"Yo, Hinata-chan!" Obito calls, running up to the small girl. Rin is a little ways behind him, her head turned to apologize to the teacher Obito almost ran over.

They've just been let out, and Obito can't wait for the walk home with his best friends. He has the funniest story to tell them! Sure, he'd been late to the academy (again, to Sensei's annoyance), but the look on the old man's face when the bathhouse matron tossed him out by the ear was hilarious.

"Ready to go home?" Rin asks. Obito vibrates eagerly beside her.

Oh man, he can't wait to tell them, they're both going to love it and he'll get to see Rin laugh—he loves her laugh best—and maybe if he's lucky he'll hear Hinata's cute giggle.

"Ano, yes, but—"

"Great! You won't believe what happened this morning—" Obito reaches out to grab Hinata's hand and is shocked when she steps back, his hand closing around empty air. Obito stumbles and Rin grabs the back of his jacket to keep him from face-planting.

"Hinata-chan?" He asks, confusion and hurt layering his voice.

Hinata takes another step back and it's then that he notices the boy standing just behind her right shoulder.

"Oh!" Rin squeaks in surprise, likely not having noticed him either, "Hello, Kakashi-kun."

Kakashi, the prick, doesn't bother saying hello back, just jerks his head in a half-assed nod of acknowledgment.

"Are you, um, going home too, Kakashi-kun?" Rin stammers, a pink blush blooming out from under her face markings. "Because if you are, you're welcome to join us."

Obito bristles. Did Rin just—did she just ask that they walk home with this guy ?! No way! He'd rather swallow a senbon than have to spend another second with the entitled genius.

Before Obito can voice his displeasure, Kakashi speaks up, and what he says has Obito choking on his spit.

"No thanks," he says in monotone. "I'm already walking with Hinata-chan."

Hinata immediately goes pink at the honorific.

Rin looks between them and her friendly smile wavers. Obito doesn't like it. He doesn't like any of this.

"Oh," she says, expression wooden. "Okay. Maybe next time, then."

Kakashi shrugs.

Obito clenches his fists, trying to hold off the need to reach out and grab Hinata and take her away from him.

"Hatake-kun offered and," Hinata ducks her head, something like shame flashing across her face, "after w—what happened last time I—I think it's a nice idea."

Obito feels something hot and angry and not-nice flooding his veins. Because Hinata is his best friend. His to protect and—GAH!—not Kakashi's!

Obito glances at Hinata's scraped palms.

It's his job to protect her because he's bigger and stronger and Hinata is just too nice.

And yet, he's failed her, Kakashi having to do it in his stead.

Kakashi shrugs, "We live in the same direction so we might as well walk together."

And then they're gone, walking side-by-side. Rin watches their backs with a lost expression and the sight makes that earlier something—hot and mean—simmer under his skin.

"Why are you picking those?" Kakashi asks from behind his book. "They're weeds."

Hinata's been diligently picking the small plants for the past few minutes. Why? He couldn't say. They hardly serve any purpose so he doesn't understand why she's bothering with them.

"...one moment please," she murmurs absently.

Kakashi glances at her from over his book. She doesn't look at him, absorbed in her self-assigned mission. Trusting her to show him when she's done, he turns his attention back to his book.

A few minutes later, Hinata settles beside him with a sizable pile of dandelions. He quirks his brow in interest when she starts twining and knotting the stems together, forming some type of chain. He watches her for a bit, thinking it'd make for a good dexterity exercise before returning back to his book once again.

He's reading a very intriguing passage on the correlation between spiritual chakra and youkai when he hears the sound of clothes shuffling and grass crunching. And then Hinata's scent is suddenly all he can smell, and a featherlight weight settles atop his head. Kakashi looks away from his book and at Hinata, whose now sitting seiza in front of him, her arms coming down from his head and settling at her sides.

Kakashi looks around.

Her collection of flowers is gone.

Having a hunch as to where they'd gone, Kakashi lifts his hands to his head and carefully feels the nest of flowers nestled there.

"It's a flower crown," Hinata explains, shifting nervously, her index fingers butting against each other in what he's come to recognize as a nervous habit of hers. He hears her swallow and she hesitantly looks at him. "Do you...do you like it?"

Kakashi thinks her question over.

The flowers have a rather mild scent to them so it's not bothering his nose and it weighs practically nothing.

