Notes:

Hellooo~

It's time for a new chapter! :D

This hasn't been beta-read, so once again my apologies if there are any mistakes in this.

Hope you enjoy! 3

Chapter 26: Yamanai kizu

Kakashi stood frozen for a few more moments, as Hermione took Teddy inside the Yamanaka residence. His hand moved to his cheek, fingers softly touching the cloth where she had kissed him. What in the world had just happened? Had she really just kissed him? Him? But.. why? He was brought out of his reverie when Inoichi and Genma came running. He looked at them, making sure everything about him was impassive.

"What are you doing here, Hatake?" Inoichi angrily demanded. "I told you she wasn't ready."

Kakashi didn't say anything, only looking at him with a lazy, uncaring expression.

"Leave, now." Inoichi ordered, "don't make me say it again."

"You don't get to decide that, Yamanaka." Kakashi retorted, getting angry himself. It was one thing to get angry at the situation, which he understood to a certain extent. It was another to treat him like a fucking child. "And you also don't get to order me around."

"I am able to do so when it concerns someone that's under my care."

Kakashi rolled his eyes at that. "Whatever. I got better things to do than to get yelled at." He said as he turned to walk away. He wasn't even going to bother to use the Body Flicker jutsu to leave. He wasn't giving Inoichi the satisfaction. Screw that. In the meantime, his brain was going into overdrive. Because not only did Genma witness all of that. Gai was there too. Hell, he wouldn't be surprised if Gai saw everything. He silently groaned at the thought. That would be hell to explain.

A few blocks away, he did teleport away. He didn't feel like walking all the way home. Kakashi knew it would only be a short time before Gai would bust in and demand answers. He only got as far as removing his sandals and headband when Gai pounced him, throwing him on the floor.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RIVAL!" Gai shouted as he clung to Kakashi's back.

"For fucks sake, Gai, really?! Lower your goddamn voice!" He complained. "And get off my back!"

"I apologise, my Rival." He said, lowering his voice. Kakashi groaned, rubbing his ears. He should've expected this, but it still hurt his ears whenever Gai got excited. "But this is something we need to celebrate!" Gai then got off of his back, allowing Kakashi to stand back up again. A second later the teen had Kakashi in a tight grip, throwing him on the floor again, clinging onto him like a child and… yeah, of course. He was crying. He felt the tears seep into his shirt. "And not to mention the kiss you received! THAT WAS BEAUTIFUL! So romantic, Rival, I'm so jealous of you! You are so lucky to have found love!"

"For the last time, use your inside voice, Gai!" Kakashi complained again, trying to untangle himself from his self-proclaimed rival. "And get the fuck off of me!"

It only took another second, before Gai finally let go of him, standing up as he pulled Kakashi up with him. He started dusting the silver-haired teen off, but Kakashi slapped his hands away, not wanting to be touched another second. He walked away from Gai, going into his kitchen. Grabbing the necessary things he needed to make himself some tea, he asked if his unwanted visitor wanted one as well. Hearing the man softly say "yes" made him sigh.

"Look, Gai, I'm sorry but I'm not really in the mood for all of this. It's been a trying time these past couple of weeks and I'm just-" Exhausted. Emotionally drained. Done. So, so done. He wasn't sure what explanation he should give his friend, so he didn't. Letting him fill in the blanks himself.

"I know, Kakashi. And I know you can't speak to me about it. Just- Know I am here, if you wish to."

Kakashi turned around, tiredly looking at his friend. "Yeah, I know. Thanks, Gai."

"Good, well. I know you don't like parties," Gai started and Kakashi groaned in response. "Hear me out, Kakashi. It's not going to be a big party. I invited a couple of friends. We're just going to have some drinks, that's all." He explained. He was right though, it didn't sound as bad as he had expected. But he also knew that once Gai started drinking, all previous plans would get thrown out of the window. The combination of Gai and alcohol was not good. "Oh! Maybe I can invite your lady friend and-"

"No." Kakashi hissed. "You will not invite her, Gai." He glared at his friend, praying this got the message across. He couldn't invite her. She'd never come, anyways.

