Chapter 2

They travelled all morning and stopped for a quick lunch at a small restaurant. It's the last proper meal they'll have access to until they come across the next village on their route, which was about two to three days away. That would also be the point where they would switch from travelling by foot to a boat in order to cross the ocean over to Kirigakure.

After a full day of travel the team settled to set camp for the night. The sun was setting and the Anbu who led the formation had found a nice clearing for them and had started unpacking their tent by the time Kakashi and Hinata landed. Kakashi walked over to debrief with the Anbu while Hinata looked around.

In order to increase efficiency during missions, most Shinobi bunked together. It wasn't often where you got lucky enough to find a clearing with enough room to set 6 separate tents up. Looking contemplative, Hinata set her backpack down and found a place to set up.

She discretely glanced at Kakashi who was listening attentively to the Anbu. He had his arms crossed and his jacket strained across the back because of his muscles. He looked tall, strong and highly capable. After a few seconds had passed she realized she was staring, so she quickly turned her attention back to the task at hand.

During their travels throughout the day they had not talked unless it was absolutely necessary. She wasn't sure what she had expected from him on this mission, but his serious and silent persona was making her a bit uncomfortable. Hinata didn't know Kakashi well, but she knew of him to be a fun loving Ninja who did not take himself or others too seriously. He was often droll and sarcastic, but he was also known to be relaxed. This slightly different side to him was throwing her off…

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Kakashi wrapped up talking with the Anbu. They had all been very succinct in their briefings which he appreciated. With that taken care of he turned his attention back to Hinata who was on her hands and knees currently nailing the last peg of their tent down into the ground. He observed her figure, in particular where her pants clung to her hips... what a lovely image he thought as he strolled over to her.

"Need any help?".

"Ah no Kakashi-sensei… I mean Kakashi-san" Hinata stammered and turned a strawberry color. He laughed inwardly at her awkwardness.

"Hinata…" he said quietly as he knelt down next to her. "We are going to have to get comfortable with each other before we reach Kirigakure".

"Hai… I know" she looked forlorn.

"And we are going to have to do something about your blushing" he said as he gently moved the back of his hand onto her warm cheek stroking it. It was very soft like a flower.

Hinata felt her stomach swoop and then tie up into knots. Was this normal?

She was seated on the ground with her legs bent to the side and her hands behind her back for support. But she realized that despite herself she was discretely leaning away from Kakashi... because she was uncomfortable at this level of intimacy. No one had touched her face before. The skin where his hand touched her burned in the softest way possible. She shifted in discomfort as she felt the effects of that small touch spread from her face, to her neck and below. Her heart beat accelerated and she had no idea whether it was in panic or excitement.

Hinata had grown up in an extremely formal clan. The Hyuga did not engage in physical contact. The Inuzuka clan where her teammate Kiba came from was the opposite. Thanks to him, Hinata had become a little less uptight with physical intimacy over the years. Kiba was always hugging his team and physically expressive with his affection. He was like a brother to her, so his touching and even the kisses he gave her scattered on her face hardly registered anymore. Apart from Kiba (and Shino - very rarely), no one had touched her person before. Especially not in this intimate manner. It was all very disconcerting. Hinata's eyes went wide as she noticed that she had been holding her breath for a while now.

Kakashi grasped her face and tilted it up so their eyes met. "Breath…...Hinata" he said softly.

She took a deep gulp of air and felt her head start to get dizzy. Assessing the situation he quickly hooked his hands under her knees and propped them up grasping the back of her neck lowering her head between her knees. Oh... he was trying to get the blood flowing to her head again. She was so pathetic... If this is how she was going to act when he touched her face how was she going to handle the rest of it, and more importantly how was she going to execute this mission? She couldn't let Tsunade-sama down. Hinata felt tears prickle her eyes, but after a few deep breaths she calmed down.

Kakashi stood up wordlessly and held out a hand to her. She looked at him confused, but he was unmoved. He continued to hold out his hand to her until she tentatively placed her hand in his. He pulled her up so swiftly that she barely had time to register how his hand felt in hers. As the momentum carried her forward Hinata quickly placed her hand onto his stomach bracing herself to avoid crashing into him. Once she realized that she had touched his stomach she looked up at him guiltily.

"Let's go for a walk" he said simply.

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Kakashi set down a path in the forest where the trees were a bit less dense. You could hear the gentle sound of trickling water in the distance, so she assumed with excitement that there was a stream close by.

"Hinata… have you ever been in a relationship?" The question came out of nowhere. She was so taken off guard that she stumbled and would have tripped if Kakashi hadn't reached out to stabilize her.

She stood firmer and blinked, feeling mortification run through her. "N-no Kakashi-san" she responded quietly.

"Well… first get used to calling me Kakashi". He stopped as they reached the stream of water and she stood behind him unsure of what to do with her body or words.

"When we reach Kirigakure you will be known as my fiance. The success of our mission depends on how well we can rely on each other. Our primary objective is to accomplish our work, so we can't lose focus on the mission with distractions of trying to uphold this cover. Intimacy should be second nature to us by the time we get to Kiri. Any awkwardness we have with each other needs to be resolved now" he finished seriously.

