Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
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Kakashi Hatake: (Past) 15 years old. (Present) 31 years old going to 32. Hinata Hyuga: (Past) 16 years old (Present) 17 years old…going to 18.
Chapter Four
It was already past noon when the two Konohans decided to stop. The sun was high above their heads and it was getting hot. He can also see that Hinata was sweating a lot. The girl was panting softly, wiping at her brow every few minutes. Kakashi was not at all tired; it would take a great deal of physical strain and time to make him that tired. But he figured that the girl could use some rest.
"Let's stop for a while. I'm hungry." He muttered, looking around as he checked the area that they were in. Trees were everywhere, creating good cover if they chose to stop right now. He was not really hungry—he could go on without food for days—but it was a good excuse. Mentally, he counted how many lies he has managed to babble in just one day.
The Hyuga looked thankful for the short stop. Looking at the older man, she realized that he was looking just the same as when they left the village gates. He was not even sweating like she was. No short breaths and no tired look. He was surprisingly…fresh.
The very thought made Hinata picture herself mentally. Tired face, messy blue hair, and wet clothes. The very image inside her head made her grimace. It just showed that she couldn't keep up with the copy ninja's stamina. He was not even breaking a sweat and here she was, looking like she was going to get dehydrated any minute. "I…I've got food sensei."
Kakashi clicked his tongue.
Hinata's eyes widened and she clasped her hands over her mouth. "Oh! Gomenasai… I mean… Kakashi-san." He told her a few hours ago that she needed to stop with the sensei. She was not sure if Kakashi was really that conscious about his age. He looked like the guy that didn't really care, although she had a sneaking suspicion that he was just doing it for the sake of getting off the awkwardness between them since it was their first mission together.
And a mission that was not really intended for her in the first place.
"That's better." Kakashi seated himself on the grass, crossing his legs as he began to rummage through his pack. After digging like a miner, he muttered a muffled "Aha" when he fished out a pouch of food pills and a cup of ramen—the instant-just-add-water kind. He then cheerfully ripped the foil cover of the ramen cup and looked at the contents expectantly.
Then his happy face dropped. Even behind the cover of the mask, Hinata could see the distress on the older man's face. She knew what his problem was and she giggled softly as she opened her pack and pulled out a bento box wrapped in a white cloth. With pride, Hinata knew that she was good in cooking and her teammates were always dying to get their hands on her food. Naruto even said that she was a good cook when he tasted her cooking once. "Rivals Ichirakus" were his exact words.
Maybe it was time to let Kakashi taste it.
"I have food Kakashi-san." Hinata removed the cloth and opened the bento. "I would be very happy to share." Peering at him, she saw that he placed the cup of ramen on the ground beside him. His one eye scrutinized the food on the bento, especially one rice ball in particular that weirdly looks like him. "You can't eat that without hot water." Hinata pointed at the ramen cup. She was sure that was Kakashi's dilemma. He forgot to bring hot water for his ramen. Now that she thought about it, it was also like traveling with Kiba-kun. The Inouzuka was hopeless when it comes to packing things for the mission…and always ends up relying on her.
Maybe Kakashi-sensei was like that too.
"Is that supposed to be…" His one gloved hand pointed at himself. The rice ball has a mask, craftily made by delicious dried black bean paste. It also had a forehead protector with a Konohan insignia on it.
The girl lowered her head to avoid looking at the man's eyes. "I made that rice ball after you Kakashi-san." She felt weird saying that. Really. "I got really excited when the mission was given to me… And when lady Tsunade told me that you're going to be my… partner. So I figured that I could make one for you. I always make rice ball for my team… and Naruto-kun."
Okay…maybe that will brand her in the weird department in Kakashi's book.
"That's… nice." The guy muttered.
Pulling out a pair of chopsticks, she divided the food evenly into two and gave him the other half, all the while staring on the ground. She was embarrassed. Maybe it was a very…bold move. Though Hinata could not fathom what was bold about making a rice ball that looked like her jounin sensei…
All she wanted to do was to break the ice, really…
Kakashi noticed the girl's face and he mentally head slammed himself on the ground. He was not supposed to sound like a jerk. He was just surprised at such an act. Especially that in their "past" encounters… and by past, he really means way, way past—Hinata has made him a rice ball that looks like him too.
Talking about old memories… Old memories that were only remembered by him.
