Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.
Special Thanks: goes out to xxxxUnKNoUnxxxx and DarkAnonymous324 for your reviews, and everyone that put this story on their alert and favorites lists!
Author's Note: I feel the need to explain one thing before we get into the chapter. Since this is a somewhat alternate reality, the Uchiha massacre thus did not happen. I'm writing Itachi and Sasuke more as they were in canon before that happened, when they still had that brotherly bond, and how that might have continued on had the massacre not happened. I did try to keep them as close to themselves as I could, though, all things considered, so I hope that translated well. Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!
*~Chapter II~*
~Good Fortune~
Tenten soon discovered the Hyuuga estate to be even more impressive up-close than it appeared from a distance. She remembered Kakashi telling her only the day before that Hinata's clan held the leading position in the village. So where, she wondered, were the young lady's guards? Surely even a minor member of the family wouldn't be allowed out in the market all by herself, no matter how safe a place Konoha was! A distant relative could be used just as effectively as a pawn as a more significant member, should someone canny enough come along to try it. Kakashi had shared some of his experiences with her, when in order to prevent a repeat he'd been hired by an important clan after such a thing had happened.
And yet- She said something about wanting her father to meet me, went through Tenten's mind. In between automatically scanning their surroundings for any possible danger she stole doubtful glances at the unusually pale girl towing her along. As unlikely as it seems, maybe she's not such a minor member of the Hyuuga after all.
That uneasy suspicion exploded into fullfledged certainty when they reached the entrance to the compound. Everyone in the visible vicinity went into an uproar when Hinata walked up to the gates - apparently, the wrong side of the gates. Tenten tried to remain invisible as the young woman was surrounded by commotion - although even throughout the tumult, she never let go of Tenten's wrist.
"All right, everyone, that's enough!" A tallish man in a guard captain's uniform pushed his way to them. "Search details are dismissed! Gate security, back to your stations!" The area around them cleared rapidly. Taking an oversized toothpick out of his mouth, the new arrival bowed and said, "Lady Hinata, it's good to see that you are safe." As he straightened, he swept Tenten with a piercing look that, she felt uncomfortably, missed no detail of her appearance or deportment. However, when he returned his gaze to her companion, she did not miss the almost imperceptible softening of his stern expression. "Milady, I have orders to escort you directly to your father's office upon your, um, return."
"I-I underst-stand, Captain Genma," the girl replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "I even ex-expected it. We will g-go with you n-now."
He hesitated, looking again at Tenten. "Pardon me, Lady Hinata, but if I may ask-"
Hinata's grip tightened an incredible degree more on her wrist. "Sh-she saved m-my l-life. I w-want her to c-come with m-me." Captain Genma bowed an acknowledgement and gestured for the two girls to precede him.
As they walked along a walkway of pristine white stone leading to the tall building Kakashi had pointed out the day before, Tenten couldn't help but take quick glances around the immaculate grounds. She'd read about places like this, but never in her wildest dreams had she ever expected to be in one! With every step toward the intimidating structure, her nerves twisted tighter, and she couldn't help but wonder: What on earth was Kakashi going to think?
Inside, they quickly crossed a vast circular white space, past a blur of staring faces. They entered an upward-spiraling corridor paneled and floored in subtle patterns of blond woods. Tenten felt as though she wore a bracelet fashioned from ice, so cold were Hinata's encircling fingers.
Finally the corridor came to an end in front of a double set of massive wooden doors carved with a clan crest. Four guards stood there, a pair on either side. The innermost two men immediately swung the panels open. Captain Genma hung back as Hinata led Tenten into what was obviously a waiting area. They crossed to an inner door, this one a normal shouji, its rice paper panels delicately figured with white-on-white designs. Just before they reached it, it slid open. As soon as they'd passed through, the man who'd opened it from the other side slipped out and silently shut it again behind them.
Hinata had still not let go of Tenten's wrist. In fact, Tenten could no longer feel her hand. They approached the low desk on the far side of the room, the young woman's entire body now visibly shaking, a violent trembling that physically communicated itself through her deathgrip. Frankly, Tenten couldn't blame her. Besides the fact that the office they were standing in seemed designed in its austere elegance to be oppressively intimidating, the glare in the icy white eyes of the dove grey kimono-clad man seated behind the desk made her knees go weak - and he hadn't even seemed to notice her yet.