...

...

...and then there's the fact that Hinata made it especially for him...so...

"...I like them."

He's rewarded with a pleased smile, Hinata's eyes curling closed. The sight makes his chest warm.

"That makes me very happy."

Feeling uncomfortable with her sudden attention, Kakashi casts his gaze away, looking for some kind of distraction. He quickly plucks a couple of flowers and holds them out to her.

"Show me."

Hinata takes them with that smile still on her face and patiently shows him how to weave and tie the small stems together.

Later, their classmates stare at the duo in a mixture of curiosity and confusion. Kakashi struggles to remain impassive as his fangirls coo and giggle amongst themselves.

He makes no move to remove the crown, however.

"Eh?" Kakashi hears Hinata's friend say loudly. "What's that thing on your head, Hinata-chan?"

Kakashi huffs. It might be a little lopsided but it doesn't look that bad. You can tell what it is. Sort of.

"Obito," Hinata's other friend scolds quietly. Her voice is gentler next, addressing Hinata. "I think it looks very nice on you, Hinata-hime ."

Hinata squeaks in embarrassment. Her friend laughs good-naturedly.

A purr rumbles in Kakashi's chest when he hears Hinata shyly thank her, pleasure clear in her voice.

"Match goes to Ryoto Tsuki!" Their sensei calls.

Kakashi's eyes narrow at the smirk on the bully's face and his lips curl beneath his mask at the taunt he throws at Hinata. The girl merely picks herself off the ground, Ryoto's insults sliding like water off a duck, and signs the seal of reconciliation. The boy scoffs but after a pointed look from their teacher he reluctantly signs back.

"Why?" he asks her once she rejoins him.

Hinata blinks at him and Kakashi has the swallow back the frustrated snarl at her ignorance.

He juts his chin in the boy's direction. Hinata's eyes follow the action and her expression shutters when her eyes land on Ryoto.

"Why did you let him win?" He doesn't understand it. Hinata had the training, the skill to smack the smug idiot down at a few pegs so why?

"I...I don't like..." Hinata swallows and faces down, away from him. "I didn't w—want to hurt him."

It's Kakashi's turn to blink in confusion.

"What?"

Hinata's shoulders come up and she hides her face in the collar of her jacket.

"Hinata," Kakashi says, nonplussed, "we're shinobi. Sensei showed us how to gut a person with a pencil yesterday."

Hinata's face begins to redden and she stutters inaudible.

"I—I know but...Ryoto isn't—that's different, we're not—not...this isn't real—"

Kakashi squints at her.

He's watched her spars, seen the innate grace she possesses as she evades her opponent's strikes, seen her raw strength when she redirects those attacks and pushes back. She has so much potential so why is she limiting herself like this?

"This fight might not be real to you but for Ryoto—" Kakashi gestures to where the boy is chatting with his minions, obviously boasting, "—this is real. You holding back? It's hurting him."

Hinata's eyes go wide and her mouth opens and closes soundlessly.

Kakashi drives the point home, "By letting him think he wins he's going to think it's enough. That his skills are enough when really they're not and that kind of misinformation will get him hurt or worse out in the field." Kakashi huffs when he sees the silent tears running down Hinata's face. "Stop crying. You can still fix it."

Hinata's voice warbles, "H—how?"

Kakashi shrugs.

"Just show him what you can really do." He casts the boy a baleful glance. "I doubt he'll still want to pick on you and maybe he'll take his training more seriously."

Hinata takes a breath before shakily nodding her head, sniffling.

Kakashi huffs, more in amusement than annoyance this time, and hands Hinata the end of his scarf.

She stares at the proffered green cloth in confusion.

Kakashi chuffs and rolls his eyes before roughly wiping her face. He's not a ninken so he can't lick her clean (well he could, technically, but that be gross not to mention weird) so his scarf will have to do. Can't have the Uchiha screeching at him for making her cry.

Hinata tries to squirm away from him but Kakashi holds her near with one hand on her shoulder.

"Hatake-kun!" she giggles," Please stop...I am fine. "

Kakashi pays her no mind and continues, not stopping until Hinata's face is clean and flushed a happy pink.

His eyes curl closed at a job well done.

"Did you hear what happened, did you, did you!" Anko, a violent little girl who Obito avoids out of self-preservation, whispers loudly behind him.

