A/N: Holy moly the word count on this thing is getting wild. Thanks for sticking with me this far, guys!
Hinata carefully paints the symbols for time-space. The time component is the most important if she wants her prototype to function. It needs to stop time down to a subatomic level. Her goal is to suspend life itself within a pocket dimension. If she can do this, then the patients deemed too critical for the medical care available at the time can be sealed until the proper treatment or personnel is available.
("I'm so sorry," Hinata whispers to the young Konoha-nin, younger than even her tender eleven years, and places her chapped palm over his bloody chest. The boy watches her with eyes glazed over in pain, his breath whistling through bloodied lips, as she places her palm over his heart.
"I'm so sorry…" Hinata glances at the underside of his hitai-ate, "…Manabe-kun, this is all the treatment I can spare for you."
Hinata wants to scream when understanding dawns on his little face.
"O—oh…that's…not g—good." Manabe coughs harshly. Blood spurts from his lips and onto the hand Hinata has over his chest. He closes his eyes and his body relaxes as much as it can "…please, Hyuuga-san…I…I…don't want to hurt anymore."
"You won't," Hinata promises. She sacrifices the barest amount of chakra she can afford to, sending it directly to his heart. Manabe's breath hitches once before stopping completely. Hinata closes his eyes with steady hands.
"You won't hurt ever again, Manabe-kun." She vows, crying for this poor boy caught in the cruel game of powerful men thrice his age.
"Hinata," Hayate says from behind her, "we have to go."
Hinata nods, resolve firming. There are others out there who she can help. The faster she gets to them, the lesser chance there is of them being too far gone; of having to leave behind another Manabe-kun.
"Hai, you're right, let's go.")
It is a medic's job to save lives, to heal the sick and the injured. Everyone knows this. What they don't know is sometimes they have to pick who they can save and who they must leave behind.
Hinata doesn't ever want to choose ever again.
Out of her peripheral, she sees a piece of paper inch closer and closer to her.
"Yes, Kakashi?" Hinata asks without looking, not wanting to risk the seal's integrity as she paints its smallest components with her finest brush.
"Can you sign this?"
With her other hand, Hinata grabs another brush and signs her name at the bottom.
"Thanks."
Hinata hums in response, her focus returning once more to her seal work when Kakashi leaves.
Never again.
With this there will never be another Manabe-kun.
(With this seal there will never be another Rin.)
Obito wants to see her one more time. Confronting the Ame trio had unfortunately brought up things he doesn't want to think about.
Things like Hinata.
The girl's—Konan—hair isn't quite the right shade but it is close enough to make him remember.
("You're already m—my hero," Hinata confesses quietly.)
("I know you don't like Kakashi, but, you two are a team now, together with Rin."
Obito wants to argue. He wants to say that Kakashi isn't worth it, doesn't deserve his kindness; his forgiveness, not when he's been so needlessly cruel to Hinata. But then Hinata grabs his hands with hers and she looks up at him with those big eyes of hers and he's doomed before he can even start.
"Please," Hinata says, taking a step closer to him, "promise me that you'll at least try to get along."
Obito turns to the side, a scowl on his lips and his cheeks burning fiercely.
Hinata leans closer. "Obito?" She whispers, her breath brushing against him like the wings of a butterfly; like flames licking at the firewood.
"O—okay, fine, I promise!" He blurts. Obito glances at her and his blush deepens at the sight of her smile inches from him. "B—but only becuase you asked, okay? Are you happy now?"
Obito is devoured whole, fire heating bones and roaring in his heart when Hinata leans in that last inch and presses a chaste kiss to his cheek.
"V—very! Thank you, Obito.")
(Obito looks over Hinata, eyes roving over the delicate curve of her jaw and up to her pretty pink lips and he wonders what they'd feel like against his lips—)
But Obito doesn't have time to remember; doesn't have the time to for these dalliances.
And yet here he is, in the village of his birth, spurred on by the memories Konan drug up and—and also those tempting images; the ones in his dreams. They are of Hinata, she is older now, looking so soft and good and happy. He dreams of her smiling at him, a bashful look in her eyes, and cheeks so rosy red he just wants to bite into them like crisp apples and devour her whole.
Oh, and there was that kiss! That stupid kiss!
Obito flushes at the memory. Of her petal-soft lips on his forehead, the moonlight reflecting behind her. It makes her look like the princesses he grew up wanting to save.
And—and all that other stuff!
Obito cannot deny that he wants to see her. Even if it's an impostor, he'll take what he can. So Obito plans to allow himself this one indulgence—just this one—and then he'll begin his work in earnest.
And who knows, maybe this is what he needs. A reminder of why he's going through all this trouble, all this pain.
(It hurts, it hurts so much he can scarcely breathe. The weight of his want, of his loss sits heavy on his chest, grinding his lungs into mush. It is like the cave-in all over again.)
It has to be worth it, it has to.
And if it's not, Obito will make it worth something.
From a safe distance and carefully hidden, Obito follows after Kakashi and Hinata. Kakashi is taller now (a small part of Obito is proud to note that he's still the taller of the two) and he looks…softer. Less tense; more relaxed, his visible eye half-lidded as he casually reads the crime-drama novel in his hand.
Obito breathes in deep and finally looks at Hinata properly.
Blessed Amaterasu, Obito cries within the privacy of his mind, she's beautiful. She looks exactly like the Hinata from his dreams; the Hinata he hopes to one day make a life with after his work is all said and done and he can finally rest.
(Gods, he is so tired but he can't stop now. Not when there is so much more to do. Not when every step brings him that much closer to his goal.)
Obito watches as the two work in tandem to tidy up Rin's grave.
Her empty grave.
Obito's hands close into tight fists, the leather of his gloves creaking.
Kakashi tilts his head to the side.
Obito stills.
A few tense moments of nothing have the Hatake turning his attention back to the girl beside him. Obito relaxes, but his hands stay fisted.
He'll make them pay. He'll make that sorry excuse for a country regret ever taking Rin from him. Obito will make them suffer until their waters run red. Until the skies have no choice but to weep endlessly at the carnage he will ensue.
But first Obito needs to take advantage of this golden opportunity. After all, what are the chances KUSHINA-NEE! I'm sorryi'msorryhelpmepleasethe nine-tail's jinchuuriki will ever be this vulnerable again?
Hinoto is an exemplary kunoichi. She's passed every test her master and tutors gave her and then some. Hinoto does what her lord tells her to without question, without hesitation. Her obedience is without fault, her loyalty to Ne unquestionable. Never has she entertained the idea of betraying her lord and master.
Never.
…at least not until Kinoto was 'retired' and his title was passed onto two-three-two
Hinoto doesn't think much of this new Kinoto at first. He is the youngest of the Named, the others far older and more experienced. But what he lacks in years, he makes up with skill. Still, the others look down on him and dismiss him during their meetings.
Hinoto does not like that. And since she doesn't, neither does Hinoe. But most importantly, is their captain who makes his dislike clear one day.
("Anbu have been sniffing at our doorstep again." Kinoe announces to the group.
Hinoto sits silently at the table in her designated spot with Hinoe at her side like always. Together they watch the others discuss the problem.
A young voice suddenly speaks from further down the table.
"A barrier seal would be an ideal solution," Kinoto says, his small stature dwarfed by the adults on either side of him. "One anchored by a genjutsu could—"
"Quiet, rookie," Mizunoto interrupts, contempt clear in her voice, "You do not get to—"
A frightening chill sweeps through the room. Hinoto remains calm, her body used to much colder temperatures. Hinoe's hands tighten on the straps of his shield and the others are similarly tense and ready for battle as the room's shadows grow darker, converging around the man at the head of their table.
"One-five-seven," Tsuchinoto says, shadows writhing behind him like flames, "It is you who does not get to decide who is and who isn't allowed to speak at this table."
"Yes, sir," Mizunoto says, sufficiently cowed.
Tsuchinoto motions for Kinoto to continue. The child is quiet before slowly proposing his idea once more. Hinoto catches Tsuchinoto's gaze. They look at one another for a long moment before he nods at her.)
Over time their ranks began to dwindle. The other Named were lost to wars and missions, with some getting 'dismissed' when they could no longer keep up with the newer recruits. They are replaced with these younger, brighter minds. The first is Kinoto followed by Kinoe (their youngest member yet at six years old), and then Mizunoe, Kanoto, etc.
Hinoto, Hinoe, and Tsuchinoto are all that's left of the older Named. And so together they unanimously decide to guide this younger generation to their fullest potential.
But such careful diligence and duty are not without its drawbacks because now she's begun to care.
And that cannot be allowed because she is a tool for her lord and she isn't supposed to care, not about herself or anything or anyone else.
And yet she does. Hinoto does care.