Hinata picked her food as an awkward silence began to envelop them. To pass the time as they , she decided to debrief herself with the mission and take her head off the nonsensical things. Turning her back to the copy ninja, she allowed him the privacy of eating without looking at his face. Sakura told her once that team seven has tried almost everything to get the mask off—but it seemed like it was forever glued to his face. Taking that fact to heart, she edged a little further from him.
"Uhm…why are you…"
"So that you can eat without a mask on." Hinata answered, her back to him. "It's hard to eat with a mask on…right Kakashi-san? Y-you can take it off…I promise I won't look." Hence the back-turning.
"It's okay. You can eat facing me…it's your food after all."
Hinata turned herself like a wheel. "But you never removed your—"
"I always use an illusion jutsu when I eat. So have no worries." It was the first time that a mission partner was the first one to allow him the privacy to eat. The usual scenarios that he gets were people trying to do everything they can to trick him into showing his face. Smiling, he realized that it was a good change.
"Oh." There was no disappointment in her voice, just the words that usually accompanies a shrug and 'whatever' or 'I don't care'. Then the girl started eating again, trying to make it look like it was not a big deal.
Kakashi ended up staring.
Shaking his head, he gave a sigh and began to eat his food. The girl was a good cook. "Wow…tastes good Hinata-chan." He gave her one of those one-eyed smiles of his. "And I am not even joking. Though I am a little worried about eating my mini-me." With that, he pointed at a half eaten Kakashi-rice ball. "It feels so wrong...and he looks so cute."
"Really?" Hinata giggled a bit and lightened up. "You like it Kakashi-san?"
"I'd be a fool if didn't."
"I'm glad." Hinata beamed. "I got to admit that I am a little worried to hear your critique."
"It's delicious. So no need to worry."
After eating, the two continued on their way. This time, they used the tree tops as their path for the forest was getting thicker. It would be hard to detect other nins or fellow travelers. Kakashi suggested that Hinata stopped using her Byakugan to conserve her chakra in case they get on some trouble along the way. They were on an A-class mission after all…they can never be sure what kinds of danger they were going to get themselves into.
Hinata was surprisingly fast. What she lacks in strength, her speed and feather like feet make up for it. Kakashi didn't even have to wait for her, for she can keep up with his pace just as fine. He was also impressed at how she can manage to be so silent in her movements.
Maybe it was because she was lightweight, Kakashi reasoned. He was silent in his movements too… but he just can't help feeling impressed. After all, he witnessed how the girl worked very hard to be a decent Kunoichi. He knew how hard her father was to her when she failed on missions and couldn't keep up to his expectations.
Hyuga Hiashi was a jerk.
"There's a town a few kilometers away. We can spend the night in one of the inns there."
"I never knew there was a town outside Konoha's borders." Hinata tilted her head to the side to see the tall ninja that was tree hopping like her. He was holding his Icha-Icha book and for a moment, she stared at it, bewildered. How could he read and travel atop the trees at the same time? It really escaped her. Kakashi was truly a walking mystery.
A few seconds of staring and she looked away from the book and into his lazy, masked face. "That would be great Kakashi-san. I prefer to sleep in the comfort of an inn than to spend the night in the cold forest," she said with a grateful smile. Kakashi was not looking at her though; he was busy flipping another page of his book.
"It's a small town. Fit for travelers..."
"I see…" When she was on missions with team eight, they were usually assigned on places west of the leaf. And right now, she and Kakashi were traveling north. She has had no chance to use the northern route yet, so she reckoned that it was normal for her not to know that a town exists.
"It's a rugged place though… people of all sorts are in there. So we need to be careful. I suggest you remove the forehead protector off your neck."
"Hai."
It was already dark when they reach the said town. Just like Kakashi said, it was a rugged kind of town. It was not very clean… and people were looking suspiciously at each other like anyone could pounce on them any minute. As they walked the busy street, Hinata couldn't help but edge closer to the older jounin. If he knew about this town, she was sure that he knew his way around.
As they were walking along the busy street, Hinata noticed that Kakashi kept on lowering his gaze. The forehead protector on his forehead that was also used to cover his sharingan eye was nowhere to be found. He kept that eye closed though. Without the protector, his white, silvery hair covered half of his face and his eyes—which also served as a good cover.
They bought a few provisions for their night meal and proceeded to the nearest inn that they could find. The inn was full of people, and Hinata wondered if they were all criminals. She really was not the judging kind… but looking at the strangers inside the bar, they really looked like they could stab you in the back without any warning.
Kakashi was right. This was a rugged town.
