Thanks for my lovely reviews, friends :) They really made my day!
I got a few PM's about the song in the last chapter. It's a jazz standard called "I Won't Dance"! The version that I used was the Blossom Dearie rendition! It's very old school, but that shit is swingin'! :) Give it a listen if you like crooners!
Any who, I kind of didn't know where to go with this chapter.. I guess it's subject to change? I might need a beta... :o
To chapter three, HUZZAHH!
Beep... Beep...
Hinata could hear a faint beeping, like that of a metronome, sending an excruciating, pulsating ring throughout her already throbbing head. The beeping sound was soon joined by two voices, of equal volume. Hinata tried to open her eyes to see the culprits of the commotion, but she was unable? Was she asleep? She helplessly listened to the voices, trying to figure out who was who.
"Hina-chan? Hina-chan?"
"Dobe, she can't here you. She's unconscious remember? Idiot."
"Sasuke-Bastard, why are you even here?"
"I'm band lieutenant. It's my duty".
"Ahhh, whatever bastard. Mr. Hatake is going to catch hell for this, ne? I hope he does!"
"Hn... I guess, dobe. I'm leaving".
Footsteps could be heard, then the faint 'click' of a door being shut.
"Something doesn't seem right about him. And he's out to hurt poor Hina-chan... the way her lips trembled when he talked to her... her blush went into overdrive! That creep! And UGH! The way Sakura-chan was drooling all over him! Grrrrr DAMMIT!"
The owner of the latter statement slapped a balled fist onto the hospital table, awakening the Hyuuga flautist. Sitting up with a start, she opened her eyes as wide as she could, searching frantically for the source of the loud sound. Hinata was soon hit with a wave of pain, and soon fell back onto the gray bed sheets, only to be caught by a tanned arm before her head could hit the pillow. Tracing the arm back to exposed shoulders protruding from an orange muscle shirt, Hinata instantly recognized the boy holding her as her beloved band-captain Naruto-kun. She opened her mouth the speak, only to have her gasps silenced by a long, slightly worn finger on her pouting lips.
"Hina-chan! Don't speak, you'll loosen your bandages! You took quite a spill! We had to take you to the hospital after that bast—err, teacher Mr. Hatake made you faint!" Naruto spoke with a nonchalant tone of voice, but Hinata could see the anger and suspicion in his cerulean eyes, causing them to dance underneath the dull fluorescent lights in her room. Hinata quickly blushed, remembering the reason behind her passing out. She quickly searched the room, hoping to not meet the eyes—well eye, of Mr. Hatake.
"T-thank you for taking me here N-Naruto-kun," Hinata said warmly while patting his arm. Hinata blushed deeply as pink dusted the blonde's cheeks as well, which triggered a nervous laugh.
"Aheh-heh, well... ya see... I didn't bring you here, my car's in the shop and uh.. well.." Naruto stammered over his words, never finishing his sentence as the new student teacher walked into Hinata's hospital room unannounced, with a small green book in one hand and messily arranged musically tucked under the opposite arm.
"Yo," Mr. Hatake said casually, waving one hand in greeting, causing him to drop all of his music onto the linoleum floors. Kakashi stepped over the music, keeping his eyes on the blonde brat and the raven-haired faerie, who was beet red and trembling in his arms. "You feelin' any better, Hinata-san? I can't apologize enough for causing you to faint. I really do apologize. Now it's your turn." Kakashi bent forward once again, his masked face only centimeters from hers.
"A-ano... W-what for?" Hinata asked meekly. This man is unreal! Me apologize? Don't make me laugh Mr. Hatake! Hinata felt feelings of anger and disgust swell inside of her, reminding her of Neji's staunch, sometimes offensive attitude.
"What for? Did you not tell her Naruto-san?" Kakashi's eye showcased an emotion of faux shock and hurt, looking towards the blushing blonde who was withdrawing his arm from the Hyuuga heiress, so he could fold his arms across his chest and look away from the scene about to take place.
"N-no... I didn't..." He muttered angrily. Hinata looked back and forth between the two men; one having a look of amusement and one housing a murderous glare.
