So the next (revised) installment is up.

If you are rereading this chapter, and find it infinitely better, then all credit goes to my amazing beta, Tomas the Betrayer.

And life goes on. Another chapter full of our favorite triangle. All I can say is that shortly some of you will LOVE Hatake Kakashi, and some of you will HATE him.

Review, please!

If I own Naruto, then Darth Vader owns the universe.

Chapter 9

Advice and Training

"Would you like some more tea?"

"No, I'm f-fine, thank you."

Insert awkward silence here.

Itachi sighed. This was how most of the meetings with Hyuuga Hinata seemed to go. He and Hatake Kakashi were in the Mist Village in order to monitor the details of a certain anti-Konoha group. Their mission had been successful – they had successfully apprehended the suspects, turned them over to the authorities, and managed to uncover details of another such party. Which left plenty of free time for Itachi to obsess over his bride-to-be.

They had been meeting thrice a week in his private quarters, always supervised by a stony-faced Uchiha elder. They wouldn't have made much progress anyway, but the presence of Miyanami-san was actually degrading their relationship – they seemed to talk less and less with each forthcoming visit.

He could count on one hand the topics they had been through. One was, of course, the universal subject of tea. Then their respective missions, their families, their teams, and finally, how fast the village was expanding. That was it. Every time he tried to start a new topic, he would meet Miyanami-san's disapproving glare, and his voice would get stuck in his throat.

Itachi didn't think that he was a man who could be easily intimidated. He was, after all, an ANBU captain, and the heir (for an unknown amount of time…) of the house of Uchiha. The word 'intimidation' should not be in his vocabulary, unless it was applied to others. But Miyanami-san was an exception. That woman could make Morino Ibiki pee in his pants. And it wasn't just a metaphorical idea – it had, very literally, taken place about a decade ago. Which explained very well Ibiki's aversion to the Uchiha.

But back to the subject. His meetings with Hinata had not come to any fruition. Nearly a month had passed. Twelve meetings had not eased his apprehension towards meeting his fiancée. Nor was she in a different state, judging by the amount of blushing and stuttering that she did while in his (and the formidable Miyanami-san's) presence. She showed the utmost concentration towards mastering the Art of Fiddling With Your Fingers.

Their time together was brief as always. Less than half an hour in the soon-to-be couple were bidding one another respectful goodbyes before parting ways. While the girl went to do whatever she did when left to her own devices, Itachi left resolved to devote himself to finding a way out of this social stalemate.

The fact remained that he had absolutely no clue as to what to say to his betrothed. He couldn't ask his father, because the man was an emotional drain. His brother was in the hospital for some injuries to the torso that were taking a rather long time to heal. Itachi visited him regularly, of course, but he could never quite gather the courage to ask Sasuke for help (which was strictly confidential information – he would become the laughing stock of the entire village if they found out that he was afraid to ask his little brother how to court a girl). Shisui was out of the question – Itachi did not appreciate being laughed at, and laugh Shisui would, then probably gossip to top it off.

The only other options were – a) The Uchiha elders, b) Jiraiya, and c) Hatake Kakashi. Since the first two options were out by default (the elders? Those old, impotent fools? Give me a break! Or an aged, perverted sannin, whose only interaction with ladies seems to be through the peepholes in public baths? Get serious!), he was forced to revert to his last option; that is, Hatake Kakashi.

The Copycat ninja was at present effortlessly keeping up with Itachi's fast pace through the forests surrounding the Land of Fire's peripheral region. Feeling the young captain's scrutiny, his masked companion turned towards him and said, "Shall we stop for a break now, Itachi-san?"

Grasping at the opportunity that the elder man had offered him, Itachi nodded, and both ninjas slowed down, finally stopping at a little clearing where the trees afforded them protection. Kakashi immediately sat on the ground. "Forgive me, Itachi-san. Sometimes I tend to forget how many years have passed by… I am, after all, no longer the same man that I was at your age…"

"Kakashi-san," Itachi said decisively, balancing each word out. "Can I ask you a question?"

Hatake blinked, surprised. "Why, of course. It would be an honour to help my student's brother."

He leaned heavily against a tree. "What does one say to their fiancée?"

"Is this about Hinata-san?" Clearly the other man was curious. Itachi nodded in a resigned fashion – best to get everything over with now. His inquisitor smirked knowingly, a look of almost child-like glee coming over the portion of his face that was visible. "Well, I myself have never been engaged, but I have read several books on the matter, which, if I do say so myself, makes me rather an expert. First things first: where are you meeting your beloved fiancée?"

"In my private quarters. Father insisted that we should get to know each other a little better, as we are to produce an heir soon after marriage…"

"Oh ho ho!" Kakashi was positively giggling by now. "Get to know each other a little better, eh? I never knew old Fugaku had it in him! Why, he almost qualifies to enter the Super-P club now! I must ask Jiraiya-sama, yes, Fugaku's slyness is exceedingly admirable. But to get back to the subject," he continued, eye coming into focus once again. "Well, why don't I tell you as we proceed, Itachi-san?"