"Hear what?" he hears Hayate ask tiredly.

"Wait, seriously? You didn't hear about it."

"No," a heavy sigh, "I didn't."

"You know Hinata-chan?"

"..."

"...?"

"...no…"

Obito bristles. Sure, his best friend is quiet and doesn't stand out much...and maybe she's a little weird but that's just what makes her awesome! How can Hayate not know her? They're in the same class and he's seen them sitting out in the shade during their physical training breaks.

"C'mon, stop joking around, Hayate, I know you know who she is."

"..."

"Really?"

"..."

"Blue hair, kinda weird," —hey!—"always hanging out with Obito-baka. That ring any bells?"

The vein in his forehead throbs and he grinds his teeth together.

"No."

"...she's uh...cute…?" Anko tries.

"Oh," a pause, "the Hyuuga."

Obito can't find it in himself to be mad because, well, his best friend is adorable. Like the little kittens he finds all over the compound.

Anko snorts, "Yeah. The Hyuuga. Well, apparently shy little Hinata-chan sent that bully what-his-face...Ryu...Ryoto! Yeah, Ryoto! Anyways she sent his ass to the infirmary during practice yesterday."

Obito's eyes widen. Hinata did that? His Hinata-chan? His sweet, shy, who-cries-when-she-sees-cute-too-tiny-animals, wonderful Hinata? That Hinata?

How has he not heard about this until now!?

"...huh…good for her."

"I know, right?" Anko says gleefully.

Their conversation dissolves into background noise when Obito spots his best friend entering the classroom. She's with Rin, listening intently to what the other girl is saying.

Obito stares.

He can't believe it and yet now that he thinks about it the jerk hadn't been in class after Hinata's group came back from taijutsu lessons and Hinata had been a little weirder than normal.

Not that he cares about what happened to Ryoto. That asshole had it coming, always picking on his best friend when Obito isn't looking like the coward he is.

Pride fills Obito and he tries to catch the girl's eyes. When he does, he grins at her. Hinata smiles back at him and it fills Obito with warmth. Hinata doesn't smile as much as she should, so when she does it makes Obito wish more than ever he had the sharingan so he can keep the image with him forever.

Her gaze shifts away from him but her smile does not falter. Confused, Obito looks for who Hinata is smiling at.

His heart drops and the pride and warmth he'd been feeling earlier shrivels and crumbles to ash when Hinata's smile widens ever-so-slightly when Kakashi nods back at her.

Obito's pencil snaps in his fist.

Sakumo watches his son from their front yard. He's standing just beyond their compound entrance, his hands stuffed in his pockets where the Hyuuga heiress can't see them unclenching and clenching.

"Are you sure?" Sakumo perks at the worry he hears hidden underneath his son's usual monotone. "I don't mind walking you the rest of the way."

The man smiles in amusement as the Hyuuga heiress politely declines his son's offer, her cheeks reddening adorably. Sakumo expects his son to leave it at that, never one to push (unless it's for extra training, gods, his son can be persistent). But his son surprises him by repeating his offer, taking care to stress the fact that that really doesn't mind.

"I wouldn't ask if I didn't want to." Kakashi says. His son's back is straight and shoulders squared in an effort to look bigger. He's not doing it to intimidate the Hyuuga, no, it's a display of—Sakumo's smile widens—his son feeling protective over his new little friend.

How utterly adorable.

He wishes he had a camera to save the moment.

Sakumo's heart warms when Hinata smiles sweetly at his son.

They're both adorable.

"Thank you, Hatake-kun, I ap—ppreciate your concern," she takes a deep breath, her posture straightening into something firmer, looking a little more sure of herself, "but I can...I can take care of myself."

Sakumo bites his lip to stifle his laughter as his son wilts, his hair drooping slightly.

"...I know…" the 'but' goes unsaid.

Hinata gives Kakashi a small yet fond smile and politely bids him goodbye. Her gaze shifts and she meets his gaze. She bows and Sakumo waves her goodbye when she straightens.

Kakashi turns around and raises a hand in greeting.

"Hey, dad."

"Hey, pup," Sakumo returns. He settles his hand on Kakashi's head and they head inside the main house together.

"So...you've been getting along with Hinata-chan." It's not so much a question as it is a statement.

Kakashi hums, neither agreeing nor denying his words.

Sneaky pup.

