Notes:

Hello lovelies!

So, you guys are lucky! Not only are you getting a chapter (which is a miracle in itself, because I had no inspiration whatsoever this past week) ibut/i it's also a long one, again. Not nearly as long as the previous one, but definitely waaay longer than the chapters before that.

I would like to let you know that this chapter hasn't been checked after I wrote it, not by me nor anyone else. So apologies for any and all mistakes in spelling/grammar but also story-wise.

Without further ado:

ENJOY

Chapter 30: Gift

Hermione stared at the ceiling of her room. She barely had gotten any sleep, tossing and turning the entire night. Well, the small part of the night that she had spent in bed. After speaking with Kakashi, it was hard to sleep. He had bared his soul to her. And it had hurt, so much. She couldn't imagine someone living with all of that, without speaking to anyone about it. Just keeping it inside of him, continuing on with his life. Was that even a way to live?

After he was done speaking, they sat on the porch for at least another thirty minutes. He had turned his face towards her, making her look at him in question. The moment she had done so, she realised how close he was, as her nose brushed his covered nose. Both their eyes widened in shock, but neither dared to move it seemed. It was like that moment in her bedroom all over again.

Kakashi suddenly moved away, looking back up to the stars, as if nothing happened. Before she could question his behaviour, the door opened behind them. Inoichi popped his head outside. Well, that explained his actions, she thought with a small blush still on her cheeks.

Shortly after, she and Inoichi had gone home but not before Kakashi quietly thanked Hermione and gave a nod to Inoichi in what she assumed was thanks as well. They agreed to meet up later that week, unless Kakashi received a mission. They still had so much more to discuss, after all. Hermione let out a sigh. She really would have to get up at some point. She wanted to spend some time with Teddy before having to leave again. With everything that happened yesterday, she felt like she hadn't seen him in days. Also, today was a somewhat exciting day, wasn't it? She was going to meet Inoichi's friend who was supposedly able to help her with her research.

Moving her head to the side, she glanced at her alarm clock. Almost ten in the morning. She couldn't remember the last time she slept in this late before. She looked at the crib, and noticed the bars having been lowered, indicating either Inoichi or his wife had taken Teddy downstairs already. She appreciated them letting her sleep, but she really should get up now.

Hermione slowly dragged herself out of bed, getting dressed. Before leaving her room, she grabbed an empty notebook, save for several questions she had written down before falling asleep. She put the notebook in her bag, making sure that the book on bloodlines was also in her bag. While she wasn't sure if she would need it, it couldn't hurt to be prepared.

"Mamai!" Teddy excitedly said as she entered the kitchen.

"Good morning, my beautiful boy. Have you been up long? I'm so sorry for making you wait." She cooed as she softly stroked his head and pecked him on his cheek, earning a giggle from him.

Glancing at Inoichi, she had to hold back a giggle of her own as he was in a losing battle with his daughter, Ino. It would seem that she wasn't in the mood for breakfast, if the state of the table and his shirt was anything to go by. "Tough morning, Inoichi-san?" She said in greeting, unable to hide the smile on her face. Ever since she had started her language lessons with him, she had opted for trying to speak of much of it as she could. She had been so lucky that Inoichi was so patient with her.

"Don't get me started, Hermione-san. You just wait a few more years. It won't be too long until that one there will be going through the same mood swings." He said jokingly, giving her a pointed look.

"Not just yet, luckily," she replied as she grabbed a chair next to Teddy and sat down.

"Mamai!"

"Yes, yes, patience, little one." Hermione shushed him, grabbing some food.

"He's still calling you that?" Inoichi commented.

"I don't have the heart to correct him, honestly."

"Have you ever thought about officially adopting him?" That question threw her off. Adopting… Teddy? She never thought about that, especially since she was already seen as his guardian.

"What do you mean?" She asked, turning to look at Inoichi.

"Well, he's currently registered under his own name, obviously. And while you do have guardianship, you're not his mother." Well, she wasn't going to lie. But that hurt. "Not officially. Not yet anyways." He finished. "If you want I can go get some information from the Hokage what the possibilities are and what steps need to be taken.""Yes." Hermione responded immediately. She didn't have to think twice. She would definitely adopt him if she was able to. There's no way she would pass on that opportunity.

Inoichi smiled in response. "Very well. I'll find out what I can after I have taken you to Shikaku. Don't forget to bring your notebook," he said jokingly. She definitely wouldn't. It was as if every few seconds there was another question that had popped into her head, that combined with the few she had already written down, she wasn't sure the man was going to like her, she thought jokingly.

