If you don't like the story, stop reading and find a new one that fits your taste and standards. Critics and suggestions are highly appreciated though.

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters in Naruto

-o-o-o-

Chapter Twenty-Five

A mischievous smile passed on Sasuke's lips and Hinata failed to see it.

The Uchiha knew that someone who was not on their field of vision was observing them. There was no chakra signature but he could feel the killer intent and it was directed solely at him. Of course he has a good guess where that killer intent was coming from.

He guessed that it came from a very jealous Copy Nin.

"Hn." He lolled his head to the side to look at the Hyuga again. She was busy wiping her long wet hair with a handkerchief. Hinata was not paying any attention to him anymore and he was a little intrigued at that fact. She was so different from the rest of the girls that he knew.

Girls usually do their best to keep a conversation going with him.

"Hey."

She looked at him quizzically. "Hai Sasuke-kun?"

"What are you up to tonight?" He asked, a little louder than his normal voice volume.

"Ah…n-nothing really. Why?"

"Want to have dinner with me?"

There was a sudden loud crackling sound and both looked up just in time for the hut's roof to fly away. Small pieces of wood dropped on them along with the heavy rain and they stood up from their places abruptly. Hinata's expression was of pure horror as she looked around for any clue while Sasuke was just plain annoyed.

He never knew Kakashi would take it as far as blowing the roof of the hut.

Hinata hurriedly took off her jacket and covered her grocery bags before the contents inside turned sloppy and unsalvageable.

"Wow…that was a strong lightning." Kakashi said as he emerged from the trees. Hinata's eyes widened upon seeing him while Sasuke just smirked. "I just returned from my mission." He looked at the hut that was now roofless and then to Hinata's wet inner shirt. It was purple and somewhat thick but the rain was making it stick to her body like…tights. "I saw a flash of lightning and then the roof just flew away."

Sasuke sighed.

Kakashi shook his head. "Good thing it did not hit me. I would have died."

"Jeez." The Uchiha muttered, shaking his head.

Hinata was still looking at the Copy Nin with her big, stunned eyes. "Y-you're back Kakashi-sensei." She said it with baited breath. Somehow, there was some creeping suspicion inside her that the Copy Nin was not telling the truth. His visible eye was too innocent and it reminded her that time when he hit Genma with a pen cap.

"Better report this to the Hokage, Sasuke-kun. Tell her that nature accidentally destroyed the hut where they keep the training equipments." Kakashi said. "So that they could fix this immediately."

"I think I'll go and help Hyuga-san with her grocery bags." Sasuke said without humor. He was still annoyed that Kakashi got him wet with his foolish antics and he wanted to make him pay. "And I'll report this to the Hokage later. Everything inside that hut is wet anyway so there is nothing much to be done until the rain stops."

"Oh, I can help." Kakashi's eye wrinkled as he smiled behind his mask. "I'm going that way so don't trouble yourself." He pointed at the direction that leads to the Hyuga compound. "Just be a good boy and report the matter to lady Tsunade."

"Your apartment is not that way. It's this way." Sasuke said and pointed at the opposite direction that his sensei was indicating. "So the trouble is on you Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi's stiffened for a few seconds before resuming his false cheery appearance.

"Have you forgotten…sensei?" Sasuke continued to ask.

"No." Kakashi answered. "But I have to pass by Naruto's house to tell him to go get Sakura. She's freezing and wet in the middle of the forest and won't come with me since she was busy crying her eyes out." Now there was a slight accusing tone in his voice. "Do you know the reason for that Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke closed his mouth and smirked.

Hinata blinked, realizing that Sakura may have taken it the wrong way when saw her with Sasuke inside the hut, and looking at Kakashi now; she also realized that Kakashi may take this the wrong way too. "Ano… I can go and get Sakura-chan and tell her to—"

"I'll get her." Sasuke sighed though there was still a hint of annoyance on his face. It was easier to deal with a crying Sakura then facing a very loud Naruto—and he would rather face the first. He was wet anyway, might as well soak his body until he drop from the cold. "Now that your back…" He looked at the older man. "I guess training will resume."

"A training you will never forget." Kakashi answered jovially. "Now go Sasuke. You're teammate needs you."

"Hn." Sasuke smirked before disappearing in a flash of white and blue.

When the Uchiha was gone, Hinata lowered her eyes nervously, afraid to look at the man before her. The rain was still strong and she was now dripping wet. Gathering her courage, she looked up and opened her mouth—

Just as a white traveling cloak landed on her head.

Hinata blinked.

