Chapter 12.

Kakashi wouldn't call himself a sensitive man. In fact, he was probably the furthest thing from it, considering what others kept telling him. Nonetheless, it felt humiliating to give his first completed chapter of Minato to the Art club to read. They were excited at first, Hanabi especially was over the moon, but soon from their drastically changing expressions Kakashi could tell that he fucked it up. And even though they tried to be considerate with their feedback, the art teacher knew that compared to his old work the current one was garbage.

"Just tell me, how bad is it?" he asked, cursing his stupid hand and his rusty skills in his head.

"Well, the composition and the technical quality is good, but the dialogues…" Hanabi trailed off. Beside her, Konan looked like she wanted to say something but couldn't quite figure out how to do it, no doubt trying to come up with a kinder way to say that it was shit. Kakashi sighed, this was no good. No editor will accept his work the way it was at the moment. Normally, he could easily manage two completed pages a day, three or four if he pushed it, but with his arm being in a state it was, even one page was a stretch. He couldn't sell his work because he just wasn't efficient enough.

"So, your problem is that you are slower, that I understand," Hinata said glancing at his arm, "but why are your dialogues so bad?"

Ah, yes. The worst part of the renowned Hokage's comeback was that the Hokage would never fully return. Because the Hokage was not one man, but a pair of authors.

"Dialogues were never my strong point," Kakashi said, finally willing to part with his secret. "Obito was the one who came up with most of the thing; the dialogues, the story, the setting, all of it. I'm just an artist who executed everything."

"Who is Obito?" Hanabi asked the question everyone else had in their mind.

"He is… was my friend… Minato was his idea, and somehow he dragged me into it." The art teacher smiled behind his mask, and Hinata wondered what kind of memories could make that expression noticeable even through the layer of cloth. "Anyway, I'm nowhere near as good as him."

"So… Hokage is a team?!" Hanabi was about to burst, all the unanswered questions bubbling up inside her. "Then where is Obito? Why are you not friends anymore?" she settled on the most pressing one, but soon it dawned on her that the reason for their friendship's end was that one of them was no longer alive.

"Was a team," Kakashi corrected, feeling strangely liberated to put that secret to rest after so many years. Perhaps he just needed the right people to talk to. "And you can stop with your pitying expressions, Obito died long time ago."

Even though he said that, Kakashi was certain Hinata wouldn't buy it. Somehow that woman was sensitive to these kinds of things, be it from her own experience or just her immense empathy, but she could tell when someone wasn't telling the whole truth. And the truth was that Kakashi still hasn't recovered from what happened fourteen years ago, both physically and mentally, his messed up arm being a proof of that.

"Anyway," he said, no longer wishing to discuss his past, "I cannot publish this, not until I sort everything out." His work had much to be improved, and there was no way in hell he'd let Jiraya see the garbage he'd made. The old pervert would just laugh and tell him to stop joking.

"Well, I'm sure everyone here will be happy to help, if you need us," Hinata assured, understanding his discomfort of being exposed in such a way before his students.

Everyone voiced their support, confirming Hinata's words, and their impromptu feedback session was over. Before they left for their long-awaited dinner, the door to the art classroom opened and in came the most troublesome 8th grader in school, with his best friend in tow.

"Yahiko! Nagato!" Konan seemed as surprised to see the boys as everyone else.

"Hey, Konan," the pair of teens greeted their third friend before coming up to the art teacher.

Kakashi looked the two boys over, noting Yahiko's usual bravado and the uncertain looks Nagato kept throwing his friend. Before he could ask anything, Yahiko spoke.

"I want to join the art club," the confidence in the boy's voice could impress even Naruto.

The sudden proclamation seemed to have shocked everyone in the room into silence. If it weren't for Nagato's confirmation that he too wished to become a member, Kakashi might've thought he was being pranked. Goodness knows there was already an infamous prankster in the senior grade Yahiko could take a leaf from. Although it wasn't quite Naruto's style to come up with such elaborate schemes in order to land a stupid prank.

"And why should I let you in?" Kakashi asked, for the sake of it and not because he had actual intentions to prevent the boys from joining. Hinata beside him huffed in annoyance, likely seeing through his childish attempts to be uncooperative.

"I promise I won't get in the way. I just want to be with you guys," Yahiko said, making the older man raise an eyebrow in mild amusement.

"What Yahiko is trying to say is that we just want to be present during activities to watch how it's done. We are interested in what kind of things people do in the art club," Nagato came to his struggling friend's rescue.