"Oh, well no matter!" shrugging and turning to Hinata, Kakashi continued. "You, Ms. Hyuuga—may I call you Ms. Hyuuga? You Ms. Hyuuga need to apologize for my over exertion. I am but a humble music teacher, but you forced me to carry you to the hospital and remove your clothing for a suitable hospital gown. I would wait for a proper apology and thanks, but Mr. Iruka needs me back at the high school. We'll continue this another time". On that note, Kakashi straightened back up and proceeded to walk out of the silent hospital room, leaving a fuming Naruto and a shell-shocked Hinata.
"That pervy sonofabitch! Hina-chan! I'm gonna get that bastard fired, I won't have Saku—err, I won't have you under such a bad influence! If it's the last thing I do, I swear! I'll show Mr. Iruka who that creep really is behind that mask, dammit! Hina-chan! Hina-chan...?" Naruto turned back towards Hinata, only to see that her lavender eyes have closed, her eyelids blending in with the rest of her violet red face.
The last thing Hinata had seen was Mr. Hatake's music scattered on the linoleum, ruining the perfectly off-white floors with bundles of staffs, lines, and black notes. Hinata could once again hear the beep, beep, beep, of her heart monitor and the growling coming from an angry Naruto.
What IS it with this guy? Does he want to torture me?
It was nearly 5:00 in the evening when Hinata was escorted home from the hospital by her cousin Neji. Neji was good at hiding is emotions, Hinata could still see the obvious pink tint that seemed to be permanently etched onto his face.
"Hinata-sama," Neji stated firmly while unlocking the door to their duplex and ushering Hinata in and stealing a glance to their new neighbor's home. "You need to rest up. You've suffered a mild concussion, and the doctors feel that it would be best to miss school for at least two days. So no classes, no band. I'll see to it that Mr. Iruka knows the extent of your condition so you won't have to suffer any consequences upon your return." Neji walked away from his cousin, signaling the end of his one-sided conversation.
"A-ano, Neji-nii, can I at least practice? I can't afford to miss that much band..." Hinata began to poke her index fingers together but quickly threw her hands down to her sides. Sure she was timid about most things in life, but music was her passion... Opportunities at going out with friends... making friends... these opportunities had always slipped through her fingers, leaving her with nothing, not even family at times. Music provided her with contentment and happiness, it was her drug, calming her nerves when school became too much. Her flute acted as an extension of her voice, speaking for her when she could not, would not. Despite her aching body and throbbing forehead, she still felt the longing for her flute, wishing to relieve herself of pain through a simple melody. Feeling tears of frustration well in her eyes she looked coldly at her cousin, prepared to defeat him with the lethal Hyuuga gaze.
Neji was the first to look away, and with a furrowed brow, he granted his little cousin's wish. "You can practice," he sighed. "But you are not allowed to leave the house. If I catch you at marching practice..." He walked off, muttering the end of his threat to himself. He cared for his cousin, and despite his busy schedule he knew that she too had plenty on her place, though most of her worries were band related. "Anyway, I'll be gone for the night. The Student Council is running a host club to raise funds, and as present, I have to run things. Don't wait up for me, I won't be home until tomorrow night".
Hinata let out a sigh of relief, grinning to herself as made her way up to her room, flute case and music in hand.
Hatake Kakashi sat quietly in the band office of Hidden Leaf High School (a/n sorry I didn't mention the name of their high school before ^.^") with Mr. Iruka and Yamanaka Ino, patiently waiting for Mr. Iruka to fix her "broken slide" on her trombone. Kakashi, who had arrived at the band hall hours after Iruka had requested him, saw the brute force the Yamanaka had used to bend her trombone into an all new instrument, simply because he had walked into the building. Kakashi rolled his eyes, thinking about how shallow and naïve high school girls could be. He was single, mostly because he saw all women this way. Sure, he enjoyed teasing women but in reality, he only did that to cope with his disgust. He was by no means interested in the opposite sex, but he just felt the need to take a hiatus from relationships. At the age of 23, he felt that he had all the time in the world to find the woman of his dreams. Besides, who needs a woman when he has his smutty books and cute little neighbor. Kakashi tugged at his mask, in attempt to let the heat rising to his face out, blushing over the thought of Hinata. Doesn't she fall under the same category as all the others? She might... comparing her to the likes of Yamanaka-san and Haruno-san...that seems wrong as hell. Kakashi shook the though as Mr. Iruka handed Ino her "fixed" trombone and shooed her out of the office.