Itachi nodded helplessly, listening attentively to Kakashi as the masked jounin outlined exactly what he was supposed to do. Surely no one could be better at understanding others hearts than the Copycat ninja himself, right?

Sasuke brushed himself off as his medic redid the bandages around his chest. Her close proximity was making him slightly nervous, and his wounds still stung, a fact of which he was rather ashamed. Here he was, sitting in the hospital for one month because of injuries inflicted by the dobe, while the blond idiot himself was out within half an hour. And to top it off, the reminder of what had caused the fight in the first place was fresh in his mind. He solemnly vowed, for the umpteenth time, never to touch saké again.

He had, foolishly, accepted a bet by the dobe to see who could drink more and still stay sober. As the pile of glasses escalated, that brunette teammate of the male Hyuuga had walked in, and Sasuke's eye was drawn to the rather, um, notable outfit she was displaying. The top was ridiculously low cut, and, in his inebriated state, Sasuke could not help but stare. Of course, Naruto had noticed, and the comments about him having a crush on the girl (what was her name? Temtek? Tonton?) had started coming forth. Sasuke had denied it vigorously, and, in a moment of foolishness, declared that he had his heart set on another girl. Naruto had of course taken that to mean a declaration of his love for Sakura, and had promptly challenged him, refusing to hear his objections. Sasuke had screamed that Sakura was the farthest thing from a girl he would be attracted to, and of course, the girl in question had taken that exact moment to walk in. Which had led to a rather loud crying-and-running-in-the-dramatic-slow-fashion-like-movies session, and an attack by Naruto for making his 'beloved Sakura-chan' cry.

Kakashi had just sat there and enjoyed the show with a smirk.

The only bit of satisfaction he received was overhearing the hospital nurses gossip about how the Hokage had chewed Kakashi out. The masked idiot he called his sensei deserved it.

And now, to top off his torment, the very woman who had been haunting his thoughts of late was currently bent over his chest and bandaging his wounds.

Her soft breath fanned out over his torso, making the hair on the back of his neck rise. Her eyes were half-hooded, lips slightly parted and cheeks flushed. He knew that it was probably because of her intense concentration, but he couldn't help but fantasize on the other ways in which that particular look could be reproduced…

Oh sweet Jiraiya in his undies, stop, stop! This was his brother's fiancée he was thinking about, for God's sake. She was taken, end of story. What was he supposed to say, anyway? 'Hey, I know that you're gonna be married to my brother in eight months, but I find you hellishly attractive, so can we have a quick snog?' It didn't matter that her lips were like rose petals on snow, or that her cheeks had the tiniest tinge of peach to it, or that her pearl-like eyes seemed to draw him in, drowning him in their depths…

Okay, Uchiha. Stop right there. Remember: sister-in-law. Itachi. Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. That's a good boy.

"Sasuke-san," Hyuuga Hinata said timidly, her voice barely audible, her tongue reaching out to wet her bottom lip. Sasuke immediately forgot all the thoughts he was having and proceeded to stare at the slightly wet, gleaming pink morsel. The offending, delicious tongue reached out to swipe it once again. "Um, Sasuke-san?" Hinata tried again.

He snapped out of it. This was no time to be having fantasies about his future sister-in-law. Even if she was tantalizingly biting that lower lip. "Yes?" he said, making an effort to sound professional. Attempt failed. His voice came out husky, basically screaming 'sex!'

Thankfully, she didn't seem to notice. Hinata opened her mouth and said, "I was, um, wondering if you know someone who could help me with… training?"

That got his attention. "Training?" he asked, suddenly alert, and sounding much more normal.

She nodded her head. "You see," the girl continued, "I have to find a trainer to train me for the next eight months, and my teacher is pregnant, so…" She left off nervously, teeth worrying that candy-colored lip.

And suddenly Sasuke knew that he could be selfish. He had perhaps always known, but the realization of what he was going to do now left him breathless. He wanted to stop, unfortunately the major part of his mind and tongue had a (pun intended) mind of its own. He heard himself saying, horrified, but slightly elated at the same time, "I could do that."

Hinata gaped. Sasuke tried, very strenuously, to avoid her eyes. "Pardon?" she asked incredulously, too shocked even to stutter.

"I said that I could train you, if you want, of course," Sasuke mumbled.

He closed his eyes, fully expecting a sound 'no', maybe with a horrified expression. Who was he to her, after all, apart from her patient, and the brother of her fiancé? Of course she wouldn't say yes. He was such a foolish prat –

His thoughts were interrupted by a large, curvy, soft thing throwing itself on him. His eyes snapped open, shocked, as Hinata breathed, "Thankyou thankyou thankyou!"

