tower courtyard; idle thoughts of lunch and a possible trip to the library, the only other thoughts that encroached his mind.

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Kakashi chuckled, leading Tenzou to the entrance and holding off his answer till they were just about at the threshold; keeping him curious like he would with a puppy.

"We haven't seen each other for years," Kakashi finally divulged, giving Tenzou a lazy glance with his visible eye. "And now we're going to be seeing each other much more. Don't you feel a celebration is in order to welcome you to this new chapter of your life, to catch up at least?" he asked as he stopped outside the entrance and turned to give his companion an expectant look, pale eyebrows raised, almost disappearing under his hitai-ate. "It's alright if you don't, I can eat alone."

Edited 2014-08-27 17:50 (UTC)

Tenzou blinked owlishly at the silver haired man, showing that, clearly, the thought that this should be something to celebrate had never once crossed his mind.
He briefly floundered for words, fighting off the red touch of embarrassment that was threatening to break across his cheeks.

"A-ah, no! I just didn't think.." What, that his transfer was worth such fuss? That /Kakashi/ would be the one be the one making a point of it?

Yes..that was it. His stomach fluttered oddly at the thought and Tenzou couldn't help but be a little exasperated at himself for it. Barely a half hour in his former captains presence and he was already reduced back to a giddy rookie, clamouring for recognition..

Oddly enough, the thought brought a rueful smile to his lips; nostalgia wearing down the sharpness he should have felt at his own reaction and ducked his chin in agreement.

"..It has been a long time, hasn't it?"

Kakashi watched and waited patiently, a keen eye trained on Tenzou's face to scrutinize even the slightest reaction. It all seemed like a test where Kakashi would challenge which weaknesses Tenzou still hadn't manage to stifle and use every trick in his arsenal to catch him out. He didn't mean it like that, of course, he was only curious.

The pink speckling that lit on Tenzou's ears caught his attention first, and he smiled under his mask.

"A very long time. Too long, in fact." It was strangely comforting to have Tenzou at his side again. Typically Kakashi would lock thoughts of his past - particularly those of ANBU - away in his head only to emerge when he was feeling particularly pensive. Tenzou was different, though. Despite their entire relationship being built on the foundations that ANBU set in the two of them, their friendship had been something that transcended the job; and he was thankful to find that remained true even now.

He held his arm out, gesturing to the entrance way. "Shall we go in, Tenzou?"

Tenzou's hands went behind his back, left hand catching his opposite wrist in a loose hold and smile broadening.
The teasing he had expected for the slip up, never came and he felt strangely light for its absence as he stepped forward to follow.

"Lead the way, Senpai."

Kakashi moved into the establishment, letting his arm drop. He was courteous enough to offer Tenzou entrance before him, but he wasn't stupid enough to insist. Tenzou's politeness was unrivaled, and in the face of his self-titled senpai, Kakashi couldn't imagine that argument ending too quickly.

He led Tenzou upstairs, obviously well informed on the best places to sit from all the times he'd visited in the past. He picked out a green furnished booth close by a large window that showed the surrounding streets basked in perfect afternoon sun, and slid into one side with ease.

From here there was a faint breeze, and the smell of sizzling meat and charcoal wafted across the restaurant floor from the small cooking grills built into each table. He lifted his chin to better snuffle the air, once lazy expression now alert and interested.

"Something smells good, eh Tenzou?"

Tenzou followed Kakashi, glancing around as they ascended the stairs and only then realising just how hungry he was. He settled into the booth with a sigh, briefly admiring the view, before turning a smile on the other man and plucking a menu from the table with keen interest.

He gave the list of dishes a cursory look before replying "Everything smells good. It's going to be difficult to choose.."

Regarding the menu again, Tenzou noted that they served his favourite tea, along with one of two other things he recognised "Any suggestions, Senpai?"

Edited 2014-08-28 23:09 (UTC)

Kakashi rested his chin on the back of his hand, glancing along the line of tables framing the room to peek at what the few other patrons present were eating. It was still early, so the restaurant wasn't as full as he'd seen it, but nevertheless he managed to spot the crowd favourite being served toward one of the booths near the back.

"This isn't bad," he commented, peering over the list in Tenzou's hands and jabbing a gloved finger at the meal. "And we'll get sake, hm? It won't be a celebration without it."

Tenzou hummed in agreement at the suggestion, looking over the mixed grill option and smiled as his stomach gurgled in agreement.
The look quickly turned sour, however, at Kakashi's beverage suggestion and he eyed the Jounin suspiciously over the menu.

"..You do remember the last time we drank sake together, don't you, Senpai?"

Celebration his right foot. That had been the excuse at the time as well and naive fool that he'd been back then, he'd stumbled right into it.

