Chapter 2

The distance from Kakashi's house to the center was quite tangible, but Hinata still walked at a slow, civilian-like pace. The Hyuga enjoyed long walks, savoring the sight, smell and sound of all that was her home village. Sadly, every time she went outside, Konoha seemed different, less happy.

There were no celebrations of their victory in the war. Too many have died and too much was lost for the living to squeeze out even an ounce of happiness – only relief. And even that didn't last long as Danzou usurped the power in their broken village.

Refusing to dwell on such negativity so early in the day, Hinata diverted her attention to a more cheerful subject. Kurenai was supposed to move in her new apartment and judging by what Hinata saw of the restored buildings around, her teacher had gotten lucky. The houses sure looked new in that part of Konoha, Hinata noted, walking the familiar road to her teacher's house. Other than that, they were identical to the old ones. Down to the color of their walls.

After Pain's attack, most of the center of the village was destroyed, including the house Kurenai-sensei's apartment was in. Many people who lost their homes applied for new ones, that were normally issued by Konoha after disastrous situations like war or Kyuubi attack. However, with the extent of destruction so huge, and the post-war crisis, many villagers had to queue for their accommodation. The fact that Kurenai was able to secure herself a place in exactly the same location as she lived before was practically unheard of.

Hinata was approaching the building block where Kurenai used to live when she heard her teacher's angry voice.

"You can't do this!"

Immediately sensing that something was wrong, Hinata turned the corner and was met with a sight of a very distressed Kurenai, her daughter, Mirai was safely sleeping in her arms. Talking to the angry mother was none other than Kakashi. Standing around them were at least a dozen Root operatives. Her teacher and husband were in the middle of an argument when they noticed her. For a second, Kakashi looked startled by Hinata's arrival, before picking up on his words.

"Kurenai-san, I am sorry, but I am afraid you are not allowed to take residence in this area."

"What do you mean, not allowed?!" Kurenai looked livid. "My application was approved, this was my house before the attack! Why am I being denied when I clearly have all the papers and am a shinobi? Not that I think it should matter."

'Shinobi? Why would it matter?' Hinata did not understand how was sensei being shinobi relevant to her application?

Kakashi's reply was more indifferent than Hinata would like for a friend's to be, "That is the thing, Kurenai-san. You are not a shinobi. According to our data, you have retired two years ago and are not currently in Konoha ninja active roster."

It was as if Kurenai-sensei was just another tick on his paper, not a friend, not even a human being. The dry and curt way authorities dismissed Konoha citizens was getting worse with each passing day.

"It didn't say anything about active roster, Hatake, and you know it," hissed Kurenai. "I have shinobi relations – my husband was a ninja. I am a ninja! The criteria for priority issuing were to have either a shinobi relation, live in the same area, and being a current or former shinobi. I meet all the criteria, and thus am eligible for my rightful apartment."

"Yes, but it turned out that there is another person who meets the criteria, and he is currently a ninja."

"So, what," Kurenai seethed poking at Kakashi's chest, "is he more eligible than me?"

"Exactly," was his short reply.

The air seemed more and more tense with each second. Kurenai-sensei looked like she would jump Kakashi if she wasn't holding Mirai. Kakashi seemed indifferent, but the ninja around him were clearly anticipating resistance. Before situation could escalate any further, Hinata decided to interject.

"Ka- dear husband, would you please explain what the matter is?"

"I'm afraid there is nothing to explain. Mrs. Sarutobi refuses to vacate the apartment that does not belong to her."

His response was as callous and terse as it could get. Hinata did not understand. Her husband seemed a completely different man standing there, cold and unsympathetic. It seemed it did not matter to the man whether it was his wife or his friend, he was being a complete jerk. Not bothering to hide her disappointment, she addressed her teacher instead, hoping to calm the woman down.

"Sensei, please calm down. What happened here?" It somewhat worked, as Kurenai exhaled deeply and turned to her student.

"I came here with Mirai and Shikamaru-kun. He went for groceries while I was supposed to put Mirai to bed and settle in," she said, pointing towards the child who was sleeping in her arms, and then to the pile of bags and trunks, presumably containing her belongings. "But these guys came out of nowhere and are saying that I cannot live here," now she gestured around, to Kakashi and his retinue.

Hinata was baffled. And clearly, she wasn't the only one. Everyone turned towards Shikamaru, who just arrived, grocery bags in both hands. He seemed to be assessing the situation, just standing there silently and watching their expressions. Finally, he sighed and muttered something which Hinata was sure contained "troublesome" in it, and addressed both women.

"Kurenai-sensei, Hinata-san, I think we should go."

"But–"

Another sigh.

"I know. It is unfair. And stupid," his eyes flickered to the masked jounin, "but is there anything we can do? Look at these people, Kurenai-sensei," he gestured towards their so-called officials. "They came here fully expecting that things go south. I bet their hands are twitching for an excuse to attack and arrest all of us. We can't possibly make them change their mind, and we can't oppose their decision either. So, it seems we are left with only one option."