"Okay. Okay, Kakashi. I won't." Gai said, holding his hands up in defence.

"Good," the silver-haired teen said with a nod. "What kind of tea do you want?" He said, changing the subject, continuing with preparing the tea. It would give him something to do. Gave him the chance to not think about her for once.

Hermione softly closed the door behind her. Did she really just do that? What was she thinking?! Her fingers went up to touch her lips. She hadn't kissed his skin, but still. His mask had been soft and warm. Merlin, she was so stupid. Talk about sending the guy mixed signals. But it did tell her one thing. The moment she had done so, she had felt an explosion of feelings coming from him, confusion being the most pronounced, followed by an emotion she hadn't expected of him.

The door opening behind her, brought her back to the hallway she stood in, Teddy still in her arms.

"Hermione-san? Are you okay?" Inoichi asked with concern.

"Oh, Inoichi-san. Um, yes. Yes, I'm fine." She said with a nod. Shifting Teddy in her arms, she walked towards the playpen and put him down. Hermione could feel his eyes on her, watching her carefully.

"What was Kakashi-san doing outside?" He then asked. "Did he bother you? Or-"

"NO! I- I mean, no. No, he didn't. He helped me when I-" she paused as she looked at Inoichi. "And he found Teddy and brought him to me. Thank Merlin for that." She said with a sigh of relief, looking back at the young boy. "I didn't know what to do. I couldn't find him."

Hermione heard Inoichi walk towards her, slowly, but steadily. He reached out, placing his fingers on her chin and carefully lifted her face up to meet his gaze. "Are you sure you're alright?" He asked.

"Yeah. I mean, yes. I'm- I'm fine." She said, "I just- I'm very relieved Teddy is okay." Hermione turned her head, looking down at Teddy again, who was now looking back up at her. "Hello little troublemaker. Went on an adventure today, didn't you?" Hermione really wondered whose face he had adopted before. Now he looked just like he normally did, thank Merlin. She wasn't entirely sure if Inoichi was aware. Had Kakashi even informed the Hokage about it? It did bother her that the glamour she had put on him wasn't working properly anymore. It couldn't be the wand this time, she had used her own wand after all.

Teddy giggled in return. He actually had a mischievous look on his face. He was definitely up to something, she thought with a small smile.

She heard Inoichi come up behind her. "Hermione-san? I was hoping we could talk?"

Hermione looked up, catching his gaze. He didn't say what he wanted to talk about, but truthfully, he didn't need to. She knew what he wanted to talk about. She bit her bottom lip, deciding on if she was ready to speak to Inoichi about it. Then again, she was so tired of keeping quiet. So tired of carrying this burden alone. She needed to confide in someone about all of this. Not just the bond stuff that was happening between her and Kakashi, nor the fact Dolohov had tortured her. No. It was time to put everything on the table. Especially if she was going to speak with Kakashi in a few days.

"Yeah," she said hesitantly. "Sure."

"If you're not ready-"

"No, I am. You were right, Inoichi-san. It's time." She said, turning towards him. "I need to talk to someone. And I wouldn't know who else to talk to about this."

Inoichi smiled at her. "Okay, we have a little while before my wife takes Ino-chan back home. Let's use that time wisely, hm?"

"Yes, let's." Hermione said, laughing softly. She had found what a handful Ino could be. The little girl was incredibly determined. Especially when it came to getting her way. She hoped Teddy wouldn't become like that. There's no way she could say "no" to him.

Inoichi motioned to the kitchen, where they could both sit, making it a bit more comfortable to talk. She knew he would also be taking notes. Hermione knew that everything she said would be discussed with the Hokage. She'd learned as much from her meetings with the Hokage. She supposed it was fine, really. The last thing she wanted to do is lie to him. It was just- it was easier to talk to Inoichi about it, there was something about telling the Hokage himself that just didn't feel comfortable to Hermione.

Hermione took a deep breath, trying to keep her tears at bay. This was harder than she thought it would be. The first bit wasn't as bad, she explained to Inoichi what it was that was happening between her and Kakashi. As she chanced a glance at his face, he looked thoughtful and hummed in response. The only thing he had said on that subject that it did explain their behaviours quite a bit, as he wasn't able to figure it out before what it was that made both of them act the way they had, especially Kakashi.