Sakumo huffs in amusement and ruffles his hair. Kakashi rolls his eyes but doesn't make a move to stop him.

He's glad. He'd been worried for a while there. Hatakes, like the Inuzuka, are pack animals. They don't do well on their own. And Kakashi has always been alone, his natural talent and maturity chafing against his peers and setting him apart from others.t made it impossible for him to form any kind of bond—his peers either too intimidated or too envious.

So imagine Sakumo's relief when he found his son and the Hyuuga's hime sitting side by side, both of them absorbed in the book in his pup's hands. And then his relief turned into joy when he caught the two walking home together, the both of them smelling of contentment.

"Dad?" Kakashi asks from his side where he's chopping vegetables for today's dinner.

"Hm?" Sakumo hums, carefully slicing the salmon into thin strips with a kunai.

"Can I ask you something?"

Sensing his son's seriousness and nervousness, he sets down the kunai and faces the boy.

"Of course you can, pup."

Kakashi shifts slightly and Sakumo is surprised. Kakashi doesn't fidget in the obvious way that civilians do and not in the minute way shinobi do either. Not since he was very small.

Sakumo waits patiently as the silence stretches on.

Finally his son, voice quiet and confused, starts, "It's about Hinata...there's something...she smells like—she smells... different ."

Sakumo's eyebrows go up as he stares at the normally well-spoken boy.

"Different?" he repeats.

"Yeah."

Sakumo is stumped.

"A good kind of different, I hope?"

Kakashi looks away, eyes far away, and smiles—his face free of his mask so Sakumo can see the way his lips quirk up.

Oh, Sakumo thinks, eyes widening as his mind starts piecing together what is going on, oh.

Hatakes are of the wolves. Said to be blessed by the White Wolf god itself, granting his clan the enhanced abilities and instincts of the noble beasts themselves. Instincts that run strong even now in Sakumo, a ninth-generation Hatake, and now apparently in his son. Instincts that have always warned, protected, and guided them in all areas of life—battle, friendship, love.

"Yeah, it's like—she smells like," Kakashi makes a frustrated noise. "...she smells nice ."

"Nice?"

Kakashi frowns to himself, thinking hard. Sakumo waits patiently for him to gather his thoughts and put them into words.

"...like a sunny day. Lying in the grass with you and the pack and—and that soup you make. The one that I like—the one with eggplants and…" Kakashi growls, annoyed at himself for being unable to pinpoint his friend's scent. "...I don't know! It's just…"

"Nice, right?" Sakumo finishes for him, a bittersweet smile on his face as he thinks of his late wife. His inner wolf lets loose a soft mournful howl. "Yeah, it's like that."

"What is?"

Sakumo turns back around and picks back up his kunai.

"You'll see," he says cryptically and smirks when Kakashi whines in a rare bout of childishness.

"Dad. "

"Pup, " he echoes back and laughs heartily when his son groans.

Obito isn't jealous. He's really not, he tells himself.

He watches from across the schoolyard as Hinata approaches Kakashi. Obito silently fumes when the boy ignores her, not bothering to look away from his book as Hinata greets him with a bow and that super adorable smile.

(that's his—his smile. Kakashi has no right!)

Obito has no idea what the jerk's done now but whatever it is, he doesn't like it.

I'm not jealous. Obito tells himself again when Hinata settles beside Kakashi, the boy sliding his book towards her so they can both read it.

I'm just...looking out for my friend...y—yeah, that's it! I'm protecting her because that's what best friends do, yeah!

Hinata is his best friend. She's nice and sweet and Kakashi's...not. He's rude, stuck-up, and—and a jerk.

He's already losing Rin to the bastard but for him to lose Hinata too?

Obito scowls.

No way. Not if he has anything to say about it.

Obito is about to march over there and drag Hinata away when Rin pipes up next to him.

"Hinata's been spending a lot of time with Kakashi-kun, hasn't she?" Her voice is calm. Too calm.

Obito hesitates, "I...I guess?"

Rin hums. Her gaze does not stray away from the duo under the tree.

Obito feels his anger die down watching the forlorn, almost hurt look on his best friend's face. He doesn't like it

(he hates it, he hates it, he hateshates hates)

Rin can't be—she should be smiling.

Happy.

He wants to make her happy.

Always.

Obito's eyes narrow on the silver-haired boy.

And in order for him to do that he needs to get a certain someone away from his precious people.