"Accept this humiliation, turn around and go back as if nothing happened?" Kurenai asked, clearly unhappy.

"I agree with Shikamaru-kun, sensei. There is nothing we can do." Hinata said, directing a particularly nasty look at her husband. A flash of guilt seemed to pass in his eyes, but it quickly disappeared, his face returning to its normal indifferent expression. Hinata humphed.

"I suppose you are right," Kurenai gave in. "Let's go home, Shikamaru, Hinata."

"At least we don't need to bring all of your heavy stuff from the compound," Shikamaru muttered, just quiet enough for the woman to miss it. He so didn't want to piss Kurenai even more.

The trio turned around and went back to the Nara clan compound, leaving silent Kakashi and his Root behind. Only when they left did the jounin allow a tinge of relief on his stoic expression. He felt like an utter scumbag for treating Kurenai so, but she would've continued arguing if he wasn't being rude and cut her off. She absolutely must not live in this area if his plan was to succeed.

Back at Shikamaru's home, Hinata fumed. "I still cannot believe they would do something like that. How could Kakashi allow that to happen? Sensei, he is your friend, isn't he?"

"I don't know what's on his mind," Kurenai replied, not wanting to talk about it anymore. Kurenai was Kakashi's friend and would like to think that she knew him better than most. Now that her anger subsided, she replayed their conversation in her head. It looked like he was trying to convey something earlier. Almost like he was doing her a favor by not letting her live there. "Let's talk about something else, okay?"

"Like, how you are doing, for instance?" Shikamaru joined in, addressing Hinata.

A couple of hours ago she would've told them that she was perfectly fine, but now… Hinata didn't know what to make of what happened. Kurenai was adamant that she did not hold what happened against Kakashi. It wasn't like him to do something like that, she said. Thus, Hinata decided not to bring todays situation back to the conversation.

"I am alright. Nothing really happened since that day. I'm more confused and disappointed, really. At first, he seemed decent. Kind, even," she said, referring to Kakashi. "But after what happened…" she trailed off, looking pointedly at Kurenai-sensei. "I don't understand."

"Care to elaborate?" Kurenai asked, her own problems set aside in favor of her student's.

Hinata did her best to explain everything in an unbiased way. Kurenai and Shikamaru – to listen and understand. Even though her teacher had already made some conclusions of her own, and her former classmate had 'troublesome' written all over his face. Hinata did not blame them. She knew Kurenai and Shikamaru meant well, and Shikamaru was uncomfortable with the whole situation and was trying to deal with it in only way he knows, which is to wait for someone more capable to take initiative. Besides, this was his problem-solving face. If anything, then he was thinking hard on how to help. Hinata suspected he was formulating all kinds of schemes behind that impassive gaze. What people like him failed to understand was that sometimes just listening was all that's needed.

"If he does anything, I will kill him," Kurenai said with conviction.

'She probably would,' Hinata thought about her teacher with a smile.

"You shouldn't say such things, Kurenai-sensei. You know it's a terrible idea and you have your family to worry about."

"You are family, Hinata. You, Kiba and Shino are like children to me." The older woman smiled that warm, motherly smile Hinata would always associate with her. "I've known you since you were little, even before I got to know the boys." She remembered how Hiashi dumped a timid little girl on her lap, for her to raise. "Don't ever think that I'll place my own problems before my little kids."

Her sensei's words spread warmth in Hinata's chest.

"I know," she said, touched. "I just don't want you guys to worry about me so much and get in trouble. He hasn't done anything to me, and… I think he is not as bad as he seems."

"If you say so," Kurenai-sensei's agreement did not sound very convincing, the way a skeptical parent sounded about their child's significant other. Nevertheless, Hinata was happy they tried to understand. "Why don't you go home, sweety?" her teacher suggested. "I don't think you are up for another round of explanations when others come." She meant the others that were coming that night, including her teammates. Even though she was tired, Hinata wanted to meet her friends. And if the price was having to explain everything again, then so be it.

"I'm fine, sensei, thank you. I wanted to see them, actually."

"You sure? You don't have to say anything. Shikamaru-kun can explain them everything later"–a pointed look at Shikamaru–"right, Shikamaru-kun?"

A resigned sigh was their answer, causing both women to giggle.

"It's fine, sensei. I think I should be the one talking. They won't settle for Shikamaru's explanation anyways."

"True," Kurenai smiled. "He would probably say only three sentences."

"And each of them would have 'torublesome' in it," added Hinata, amused.

"Clearly, you guys don't know me," grunted Shikamaru. He too, smiled, "I wouldn't tell them more than two sentences."

This made everyone in the room laugh. Hinata thought herself lucky to have such great friends, who will do their best to reassure her and make her smile and laugh despite everything. Her vow to do anything in her power to protect them had only strengthened over the years.

