I DO NOT OWN NARUTO :'(
Hinata lay in the bed pretending to be asleep as she tried to reconcile herself to all the changes that her life had gone through lately. Her sister's death, waking up in Kakashi's bed, her father trying to beat her to death, and now this. Married. To Kakashi Hatake, one of the most powerful ninjas in the world, impossible sexy, and a notorious pervert. So what if she had held special feelings for him for a while now-she had never expected anything to come of it. Men of his caliber did not fall for girls like her. They fell for gorgeous, long-legged, and incredibly talented kuniochi. Not ugly, short, weak girls like her. Unlike her feelings for Naruto, she had never believed that Kakashi was obtainable. He was someone to admire from afar.
Her feelings had deepened the night that she found him getting ready to plunge the kunai into his heart. Hinata had chosen Kakashi that year when she noticed that his eyes were empty. Most people probably wouldn't have noticed it- his normal expression was one of pleasant distance. Friendly, yet impersonal. But most people did not watch him like she did. Her training led her to develop a highly tuned intuition as far as what people were thinking and feeling. Sure he had a fan club of females that attempted to follow him wherever he went, but none of them scratched beneath the surface. They were wrapped up in his looks and power. They didn't care that his best friend had died, or that he was hurting.
Hinata did not give herself much credit for much, but she was both happy and proud of the fact that she had saved Kakashi's life. It made her feel like she had finally made a real contribution to the village. The village had just lost one of its powerful and respected ninja; it couldn't afford to lose another. Not to mention that fact that for those few hours, he had needed her. Nobody had ever needed her like that before. As she held him in her arms and allowed him to cry out his pain, her heart had swelled with a feeling that went beyond the simple crush she had been harboring for him. It wasn't quite love, but whatever it was made her heart race every time she saw him out around the village. She knew that he was aware of who helped him, but she kept quiet when he did. Hinata knew that his pride prevented him from acknowledging what she had done for him. Powerful men didn't like being vulnerable.
To find herself suddenly married to him unbelievable. And scary. As far as she was concerned, he completely out-classed her. Their age difference really did not matter to her that much; arranged marriages often had a significant discrepancy in age. It was the difference in their levels of experience that bothered her the most. Kakashi was a ladies man, and a powerful shin obi, that had traveled far and wide. How could she possibly have anything in common with someone like him? She was sure that he would be bored with her within a week of marriage. Lost in her worries, Hinata let out a sigh, and turned to look out the window, forgetting that she was pretending to be asleep.
"Hinata?" Kakashi inquired gently. She turned to look at him reluctantly, a slight blush forming on her cheeks.
"Hai?" She replied hesitantly.
"There are a few more things that Tsunade left out that you need to know about. I don't really know how to say this gently…your career as a ninja is over. Your father's attack damaged your heart to the point where if you overexert yourself, you will go into cardiac arrest. Lady Tsunade intends to formally train you as a medical nin, but you will never be able to fight again. That is one of the reasons that she chose me, as opposed to one of someone closer to your own age. They may be determined, but their skill level is not high enough to deal with your father or any assassins he may send after you." He told her gently, as he watched for signs that she was getting stressed out.
Hinata let out a small hiccup of a sob as she turned her face away from him. He watched her shoulders begin to shake and it was obvious that she was crying. Kakashi approached the bed slowly, and carefully embraced Hinata. He was desperate to comfort her, he hated to see her hurting. Hinata stiffened against him briefly, but then she snuggled into his chest, letting him comfort her. He felt a wave of both tenderness and protectiveness sweep over him as he wrapped his arms tighter around her. She let him hold her for several minutes, as she let him warmth seep into her skin. Hinata felt cold inside at the thought that her father might actually pay someone to kill her. In some twisted way, it seemed more horrible than the idea that he would take her life himself.
The fact that she wouldn't be able to fight anymore was more of a relief than a tragedy. Truthfully, she hated it when she was forced to kill on missions, and avoided it whenever possible. For a long time now, she had been wishing that she could train as a medical ninja, but as heir to the Hyuuga clan, she had been expected to be a strong fighter. Her father had taken advantage of her healing abilities, but refused to let her pursue any formal training. She was excited to hear that Tsunade was going to train her to be a full-fledged medical ninja. One of her dreams was coming true. My other dream, well maybe that is within my reach also.. Hinata pulled away from Kakashi when she heard voices outside the room. Truthfully, she wished that she could stay in his embrace, it made her feel safe.