(He's not jealous. He's not, honest!)

(lies lies lies, his mind whispers.)

Hinata takes one look at the burnt, soggy mess in Kakashi's bento (she doesn't want to know how) and carefully shuffles closer. Kakashi turns to her, a question in his dark grey eyes. Hinata holds up her own bento.

"Let's share."

Kakashi nods and uses his chopsticks to pick up a piece of meat. Hinata politely casts her eyes down, parting the food into two even portions.

"Thanks," he says, embarrassment leaking into his usual monotone, "...my dad isn't really that good at cooking...and I'm...still learning."

Hinata drops an octopus-shaped sausage on his side. Kakashi grabs it, a happy sound coming from him as he chews. Hinata waits until his scarf and mask are back into place before looking up at him.

"You don't need to thank me," she takes a breath to steady herself, "We're f—friends and this is what friends do."

Sage knows that Obito loves crab cakes and Hinata is more than happy to let him have hers in exchange for the strawberry mochi his grandmother sometimes makes that she shares with Rin.

Kakashi stares at her and Hinata shifts uneasily.

Was...that too forward? Is she being presumptuous? Hinata's smile begins to slip. Of course, she is. After all, Kakashi is a genius and Hinata is the failure of the Hyuuga clan—

"Yeah," Kakashi says quietly, "we are."

Hinata feels her chest warm and she happily goes back to eating her lunch.

Rin is trying, she really is. She's trying her best to push past all these bad, painful feelings, but it's a lot like wading through swamp water. It's messy, unpleasant, and thick to navigate. But she's trying because Hinata is her friend, her best friend, and therefore worth the effort.

Yes, it hurts a little to watch the boy she likes get close to another. The betrayal she feels makes her angry and guilty in equal measures. Angry at her friend for stealing the prodigy's attention and guilty because Hinata does not deserve her ire because how could she possibly have known the Hatake held her heart when she had never told her.

And Rin knows that if she had told Hinata of her crush on the prodigy, the girl would have stayed away. She would have deprived herself of her newfound friendship and happiness for Rin's sake.

Rin knows this.

Just like how she knows that if she were to tell the Hyuuga right now of her affections, Hinata would step back because she is loyal and oh so selfless that it makes Rin want to curl up into a ball and cry because deep down she wants to take advantage of her friend's selflessness. Knows that Hinata would never fault her for doing so, would probably even support her efforts.

And Rin can't—she can't do that. Not to Hinata. Never to Hinata.

She won't allow herself to be an obstacle. Not when she sees how happy being friends with Kakashi makes her. How she's better for it, slowly coming out of her shell—on the cusp of blooming.

So, yes, Rin is trying. And hopefully, it won't be long until she finishes processing all these finicky bad emotions because it's very hard to be upset with Hinata. Hinata who would apologize for the air she breathes if you let her.

But that doesn't mean she's giving up on Kakashi.

No way.

Because Rin is of the Nohara and though they might be one of many civilian clans, they have one thing that sets them a little apart from the others: when a Nohara sets their mind on something they pursue it until the bitter end.

She'll have to keep an eye on her other best friend, though. While Obito isn't a model Uchiha he still is an Uchiha at heart. A shinobi clan thought to be blessed by Ameratsu themself. And Rin's seen firsthand how passionate they can be, how closely they guard what they consider to be theirs—be they material possessions, ideals, or people.

And she and Hinata are Obito's.

(Just like he is theirs)

So it's no surprise he isn't taking kindly to Kakashi touching what he considers his.

Rin looks to her side where Obito is glaring openly at Kakashi, said-boy ignoring him in favor of the book Hinata had let him borrow earlier this morning.

She sighs.

Oh boy has she got her work cut out for her.

Obito sees his first opportunity after their sensei asks them to get into pairs.

Usually, when they're asked to pair up the three of them take turns. While he prefers when they can all work together, he does enjoy the one-on-one time with his best friends. Rin is nice and always knows what to do. Hinata is patient and explains things when he doesn't get it the first time (or the second and third). She never gets mad at him whenever he accidentally sets things on fire or messes up.

Right now it's Obito's turn to pair up with Rin. He eagerly runs over to her desk, only tripping once, and sits next to her. He gives her a grin and a cheeky "please look after me!" before looking for Hinata to check on her.