It wouldn't do to worry her friends, when they themselves had problems of their own. Besides, it didn't look like anything bad was going to happen to her. For some reason, Kakashi was lenient towards his wife, and Hinata planned to take advantage of her husband's indulgence. She wouldn't do anything crazy. However, she could perhaps influence at least some of his less important decisions, starting with getting a compensation for Kurenai-sensei. Shikamaru and she managed to convince the woman to live in Nara compound for the time being. Hinata figured that the only thing she could do aside from helping her find a new house, was to get her teacher some monetary reimbursement for her troubles. Surely, Kakashi will agree to this. It seemed fair. Not that what happened today was in any way fair. But maybe she could guilt-trip him to do something. Hinata hadn't lost her faith in Kakashi yet. Surrounded by his subordinates, he might have been more pressured to act the way he acted. It is possible that he would agree with her once the conversation becomes private, with no ANBU or Root there to watch his every step.

A loud shout interrupted her reflections. A very familiar voice was calling for Shikamaru from outside the compound gates.

"Oi, Shikamaru, it's us!" Kiba was as noisy as ever. The Nara seat was not an enormous complex, like Hyuga's, and people on the veranda could hear when someone outside the gates was yelling. Shikamaru stood lazily and went to let their friends inside.

"Coming."

"Open up already, man! I swear if his lazy ass–" Kiba's rant was stopped short by Shikamaru, who opened the gate with the most deadpan expression as of today.

"I said I was coming, idiot," Nara clan head replied, by way of greeting. Then he properly greeted the crowd of friends gathered there, "Hey everyone."

After short greetings and some friendly banter between Shikamaru and Kiba, everyone was sitting on the tatami of the spacious guestroom. Kurenai chatted for a little while with her male students, letting everyone else coo over her baby girl. Soon the woman would have to put her to bed.

All of the remaining Konoha 11 plus Sai were engaged in amiable conversation with each other. Such massive reunions always made the flow of conversation chaotic, because everyone wanted to participate in everyone's talk. This usually lasted for about an hour or so, until people caught up with everyone and started to separate into small groups and chat about things of their own. This time, however, Hinata did not have an hour. Not even twenty minutes passed, and Kiba already directed everyone's attention to her.

"Hinata-chan, tell us, how are you doing?" he asked with an uncharacteristically somber expression after clearing his throat. As if everyone was waiting for the signal, all conversation ceased, everyone's eyes and ears on Hinata.

She let out an inaudible sigh. Of course, it would be Kiba who started this. After Naruto, he was the only one capable of so easily and openly addressing uncomfortable subjects. She expected people to ask her in private, one by one, or in small groups. But Kiba had directed the conversation to her in such a manner, that she would have to explain everything to everyone at once.

'All the better,' Hinata thought.

After retelling the story she's told to Shikamaru and Kurenai once and rehearsed in her head at least a dozen other times, she waited for her friends' reaction. It did not take long in coming – she could barely recover her breath from her monologue, when a flurry of exclamations, curses and protests erupted from all around her. Kiba and even Shino were barraging her with questions, not waiting before she answered and proceeding to ask another half the time. It was as if a dam had burst. The only people who were quiet in all of this were Shikamaru, Sai and Sakura. Hinata knew what she had to do, even if she did not like it. She never liked shutting people up, but in some cases, such as the current one, it must be done if she wanted to be listened to.

"Everyone, please!" she firmly said, donning the best impression of her father and only slightly raising her voice. Immediately everyone stopped talking, not even a single sound escaping the room. "First of all, Kurenai-sensei and Mirai-chan are sleeping. We should be considerate of other inhabitants of this house as well." The fact that Kurenai went through as much trouble as Hinata today went without saying. "And second"–Hinata closed her eyes and exhaled softly, before opening them and giving her friends a warm smile–"I am fine, guys. Really."

That seemed to help in calming the tempers down a bit. Her friends knew her well enough to get that she was not lying. So far, they thought, Hinata was alright. And so, they decided to let her off the hook, and instead focused on another best thing – Kakashi himself.

"We get that he hasn't done anything yet," said Ino, "but who's to say he won't do anything later?"

Her blonde friend had taken the words out of everyone's mouth, judging from their concurrent nodding. Only Sakura, who so far had not said a thing over the subject, came to her teacher's defense.

"Kakashi-sensei is not that kind of a person, Pig."

"Yeah? Was he a kind of person to surrender the village to Danzou without a fight?"

"That's totally different," Sakura replied, vexed. "I know him since forever, and he never broke a single promise. He promised he will figure things out, so we should trust him."

Being a Hyuga, Hinata was good at reading people. Something in Sakura's eyes told her that the pinkette knew more than she was letting on. It both worried her and gave her relief. She watched others' faces for a similar conclusion but was surprised to find that nobody seemed to pay any mind to it.

"Sakura, we trusted him then, and look where it got us!" Ino challenged, gesturing around as if all the injustice Konoha citizens were subjected to could be seen in the immediate area of the guest room. "He was a general of our forces. De facto, he commanded shinobi of Konoha–"

"And de jure, Danzou commanded all of Konoha! You seem to forget that Danzou also holds lead over Root, and none of us were in any condition to fight!"

