A/N: Hey guys! First A/N ever... aha. Sorry about that. Me and my untechnological-ness just doesn't click with computers. Ugh.
So yeah, my story's about KakaHina. Obviously. The first chapter didn't really go anywhere, huh? I guess it was like an intro. I don't really think that this chapter goes very far either (I'm sorry Hina's POV was so short... I just... ran out of ideas there. In my mind, the chapter ended at that certain point. So there) but hopefully I didn't bore you guys. Haha!
Please review! It gives me a major morale boost. :D yup. And feel free to give me suggestions. I'm fine with that. Oh, and correct me if my Naruto info is wrong. Haha. I stopped reading the manga after Garaa "died". :P
Oh, man, there were SO many things I was going to say here... but I just blanked out. Okay, well. Read on, faithful adventurer!
Anyway! First Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or the characters. All rights go to viz media and the creator. :D
2
Full Moons and Fault Lines
There were daggers piercing my skin while I froze under a cold, unforgiving sun. And, to top it all off, I was beginning to feel incredibly awkward.
Hiashi Hyuuga's stare is like a war zone in snow country.
Tsunade was the first one to break the awkward silence. I hate to admit it, but when it came to dealing with unpleasant people, Tsunade had more guts than I did. I tended to declare my hatred of them and then simply walk away. Of course, I couldn't do that now, or I'd be out of a safe place to stay. Damn my luck.
"Hiashi," she glanced over at the girl by his side, overshadowed by the Hyuuga leader's large frame, quizzically, but to be polite, didn't press the matter for the moment. "Hinata. Thank you for accommodating us on such short notice." Tsunade and I bowed respectfully. As Hiashi was returning the bow, I snuck a quick glance at his daughter. I hadn't seen her for over three years, probably due to conflicting mission schedules. She hadn't gotten much taller, having hit her growth spurt at an earlier age. Her face, however, had lost most of its earlier traces of baby fat. She looked older.
Well, at least I thought she looked older. At the current moment, her features were contorted by the shock that seemed to have just hit her. Her mouth was comically open, and her wide eyes were like two twin moons. When my gaze met hers, she looked away, embarrassment momentarily overshadowing her shock. Yeah, I know. I seem to have that effect on people.
I turned my head back quickly before Hiashi could notice. All three of us straightened up, and Hinata rose out of the chair she had been sitting in, trying to repress her surprise for the sake of politeness. At a glance from her father, she bowed and stuttered, "Tsu-Tsunade-sama, Ka…Kakashi-sama. G-Good morning." Her voice hitched on my name and my mouth twitched upward for a moment before I could control it. She didn't seem to be able to wrap her head around the fact that I was the alleged 'traitor.' Then again, neither could I.
We quickly bowed again. I straightened up, only to be nearly buckled over by the weight of Hiashi's stare. Damn. I'd have to spend an entire… who-knows-how-long with him? Merciful Lord, I prayed, please don't abandon me in my time of need.
Hiashi cleared his throat. "Well. I have just finished briefing Hinata on the situation." His voice was like ice. Oh, God, I can't deal with him for the entirety of my stay here.
Tsunade was immediately incensed. "Damn it, Hiashi! I TOLD you not to tell anyone," she snapped, whacking him on the arm. He barely flinched, but I knew that her chakra-laden hit must have hurt. Tsunade was not exactly ladylike in her punches. Believe me, I should know.
Hiashi drew in a breath, irritated. "Yes, I know that," he said through clenched teeth, "but obviously I cannot be expected to care for Hatake-san every day. I have a family to head, you know." Even though he omitted the words, his tone clearly implied, I also have an image to keep up. I tried very hard not to roll my eyes. What a prick.
Tsunade ground her teeth together, pressing her thumb and forefinger to the bridge of her nose. "Fine," she spat. "So, what? You've decided to drop it all on your daughter?" Hinata looked up at the Hokage's mention of her. I began to feel a glimmer of hope. Was I safe? Lord, don't give up on me just yet, I repeated over and over in my head.
Hiashi actually snorted. Oh my god, what was the world coming to? Where were the flying pigs? "That's not exactly the word I would use." He ran his hand through his hair. Tensions were high in this small room. "Hinata will be in charge of taking care of Hatake-san-" My hopes inflated exponentially, even though I knew that Tsunade would be the one who Okayed the idea. "-and making sure no one else finds out that he is here." He turned his icy gaze on his daughter. Man, talk about shooting daggers out of your eyes—Hiashi's glare was more like rapid machine gun fire, straight to the heart. Bam. One look and you're a dead sucker.
