How Things Change:
Chapter IV~ The Promise
Kakashi took a quick step back from the screaming girl, terrified.
How was he supposed to handle this?
He had never been in this sort of situation before, never had a child look at him with such fear. This girl wanted absolutely nothing to do with him, her wild screams proved this.
But why was that?
What had he done to her?
He was the one who had saved her from the hell she was going through, right?
So why was she screaming as if her life was slowly and painfully ending?
No one was hurting her right now, no one in the room wanted any harm to come to her, so why?
Why was she reacting this way?
He should be, according to the leader of the Yamanaka clan, the only one she trusted, the only one she let in.
So, why, then, was she screaming bloody murder?
'This isn't supposed to be happening like this…unless…could Inoichi have been wrong? Is it possible that she sees me as her attacker even though I was the one who saved her?' Kakashi bit his lip in thought. 'No, I don't believe that's it. Inoichi Yamanaka is the most powerful mind walker we have he wouldn't have misread something so important. So, what did I do wrong?'
Kakashi buried his face into his hands in confusion.
He hadn't been able to utter a single word to her before she had begun screaming, so what could he have possibly done to alarm her?
He hadn't even reached a hand out to her. He had kept his distance knowing that it was probably the smart thing to do and yet it hadn't mattered, she had still become frightened of him.
'What am I doing wrong? C'mon think, think! What have I done to scare her?!'
However, it didn't matter how many times he turned the question around in his head; he still couldn't figure out the answer.
Turning his head in the direction of everyone else, he tried to catch Minato's eye because surely he would be able to help him, right?
However, what he saw within Minato's eyes left Kakashi feeling hopeless. What he saw in his former sensei's eyes mirrored his own confusion. He, just like Kakashi, had no idea what was wrong with Hinata.
He was at a lost.
They all were.
Even though he knew it was futile, Kakashi pleadingly turned his attention over to Kushina, hoping that she would be able to offer him some kind of help whereas her husband failed to do so. However, she just looked at Kakashi worriedly, and shook her head. She was of no help, either.
A quick glance at Chie had shown him that neither was she. The only thing she could offer him was to sedate Hinata, and from the look on her face, Kakashi knew that she wanted to. Kakashi shook his head in the negative as that was only a temporary fix, and that stopped Chie's quivering hand from grabbing the sedative she had started to reach for.
Her eyes asked him, are you sure?
Kakashi nodded his head, before looking over to his last hope: Inoichi Yamanaka. However, Kakashi soon was crestfallen to discover that Inoichi had his eyes closed, obviously deep in thought.
'It looks like I'm on my own…'
He sighed in frustration, having no idea what someone should do in this sort of situation.
What could he have possibly done to scare her?
Kakashi began rubbing his temples, completely unsure of what to do.
'Well, the first thing I need to do is relax; I'll be of no help to anyone if I can't stay calm.' Kakashi thought as he inhaled deeply. He did this a couple of times before continuing his thoughts. 'That's better. Now, what should I do to calm her fear of me?'
Kakashi looked back to Hinata.
He was glad she wasn't screaming anymore as her high pitched wailing bothered his sensitive hearing, but what he saw wasn't much better. Hinata cowered in the corner of her bed, curled up into a ball, and was silently sobbing.
Taking a step forward, he tried to talk to her though he knew it would be of no use.
"Hinata, calm down, I'm not trying to hurt you, I just—" He never finished what he was saying, however, because Hinata let out a wailing shriek.
Starting to panic, he raised his voice without realizing it and cried out, "Please calm down, Hinata. Please, please calm down! I promise no one here is going to hurt you—we're trying to help you!"
Kakashi's pleas fell on deaf ears, however. Kakashi then, not thinking straight due to desperation, tentatively reached a hand out to Hinata to comfort her, only to have it backfire in his face.
With pretty impressive reflexes for someone who had just woken up from a week long coma, Hinata flung herself away from the approaching hand, almost falling over the rail of the bed in the process, all the while shouting, "STAY AWAY FROM ME! DON'T TOUCH ME! LEAVE ME ALONE! PLEASE JUST LEAVE ME ALONE! STOP TRYING TO HURT ME! STOP IT, STOP IT, STOP IT!"
Burying her face in her hands, Hinata continued to sob and Kakashi could just barely make out her say, "P…p…please d…d…don't h…h…hurt m…m…me."
Kakashi's arm dropped limply to his side as he watched the small, broken girl cry her eyes out. His job was to protect the people of the village, and yet he couldn't even help one small child. On the contrary, he just seemed to be making matters worse.
He failed as person, as a shinobi. He couldn't help her, just as he couldn't help Obito or Rin—
'No I must not think that way!'
Kakashi thought as new determination filled his eyes. He would help Hinata no matter what. He promised her he would help and protect her, and he refused to fail one more person.
'Kushina is rubbing off on me…'
Biting his lip in concentration, once more he tried to find a way to calm her down. After a few moments of thinking, however, he realized he had no other choice but to rely on the last gift his best friend ever left him and he quickly lifted the headband that kept his lone Sharingan eye hidden. He wasn't going to control her fully, though he very well could have. He just wanted her to forget a bit of her fear so he could explain all that was happening.