She tries not to, but she is also a tool. A good one. Hinoto is a well-rounded tool as all Root members are supposed to be. It is their duty to mold themselves into whatever their master requires of them even if it means breaking their bones; their hearts.
Hinoto excels in all areas but she is especially good at guard work. So much so, that Danzo has personally stationed her to guard not only his office where he spends a great deal of his time (how fortunate she is to see her master so often) but also the Ne entrance, entrusting her to be the Foundation's first line of defense.
Hinoto takes pride in her work.
(At least that's what she thinks this heat in her chest is. She's already ruled out any physical ailments after a visit to Mizunoe in the infirmary. Her fellow Named hadn't seemed too concerned, sighing long and hard once before telling her to get some rest, she's fine.)
As the years pass by, Hinoto sees a lot. She also hears a lot. And her care grows and grows despite her best effort to kill it. At her age, she can't afford another reconditioning. No, they're more likely to subdue her and use her as a breeder for the abilities that run through her blood.
As a guard, her main role is to stand still and watch. And slowly, she is witness as her first kouhai loses his way.
Her sharp eyes catch the unauthorized gloves he tucks into his pocket.
Hinoto hears the jingle of something (not a weapon, no, Kinoto is always so neat with his weapons) in his pockets.
Hinoto smells something floral and sweet when he passes by her on his way to the sealing department.
She can practically taste the insubordination when he misses another meeting among Danzo's Named.
("Where is Kinoto?" Tsuchinoto drawls in his usual slow monotone, giving each of them a hard long look.
"This is the third meeting he's missed." Kanoto points out, crossing his arms, his mask matching the ire coloring his tone.
"You're right," Tsuchinoto hums, continuing his search. "So where is he?"
Hinoto does not react when he looks at her and Hinoe takes her cue when it's his turn, revealing nothing.
"Kinoe's also not here!" Mizunoto pipes up, voice light and cheery though his tone lowers slightly with his next question. "Aren't you going to ask about him, taichou?"
"Kinoe is in the infirmary," Mizunoe says. He elaborates when Hinoto and Tsuchinoto both turn to stare at him. "Kame bit three of his fingers off. It will take two days for the nerves to re-attach themselves."
"Oh, Danzo's new favorite did that?" Mizunoto blinks and then perks up. "Thanks for the info, Mizu-senpai~!"
Mizunoe just sighs and shrugs in response, the yellow marks under his eye holes mirroring the dark circles that lay underneath. Hinoto wonders if he's gotten any sleep lately. She makes a note to herself to slip some sleeping pills in his canteen.
"Four-seven-five," Tsuchinoto starts, addressing their second youngest member, "do you know where your senpai is?"
Tsuchinoe is looking over their captain's shoulder at nothing; her mind far away even when he snaps his fingers in front of her face. Her eyes roll over to look at him before dismissing him and his inquiry entirely.
Tsuchinoto huffs and moves on.
Mizunoe gives another tired sigh and shrugs again. Mizunoto copies him, albeit more energetically, releasing his breath in one big whoosh. He throws his hands up, nearly hitting Mizunoe who steps aside with a yawn.
Kanoe twitches ever so slightly when Tsuchinoto's gaze settles on him, dark eyes boring into him, the thorns painted on his mask sharp and dangerous. Slowly the shadows behind their captain deepen. Kanoe stutters, the white of his eyes visible.
Hinoto sees this and steps forward.
"He is attending to the mission Lord Danzo gave him." Her eyes narrow behind her mask because the elite strategist knows this already. She wonders what exactly he it is he's fishing for.
Tsuchinoto hums again, attention successfully diverted, and steps back from Kanoe. The bird-masked nin wilts. Kanoto is quick to grab him roughly by the back of his shirt and hold him up.
"Is he now?" Their captain asks Hinoto.
Hinoe steps up next to her and shrugs. "Long-term mission. You know how…dedicated Kinoto gets."
Tuschinoto hums again, low and thoughtful.
"Hm, true, Kinoto is dedicated."
Hinoto can't help but hear the 'but to what?')
Hinoto is a good soldier. It is her duty as a good soldier to report two-thirty-two for reconditioning.
(But then she remembers the temperature seals he'd given Hinoe to keep him warm while he stood sentry outside their headquarters during Konoha's harshest winters.)
(Hinoto remembers the medicinal cream he'd shared with Mizunoe and how the man had actually perked up, his chronic fatigue gone as he tested and marveled over its properties.)
(Hinoto remembers how he gently guides Tsuchinoe to the lockers to help wash off all the blood after each successful mission.)
(Hinoto remembers the bingo books, ragged and singed, that he'd given to Kanoe and how eager and touched he'd been that Kinoto had gone through the extra effort to retrieve these for him.)
(She remembers his bravery when he filled out the petition for the colored paints and redesign of Mizunoto's mask after said agent had expressed a wish to add more color and teeth. Lots of them.)
(Hinoto remembers Kinoto carefully picking out the splinters from Kinoe's hands. She recalls the seedlings she'd seen him slip into the younger agent's pockets when he believed no one was watching.)
(But Hinoto is always watching.)
(Always.)
She has watched her kouhai stray further and further away and—
Hinoto's hand goes up to her earrings, brushes the tips of her fingers along the protection seals carved into the glass beads, and she remembers.
—she does not report him.
Instead, Hinoto takes a deep breath and puts one foot forward.
Hinata takes her time cleaning and polishing the headstone. She picks up a toothbrush and gently scrubs the leaf symbol of any collected grime before moving on to the clan's insignia and then finally the name.
Aburame Suki
Hinata doesn't need to use her doujutsu to know who has joined her. She would know her teammate's presence anywhere.
"Hey." Hayate greets her, holding up a bundle of small white flowers. "Look what I brought."
Hinata takes the flowers with a small smile. Their teammate had been very fond of insects, a given considering his clan, but he had been especially fond of bees. The clovers will be a lovely addition, attracting the fuzzy creatures.
Hinata plants them around the grave and sits back with Hayate to admire her hard work.
"I can't believe it's been five years," Hayate says quietly.
Hinata nods soundlessly beside him, not trusting herself to talk and not cry.
"We were so young. He was so young." Hayate shakes his head, face twisting. "Gods, we were—what? Two or three months out of the academy? And they thought it was a good idea to send us to the frontlines? What were they thinking? We were genin." Hayate looks at her, eyes wide and full of so much anguish it makes Hinata want to throw up because she is the cause of it. "We were fucking nine, Hinata, just little kids, and they sent us to die."
"No," Hinata says, shaking her head, fresh tears rolling down her face and off her chin. "No, they sent me to die."
Hayate coughs, choking on his inhale, and blinks at her.
"Wait—what?" He coughs again; hard, "What do you mean it's your fault?"
Hinata nods, a sob coming free from deep within her chest where her guilt and shame is so deeply embedded because if she was just good enough none of this would have ever happened.
"It's m—my fault, Hayate, it's all my fault." Hinata blubbers, pulling away from him when reaches out for her.
"Hinata, please, I—I don't understand, you're not making sense."
Hinata doesn't look at him; can't bring herself to, so she curls into herself.
"Some of those within the clan...they did not believe I would make a suitable leader so they…they did something and that's why we were sent there." Hinata fists her hands over her weeping eyes. "I'm why they're dead. I'm why we suffered so early. And I'm sorry, Hayate, I'm so sorry."
She sobs, knowing that her words are just that: words. They will never bring back Suki or their sensei; they will never be enough to wash the blood that stained their hands so early or heal the scars on their hearts. It will never be enough—she will never be enough.
(The seriousness of what she just revealed is not lost to the two of them. That the Hyuuga had something to do with the death of another clan head's son could incite a civil war. And a part of Hayate wants to take what Hinata has just told them and bring it to the Aburame so he can watch the Hyuuga burn.)
(But at the same time, Konoha has been through enough war and bloodshed. And Hayate would never wish such violence in his home, so close to his mother and little brothers and sister.)
(So he decides to keep this information close to his heart, trusting her—his kind, smart Hinata—to reveal such knowledge when the time is right, in a way that won't lead to another war.)
It's quiet between them for a long time. Hinata wouldn't blame her teammate if he just left and never talked to her again. It is what she deserves, it is what he should do. Doesn't he know that her presence only invites death and suffering? Just look at her teams—at the loss that defines each one.
"Hinata," Hayate finally speaks. Hinata flinches at the barely restrained anger she hears and tries to make herself as small as possible.
"Yes?" She whispers, trembling at the finality in his tone.
"Your family sucks." Hinata blinks at the simple sentence and peeks at him. "No offense or anything, but I hope they all go blind and die."
"Hayate?" she questions quietly, trying and failing not to let the hope in her heart bleed through her voice.
Hayate looks at her, expression firm yet fond. He scoots next to her and pulls her to his side. Hinata is stiff at first, not wanting to relax and allow herself his comfort, but Hayate drops his cheek on her head and his words slice through the guilt and shame she's harbored for so long.