She leaned back abruptly, cheeks flushed, eyes bright, smiling the largest smile that he had ever seen on her face and looking incomparably pretty. "So, I'll see you on the training grounds after you're released?" her voice sang. Too overwhelmed to form a coherent reply, he nodded. Beaming, she practically skipped out of the room, leaving the door wide open in her wake.

Sasuke pressed his hands to his face, attempting to slow his breathing. The image of Hinata's smiling features was burnt into his mind. He would give anything, anything, to see it again.

A voice startled him out of his reverie by saying, "What was that about?"

Sakura walked up the hospital steps, her leather sandals making a loud 'slap' on the stairs. She was technically not allowed onto that floor, but today she had a valid excuse – Shizune-san had asked her to deliver a message. Seizing the opportunity, she had hurried here with the utmost haste. After all, it was Sasuke-kun she was going to see.

Naruto-baka had severely injured Sasuke-kun's chest and abdomen over some comment that he had made. Sakura had shown that loudmouth the error of his ways (in a very physical manner) – nothing that came out of Sasuke-kun's mouth could ever be wrong. He was always right.

Well, not always. The other day (coincidentally, the same day that Sasuke-kun had gotten hurt. How curious…) he had said some things that had hurt her a lot, but of course he didn't mean it. How could he, when he loved her so much? Sasuke-kun was drunk, and Naruto-baka undoubtedly egged him on. Sasuke-kun loved her – he had ever since they were kids. After all, she was the only girl he called by her first name. Even Ino couldn't claim that honour. She was also his teammate, and she understood him better than anyone else. Of course they were in love.

And yet…

Sakura stopped, frowning. There was something odd about Shizune's behavior lately – both times that Sasuke-kun had been in the hospital, someone else had been assigned to him. She was almost beginning to believe that it was on purpose. Maybe Shizune was trying to keep her away from her beloved Sasuke-kun – she had been looking at him oddly lately. Maybe that was another person she needed to keep an eye out for…

She reached the top of the stairs, and took a deep breath. The determined messenger was about to proceed towards Sasuke-kun's room when she promptly collided with someone.

Said person whirled back while crying, "Sorry, sorry, sorry!" and whirled downstairs in a flash of dark hair and white skin.

Sakura blinked. Surely that wasn't… Hyuuga Hinata? Looking like she had just hit the jackpot?

Sakura should her head to clear it, and then proceeded forward, only to stop mid-step.

The corridor had many rooms, but all of their doors were closed. All save one.

Sasuke-kun's room.

What was Hinata-bloody-Hyuuga doing in Sasuke-kun's room?

She hurried forward and stepped inside, only to see her beloved with his face in his hands. Perturbed, she demanded, "What was that about?"

Sasuke's head shot up. His face was flushed, and he had a raw, animalistic look in his eyes. He turned to look at her, and Sakura stepped back nervously. In all the time that Sakura had known him, he had never looked at her so… longingly.

The passion faded out of his eyes, to be replaced by the emotionless mask she both loved and hated. "Sakura," he said simply. "What are you doing here?"

She cautiously stepped inside, walking quickly to perch herself on Sasuke-kun's bed. He shifted away from her. Ignoring the pang of hurt that went through her, she said, "Shizune sent me. You are being discharged tomorrow. She thinks you will recuperate fine at home." And then, because she couldn't help herself, "What was that about?"

His face was inscrutable. "What was what about?"

Sakura shifted impatiently. "You know what I'm talking about. Hyuuga Hinata. What was she doing here?"

"What should she be doing here? She's my medic."

Sakura's expression changed into one of blind fury. "I can't believe Shizune put that two-timing little slut in charge of-"

"DON'T SPEAK ABOUT HER LIKE THAT!"

Sakura recoiled, shocked. Sasuke lowered his voice, but the look on his face was furious and his breathing didn't slow down. "Don't speak about her like that."

Tears threatened to roll down her face. "Why? What is she to you? Tell me, what is she to you that you would shout at me?"

Sasuke didn't answer. He was looking down at his bedsheets, his breathing still very strained.

Sakura felt something ignite within her. She leaned in and cupped that brooding face in her hands, angling it towards hers. Their lips were barely an inch apart. It was now or never. She moved forward.

When there wasn't even a millimeter between them, Sasuke abruptly pulled back, turning his face away and wrenching it out of Sakura's hands.

The rejected girl felt her tears overflow. "Why?" she said shakily. "Why won't you kiss me? Why won't you go out with me? Why are you defending her? She's your brother's fiancée, for God's sake! Why, Sasuke-kun?"

He was silent.

Sakura stood up and slapped him, hard. His face jerked to the side. He didn't turn back.

Her sobs were becoming more vocal now. She ran out of the room and slammed the door behind her, only to slide sobbing to the ground outside.

She loved Sasuke-kun. And he loved her.

Then, why, why did she hate him so much right now?