"Hag, I'm sorry, but I have to agree with Ino here," interjected Sai. "Kakashi-senpai had Konoha's best interests in mind, but I believe he made a mistake in conceding to Danzou."

Sakura's eyes flashed with anger at Sai's words. It wasn't the same frustration she expressed at Ino's remarks, no. It was a little more violent, as if she had a reason to be angry at Sai but not Ino. This observation raised even more flags in Hinata's mind. Unfortunately, she couldn't properly process that information as the argument continued.

"Yeah," added Rock Lee, ever the optimist, "even with our strength diminished, we could've beaten them. Surely, the fighting spirit of the whole Konoha army could overcome Danzou's unyouthful forces."

"And now, when Danzou has deeply rooted himself in Hokage's position, we can no longer openly oppose him," Shino said. "Why? Because not all current shinobi are willing to fight the system. Why would you ask? Because a lot of ninjas, especially the older generations, sympathize with his ruthless ways. Not to mention that his Root is stronger than ever. The revolutionary moment, when everyone was armed and ready to fight, is missed," the Aburame concluded, propping the glasses on his nose.

"You guys don't know," Sakura still resisted. "Kakashi-sensei knows what he is doing. He has to…" she trailed off, a shade of doubt evident.

Hinata decided to boost Sakura's faith. She too, believed in Kakashi, afterall.

"As I said before, he is capable of kindness. It's hard to explain, but he doesn't seem like a dishonest person at all to me. I believe he really might know better than we what is best."

"Thanks," Sakura replied, smiling. Hinata smiled too.

"I really do believe there is good in him. I may not know him as well as you do, Sakura-san, but you don't spend your life in Hyuga household without learning how to pick up on people's expressions and mood. His intentions never seemed insincere, not once. He is hard to read, I admit. Very. Even so, his behavior wasn't dubious in any way. I may not understand his motives, but I do see his actions. He works hard every day for the village," Hinata spoke with conviction. "We shouldn't dismiss the possibility that Kakashi… sensei"–she stumbled not sure how she should address the man now that he was her husband–"has some kind of plan in mind."

"And what would that plan of his be?" asked Tenten, not at all convinced. "If you guys haven't noticed," she addressed Sakura and Hinata, "Konoha is in deep shit. Our foreign relations are barely tolerable, shinobi-civilian gap is wider than ever, economy is collapsing under all the corruption and military expenses, and to top it all, our citizen freedom is being more and more restricted by the day!"

"Let's not dramatize much?" Sakura bristled, temper easy to flare. "Where did you come up with all the fancy social terminology, anyway?"

"For your interest, Sa-ku-ra," Tenten was equally quick to get angry, "not all of us civilian-born ninja abandon their civilian relations after becoming genin. My father is an accountant for the government, he knows how things are done in Konoha. He says we don't have much time left until our reserves run out, and our relationship with other Great Villages is getting colder. All his advice is ignored by the higher ups, who are so sunk in corruption, it's like they are living in another world, all the riches they got from robbing Konoha clouding their minds. Of course," she added, throwing the pinkette a harsh glance, "your precious Kakashi-sensei is far more sagacious than a mere civilian, so everything is fine and dandy! It's all just a genius plan: destroy Konoha to save it, how didn't anyone think of that?" she finished, sarcasm thick and bitter in her voice.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" by now Sakura was fuming, those remarks about her abandoning her civilian relatives hitting home hard.

She never intended to abandon her family. It's just that her life had become a lot more hectic, with hospital funds dwindling, Tsunade-shishou leaving the village again, and her parents becoming busy as well. The ridiculous curfew implemented by Danzou was not helping either, as sometimes the emergencies kept her past the curfew start at 10 pm, so she could not go to her parents who lived at the opposite end of the village to the hospital. Still, she made a point to head straight to her parents' after work and spend the night there sometimes when her work finished as usual, but she and her parents were so tired that after a dinner and some talking, they usually retired to sleep. So, Sakura did not need someone rubbing that in her face. She knew perfectly well that she did not spend enough quality time with her family. If Tenten wanted to discuss the damn curfew then she was welcome to do it without dragging her personal life into it.

Once again, before the argument became too heated, Hinata intervened.

"Sakura-san, Tenten-san, please take it easy. We are not saying that Kakashi-sensei always knows better than others", she said turning to Tenten, "but we can agree that his shift in personality was too abrupt to be natural. It is possible, however small that possibility is, that he is still on our side, is it not?"

The looks in everyone's eyes told the Hyuga woman more than any word. No doubt each of her friends remembered one thing or another that made them respect and admire the man that was Kakashi Hatake.

"I don't know about abrupt, Hinata-chan," grunted Kiba, breaking the spell of guilt that hung over the room. "My mom knew him when he was a kid. She says he was very stuck up, like your father. Even after he grew up, he never seemed to be a particularly friendly person either."

"As tactless as Kiba-kun's statement is, it is true," added Sai. "Kakashi-senpai is well known in ANBU. He was infamous even among Root. Older ANBU spoke of him as a cold and ruthless person. Although, I must add, he did mellow down in his later years. Regardless, you don't serve in ANBU as much as he did, and at such a young age, without it affecting your mental health."