"It's not your fault, you were a literal child being manipulated by powers beyond you. Your clan's actions are their own and yours are yours and no one else's." He presses his mouth to her head and speaks into her tresses. "Don't think for a second that I would ever regret being your teammate."
"But—" Hinata tries to give him an out, but Hayate is having none of it.
"Nope. No 'but's allowed." He grabs the back of her head and holds it to his chest so she may hear his heart and know the words he speaks are true. "I will never regret being on your team and I'm positive sensei and Suki would agree with me."
They would, he knows. Akio-sensei had been so fond of them all, her first genin team, often calling them her little ducklings, her baby genin, hers. And Suki had adored Hinata, often comparing her to a queen insect to Hinata's embarrassment and his and their sensei's shared amusement.
"Sorry, hime, but it looks like you're stuck with me."
Hinata chuckles wetly against his chest, her hands fisting his sleeves tightly. Hayate smiles and rubs her back, watching the bumblebees begin to circle the little white clovers. A couple of them settle in the engraved grooves of Suki's headstone.
好
To like.
Hinata looks at the happy insects and remembers that Suki had also enjoyed their honey, the smell of incense, and working on the ninja academy's tiny garden with her during their lunch breaks.
希
To hope.
("Okay, kiddos," Akio-sensei claps her head, smiling at them underneath the bandages that cover most of her face and neck, "The name is Akio. Just Akio. You are to address me as Akio-sensei or just sensei. Together we are Team 8, 'kay?"
"Hai, sensei." the three fresh genin chorus. They are seated in front of their new teacher in a neat row in one of Konoha's flower fields. Hayate sneezes loudly and wipes his nose with his sleeve.
"Whoops, sorry, kid, I forgot your file said you had a pollen allergy."
Hayate shrugs. "I'll live." He sneezes again. Hinata hands him a tissue. Hayate mumbles a 'thank you' and blows his nose.
"Okay, let's move on to the introductions before your teammate passes out. I'll go first to show you rookies how it's done." She sends them all a wink that has Hinata flushing and Suki ducking further into his collar. Hayate just sniffles; nonplussed.
"Hey, I'm Akio-sensei. Jounin with a specialization in recon and tracking. I like cute things and I dislike people who make fun of me for that, so don't even think about using that against me, newbies." She narrows her eyes, the same shade as yellow flowers around them, at the three in warning. Satisfied she's thoroughly warned them she continues.
"My hobbies are helping out at the orphanage where I grew up. My dream is to be a great sensei and, after the war is over, to find my missing little brother and sister."
It is quiet for a moment before Akio gestures to the Aburame.
"Your turn, Shades."
Suki draws himself up a little straighter.
"My name is Aburame Suki. Genin. I have no specialization though I am knowledgeable in my clan's techniques thus I think tracking and reconnaissance would be a suitable shinobi path for me to pursue." Suki adjusts his glasses, growing uncomfortable when the other two gape at him. Though, he does have to admit this is the most he's spoken in front of anyone outside his family.
"I enjoy my kikaichu's company and I dislike those who deem their lives inconsequential." His worried frown lessens when he sees Hinata calmly sitting with a couple of his kikaichu curiously wandering on her clothes. He recalls them quickly.
Hinata watches them; unbothered that they were just on her. Hayate watches with wide eyes but doesn't scream or move away so Suki takes that as acceptance.
good. sunshine. queen. sweet. His kikaichu tells him.
Queen? He questions, wondering if it has anything to do with Hinata's status as clan heiress.
compatible. pheromones. candidate. strong brood. They respond, sending back images of eggs and flooding his nose with the pheromones his insects picked up from the Hyuuga.
Suki is thankful for his jacket and hood, his blush extending all the way to the roots of his hair. His kikaichu buzz in amusement.
"M—my hobbies are beekeeping and, ah, my dream is…I hope to see my clan flourish."
"I also share your dream, Suki-san," Hinata says and Suki squirms, his kikaichu getting excited when she smiles gently at him. "Let us hope together for a brighter future."
"H—hai," he manages to say.
"Aww," their sensei coos, "You guys are adorable."
Hinata blushes and his kikaichu get louder, sending images of flowers. ripe tomatoes. eggs. sunshine.
Hayate sneezes and Hinata squeaks in surprise, scooting closer to Suki. His kikaichu are ecstatic.
protect. yes. yesyesyes. they chant. good match. perfect queen. perfectperfectperfect.
Suki drops his head into his hands and hopes his older brother won't tease him too much when his hive [the little traitors] eventually blab to Shibi's colony.)
Hinata is dutifully painting line after line of the same kanji.
Kushina doesn't know how the girl can sit—
seiza! She's been sitting seiza this whole time! The poor girl's lost it.
—and paint the same symbols for hours. At her age, Kushina would have already flipped the table and then stomped off outside to vent her frustrations on some poor training dummy.
Kushina leans forward and dotingly pats Hinata on the head.
"Ah, you're such a good little apprentice, Hinata-chan."
Hinata ducks her head bashfully. "Shishou!" she squeaks. Kushina continues to pat her head, a goofy smile on her face.
"Kushina," Kakashi calls.
Kushina absently hums in response.
"Kushina…hey, Kushina."
"Hm? Yes, Kakashi?" Kushina replies distractedly. Hinata is way too adorable. She hopes her kid is half as sweet as she is. "Do you want some pats too?"
"...no…" Kakashi coughs, "your, um, hair...it's in the inkpot."
…
….
Wait, her what is in the what?!
Kushina's hand stops. She looks down and finds that yes, her hair is inside the little glass jar whose contents cost more than an A-rank mission pay and twice as long to make from scratch.
"GAH!"
Hinata jumps like a spooked fawn. Kushina hurriedly snatches her hair out and carefully wrings as much ink out as she can. She lays her head beside the bottle and sniffles.
"...all that wasted ryo…"
"There, there, shishou." Hinata comforts her, pulling her hair back. She carefully runs her hands through the bright, thick strands. Kushina sighs.
"Ya know...huh...that feels pretty nice, actually." Kushina's eyes droop shut as Hinata begins parting her hair by sections. Hinata hums as she works on Kushina's long hair.
"What songs is that?" Kushina mumbles against the table.
"Ano, I'm not sure. It's just something my m—mother used to hum when she was happy."
"Does that mean you're happy right now?"
Hinata smiles, crossing one lock of red hair over the other.
"I'm always happy with you, shishou."
"Me too, sweetie, me too." Kushina yawns. "Maybe I should learn it. I can sing it to Naruto."
Kushina spends the next few moments trying and failing to copy the tune. Kakashi winces behind his ANBU mask. He breathes a sigh of relief when Kushina finally succumbs to her exhaustion and stops.
He watches Hinata continue to work on the braid, her expression serene as her deft fingers manipulate the older kunoichi's red hair.
Kakashi shifts from his place on the windowsill, remembering the feel of those same fingers running through his hair. It had felt so good, so good to know that she cared enough about him to groom him. He hasn't had anyone to groom him since…
(Kakashi reaches for a foggy memory of long, dark hair and equally dark eyes. Of gentle hands carding carefully through his hair.)
...since his mother passed away.
His eyes flick from Kushina's hair in Hinata's hands to the girl's own. Silently he makes his way over and seats himself behind her. He tentatively touches the ends of it with his fingertips. Hinata glances behind her and smiles when she sees him.
"Here," she passes him a pink scrunchy with her free hand "Do you mind tying up my hair?"
Kakashi takes the hair tie, his fingers brushing her heated palm. Gods, no, he doesn't mind. In fact, he might just thank her for the opportunity.
"No," he says out loud. "I can do it."
Hinata turns her focus back on Kushina's half-finished braid.
"Thank you."
Kakashi doesn't know why she's thanking him when he's the one who's been given a gift. Gratitude swells inside him as he twines a dark lock around his finger. What a privilege it is to have her trust, to be able to touch her so freely like this.
"...you're welcome," he replies quietly.
Kakashi takes his time gathering every loose strand, enjoying the feel of her silk-like hair slipping through his fingers like runny ink. He admires the way it catches the light, his wolf purring at its healthy sheen.
Kakashi readies the scrunchy when he catches sight of Hinata finishing up the last loop in Kushina's braid. His face heats when he lifts her long tresses, exposing the back of her pale, unblemished neck. Kakashi bites down hard on his lip as her scent makes its way past the scent dampeners in his mask. He exhales harshly and finishes tying off the ponytail.
"All done," Hinata says, patting the thick braid. Kushina doesn't stir, her breaths deep and even. Kakashi takes a step back, letting the ponytail slip free from his hand. His fingers tingle pleasurably.
"Same here."
Hinata experimentally feels the ponytail. She turns to him, a pleased flush on her smiling face.
"Thank you, I appreciate your help."