Tsunade closed her eyes for patience. "Okay, Hiashi, that's fine. But what will YOU be doing?" The celebration in my head that had begun at the beginning of her sentence ground to a halt when she came to the end of it. Tsunade! Don't bring that up, you fool, I mentally screamed at her. That damn woman was always getting in my way. He didn't need to do anything. I was just fine with having his shy daughter take care of me. Not that I needed taking care of.
Hiashi smirked. "I'll be here if there is a situation that needs immediate, urgent action. But of course, there won't be many." His words pierced Hinata, and I saw her deflate slightly, as if she was made of helium and Hiashi's words were needles, piercing her and slowly draining her of life. "Other than that, and any job assigned to me by you, Lady Tsunade, it will be Hinata's responsibility." I sucked in a breath and had to bite my lip, hard, to keep from grinning. God does answer prayer!
A vein in Tsunade's forehead bulged. "Ugh. Fine," she spat. "But, Hiashi, you will meet me in my office tomorrow morning. And then we will discuss what you will do to actually earn your acquittal." Her voice was poisonous, and with every stressed word, she jabbed her finger into Hiashi's chest. I was glad that, for once, I wasn't on the receiving end of her threats. Tsunade was famous for her hellish PMS cycles.
Hiashi's cool demeanor never wavered. He merely brushed himself off once Tsunade was finished with him and nodded brusquely once. He then waved his hand at Hinata pompously, which I assumed was a command to carry on with getting me situated in this crack house, before exiting the room. I rolled my eyes openly now. What a prick.
Tsunade crossed her arms, huffing exactly like the drama queen that she was. "That man," she grumbled, before tactfully stopping herself from insulting Hinata's father in front of her. I tried not to chuckle at the Hokage's frustration, then turned my gaze on Hinata. The girl was still standing demurely by us, understandably still a bit shocked. Although her face was ashen and her lips were pulled down ever so slightly in an almost imperceptible pout, she was still quite calm, given the situation. I was amazed by her composure. I figured on the inside she was probably attacking a mental voodoo doll of her father with full force. I know I would have if that damn son-of-a… was my father.
Tsunade took my suppressed laughter as a response to her flustered comment. She rounded on me, a familiar stern expression on her face. "Kakashi, you will show respect for the man that is helping to save your skin." Her brown eyes bored into mine, offering no choice but submission. Hell, she never offered any other choice. I rolled by eyes, but nodded. "And no skirt chasing, hm?" Her voice had lowered so that Hinata would not hear. I grinned widely. My reputation as a pervert was still intact after all these years, thank you very much. I may have been nearing my mid-thirties, but I still had it. Yeah, that's right. You can applaud now, if you wish.
"Oh, Tsunade, you really underestimate me," I chuckled. "Do I really seem like that kind of person?" My voice was innocently light. Tsunade snorted. "You and damn Jiraya. I swear, he could have taught you. In fact, sometimes I think he did." She shook her head, feigning shame. I just grinned at her. Not that she could see my teeth, but still… it's the thought that counts, right?
Tsunade looked back up at me, her eyes mischievous. "But, Kakashi, I know you're a man who's not afraid of change." Uh-oh. I didn't like the look in her eyes. Where was she going with this one? "That's why I was so proud of you when you left it at home."
I cocked my head, confused, trying to ignore the feeling of dread that was growing in my stomach. "Left… what at home?" I didn't like the way the events were playing out.
"Your book," Tsunade chirped, her brown eyes dancing and a mocking smile tugging at her lips.
Oh Holy Mother of Jesus.
My book!
My enjoyment! My one escape from reality, gone when I needed it the most!
All my previous happiness immediately fizzled away, like a glass of champagne that had gone flat. I hate flat champagne.
Tsunade merely chuckled and disappeared with a wave to Hinata. She left me drifting in uncharted waters, without even the safety of a familiar distraction to cling to? I was drowning because of my foolishness, and because of that woman.
How could she?
Hinata tapped me on the shoulder, effectively jumpstarting both my thoughts and actions. I blinked, immediately composing myself before turning to face my guardian. Come on, Kakashi, be a man. Breathe, relax. Inhale, exhale. Okay.
I smiled at Hinata, my eyes being the only sign that I was doing so. Thankfully I was good at masking my emotions. I had years of practice. "Well." My voice was smooth, but the drowning man floated just below the surface, clawing desperately for air, for a lifeboat, for something.
Hinata obviously wasn't as good at controlling her emotions as I was. Her moon face was still shocked. "Um… ah…" It took her a few moments to find the right words. "Ka-Ka-Kakashi-san, I—"
She was cut off by a loud bang on the other side of the thin wall. Boisterous voices floated towards us as we both went stone still. The owners of those voices were obviously coming this way. Was the deal up already?