"You're wet and cold." Kakashi said, no more pretenses on his face. When she stared at his visible eye, he was just plain concerned. "Let's get you back to the compound before your teeth starts to clatter." He took all the grocery bags with just one hand—making Hinata noticed how big and strong his hands were.

The man then started walking ahead and she followed reluctantly, his Shinobi standard traveling cloak was still on her head and was covering half of her face. "Gomenasai." She muttered. "I broke two of the things you listed and—"

"You don't really need to follow them." He replied. "I gave them to you because I am just...acting like a jealous kid. But really Hime, it's okay."

"I'm still sorry."

"I know it was creepy…giving you a list like that."

"I don't mind." Hinata answered softly. "A-are you angry with me K-kakashi?" She saw him shook his head but he was not facing her so she could not really tell. With a sigh, she reached for his sleeve. He did not stop walking so she kept her steps to keep up with his fast pace.

"We can't afford to stop." He explained. "You need to change into something warm."

"Are you angry w-with me?"

"Why would I be angry with you?"

"R-really?"

"Hai. I trust you. Besides, stopping now would be a very bad idea."

Hinata frowned. "Why?" She was wet anyway so what was the point of hurrying up? She really wanted to talk to him more.

"I may not…control myself." Kakashi's voice was strained and somehow, the sudden raw emotion in it sent shivers down her spine. All around them, trees were swaying because of the strong wind and the rain was just getting harder—but Hinata suddenly felt very, very warm. "We can't afford anyone to suspect. It's going to be hard on you."

"Oh…" She muttered. "I…understand."

When they reached the Hyuga compound, Kakashi gave the bags back to Hinata who accepted it quietly. The girl's eyes were filled with longing and he looked away, trying hard to resist touching her wet cheek or pinching that cute little nose that was already red at the tip. When she received the bags, their fingers touched and it lingered for a few seconds before they broke the contact.

"Arigatou." The girl whispered.

"Go and change." He told her, smiling fondly behind the mask. "We'll see each other around…or I'll come and visit you tonight—that is if the Hokage won't give me anymore jobs."

"But you're tired. You don't have to see me for you need rest." She said softly, eyeing his crouching figure with concern. He was standing more slouchy than usual and she caught him rubbing the right side of his neck. "You did not get any injuries during the mission haven't you?"

"I'm okay Hime…now go and get some dry clothes on." He gestured to the compound gate with a glove hand.

Hinata nodded and walked towards the gates, only looking back when she was already inside the Hyuga's territory. Using her Byakugan, she watched Kakashi's retreating figure and shook her head when she noticed the uneven flow of chakra near his neck.

Of course he would not admit that he has injuries. Kakashi was too proud and too carefree for that.

Mentally telling herself to bring him some ointments later, she walked sloppily to the Hyuga main branch house with her grocery bags. Her clothes were sticking to her skin and exposing the plump shape of her chest so she tried to cover them up with her long tresses—only they wasn't much use because her hair was sticking together.

"Hinata-sama?" Neji spotted her before she could completely disappear inside the kitchen. The Hyuga prodigy was coming down the stairs and she stopped to smile at him, raising the bags a bit for him to see.

"Nii-san. I got you your favorite saori rolls."

"You did? Arigatou."Neji eyed her wet clothes and he hurriedly leaped down from the stairs. He landed in front of her gracefully, one knee on the wooden floor and one hand on his side. Without much word, he took the bags from her hands and placed them on the counter. "You go change Hinata-sama. I'll take care of this."

"H-hai." She nodded and ran to her room, glad that she could finally get out of the uncomfortable clothing.

When the girl left, Neji frowned at the grocery bags. He did not to bother to mention it to his Hinata-sama but why was Kakashi Hatake's cloak with her? The wet cloak was slung on her shoulder like a curtain. It was too big and too long and was not even her usual purple. He couldn't have notice the insignificant garment if his sharp eyes did not caught the name etched on the sleeve.

Hatake.

And there was only one Hatake in the village.

Still frowning, Neji started to dig inside the grocery bags for his favorite saori rolls.

-o-o-o-

Kakashi leaned back on his chair as his eye watched the pot filled with plain vegetable stew. It was placed above the stove in low heat and was bubbling happily as it filled his one room apartment with a satisfying aroma. As he waited, he threw his black shirt into another chair for he doesn't want to put the clothing on—he has some minor scratches on his back and chest and it was more comfortable if he doesn't wear a shirt.

With a tired groan, Kakashi grabbed the small, orange-covered book on the table beside him and flipped lazily through the pages.