"In other words, you want to supervise me," Kakashi stated, crossing his arms. The redhead's tactful wording couldn't fool him from seeing the real reason for their sudden interest in his club. They simply didn't trust him with their friend and wanted to make sure Konan wasn't being bullied by the scare asshole of an art teacher. As if all the work he's done to improve his attitude towards students meant nothing for them. "I think I don't need to be watched over, especially by a pair of delinquents."

How dare they barge in his workshop and demand to join his club! They don't give a shit about art and still expect him to let them in? Their protests were successful only in fueling Kakashi's anger even more. So what if he cannot decide for them? Others would surely take his side in this, right? With that thought, he turned to look at his club's members, only to see that none of them actually agreed with him.

"I think we should give them a chance," Hanabi spoke with the firm assurance so characteristic of her.

Konan too had a hopeful expression on her face, of course she would, wanting to spend more time with her best friends. His last ally, Hinata, who's always understood him no matter how bizarre his motives were, also gave him a pleading look. Kakashi sighed, he knew when a battle was lost. And even though he didn't blame any of them, it still felt like a betrayal. He guessed he wasn't as level-headed as he thought, if he still felt anger at his friends for their rational position in this conflict.

"Do whatever you want," he muttered, moving towards the exit. "But don't expect to be just mere observers. If you are part of the club, then you will join in all the activities. Is that clear?"

"Y-yes, o-of course," Nagato answered for both himself and his friend.

Satisfied to have the last say, Kakashi left. It was as good time as any to visit his favorite place – the park. Just as the thought crossed his mind, he heard the classroom door open once again behind him. Turning around, he saw Hinata.

"Did I ever tell you to wait for others before storming off?"

Kakashi smiled, unable to be angry at the kind woman. "Isn't that the whole point of storming off though?" he said, and Hinata mirrored his expression, even though she couldn't quite see his face.

"So, to the park then?"

Kakashi merely nodded, and the two of them left the school in the direction of the only patch of land in the whole area that had some green in it. Upon arrival, Hinata was disappointed to see that their bench had been already taken.

"Guess we sit somewhere else," she said, looking for other benches in hopes to find an unoccupied one.

It didn't look like Kakashi saw it that way, however. He simply strode right up to the occupied bench and unceremoniously plopped into it, startling the poor stranger who rested on it till that moment. Just like the last time, it worked like a charm. One look at the scary art teacher was enough for the guy to hastily leave his seat.

"You gotta stop doing that," Hinata told him as she took the stranger's place on the bench. Kakashi gave her a look that said, 'and yet you sit in his place', making the woman's cheeks flush with guilty embarrassment.

"I didn't force him to leave. I have as much right to sit here as him. It was his choice to leave when I sat here," Kakashi shrugged, taking out his boxed sandwiches.

That… was a good point. Perhaps not very courteous, but there really was nothing wrong with strangers occupying the same bench. That didn't negate the fact that he sat there knowing perfectly well that the other man would leave. Even though it was kinda jerky, Hinata found that she couldn't fault Kakashi for the other man's leaving. Deep down she thought it was kinda cool…

'What am I thinking?!' she shook her head violently, willing the heat away from her reddening face. She was a twenty-three years old woman, not some schoolgirl to be impressed by a bad boy.

"You okay?" she heard him say, and forced all the confusing thoughts out of her head with a smile.

"Yeah. Just… thinking…" she made up an excuse. Taking out her own snacks, she offered some to him.

Kakashi's brows furrowed in a customary frown, but he accepted the treat. "Troubles with your father?"

"Not more than usual," she replied, taking a bite of her food, and it was the truth. Over the course of the past month Hinata disclosed some information about herself to the art teacher. He turned out to be a good listener; always telling her how he saw things from his perspective and never sugar-coating anything. He never pried either, being a very private person himself he knew the meaning of confidentiality. So, it wasn't surprising that with their friendship he had come to know quite a bit about her and vice versa. In fact, she came to rely on him for support in a lot of things, something that she gradually realized during her conversations with Hanabi. Like for example when he always made sure she had a place to sit on in any school event, or how he always made the students let her buy things from the canteen without ever queuing. Just the other day he almost had a clash with Danzou due to his offhand comment about Hinata not being a senior staff member and so not needing to be present during their weekly meetings. Hinata couldn't help but smile in embarrassment.

"I thought you finished all the work for your dad?" his question returned her back to the conversation from the daydream that had taken hold of her as she remembered all the sweet things Kakashi made sure to do for her.