"Yeah, just look at Sai – he's been there for like, 5 years or something, and he is so weird! Kakashi was there for who knows how long? No wonder he is deranged," said Kiba, shrugging his shoulders. Akamaru barked, fully agreeing with his partner.

"Once again, Kiba-kun's tactless statement regarding my time in special ops is correct. Although it is worth noting that I was in Root and I was there as a child, which means I mostly trained and did not participate in intensive action." Sai was saying it like he was discussing the weather, and not his career in one of the bloodiest paramilitary organizations. "Kakashi-senpai was mostly in ANBU, and he fought in a war from a very young age. This allowed him to go straight to action when he joined the ANBU, so his 'active' period was even longer than mine. If anyone wants to know, he spent more than ten years in ANBU." He was quick to get the facts straight.

As off putting as what they heard from Sai was, Hinata's frown was caused by her other friend's words.

"Kakashi-sensei is not deranged," she protested. "He may be slightly eccentric, and act a bit weird sometimes… But he is not crazy!"

"Says who?" asked Tenten. "For all we know, he may have a split personality or something."

"I don't think he has split personality, Tenten," Ino objected. "My father checked him numerous times for signs of mental deterioration. Aside from minor depression in the past and some nightmares, he is perfectly healthy. He is definitely sane."

"That's confidential information, Pig," berated Sakura, plenty horrified at Yamanaka's lack of professionalism.

"Oh, shut up, Forehead. Father only showed it to me as part of my training, and I normally don't disclose such things."

"So, you only disclose Kakashi-sensei's assessment results, is that it?" the pink haired medic pressed accusingly.

"He saved my life during Pain's attack," Choji spoke up suddenly, cutting off Ino's retort. "He died saving me so that precious information could be relayed to Tsunade-sama."

After that a heavy pause hung over the conversation. Everyone recalled the horrible events of Akatsuki attack. Despite many being brought back to life they still lost a lot of people in the following war.

"See," said Sakura, lifting the silence. "Give him some benefit of the doubt."

"Oh, I give him my doubts alright!" said Kiba.

"Idiot," sighed Shikamaru. "It means that–"

"I know what it means!"

"We believe you. Why? Because only you could be stupid enough to say something so ridiculous while knowing the meaning of the phrase."

"Shut up, Shino! It was a joke, if you didn't get it, you are who is stupid here. Tell him, Shikamaru!"

"What a drag…"

And just like that, their reunion turned into a massive, albeit friendly argument. Hinata couldn't help but giggle at her friends' ability to turn sour topics around. So far, she was happy with how things went. Her friends, although not all of them, have agreed to give her a chance to redeem Kakashi. Hopefully, they will be more open to his kindness from now on. She was grateful for Sakura's support. Her faith in her sensei was admirable. It was clear that the pinkette knew something important, but if she didn't tell anyone then she must've had her reasons. Sakura caught Hinata's gaze and smiled knowingly, before gesturing towards the scene unfolding before them, as if inviting to sit back and enjoy the show.

It was 9 pm when people called the end to their meeting. The curfew started after an hour after all. Gatherings of more than two people were not allowed after nine o'clock, and nobody was allowed outside after 10 pm period. Except medical emergencies. Ninja returning from a mission had a pass too. And black ops, those guys were allowed a lot more than before…

This was how Danzou took control of Konoha. Hinata wasn't as shrewd as her father, but it didn't mean that she or Hanabi hadn't picken up a thing or two. What Danzou did was nothing but a forceful seizure of power. Getting behind the Jounin Council and the Fifth Hokage, he gained daimyō's approval, which was practically just a formality. As soon as he was instated as Hokage, he gave the military more power, getting their support while at the same time suppressing everyone else. His Root is now an elite secret policing force, fighting internal 'threats', while ANBU were mostly dispersed across the elemental nations to carry out meaningless tasks. Danzou put people he trusted on positions of power and influence. Jounin Commander and the Council amounted to three-fourths of Konoha's political power, backed Danzou. Head of ANBU, who was supposed to make up the remaining one-fourth was being slowly excluded from that list, as ANBU were becoming irrelevant under the new Hokage. Root was gradually taking over ANBU's responsibilities, despite the latter's complete loyalty towards their Hokage. Situation seemed hopeless, but Hinata knew that Danzou could lose his power just as easily as he gained it. The question was how much the Leaf had to suffer before he finally gets removed. Her hope was that if Kakashi truly was on their side, he would use his position to soften the damage until the resistance gained enough strength to defeat Danzou.

Kakashi was having a dinner when she arrived home. He was eating the fish he cooked himself, one of the few meals he actually could make well. Of course, he made enough for her as well. He always made more food than needed, a habit from his childhood, when Rin and Obito would sometimes visit. He hadn't shown it then, but he secretly expected them, and so tried to make food for three. Even before his marriage he made more than necessary, so that he won't have a need to cook a new meal every day.