After Hermione and Inoichi had left, Kakashi had spent some more time on the porch. He couldn't find the words to express how much he appreciated what Hermione had done for him. He didn't have the words. Were there even words for this? And what had she done? She had listened to him. Truly listened. Not for information to file away or to make a report. Not to determine his state of mind, to make sure he could still do missions. Not to evaluate him. She just listened. Never in his life had he ever come across someone who just listened, without a hidden agenda.

It wasn't until the birds started chirping, that his mind came back into focus. He felt exhausted, his mind tired. He slowly got up, shuffling back inside. Kakashi dropped himself on his bed, not bothering to get under the covers or to even change out of his clothes, expecting to fall asleep almost immediately.

He didn't. No matter how hard he tried to drift off, he couldn't. He tried every possible position, but nothing helped. Burying his face in his pillow, he took a deep breath and paused before groaning. He wasn't actually going to do this, was he? No, he wasn't. He was going to shut his mind off and go to sleep. If he could do this on missions, he sure as hell would be able to do so in his own home. This was getting ridiculous.

Ten minutes later, he groaned again as he got up and dragged himself to Hermione's room, a few doors down. His plan was to just get her scent, seeing as it had calmed him before but the moment he entered the room, her scent was only barely there, even to his sensitive nose. Without properly thinking about his actions, he sauntered into the room, grabbed a pillow and made his way back to his own room. Pressing the pillow to his face, he took a whiff and let out a sigh, feeling content. This time, it didn't take him long to fall asleep.

When he opened his eye next, he wasn't sure what time it was. Rolling onto his back, he dazedly stared at the ceiling. That had been, hands down, the best sleep he's had in years, he thought surprised. As his mind cleared, he was reminded of the events of the previous day. In all of his life, he'd never had such an eventful birthday. He remembered the words Genma had spat at him, thinking about what to do with that. He wondered what the Hokage would say, he should probably head down there as well, giving his own statement.

He slowly got out of bed, running a hand through his hair and sighed. It was weird. He felt tired, but well rested at the same time. But also… lighter. He felt so much lighter. He hasn't felt this light in… well, ever. It's a nice feeling, a hopeful feeling. Would he dare to have hope? He shook his head, shaking the thoughts from his mind. No. It was time to get this day started. First a shower, then he'd be off to the Hokage's office. He was actually itching for a mission after yesterday's events.

Kakashi was freshly showered when he knocked on the open door of the Sandaime's office. He watched as his leader looked up and nodded for him to enter. "Good afternoon, Kakashi. What can I do for you?"

"Hokage-sama," he greeted in return. "I figured I'd drop by after yesterday's… events." He knew for a fact that Tenzou had been ordered by Inoichi to report to their leader.

"Ah yes, it would seem you've had quite an interesting day."

Kakashi decided not to comment on that, instead waiting for the Hokage to start the conversation. This was awkward enough already.

"Right, yes, Tenzou came with an interesting report last night of an altercation between you and Genma. While it didn't turn into an actual fight, this will have consequences for your team." He stated. Then, looking Kakashi directly in the eye, he asked. "So, what do you want to do?"

Kakashi carefully thought about that. Whatever he decided would have consequences mostly for Genma, but also his team. He did know that Genma couldn't be on his team right now. While he was able to pretend nothing happened, he didn't think Genma would currently be able to control his emotions around Kakashi.

"I think," he started. "I think it would be best if we temporarily remove Genma from my team. At least until we sort something out." It didn't mean he wouldn't want Genma back on his team, ever. They worked well together, as a team. But they would have to sort something out before they could actually work as a team, again.

Hokage hummed thoughtfully as he sat back. "Well, I'd have to see what Genma has to say about it, he has yet to come in. It would be best if you weren't here when he does. Depending on what he has to say, we will make a decision. You'll be informed of that decision after that."

"Of course, sir."

"Before you leave, however, I have a mission for your team that cannot wait. Here," he said as he handed him a scroll from the stack on his desk. "Mission will take about two to three weeks. You leave early tomorrow morning." He said.

Looking at the contents of the scroll, Kakashi suppressed a groan. Yuki no Kuni. Land of Snow. His team was going to love this. "Consider it taken care of, Hokage-sama." He replied, before taking a bow.