He's expecting either Gai to have snatched her up or for her to be with maybe Kurenai. What he's not expecting is the shock of silver hair sitting next to her. Obito's about to charge over and rescue his best friend when a hand on his arm stops him.

He turns to yell at whoever dared stop his right and just mission (lies lies lies) but ends up choking on his words when he's met with Rin's disapproving frown.

"R—Rin-chan?!" He coughs. Why is she stopping him? He has to go save Hinata from that jerk! "Why are you—what are you doing?"

"Obito," Rin starts and he cringes at her tone. Uh oh, that's her you're-being-an-ass-now-stop-it voice. Which doesn't make any sense because he's just trying to help their best friend so why is she letting this happen, doesn't it bother her— "Leave Hinata and Kakashi-kun alone."

"But that teme—"

"—is her friend." Rin finishes for him with a stern glare that tempers the fire-hot-angry feelings inside him. Her face softens into something kinder, successfully rerouting the heat up into his cheeks when she turns such soft pleading eyes on him. "We should be happy for her. You know how hard it is for Hinata to make friends."

The first buds of guilt start to bloom and Obito averts his eyes.

"I know," he agrees but he can't help but whine, "but why him. And not someone else like—like Kurenai! She's nice, right?"

Rin sighs, "I don't know, Obito," then softer, sadder, too quiet for anybody born outside a ninja clan to hear, she repeats, "I don't know." She then opens their textbook and gets to work, reading out loud the passage.

Obito has a harder time than normal paying attention, replaying Rin's forlorn words, glancing down at the front row where Hinata and Kakashi are quietly working together. Rin must notice and affords him a small break, handing him her broken pencil and asking him if he would go sharpen it for her. Obito gladly eats up the excuse and rushes off.

Apparently, Rin isn't the only one with the idea. There are already two girls sharpening their pencils at the front of the classroom. Obito waits behind them, rocking on his heels and resisting the urge to look behind him where Hinata and Kakashi are.

Seeking a distraction, he tunes in to his classmate's conversation.

"—so smart! He's already finished the whole sheet."

"Of course he's done, he's a genius, duh."

"I'm surprised he partnered up this time. He usually does them by himself."

That fire-hot-anger feeling sparks, an idea kindling the flames.

Obito drops Rin's pencil.

His classmates take notice of him and one of them kindly hands him back the pencil.

"Thanks!" Obito says and sidles up next to them. The girls allow it, scooting to the side to make room for him.

"Honestly, Obito-kun, you're so clumsy sometimes." One of them teases with a good-natured eye-roll. Obito rubs the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Well it's not like everyone can be skilled like," Obito swallows thickly, "...Kakashi, am I r—right?"

The girls agree noncommittally, peeling off the stray wood shavings and dropping them inside the trash bin, both girls are reluctant to get back to their seats.

Obito hums and sticks his pencil into the pencil sharpener.

The words fall easily from his lips despite the guilt cloying to them.

"Speaking of Kakashi…" Obito hums and turns the crank, "he's been spending a lot of time with Hinata-chan lately, huh?"

The duo's eyes widen and then narrow.

"Yeah...you're right." One of them says.

Pencil sharpened and the seeds of his awesome plan planted, Obito retreats with a wave.

Rin looks at him questionably but Obito simply grins and hands her pencil back, tip sharpened dangerously.

The seeds he'd planted eventually bloom. But not into the flower he is hoping for but into a gnarled weed, its roots black and putrid.

What have I done? Obito thinks as he watches Hinata run away crying, Kakashi's fangirls sneering at her back.

This...this isn't what he wanted! He just wanted the other girls to scare Hinata away from Kakashi.

Obito stretches out a hand, her name on his lips, but she rushes past him.

This...this isn't what he wanted, damn it!

Rin whirls around to face him. Obito's breath catches at the furious look on her face.

"What did you do?" she demands.

Obito turns red and sputters, "What makes you think I had anything to do with it?"

Rin steps closer, their noses just centimeters away. Obito would have been ecstatic (and probably passed out on the floor) if she didn't look so serious.

"Because I know you, Obito." Obito's eyes widen. "And I know you're jealous of Kakashi."

Obito laughs but it's an empty thing, no joy in it, "Why—why would I be jealous of that bastard?"

"Because Hinata is yours," Rin says. Obito's eyes go wide. "And you don't want Kakashi to have her."