He readied himself for an argument, thinking she would immediately ask about what happened today with Kurenai. Or perhaps she would just ignore him and try to avoid him as much as possible. He was surprised, however, when she got some of the fish and joined him at the table. Discreetly, he was observing his wife, looking for any clues that might give him an idea of her state of mood. Unfortunately, it seemed being a Hyuga comes with the ability to wear a perfectly neutral facial expression. She took a bite, eyes widening slightly and turning at him.

"This is really great! Where did you find the recipe?"

Of all things, she asked him about the food? The necessity for small talk was a subject Kakashi never completely understood.

"It's my recipe."

"Really? That's amazing! You really are a genius…" That last part Hinata muttered more to herself, but Kakashi, enhanced hearing and all, was still able to hear it.

"There is nothing genius about cooking one meal, no matter how good," he stated flatly.

"I bet you can cook more than one meal," she tried to keep the conversation, but it seemed silence was the only thing Kakashi wanted to keep.

They continued eating in quiet for few more minutes, before Hinata decided to speak again.

"Uhm, Kakashi?" she waited for his reaction at her addressing him in such an informal way, and when nothing changed on his face she continued, "about what happened today…" She wanted to fix everything, but she didn't know his thoughts, so she needed to hear his side on what happened.

'Here it comes,' Kakashi thought. He didn't know what to say. Nothing really excused his behavior. Kurenai was his friend, and he essentially kicked her out of her apartment.

"I know that Kurenai is your teacher, and–"

"She is also your friend, is she not?!" Hinata decided to press gently. "She is supposed to be your friend, and you left her homeless."

Kakashi suppressed the urge to wince at her offhand comment.

"I didn't. I know that she is living with Shikamaru, I knew that she will have a place to stay at!"

"Why?" she asked. After he looked at her questioningly, she elaborated, "Why did you do it? Did you really have to do it?"

There were notes of disappointment in her eyes, but she did not get angry, nor did she start berating him. The first thing she asked was why. It was a testament to her empathy that even in such a one-sided situation she would ask for his reasons. Any other person would have made it clear by now how despicable his actions have been. But not Hinata, her eyes shone with an unspoken plea for an explanation. 'You must have a reason,' they seemed to say.

He found himself even more disgusting than before. Something about her gentle nature made Hinata very scary to disappoint. It reminded him of Minato-sensei. Every time Kakashi did something stupid, his sensei would give him that disappointed look, and it was scary as hell. Scary, because he realized he was disappointing a person who thought so highly of him, and he let them down. You disappoint one of the few people whose opinion you value, and whom you want to always be proud of you. He wanted to tell her at least something, but he remembered that he had an image to keep.

'I am in the private of my house, is there a point to acting?'

He decided not, he was sick of pretending. Sick and tired, of seeing the same pleading eyes in his office and not responding to them. How many people, wronged by his and his Hokage's actions requested, begged him for help? How many ninjas reported a violation of their rights by Danzou's goons, seeking justice, only to be turned down by him? He could not respond to those silent pleas in his office in the Hokage Tower, but he'd be damned if he kept being Danzou's slave in his own home! With finality, he gave in and tried to placate his wife.

"Please, accept my apology, dear wife, I now realize that there could be a more gracious way to solve the matters."

"You don't need to apologize to me," she sighed, more at his overly corteous speech than anything else. "It's not me who you kicked out of their house."

Kakashi mentally cringed. That was fair, he supposed.

'Okay, think fast.' He knew what he needed to do, but he still wanted to make sure it was the best way to go about it. Who better to ask than Kurenai's student?

"I will apologize to Kurenai-san then. I suppose some form of compensation is due as well?"

"That would be a wonderful idea," she said with a nod of approval. "I understand that you must've had your reason to deny her application, even though it was initially approved… But could you please, tell me what your reason was?"

Those lavender eyes, big and trusting. Looking into those pools shining with understanding, Kakashi felt himself crumble. He wanted to tell her the truth so bad…

He did not know if he could trust her to keep it secret. She could go tell her friends, or even her sister. As much as he knew that he could probably trust any of the people mentioned, he was a paranoid bastard. Spending half your life at the battlefield does that to a person. So, for the love of Icha Icha he couldn't tell her until he was 100% sure that she won't tell anybody. Finally, he opted for a half-truth.

"I… wanted her to live as far as possible from the Hokage tower."

It was only the tip of the iceberg, he knew. However, Kakashi couldn't very well reveal her all his plans. Sensing his reservations, Hinata did not press.

"I see," was all she said. 'What did he mean by that?'

Was it to protect Kurenai? Or was it for Danzou's benefit? Could it be both? At least, it is not some petty reason, such as just following orders, right?

Thinking that he should add something, Kakashi said, "I did not like doing it. I just know that the area around our village's center will not be particularly comfortable to live in. I planned to give her another apartment several blocks away but decided that living in Nara compound would be best for her."

Hinata did not know of his reasons, but she saw that he at least was speaking truthfully. Unless of course he was an excellent actor, which she wouldn't put past him. Still, she wanted to believe him.