"Good. Dismissed." With another bow, Kakashi turned on his heel and walked out. Instead of flickering away, something told him to take the long route instead. With a small shrug, he trusted his gut and pocketed his hands, making his way outside.

Hermione gave Teddy a hug and a kiss on his cheek before he left with Mrs. Yamanaka and Ino. She had suggested taking both kids to the playground, taking Teddy off of her hands as Hermione went with Inoichi to meet up with his friend Shikaku. Watching them disappear from sight, she felt bad for spending so little time with him. As if Inoichi heard her thoughts, he stepped up next to her and said "you'll see him later today, Hermione-san."

"Oh, I know," she said with a sigh. "It's just- I feel like I'm just handing him off to someone else."

"Hm, sometimes that's necessary. If you didn't, you wouldn't be able to take care of him in the long run. Plus, this will give him an opportunity to socialise with other kids. That's a good thing."

His arguments made sense, of course. She decided to trust his judgement. He was a parent himself, after all. It didn't mean she felt less guilty, but she told herself that she'd make it up to Teddy later that day. "I guess," she said in response, still looking in the direction Teddy had gone.

"Come on," Inoichi said, nudging her shoulder. "We're going to be late. Got everything with you?"

Hermione nodded as she turned to glance at him, "yeah, I've got it all in here." She said patting the bag slung over her shoulder.

Inoichi hummed as he moved his eyes to her bag, "it never ceases to amaze me how you fit stuff in that little bag of yours."

Hermione grinned at him, "magic." She replied cheekily with a wink.

She received a chuckle in return, with a soft "of course." He then pointed in the direction opposite of where his wife had gone, signaling for Hermione to follow him.

The walk was a fairly short one, one she was getting quite familiar with, seeing she's had countless meetings with the Hokage up until this point. It did confuse her to see they were going in the same direction. Maybe this man's workplace was near the Tower?

When they entered the Tower, she figured it would've been a bit awkward to ask now, so she kept quiet. She followed Inoichi as he turned to the stairs and started climbing them. Hermione, with all her experience from Hogwarts, barely reacted as she started climbing the stairs alongside him. From the corner of her eye, she could see Inoichi glancing at her in what seemed to be surprise, but he kept any comments to himself.

They stopped on the third floor, walking through an unmarked hallway, passing several open and closed doors. Inoichi stopped in front of a room, with the door open, walking inside. Hermione glanced inside and noticed a man standing near the window with hands in his pockets, watching them. He looked nothing like Inoichi, who had looked gentle upon meeting him. This man however, didn't look that welcoming at all. His dark hair was up in a ponytail, two scars marred the right side of his face.

"Took you long enough, Inoichi." The man drawled in greeting. How he managed to look so serious, but sound so bored, she would probably never know.

"We're right on time, Shikaku." Inoichi replied, unimpressed. "I assume you've spoken to Hokage-sama?"

The man, Shikaku nodded, "yeah, I've read the file too. I assume that's her? She speaks English?"

"And a little bit of your language, as well." Hermione piped up. She didn't but quite managed to not sound annoyed, hating it when people talked over her instead of to her.

"More than a little bit it seems," Shikaku drawled, again sounding bored. His face told a different story. His eyes were sharp as he took her in. Hermione hadn't felt like this since her first meeting with professor McGonagall. It wasn't a bad feeling, not really. She just felt like he was making an assessment of her and she wasn't sure what to think of it.

With his hands in his pockets, the dark-haired man slowly walked towards her, making Hermione want to step back. She stood her ground, however, knowing he wouldn't do anything, not with Inoichi there.

He stopped in front of her, still looking at her with a calculating gaze, before he took one of his hands out of his pocket and held it out. "Nara Shikaku," he said, introducing himself.

Hermione felt her eyebrows raise slightly, before sticking out her own hand, grasping his before giving it a shake, "Hermione Granger, it's a pleasure meeting you." She replied. She received a small smirk in return, followed by a nod.

"Would you be opposed to converse in my language?"

"Not at all, Nara-san. I, um, prefer it, actually. It helps me get better at it." Hermione replied slowly. It was still annoying to have to think of certain words, hoping she didn't say anything wrong.

"Alright, then." He said, turning to Inoichi. "I assume you're going to speak with the Hokage?"

"Yes, I have some things to discuss. Also, Hermione-san has some questions for you as well, you don't mind answering them, right Shikaku?" Inoichi said, as he clapped Shikaku on the shoulder on his way out, grinning at Hermione.