Falling to her knees, Hinata yanked Tenten down with her and bowed low, pale eyes fixed firmly on the floor. The silence stretched out - and out - and out. Tenten wished for a crazy moment that he would say somethng, anything, just to break that awful silence; then just as quickly hoped he wouldn't, fearing it would be intolerably worse.
"Well." Even Tenten flinched at the biting chill in that single word when the as-yet-unnamed man finally spoke. "From the clothes you are wearing, I see you somehow induced the Yamanaka girl to assist you in your defiance of me."
"N-no, Father." Hinata did not sit up but spoke from her bowing position. "Ino knows n-nothing about th-this. At f-first I j-just wanted t-to see what I l-looked like in what everyb-body else wears. That's w-why she b-brought them. Th-then, when I went to g-give them b-back to her, she l-laughed and s-said I l-looked so g-good in them, to j-just k-keep them, she had p-plenty more. I d-didn't have the idea m-myself until d-days af-after that." She paused, then added in a whispered rush, "I o-only w-wanted t-to s-see the v-village l-like a n-normal p-person w-would!"
Silence fell again. Tenten marveled at the other girl, not knowing if she could have made such a response in the face of such stifling disapproval. And this is her father? she thought incredulously.
"'Like a normal person.' This from the lips of the heiress of the Hyuuga, the future leader of Konoha!" At those scornful, mocking words Tenten heard the tiniest of whimpers escape Hinata's lips. Another pause, and his voice suddenly cracked like one of the little fireworks that were set off at New Year's. "And who is this person you have seen fit to involve in this disgraceful affair?"
Please, don't mind me, I'm nobody, and if it's okay with you, I'll just be going now. At the same moment those words skittered through Tenten's mind, she heard Hinata reply, "This is T-T-Tenten. She s-saved m-me. She's here with her b-brother. B-Both are b-b-b-bodyguards f-for hire."
Tenten imagined she could actually feel his searingly cold gaze fix on her. "You, girl: Who is your brother?"
Having realized long ago that she was suddenly face-to-face with the leader of the village, Tenten deepened her bow until her forehead touched the floor. "He is Hatake Kakashi, Lord Hyuuga, a man of Konoha."
"Hn." Used to people reacting in surprise and awe at hearing the name, Tenten listened closely for it in that coldly contemptuous voice and felt surprised on detecting it. When he spoke again, his tone was less severe. "Sit up, girl. Have you or your brother come on commission to this village, or are you looking for work?"
She obeyed, though she had to clear her throat twice before she could speak again. Even though he didn't look as severe as he had when she first came in, she still couldn't shake off the intimidation induced by the man. She instantly decided she'd rather face down twenty assassins than him any day. "We've come looking for work, Lord Hyuuga."
He nodded once, studying her from beneath lowered brows with those pale, pale eyes. "Can you read and write?"
Allowing her gaze to drift over his shoulder, Tenten focused on the scroll hanging on the wall. "'A man's leadership of his village means nothing if his home is wrought with despair,'" she read easily.
One eyebrow tilted upwards. "Impressive," he said. "My daughter, apparently, needs a bodyguard who can protect her at all hours of the day and night, which you can do since you are a female, and also prevent her from indulging in another such outrageous escapade. As for your wages..." He named a figure that made Tenten's eyes widen slightly. "Hinata, you and I will discuss additional consequences of your actions at a later time - as well as the precise manner in which you left the estate. For now, you may both go. On your way, Tenten, tell Genma where your brother is lodging, then send him in to me." He turned his attention to the scroll unrolled on the desk before him, his hair - almost as dark as his daughter's - falling forward to curtain his face from view.
Tenten's ire briefly flared at being so abruptly dismissed - not to mention the fact that she hadn't even been given time to think about the job, let alone accept or reject it! - but relief almost instantly overwhelmed it. Hinata tugged on Tenten's wrist again; the two girls quietly slipped out of the office and all but fled across the reception area. Despite feeling dazed and out of touch with reality, she managed to tell the guard captain the address of her and Kakashi's hotel. Then, as he went into the office they'd just quitted, Hinata tilted her head to indicate Tenten should follow her and (finally!) let go of the brunette's wrist.
"This b-building is almost all offices," she whispered. "P-please c-come with me, and we'll g-go to my quarters in the m-main h-house."