"It's alright, I think Kurenai-sensei would've understood if you just explained everything."

"Perhaps you are right. Alas, I don't think that after what happened she holds me in high regard. I doubt she will believe me now." Kakashi looked truly remorseful, eyes lowered in shame.

"You'll never know until you try," she encouraged. "To think of it, I also believe it is better for her to stay in Shikamaru's house. He doesn't mind it, and she and Mirai-chan will have some company."

Kakashi couldn't believe what he was being witness to. Here sat a woman, who by all rights should hate his guts, but she is trying her hardest to understand and be supportive.

He thought that even if they were married for love he wouldn't have deserved such a woman.

The silence that hung over the table was starting to get uncomfortable again, so he decided to speak of lighter matters, attempting to start a conversation that did not sound like negotiations.

"So," he said awkwardly, "tomorrow is Thursday."

"Indeed, it is," was her calm reply. It sounded like she said that just to be polite and support the conversation.

Each expected another to continue but nothing followed.

The two of them sat like that for a full minute before Hinata stood up.

"I'll do the dishes."

"Thank you... I'll head back to work then."

With those words, the two went their separate ways, one to the kitchen, another to the study.

Once again, Hinata lay in bed, alone. She did not mind, not one bit, but replaying the events of past few days in her head, she couldn't help but think that Kakashi was trying to respect her virtue to the point it harmed him. It was not healthy to have so little sleep. Of course, he could just be very busy, effectively running Konoha now that Danzou spent more of his time meddling in other countries' business. She heard Kakashi complain about how their Hokage is ruining diplomatic relations with Suna by making shamelessly unfair demands…

Debating whether she should leave the matters be or not, she ultimately decided to go check up on him. Getting up from the bed, she padded barefoot across the guest room towards the study. She stopped right before the closed door, hesitation resurfacing.

'I'm already here,' she gave herself a final push.

She opened the door as quietly as possible, peeking inside the room. There sat Kakashi, diligently studying some papers, probably a report or a letter. He immediately noticed her presence, taking his eyes off of his paperwork and looking at Hinata. Her appearance was hardly immodest. She had shorts and a T-shirt on, but it didn't prevent her from feeling embarrassed. She never showed so much skin, not even to her friends. A surprised look on Kakashi's face didn't help her self-conscience.

'There is no way back,' she thought, before gathering her wits and finally addressing him.

"Uhm, I just wanted to see if you are still up."

Kakashi was slightly bewildered, to be honest. Never in his wildest dreams did he think that his wife would seek him out so late at night. He suddenly regretted not paying attention to Genma and Asuma's conversations about girls when they were teenagers. Granted, their teenage versions were not much versed in the subject, so perhaps he didn't miss much. Although Asuma did manage to get Kurenai...

'Well, got to get the status report first,' his jounin instincts kicked in.

"Was there something you needed me for, dear wife?"

He thought that maybe she wanted him to go get something from the grocery store, but he then remembered that there was a curfew. Not that it stopped him from venturing out anyway. The store though, it did prevent from working at night.

Hinata flushed slightly, fidgeting and feeling silly. Him calling her 'dear wife' no longer sounded as a formality in this context. She remembered what he told her the first day, that they will not sleep with each other. What he said was for her benefit, she realized. She did not want her husband to neglect his health just to make her more comfortable. She was a ninja, she was a Hyuga. These kinds of situations were supposed to be her expertise. Who if not a Hyuga must know about dealing with delicacies of arranged marriages? Despite all that, Hinata did not feel like personal interactions were her forte. She still stuttered sometimes, when her nerves got the better of her.

She refused to meet his eyes, but nevertheless, answered. "I-I…" here comes the stutter, "I just thought that you must be tired a-and… maybe wouldliketogotobed?"

She delivered that last part so fast, all the while looking at the floor. Needless to say, Kakashi didn't get what she said. Seeing his confusion, but knowing there is no way she could repeat what she said, she decided that fleeing would be her best option. "Good night," she quickly throwed in before closing the door, and Kakashi heard her dash across the house. A second later, a distant sound of a door clicking.

Sighing, he stood up from his desk, looked at the time (it was well past midnight), damn those Suna negotiations; he would probably have to visit the Sand personally soon. Feeling bad for finishing so early, he nonetheless trudged to the bedroom. Even in the darkness he was able to see a mount under the sheets on the bed. Recognizing his wife, he took off his vest and gloves and went to sit down at the opposite side of the bed. Initially, he wanted to talk to her, clarify what she'd said to him just now. He knew she was not sleeping, her form under the blanket was too tense for a sleeping person.

"Hin– dear wife," he started, "I am sorry, but I am afraid I did not quite hear what you said before."

He decided a no blame approach would be best. It always helped with his students. And sure enough, he heard a muffled "sorry" from under the blanket.

He chuckled. How could this whole situation lead to something so weirdly comical? Actually, it seemed with Hinata everything was bound to become better in a weird kind of way. Anger was disappointment; disappointment was understanding; and now even worry transformed into something strangely funny.