Hermione could see that Shikaku didn't like Inoichi's tone, and simply smiled a sweet smile when he turned his eyes on her. "What a drag." He said with a sigh. "Alright, let's see what I can do for you." She watched as he made his way back to the desk he had been standing near before, signalling for her to take one of the seats.

"To start, Hokage-sama has explained some things about you." He started, "something about you not being from around here and having special abilities?"

"Ah, um." Hermione responded hesitantly. "Yes, I suppose so."

"You suppose so?" Shikaku asked with a raised brow. "You don't sound sure of yourself."

"Right, well, I- I mean, it's- it's complicated." It's complicated? Nice one, Hermione, she thought, now he probably wouldn't let it go. She had to refrain herself from rolling her eyes at her own behaviour, but mentally smacked herself on the head.

"Right." The man slowly drawled, "well, that would be something to discuss another time, perhaps." Her eyes shot up to his in surprise. Not that she wasn't glad that he let it go that easily, she was. But something inside her told her he probably wouldn't actually let it go that easily.

"Anyways," he said, clearing his throat. "That's not why you're here right now. I was asked to help you with some research, although I'm not entirely sure what it is that you're researching."

Now this she could work with, this was her area of expertise. "Yes, that's right. I'm currently... struggling a little bit and Inoichi-san suggested I get some help, from someone who possibly knew more about this." Hermione explained.

"Which would be?"

Hermione looked at him. She knew just admitting this could be dangerous. For her and Kakashi. But then again, he had already spoken to the Hokage, right? And he was apparently granted access to this information. And really, how else must she get help from this man? "A bond.""A bond?""Yes."She looked up, hesitantly meeting the older man's eyes while he stayed silent. When she didn't say anything else, he sighed. "You're going to have to give me a little more than that.""We- I- Um, when I arrived here, I got bonded with someone. From here.""You're bonded to one or our shinobi?""Yes.""Who?"

"..."

"Granger-san-""Hermione, please." She automatically said."Hermione-san." He corrected himself. "Who are you bonded with?""Me." Both Hermione and Shikaku turned towards the open door that revealed. "She bonded with me." Kakashi seemed incredibly closed off, but she wasn't sure if that was because of her or Shikaku, especially since he hadn't looked at her yet.

The moment he did, she knew it wasn't her. A feeling of gratefulness washing over her, to which she gave him a small smile in return.

"Everything okay here?" Kakashi asked her in English, keeping his eye on her.

"Yes, everything's fine." She said, waving him off. "What are you doing here?"

"Am I not allowed to be in the Hokage Tower, in my own village?" Kakashi replied with a raised brow. His voice was flat, but she knew better. He was just joking with her in his own weird way.

"Oh, shut it. You know I didn't mean it like that." Hermione rolled her eyes at him.

"Actually-"

"Then what did you mean?" Kakashi said, ignoring Shikaku. From the corner of her eyes, she could see him looking at the pair of them. For a short moment, she feared he would get angry or something, but he just kept his mouth shut.

"Not that." Hermione retorted, turning her attention back to Kakashi, crossing her arms. She was not impressed with him and refused to back down. "You know it's not that."

"Then what?" He repeated, stepping closer towards her.

"What do you think I meant?" She wasn't sure what it was, but she didn't want this game to be over so soon, she actually found it funny and from what she was feeling, he was amused too. It was a nice, comforting feeling. Especially after last night.

"That's not how this works, Hermione-san."

"I think it's exactly how it works."

"Is that so?" He was standing so close now, that she had to tilt her head in order to keep her locked with his.

"Yep," she said with a sly smirk. "So, what do you think I meant?"

"I think-"

"I think," Shikaku spoke up, "that this is getting very uncomfortable for me. How about you two flirt with each other when I'm not present?"

Hermione stepped back, watching Kakashi do the same, in shock. "Wh- No. We weren't-" She looked at Kakashi for help, but he just avoided everyone's gaze, looking to the wall on his left. Figures.

"Sure you weren't." He said. "At least now I know what you meant when you said you were bonded."

"You're going to research it?" Kakashi asked, showing he must've heard a lot more than just the end of their conversation.

"Mhm, Inoichi-san figured I could use some help. And I thought- well, the last time we-" She didn't finish her sentence. She knew she didn't need to. They both knew what had happened the last time they tried to research the bond together. Hermione couldn't help the hurt and fear that she felt. She knew he must feel it too.