Kakashi is grateful for his ANBU mask. He hopes the angle is good enough that she can't see the red in his ears.
"…you're welcome…"
They both startle slightly when Kushina snuffles loudly.
"You two are," she yawns loudly, "so cute together, ya know."
Hinata covers her rapidly reddening face in her hands. Kakashi doesn't dare move lest his sensei's wife see his bright red ears.
Kushina giggles sleepily before falling asleep once more.
Kurama is not known for his patience; quite the opposite, really. But just this once he can afford to wait.
(All he has is time. It's all he's ever had.)
Soon.
Soon he will be free from this prison.
(He will be free to bask once more in the sunlight, feel the birds twitter amongst his whiskers, and maybe...maybe he can see his siblings again.)
While his time spent sealed is but a drop in the bucket in a life as lengthy as his, imprisonment is still imprisonment; tortuous for one as wild and free as he had been. Isolated and chained down like a mindless beast has slowly eroded away any goodwill Kurama possessed for these fleshbags.
As the wounds caused by the stakes hammered into his paws and tails sour and fester so too does his anger.
He hates them. His human brothers whose petty fighting destroyed their family.
He hates the humans who first waltzed into his forest, the land given to him by his father, and saw fit to take what they wanted without care, burning the forest to ash and mass-slaughtering the woodland creatures to near-extinction to feed not their people's empty bellies but their own selfish greed while others starved.
Kurama hates the shrine priestess with his dead sister's face and his human brother's kind eyes—how foolish, how lowly of him to be bested by sentiment, of all things—who ratted him and his siblings out to the Senju.
Oh, how he loathes that blasted slaver First Hokage who bears his brother's soul, perpetuating this endless cycle of war that spits on their father's teachings.
Kurama especially hates the Uzumaki woman who first bound him, assuming he was nothing more than another simple-minded creature. He hates how he was forced to watch through her eyes—helpless and his screams and pleas ignored—when the Uzumaki witch took her ancestor's friendship and twisted it into a noose, luring the sweetest of his siblings into her trap.
(But he hates himself most of all, for being the first to fall to these humans and allowing them easy access to his siblings; to those he'd been entrusted by his father as the eldest and strongest of the bijuu to protect and watch over.)
(How disappointed the old man must be.)
Kurama hates them all.
So when the day comes that his jailer finally gives birth to her hellspawn, he will break free and show them all why he is to be feared. He will make them regret ever locking him and his kin up and forcing them to fight in their paltry wars.
(Wars have never done him any favors. All they've given him is pain, a broken family, and a dead sister.)
And so Kurama waits.
(He waits and waits and waits and tries to ignore the familiar chakra that occasionally seeps into his prison; its color a rich purple and cool and soothing just like hers had been.
He doesn't want to think about it. He doesn't want to remember nights spent gazing up at the stars, the littlest of his siblings tucked in among his tails or the feel of packed dirt underneath his paws and the chill of the night air raking through his fur as he raced through the forest with her wolf summons yipping happily at his side.
He doesn't want to remember any of it. Because his anger, that fire buried deep inside his soul is what fuels him, that is what keeps him going day after day, century and after century. He doesn't dare remember because if he does his anger will be gone and all he'll be left with is grief and the inescapable shame that comes with knowing that he has failed them all.)
Hinata grits her teeth as she's pushed farther and farther back. Gai is relentless and her forearms are starting to go numb from the onslaught she's being forced to block. But Hinata can't give up now, she just has to endure long enough for an opportunity—there!
Hinata throws out her hands, hitting Gai directly in the chest, and pushes. There is a split second where Gai stares at her, shocked and wide-eyed before he goes sailing through the forest, taking a number of trees down with him.
Hinata watches in horrified silence. She hadn't meant to use such force; hadn't thought herself capable of it.
(Guess those seal weights Kushina inked onto her wrists are working.)
"Gai-kun!" Hinata yells and rushes after him. She finds him sprawled against a cracked tree stump. Hinata immediately kneels next to him and begins to heal him.
"Y—yosh!" Gai shouts; breathless. "What…[pant]…a youthful...[pant]...win!"
"Yes, yes!" His father shouts, coming up behind Hinata. "A brilliant win for our hime. What an honor it is to see such shining excellence in one who has come so far."
Hinata flushes under their praise. She finishes healing the last of Gai's injuries and helps him back to his feet.
"I'm so sorry for hurting you," Hinata says, wrapping her arms around her middle in an act meant to both soothe and restrain herself.
Gai grins at her. Hinata winces at the blood she sees staining his teeth.
"All is forgiven, hime. What is a little blood spilled between comrades?"
Dai nods, "The blood we spill here in good faith is the most honorable of all." Hinata pays close attention as he continues, knowing Gai's father to be a wealth of wisdom and tenacity that even her uncle Hizashi admires.
Maito Dai smiles just as bright as his son, though his eyes are soft.
"As shinobi, we have trained our bodies to withstand any blow but it is our hearts," he says, poking Gai's and then her chest gently, "that we must guard very carefully, so, Gai, is your heart hurt?"
"No!" Gai shakes his head vigorously and pumps his fist. "My heart is at one-hundred percent and pumping as fiercely as ever!"
Dai turns to Hinata and she finds her guilt melting away under the warmth the man emits.
"See, hime? No need to feel guilty."
"Hai!" Gai extends his index and middle finger to her. "Tou-san is right, Hinata-chan, so don't feel afraid to go all out the next time we spar."
Hinata hooks her fingers with his in the seal of reconciliation, a tentative smile on her lips.
"Very well, I—I look forward to our next match, Gai-kun."
"Yosh!" Hinata startles when Dai claps his hands on their shoulders. "Let us celebrate such youthful friendship with some yuzokoshu, my treat."
"Oh, no, that isn't necessary, Maito-san. I'm not that hungry." Hinata tries, blanching at the idea of eating the spicy treat. Her stomach doesn't do well with spice, especially not when Gai insists on doubling it.
Her stomach, the little traitor, chooses then to let a loud growl.
Hinata blushes in mortification as Dai bursts into raucous laughter, leading them away from the training grounds.
"Yuzo! Yuzo! Yuzo!" Gai chants, happily marching next to her. Hinata sighs and lets herself be led away.
Kinoto flips through Hinata's notebook curiously, wanting to know how far she has progressed.
His eyebrows go up behind his mask.
Amazing, he thinks in wonder, only a year into her studies and she's already mastered this much.
Kinoto had first taken an interest in the sealing arts when he found a battered copy of one of Uzushio's folk tales in the orphanage's library. He spent months painstakingly teaching himself how to read it.
(Someone had tried to help him but Kinoto can't remember who. All he remembers is their eyes—a bright yellow just like his.)
When Kinoto finally learned every last kanji he had delighted in the legend of Chinami-hime, one of Uzu's first seal masters, who felled all those who challenged her with nothing more than a stroke of her brush.
She was known as the Master of a Thousand Seals. She who ferried her people to Uzu's shores on the back of a giant turtle-like beast. The Uzumaki who charmed the Shinigami with her love of life, wild heart, and how she never cowered from him. No, she looked the shinigami in the eyes and smiled at the reaper like he was an old friend.
Kinoto remembers the first time he heard a re-telling of the Shodaime's famed battle against Madara Uchiha. Of when he first heard of Uzumaki Mito-hime and how she sealed one of the old gods inside herself with nothing but blood and her quick mind.
And of course Kinoto remembers, no matter how hard Root tried to rid him of the memory when he first laid eyes on Uzu's Princess of the Whirlpools.
(Root has taken so much of him. But they can never take that. They could never take away his love for fuuinjutsu and all of that's associated with it.)
He can recall with perfect clarity how her hair had shined with the glow of a hundred suns in the festival lantern's lights, a rich ruby-red even in her advanced age, and how her dark eyes had drawn him into their fathomless depths as she glanced down at him, the seals hanging from her hair twirling and dancing around her elegant cheekbones.
Kinoto had been smitten. His time after the festival was spent desperately trying to unearth and learn all he could of the lost art in hopes that she might look upon him again and teach him more.
His sister(s? Did he have more than one? Kinoto doesn't know)—he can't remember her name but her face is burned into his mind, eyes going wide just as his seals go off—hadn't understood but had supported his efforts, saving any scrap of paper she could find and fashioning brushes with twigs, twine, and her own hair.
(There was someone else, he thinks, older than them, with gentle hands and his yellow eyes. They would take the leftover charcoal from the orphanage's stove and grind it to make him ink to practice his kanji with.)
At the tender age of three, he'd successfully recreated the seal used to heat the orphanage's water, creating a small fire in the process and nearly giving the matron a heart attack. He suspects it was that incident that put him on Danzo's radar, cementing his eventual assimilation into Root's ranks.