Edited 2014-08-31 15:23 (UTC)

Kakashi settled back in his booth, calm eyes regarding Tenzou with a muted smile tucked away under his mask.

"No?" he shook his head, his voice and visible eye tag-teaming to successfully feign innocence. "What happened, was it fun?"

Tenzou didn't buy Kakashi's act for a second and he levelled his most unimpressed look at him in response.

"Is your memory failing in your old age, Kakashi-san?" He dead panned the words, setting aside the menu as he leant back in the booth, arms folded and eyebrow raised in question.

Kakashi deflated at that, shoulders sagging a little under the harsh coldness of Tenzou's tone.

"Ah, Tenzou, you didn't have to be mean about it..." he almost sulked, not far off looking like a kicked puppy as he flopped his head forward. Earlier he'd been quietly brimming with pride over how far his meek little kouhai had come, but now he was seeing the repercussions in full force. Did he not respect him anymore? Had Kakashi grown so disillusioned that people saw him as soft and old? Would he have to face an enforced retirement soon? He slumped. It was a dark, dark day indeed when even Tenzou lost respect for you.

Tenzou blanched at Kakashi's reaction. He'd expected a return in banter or a swift kick under the table as had been the usual fair in their ANBU days, but a hang dog expression was nowhere on his list.

The serious expression dropped from his face, replaced by an awkward smile and waving hands, as if he could shoo the mood away from them with a gesture.

"A-ah Come now, Senpai! I didn't mean it like that, there's no need to look so glum!"

"Aaah, Tenzooouuu-" he whined in his own quietly dramatic way, throwing his head to the side to cast a hurt look toward the floor.

He was about to berate his companion with further sulking mumbles when a server appeared, polite and a little awkward, beside their table. He turned to her, his previous dark cloud seeming to dissipate as quickly as it had come, and ordered their respective meals without letting Tenzou get a word in edgeways. He did, however, make sure the smile under his mask was all too obvious when he ordered the sake.

Once the server had left, Kakashi rounded on Tenzou.

"Sorry, what were we talking about?"

Tenzou spluttered at the sudden mood flip, gaping open mouthed as Kakashi steam rolled their order and slid right back to his nonchalant self.
His mouth closed with a click of teeth, a pout threatening his features as he eyed his old captain with a stormy look.

"You could have at least let me order tea as well, Senpai.."

It was a weak protest, he knew and turned his gaze to their elevated view of the street, chin propped on his palm.
Tenzou struggled to maintain the sulk though, smile tugging at his lips at how easily they both fell back into old habits and he voiced his thoughts to banish the mood.

"How has life been outside of ANBU anyway?"

He wafted a hand at Tenzou's complaint, brushing it off with a casual shrug. Maybe he was being a little harsh, but Tenzou looked like he could use the opportunity to let loose a little - sake would do just the trick.. He'd just have to be careful not to let him get too carried away. As much as he avoided admitting to it, he remembered all to clear the last time they'd been drunk together. The last thing he needed was Tenzou storming through the village giving everyone a piece of his mind.

"Quiet," he said eventually. "Though I suppose anything would seem quiet compared to that."

"Hmn, you'd be surprised.." Tenzou mused in reply.

He regarded the bustling street below them, expression turning strangely wistful as he continued.
"Everything seems so bright and loud village side and.." His tone dropped in light of next words "..mission frequency's been stepped up. HQ felt like a ghost town, even with the increase in agents."

Tenzou found himself lost in thought for a moment, before he shook his head and offered Kakashi a bashful smile "Ah, but how did you of all people get used to this? I don't know what to do with myself!"

Kakashi raised his eyebrows in mild interest at that. He hadn't taken much notice of ANBU affairs, though he'd had plenty of opportunities to become acquainted with them again since he'd left.. It was much easier and much safer to keep his distance, he found. He didn't miss it, and for all he knew ANBU didn't miss him.

He watched Tenzou space out, and again found himself wondering how the hell a man such as Tenzou had managed to stay in ANBU as long as he had without becoming at least a little hard hearted. Even in his youth he'd never looked as warped as the others had before they were stifled and stiffened, ready to create soldiers for the leaf.

"Hah, like I said before.. You just get used to it." he smiled, thankful for a change of subject. "It seems loud, but we're quite a quiet village on the whole. You just have to find your place and settle into it."

At that Tenzou frowned. A place..He'd had one of those, one he was good at, one where he could serve his village the most and he voiced exactly that.

"I had a place, Kakashi-senpai. I know Obito-sama thinks I will be of more use here but, that was my home.."

He dropped his head, hands settling flat on the table before him and regarded the surface below them critically. The roots keep the tree steady in a storm - Lord Danzo's words bubbled up from the archives of his memory and it made Tenzou feel strangely sick, longing for something he couldn't put his finger on.