Tenten bowed. "Yes, Lady Hinata," she said, her tone sounding unusually subdued even to herself. And did she imagine it, or did her new charge seem to be blinking back tears as she turned to lead the way?
Neither girl spoke again as they walked from the tower to the main house. Tenten experienced a brief but intense desire to throw out her arms and embrace the warmth and sunlight after the wintry atmosphere of the Hyuuga lord's office, so in contrast with the vibrancy of the village he ruled. Her charge, however, didn't relax until they reached a luxurious suite of rooms filled with all the appointments a woman of her status deserved, as well as the color her father's office conspicuously lacked.
The raven-haired heiress turned to Tenten, her fingers fidgeting nervously in front of her midriff. A painfully intense look filled her eyes. She seemed to be struggling to say something, but after a moment gave it up with a soft sigh as she looked away. "H-Have you had any b-breakfast?" she asked softly.
Tenten blinked at the unexpectedly prosaic question, just then realizing she still carried the leather bag full of food she'd purchased in the market; had still had it, in fact, all through that nightmarish interview. "No," she replied just as softly. Pulling the strap off her shoulder and over her head, she lifted it in the air with a sheepish smile. "This was supposed to be breakfast for myself and my brother."
Hinata moved to press a button set in a panel next to the wooden frame of the outer door. "I-I'll call for a servant to b-bring us something," she said. "I-I sneaked out b-before b-breakfast, and I-I felt too ex-excited to eat while in the m-market." Spreading her arms, she indicated their surroundings. "W-Welcome t-to your new home," she whispered.
Uchiha Itachi crossed the courtyard of his family's estate in several long strides, sliding open the door to the main room of the main house with more force than his usual easygoing personality warranted. "What is this?" he demanded, holding up the thin slip of paper in his hand.
To his chagrin, the only people present to witness his outburst were his mother, Mikoto, and his younger brother, Sasuke, who were seated across a low table from each other having tea. They stared at him with dark eyes that mirrored his own, except for the puzzlement filling theirs as they looked from his face to the piece of paper he dangled in his outstretched hand and back again.
Sasuke scrambled to his feet, reaching out for the paper as he advanced across the room. Itachi promptly snatched it away from the eighteen-year-old's grasp, trying to moderate his scowl as he ignored his brother's at the same time. "Where is Father?" he asked Mikoto.
She shrugged gracefully. "At police headquarters, I should think," she replied. "It is the middle of the day." Despite the light lilt in her voice, her eyes held an anxious expression as she stared at her older son. "Shall I pour you a cup of tea, my son?"
"He'll be home for dinner," Sasuke interjected helpfully, still leaning around as he tried to get a look at what Itachi steadfastly kept hidden from him.
Resisting the urge to poke him in the forehead as he had done when they were younger, Itachi sighed. "I thought he was supposed to be off today?" Although he'd meant to sound firm, his words came out as more of a question.
Once again, Mikoto shrugged. "A messenger from headquarters arrived not too long after you'd finished your breakfast and left us. Your father said he couldn't tell me what the problem was, just that something important had come up and he had to go immediately."
Reading her body language, Itachi saw that his mother knew about the contents of the letter he'd just read - she just wasn't wanting to talk about it. But he couldn't figure out if she was waiting until Fugaku got home, or if she didn't want to discuss matters with Sasuke still in the room. "I suppose it can wait a little longer," he sighed and bowed slightly. "Excuse me for bursting in on you so rudely, Mother, little brother." He slipped out and started back toward his room in the opposite wing of the sprawling house.
Unsurprisingly, he heard the door rattle open and closed again behind him. A few seconds later, Sasuke caught up to his older brother, altering his strides as he tried to match Itachi's longer ones. "Come on, big brother," he wheedled. "You're the next leader of the clan, and I'm supposed to be your main advisor. Can't you tell me what's so desperate?"
For a brief moment, Sasuke no longer appeared eighteen. Itachi saw him as an eight year old again, the spoiled little brother who always managed to be the very worst of pests at the very worst of times. Itachi adored his sibling, but sometimes, his brother's hero worship and desire to be involved in everything Itachi did got a little annoying. "Perhaps later," he said distantly. "Right now, we've both got other important matters needing our full attention. Or I do, at least."
