Chapter 5:

Marking Territory

"Hinata-sama?" The muffled voice of one of her family's maids could be heard from the other side of her door. "Hokage-sama is here to see you."

Her heart sank, but she forced lightness into her voice as she answered. "Thank you, Misa. Please bring him into the parlor and tell him I'll be with him in just a moment."

"Yes, Hinata-sama," the girl replied as she backed slowly away from the door.

With a heavy sigh, she dragged herself out of bed and began the hopeless task of smoothing her rumpled yukata. Raku sat by her side, tail wagging eagerly. She wondered if he could sense that they had a visitor.

Once she looked somewhat presentable, she made her way to the parlor, where the Rokudaime was already kneeling at their tea table. She started to bow when Raku suddenly rushed past her in a blur of golden fur. She could do nothing but watch in horror as he flung himself at the honorable Hokage, yipping joyfully and licking every inch of his face with admirable thoroughness.

"R-Rokudaime-sama!" she said in a strangled voice. "I'm so sorry!"

He chuckled—a deep, throaty sound that made her wonder when the last time was that he had laughed. "There's no need to apologize, Hinata. Who is this?"

"H-His name is Raku. I found him on the streets a few weeks ago, and he's been living with me ever since."

"I see. Hello there, Raku." He patted the dog's head fondly. "And please, Hinata,"—his eyes met hers briefly—"call me Kakashi or Kakashi-san—whichever you prefer."

Regaining her composure, she inclined her head in acquiesce and seated herself gracefully across from him. Her heart warmed a bit as Raku trotted over and placed his head in her lap.

"It's good to see that you are well, Kakashi-san," she said, busying herself with serving the tea. "Please tell me, to what do I owe the honor of your visit?"

He sighed slightly, and she noticed that his face was lined with sorrow and exhaustion. "I wish that I could say that I came merely for a social call, but I'm afraid I don't have much time for those these days."

She handed him a steaming mug and he thanked her distractedly. "It's concerning the Hokage residence," he said. "I'm in no hurry to move in, but the Council is adamant that we have to keep up appearances—and that means having the current Hokage live in the Hokage's residence. I've held them off as long as I can but"—he shrugged helplessly—"they set the move-in date for one week from now."

"I see..."

Her hand trembled as she attempted to drink, so she set down her cup and entwined her fingers in Raku's thick, silky fur instead. She had known that this would happen eventually, but she hadn't expected it to be so soon. The thought of going back to her home, to their home, without Naruto...

"I understand your reservations, Hinata," he said gently. "If you want, I can hire some people to pack things up and store them for you until you're ready to go through them."

She drew a deep breath, and when she spoke, her voice, though soft, was firm. "Thank

you, Kakashi-san, but I would prefer to handle things myself. I will head over there this

afternoon to get started."

Kakashi nodded, though rather reluctantly. "As you wish."

She had already resolved that she was going to stop running, but a few hours later—as she stood in the entryway of what had once been her and Naruto's home—she wasn't sure that she would be able to do this.

Everywhere she looked, she was assaulted by memories. There was the low table where she and Naruto had talked and laughed together over rushed breakfasts of miso soup, the worn red sofa where she had curled up against him to watch tv at night, the small hook on the wall where Naruto had hung his prized Hokage cloak—

Psssssss...

Startled, she turned around to see Raku, one leg raised in the air and a steady stream of yellow leaking onto a potted plant. She stared at him in utter disbelief for a moment before bursting into laughter.

Having finished his business, Raku padded back to her side, exuding an air of utter triumph. She dropped to her knees beside him, still giggling uncontrollably.

"You're in good company, you know?" she said as he licked her cheek. "Naruto—my husband—didn't care much for that plant either."

She leapt back to her feet, heart lighter than she would have thought possible. "Alright, Raku." She rolled up her sleeves with an air of determination. "What do you say we get to work?"

Author's Note: Thanks so much for reading! The next chapter will be posted tomorrow, but until then, please leave a review to let me know what you think!