"It's fine," He said, a feeling of calm came over her. It would never stop surprising her how comforting he could be with just his feelings, while he could be so overwhelming with them as well. "I don't have the time, anyway. I've got a mission, which means I won't be able to meet up later this week.""Oh?" She said, hopefully not sounding too disappointed. "That's too bad. I was going to ask you to come over in two days. I heard Inoichi-san say something about a party, so it would've been nice to have you there." She said somewhat shyly.

"Party?"

Looking up, she saw him with a furrowed brow. "Yes, for my birthday… wait- you didn't know? I thought you knew."

"No," he said slowly, "I didn't.""I thought- oh man, I'm sorry. I figured you knew. I mean, Genma knew. So- Shit, sorry." Smart, Hermione, she thought. Way to be inconsiderate.

"Stop apologising."

"So-" He cocked his head, making her stop. Right. No apologising. "When are you leaving?" She asked instead.

"In the morning."

Shoot, that soon? She bit her bottom lip. Hermione had actually wanted to give him a gift for his birthday, figuring it was only appropriate. They were friends now, right? Friends bought gifts. But what to get him...

"I should go, inform my team." Kakashi stated as he turned to leave.

"Right, yes." She said, before switching back to English. "Um, I was wondering, could I come by later today? I wanted to give you something. For your birthday. A- a belated birthday gift, if you will."

Kakashi paused as he looked at her, like he wasn't sure what to think. "Oh, sure."

"Great!" She said, putting her hands together enthusiastically. She had just thought of something that would be helpful, hopefully. A perfect gift, if only to give herself some assurance it would help him get back. She had gotten the idea when she had seen a picture of him when he was younger.

"Bye." She said, as he put up his hand in a wave, giving Shikaku a nod, before leaving the room.

"Well, that was interesting." Shikaku commented, causing Hermione to blush, putting her face in her hands.

"I'm so sorry," she said.

She heard the man let out a chuckle, "it's fine. Like I said, now I know what you meant with being bonded. I've never seen him act the way he just did. And you- well, there was something about seeing the two of you together." He said."It's interesting."

Hermione moved back towards the table, taking a deep breath to calm herself and wishing her blush away. Back to business Hermione, she told herself. She took her bag off, having not done that before, she put it on the table. She took a moment to organise her thoughts, thinking about what she would need. Book, notebook, pen. On automatic pilot, she took those items out of the bag, placing them on the table and took a seat.

Looking up, she noticed Shikaku hadn't moved. He was watching her with an unreadable look on his face. "It's complicated, huh?" He commented, nodding at her bag.

She looked from him, back to her bag and the contents on the table. "Yes, it's complicated."

"It's a good thing I'm good at dealing with complicated things, then." He said with a small smile. "Let's get started, shall we?"

After spending a good five hours researching the bond with Shikaku and noting everything down, Inoichi came back in to pick her up. "How'd it go? Make any progress?" He asked in greeting as he looked at the both of them and the different stacks of papers between them.

"You owe me, Inoichi." Shikaku grunted, sounding annoyed. It was funny to see, since the man had been nothing but helpful, patient and understanding of everything during their time together.

"Come on, Shikaku, it wasn't that bad? Besides, you owed me." He then turned to Hermione with a smirk. "Did you ask him everything you wanted to know?"

"Actually, I do still have some questions-""No, woman, I don't care what questions you have. I'm not answering any more of them today." He groaned, walking away from the desk where they gave her a wink in response, showing her it was alright, which she had already understood. Hermione put a hand in front of her lips to try and stop the chuckle that threatened to escape, but couldn't stop it. Shikaku looked up. "Damn it, Inoichi, you put her up to this, didn't you?""I have no idea what you're talking about." He replied with a straight face. "Are you ready to go?" He asked Hermione instead.

"Yes, let me just grab my things." She started putting her notebook, pencil and book back into her beaded bag. "Shikaku-san, should I take the paperwork as well, or?"

"Sure," He said with a wave of his hand, not bothering to turn around. She giggled at that response, and put the papers, one stack at a time, in her bag.

"Okay, all done."

"Great, let's go." Inoichi said, holding out his hand, signalling her to leave the room.

"Bye Shikaku-san! Thank you so much for your help!" She called as she left.

"Just leave!"

Inoichi let out a loud laugh at that. Softly patting her on the shoulder as he moved to walk beside her. "That never gets old." He said, still chuckling.