Pursing his lips, he realised his behaviour could be interpreted as ungrateful, almost bratty, but Tenzou had no other way of putting across the disquiet he felt at the change.

Discomfort rolled off Tenzou like waves, and Kakashi couldn't help but give him a sympathetic look, however patronizing it might have seemed.

Kakashi had never thought of ANBU as his home. Despite spending ten years in its ranks he'd managed to never get attached, which made his eventual transition back an easy one. Returning to Konoha was like greeting an old friend... and that thought gave him an idea.

"I know, and it always will be," he smiled. "Nothing will change that. But it won't be an injustice to it's memory to find a home here too, with your friends."

Tenzou looked up, giving Kakashi an abashed look at the comment.
"Friends, Senpai? I think that you're the only person I can apply that title to at the moment.."

His mouth twisted in thought at his own words, unsure if he was expressing his point correctly "..that is to say, I know many people. I'm just not particularly close with any of them."

Tenzou looked a little lost at the conclusion and silently wrestled with his thoughts.
Being close made a job like ANBU difficult. Every agent he had worked with, he trusted, talked to, even laughed with on downtime, but never went that extra mile to let them in. It was just easier that way.

Village life seemed so..personal in comparison and he found himself oddly floundering.

"It only takes one," Kakashi shrugged, every cryptic. It was then that the server returned, laying out their drinks first and then placing the luscious meat servings by the grill in the middle of the table. He muttered his gratitude as his lidded eyes went wide, immediately laying out a few chunks of meat to cook.

"You're acting as if ANBU will never be your home again, Tenzou." he continued conversationally as he sat back to inspect the sake bottle. "But it will. You aren't like me; you didn't have to leave for your own good. Instead you're taking a break for the good of the village. Isn't that what ANBU is all about? Don't think of this as a punishment for enjoying your job. Think of this as a mission, to help Neji avoid the misunderstandings that come with being in ANBU. You know as well as I do that those can be many."

Tenzou regarded Kakashi with a thoughtful look, mulling over his words even as their meal was spread out temptingly before them.

As always, the Jounin was right. His removal from active duty, had not been a complete stripping of his rank; no doubt he would be needed in the field again, especially for Neji's first missions. The pitfalls of Special Ops were also many and he could see that experience being of the most use to what he had read as a very competent Shinobi otherwise.

He sighed and finally, a small smile touched his lips.
"It seems I can't fight your logic, Senpai.. For the good of the village then, I'll give it time."

Tenzou reached for his chopsticks, eyeing the sake warily as he did so and began picking over the selection of food, feeling considerably happier than he had that morning. Idly he voiced a final worry, eyes trained on the slice of beef he had chosen to grill.

"I just hope this time out doesn't affect my effectiveness in the field.."

He rolled his eye at that, his own chopsticks already snapped and poised in his hand as he leant on the table, chin resting in his palm.

"You're training a young hopeful for the very job you're afraid of becoming alienated from..." He shook his head incredulously. "But if you're that afraid of these two lives mixing and becoming murky, why don't you separate them?"

Kakashi spoke as if his solution were the simplest, most obvious approach, and that Tenzou was dense for not thinking of it sooner. He flipped the chunks of meat he'd arranged in a little line on the grill before reaching for the sake and serving them two hearty tumblers full.

He raised his with a mirthful glint in his eye. "So? What should I call you?"

Tenzou blinked at Kakashi as the question sank in, almost sacrificing the pieces of meat he'd been tending to over cooking, before he could formulate an answer.

"..Call me? Wh-" He cut himself off and frowned, mind playing catch up with what the Jounin was suggesting.

Eyebrow raised in question, Tenzou levelled an incredulous look at his former captain. "..You think I should choose a new name?"

Kakashi let his tumbler rest on the table, not rude enough to take the toast without its intended purpose fulfilled.

"You remember your transition from ROOT to ANBU, don't you?" the silver-haired shinobi asked, poking his food with his chopsticks again before deeming a chunk ready and shoving it across to the cooler side of the grill. "You had the same problem then - separating one life from the other."

"If you think you'll find it hard to adjust, help yourself by separating yourself from Tenzou the ANBU Captain." Obviously he could only give Tenzou advice from his own personal experience, but.. When all was said and done, his recovery hadn't turned him out too bad, right? This way he could still embrace his old names and take Tenzou out of the box when he was needed for ANBU whilst allowing himself a life in the village.

"It worked for Kinoe and it worked for me," He looked up into Tenzou's face then, a gentle smile evident in the way his mask contorted over his nose. "I'm sure it could work for Tenzou, if that's what you want."

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