Kurenai, Ino, Sakura, Kiba, and Shino filed into the room. They gave exclamations of joy when they saw that Hinata was awake and smiling shyly at them. Her friends crowded around her, each giving her a gentle hug. Kiba's hug went on for just a little too long for Kakashi's peace of mind. Jealousy rose up, and he was getting ready to go over to forcibly remove the young man from his woman when Shino pulled him off her. Kurenai had watched his reaction with interest, a small smirk forming on her face. Deciding to break the awkward silence, she gave him her report on the shopping expedition.
"Hinata is now well stocked with appropriate clothing. It will be delivered to the mansion in two days. We purchased the other items you requested, and she now has a six month supply of the herbal care products she normally uses. We brought a few nightgowns, robe, slippers, toothbrush, etc. for her use here at the hospital. The engagement ring we decided to leave up to the two of you." She said archly. Both Kakashi and Hinata blushed lightly at this as he turned towards her.
"I haven't had a chance to get it from the bank vault, but I was wondering if you would like to wear my mother's engagement ring? It is very beautiful-though not traditional. It is a rectangle cut mystic topaz with a diamond set on either side. I'll understand if you want your own ring really-" He was grateful when she reached over touched his hand- he was beginning to babble. God, I sound like an idiot!
"I would be honored to wear your mother's ring." She told him softly, a small smile trembling on her lips. He turned his hand over and squeezed her hand gently before releasing it. They both looked away at the same time, blushing, although Hinata's was much darker. Kurenai was fighting the urge to burst out laughing, while Sakura and Ino sighed at the romance of it. Kiba huffed angrily and turned away as his jealous ate at him. Shino, on the other hand, was watching the proceedings with a small smirk on his face. Due to the fact that he had observed Hinata's interest in Kakashi, and Kakashi's not so stealthy stalking of Hinata, he was not surprised by their reactions to each other. He hoped that they would be happy together; unlike Kiba, he had never held any delusions that the would end up with her. He just wanted her to be safe and happy. He had a feeling that Kakashi was going to provide her with both.
"Kiba and I also had a successful trip. The painters will be coming tomorrow and the furniture is scheduled to be arrive in three days. Everything should come together nicely before Hinata-chan is released from the hospital." He stated. Hinata frowned as she realized exactly how much Kakashi had ordered them to buy for her.
"You didn't have to buy all this for me- I have money of my own. I have been saving the money up from my missions for a while now. Besides, your apartment is too small to hold all th-" It was Kakashi's turn to interrupt Hinata. He reached over and placed his finger against her lips, effectively silencing her as well bringing that color back into her cheeks.
"Remember when I told you there were some details that Tsunade left out?" He asked her. She nodded and he slid his finger off her lips caressingly.
"Well I don't make a big deal about it, but I am the Hatake clan leader. There aren't that many of us left, maybe fifteen members total- sixteen counting you. Most of the others took off to other nations. We like to explore. I would feel like a pompous ass if I made everyone address me as Lord Hatake. Even though I chose to live in the apartment, it was more for convenience, since I am hardly ever home, it seemed ridiculous to have the Hatake mansion open with servants to wait on only one person. However, now that we are married, my situation is changed. As we speak, I have Hideki finding us two maids, a cook, and a gardener. Everything should be clean and ready for us to move in when you are released from the hospital." He told her with his usual bored voice.
"But I can do all those things. There is no need to-" Again she was silenced by Kakashi's finger.
"Tsunade said that you are not to overexert yourself. You can tell them what you want done, but you are not to do any housework or heavy gardening. Is that understood?" He asked her firmly. He managed to sound stern, but his eyes gave him away, as did the fact that he was caressing her bottom lip sensuously.
Hinata nodded meekly, but there was a rebellious look in the back of her eyes. They starred into each other's eyes in a visual battle, but she was melting underneath his tender teasing. Her body began to feel very sensitive, and she was appalled to realize that a simple caress on the lips was turning her on. She pulled away, blushing deeply, and was embarrassed further by the increased beeping of the heart monitor. Oh god, why does he have to be so sexy! There were various muffled giggles and a muttered curse heard, causing Hinata and Kakashi to remember that others were in the room with them.