Starring:
Date: June 27, 2015
Summary:
The wedding planning still has the village buzzing with activity, but it had the unexpected boon of boosting the economy. It's not everyday a Kazekage gets married, afterall. Still, village business needed to be conducted and one such order of business was a promotion for Kaidan. Kaidan? How will she get through this meeting? How would /they/ get through this meeting? They keep running into each other! Maybe the wedding bells are drawing nearer…
Poster's note: foul language filtered in obvious places.
"Wedding Bells - Pop the Promotion"
Kazekage's Office - Administration Dome
It's storming today! And what a storm it is. That is, a dust storm. At least it's filled with moisture, so that
might mean some rain may fall. It may be for a short time, but any rain is good rain in the desert. All the warnings that
needed to be sent out have been and people are largely inside their homes, shops or shelters waiting the storm out until
it passes. Itami, on the other hand, is holed up inside her office trying to process all the paperwork that has passed
over her desk.
She never thought that paperwork would be a welcome break from the other event surrounding her life, but it just
so happens to be the thing she needed to take her mind off of what's going on. Is it largely successful? Not entirely…
She still finds it slipping to the forefront every so often. Hmm. All that aside, she had business to conduct and she
quickly passed it all off with a good shake of the head. "Kazekage-sama, you have an appointment coming up," a secretary
stated timidly. "Yes, I'm aware, but thank you for the notice. Who is next on the list?" She inquired. "Kaidan-san," the
secretary remarked as she flipped through her papers to find his name. "Err, hmm. Okay. I…alright. Thank you." Dang it,
she forgot. How is she going to get through this meeting now?
Walking into the office, Kaidan is pushing back a hood to reveal his face. The muddy like substance on his coat
and hood is mostly shaken off before he got this far but it still is on there, clinging. He walks up toward Itami and her
desk, nodding to her, "Heck of a day." He chuckles and nods his head as he approaches her, "You had wanted to see me
though, so now I'm curious as to what this is all about." He nods and glances toward the outside through the windows and
shakes his head, "Really bad night."
"Heck of a day, yes…it has been," Itami replied while pushing her paperwork aside. "I did want to see you,
though." She cleared her throat. "It is a bad night. I hadn't expected a storm so strong to come through, but I could
sense it on the winds. So, I made sure an alert was put out." She went silent once more. Her mind was flooding with a lot
more than what she initially called him for. "I…am a bit scatterbrained at the moment. A lot of paperwork. So I called
you here because I wanted to talk to you about what's been going on lately…Did you have anything to say first?"
"About?" He looks around at the room and then at the area outside, "Between Red Mist stuff, some bad storms, and
that tournament, I'm beginning to wonder if we'll ever have a moment of rest." He then looks to her, "Did you hear
there's another group out there invading villages?" He shakes his head, "Not much on it yet but it is bad." He then
clears his throat, "Though I fail to see what that has to do with this meeting."
"Ah, yes, that's true. I suppose you wouldn't have had much rest lately. Would you like some time off? If you
do, just say the word and I'll clear your schedule…" Itami offered. "Err, well, I suppose all that doesn't have much to
do with this meeting." She rapped her fingers across the desk lightly. "So! I've looked over some of your missions and
the details. You're very thorough when filling out reports and don't tend to leave out much that will keep me guessing
and prying with additional questions. I can appreciate that. Further, you rarely do a mission without completing it. That
is commendable. On top of your service to Sunagakure, I wanted to recognize all of your efforts that you've put forth
and…I feel now is the time to do that."
She raised from her seat and went to retrieve a box. It appeared to be sizable, but not to the point it couldn't
fit on her desk. "For your efforts and all that you've done to this point, you deserve the honor and distinction of
raising in rank…" She flipped open the latches of the box and revealed a jounin protector and flak jacket. "I called
you here to promote you to jounin rank." She clasped her hands behind her back. "I made certain to have this all ordered
to ensure that it all fit you properly. You have the choice if you wish to wear it or not. Additionally, I find your
words valuable, even…if I haven't shown that much lately. I do not like to think of rank as a solid indicator of
contribution to this society. Yet, it is important nonetheless. So, please, if you have anything to say regarding my
policies, actions or towards the betterment of this village, please do not hesitate to speak."
A blink as he looks at that and then he takes out the protector. He nods to it before saying, "Well, that was
unexpected." He states as he looks at the protector in his hands before he looks to her and nods, "Well, I will wear the
protector with pride." He nods his head as he holds it up before looking over to her more directly and stating, "The flak
jacket will just get in the way." He chuckles softly before saying, "None the less, I will put it somewhere safe." He
nods again, "I do truly appreciate this." He then looks over the protector, "There is a couple of things though…" He
nods his head, "Your policies on weddings are rather awkward." He nods his head and then chuckles, "Or at least your
mother's policies."
