Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine.

I had to write this.

Letters

Chapter 9

No Tea

Hinata couldn't remember a time she felt so light. Her father loved her.

She was filled with an overwhelming affection for her family who would check on her every two hours. She wished Neji was alive, she loved seeing the gentleness in his eyes.

She was currently inhabiting the main house infirmary with its white walls and green curtains. It looked a lot like a hospital ward without the herb garden and hot spring this room was attached to. The fragrance of herbs calmed her and the little amount of steam traversing in the room was soothing. Hinata sighed in bliss as she slowly stood off her bed, taking small but firm steps around her bed.

"Hinata, I do not wish to discourage you but you must learn to operate without your eyes. You know you are the most sensitive among our clan, I don't say you weak, just more prone to harming your eyes and it won't bode well to lose them. It's only a precaution. It's time you corporate rougher mechanisms to your life style." Though formal, Hinata could hear the slight tremor in her father's voice. She should have been depressed by the news, broken hearted about not being strong enough but for the first time, she wasn't. Her father was worried. He cared for her. He wanted her despite her weakness. He wouldn't disown her.

"Hai, father, I will do my best."

Deciding to take a risk, she walked slowly to the garden, enhancing her sense of smell and hearing.

BOOM.

What was that?

Though faint, that definitely sounded like an explosion. But where was it coming from? She pushed more chakra to her ears, looking for the source but there was no sound. Frowning, she walked to the gates of the garden and sat on the steps. She did not let go of her auditory senses but enhanced her sense of smell. There were no wisps of smoke.

Biting her lip, Hinata wondered if she should inform her father.

It could be my imagination.

Her ninja sense tickled and she wasn't sure if it wasn't simply paranoia. She was paranoid before her meeting with the Uchiha. She gulped and fidgeted with her fingers.

It was hours before she could hear another suspicious sound. Her father had come to visit her and had deposited her chakra in… something. He never told her and she never asked. She was as tired as him, having to lose so much chakra at once. It placed her father in a dangerous position as clan head and she wasn't sure why he was passing his chakra despite all troubles.

And her giddy feeling was back.

Cluck. Cluck. Cluck.

The sound seemed muffled but not so far. She grabbed a kunai from below her pillow and walked the familiar path to the garden. The sound only got louder to her chakra enhanced ears. She should call for help, but how? The infirmary was a separated part of the main house and her father had left a while ago. She couldn't walk blindly yet. No one in their infirmary was capable to fight. One of her uncles from branch family was in comatose while an old lady, she wasn't sure how she was related to, had some sickness she didn't know about.

A huff of breath sounded from right in front of her and she threw a kunai in the direction. There was a clang of metal and utter silence.

"Hinata?" The voice was hoarse but familiar still. She could never forget it.

"Kakashi-san? What are you doing here?" her voice pitched at the end.

There was silence.

"Don't think I didn't hear you... you digging! Was that explosion because of you? What did you do? Why are you here? Father will be so furious." She rubbed her hands together nervously, trying to calm down. It was arrogant of her to presume he was here for her but why else would he have the need to sneak into the Hyuuga compound? To think father had suddenly taken a liking to her…

"You aren't stuttering." Kakashi observed. He couldn't tell her he was here to steal even though he was doing it for her.

She looked like she was about to slap him. Kakashi was slightly amused despite the circumstances. He had never seen her look so frustrated. He felt the urge to pinch her cheeks but he held himself.

She huffed out a breath and reached out a hand. "Come here." She commanded softly. He didn't move but so didn't she. He pushed himself out of the hole he'd been holding himself in and threw dirt to cover it, expertly using a copied earth jutsu so no one would mistakenly step in however amusing it may be.

Hinata wasn't acting like usual and that made him nervous. He knew for sure that was Hinata, she had a distinct odour and being as close as he had been to her, he could now easily tell her apart anywhere except maybe a fish market. He wasn't sure if she really was going to slap him. He hardly knew her.

"Kakashi-san, please." She said softly, her brows furrowed and a pout on her lips. He looked away. How could she even talk to him properly after he went all aggressive on her?

Out of curiosity, he walked and stood an arm's length away, glancing behind her to see if anyone else was there and silently berating himself for not being more careful but Hinata, as he had noticed recently, tended to do that to him. First he lost his book in her presence (or at least while his mind was occupied with her), his best friend was sent to prison, he attacked her for it and now he was acting like an amateur ninja who got surprised by a pretty girl. He frowned at the thought and stepped closer to her just for good measure. She was just a girl, a konoichi maybe but not in full health. Even tired, he could take on a blinded Hyuuga.

That line of thinking immediately made him feel guilty. She was Obito's or will be or whatever the seals wanted.

"How are you?" he asked when she didn't respond to his closeness. Maybe she hadn't notice. He expected her to startle but she was a complete picture of calm. Last time he had seen her, she was unconscious and lying on the floor.

"Give me your hands." She held her hands out for him to take, palms upward. He looked at her face for a clue but she seemed to have clammed everything in. It was a wonder she hadn't run screaming for someone. Sakura and Naruto would have yelled many profanities at him by now.

"You sure you want mud on yourself? I can lay down here and no one would know the difference." He tried his bit at humor but she didn't respond.

He supposed he could do as she asked for not immediately alarming her clan.

"Good" she smiled and oddly he felt his breath catch. Why did it feel different to be around her? "Now come, sit down and tell me what's going on."

"What, no tea?" he said wryly. She smiled at him.