Hinata's smile turned rueful. She should've known that making a deal with her father would be a lost cause from the very beginning. Giving her 'work' to do while disguising it as a training programme... He was just grooming her for inheriting the company. Last time they talked over the phone he seemed so sure that she'd listen to him... Hinata just hoped that he'd understand one day that she wanted to do something for herself at least before taking up the responsibility of the company owner.

Well, in hindsight her father was right about one thing – she did do as he ordered, without a hitch. She hated herself for it sometimes. For her agreeable personality and for her fear of Father. She just couldn't bring herself to stand her ground against him! Even Kakashi had called her out on her inability to confront her fears. Sure, she did her father's company's training, and at first it was all going alright. She thought she'd complete it and be done with it, but it never was an option for Hiashi Hyuga. No, Father just gave her more work to do, and this time it was clear that he never intended for her to have a break from it all.

"Turns out it was all just a trick to make me change my mind about working in the company. To draw me into liking it, or something," she said with a sigh, looking away.

"Well, it's good thing that we came here then, I suppose," Kakashi commented, not knowing what else to say. "This place is great for escaping..."

"Yeah..." she smiled in gratitude, savoring the tranquil atmosphere of the afternoon park. She didn't want to talk about anything remotely involving her Father, and it seemed like Kakashi understood it.

"Then shall you hear out my complaints while we eat?" he asked half-seriously, making Hinata snort in amusement.

"Why yes, what is vexing you this fine day?" she delivered the question with all the poise of a professional fortune teller. "Is it Yahiko?"

Kakashi shook his head. Yahiko was one thing, but what bothered him even more right now was the upcoming parent-teacher conference. He told Hinata just that and got a gentle encouragement as well as some advice.

"It's not like you to worry like this," she said, putting a comforting arm on his knee, the unexpected touch making him tense. She didn't seem to notice, however, as she continued, "you must really care about your students."

The admiring smile on the woman's face made Kakashi blush. He felt like he didn't deserve her praise.

"It's my job," he shrug off. For some reason, Tsunade's teasing remarks about him being single at thirty echoed in his head.

"Teaching students is also your job," she arched a delicate brow, "as is filling reports and being professional."

"What do you mean? That there is something more to it?" Kakashi questioned. "It's just that I am responsible for my class, and they are people, you know? Not grade point averages, not ticks in a checklist, but real kids with their own problems and worries."

"That is very sweet of you," Hinata said, taking a sip of her juice, "to think of your students this way."

The health assistant understood where he was coming from. Kakashi was a man that didn't shirk responsibility he accepted. At a first glance he seemed lazy and unprofessional, but if you knew him longer than a couple of hours you would see that he was anything but. He always did his work to a tee, made sure to deliver the subject as concisely and practically as possible. The only thing he could be accused of was his perpetual lateness (which Hinata still hadn't figured out the reason for), and his overly harsh way of communicating his thoughts and his temper issues. The latter two were improving steadily since he resolved to become a more professional teacher, the fear of losing his job and Hinata's encouragement giving him the push necessary to start working on his attitude. She suspected Kakashi was able to overcome whatever caused him distress in life, which allowed him to become a more balanced person overall, making him kinder. She entertained a selfish notion that she was the reason for his change for the better, which caused her to blush even harder. Thankfully, Kakashi was deep in thought about the upcoming conference.

"Anyway, today Shikamaru's parents are supposed to come," he said, throwing his head up towards the leaves of a tree they were sitting under. The gentle sunlight seeping through the canopy made him absently wonder how much longer it was till the rain season starts. "They never miss these kinds of things, so I'm sure I could talk to the both of them."

"When does it start, by the way?" Hinata asked, glancing at the watch on her wrist. It was already quite late as the day was closing in towards the evening.

"In twenty minutes," he replied, completely calm. As if anticipating her panic, he raised his arms behind his head and leaned into the back of the bench. "Relax, the walk here is only ten minutes. We have ten more minutes to waste before the whole thing begins."

"If you say so," she replied, unsure. "Let's finish our food quickly then."

The parent-teacher conference seemed like a big deal in Konoha. Hinata has never seen as many people gather at her own school for conferences when she was a student. The evening sun provided just enough light for people to use classrooms without lights on, but unfortunately, in the case of the art classroom it was simply impossible. Being in the basement of the school, there were no windows to let the light through, and so everyone sat in the sterile bright of Kakashi's workshop.