The walk back home was quiet, but she couldn't help but to walk with a small spring in her step. Hermione was still buzzing with energy, but knew she wasn't allowed to talk about any of it while out in the open like this. It was hard, though, to keep it to herself. She was sure Inoichi could tell, if the smile he flashed her was any indication. Hermione also was incredibly curious to hear how his talk with the Hokage had gone. She hadn't forgotten he was going to get some information from his leader regarding the option to adopt Teddy officially.

"Oh! Before I forget, is there anywhere I can get some wool?"

"Wool?" Inoichi asked, confused.

"Yes, I need some."

"Uh, sure? I know a place, it's this way." He said, guiding her towards a small street to the left.

It was a small shop, but it was exactly what she had needed. It had been a little while since she had knitted anything. But with a little bit of magic, it would be done in no time. Hermione was planning on casting some charms on it as well, to do her best to keep him safe. She needed him to wear it though, therefore choosing a black wool to make it concealable. Not that it would matter much. Kakashi would be the only one to know it's actual colour, after she was done with all the charms.

After she had gotten the right amount, Inoichi paid for it. Hermione tried to stop him from paying it, but he just waved her off. She had accumulated some cash, but it would seem she wasn't going to be allowed to actually spend it. Rolling her eyes, she went along with it, filing it away for future reference. She would pay him back, at some point. One way or another.

Hermione knew Inoichi was curious to know why she bought wool, of all things, but he kept his questions to himself. Once they were back at home, she would tell him, tell him all about the day. Just- maybe not about Shikaku's comment on her flirting with Kakashi, which hadn't happened. They hadn't been flirting. Just friendly bickering, right? Right. She refused to think about everything she had felt during said bickering. It was just like with her and Ron, when they had been younger. Only, she and Ron had ended up as a couple. No, don't think that. This is nothing like that.

Mentally shaking her head, she focused back on the present, finding they had arrived back home. Had she really been that out of it? Maybe they hadn't been that far from the house. That was possible. Hermione put away her stuff in her room, quickly putting the knitting needles to work, charming them to knit a scarf long enough for him to wear, but not too long so that it would get in his way. Satisfied with her spell, she made her way downstairs, yearning a nice hot cup of tea.

She would almost think Inoichi had read her thoughts. As she entered the kitchen, he placed a cup in front of her. "Thanks."

"Of course. I figured you wanted to let loose of all that pent up energy?""Merlin, yes. We actually made quite a bit of progress!" Hermione launched into telling Inoichi what had happened once he had left. That Shikaku had been incredibly kind, answering every question she had asked, regarding the bond but also them as shinobi. Trying to find out the differences but also the similarities between magic and chakra, hoping that would help explain why it would be that a witch and a shinobi were able to get bonded.

She also explained that at the beginning Kakashi had shown up, that he was leaving for a mission, so that she wouldn't be able to meet up with him like they had planned. That was also the reason she wanted to buy some wool, to get him a belated birthday present.

"You're getting him a scarf?"

"Yep. It's going to be very handy." She said with a smile.

"Handy? How's a scarf going to be handy?"

"I'm going to make sure that no matter the weather, he'd be comfortable. Like, if it's cold, the scarf would heat him up, but if it's warm, it would keep him cool. It would also protect him from rain and whatnot.""I don't think it would be something that he would be able to wear though.""Oh, I anticipated that too. It will have a cloaking charm on it, so that it won't be in the way and people won't be able to see it." She was rather proud of that. It would take quite a strong Disillusionment Charm, but she knew it would work.

"That's interesting." Inoichi said, but let her change the subject once more, as she continued talking about her meeting with Shikaku.

After dinner, she asked Inoichi if he would want to take her to Kakashi's home. She knew he wouldn't let her go by herself and Hermione really didn't want to get on anyone's bad side. The moment he agreed to take her, she rushed to her room, grabbing the wrapped scarf. Taking a quick peek, she saw Teddy was sound asleep. Tugging the blanket up to his shoulders, she gave him a quick kiss on his head, before rushing back out.

A short minute later, she stood in front of Kakashi's door, knocking softly as she eyed her shoes nervously. Inoichi stayed back a little, giving the pair a chance to talk without someone eavesdropping their conversation. The door opened, causing Hermione to quickly look up. Seeing Kakashi there, in just his sweats, almost made her blush. He was still wearing his mask, of course, but none of the other pieces of his normal outfit.

"You want to come in?" He asked, opening the door a bit further as an invitation.