Kinoto has lived and breathed fuuinjutsu for more than a decade. He might not be a master, no, but that doesn't mean he is a novice either. His skill has far surpassed mere heating seals.
Yet even with Danzo's vast resources (spoils taken from the other Hidden Villages; scrolls appropriated after Uzushiogakure's destruction) he can't help but feel that he hasn't even scratched the surface of what fuuinjutsu really is.
Kinoto traces the intricate equations and extensive diagrams all penned in Hinata's neat script.
And yet here in this very notebook is a glimpse into the abyss; the nearly complete solution to the age-old conundrum that has plagued every fuuinjutsu-user for centuries: how to seal a living being, a mortal made of flesh and blood, into a scroll and have them come back out whole and, most importantly, alive.
Kinoto carefully puts the notebook back where he found it.
He knew he made the right choice when deciding that Hinata would make a better, more fitting master. Just look at all she's accomplished with what little she has: she has gained and retained the loyalty of a majority of the Hyuuga, the branch house making up more than seventy percent of the clan's population.
Then there is the Uchiha child, the one Danzo suspects to be the offspring of a Senju and an Uchiha, of Kagami-dono's line, that she has wrapped around her finger.
Not to mention she has the favor of both present and past kage, the Sandaime's son having a friendly rivalry with the ex-heiress. Their shogi matches are quite entertaining. And the Third's eldest son, heir to the Sarutobi clan and ANBU commander, is known to be quite doting on her.
And there is the Yondaime Hokage who is so very fond of her, considering her one of his most precious students—his daughter, even, if Mizunoto's sources are to be believed.
Then there is the favor she carries with the Hatake clan's sole heir. Kinoto has no doubt that Kakashi will be someone of great importance in the future, a shinobi of immeasurable strength with his name plastered in every bingo book that exists under the sun.
But most importantly, in Kinoto's opinion (oh, how novel it is, to have an opinion), is the untapped political power she has as the last Uzumaki's princesses' apprentice.
If something were to happen to Kushina (gods forbid it, for it would have to be nothing short of a calamity to put that woman down) or her unborn child, then it would be Hinata who would inherit everything—all their relics, traditions, and knowledge; all that gave them strength and made them feared. It would all be hers.
Kinoto knows without a doubt that with Ne at her disposal she will go on to do many, many great things; so much so that even he, one of Root's brightest, could never hope to fathom.
Such is the foresight of one blessed with the god's all-seeing eyes.
Kushina leans over the table and taps on the seal Hinata is working on.
"You see this symbol here? Yeah? Good, because it's going to get you dead."
Kakashi twitches from his place by the window. Hinata pales and re-checks the array for imperfections. She frowns when she finds none.
"I...I don't understand, shishou. It looks—"
"—perfect." Kushina finishes. Hinata blushes. It's not exactly the word she was going for, but it does fit. "Yeah, that's the problem. You see, my cute little apprentice, while, yes, fuuinjutsu is an art that requires order and discipline, it is also an art that thrives off of ordered chaos."
Kushina has to hold back the instinctual urge to smother the girl in hugs and kisses when she tilts her head ever-so-cutely to the side just like one of Kakashi's ninken.
"Here. Let your shishou show you how it's done."
Kushina grabs a sheet of sealing paper and re-draws the seal Hinata had been working on. Instead of the straight, linear columns reminiscent of shodo that Hinata incorporated into her seal work, all of Kushina's lines are drawn from the inside out in the shape of a spiral.
"Your style is totally fine for a seal that gets its chakra from an outside source and burns it out. For a self-sustaining seal like the one you were working on it's good too. But," Kushina grins and taps her paper, "it can be so much better than just good. With yours, the energy is traveling up and down, like someone climbing up a ladder and then back down. The energy is like a receding tide, leaving parts of it exposed when it's not there. Whereas mine, the energy is everywhere."
Kushina traces the spiral pattern and Hinata follows the motion carefully.
"It is always in motion no matter what obstacles lay in its way. This," Hinata's heart beats harder, "is the Uzumaki way."
Kushina flips her brush around and offers it to Hinata.
"Now you try."
Hinata swallows, meeting Kushina's heavy gaze. She slowly grabs the brush.
"Hai, shishou."
Hinata starts from the center and continues outward. Kushina watches her.
"The Village Hidden in the Eddies," Kushina says, voice soft and mournful. "That's what they, uh, called my home because of all the whirlpools near us, ya know? And it…it was gorgeous. A little slice of paradise heh."
A tear drop drop onto the fresh ink. She's not sure if it's hers or Kushina's. Hinata dips the brush into it and incorporates it into the seal she is drawing.
"Please, shishou, if you don't mind, I...I would like to hear more about your home."
Kushina inhales shakily and begins to talk of her home. She tells her of the gulls that would soar overhead, of the fish market she would visit as a child, and how mothers and wives would haggle for better prices from the fishermen.
Kushina tells her of Uzushio's beaches, as red as the hair her clan was known for, and its waters so clear you could watch the crabs scuttle along the seafloor. She tells Hinata of Uzu and how she was carved from bedrock by her ancestor, Uzumaki Chinami. She speaks of the legends that follow Uzushio's first princess. How she commanded the seas with ease from the back of a turtle god.
"My home is gone. But in here," Kushina puts her hand to her chest, over her heart, "it still exists. Our traditions, our teachings will not die because our legacy lives on in here," she cradles her stomach tenderly, "and in here." Kushina says, putting her hand over where Hinata's heart is beating loudly, echoing her teacher's pain and hope.
Tears tumble down Hinata's cheeks and onto the seal. The ink runs, following the seal's intricate spiral.
"You are my apprentice, my ward so that kinda makes you like my daughter in a way, ya know?" Kushina's eyes widen. "B—but only if you want, 'ttebane! I mean I know you already have your own mom so I understand if you'd think it'd be weird to have two moms not that there is anything wrong with having two moms—"
Kushina cuts herself off and takes a deep breath. Hinata marvels at the bashful expression on the normally confident woman's face.
"It's just that…the idea of you being mine…it's nice."
"Me too." Hinata grabs Kushina's hand and holds on tight, smiling at her. "I think it would be very nice."
Kushina sniffs and returns her smile, squeezing her hand. Her voice is soft and pleading when she speaks, "I'm counting on you to keep my home alive, okay, Hinata?"
Hinata tries in vain to keep more tears from falling.
"Hai, sh—shishou," she hiccups, "you can count on me. I swear it."
"I know," Kushina says, taking the her apprentice's face in her hand and wiping her tears with her thumbs. "I know. Thank you, Hinata, my sweet, sweet girl."
Hinata's expression crumples and she pulls away only to latch onto Kushina in a desperate hug.
Kakashi watches the two silently.
(packpackpack, the thought echoes deep inside his core. His wolf throws back its head and howls.)
Anko proudly holds out her arm. A pair of dark eyes peer at them from within her sleeve.
"Ahem, attention, my hoes, I'd like you all to meet my personal summon: Mochi!"
"...'hoes'?" Kakashi mutters to himself; annoyed.
Hinata meets the striped summon's eyes and bows, "It is very nice to meet you, Mochi-san. I am Hinata."
"Oh, she can't talk yet, hime, but I'm sure she appreciates it, huh, Mochi?"
The little snake pokes her head out and nods, bowing back at the bluenette.
"Your summons name is Mochi?" Hayate asks, raising one brow.
Anko huffs, "What? She likes it."
"Your summon let you name her after a sweet?"
"Yup."
Hinata asks, "Is it alright with Mochi if I pet her?"
Anko looks at her summons who nods back at her.
"Yeah. Sure. Knock yourself out."
Kakashi frowns, "Why a sweet though?"
"Well unlike some weirdos..." Anko looks pointedly at Kakashi. "I actually like sweets. You know. Like a regular person."
"...it's not that weird. Plenty of people don't like sweets." Kakashi turns to Hinata for support but his packmate is completely absorbed in petting the little blue and black snake, so he looks to Hayate. "Right, Hayate?"
"Eh," Hayate shrugs and stuffs his hands in his pockets, "...it is a little odd."
Kakashi's eye twitches when Anko smirks at him.
"Looks like you're udder luck."
Kakashi blinks in bewilderment at the pun. Hayate groans.
"Please, no, Anko, that was awful."
"What? Dude, c'mon, you gotta admit my jokes are always amoosing."
Hayate drops his head in his hands. Kakashi looks between them all in confusion. Anko cackles at them all. Hinata doesn't pay them any mind, busy petting the small summons.
Hayate begs, "Please, Anko, stop."
"Hey, I can't stop now. Not when I'm on an, hehe, eggroll."
"Anko-chan!" Gai suddenly materializes behind her and claps on her back, startling them all. "How youthful of you to spread joy with such charming jokes! Please, tell us more."
"No! Please, gods, no." Hayate moans. Kakashi grabs Hinata's shoulder so they can escape via shunshin but pauses when he sees her pale face.