Hinata looked over at me, her pale round eyes looking strikingly similar to two full moons. I heard the sound of the handle being turned. In an instant I had made myself invisible, melting into the shadows and cloaking my chakra. Hinata flitted to the couch, sitting down and quickly pulling a stack of papers into her hands. I was surprised at her quick ingenuity. As for me, I was just thankful that I had goaded Nara Shikamaru into teaching me how to use shadow Jutsu.
Two servants burst into the room, laughing at some crude joke that I found rather infantile. Those fools probably wouldn't know good born if it slapped them in the face. Their laughter died in their throats abruptly as soon as they saw Hinata.
"Ah… L-lady Hinata," the two servants stumbled nervously over their greeting and bowed. I had forgotten that Hinata, being an official adult now, was considered the Lady of the house. As the eldest child, with no mother, it was common sense that she would hold such a rank. "We didn't know you were in here… we came to clean…" I knew they were lying. Those fools had come in here to read a dirty book. Not that I could really condemn them. You know, the whole 'don't point out a smote in your brother's eye if there's a log in yours' thing.
Hinata pursed her lips. I could hear her heart beating rapidly, but she managed to loosely cloak her fear with a look of irritation. "Y-yes, I'm a-actually in the m-middle of important p-paperwork for my fa-father." She gestured regally to the stack of papers in her hands. When I looked closer, I found that they had numbers scrawled haphazardly across their pages. I assumed they were used as scratch paper. I had to smile at my little guardian's cleverness.
The two servants flushed and bowed, backing out of the room and closing the door behind them, muttering apologies all the while. I smirked—fools. I could easily see the book hidden behind their backs. It was Jiraya's newest, no doubt. I chuckled. I had already read it—it was not as good as his previous works.
Hinata's breath slowed and I materialized again. She turned to look at me, her cheeks pale with fright. It just made her face look like a geisha's—white and round, and without the blemishes of commoners or youth. I gave her a lopsided smile; hell, I had thought that was hilarious. She didn't share my mirth. Her eyes were wide, and she looked like a frightened barn owl. I sighed, reaching out a hand and placing it on her head. "Relax," I murmured, "we're fine."
"But… if you had been seen…" her voice died as she imagined the horrors that would have resulted from her servants' foolishness. She shook her head and I moved my hand to her shoulder before leaning down to look in her eyes.
"But we weren't," I stated, my voice smooth so I could even out the rough edges of her fear. "And that's all that matters. Okay?"
She looked up at me and then away again, nodding solemnly. The set of her jaw told me she was still brooding. "Hey. I thought you did great. You're a quick thinker; has anyone ever told you that?" This time when she looked back up at me, there was a foreign emotion glimmering in her moon eyes. It took me a moment to place it, as Hinata wasn't used to being appreciated.
She looked up at me with the glow of a compliment rising in her cheeks. "R-really," She stuttered, "I-I thought—"
I cut her off by moving my hand to her head and patting it brusquely. "You were great. And you know how you could win even more brownie points? You could show me where my room is," I answered as she looked up at me inquisitively.
A slow smile spread across Hinata's face, and I barely had enough time to glimpse its completion before she bowed in flustered agreement. I had never seen her smile genuinely before. I had never seen her eyes sparkle and blood rush to compliment her cheeks. I had never seen her rose lips part to reveal a starry smile.
I won't lie.
It was dazzling.
Even though it was so hot outside, the stairs bit back through the thin soles of my slippers. The echoes of two pairs of footsteps bounced off the cold concrete walls, somehow penetrating the pregnant silence between us.
By us, I meant myself and the man who was walking a few feet behind me. I still found it hard to believe that Kakashi was the alleged traitor. In fact, sometimes I found it hard to believe that Kakashi was even a ninja. He was just so laid back.
The sound of his throat clearing brought my ears back to life. Silence, or semi-silence, has a way of pressing down on your eardrums until you begin to forget what sound sounds like. I started slightly, but couldn't turn to face him without slipping on the dark moss that abounded on the damp staircase. "So. This is quite a ways down," he quipped.
I smiled slightly. "Y-yes," I replied, my voice rough and unfamiliar in my throat from neglect. "My fa-father made s-sure that this b-basement was d-difficult to reach when he b-built it." That was true. Only Hyuugas could get in, granted that they possessed a special access code as well as our clan's signature eyes. The depth of the basement was an additional safety feature, to prevent any unwanted noises from reaching the household. Plus, Father normally betted on his… guests' inability of climbing numerous flights of stairs.
"Why?" Kakashi asked. His smooth voice was casual, as if he was asking about the weather. I chewed on my lip, mulling over how to give him a tactful answer. He didn't seem to mind waiting.
When we reached the bottom of the stairs, I turned to face him, my hand resting behind me on the handle of a nondescript black door. "Well," I admitted, "father d-didn't want a-anyone happening u-upon his 'guests.'"