Hinata had stayed quiet listening, but she knew that he was right.

"Kirigakure…. has a complicated relationship with the other nations as you well know. I myself had a mixed relationship with Kiri in the past" he stopped for a moment as if gathering himself. "But under the current Mizukage's guidance they are coming around to be a more progressive and tolerant country and we need to help sustain that. We have to squish whatever rebellions are brewing there at the roots. But... this is a dangerous mission. Kiri has some of the deadliest assassins in all of the nations and they have the largest and influential clan systems. We need to keep our heads about in order to stay safe. And I won't lie to you... when I've done missions like this in the past It has always been with more experienced Kuinochi. They were good at maintaining their covers while also handling and diverting other attentions as needed… if you get what I mean?" he paused looking at her for emphasis.

Kakashi thought absently how fascinating the various shades of colour her face turned when she blushed. But… in a mission like this there was no room for this kind of transparency and he felt inklings of impatience starting to creep in.

"I am not sure why Tsunade picked you for this mission… I can only assume as she mentioned there weren't a lot of females to choose from so we have to make the best of this situation". Kakashi took a deep breath striving for calmness now that he had blurted that out.

Hinata stared at him unblinking and silence stretched at his words... crap. It stretched and stretched continuously without snapping. He hadn't meant for that to come out sounding like that. He cringed in his head replaying the words… that hadn't sounded good. He knew how low Hinata's self esteem was, so saying something like that was bound to crush her.

After a few more seconds of silence he looked up in dread at her pale face. Shit, Kakashi you really can be a bastard. As they stared at each other her face came into sharp focus for him again, as if a camera lens adjusting itself into crisp resolution.

Before today Kakashi hadn't spared Hinata a second glance. She blended into her surroundings and came across as bland compared to other girls from her age group, like Sakura and Ino for example. Those two were noticeably vibrant, energetic and extremely pretty.

However looking at Hinata here and now, it felt different. The hairs on the back of his neck started to prickle as he took in her features more closely. Her lips were a soft blush color, very lush in shape, seeming both plump and soft. Her nose was straight, telling of her noble status and her crowning glory really was that dewy skin that seemed to glow from within. Looking at her like this she was stunning… if you stopped to think about it. Which he did not.

But what was strange about her face at the moment was that her usual healthy glow was absent along with any hints of blushing. Her skin was pale and white, a very unusual look for Hinata.

"I...I will try to not let you down Kakashi," she said softly, looking at him a bit more blankly than before. Most females he knew would have flown off the handle with rage if he had said something like that. So he narrowed his eyes assessing her patience and control. How had she gotten used to handling criticism like that? Something in his mind niggled faintly, a memory from long before about the Hyuga clan and a disinherited heiress. He belatedly realized that Hinata was probably used to a fair share of criticism from her family.

He sighed regretting hurting her, but in this case what he had said was true. She was not suited for this mission. In order for this to be successful he had to cultivate a true sense of intimacy with her so that acting was minimized. Another thing that he hadn't wanted to mention to her yet was that one of his lovers was in Kirigakure.

Kakashi was renowned for being a bachelor, but he did not live like a monk by any means. He had no interest in being in a relationship so he didn't get involved with women from Konoha, but... he was a man and he had needs. This meant that he'd had a few dalliances over the years in other countries. They had all been individuals like him who were looking for casual companionship. It was just good, solid sex from time to time. There wasn't any emotional intimacy or commitments attached. Since these relationships were casual and open in nature he had become good friends with his past lovers. He wondered how Hinata would handle it if he were to tell her all this. Would she pass out from the shock?

This particular woman in Kirigakure was Ariko. Kakashi had known her for a while and since Kiri was not too far from Konoha he saw her a few times a year. They usually met halfway between their cities for a quick interlude whenever they could afford to take time off. He felt a small trickle of guilt seep in as he realized Ariko was probably the closest thing to an actual adult relationship he'd had in his life.

Even though he was not involved with Hinata in reality, he did not want to give the impression to anyone that if he did settle down with someone he would treat them so disrespectfully as to sleep around behind their back. So that meant the next time he ran into Ariko he had to end their arrangement. And unfortunately If he did not get Hinata comfortable with him before they got to Kiri, Ariko is going to see through their ruse in a heartbeat.

"Hinata..." he said carefully as he took her hand in his "I am sorry that you are going to have to go through all this for a mission... and I'm sorry that it will not be with someone of your choosing".

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Hinata felt like she was on an emotional roller coaster. Seconds after he had told her that she was not suited for this mission, he turned around and apologized.

He apologized because this mission would lead to the loss of her innocence in a way she had not planned. And with a man she definitely never wanted to engage in physical intimacies with. She felt winded from the emotional whiplash of the day and tired because he was very perceptive. She spent her entire life with boys who had very little emotional intelligence. She was used to being the one who was always reading people. But being with Kakashi - as she was getting used to referring to him - was exhausting. Because he saw everything, even without the Sharingan.

