AN- So…. I got this idea from a picture I was going to make for the Valentine's Day contest on the oekaki boards I draw on. I'm a bit embarrassed writing something like this and posting it... heh. I usually don't do stuff like this.

I hope everyone is in character…. And I don't really know much about Japanese sweets and all that… but I had fun writing this. I love these characters... I wish there was more of them in the manga.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Ao huffed.

This assignment was turning out to be very troublesome.

It was an honor to be chosen as the Mizukage's escort, but he was paired with the spineless Swordsman kid and Godaime Mizukage, who, he figured, was just a touch on the crazy side with her sudden mood swings and death threats.

But protecting her was of the utmost priority on their journey to the Land of Iron for the Kage Summit. Ao refused to keep his guard down until they were safely in Kiri again. It wasn't out of the question for a vengeful ninja to try to assassinate one of the Kage's and, although they were in staying at a rather inconspicuous inn, it was hard to be subtle when the Mizukage was toting around that big hat that made it painfully obvious who she was.

Ao felt apprehensive just being on the other side of the room from the Mizukage, but she had threatened to kill him (with that charming smile on her face) when he told her it was his job to protect her from anything that might endanger her.

Ao grumbled a complaint under his breath as he went to join Chojuro on the other side of the room. The Swordsman had, of course, listened to the Mizukage's request without hesitation and was sitting at the farthest distance possible from the woman. Ao reluctantly sat down next to the kid, the frown on his face deepening when he noticed the kid's fidgeting. The hunter-nin wondered how the heck this kid had managed to become one of the Seven Swordsmen. The new regime the village had now must have been very lax if people like Chojuro were considered skilled enough to be one of the Swordsmen.

The Mizukage had stationed herself at the small table in their room with her back turned to the pair. She was busy working on something, but Ao couldn't tell what from his vantage point. He briefly considered activating his covered Byakugan to see what it was, but he quickly dismissed that idea. It was foolish to use his eye for such a silly thing.

"I'll be right back," the woman stood and smiled. It was directed towards Chojuro. The kid smiled shyly and nodded, a faith blush tinting his pale cheeks a light pink. As she left she gave Ao a pointed glance that made him think twice about following her or using his Byakugan to watch her.

They fell into silence. Ao took the moment to concentrate on the chakras in the area. He easily picked up the warm chakra of the Mizukage somewhere downstairs; she was suppressing her chakra so that it came across as a regular shinobi's level in case they came across another sensor-type. He then scanned the rest of the inn and surrounding area. The few people staying at the inn were civilians and only a few animals were outside.

"Ao," the quiet voice of Chojuro broke the silence after a long moment. The hunter-nin could barely mask his surprise at the kid addressing him; they weren't particularly chatty outside of him lecturing the kid and his occasional long-winded rants about how things were back in his day. It was usually the Mizukage that started the group's small talk and even then it was usually directed towards Chojuro.

"…Yeah what is it?" Ao asked gruffly, completely unsure of what the conversation would be about. The kid's gaze was set intently on the floor, hands fiddling with the hem of his striped blue shirt.

"Um…" the kid's cheeks turned a bright shade of pink as he repositioned his black-rimmed glasses. Ao frowned and crossed his arms when the kid remained silent and fidgety.

"Spit it out already," he growled.

Chojuro glanced at the door and then focused on his hands, which were folded in his lap. "Wha-…. What do you normally do for Valentine's Day?"

Ao's visible eye widened and he leaned away from the kid. "What?" Where had that question come from?

Chojuro glanced at the door again. "It's Valentine's Day." Ao sat back and thought about this revelation. He had been diligently keeping track of the days during the journey and realized that it was, in fact, Valentine's Day. It was just a holiday he usually ignored or forgot about. Back in the Bloody Mist days it had never been celebrated openly. Even after that it was hard for ninjas to celebrate it, especially in Kiri, but he knew civilians went to painful lengths to make everything into a gag inducing pink.

Ao had never really partaken in Valentine's Day; he was usually alone or on a mission. And he wasn't one for any sort of romantic entanglements either; they were just distractions. He had been through the graduation process during the Bloody Mist days and then later became a hunter-nin. It was hard for him to look at someone and not see their inner workings or the best way to dissect and dispose of their corpse. But he knew what most people did. They usually exchanged cheesy cards and gave chocolates or flowers… it was such a stupid holiday. Konoha had probably created it.

When he met the expecting eyes of Chojuro, Ao shrugged. "I don't know, back in my day-" Chojuro cut him off with a small laugh. The Swordsman's sharpened teeth shown behind his parted lips. The sight of them was always a bit disconcerting since it made the quiet, innocent kid seem much more predatory. Ao wondered briefly if those teeth made it hard to eat. The older man scowled at how unruly the kid was… he had no respect for his elders. "I don't know!" He said again, glaring at Chojuro. This whole conversation seemed like one a pair of women would have. The idea of being in such a womanly situation made him cringe. "People usually buy chocolates and sweets… crap like that."

Chojuro's face seemed to brighten when the older man answered. "Do you think they have anything like that here?"

Ao huffed, "I don't know, probably." Why couldn't this kid just man up and find out for himself?

The kid's gaze fell to the floor and a bright pink colored his cheeks. "Do you think Mizukage-sama would like that?"

The older man nearly buried his face in his palm. Of course. The kid had it bad for the auburn-haired woman. It was painfully obvious to anyone but the woman herself, it seemed. He just wished the kid would grow a pair and confront her about it. Ao understood a bit of his hesitation (she was the Mizukage after all), but the kid was painfully shy. "She's a woman, I would imagine so." Seriously, how had a kid like Chojuro become one of the Swordsmen?