"Hi there," Kakashi said, tapping the front desk where a burly looking man with a bad case of warts stood—picking his nose. Not a very hygienic way to greet your guests. "Do you have two rooms available?"
"Yes."
"Cheap ones?"
"Uhuh. You can never find a cheaper inn than this."
Kakashi smiled behind the mask. "Obviously."
The man looked at Hinata with a scrutinizing glare. "That's a pretty young 'un. If I were you, I would share a room with that lady. Makes everything cheaper too."
"Try to be cheap in an already cheap inn."
"Exactly."
Hinata blinked, but pretended not to hear. She busied herself checking the place. Looking around, she suddenly regretted it when one scruffy man caught her eye. He was tall…maybe just like Kakashi. He has his long black hair tied into a loose ponytail and was actually good looking—if he was not so… dirty.
He licked his lips and grinned, one hand pointing at her. With a dark expression on his face, he gestured for her to come. Hinata returned her gaze back to the innkeeper and edged towards Kakashi.
"Thank you." Kakashi cheerfully accepted the keys. It seemed like he and the innkeeper has reached some kind of understanding. He tossed one of the key to the girl and grabbed his pack. "Come Hinata-chan… Our rooms are just next to each other. I'll check on you later."
In Kakashi's vocabulary, a minute means an hour…and later just means, well—a long time. She was already clean and wearing her fresh clothes when she heard a knock. She was actually about to go to bed for a much needed sleep when she opened her droopy eyes again. The journey was not that hard—for she experienced worse ones before.
But that doesn't mean she was not tired.
With a yawn, Hinata unlocked the door and swung it open. "I thought you were already asleep Kakashi—"
"Hello there pretty lady." A cool, rough voice greeted her. Not the lazy drone of a ninja teacher she was expecting. "I came to greet you a good night."
Hinata frowned. This was the man in the bar earlier, the one with the long ponytailed hair. "I…I don't know you. Gomen." She attempted to close the door but the man stuck his foot on the entrance. He was reeking of alcohol and she wrinkled her nose at the bad smell. Sweat and sake was really not a very good combination. "Please…I need to rest."
"Wait…" The man lolled his head to the side and peered inside the room. He was much taller than her so it was very easy for him to do so. "Alone? Where's that silver haired man you're with?"
"Please…I really need to rest." Hinata tried pushing the door closed. She could use her gentle palm technique but it would surely end up bad. The man chuckled as he easily pushed the door, making her take a few steps back.
Hinata unconsciously bent her knees, a stance she usually do when about to start a rotation for her gentle fist. She could have sent him flying right there and then…if only she did not remember Tsunade's warning.
"Try not to get attention to yourself. This is an A-class mission. Remember that always Hyuga."
The stance waivered and Hinata straightened herself up. "I d-don't know you. So please get out of my room. I really don't want any trouble."
"You have beautiful eyes…really, really beautiful."
"Please. I don't want any trouble." She repeated. Her kunai pouch was under her pillow. In any case this guy attempts to do something bad, she could just rolled over to the bed and—
"I believe your right. She is beautiful. Unfortunately, you are trespassing. This is the lady's room and you have no business being here." A voice cut in Hinata's thoughts. Peering behind the tall, alcohol-driven man, she saw Kakashi standing near the door. He has his hands in his pockets and was staring at the man with one eye. He was wearing a black, long sleeved turtle neck shirt in replacement for his Jounin uniform and vest.
The man wheeled around. "Oh…you're father's here. What's up dad?"
"Right." Kakashi said in a false-cheery voice. "How are you doing son?"
Hinata didn't know if she found the scenario funny or scary. A second later, she decided to label it in the scary department. The man suddenly lunged towards Kakashi, thinking that he will caught the white haired man off guard. The copy ninja only sidestepped, avoiding the attack with ease. Then in a blink of an eye, the Hatake had the drunkard by the neck and he pushed him to the wall.
"Don't bother the lady again." Kakashi said coolly, pinning him by the neck. He was intentionally gripping the man's throat hard. The man groaned, his windpipes being crushed. "And just to clear things up. She is not my daughter. Do I look like a father of a seventeen year old girl?"
"K-Kakashi-san…" Hinata said, a little worried that someone might hear the commotion. "It's okay. Just let him go…"
"Are we clear on that?" Kakashi tightened his hold on the man's neck a little bit more. It was satisfying to hear his windpipes almost breaking under his hand. For a moment, Kakashi was tempted to test how long would it take to make the man go blue…he was turning green already. Time to see another shade.