Obito feels his eyes water because it's true. Hinata is his best friend. He was the first person to pay her attention, to extend a hand, and offer her friendship.

Not Kakashi.

Him.

He did that.

Obito doesn't have much, being an orphan and of low class within the Uchiha hierarchy. What few things he does have, he protects zealously, holds them closely to his chest, and spits fire to whoever dares try and touch what is his.

"But you have to understand, Obito," Rin continues, voice softer, "Hinata might be yours but she's mine too. She is my best friend too and I want her to be happy."

Rin's eyes are like melted chocolate, warm and so compassionate it makes his heart ache.

"Don't you?"

Yes.

He does want Hinata to be happy— he does. But why does she need him to be happy? Is he not enough? He isn't, is he? Why isn't he ever enough?

(Whywhywhy)

"But it m—makes you sad!" Obito blubbers.

Rin smiles curls into something kind and bittersweet.

"It does. A little bit." Rin agrees easily and Obito thinks he has her but alas no because Rin is good and Obito is—he's not. He's big enough to admit that. "But I can't be sad forever, not when Hinata is so happy because she's my best friend and if she's happy, I'm happy."

Obito tries— he tries to keep that burning ugly feeling alive in him because it makes sense but Rin smiles at him sweetly, encouragingly, pouring him full of her affection and compassion and the torrent inside him dies. It never stood a chance against Rin.

Obito sobs and crumbles down to his knees. Rin tuts and tugs him into her arms.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he repeats over and over, holding onto her tightly.

"I know." Rin sighs and pushes his goggles away to wipe his eyes with her sleeve, ignoring the snot smearing her front. "Just like I know you'll make it right."

He will, he promises, he will.

Being friends with Kakashi is different than it is with Obito and Rin.

Hinata's friendship with Obito is bright and filled with noise. She could listen to Obito's anecdotes forever, entertaining and sweet as they are as he recounts the cat he'd rescued from a treetop that day while Hinata smears medicinal cream on his scratches. Obito is like the sun, bringing nourishing light into her life and Hinata is the moon, content to simply orbit around him, soaking in his warm rays of friendship and affection.

Her friendship with Rin is a little more different, more relaxed, but no less potent. They giggle over Obito's antics and make an efficient team reigning in the other boy and patching him back up when they can't. Their shared interest in medicinal herbs leads to many excursions into Konoha's forest, the sun beaming kindly down upon them through the spots in the tree's canopy as they explore their village's of native fauna.

With Kakashi...it's easy. She's never overwhelmed or pressured to talk. With him, she's allowed to just...be.

(She could do without the horde of jealous fangirls, though)

Hinata has had eyes on her since the day she was born. She is the firstborn of their clan head and as such, she's always been under close scrutiny. Either to keep her safe or to make sure their clan's expectations are being upheld.

And it's not worthwhile trying to hide from them all. She comes from a clan that can see through walls and chakra, after all. There's no use trying.

But Hinata would not be Hinata if she didn't at least try. The way to success is paved in failure, her mother consoles her when she comes back from clan training bruised and crying.

Hinata nears Training Ground Three but stops short.

There's someone else there.

She blinks in confusion, old tears rolling down her cheeks. How odd. The training ground is usually empty, seeing that Tsunade of the Sannin had made the area unusable a few years back during a training exercise gone wrong.

Or so the rumors say.

But the area is definitely occupied. She can see a small figure curled up next to one of the training posts but not much else given that the dying sun is behind them, obscuring them in shadow.

Hinata's about to leave, too polite to intrude on a stranger, when they lift their head in her direction.

"...Hinata...?" A familiar voice mumbles.

Hinata feels her eyes widen, "Hatake-kun?" she approaches him, worry making her chest tight. "Are you alright?"

He simply shrugs in response and ducks his head back to rest on his knees.

They haven't been friends for very long. She doesn't understand how or why, but they are friends, the odd pair that they are. But Hinata likes to think she knows him. And she knows something is upsetting him but that he'll never tell her if he doesn't want to.

So Hinata settles next to him, careful not to invade his space, and waits. If he wants to he'll tell her when he's ready and if he doesn't, well, Kakashi isn't obliged to tell her anything and she will not fault him for it. After all, there's plenty of things she hasn't told him.