Maybe the change in behavior was because he was in her territory or she had gotten over the respect she held for him after everything that has happened but she wasn't really yelling at him. Whatever it was, he didn't like this Hinata. Happy and smiling, she was making his worries fly away and he couldn't let that happen. He had never been charmed by a woman before. But then again, it was Hinata and he had started associating her with chaos. Not to mention, she was treating him like a misbehaving five year old civilian boy and he had never been that.

She sat with him on the porch, still holding his hand. It was reassuring for her, however embarrassing. It was easier to talk to him now that she couldn't see him but she needed to make sure he didn't just leave her alone. Sometimes her father wouldn't leave after the process and she'd have no idea he was there until he had finally decided to leave. Her father purposely walked noisily when she was around but Kakashi was here for something, either to talk to her or something else and he wouldn't make a noise, not any more than he already had. She didn't want to alert her father if Kakashi only wanted to threaten her again.

"Go on" she encouraged, squeezing his hand that now lay between both her hands and on her lap. She was blushing slightly.

Kakashi cleared his throat, he had gone longer without water before but suddenly his mouth felt very dry. "We wanted to help you. How are you?"

Hinata cocked her head. "We?" she whispered. She was leaning towards him slightly though not touching any part of him but his hand. Did she even know it?

"Sakura and I." he answered. No one else but Sakura, Anko and Hikari knew of the plan. Too many people for his taste.

"Oh. Well, I am alright. Thank you." She smiled. She knew that wasn't all of it. Because seriously why would Kakashi resort to digging and sneaking in just to check on her?

"Sakura wasn't at fault Hinata." He told her seriously, trying to ignore the fact that she was gently caressing his hand now. He wondered if they were feeding her medicines that made her behave out of character. He was way out of his comfort zone and she knew it. She should be in the interrogation department.

"I didn't blame her, Kakashi-san," she was going to say more but he cut her off.

"No need for honorifics. I think we are both past that stage. Besides, I call you Hinata." He tried to keep his tone light. Why was she being nice?

"I…I'm sorry it has to be that w-way" she nodded solemnly. "Kakashi," she paused. He wondered if she was testing it out and felt a shiver go down his spine. Thankfully, she didn't let him ponder on it. "My father got my reports from the Hokage and is doing something even he didn't know about before. One of the elders suggested it. There… there are some scrolls which have never come in use so no one reads those."

"What is he doing?" he asked curiously. At the back of his mind, he reminded himself that he needed to go to the library. Hinata hesitated.

"I'm sorry I c-can't say." They stayed in silence for a while before she decided to cut to the chase. "Why are you truly here?" she inquired without malice.

Kakashi glanced at her. If he wanted he could get away now. She would obviously tell everyone about having heard him and considering how he had suddenly disappeared they'll believe her. He'd be banished from Konoha. But he didn't mind, he'll become a Missing Nin, he would have to anyway. He can't go back now.

"Konoha and Hyuuga are on shaky grounds as it is!"

"You can tell me. I swear I won't say anything if it doesn't harm the clan." Hinata squeezed his hand again. He sighed and pulled her closer. If she tried to run or scream, he'll be faster.

"They're not going to let Obito go." He waited for her to push him away, to start crying like last time, anything. She resumed her caressing.

"Kakashi… are you sure he didn't… try something?" He glared at her but obviously she couldn't see. She must have felt his arms tense as she hastily added, "To spend his entire life in a graveyard is… not nice."

"You can use the word 'hell' you know…" he muttered. She ignored him.

"E-even though you visited him as m-much as you could, you weren't always there." Her knee brushed against his. "Kakashi, I know he was your best friend but he d-didn't want to l-live there. No one would." She said as gently as she could but Kakashi remained tense.

"He wouldn't have harmed you." Kakashi pulled his hand away from her and was about to get up.

"No!" she pulled at his vest. "M-my eyes may not have a-anything to do with it!" Kakashi stayed. What did she want to imply?

"Hinata," he held her lips between his thumb and index finger. She looked shocked. "Are you listening to yourself? This has everything to do with your eyes." She pulled at his arm and he let her go.

"No, Obito is not being punished because of my eyes." Kakashi wondered if those medicines made her hallucinate. "He is being punished because he was able to activate his sharingan. I-I don't understand how the prison works but I remember him telling me that the prison prohibited chakra. I couldn't see anything. I didn't realize it then but maybe it was because there was no chakra there or I was already sick. Sakura-chan told me it was called Redundo. His eyes activated though. Maybe he had weakened the prison? Maybe he was planning to escape later but he was curious about-"

"Or, maybe your hostile chakra disturbed the seals. Obito would have told me if he planned anything and anyway, the imprisonment isn't forever. He would have fallen in love-" He stopped speaking at the pained expression that crossed Hinata's face.

"He loves someone." she stated. Everyone knew what led him to work for Madara by now.

"He will lovce again." he told her firmly. She smiled sadly but didn't refute. "Look, I came to... someone's coming." His jerked to the sound of someone walking and could feel the chakra.

"It must be father." Hinata stood up and waited for him.

"I have to go" he whispered. She smiled at him but didn't question. "How long will your father…?" he wanted to talk to her about this and look at her eyes before he started doing anything at all.

"A while." She answered.

"A long while or short?" he raised an eyebrow uneasily, suddenly not feeling right having asked that so teasingly. It sounded as if he were flirting.

Hinata grinned, taking him by surprise.

"That depends" she bounced on her feet, only to stumble but caught herself by the door frame.

"I'll be back." He whispered in her ear and was gone. He didn't want daddy Hyuuga to go mother hen on him again.