Chojuro stood, a small smile on his lips and looks of determination in his eyes. "Thank you, Ao-san." With that he left the older man alone.

Ao sighed in relief and leaned back, closing his visible eye.

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Chojuro hurried down to the dining area the group had eaten dinner earlier that night. He recalled some sweets being on the menu, but he wasn't sure if the kitchen was still open or not. He hoped it was. Silently he walked to the kitchen where he had spoken to the chef earlier about dinner. The inn was small and family owned with a friendly chef who was open to make special orders if he had the materials.

"Ah Chojuro-san!" The chef, Hiroshi, was young, in his 20's maybe, with a round, kind face and heavy-set build. "What can I do for you?"

Chojuro repositioned his glasses as the floor suddenly became very interesting. "D-Do you have anything sweet? I want to-uh… I mean, Mizukage-sama-" Hiroshi cut of his stuttering with a hardy laugh.

The chef gave Chojuro a knowing look. "Of course, of course…" Hiroshi smiled and looked behind him, into the depth of the small kitchen. His eyes fell on the skewered dumplings he was about to grill. "I have some Mitarashi Dango I was making to share with my sister, but you can have them." Chojuro opened his mouth to protest, but the chef held up his hand. "I can always make more." With that Hiroshi turned and busied himself with finishing the dango.

A few minutes later Hiroshi handed him a plate with the syrup-covered dango. Chojuro smiled and thanked the chef before turning to head back to the room. Mizukage was probably back already from whatever she had left to do. He hurried out of the dining area and into the small bar and lounge.

"Chujuro," a familiar feminine voice made him stop in his tracks. The auburn-haired Mizukage was twisted in her chair at the bar to face him, a smile gracing her features. The sight of her beautiful smile made the Swordsman grin shyly. His feet moved on their own accord and he soon found himself beside her. In front of her on the bar was a bottle of sake and her cheeks were tinted a light shade of pink. "What have you got there?" Her gaze fell onto the plate of dango Chojuro was holding and eyed them curiously.

The Swordsman blushed and looked away from her. "I-" He considered lying, but he just couldn't. "… I got them for you, Mizukage-sama."

Her eyes were back on the Swordsman, a look of surprise flashed briefly across her face before she smiled. She placed a hand on his shoulder, drawing his gaze back to her. With her other hand she took the plate from him and set it on the bar, next to her bottle of sake. "Let's share," she said, patting the empty seat next to her while moving her chair to give him room to climb into the chair. Once he sat down, she moved her seat closer and picked up a skewer. Instead of bringing it to her mouth, she leaned in close and held the skewer so that it hovered in front of Chojuro's mouth.

The confused Swordsman looked at the dumpling in front of him and then at the smiling Mizukage. Slowly he opened his mouth and took the sauce-covered dumpling into his mouth. Mei watched as he chewed and smiled again before she took the second dumpling for herself. When Chujuro swallowed the tasty treat, he smiled showing his row of sharp teeth. Mei gave a hum of pleasure as she swallowed, a small glob of sauce clung to the corner of her mouth. She didn't seem to notice.

"Uh… Mizukage-sama…" He motioned to the corner of his own mouth. Mei blinked and then quickly wiped the sauce off with a finger and licked the sauce off of it. Chojuro's mouth went dry and the blood drained from his face.

A concerned look came over Mei's face. "Are you okay? You look a bit feverish…" She placed a hand on the back of his neck, pulling him forward as she leaned her head in to meet his. Their foreheads touched lightly.

"I-I'm fine," he tried moving away, but the hand on his neck kept him firmly in place. Butterflies were going crazy in his stomach. After lingering a moment longer than necessary, Mei pulled back and frowned slightly. She turned towards the bar and gulped down a glass full of sake before filling it up again.

Sighing, she finished off the remaining dumplings on the skewer in a hurry. A sadness filled her eyes as they lost focus for a moment. "I hate Valentine's Day." A wave of panic shot through Chojuro. Had he upset Mizukage by giving her the treat? He suddenly felt rather foolish and stared intently at the polished wood surface of the bar. A soft hand on his shoulder made him look up. Mei was smiling warmly and holding the second dumpling covered skewer, offering the first one to him like before. "Usually," she added. Chojuro grinned as relief flooded him and he released the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. After he ate the first dumpling, Mei had the second, "They're good." She leaned in and pressed her lips to his cheek. "Thank you."

Chojuro's mind was blank and all he could do was grin like an idiot.

"Come on," she said after finishing the last dumpling. "Ao's probably grumpy from being left alone." She deposited a few coins onto the bar and stood. Chojuro followed and the pair began the short journey back to their shared room. As they walked, he played with the hem of his sleeves all the while stealing glances at Mei.

They came to a halt in front of the door to their room and Mei's hand paused on the handle. Instead she turned to him and ruffled his mop of short blue hair affectionately. "Thanks again," she said with a smile, withdrawing her hand.

Chojuro returned the smile shyly, looking at the floor. "You're welcome, Mizukage-sama." Mei moved to open the door, but stopped once again as she seemed to remember something.

"Oh, Chojuro," the Swordsman looked up to find Mei's face inches from his own again. Heat spread across his cheeks and his breath hitched. "By the way…" Her soft lips pressed against his for a short moment.

"You can call me Mei."