Chapter 19
Kakashi got up at 6 AM the next day. He slept in a bit now that they were quarantined.
After lightly stretching he walked into the kitchen and drank some water while glancing around the house that he rarely occupied. This space was a bit large just for himself he thought as he walked over to the living room window looking out at the forest below. But he hadn't been entirely honest with Hinata as to why he built this. These lands used to be the location where the old Hatake compound once stood.
He had lived in that old ancestral house alone as a child for years. After growing up and actually making a living he hadn't wanted anything to do with that place. Too many bad memories were associated with it. So instead he built this space once he could afford it.
This house was modern, it suited his needs and it didn't have the memories of the old decrepit compound associated with it as well as the lingering feelings of loneliness. Plus the hallways were not haunted with ghosts... or memories or whatever you wanted to call it.
Shaking his head Kakashi finished his water and laced up his sneakers getting ready for a workout. He completed a 30 minute run followed by his usual daily training regime. When he returned at around 7:30 AM Hinata was up and about shuffling in the kitchen.
He paused watching her again as that surreal feeling sank over him. God certainly had an interesting sense of humor... sticking them together like this for two weeks.
"Good morning, how does your coffee maker work?" Hinata asked, noticing him walking into the house.
"Good morning. Oh… here are the coffee beans and the grinder" he said, pulling out a small contraption from the cupboards. Hinata nodded and poured some beans into the machine grinding it into a powder. Then she poured it into the tray of the coffee maker and pushed the button to brew the dark beverage.
"You went to train?" she turned and looked him up and down, feeling a bit flustered since he had his mask off again.
Kakashi wiped the sweat from his face using a small towel. "Yep, there are a few walking trails around the house that can be used for running and feel free to use the space downstairs if you would like to train as well. There is workout equipment there". Hinata nodded at the offer with a smile appreciatively.
Walking through the kitchen he realized that something was different. He opened up the fridge and checked the pantry noticing that it was fully stocked. "You had all these supplies brought in?"
"Well… we can't just survive on takeout for the next few weeks" she replied.
"Yeah… I guess, thanks Hinata. Would you like some eggs?" he offered, grabbing a carton from the fridge.
"S-sure…" she replied as she sat on the barstools of the large kitchen island and watched him work.
Kakashi melted some butter onto a skillet and used a bowl to scramble and season six eggs. Once the skillet was hot enough he poured the mixture into the pan and gently folded it into a creamy scrambled texture.
Realizing she was staring at his sweaty body more than observing the actual cooking process, Hinata got up and went to toast bread.
"So did you get a chance to talk to your family?" he asked while scraping the eggs onto two plates.
"Yes thank you for the phone by the way. Thanks to that, I got to talk to Hanabi yesterday. She said not to worry about clan matters but… they are worried about our health".
Kakashi nodded in understanding. To be completely honest, most of yesterday he had been busy trying to figure out who that man had been in collaboration with the secret services. He hadn't paused to think too much about whether they were exposed to a poison and what that could mean. He wondered how Hinata was handling all this mentally... but he was too nervous to broach the topic.
The coffee was done now, so she poured it into two cups and hesitated to add the milk and sugar to his. She knew how he drank his coffee because of their time in Kiri, but it felt a bit presumptuous to make it.
"Just a splash of milk and one sugar please" he said over his shoulder misinterpreting her hesitation.
Worlessly she handed him his mug and then pulled out some fruit from the fridge moving on to washing and cutting it, while Kakashi fried sausages. Before long they had a fully assembled western breakfast in front of them.
"Itadakimasu" she said as they dug in. "Do you eat breakfast like this everyday?".
"Uhh… no, a bit too much cholesterol to eat like this everyday I think" he joked, "Actually usually I don't have much time for breakfast. Most days I drink a smoothie in the mornings or grab breakfast at work. What about you?".
"These days I don't have too much time to cook either, but the staff in the main house does put together a full breakfast everyday. By the way… this tastes really good, thank you".
Kakashi smiled and nodded accepting her compliment. After finishing his breakfast he got up and took his plate over to the sink. He started rinsing the pans and loading the dishwasher so that there wasn't a mess in the sink.
He knew so far they had been tip toeing around each other. His relationship with Hinata over the last two years had been neutral. They avoided each other as much as possible and only met for work related purposes. Now that they were quarantined together it was just a matter of time before they imploded on each other, he was sure of it. She hadn't let out her frustration with him two years ago… and if his experience with women were any indication it was just a matter of time before she did.
He refilled his coffee and observed her silently as she finished eating. She had on bunny pajamas and a pink fuzzy robe, she hadn't fully brushed her hair yet and it hung around her shoulders in soft waves. She looked adorable and not so much like the fearsome leader of the Hyuga, he thought with a gentle smile.
"The bunny pajamas… they are quite adorable" he murmured despite his earlier resolution not to tease her.