"Kakashi… please don't apologize. I know that I am very inexperienced for this upcoming mission and it could lead to a catastrophic failure in executing this work, compromising all of our safety. Any guidance you can give me is greatly appreciated" she smiled softly showing that she did understand. If anything, his surprise at the fact that Hokage-sama had appointed her for this mission was probably centered around his frustration. She could tell that he thought the Hokage should have appointed someone who could take this in strides. Any man would be uncomfortable having to teach a woman 9 years his junior skills in seduction she thought with some amusement.

He was still looking at her rather seriously, so to lighten the mood she asked. "Why do you always wear your mask?"

The only betrayal in his appearance that he was thrown off by her question was a light flickering in his eyes. She didn't expect him to answer her, she asked the question because all evening he had been throwing her off balance and she wanted to return the favour, so she was surprised when he sighed and looked off towards the stream.

"I like that only a certain number of people have seen what I look like without a mask... it helps me maintain a certain air of mystery, don't you think?" he turned with a smile - she could tell because of the crinkles around his eyes - and a wink. She admired how neatly he had sidestepped her question.

"Does that mean since we are pretending to be lovers that I will get to be one of those people?" she parried.

"That my dear is highly likely".

It took a few seconds for her to register the meaning of that because he had said it so dryly. And once it did register, she was floored on the inside. She hadn't expected to see his face! All of her friends were going to be so jealous she thought as she remembered with amusement the various exploits Naruto and Sakura had undertaken to see their sensei with no mask on.

"Which brings me to our training plan," Kakashi continued. "Hinata I thought about doing this without explicitly telling you my intent, to maintain authenticity. However, given your feelings for Naruto I think transparency is called for in this situation".

She blinked at him in confusion but did not correct his assumptions that she still had feelings for Naruto. Since her confession to Naruto when he almost died at the hands of Pein, she felt a strange sense of relief. She - Hyuga Hinata - had gathered the courage necessary to tell Naruto-kun how she felt about him. The ball had entirely been in his court from there. In the beginning everyone had assumed he would follow up with a response to her confession. But after months passed and then years... the hurt at his indifference had dulled. With her intuitive nature she realized that he did not love her back and didn't know how to tell her this.

Anyone with eyes could see that he had been enamoured with Sakura since the Academy days. Naruto, for her, was Sakura to him. Since Sasuke was now finally back in the Hidden Leaf they were able to give up their single handed obsession in finding him. It seemed like they might finally get a chance to explore their feelings for each other in peace and she was happy for them… truly.

She had gone on a few dates over the last few years in an attempt to get over Naruto. If someone had the courage to ask her out, she almost always gave them a fair chance. This was probably because of her past experience with unrequited love. None of those dates had turned into a relationship, so what she had told Kakashi had been true. The expectations for her future spouse were now quite a bit higher as she had been reinstated as the Hyuga Heiress. She did not have the luxury to date for fun. She knew when the timing was right if she could not find herself a solid matrimonial match, the clan would select a husband for her.

"Over the next few days I will be training you on physical intimacy" Kakashi continued and Hinata snapped out of her wayward thoughts. "It would be best if we start acting like a couple right away, so we can get used to each other's mannerisms and habits. In addition, it is important that we are comfortable being around each other and…" he paused for emphasis "with touching each other".

"Hai" she nodded her understanding with a slight blush now back on her face.

No time like the present to start, Kakashi thought as he got closer to the girl in a flash. She blinked in astonishment at the sudden proximity. Kakashi placed his hand on her waist, and secured his other hand on her cheek with his thumb slowly stroking the soft skin. After a brief hesitation he continued his hand up into her hair and held her in place as he moved in closer.

She had grown taller in the last few years but she was still petite in comparison to the women he was usually with… her head only came up to his shoulder so he had to lean down as he brought his face closer to her. Perhaps because of his age and stature he felt like a giant looming over her.

Hinata felt herself growing light headed as he drew closer and her stomach started doing jumping jacks on the inside. Kakashi's lips hovered near hers and then landed at the corner of her mouth very softly. From there he continued to slowly kiss and trail his lips across her cheek until he paused next to her ear inhaling her scent. Her knees were turning into the consistency of jelly as she struggled to maintain breathing.

It was a very pleasant aroma Kakashi thought as he inhaled her scent. Mixed in with her natural musk was the smell of a fruit… something that was exotic… guava perhaps. He continued to inhale her clean smell deeply and then moved to trace the shell of her ear with his nose before tilting his head neatly below her ear, dropping a slow kiss. Her knees buckled at this new sensation and he had to tighten his grip around her waist securely pulling her up and flush against him as she went slack in his arms. This position allowed him to press up against her curves. She really did have a fantastic figure he thought as she nestled against him.

After a few seconds he wondered if she had passed out, so he slightly pulled back to observe her face. He was surprised to see that her eyes were open, and her face was flushed.

"Breath Hinata" he gently reminded her while marvelling at how responsive she was to the slightest stimulation… he had barely even started with her.

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