She lied with her back to him, and it looked and sounded funny from his perspective. Cute, even. Would've never thought that about a woman, he thought. Mentally, he sorted out every member of the opposite gender he knew. All of them were fierce and strong, but he wouldn't assign the word 'cute' to any of them. Kurenai was womanly; Anko weird; Shizune capable. Sakura was girly, for lack of a better word. Kushina-sama… well, let's just say that Minato-sensei's wife was one of a kind.

Hinata, though, she was sweet. Had that gentle beauty about her that he never observed in any other shinobi. Gazing over the form under the blanket, Kakashi's breath almost hitched when a head revealed itself from the sheets. Like a little turtle.

"I just didn't want you to skip on sleep for my benefit…" She trailed off, eyes avoiding his.

'Oh.'

"I assure you, I do not do it for your benefit," he said, ever the master of tact. "I do sleep, do I not?"

"Yes, but…" she seemed unsure, looking anywhere but him. "Nevermind."

"What?" he asked, couldn't help but being curious.

"Nothing," she quickly answered, still avoiding his eyes.

A heavy sigh escaped Kakashi's lips. Under the stoic façade, though, her every acton stirred a mushy feeling in his brain.

"Hinata," he started, absently thinking about her addressing him by name not long ago, "If you have any concerns, they are not unimportant to me. Nor I consider your opinions to be of no consequence. I will not push, but if you want something to say, I do encourage you to do so."

Hinata bit her lip. She did not want to cause distrust between them, especially after what he's just said. Looking in the general direction of her husband, she couldn't see what expression was hidden by lack of illumination on his face. Somehow, that gave her more confidence.

"I just thought that maybe you didn't want to make me uncomfortable, so you went to bed only after I fell asleep." There, she said it. She quickly turned around from him in embarrassment, listening for his response.

Silence.

It seemed to be present in most of their conversations. It stretched for some time, and Hinata almost thought her husband had fallen asleep. Turning back around to look at him, she was greeted with a much closer face of Kakashi. He seemed to have been staring intently at her all this time. A nervous lump was forming in her throat as nobody hurried to speak. Finally, Kakashi opened his mouth.

"I am sorry if I made you uncomfortable, and for making you worry." She noticed he was looking her in the eye, and she couldn't bring herself to avert her gaze, too vulnerable was his expression. "I was busy with work is all. But if it would please you, I will try to finish earlier and rest more," he finished.

'He is trying so hard.' How could she not notice it before? His polite manners, his stiffness when they were alone, his consideration of all of her requests. He was just trying to make it easier on her. All the while she's been worrying how difficult he was going to make her life, when she should've been worried about how hard he was going to make it for himself by trying to be considerate.

"Please," she released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "You shouldn't neglect your health like that. I understand that you want to do as much work for the village as possible, but it would be more beneficial for the village if you were in optimal condition while doing so."

Now when he looked at her, she was all Kushina again. It was fascinating, really, how she could resemble Minato-sensei when disappointed and turn into Kushina-sama when lecturing people about looking after themselves. And even then, there was a note of softness in her tone. He used to notice similar behavior from her when he had missions with Kurenai's team. Now, though, it was much clearer what kind of person his wife was. She could be Minato-sensei, she could be Kushina-sama, heck, he suspected she had some Hiashi in her as well, but ultimately, she was Hinata. There was no one quite like the woman before him. He marveled at his sentimentality. Was it her compassion that brought those feelings?

She was beautiful, Kakashi decided, a sense of finality that both scared him and brought a new sort of excitement to his feelings. He wondered if kindness was something all members of the new generation shared.

'To think, of it, this generation really is Konoha's bright future,' he mused, thinking about Hinata and her classmates.

How they defended each other fiercely; and yet how forgiving was the woman before him. If Konoha was able to raise such fine ninja, then he could easily understand the desire of previous Hokage to protect the future generations. The King, as the Third often liked to call them. Because there is no one more precious than the young.

They say Hiruzen Sarutobi was smiling in his final moments. Listening to Hinata's lifestyle advice, he sort of understood why. For he would've done the same had he known just what treasure he was tasked to protect. Even an eternity in Demon's bowels, the result of the jutsu Sandaime used, seemed worth it for that moment. Kakashi was glad that in the end Lord Third did pass onto the afterlife, courtesy of the Sage of the Six Paths.

Hinata, not realizing that Kakashi was having a moment of revelation, went back to sleep, no longer expecting him to say anything.

"Thank you," she heard him say, voice thick with emotion.

It was the first time she could clearly decipher his feelings, and she was glad to note that he felt happy, like he was able to find something he thought he lost a long time ago. Smiling to herself, seeing another human side of Kakashi, her conviction in his possible redemption strengthened. With those final thoughts sleep finally claimed her.

Chapter 1 was more of an introduction, I suppose.

Thank you all who reads, follows and favorites my story. It's funny how much it motivates me to make this fanfic as good as possible.