As he continued to where he left off—the part where Tesda was going to confess her undying love to her new love interest—his hand crept up to his neck and started pressing the sore muscle there. It was an irritating ache and he flinched when his thumb prodded the tenderest spot.

His pain however, was temporarily forgotten when his mind started to focus solely on what was written on the Icha-Icha paradise book. Jaraiya was a really talented writer. The way the toad sanin captures one's emotion and the way he could come up with a lot of unexpected plot twists was just amazing.

Not to mention how imaginative and creative he was when it comes to the interesting parts.

"I did not know you can do that in that position." Kakashi muttered as he scratched his chin with a contemplative look. He would have pondered upon the new knowledge more if he was not interrupted by a sudden flicker of light chakra.

Light Hyuga chakra.

Suddenly alert, Kakashi stood from his chair—well, almost jumped—and threw his Icha-Icha book under the table where no one would notice it. Glancing at the wall clock to his left, he wondered why Hinata was out at this time of night. She should be inside the Hyuga premises already.

And as far as he knew, she was not on night duty this week.

Then there was a knock.

Running a hand through his hair, he walked towards the door and opened it. His dark, unscarred eye wrinkled at the sides to great his Hime. "You should not come here at this time of night Hi—"

"I know Kakashi-sensei." Hyuga Neji eyed the older man suspiciously. If his ears heard it right—and he was sure that they did—Kakashi was almost on the verge of saying someone's name.

Kakashi's surprised face was only short-lived for he was able to hide it again behind a polite smile. "Oh…It's you Neji." The hand on his hair fell limply on his side. It was like someone just threw a glass of cold water on his face. It was a funny feeling really—like a mixture of disappointment and relief. Kakashi was almost tempted to laugh at it but figured it was not the right time since Neji may think of him as 'mentally troubled'.

"Are you expecting someone else?" Neji asked, white eyes still hard and observant.

"Not really."

Clearing his throat, Neji pulled something out from his pocket and handed it to his Jounin senior. It was a tiny scroll with Tsunade's seal. "Tsunade-sama instructed me to give this to you. It's a list of names for some nins who are Anbu potential. She wants to have your opinion before choosing new Anbu members."

"You are on top of the list." Kakashi noted as he scanned the scroll. The list was a short one and he recognized some of the names that belong to very qualified nins. He also recognized Aburame Shino's. "And I am not surprised." He added in a good natured way.

"Un." Neji shifted his weight on his other foot. "Thanks."

"Arigatou Neji." He rolled the scroll again. "I'll see to this immediately."

Neji nodded and disappeared in a flash of white. The Hyuga was wearing his Jounin uniform so Kakashi guessed that he was on night patrol duty. Closing the door, he sighed and threw the scroll on top of the table. He was not given any schedule so he going to submit it tomorrow morning.

Tsunade could wait, but Tesda's new love interest could not. Getting down on his knees, he crawled under his table and reached for his discarded book. He was sorry for treating his book so harshly but—

There was another knock.

"Yes?" He called. It was still Hyuga chakra so he assumed that the Prodigy has something more to tell him so he came back. "Just come in."

The door gently opened.

"K-kakashi…?" Hinata called as she lolled her head down and peered under the table. The second that she stepped into the room, she saw the Hatake's long legs sticking out from under the table while his upper torso was completely hidden. "Ano…w-what are you doing under there?"

"Hinata-chan." Kakashi kicked the book away and crawled out hastily. He then straightened up and dusting himself as looked at the girl standing by the door. She was carrying a basket and her hair was tied in a bun. He has never seen her tie it like a bun before, and she looked good. Some stray strands of hair frames her face in just the right way. "What are you doing here?"

Hinata blinked and looked down. Kakashi was not wearing any shirt and she was embarrassed to look at those hard abdominal muscles. "I…I came to bring you some salve for your…" She pointed a finger. "Neck."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Gomen…I took the liberty in checking your body out and I—" Hinata trailed and stopped. She wanted to explain it to him but the words came out wrong. It also sounded so wrong. "Oh…what I mean is—"

"You can check my body anytime Hime." Kakashi said, eye glinting mischievously.

Hinata blushed.

"Did anyone know that you…ah…decided to come here alone at this time of night?" He asked her. The moment Hinata bit her lower lip and her hands trembled nervously, he knew the answer right away. "Right." He scratched his head. "So no one knows huh? You might get yourself in trouble Hinata. Your cousin just left you know…good thing he did not see you."