"Hinata?" He asks. Kakashi eyes the hand she has tucked to her chest suspiciously. The other three with them also look at her. "You okay?"
Hinata slowly draws her hand from herself, allowing them to see the two small red pinpricks on her wrist.
Kakashi's eye widens.
"Oh shit," Hayate breathes and then coughs. "That's not good."
"Gai! You idiot!" Anko smacks the bewildered boy hard on the shoulder. "Look what you did! You scared Mochi and now Hinata is going into shock."
Gai sputters, looking back and forth between Hinata and Anko.
"I am?" Hinata whispers, her legs giving out. Kakashi and Hayate rush to grab her. Her head lolls onto Hayate's shoulder.
Gai promptly bursts into tears.
"PLEASE, HIME, FORGIVE ME!" He wails in the background.
"Anko," Kakashi snaps. "Antidote. Now."
Anko starts sweating. "Hehe, about that I, uh, kind of...don't have one yet?"
Kakashi's single eye bores into her like hot coal sinking in ice.
"What?" he growls.
"Hey, I only got Mochi, like, three hours ago."
Kakashi stares at her incredulously before shaking his head. He turns to Hayate.
"Hospital?" he asks.
"Hospital," Hayate confirms and they disappear in a simultaneous shunshin.
Anko blinks at the vacated space before slapping a hand to her forehead and dragging it down her face.
"Fuuuuuck me, those two are going to kill me."
"HIME, I'M SORRY! I DID NOT MEAN TO HURT YOU!"
A dark expression overtakes her face as she slowly turns to face the bawling boy.
"...but at least I won't be alone."
"What do you mean she already has a prior claim?" Kushina snaps. "Who? Becuase I swear to kami if her those damned Hyuugas think they can play tug-of-war with my Hinata-chan's heart then they're in for a big surprise, 'ttebane!"
"Ano, Uzumaki-san," the kunoichi begins and cowers behind the sheaves of papers in her hands, "I can, uh, assure you it was not the Hyuuga clan who claimed her."
Kushina scowls. "Then who?"
The kunoichi glances at the papers in her hands. It takes all of Kushina's self-control not to rip them out of the other woman's hands and find out for herself. She already knows she going to get an earful from Shikaku (man, can that guy nag) for storming in and scaring all the administration ninja. She doesn't need to add assault to the list.
"Ah, a claim was filled out and signed a week ago by…my what atrocious penmanship…" The woman squints at the paper. Kushina growls and thinks, screw it, before snatching the paper. She ignores the other kunoichi's stammered protests, too busy staring the very horrible, very familiar handwriting.
"Hey!" The paper-nin cries when the paper is consumed by her chakra and turned to ash. "That was an official document! You can't just…mess with…official…" she trails off as Kushina's ire seeps into the room, making the other office ninja stop as the hairs on their arms and the back of their neck rises at attention.
Kushina bares her now pointed teeth and growls, low and dangerous.
"…why that little brat…"
Kushina's eyes flash red and she vanishes just as equally as she came.
The whole building sighs in collective relief.
Shisui stares unseeingly at the door in front of him. He absently notices it's a new door.
The war is over so why?
The sound of the rain beating on the building outside turns into white noise. It matches the static crackling in his mind as he tries to come to terms with what happened.
Why did he have to die? How could I have let him die? Why couldn't—if I just didn't—
He doesn't hear, doesn't even register the door opening or anything that comes immediately after. One moment he's standing, completely drenched in his mission attire, and the next he's being gently coaxed into the bath, his clothes gone.
Something bumps his leg and he looks down. Uhei looks back up at him.
"Get in the bath, puppy, let alpha take care of you."
Shisui nods slowly at the ninken and turns away. He is met with Hinata-nee's kind eyes. There is a slight crease in the middle of her eyebrows that tells of her worry for him and it makes the pit in his chest yawn wider.
"Shisui, please," she says softly, resting a warm hand on his bare shoulder, "get in. You're so cold."
Shisui can't stand to see her so sad.
"...okay…" he croaks and lets Hinata guide him into the steaming tub. He curls his knees to his chest and rests his chin on top of them as Hinata gently washes him. The water quickly turns dirty with the mud and blood that clings to him. However, Hinata does something with her chakra and the water is clear again. It unsettles him. Because he knows he's filthy; a filthy, dirty, selfish monster.
"...I...I killed him…"
The hand cleaning his back stops. The exposed bubbles pop softly in the warm bath air.
His throat constricts painfully, but his will to get the words out is too strong to be daunted.
Shisui continues, "...I—I could have done something. I should have done something—anything, but I didn't! I just kept going and—and he died. I let it happen. I let my teammate, my friend, die, Hinata-nee, I did nothing and now he's dead."
His eyes are burning, hot tears are running down his cheeks when he twists around to look at Hinata. His eyes catch every detail, every micro-expression. They see her surprise, her concern, her eyes wide in fear.
("M—monster!" his one remaining teammate shrieks, pointing at him with a trembling finger, her face bleached white with terror.)
"I'm a monster," he whispers.
Hinata immediately rushes forward and cups his face with her hands. Uhei whines in the background.
"You are not a monster," she says lovingly; fiercely, in the same way he's seen the others in his clan privately express to one another but never at him. "I have seen monsters so trust me when I say you, my little flame, are no monster."
Tears gather in his eyes. They start to itch as he stares up at her.
"I trust you." He whispers. And he does. He trusts her with everything that he has, everything that he is—heart and soul.
Hinata's thumbs slide across his cheeks in a tender caress.
"You are Uchiha Shisui," she says, "a genin of Konoha, and one of my dearest, most precious people. You are no monster."
Hinata's grip tightens as she leans down to press a kiss on his forehead. She tilts her head down to press her forehead against his and looks into his eyes. Shisui finds himself relaxing, her eyes as comforting as a glass of warm milk.
"So please don't say such mean things, not about someone I love so much."
Shisui's eyes widen and his eyes burn hotter.
"You love me?" he asks with all the desperation of a lonely orphan boy whose clan never saw fit to let him know who his own parents are or what happened to them.
("Knowledge is power," Mikoto-sama tells him, "and that makes it dangerous.")
Shisui asks her this question—him—a boy who cares so deeply for those around him; those close to him, but always hiding it and never believing they feel the same because he is an Uchiha and he knows they love too deeply, too intensely for it to be reciprocated by outsiders.
(But what if, his mind whispers, what if she can? What if she does? Obito-niisan loved her and she didn't burn.)
Hinata's eyes soften like molten marble; beautiful and glowing with so much adoration he swears she could outshine the sun goddess herself.
"I do."
Shisui takes a moment to preserve the image in his memories before he buries himself into the warmth and safety that Hinata radiates. She pets his curls and shushes him gently as he cries and cries and cries all those tears they never let him shed.
(You are Uchiha. You are a shinobi, a genin of Konoha. This is war. There is no room for tears—for weakness here.)
Shisui wakes up some time later tucked into Hinata's and Kakashi's shared bed. Hinata has his head in her lap, humming something soft and soothing, her fingers gently playing with his hair. All around him are Kakashi-senpai's ninken, their little bodies pressed tight to his and their heads resting on his chest, arms, and legs, grounding him.
Their summoner is close by, seemingly lounging on the windowsill, but Shisui is an Uchiha and he can see how Kakashi is ready to guard and defend at a moment's notice.
Shisui turns his head and stares at the ceiling with dry tear tracks on his face and the heat of his nee-chan's love settling over him like a blanket.
And he has never felt better—stronger.
Hizashi elegantly raises his teacup and sips it. His son watches with wide, curious eyes. Kushina chuckles from her seat across from him.
She wiggles a finger in front of the baby. Neji shifts his attention away from the floating cup above his head and over to the woman in front of him. He reaches out and clumsily grabs at her fingers.
Kushina smiles, "He's adorable."
"He is," Hizashi agrees.
Kushina sighs and props her cheek on her palm. She watches Neji try to tug her finger closer to his mouth. Kushina gently pulls herself free. The baby's face falls and his mouth opens only for Kushina to pop a cookie inside before he can cry. Neji pulls the cookie out his mouth, a line a drool following it, and blinks in confusion.
Hizashi huffs in amusement when he pops the treat back in his mouth, gumming at it intently. Kushina laughs in delight.
"Aw, I hope Naruto is just as precious as Neji-chan."
"Hm," Hizashi hums around the rim of his cup, "that's quite a lofty goal."
Kushina huffs, mock-glaring at her teammate.
"Just wait and watch, teme, my kid is going to be the cutest kid your sage-damned eyes have ever seen, 'ttebane."
"We'll see."
Hizashi sets his cup down far enough away that the baby strapped to his chest can't reach it.
"Now," he starts; somber now, "how is my niece?"