(Like the graffiti she saw spray-painted on the Hatake Compound's walls)

(Or the nasty whispers she's heard circulating around the village)

(Or that her father forbade her from seeing her new friend and would not tell her why when she'd mustered the courage to ask him)

(She'd asked even though she already knows)

(She knows but she does not care because Kakashi is her friend)

A breeze sweeps through her hair. It sends the ends of Kakashi's scarf fluttering.

Hinata hears Kakashi inhale.

"You were crying." Another inhale, deeper. Hinata goes completely still and prays he doesn't smell the—"You're bleeding." His voice lowers, "Who?"

Hinata has to stop herself from smiling. Despite how different her two friends are, there is one trait both Obito and Kakashi possess.

Each is immensely overprotective.

To anybody else, it probably would have been annoying or even demeaning, an insult to her own abilities, but so few have cared for her—her, not the Hyuuga heiress, but her—that she couldn't be upset with them if she tried.

"It's nothing."

"It is not." Kakashi growls and before Hinata can even try to find some excuse, he continues, voice low, protective, dangerous, "Tell me. Have those girls been messing with you again because if they are I'll—"

Kakashi suddenly goes still.

Hinata starts when he suddenly stands. His hands are clenched tightly at his side.

"I have to go."

His voice is cold. Hinata shivers despite her thick jacket.

He doesn't say anything else, doesn't look at her. Just leaves in a swirl of leaves.

Hinata blinks, a sinking feeling settling inside at the same time the leaves float to the ground.

That sinking feeling progresses into horror when she hears of Kakashi's father's death.

"Oh, Kakashi," Hinata murmurs, watching him from across the schoolyard. He leaves before she can catch up to him.

Her horror turns into grief over the loss of such a kind and noble man. Because that's what he was, no matter the cruel whisperings whirling around her.

Her grief turns to hurt and heartbreak when Kakashi brushes off her stuttered words of comfort and her attempts to keep him company.

Hinata relents and decides to give the Hatake some space.

But days then weeks pass by and suddenly there is a chasm between them. One she can't hope to jump across.

Not that she doesn't try.

She manages to catch him one day on his way home.

Kakashi watches her stutter over her words with an eerie detachment that only makes it worsen.

"I can—if there's anything I—I can do f—for you please don't... please let me know!" Hinata squeezes her eyes shut and bows, her torso parallel to the ground.

A pause, then:

"What makes you think I need anything from you. "

Hinata's eyes snap open at the uncharacteristic sneer in her friend's voice.

She slowly straightens her back, arms huddled close to her sides nervously.

"...b—because we're," Hinata swallows heavily under Kakashi's intense stare and whispers, "friends."

Kakashi's response is quick and cutting like the winds of Suna.

"Shinobi don't have friends."

Hinata swallows again, not liking where this conversation is going.

"I just...I just want to help you."

"And what makes you think I," his voice is low and harsh, "need the help of the failed Hyuuga heiress?"

Hinata flinches back as if physically struck. Kakashi has never, never spoken to her like this. Has never shown any inclination that he thought less of her. In all the months of their friendship he has never spoken to her in a manner that can be construed as belittling or demeaning.

No. Kakashi is not cruel. Not like that.

He might come off as harsh or critical when imparting advice but that's what Hinata admires about Kakashi. He's honest and any criticism is spoken without bias, done with an earnest drive for her to improve, and never said to hurt her.

Unlike right now.

Hinata looks at her friend. Really looks at him and—her heart stutters—realizes she does not recognize the person she's looking at. Not anymore.

Kakashi leaves her crying in the middle of the street. A few passerbys give her pitying looks but do little else.

In the end, Obito never gets his chance to fix what he'd nearly broken.

(Too late. Like always.)

Kakashi starts pulling away from Hinata, from everyone, leaving his best friend confused and hurt when he brushes past her like she's nothing. Like all that time they spent together being chummy and making him jealous was worth less than the dirt under his sandals.

It makes Obito wants to scream because how dare he just throw Hinata like that—like garbage!?

Kakashi graduates early and leaves them all behind. And while he feels mostly frustrated; a drive to improve and catch up to the other boy, a smaller, darker part of himself is relieved.

And Rins knows, looking at him over Hinata's weeping form in her arms, but she says nothing. And Obito can't decide if he prefers it that way or not.

Nonetheless, Kakashi is gone from their lives for the meantime and Hinata is his theirs again.