"I hoped I'd be able to surprise you a bit," Itami took a seat. "I'm glad you can at least accept the
protector," she chuckled. "But I wanted to promote you because…well, you've earned the rank. I apologize that it's
taken so long…" She rubbed her neck. She went quiet and lowered her head a bit in embarrassment at the mention of the
wedding policies. "Hmmmmm," she moaned to herself. "Watanabe weddings aren't…quite like this. This is just an example
of people who work a bit too well together. My mother has always been far outside of…reality sometimes. Add two
children into the mix and they're just a force to be reckoned with. This is her capitalizing on her typical unusual
behavior. It's strange, even for Watanabe or rather…her branch in particular. Her branch is the exact opposite of how
she acts and that is something I never quite understood. Why did she stay within it when she just as easily could have
switched over to—Nevermind all of that," she waved her hands in the air to cease her own talking.
"I don't know where this will all go. I'm fearful of the implications. Everyone is preparing for this and I'm
just…sort of here," she sighed, but oddly contentedly.
A blink and then he stares at her for a moment, "So, we're doing this then?" He asks as he replaces his protector
with the one she just gave him, "Hey, don't get me wrong, you certainly were someone I had thought about marrying but…I
kinda expected it to be a little further off. Not thrust upon me one week when I came back from a tournament." He nods
his head and then grins at her, "Not that I mind any thrusting we have done in the past, mind you." He chuckles.
"I don't know if we're doing this…" Itami began. "Do you want to?" The question came out faster than she
expected and when she caught herself, she sank further into her seat. This is just awful. She feels like such a fool. "I
didn't know you considered me in that way," she offered more quietly. She snorted a bit, catching up on the joke and
perhaps that was something she needed. The tension in the room was enough to make her want to find a rock to crawl under.
"I have nothing bad to say about that kind of thrusting. However, if…you do consider this, then…I can see what I can
do to manage this issue of wedding planning. I doubt all the planning will be immediate anyway, but it will be fresh in
the minds of people when the time comes."
A glance at her and then he shrugs, "It may be the only way to go." He chuckles, "It has been allowed to become a
village wide announcement." He nods his head and then shrugs, "You and I would have had to and would need to nip this in
the bud much quicker than it has. It isn't a bud anymore." He states, "It has grown." He then looks at the woman more
directly, walking up to her, "Are you up for this sort of thing?"
"I…I don't want to force it if it's too discomforting…" Itami states. "I mean…do you truly love me enough
to allow me to take your hand in marriage? I…err, I mean to take my hand…" She is going to wreck her mother for this
and those two minions! She looked up at Kaidan, purely vulnerable before him. It was clear in her worry that she was
seekng an answer. Hopefully a positive one. "I think I would be up for it."
Walking around the desk, he smiles as he looks at her and then leans in to give her a kiss on the lips. He pets a
hand through her hair and states, "I'd be up for it." He chuckles and then nods, "And I'd be glad to take your hand in
marriage." He then offers her his hand, "I can't give you my hand though. The right one was taken by the Silence and the
left one…well, I did that." He shrugs and chuckles before nodding his head, "Of course, I mean, with an butt like
yours, how can I say no?" He grins and glances at her hips for a moment before looking back up with a grin.
Itami watched Kaidan closely as he approached her and when he moved in for the kiss, she decided that the answer
was pretty clear. She returned the kiss with fervor and caught herself as he began to speak. "You find time to make jokes
in the strangest of circumstances, but…I like it," she laughed, taking his hand in hers. She looked down at her bottom
for a few moments and lofted a brow. "Well, I suppose if you'll be marrying me, you'll be taking everything else with it
as well, hm?" She winked. This moment just became a lot more tense, but in a completely different direction. A good kind
of tense! She doesn't even know what to think other than to say, "I guess that's all settled…Thank you."
"You're welcome." He nods his head, "Now that I have you all nice and 'happy'…I need to go." He stands up and
grins at her. Kaidan winks, "You have paperwork yet to do and I have to go and fill out some, too." He then grins and
starts off toward the door before glancing back to her, "Now, think of this moment for the rest of the day and we can
have dinner together tonight." He chuckles and nods, "Do try to enjoy the rest of your day." He then nods to her as he
starts out.
"Alright…" Itami wanted to say more, but just couldn't find the words to put it all together without it
sounding like a jumbled mess. She simply smiled and nodded, her mind now swirling with what to wear and how to put
herself together. "You too and…enjoy your promotion." Poppit. She was…going to go and talk with her mother. She
thinks it's time to figure out what this really is all about, strange as it was…At least it worked out in her favor.