Sasuke's expression shifted into a scowl as he crossed his arms and slinked off in the opposite direction. Surprised he'd given up so easily, Itachi stared after him. He's planning something. I'll have to be careful to keep the letter with me, so he won't get a chance to read it. At the reminder of the note, he lifted it to glare at the precise, if somewhat hurried, calligraphy again.
What does Father plan, and why didn't he talk to me before he proceeded even this far? Frustrated at his father's apparant lack of trust and his own naivety, Itachi half-slammed the door to his room while composing ten different responses in his mind. Then, as a new thought occurred to him, he froze with his hand halfway to his pen. Did he, perhaps, just forget to tell me? It didn't seem likely, but Fugaku had been acting distant and distracted as of late. As not just the head of the Uchiha clan, but also the head of Konoha's police force, with the attendant pressure and pride involved in maintaining the village's safety and security at high levels, there usually was more than enough going on to keep him preoccupied.
Withdrawing his hand, Itachi leaned back in his seat and turned his gaze to the window over his desk. For now, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. Sighing, he lifted his left hand toward his forehead, then paused when he realized that he'd clenched his fist around the troublesome dispatch. One by one, he forced the muscles of his hand to relax, then laid the note on the desk and smoothed the wrinkles out as best he could.
Father, what are your intentions? Why have you done this?
Things apparently got accomplished very quickly within the walls of the Hyuuga estate. Within ten minutes, a pair of female servants arrived with trays of food. They swiftly set out an array of mouthwatering dishes on a beautifully crafted low table set in front of sliding doors that were opened to reveal a lush garden. Tenten followed Hinata's action in kneeling on the silken cushions placed around the table.
"Please eat, T-Tenten," Hinata said as she lifted a teapot and poured for both of them. "If there's ever anything y-you w-would l-like to h-have, anything y-you especially l-like, p-please don't hesitate t-to ask f-for it."
Tenten murmured her thanks, suddenly feeling much less hungry. An awkward silence fell as they began to eat. She noticed the heiress apparently didn't have much of an appetite either. She wondered what Hinata was thinking, now that events had slowed. Did she regret her impulsive action of insisting Tenten remain with her? Had she realized her father evidently intended for Tenten to be the heiress's jailer, as well as her bodyguard?
Her thoughts took a sideways jump. And what of her brother? Had the guard captain (Genma, was it?) found him and told him what was going on? Unconsciously she bit her lip, wishing she'd thought to send her leather bag with the captain, so Kakashi could have breakfast as well.
Another crew of servants showed up with a rolled up futon for Tenten, which they carried into Hinata's bedroom, along with an intricately carved chest to hold her belongings. Tenten blinked at it in awe. By far larger than anything she'd ever owned in her life, she thought ruefully that when someone finally brought her belongings to her, their number would seem so pitiful after being placed inside something so grand.
After breakfast, Hinata summoned her maid to help her freshen up and change back into her normal kimono; just in case, she confided, her father decided he wanted to talk to her further. Only a few minutes after she disappeared into the bathing area, the shouji door into the sitting room of the heiress's quarters rattled open, startling Tenten, who'd been admiring one of the painted scrolls adorning the walls.
Yet another servant - the fifth one she'd seen since she'd entered Hinata's quarters, or maybe the sixth or the seventh - slipped in, carrying the familiar packs containing the few belongings she'd left at the hotel. However, unlike when the others had come in, two guards hovered in the doorway watching. He set them down a few paces away inside the door, then bowed and left, all without raising his head, or even so much as looking at her. Her attention caught, she felt her forehead pucker as she stared after him. I wonder what that was all about? They didn't take their eyes off him for a second! Tenten sighed as she went to lift the backpack and much smaller hip pack. I sure hope someone - like, oh, Kakashi! - shows up with my katana and the rest of my weapons. She took them into the bedroom, her mind still worrying over the oddness of this latest visitation from the servants' quarters and indeed, the overall atmosphere of the establishment. I've been here only an hour, and already I can't get over how ... tense everyone is. It's like they're waiting for something or someone to snap. She could almost feel the tension singing along her own nerves, responding to what she sensed in everyone else. What in the world have I gotten myself into?
Knock! Knock-knock! Knock-knock!