Kakashi raised an eyebrow—or at least I thought he raised an eyebrow, it was really hard to tell—and leaned in closer to me. "Guests?" His tone was suspicious, to say the least.
I sighed, softly. "That's what Father used to call them." I twisted my wrist, opening the door. "Not that I believe him," I murmured almost inaudibly as I turned and led him inside.
The room was sparsely furnished. There was a futon on the floor, with fresh sheets on it—I wondered how father had managed that—and a desk, complete with a chair, both cold and metallic. A closed black door on the left led to the bathroom, which was another humble show of Hyuuga hospitality. The walls were a gray industrial concrete, and cold seemed to radiate from them. I imagined them as hulking gray monsters with hearts of stone and sightless eyes. Windows were obviously impossible this far underground.
I turned to Kakashi with an apology on my lips, ashamed of the meager quarters my family had provided him with. He smiled at me and spoke before I could. "Thank you. It's much more than I could have hoped for under the circumstances." He really meant it, too. I looked down, blushing.
"Yes, b-but, I w-wish we could have g-given you b-better—" I was cut off by Kakashi as me patted me rather firmly on the head.
"Don't worry about it," he smiled at me, "I love it." His voice was as smooth as a river, rushing softly over the slick rocks on the bottom. When he spoke, I could almost feel the cool water rushing over my body.
I ducked my head in an ashamed nod. Kakashi chuckled; there was the river again, this time sounding more like a gurgling brook. He patted me on the head once more, this time a little bit softer, before moving to put away his belongings.
I leaned against a wall as I watched Kakashi pull framed photographs and a few other memorabilia out of his bag. He casually placed them on his new desk, easily transforming what had formerly been a cold, hard hunk of metal into an object with a comfortable level of human warmth. It seemed that Kakashi was ambidextrous—he could fit in any setting. I smiled. He was also so easygoing that it was hard not to relax around him. He made me feel comfortable, even though I warned myself that getting comfortable around a man accused of criminal acts was not a good idea. I liked this strange new sensation of comfort and I found myself subconsciously seeking more.
That is, until he started unpacking his boxers.
It felt as if someone had lit a fire in my cheeks as I immediately blushed up a storm. I averted my eyes, the unwelcome awkwardness almost instantly replacing the comfort I had lapsed into just moments earlier.
"Ah, um, Ka-Kakashi-san," I stuttered, flustered, "I sh-should go m-make sure my f-family doesn't n-notice my a-absence." Oh dear, my stuttering was even worse than usual. When he looked over at me nonchalantly with a pair of boxers in his hand, I managed to turn a shade redder and burn a hundred degrees hotter. He must think I'm such a freak.
"Oh, yeah, sure," his river-voice drawled, slick and smooth, "go on ahead. I'm sure I can find my way around." He exhaled softly in what was almost a chuckle. I, being the coward that I was, quickly made my escape. There was no way in heck that I would have been caught alone with a man and his underwear. In fact, I should not have even been looking at a man's underwear.
Not that anyone would have been around to catch me.
I flushed even deeper at that indecent thought, and my cheeks, which had just begun to cool down, flamed up again in an explosion of heat and redness. I placed a cool hand on my forehead and leaned my cheek against the icy wall, mentally kicking myself for having such a reaction.
That was when I heard him laughing. It started out as a low throaty chuckle, but then escalated into a crescendo of unstoppable laughter. My cheeks flamed again. He was laughing at me! Really? I mean, I knew that he was older than me—his thirty-four to my twenty made him nearly a decade and a half older than I—but still! It was indecent for an unmarried woman to see a man's undergarments—especially if he wasn't in the family! I fumed silently, concealing my chakra because my pride refused to let him know that I had heard his laughter. I also didn't want him coming outside and laughing in my face. With his nerve, anything was possible.
"She's a funny kid, huh, Obito," Kakashi chuckled as his laughter died down. I started. He was talking normally, as if holding a conversation with someone, but I didn't sense any presence other than the jounin's in the small room of his. "You'd have liked her a lot." I realized he was talking to no one—at least, no one alive. I had heard the stories from squad seven. Obito, his closest friend, had been dead for years now.
"Yeah, you really would have." His voice grew rawer and rawer as he spoke, until I was sure that his throat had been scourged by sandpaper, until I could feel the river in his voice drying up, until I began to believe that if I opened that door I would see him holding his heart in his hands, small and warm and vulnerable.
I closed my eyes and turned my back on that unforgiving door. I noiselessly slipped away, leaving behind a man held together by photographs and memories, by letters and words and promises. I left behind a man crumbling at the edges, his fault lines giving out under years of pressure.
I left because I didn't know how to fix that crumbling man.
I left because running away was the one thing I was good at.