"Sure," she replied with a nod. Merlin, this was awkward. It was like she was on a first date, which wasn't the case. She really had to stop thinking like this. She didn't see him like that and she was absolutely sure he would agree with her.

"Would you like something to drink?"

"Oh, just some water is okay, thank you." Kakashi grabbed a glass of water for her, placing it in front of her. "Thanks." She said, watching him sit down.

"So, as promised, I've brought you something," she said, taking the package from her bag.

"You really didn't have to." He protested.

"Nonsense, we're friends, Kakashi-san. Friends get each other gifts for their birthday, right?"

"Just Kakashi," he said.

"I'm sorry?""Just Kakashi. I think you know enough about me to just call me Kakashi, without the suffix." Oh, she hadn't expected that. It would honestly take her some time getting used to that.

"In that case, you can do the same with me." She said. She never really liked people calling her any different than just Hermione.

"That's an odd request," he said, which made her look at him in surprise. "But, if you really want to, I can call you Kakashi too. Might be a bit confusing to some people, though." He didn't. Did he just?

"Did you just crack a joke?" She asked bewildered.

"What? You think I'm incapable to make jokes?"

"I- no, I just. Oh my." Hermione said with a smile. She'd never expected him to do that, shaking her head softly.

"So, anyway, you got me a gift?" Kakashi said, placing his head on his hand, propping his elbow on the table.

"You're in a mood, aren't you?" She replied, "but yes, I do. Although I'm not so sure I should give it to you.""You can't not give it to me. You already promised it to me. It doesn't work that way, Hermione." The way he said her name, without the suffix, was weird, but also nice to hear. She wouldn't mind him saying that more often.

Rolling her eyes, she sighed and held out the package to him. He carefully took it from her, feeling it in his hand, no doubt trying to figure out what it was. Giving up, he placed it back on the table and opened the wrapping.

"A scarf?"

"Yes, I- I wasn't sure what to get you, honestly, so I made this for you.""You made this?" She could feel him rush to different emotions quickly, but settling on appreciation. "Thank you." He said, as he carefully held it in his hands.

"It's charmed," she explained. "If you wear it, only you will know about it. Also, I've put some protective charms on it. To protect you from the weather. I figured it could help you, wherever you're going on your mission. I just- I wanted to do what I could to protect you. It's the least I could do."

The emotion she felt next, she hadn't expected from him, not like this. He was hurt. Had she read it wrong? Maybe she should've thought it through, before giving him something like this. Suddenly he stood up, scarf in his hand and walked out of the room. Hermione wasn't sure what to do, but decided to follow him, to try and mend whatever she had caused.

Hermione found him in the room that he kept shut, where she had been when she was kidnapped. "Kakashi?" She called out, slowly walking towards him. He had stopped near the cabinet which held some pictures of him, when he was younger. Kakashi seemed to be looking at one of the pictures she had seen that day too. "Did I-"

"Is this why you got me a scarf?" He quietly asked.

"Yes," she said in an equally quiet voice.

When he turned around, the emotion he felt was also on his face. "The scarf I'm wearing there was left by my mother. It was the only thing I had of her, but I lost it and-"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to replace-""Stop." He said, suddenly appearing right in front of her, making her take a step back. She wasn't sure what he was going to do now. "Stop apologising," he repeated the same sentence he had said to her earlier that day.

"I don't know what you want me to say. Or do. I don't-" She stopped talking as she watched Kakashi's hand move towards his mask, her eyes widening.

It was over before she knew it. Hermione had only caught a glimpse of his face, noting it had been the same as Teddy's, only older. His lips were soft, was the next thought that registered in her mind, as her hand flew up to her cheek. Had he? Her eyes met his, which were slightly crinkled, indicating he was smiling, or smirking at her. She wasn't sure. He had put his mask back up.

"Thank you." He said sincerely. "I'll make sure I won't lose it. I- You should probably go. Inoichi-san is waiting and I have to get up quite early in the morning."

"O-of course. Y-yes." Hermione couldn't say a word without stuttering. She was blushing. She knew she was blushing. She had totally read this wrong, hadn't she? While in a daze, Kakashi led her to the front door. She barely had said her goodbyes when Inoichi showed up, looking between the two of them, no doubt wondering what had gotten Hermione so flustered.

"See you in a few weeks, Hermione." He said. "And Happy Birthday."

Hermione was certain of it. He was going to be the death of her.

End of chapter notes:

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