"Crystal." The man managed to squeak before scurrying out of the room when Kakashi let him free. Stumbling near the door, he managed to throw them both a deadly look before disappearing from their sight.
"You okay?" Kakashi turned his attention to the girl. She was looking at him gratefully yet there was a hint of embarrassment. She nodded in response so he pocketed his hands again. Looking up the ceiling, he gave another bored sigh. Sometimes, it's also a risk to bring a pretty Kunoichi in missions, especially if they have…good curves.
Stealing a glance at the Hyuga, Kakashi nodded his head mentally. Yeah. Icha-Icha paradise material. "So…" He turned his back and gave the girl a parting, lazy wave. "Time to rest. Long day ahead of us Hinata-chan."
A hand caught his sleeve, making him pause. With a raised eyebrow, he slowly wheeled around and focused on the girl.
"Arigatou, Kakashi-san."
"You're welcome." He stared at the hand. It was still grabbing his sleeve.
"I…I could have stand up for myself but I…I don't want any trouble. I'm so sorry that you have to come to my rescue." Hinata chewed on her inside cheek. That was the truth. She could have fended for herself with ease, but letting Kakashi help was not a good trait for a Kunoichi. She didn't want to make this Jounin think that she was incompetent. That she can't even take care of a drunkard. "Gomenasai…"
Kakashi's one eye wrinkled. Raising a hand, he patted her on the head. "It's okay Hinata-chan. I was passing by when I saw that buffoon." Another lie. He was guarding her door. This town is full of bandits and rogues and he was not taking any chances…especially when his companion was one pretty little Hyuga. "Better get some sleep."
The hand dropped from his sleeve. "I'm glad to be in this mission with you Kakashi-san." She smiled again.
-o-
(f) Hinata felt the Anbu's hand took her own. Kakashi was pulling her with him ata fast pace. She knew that he was doing it so that she could keep up with him. With all her eye covering, it was not really an easy task. Besides, she couldn'tt use her Byakugan nonstop. It would only drain her chakra. "K-Kakashi-kun." Hinata managed, running alongside him. She knew it was weird to see a blind girl running so fast but she has no intention of letting him know. Young Kakashi was like Sasuke…you really can't reason with him. "Why are we running?" "Just run." Was the hiss. And ran she did. Without warning, the young Anbu pushed her under a thick bush. Then he himself dove inside. It was hard but they managed to hide themselves inside it. Oddly, Hinata can't help herself but blush. The young Hatake was so close and their shoulders were pressed together, She can smell him…she can hear him breathe… It was weird. "Why are we—" Hinata was about to ask again but a gloved hand covered her mouth. Tired of all the suspense, Hinata activated her Byakugan and looked around. Kakashi was breathing hard; it was the first time that she actually saw him panic a little. He was usually stoic and grim…and scary. Then he saw the reason of his distress and Hinata can't help but laugh. Kakashi was hiding from Maito Gai's younger self. "Stop snickering!" Kakashi hissed again, glaring at her. This mirai…this girl from the future has been the cause of all his headaches lately. She has been staying with him for almost a month now and sometimes, he can't help but to question Minato-sensei's plans concerning this matter. Was the Yondaime really trying to find a counter jutsu to send this girl back to her time or was he just punishing him? "Gomenasai." He heard the girl whisper in her all too gentle voice. "Let's get out of here." Kakashi said through clench teeth. He could feel Gai's chakra and he didn't want to get caught in his stupid rivalry games. He was just too tired for that. Standing up, he pulled the girl with him rather harshly. Hurt her or give her pain. He doesn't care. Hinata's ankle caught in a vine and she winced when the Anbu pulled her up brusquely. "W-wait…Kakashi-kun!" With dread, she realized that the vine around her foot has thorns and it began to stab her skin. The Anbu won't listen though, so instead of telling him to stop with words, she pushed his hand away. Then she slowly untied the vine with a painful wince. Kakashi looked down and saw the blood on her ankle. He has no idea that she was caught in a vine…a vine with thorns. Oddly, he looked away. Was he feeling guilty? "Ow…" The girl said softly, rubbing the torn skin. Kakashi was really different. Her Kakashi-sensei was kind and considerate. He may be notorious for being late but he was not this harsh. He may be one of the deadliest Shinobi alive but he was not—"Oh!" Hinata gasped when she was hoisted up without warning. And found herself being carried by Kakashi. "You're slow." He said, not looking at her. "I told you not to be a burden to me." "Gomen—" "Put your hands around my neck. I'm going up the tree tops."
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-Crazygurl12