Tenten jumped up and ran for the sitting room door, recognizing that knock. Sliding it open, she launched herself at the person on the other side, wrapping her arms around his neck as she kissed his masked cheek. "Kakashi!" she cried.
Grinning, her brother lifted her off her feet in a brief hug and then teasingly batted at one of her hair buns after he'd set her down again. "You little genius," he said admiringly. "We haven't even been here twenty-four hours yet, and already you've found us both jobs."
Brightening, Tenten took Kakashi's hand and pulled him into the sitting room. "You found one, too?"
"Yep. Just in the middle of reading your note a knock came on the door, and I opened it to find an old friend of mine standing there-"
"Kakashi, are you 'old friends' with everyone in this village?" Tenten broke in, scoffing incredulously.
"Stop interrupting me, Panda. Now where was I? Oh yes. Anyway, Genma told me that you'd been hired on to be the Hyuuga heiress's personal bodyguard, and Lord Hyuuga wished to speak with me immediately. He said to pack up all our belongings and follow him immediately." He indicated her bags. "Hope I didn't miss anything."
Tenten waved her hand. "Just my katana, and shuriken, and a few other little things like that - which you'd better have brought with you, by the way," she added, knowing with absolute certainty that he would have. It was one of their major rules, never to allow anyone but themselves to have possesion of the tools of their livelihood. Besides, she'd noticed the bundle on his back when he'd hugged her. "Go on, get to the good part!" She hoped, hoped, hoped that Lord Hyuuga had hired Kakashi to be a guard of some sort for the premises. Although accustomed to being away from her brother for short periods of time, she had a feeling her newest job was somewhat more - permanent than any of her others. She didn't relish the idea of not getting to see Kakashi but maybe every once in a while.
"Hmm, if you insist. Anyway, Lord Hyuuga asked if I had any prior commitments in the village almost before I even made it all the way into his office. When I replied in the negative, he instantly named a figure and said I was hired as his personal bodyguard." Chuckling nervously, he rubbed the back of his head. "This all feels rather sudden, but..."
"I know what you mean." Tenten nodded. "Oh, I hoped, hoped, hoped that Lord Hyuuga would offer you a position here! When I told him you were my brother, I could tell he was impressed, even though he tried awfully hard not to let on he was."
Kakashi patted her on top of her head. "Someone has to keep an eye on you, after all." Even behind his mask, it was obvious he was grinning.
"Oh!"
The soft, startled exclamation behind them brought their attention to Hinata, now standing in the doorway between her bedroom and the private sitting room of her suite.
"Lady Hinata!" Tenten bowed. "May I introduce to you my brother, Hatake Kakashi."
The Hyuuga's cheeks flushed bright red as she pushed the tips of her index fingers together nervously. "I-It's a p-pleasure t-to meet you," she said shyly.
"And you as well." Kakashi followed Tenten's lead and bowed deeply. "Please excuse the intrusion, Lady Hinata. Your father just hired me as his personal bodyguard. I wanted to come tell my sister before I began my official duties."
A soft smile lit Hinata's delicate features. "I-I'm glad," she whispered. "I-I s-so hoped that F-Father hiring T-Tenten wouldn't c-cause problems and separate the t-two of you. "
Kakashi offered another quick bow, then swatted Tenten's other hair bun just before passing her bundled weapons to her. "Farewell, ladies. I'm sure we'll be seeing each other again." He slipped out, quietly sliding the door shut behind him.
Hinata padded across the room, her long, thin fingers plucking nervously at the sleeve of her lavender silk kimono. "Your brother is n-nice," she whispered. "I l-look forward to knowing him b-better. I'm glad F-Father hired him, too. And I know you'll have t-to c-call me 'Lady' sometimes, b-but p-please, in h-here, I'm j-just Hinata." She smiled wistfully.
Tenten smiled back, finally feeling a little more comfortable about the fast-paced events of the morning, and the dizzying turnaround in her and Kakashi's fortunes. "I am, as well," she replied. "Thank you, Hinata."
Despite the strange feeling pervading the Hyuuga estate, perhaps working there wouldn't be quite so bad, after all.
Note to self: Next time you see Kakashi, apologize for ever doubting him.
*~To Be Continued~*
Author's Ending Notes: So some questions have been answered - and yet more have arisen. Thank you all again so much for your interest in my story, and I'll see you all again for the next chapter!