After talking about the bonds, which was surprisingly brief, she figured it was best to talk about her time at Hogwarts. Just not the fun stories, this time. No, this time she talked about the bad memories. Seeing her friend fight for his life, year after year. Getting literally petrified, getting chased by a werewolf, which was fun explaining. Hermione was hesitant to dive in deep, for now just telling him what had happened, giving Inoichi an idea of what she went through.

He stayed silent most of the time. Only asking for clarification here and there, which was understandable. It was relieving in a way to finally talk to someone about it, even if he didn't understand even half of what she was saying. The hardest part for her was talking about them leaving their homes, her erasing herself from her parent's minds, followed closely by being on the run and then the events at the Malfoy Manor. It held so many bad memories for her. Her getting tortured, Dobby dying. It was one bad thing after another and the next thing she knew she was fighting in a war.

"Wait- Hermione-san, you-" It seemed even Inoichi didn't know what to say at this point. "Oh, you poor child."

The next thing she knew, Inoichi had pulled her out of her chair and held her close to him. She couldn't stop the tears from spilling then, the tears soon followed by a choked sob. She clung onto Inoichi, not daring to let go. Up until this point, she hadn't talked about it. Not really. Even now, she didn't express her actual feelings and thoughts on it, but it seemed that wasn't needed for Inoichi to understand. She was incredibly grateful for that.

They kept standing like that. Inoichi kept holding Hermione to his chest, soothingly rubbing her back. It was how Inoichi's wife found them in the kitchen. Hermione felt Inoichi turn to greet his wife, speaking softly to her, explaining what was going on. She actually understood most of what was being said, which made her let out a choked laugh.

"Hermione-san?" He asked as he let her go.

"Sorry, I actually understood that, I-" She shook her head, "I actually got that."

Inoichi smiled at her proudly as she met his gaze. She looked behind her to the woman behind her, who was also smiling at her. While she knew that Inoichi's wife didn't speak English, she also knew she was able to read her husband's body language. From that alone, she seemed to understand what made Inoichi so proud.

"I should, um, I'm going to go check on Teddy."

She excused herself from the kitchen. Inoichi nodded in agreement, before speaking with his wife, taking Ino from her arms and cooing softly. She made sure to give them their space as well, after all it was their home. She didn't want them to stop their rituals just because she was there.

"Mamai!"

"Hey sweetie," she cooed. She was about to pick him up, when a few rapid knocks were heard, coming from the front door.

Inoichi walked out and went to get the door, when a male voice came from the hallway. Strangely enough, the voice sounded quite familiar.

"Hermione-san!" Inoichi called from the hallway. She hesitantly made her way there, not sure what to expect.

"Yes?"

"Someone's here to see you."

Kakashi groaned. Why did he agree to go to the party again? Oh, right. "It was low-key." Gai had said. "Only a few people would be there." And the best one, "He wouldn't have to pay for any of his drinks." Well, that was actually a plus and the only reason that made him go. He knows he probably should keep an eye on how much he drinks, it would definitely not be a good idea to go all out.

He opened the door of his closet, looking at the clothes that he owned. Which basically were only uniforms. Ah well, he thought, he'll just go with his black shirt and pants, like what he wore when off duty. He hid a few kunai on him, but decided to leave his weapon's pouch at home. It was a party after all. His party to be precise.

Glancing at the clock, he saw it was nine o'clock, which meant he was already an hour late. Well, better late than never. Which also meant he had less time to spend there, which was just fine with him. He bent down to put on his sandals, making sure his keys were in his pocket. He wouldn't need his wallet tonight, so didn't bother taking it with him.

Making his way to Yamanai kizu, he steeled himself before actually going inside, glancing inside. Gai had lied. Of course he had, he thought with a sigh. From the outside he could see his previous classmates there. And other than that, the entire bar was loaded with people. Why did he agree to do this again? Shaking his head, he grabbed the door handle and pushed the door open, walking inside.