Kushina matches his tone, a frown tugging at her lips, "She's fine. A little hurt, but she's doing good." Kushina suddenly grins, teeth sharp and vicious in the teahouse's low lighting. "Real good. You guys have no idea what you lost."
"On the contrary, we do." Hizashi looks away, lips down turning, "...those of us not blinded by arrogance, at least."
Kushina pats his hand comfortingly.
"Eh, ya know what they say, 'one man's trash is another's man's treasure'." Kushina's eyes narrow. "Not that I'm calling Hinata trash, no, no she's more like a diamond in the rough sort of gal."
"I know. Me, my brother, and sister-in-law, and those of the branch family believe she is destined for greatness."
His conviction throws her for a loop, having never sensed any such belief from any of the Hyuuga.
Kushina blinks, "Um, yeah."
Hizashi grabs a napkin with his free hand and carefully wipes the crumbs from his son's face. His thumb comes up and strokes his unmarked forehead.
"Perhaps one day she will have mercy and return to free those of us still caged."
"She will," Kushina says, each word ringing like the strike of a gong, "And if not her, then those who will come after her."
(This is the legacy Kushina has entrusted to her apprentice. Becuase of the powers that be, Kushina cannot be the one to break through the Hyuuga's bars nor can she smash the locks that imprison her teammate and his family. No, this a cage that can only be opened from within.)
Hizashi nods, expression solemn as he contemplates his son. Kushina pats the hand still under hers.
"Relax and have faith, teme," Hizashi watches, apprehension building in him, as Kushina's lips curl into a mischievous little half-smile, "because with the way things are progressing we're going to be having a lot of little Hinata's to carry on her good work."
Hizashi's brain screeches to an abrupt stop. Neji looks up and laughs at the horrified expression on his father's face.
"What?" He blurts after a good minute of shocked silence.
"You heard me," Kushina replies playfully
Hizashi's eyes narrow dangerously, the veins around his eyes bulging as chakra runs through them.
"Are you implying that my niece and Sakumo-san's son are in a romantic relationship?"
Kushina laughs and shakes her head. Neji looks up in awe, captivated by the red locks bouncing around.
"No," she wipes a tear from her eyes and smiles wistfully, "at least not yet. But they will be."
Hizashi schools his expression and raises a single, dainty brow.
"You are that confident?"
Kushina nods, "Enough to bet on them, yeah. What those two have, even now, it's…" a whimsical smile takes over her face. "...different; special. Like something right outta a book."
"Yes," Hizashi sighs in defeat, making Neji giggle when it tussles his hair, "I am aware."
Kushina laughs and pats his hand reassuringly.
"Don't sweat it, teme. Kakashi is a good kid. He'll treat her like the princess she is, no doubt about it."
"I suppose you're right." Hizashi agrees reluctantly.
It's Kushina's turn to raise a brow at him, her mouth quirking upwards.
"I'm always right. You should know this by now."
Hizashi rolls his eyes in a very un-Hyuuga-like manner that makes the woman snort. Neji claps his hands in delight, looking between the two adults.
"Yes, yes," he snarks, "how erroneous of me to forget, Uzumaki-hime, please forgive this peasant."
Kushina laughs and slaps his shoulder.
"Stop that!"
"As you wish, hime."
"I said stop it, Hizashi!"
"I exist solely to do your bidding, oh venerable Uzumaki-hime—"
"TEME! STOP TEASING ME OR I SWEAR TO KAMI I'LL STEAL YOUR BABY!"
Hizashi chuckles. Neji blinks blearily at all the noise.
"I'M SERIOUS, HIZASHI! I'LL DO IT, 'TTEBANE!"
Kakashi steps into the Hokage's office. He takes one look at his sensei and then at the single paper on his desk.
"It's not a forgery." He says immediately.
"I know," Minato-sensei replies calmly. "We had it tested."
"I—I didn't force her to sign it, either," Kakashi adds. "She did it herself."
"I know that." His teacher's voice is soothing but Kakashi won't be fooled. "But I have to ask…does Hinata?"
"Does Hinata what?"
Kakashi very carefully does not fidget when Minato's eyes narrow like chips of pointed ice.
"Does she know that the Hatake clan, that you, have claimed her as one of your own?"
Kakashi can't meet his sensei's gaze.
"…no…" he admits quietly.
"I thought so." Minato sighs audibly and Kakashi looks back at him to see the man with his face in his hands. "…oh, Kakashi…"
Kakashi's hackles rise at his disappointed tone. "I only did it to protect her."
Minato raises his head and he frowns at Kakashi.
"You did it only to protect her, you say?" He raises an eyebrow. "No other reason?"
Minato has always had the uncanny ability to see right through him no matter how many masks he wore. It is both comforting and discomforting to know he can never hide from him; that he will always be found and never lost.
"…and becuase I…I wanted to." Kakashi looks down at his hands and slowly curls and uncurls his fingers, urging his words to do the same. It works, voice coming out in a hoarse whisper. "….becuase she's pack…and I want everyone to know that—that she's not alone; that she's not unwanted or unprotected."
Another sigh, this one less discontented and more fond. Kakashi looks up and finds his teacher looking at him with a soft smile and eyes like fresh morning dew.
"Were you ever planning on telling Hinata this?"
Kakashi shrugs.
Minato-sensei's voice is stern when he speaks, "Well make plans to." He rests his chin on his clasped hands and his eyes close in a smile. "I'm sure she'd very much like to hear it."
Kakashi swallows once before replying, "Hai, sensei, I will."
Shibi looks upon the grave of his little brother—at the plethora of different flowers surrounding his headstone and the little bumbling bees buzzing about—and his chest tightens with emotion, his kikaichu chittering loudly.
He breathes out slowly and evenly and feels lighter than he has since Suki's death. A breathless chuckle leaves him when a bumblebee settles itself on the tip of his son's nose. Shino sneezes cutely, startling both himself and the small insect.
"Wow," Torune murmurs, looking wonder at the bumblebees flying around them, going from flower to flower, "Suki-ojisan's cocoon is so pretty."
Shibi admires the little garden; this tiny slice of heaven made solely for his little brother's final resting place, and smiles.
"It is, isn't it?"
Shisui pulls on his best friend's arm.
"C'mon, Itachi, hurry! Hinata-nee's cookies are best when they're warm."
Itachi obliges and picks up the pace.
Shisui can hardly wait. His two favorite people in the whole wide world are about to meet face-to-face for the first time. And he's positive that they'll get along for two reasons. One, Hinata is amazing and you'd have to be an idiot not to like her. Two, Itachi is quiet and smart just like Kakashi-senpai and Hinata loves him so she has no reason not to love Itachi too.
At least, that's what he's hoping for.
Shisui knocks on the door before his nerves can take a hold of him.
It opens to reveal Hinata in her civics, her hair tied up and wearing a pink apron covered in flour. She smiles down at them and Shisui blushes.
Man, his sister is so pretty. He loves her so much.
"Hinata-nee!" Shisui greets happily. "We're here for cookies!"
Hinata laughs. "Then you two came just in time, Shi-chan."
"Nee-chan!" Shisui whispers fiercely, not daring to look at his best friend. "Don't call me that in front of Itachi."
"My apologies," Hinata says equally as quiet. Louder she asks, "Who's your friend, Shisui-chan?"
Shisui groans put goes along with it. He grabs Itachi and pulls him forward.
"This is my best friend, Itachi, and Itachi, this is—eh? Itachi? You okay."
Itachi is staring wide-eyed at Hinata, his fists clenched and pressed tightly to his side. Shisui elbows him to shake him out of whatever funk he's in, but he just kinda jostles to the side numbly.
"Hey, Itachi, I know my nee-chan's super pretty and all but staring is kinda rude."
Hinata laughs, cheeks flushing like twin sunsets. Itachi blinks rapidly before suddenly bowing, the tips of his hair brushing the cheery welcome mat.
"It is an honor to be in your presence, Ōhirume-sama."
What?
"Dude." Shisui scrunches his nose and looks at his best friend. "Why are you being so weird?"
Hinata laughs again, delighted and flattered all in one. Shisui blows a breath. Oh, thank all the kami that his nee-chan likes them weird.
"It is nice to meet you too, Itachi-kun. Would you like some cookies?"
"Yes, please," Itachi replies, his voice small and awed. And honestly? Shisui can't blame him. He can smell the cookies from here and they smell divine.
Kushina is in the middle of teaching Hinata how to cook authentic Uzushio ramen when it happens.
"...you're gonna want your broth to be as clear as you can get but without sacrificing any of the flavor. To do that—" Kushina suddenly pauses, her hand reflexively going to her stomach. She bends over the kitchen counter with a grimace.
Hinata's eyebrows pinch together in concern. She's vaguely aware of Kakashi drawing closer.
"Is it another contraction?"