She flushed to a deep red and threw him a small glare, but resumed eating without any comments.
"I have meetings all day Hinata, so I will be in the study, feel free to make yourself at home". With that he took the stairs two at a time going up to shower and change. As Kakashi grabbed a towel and walked into his ensuite washroom he reflected on his life over the past two years.
After what had happened with Hinata a while back, he had gone through a rough period. His relationship with Ariko imploding was only a small part of it. After the incident with Ariko, he had come to find that no other women in particular held an interest for him either. Because of that he had lived a fairly monkish existence over the last two years.
All this didn't make any sense, he didn't want a family or marriage, yet he couldn't move on from one woman that was looking for both. It was irrational and Kakashi wasn't an irrational man. Since he couldn't get to the root of his problem or figure out how to solve this, he had suffered a crisis in identity. For a while the small tidbits of happiness he had been able to hang onto before in the past seemed out of reach. Luckily he was named Hokage soon after, and that had changed his life for the better.
Instead of wallowing around in his apartment, after being named the Hokage he'd had something else to focus on…. the prosperity and wellbeing of Konohagakure. Taking care of this country and its people made him happy and finding some meaning in life again was a huge milestone for Kakashi. He was sure the rest would fall into place eventually.
Kakashi spent the whole day in his office. He briefly came out to grab food and snacks from time to time but that was it. After a long day of meetings he logged off from his computer at around 6:30 PM.
He ventured out of the office and into the house but strangely found it dark and empty. He went around the house looking for Hinata and finally found her in her room. The door to her room was open so he walked in and she was passed out. It was odd to find her sleeping at this time and he panicked thinking perhaps some sort of side effect from the powder was setting in.
"Hinata, Hinata" he shook her.
She drowsily opened her eyes. "Oh hey... Kakashi".
"What's wrong, are you feeling sick?"
"Oh… no, it's nothing serious".
"Hinata you have to be honest if you are feeling sick we have to monitor your symptoms. Let me call Shizune right now" he said as he stood up to go get his phone. She grabbed his wrist gently but it was enough to stop him.
"Wait…" she said tiredly. "It's not that… it's just… that time of the month for me".
"Oh…" he muttered like an idiot. Unfortunately he felt his face turn red like a little boy. How embarrassing. "Is there anything I can get you, or do for you?" he managed to say in a dignified way despite his flaming face.
"No… that's sweet of you, but my cramps are usually the worst in the first day or so, I'll be fine in a bit" she grimaced wrapping her hands around her stomach.
"I'll be right back," he promised.
Kakashi wasn't a novice to menstruation obviously. He went to the kitchen to grab a few things to make her more comfortable. Soon he returned with an armload of stuff.
She was in the dark so he turned the bedside lamp on and put what he had bought along on the night table.
"W-whats all this?" she asked, surprised struggling to sit up.
"I brought some pain killers for you if you need it and water, a thermos of tea, some fruit and chocolate if you get hungry and I have a heating pad here. I also brought some books along in case you want to read. I'll leave you alone to rest now, but if you don't mind I can give you a back massage before I leave?".
She stared at him speechlessly for a few seconds.
This was probably the most frazzled he had seen her, her hair was on top of her head in a messy knot and her face looked as if it was in pain. To top it off he watched in horror as her eyes teared up.
"What's wrong?"
"You… you really d-don't make it easy do you?" she cried sniffling.
"Easy for what?" he asked.
"Never mind, it's okay you don't have to give me a massage".
He frowned at her. "Come on turn around, it's just the two of us here, if we don't take care of each other who will?. Turn around and put the heating pad on your stomach" he instructed.
She turned over and then Kakashi pulled up her shirt slightly revealing her lower back. After warming some aromatherapy oil in his hands he proceeded to massage her lower back. About 5 minutes later he checked in on her and she had fallen asleep.
He was just about to tip-toe out of the room when she quietly said, "Kakashi?".
"Yes" he replied softly.
"Can you bring me my pajamas, it's in the top right drawer of the vanity" she was speaking while in a half asleep state so he wasn't really sure if she would in fact change. But he went to find her bunny pajamas.
Upon opening the drawer, the first thing that drew his eyes was the immense amount of lace and satin in here. Did the woman not own more than one set of conservative pajamas? He also saw the satin sleeping set she had bought in Kirigakure. He smiled and briefly touched it fondly. He was about to close the drawer when a flash of grey caught his eye. It stood out from the others because of the simple cotton fabric.
Wait a second…. he opened the drawer wider and touched the material. He'd been right. It was his grey shirt. Now that he saw it, he recalled that time on the boat to Kirigakure, when he had given this to her so she had something warm to wear. Did she still have this with her?
After a few seconds had passed he walked over wordlessly to the bed with her bunny pajamas on hand and wasn't surprised to find that she was sleeping again. He left the pajamas on the foot of the bed and quietly exited the room.