"KAKASHI! You're here! Finally!" Gai shouted from the other side of the bar, alerting every single person of his arrival. A string of "Happy Birthdays" were thrown his way by most of the patrons, none as enthusiastic as Gai's was, which he didn't mind at all.

Slowly making his way towards his friend, he nodded at everyone he passed, all of them raising their glasses at him in greeting. "Gai," he said, giving him a nod as well, as a beer was given to him. "Not a whole lot of people, hm?" He asked him.

"Ah, yes, Rival, I apologise. It seems I may have invited a bit more than I had intended."

"A bit?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Come on, Rival. Be happy that I listened to you, at least. I still don't understand why I couldn't invite her. I think she'll be good for you, Kakashi. She helps to bring you out of your long Autumn of Discontent," he said, looking at him with a serious look on his face.

Kakashi definitely shouldn't have taken a sip at that moment, choking on it as soon as Gai said that, "what the hell? Autumn of what? You've got to be joking. There is no 'Autumn of Discontent' Gai. I'm absolutely fine." He couldn't believe Gai had actually said that.

"What was that, Boss? Who's this 'she' he's talking about?" Suddenly there's an arm around his shoulder, with a slightly tipsy Shisui hanging on him, if the smell of his breath is anything to go by.

"No one," Kakashi is quick to say.

"His lady friend!" Gai says instead.

"Damn it, Gai. Stop that. She's not my lady friend."

"Rival! How can you say that! She gave you a-" Kakashi's hand flew to Gai's mouth, muffling any other sound that came out of it.

"What? Hey! She gave you a, what?" Shisui was looking between both Gai and Kakashi suspiciously.

"Nothing," Kakashi said. "Ignore Gai, you know how he gets when he's been drinking. Even more nonsense is coming out of him than usual."

The Uchiha looked at him, clearly not believing Kakashi either, "I don't know about that, Boss. This didn't seem like something-"

"How about you go get a new drink? Yugao's looking kind of thirsty." He said, nodding at the purple-haired woman sitting a few booths to the left. "I mean it, Shisui." Kakashi added, as the Uchiha hadn't moved.

"Right, okay. But don't think I'll forget!" He cheerfully said with a wave as he walked to the bar to get a refill.

"Damn it, Gai. You have to stop doing that." He hissed, looking his friend straight in the eye. "There is nothing going on between me and her, and she's definitely not my lady friend."

Gai tried to say something, his voice still muffled by Kakashi's hand.

"What?"

Gai rolled his eyes at him and pointed behind him, towards the door. With a frown he turned around, his gaze going over all the people between him and the door, until they paused at the door. Suddenly, Kakashi's mind was blank. What the- How- Why was she here? His unspoken questions were soon answered, as he saw her look behind her with a soft smile. His eye followed her gaze and his jaw clenched when he saw who it was that stood behind her.

Genma. That motherfu- He could've known. Fuck, he should've known. It had been incredibly clear that Genma was interested in her, when he thought about it. And he couldn't believe she had said "yes" on going out with him, to his birthday party. Damn it. He took a large swig from his beer, removing his hand from Gai's mouth, wiping it on his pants.

"I'm going to get another drink," he said, as he walked away from Gai and made his way towards the bar. He needed something stronger if he was going to have to deal with this.

"Wait! Rival," Gai called after him, grabbing his arm. "I thought-"

"You thought wrong, Gai." Kakashi shrugged Gai's grip off of him and continued to make his way to the bar.

He held up a finger, ordering a stronger drink. A moment later, a whisky was put in front of him. He sighed as he picked up the glass and swirled it. Genma appeared next to him, right when he wanted to take a sip, "how's it going, Boss? Happy Birthday, man!"

"Thanks," he sat with a flat voice, almost draining the glass in a single gulp. "Why'd you bring Hermione here, Genma?"

"Oh? Well, I figured she could probably use a night to let loose a little, y'know? She's been cooped up inside a house most of the time." Genma shrugged. "Anyways, you shouldn't worry too much about it, eh? It's not like she's your responsibility anymore." He held up his beer towards Kakashi before taking a swig and walking off, to join their friends.