Kushina nods and her voice is tight in pain when she replies, "Yeah, it, um, is."
Hinata takes her elbow. "Maybe you should sit down, shishou."
Kushina waves her off, "No, no I'm—" another wave of pain has her staggering. Hinata hooks her elbow under her armpit. Kakashi materializes out of the shadows and copies her on Kushina's other side.
"—going to sit down now. Yup. Good idea, Hinata."
The two guide the older kunoichi to the couch, lowering her slowly onto the worn cushion. Hinata picks up one of the throws blankets and tucks it securely around her.
She turns to address Kakashi, "Stay with her, please. I'm going to prepare a heating pack and some tea. I'll be right back."
Kushina's head flops back onto the headrest.
"Oh, Hinata, you're a saint. I love you."
Hinata blushes and excuses herself with a shy smile. It only takes her a handful of minutes to ready the heat pad and make the tea (three sugars and a dash of milk and honey), so she isn't expecting anything to happen. Especially since Kushina isn't due until late November and it is only the beginning of October now.
Hinata walks back into the living room with the tea and heat pack in hand.
"I have your tea and—"
"I think my water just broke." Kushina interrupts, eyes wide. Hinata blinks at her and then at the puddle growing on the floor.
Oh.
Okay.
This is happening.
Her teacher is having her baby.
She can do this.
Kakashi doesn't move from his spot beside her. Hinata is used to reading his emotions through his body and knows he's gone into mild shock. Kushina looks between them both with wide frightened eyes.
"W—what do I do?" she says slowly; vulnerable in a way Hinata has never seen her before.
Hinata's lips thin and she sets back her shoulders. It is up to her now.
(Sage knows Kakashi isn't going to be of any use right now.)
Hinata puts down the items and approaches Kushina with glowing green hands.
"Shishou, I am going to check on the baby. I need you to stay calm and relaxed, can you do that for me?"
"I, uh, yeah, I can...I can do that."
Hinata gives her a reassuring smile before examining her with a standard diagnostic jutsu.
"It would appear you are in labor." Kushina's breath hitches. Kakashi has yet to move or react. Hinata continues, voice calm, "I am sure Namikaze-sensei has protocols set in place for this. Do you remember them?"
Kushina jerks her head in what she guesses is supposed to be a nod.
"Uh, yeah, he gave me a seal to contact him once I," she licks her lips nervously and winces, "...go into labor."
Hinata nods, "Good. Please contact him."
Kushina presses two fingers to her wrist and sends a pulse of chakra. A heartbeat later and there is a crackle of yellow lightning as Minato hiraishins into the living room. He takes stock of the situation and without a word, walks over to Kushina and gently gathers her up in his arms.
He turns to his two students, expression mild but the minute tightening around his eyes gives away his worry; his fear.
"Good work, you two. I'll take over from now on."
Hinata grabs his arm before he can leave.
"Please, Hokage-sama, allow me to come with you. I know that I can be of assistance if you let me."
Minato's voice is strained, "Hinata, I appreciate it, but I don't think you quite understand—"
Hinata interrupts, "I already know Kushina-shishou is the jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tails."
Kakashi stiffens and his fingers twitch. Minato's expression hardens, his eyes chips of blue ice. Hinata is nearly cowed by the look—he's never looked at her in such a way like she is a threat—but there is too much at stake for her to fold over now.
"How do you know about that, Hinata?"
Hinata wavers slightly under his close scrutiny, hunching her shoulders. She raises a shaky hand and taps the corner of her eyes.
It was only one time and very brief but during Kushina's first big contraction she'd seen a flare of red chakra, completely separate from her usual one. It didn't take her long to put two-and-two together.
(That and something about the other chakra felt so familiar. As if she knows it; recognizes it.)
(But that's crazy. She must be mistaken because how could she, a girl of just fourteen years, know the chakra of a bijuu like it is kin?)
Minato blinks. "Oh. Right. Byakugan." His mouth forms a thin line when Kushina makes a noise of distress. "We'll discuss this more later. Inu," he nods at Kakashi. The boy appears in front of him and takes a kneeling position.
"Your orders, Hokage-sama?"
"You are to take Hinata home and guard her there."
Kakashi and Hinata both step forward at the same time, protests on their tongues. Minato holds up his hand to stop them.
"No. The words of your kage are final." His tone softens. "You two are too important to us. I can't protect Kushina if I'm too distracted worrying about you two."
"...you guys can...visit later..." Kushina says through clenched teeth. "Can't have Naruto not knowing...who his big brother and big sister are, ne?"
Hinata presses her clasped hands over her chest. Kakashi swallows heavily and steps forward so his chest is pressed against Hinata's back.
"Kushina-shishou," she whispers, holding back tears, "I, no, we are honored." Kakashi nods behind her.
Kushina smiles at them and reaches out to pat each one of them on the head fondly. Then a strong contraction makes her face twist in pain and she retracts her arm, curling it around her middle.
It is time.
"Stay safe you two." He smiles weakly at them. "We'll be back in a flash."
Kakashi groans when the young kage vanishes in a flicker of yellow light.
Hinata pats his shoulder consolingly.
"At least he is not as bad as Anko."
Kakashi shudders. Thank the gods for small mercies.
They spend a few moments standing in the now-empty apartment. He glances down the hall. He sees the crib from the nursery's open doorway.
It'll be fine, he tells himself, Alpha will be fine. The pup will be fine. It will all be fine.
Kakashi shakes himself once before taking Hinata's elbow.
"C'mon, Hinata, let's listen to sensei and head home."
Hinata places her hand over his, pulling him closer. Having her so close helps to temper his anxiety, his wolf calming instantly.
"Okay. Lead the way, Kakashi-kun."
"Hinata!" Kakashi calls frantically, running across what little roofs are still intact after the Kyuubi's initial attack. "Hinata! Where are you!?"
He pumps more chakra into his legs, his ears, his nose, his everything—all that he has at his disposal to find her. Hayate and his ninken follow closely behind him.
"Hayate," he barks when he can't find head nor tail of her scent, her voice, anything.
Hayate weakly shakes his head, "...no, nothing…" he winces. "The Kyuubi's chakra...it's just too much…I can't..."
Kakashi growls and runs a clawed hand through his hair in frustration. His ninken pack whine and shake anxiously beside him.
"I'm," Hayate coughs harshly, "sorry."
Kakashi huffs, jumping from one crushed building to another. He doesn't understand how he could have lost her. One moment they're walking down the street to their apartment and the next there's this blast of malevolent chakra, their neighborhood is in flames, and Hinata is gone.
Kakashi doesn't understand how any of this is happening. Because if the Kyuubi is out here then that means Kushina—
Pakkun paws at his leg. "Kakashi?"
Kakashi shakes his head and turns to Hayate. "Don't worry about it. Just...just keep looking."
"Hai."
Kame(Rin)(Isobu) twitch, startling the med-nin tending to them. The other medics pause when their eyes blink open; one brown and the other ringed and yellow.
"...nii-sama…is that you...?" They whisper through chapped lips. The medic doesn't hesitate to plunge a syringe full of sedatives into their arm.
Hinata stands before a god, her home burning to cinders behind her and her precious teachers minutes from greeting the shinigami. Her legs are trembling under the intense pressure of the Kyuubi's presence (it's much worse than during the war, back when she'd encountered that masked boy, much, much worse), but her expression is stern, the line of her body sharp as she stares down the ancient beast, her hands glowing with purple-blue chakra.
Its wide, red eyes bore into hers.
It opens its maw and what comes out is a cacophony of rumbling rocks that barely constitutes a voice.
"Hoshi?"
Hinata blinks. The name niggles at something deep within her, stirring up images of half-remembered dreams.
("Kurama," She scolds. [is that her? Yes it is.] She frowns at the kitsune. However there is a slight upturn to her lips, betraying her amusement at the slug-like beast thrashing underneath the fox's nine tails. "Do get off of your brother, please."
Black lips pull back in a childish grimace but Kurama obeys like the dutiful little brother he is.
"…hai, oneesama." He says mulishly. Hinata smiles, her chest warm as she gazes upon him.)
"...who…?" Hinata croaks, tears gathering in her eyes as her heart beats a deafening rhythm in her chest.
The bijuu opens his mouth to speak but is interrupted by the sudden appearance of the shinigami. A primal, instinctive fear fills her at the sight of the death god. Her fear reaches a crescendo, crashing upon her in a deafening storm until the only thing she can hear is the sound of her blood pulsing in her ears and her own quickened breaths.
"You…" It lifts and points a gnarled, grey finger at her. "...are not supposed to be here."
It presses its cold hand against her forehead.
"Hinata!" Minato and Kushina cry.
"HOSHI!"
Hinata absently registers the roar of the bijuu, its rage poisoning the air around her as she falls back into the abyss, its dark recesses caressing her briefly before dragging her down into its depths.