Hinata sighed. "I…I know that but…" she raised her basket at the same time that her eyes landed on his neck. She also saw a few scratches on his chest and she studied them with a worried stare. "But I have to bring you some ointments. I also b-brought a bento. I won't stay long anyway."

Kakashi took the basket while eyeing its contents. There were a few bottles of purplish gooey gel. There was also a black lacquered box that was emitting a very delicious smell that he suspect could only be tempura and sashimi."Arigatou."

Hinata smiled faintly and she turned towards the door. "Th-that's all I came here for. I have to return before anyone suspects that I'm not inside my room. Everyone back home thought that I was already s-sleeping." She started to walk but before she could reach for the door handle, Kakashi grabbed her hand.

"Hime." Kakashi bend his head down so that his lips were leveled to her ear. "Stay for a little longer."

"Ano…" She wheeled around and came face to face with a very handsome ninja. His mask was already gone and she was staring at his face in all its uncovered glory. Kakashi really knows how to play his cards right. "That's…that's all I came here for." She gestured to the basket that was now resting on top of the table.

"Really?" Kakashi raised his eyebrows again. The girl should know better. They could not quite interact in public in the way that they wanted and all their actions must be restrained, even their conversations.

And now, she was inside his apartment at this time of night. Of course he could not just let her go just yet.

"Hai." She squeaked. "Th-that's all."

"Won't you help me?" He took one of her hands and placed it on his neck, the area that was the most painful for him. "You're here anyway…why don't you take care of me for a bit hime?" Hinata looked at him suspiciously and he chuckled. "You can go after that. I promise."

Hinata bit her lip. "O-okay."

"Wait. I'll just turn the stove off."

A few minutes later, Hinata was sitting crossed legged on the floor and Kakashi's bare back facing her. She was expertly applying her homemade salve on his bruises while he patiently sat still like a good patient. While she was treating him, they engaged in a light conversation that mostly revolves around Kakashi's latest mission.

He told her that the mission was a hard one and almost got his head chopped on their way home when things got a little disastrous. Kakashi spoke of it like it was an amusing story but she was not amused at all.

She was worried.

"Y-you have to be more careful you know." She told him, now stretching up a bit in order to reach his neck. Even while sitting, Kakashi was still taller than her…a lot. "Even with great skill…you have to see for your safety always."

"My hime is worried about me?"

She pouted, even though he could not see. "I'm serious." He chuckled and Hinata could feel the vibrations on his back. "K-kakashi…I'm serious. Nins with great skill like you sometimes gets overconfident that they failed to be aware of their own safety. You should be—"

The copy nin tilted his head back. "I'm always careful."

"Y-you should be. Ano…please face me. I have to see the bruises on your chest." Kakashi obeyed and she started to apply the salve on the sore spots on his skin. They were not really serious, but she knew that they still hurt. She could tell because Kakashi flinched every time she pressed or prodded a little too hard.

Hinata was also aware that the Copy nin's mismatched eyes were on her the whole time but she pretended not to notice.

"That smells good." He commented as she returned the bottle filled with salve on the basket

"Lilacs and lavenders. I always put some to ease the strong scents of herbs." She explained and narrowed her eyes at one wound in particular. It was a little purplish with tints of green. "What did you do on the mission that resulted to this?" she muttered unconsciously.

It looks suspiciously like a bite mark.

"What happened earlier that you have to be alone with Sasuke in the storage hut?" Kakashi asked back.

"I…I asked first."

"I asked the more important question of the two." Hinata frowned. She thought that he was over it. He said he trust her didn't he? But now he was bringing it up.

"We have been trapped by the rain and met there by chance…and we would have stayed dry if you didn't blow the roof away."

Kakashi feigned shock. "You think I did that? How could you think of it like that Hinata-chan?"

The man was looking at her like she just accused him of murder and she can't help but shook her head in disbelief. "I know I have disappointed you. I'm really sorry for that…but I assure you that I will n-never look at another because I…"

"Because…?"

"I…I lov—"

Kakashi smiled and pulled her close. "You're cute when you're embarrassed you know that?" Without waiting for her answer, he leaned down and let his lips brush past her half-parted ones. He wanted to kiss her of course, but at the moment, his attention was focused solely on her graceful neck.

It was so pale and so smooth he knew he has to feel it. That damn Yoda must have enjoyed himself a lot when he put his kiss marks on her.

"You made me wait for more than seventeen years you know." Hinata heard him whisper. "So please understand if…if I…"

-o-o-o-

Here ends the chap. I think it was kind of messy…sorry. I am not feeling well today. I have a cold.

-crazy-chan