Since Hinata's day was over, she could safely attend the conference, with Kakashi covering up for her by saying that she was supervising events as part of the school's new performance monitoring program. The parents took it as a well-intentioned but ultimately useless initiative and didn't pay her much mind. Instead, they actively initiated discussion with each other and with the teacher. Kakashi, being the straightforward guy that he was, always responded with truth, the fact that parents seemed to be perfectly aware of. They didn't even seem to care much for his borderline rude remarks, fully realizing that their children's teacher was telling them exactly as things were. It was as if a strange unspoken mutual agreement was in effect in Kakashi's classroom, that parents could say anything to him and in turn they won't take any offence at anything he said.

All in all, the conference went well enough, and the satisfied parents trickled out of the workshop one by one. Hinata almost thought that Kakashi had forgotten about Shikamaru, but quickly abandoned the thought with a shake of her head. He would never forget about something like that. True enough, Kakashi called upon Shikamaru's parents to stay, as he had something to discuss with them.

Both of Shikamaru's parents were present, and Hinata could already tell that things between them were not particularly stable. Between the woman's slick business-like attire and the man's casual, laid back attitude, Hinata had an idea about the kind of character each of the parents possessed.

"I thought you were in a hurry?" the man who she assumed was Shikamaru's dad said to the woman that was most likely Shikamaru's mother.

"I can spare some time for my son," the woman retorted, both parents practically sending daggers each other's way.

"I will go straight to the point then," Kakashi began, not surprising Hinata at all with his boldness. "It's about Shikamaru. His performance has been lacking lately, he always seems pensive during lessons, and that is if he isn't sleeping–"

"See, Shikaku, this is what happens when Shikamaru lives with you," the woman accused, not even letting Kakashi finish.

"What are you talking about, woman?" said man frowned. "He spends with you as much time as he spends with me."

"Yeah, but the last two weeks were your weeks…" she quipped, making the man before her sputter in indignation. "Frankly, I am not surprised. I mean, with your lazy attitude, some of it was bound to rub off on Shikamaru."

"Oh yeah? Then what about his intelligence? Do you always forget the good things I give our son?"

"Pfft, and what good does your genius give him?" the woman countered. "He is just like you, not interested in people, always sitting before the computer doing his thing." There were notes of a long-standing grudge in her voice.

Hinata looked between the bickering parents and found herself at a loss. There clearly were some issues in that family, and she wondered if Kakashi will be alright. She had no place to interject, so she hoped the parents will come to their senses and everything would resolve smoothly for Shikamaru and Kakashi.

"Please– Calm do– Miss, let's have a reasonable–" Kakashi simply couldn't even say anything, so out of hand the parents' argument was getting. Finally, Kakashi seemed to have had enough. With a glance towards Hinata, he let out a defeated sigh and decided to put an end to the idiocy that was taking place in his classroom. "Will you two shut the hell up!" he roared.

Suddenly, the room went dead silent. Hinata was sure she could hear a mosquito flying about somewhere in the classroom, so quiet it was. But the forced peace didn't last long, as the parents stunned by the teacher's audacity seemed to have come to their senses and recognized Kakashi's words for what they were – an insult.

"How dare you–" Shikamaru's mother was about to go on a rampage when Kakashi took a menacing step forward.

"Shut up," the art teacher said again, towering over the startled woman, his harsh gaze terrifying her into silence once more.

"What do you think you are doing, Hatake?" the father said, and Hinata didn't miss how he subconsciously shielded the woman from the advancing teacher. It seemed Shikamaru's mother had also noticed, as she gave a quizzical glance her former husband's way.

"I was going to ask you two the same question," Kakashi replied in his best teacher tone, finally seeming to have calmed down. "Have you two seen each other? Can you listen to what you are saying?" he rubbed his masked face in exasperation. "I'm sorry. Now that we've calmed down a bit, can we discuss this matter like adults? You can report me later, I don't care if I get fired because of this. I just saw one of my students suffer because of things he can't control, and wanted to get this to your attention."

The parents' faces adopted a guilty expression. Their previous anger subsiding, the two of them seemed to have decided on a truce for the time being.

"Did… did he tell you something?" Shikaku asked, the worry apparent in his normally apathetic drawl. His ex-wife beside him seemed as equally concerned.

"He did."

The parents exchanged shocked looks. No doubt the two knew how serious it might be for Shikamaru to personally talk about it with his teacher.

"What did he say?" the mother asked, clutching her scarf, the action likely being a habit to soothe the apprehension. Shikaku saw it and put a comforting hand on the woman's shoulder.