Kakashi chanced a glance over his shoulder, finding Hermione easily in the crowd. She looked extremely uncomfortable, most likely because she didn't know anyone other than himself and Genma. She had her hair up in a braid which was hanging over her shoulder. It suited her, he found. It seemed the Yamanakas had helped her get some new clothes as well, since he knew she hadn't had much with her when she stayed at his place. She'd always worn the same two outfits before.

She caught his gaze, right before he turned back towards the bar, recognition visible on her face. Didn't she know it was his party? It would seem not, if the surprise was anything to go by. From the corner of his eye, he could see her making her way to him. He was half tempted to walk away, but he didn't want to give up his spot at the bar.

"Hi," she said, as she reached him.

"Hermione-san."

"Quite a party you've got going on here, huh?"

Kakashi hummed at that. He still thought there were too many people for his liking. "Yeah, Gai knows how to throw a party, apparently."

"Gai? Oh! The friend from your house the other day?"

Kakashi hummed again. What were they doing? He wasn't feeling comfortable with this at all, especially since he knew she came here with Genma. Shouldn't she be talking with him, instead?

"Just because I came with him, doesn't mean I'm only going to hang out with him, Kakashi-san."

He had said that out loud, huh?

"Yes," she said with a small giggle, "you did."

Damn it. He really needed to stop doing that. "Genma isn't going to like it if you spend your time with me, though. He likes attention."

Hermione snorted at that, making Kakashi raise an eyebrow at that response. "Genma-san can like attention all he wants, but he'll have to find it elsewhere. Besides, I already told him that I wasn't looking for a relationship or anything that has to do with that at the moment. So, I'm sure it's fine."She was blunt, wasn't she? Why was he relieved though? Just because she had told Genma that she didn't want a relationship? Was he really that petty?

"I actually wanted to ask you something, Kakashi-san. I understand though, if this isn't the right time and-"

"What did you want to ask?" He interrupted. He found he needed to do that with her, she had a habit of babbling on and on unless she was stopped.

"Oh, well, I- I wanted to ask if you had felt it too."

Surprisingly, he didn't need to ask her what she was talking about. Because he knew, right away. And he had felt it. He wasn't sure what he had felt, just that it seemed off. So he nodded slowly, wondering where she was going with this. She knew more about this than him, after all.

"The bond. It's getting stronger, it feels like." She continued at his nod. "It's almost like it's fighting us because we're fighting it."

Kakashi turned to look at her directly, maintaining eye contact with her for a few moments. "So, what are we supposed to do about that?"

Hermione shrugged in response, "I don't really know yet. I just think- Maybe we should try to get along more." She said, looking away. "I know we haven't been doing any of that, really. And I don't think either of us is to blame for that. But this time apart, I mean, I could tell you weren't in the village and I could tell you were upset during that time too."

He didn't really know what to say to that. Hermione was right on most counts. Completely wrong about it not being their fault. Kakashi knew he was definitely at fault there, he should've known better. It bothered him that she knew he wasn't in the village though and that she knew he was upset, that she could seemingly feel that? Well, him being upset, he understood. It was very clear they could feel the extreme emotional outbursts.

Kakashi hadn't felt the subtle changes in her emotions or feelings, and he assumed she hadn't either. He had no doubt, however, that that would be something they eventually would feel, if they were to become closer. He had a lot of time to think about it when on his mission and he had found that in the short period of time, everything he had started feeling from her became more and more clear to him.

"So, what do you suggest we do?" He said when it was clear she wasn't going to say anything else to him. He took another sip of his drink, finishing it.

"I suggest we talk, really talk, about what's happening to us and what we're going to do about it."

"When?"

"Oh- I don't know. Whenever the both of us have time, I suppose."

Kakashi stared at his empty glass, moving it around in his hand. Well, he thought, they were already talking about it. Might as well do it now, when he was still somewhat sober. "Now?" He asked softly. He knew she would only barely hear him say it. It was up to her to acknowledge his suggestion or to pretend she hadn't heard it.

"Sure. Where?"

"I know a place. Hold on." With some quick hand movements, they disappeared.

End of chapter notes:

That's it :D. Hope you guys enjoyed it~! Reviews make me happy, so please leave one behind 3

Until next time!

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