Iruka sighed, rested his arms on his packed desk pinched the bridge of his nose. "Kakashi... I hired you because I felt that my band could use a young influence to encourage them to strive towards greatness. Why are you making my band-captain angry and my best player faint? This might lead to strained relationships amongst the whole band... I cannot allow that to happen!" Kakashi leaned forward, ready to provide a rebuttal but was quickly quieted by a worn palm in his face. "This is just a warning. I still trust you with my kid's musical future! I just had to let you know how I felt about this morning! You're free to leave Kakashi, I'm about to lock up here in a bit!" Iruka stood up, gathering his baton and car keys. Kakashi followed in suit, searching for his music then mentally kicking himself for leaving his music at the hospital Ms. Hyuuga stayed in. Sighing, he too headed towards the exit, looking forward to a relaxing walk home.
It was well past 8:00 when Kakashi finally found his way home. Kicking off his black shoes and socks, Kakashi melted into a lone chair in his bare living room. He then massaged his temples, moving his unruly silver hair from the right side of his face. He opened his right eye, allowing it to adjust to his dimly lit abode. Unsatisfied with the empty void he called his front room, he walked to his bathroom, pulling down his mask and running warm water through the sink. He threw the water onto his face, knowing that it's warmth would send him into a brief state of nirvana as the heat caressed his bare face like the warmest of hands. He pulled his turtleneck over his head, exposing a slightly pale, scarred body. Catching a glimpse of his mangled body and fully uncovered face, Kakashi quickly turned away, turning off the light and making a bee-line towards his bedroom. As soon as he stepped foot inside of his sanctuary, he smiled knowing he would get a great night's sleep. He quickly peeled his slacks away from his body and slid into bed.
As soon as Kakashi closed his eyes, he heard a light, fleeting melody.
Am I dreaming..?
That sounds beautiful...
And so close...
It's amazing... Amazing... Amaa...
"...aazingly out of tune".
Kakashi shot up with a start and searched frantically for house shoes. Once they were on his feet, he set out to search for the source of the mystery melody, one that he believed to be coming from a flute. He walked out of his side door, into a flowery courtyard divided into two by a small, climbable fence. He hopped the fence, and looked through the window closest to him, finally feasting his eyes on the melodic source.
The music came from a bandaged, raven-haired songstress, whose closed eyes revealed curled, dark eyelashes, and whose rose-colored lips formed a small "o", pressed against the silver head joint of a flute. Her tiny hands clung tightly to the flute, but with no sign of stiffness or unneeded pressure. Her fingers moved effortlessly, similar to that of a pianist. Her cheeks housed a faint blush as she began to move with the notes, painting a picture with her body and swaying her curtains of hair across her pale, exposed shoulders. Kakashi could not help but stand in awe, forever rooted into his spot.
Hinata felt at ease, finally able to do what she loved most in complete and utter peace. She'd been playing for hours, and she was beginning to feel it. Her mouth had grown slack and her head began throbbing again. Just as she began to reach the climax of her unnamed piece, she felt herself sway from dizziness, dropping the flute from her hands, she squinted as she barreled towards the ground, waiting for the pain from her contact with the ground. This never came as she once again, found herself cradled against the body of a man. This time, the arms guarding her were much more muscular, connected to broad shoulders and and a bare, damaged chest. She looked up towards her savior, mistaking the glow of his white-blonde hair with a halo.
Confused, she muttered "N-nani...? H-h-hata..ke..?" and was thrown into an impromptu sleeping spell, enveloped by darkness and a warm body.
A warm, safe, body.
*Jazz hands* That was chapter three!
What'd you think? Do you think things are going too fast?
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I'm so happy with my 7 reviews, but I could always use more! :)
I love KakaHina, and I think they deserve more awesome fanfics!
Watch out for a mischievous Naruto in Chapter 4! Deuces! ;)