"Not much. He is a very private person, and I respect that. But surely you'd understand by now that this conversation is necessary," Kakashi calmly spoke, and Hinata smiled with pride. Just in less than a month he'd come from tactlessly saying whatever came to his mind to discussing things in a level-headed manner while still retaining the dangerousness everyone associated him with.

The parents nodded their acknowledgement. As if forgetting that Kakashi had completely trashed them just a minute ago, they listened to what he had to say with apt attention. Hinata marveled at what was happening before her eyes. What Kakashi did contradicted every communication textbook and every teaching she received on psychology, and yet it was working!

Hinata learned that Shikamaru's parents were divorced and had shared physical custody. She also learned that his mother lived further from school than his father, and the two of them lived pretty far from each other, making it a pain for Shikamaru to go between two places and his school. Their custody schedule was also a 2 weeks each schedule, making it even harder on the teenager, who needed stability at this moment in his life more than anything.

By the end of their two-hour meeting, everyone was mentally and physically drained. But it was all worth it, because for once Shikamaru's parents were able to talk without getting at each other's throats.

"Thank you for bringing this to our attention," the mother said, a hint of humility coloring her normally business-like tone. "We will discuss this with Shikaku further later and come up with a better way."

Shikaku nodded. "How about tomorrow evening? I can come to your place…"

"You know what, how about we go there now?" the woman suggested.

"But I thought you had a meeting at work?" the man offered diplomatically.

"Forget the damn meeting. I can't go about my own business knowing that there is a problem I caused to my son," his former wife said. "Come on, I will drive us there."

"Alright. Let me just call Shikamaru and tell him…"

Hinata and Kakashi watched in satisfaction the parents take responsibility for their actions. The two of them seemed to get along well enough when their goals aligned. They once again said their thanks and goodbyes, before finally leaving the teacher and the health assistant alone in the classroom.

"Well, that went better than I expected," Kakashi broke the comfortable silence first, making the woman giggle beside him.

"Ever the optimist," she joked, but her tone had immediately turned serious, "but you did a very good job."

"You think? All I did was yell and talk shit. Doesn't seem to be much different from what I used to do before," he replied, the uncertainty in his voice letting her know that he was truly confused.

"Trust me, it was nothing like you before," Hinata reassured. "You were able to use the straightforwardness and that scariness of yours and incorporate it into the argument. Being able to use your inner monster when required and being the monster are two different things."

"So I was a monster before?" he asked, voice trailing off and head turning down.

"Oh, no-no! I didn't mean that! It's just an expression to–" Hinata's panicked explanation was cut off by the man's laughter. It took her a moment more to understand that he was just playing with her.

"I was joking," he said between the deep rumbles, "no need to get so defensive, or I start thinking that you really thought of me as a monster."

Hinata pouted, secretly finding the man's laugh pleasant. "Of all the times to show your humorous side…" she trailed off, the smile dancing behind her eyes a dead giveaway that she too was being playful. "Let's celebrate!" she suddenly said, surprising the man before her.

"Celebrate what?"

"Your first successful parent-teacher conference!" she said, unable to hold the laughter bubbling in her.

"I see. So this is how highly you think of me, unable to have a successful meeting in my entire career," he humored her. "Or could it be that you think you are such a great mentor that even an asshole like me was able to have a civil conference…"

The two of them shared a laugh, Kakashi being the first to recover.

"But seriously though," he said, his voice turning completely serious once again. "Thank you."

There was no doubt about the sincerity behind that statement. He was not joking when he thought that it was because of her that he was able to help Shikamaru. From all the time she spent with Kakashi and his colleagues, she knew that when he thanked someone it was genuine, and it was better to accept the gratitude even if you felt you didn't deserve it.

"You are welcome," she said with a grin, making the man mirror her expression in his own behind the mask. "I'm glad that I was helpful, but you should know that everything was your own achievement first and foremost."

"That's a fancy way of saying you didn't do anything," he teased.

"Shut up," she punched his arm lightly. "Let's just go eat. I remember Kurenai and Asuma inviting everyone after the conference."

Even though Kakashi would've preferred to spend the evening with Hinata only, he didn't object to her suggestion. Even though his arm felt like falling off and the pain would probably result in yet another sleepless night later, he didn't want to think about it now. How could he, when Hinata's smile for him was so honest and pure, making all the unrelated thoughts evaporate? With those uncharacteristically mushy sentiments, he allowed the smaller woman to drag him towards the exit where other staff members were waiting for them.