'Now how do I get her to look into my eyes without frightening her even more?' He thought.
He knew he could very well grab her and make her look into his eyes, but he preferred not to have to resort to such drastic measures unless he absolutely had too.
While Kakashi was thinking of a way to get Hinata to look into his eyes, Inoichi's eyes opened in realization.
He looked to Kakashi and noticed that his Sharingan was uncovered.
'Did he figure it out too?' Inoichi thought for a moment. 'No, he hasn't...'
Speaking quickly, he said, "Kakashi, pull your mask down as well!"
Kakashi, taken aback at Inoichi's outburst, turned and stared at the Yamanaka with one of his eyebrows raised in confusion.
How was him removing his mask going to help her?
'What an inappropriate time to ask such a thing.' Kakashi's eyes narrowed. 'Now is not the tim—'
Kakashi mouth fell open in surprise.
"That's it…" Kakashi quietly murmured, finally realizing why Inoichi had told him to pull his mask down.
Inoichi wasn't telling Kakashi to remove his mask for some selfish reason—hell, he must have already seen it when he had looked through Hinata's memories—no, the reason he had told him to pull it down was because of the fact that with it on Kakashi, from Hinata's perspective, must look very similar to the one who had attacked her.
After all, Dai Takeshi, not Kakashi, had been the one wearing a mask when she was attacked.
The first time Hinata had ever laid eyes on Kakashi was when his face was uncovered. He hadn't had time to get dressed so his normal attire had been replaced with his sleepwear. Right now he looked completely different than the first time she had seen him.
All she saw now was a masked man—her nightmare—looming over her.
'Ugh, how could I have been so stupid?' Kakashi cursed to himself.
The solution to his problem had been so simple, why hadn't he thought of it sooner?
Earlier he had been close to the truth; Hinata did see him as her attacker.
It never crossed his mind that it was all because of a simple piece of fabric, however.
Kakashi pushed back the irritation he felt about Inoichi missing something so obvious, as he had no right to feel that way.
Sure he could blame Inoichi for it, but what would that solve?
Nothing, absolutely nothing.
And, anyways, it was just as much his fault as it was Inoichi's—actually, it was probably more his fault than it was Inoichi's. He had been the one physically there. He personally knew Takeshi had had a mask on his face, and that he did not. He should have put the pieces together right away, that was his job as a shinobi. He was supposed to see underneath the underneath, and yet he had failed at catching a small, crucial piece of information.
He probably still wouldn't have figured it out had it not been for the Yamanaka. Inoichi had saved him a lot of trouble by figuring it out when he did, he should be thankful.
'What's done is done. I can't change what happened; all I can do is make up for my mistakes.' Kakashi thought as he ripped his mask down in one fluid motion.
He did not care in the slightest who saw his face; calming Hinata down was more important than keeping himself hidden, he realized.
'Gai sure will be disappointed to know he missed out on this…'
Ever since he could remember, Maito Gai had been trying to catch a glance of his face, only to fail each and every time. Since forgiving his father, Kakashi knew he could stop wearing the mask at any time, but he had realized long ago it was fun messing with the eccentrically dressed shinobi. And Gai, of course, knew this. He swore to Kakashi that he would one day see his face, and once he did it would prove once and for all who was the stronger of the two.
Kakashi couldn't let him win, now could he?
Kakashi sighed as he pushed all thoughts from his head and then turned his undivided attention to Hinata.
He needed her to look at him.
Silently Kakashi walked up to Hinata, and very gently touched her arm. Hinata, who had her eyes closed, hadn't sensed Kakashi walk toward her. She recoiled at the touch, and just for a moment, her eyes locked with Kakashi's. But, a moment was all Kakashi needed.
"Hinata, will you please calm down?" Kakashi asked, softly. "We're not going to hurt you."
Hinata's eyes glazed over just a bit, and she nodded her head.
"You promise not to scream anymore?" He asked, gently. "And you promise to listen to what I have to say?"
Hinata nodded her head. In a monotonous voice not quite her own she whispered, "I promise."
Kakashi let out a sigh relief as he broke the eye contact. Hinata's eyes soon lost their glassy look as they began to focus; this time, however, she did not scream when they focused in on Kakashi.
Kakashi smiled down at the young girl. "My name is Hatake Kakashi, Hinata. And I am the one who saved you. I promise I will not hurt you."
Hinata's mouth fell opened. She had recognized Kakashi before he had spoken.
Tears began to fall down her cheeks, and she tried to wipe them away, but they wouldn't stop. She was alive and she was safe. And it was all because of the silver haired man who stood before her.
Kakashi mistaking thought she was still afraid because of the tears and took a step back away from her.
As he did so, a look of desperation filled Hinata's eyes, and she threw herself at Kakashi.
"Please don't leave me!" She cried out as she gripped his shirt.
She couldn't stand the thought of him leaving her.
Between sobs, Kakashi heard her say, "P...please do…don't g…g…go!"
Kakashi frowned.
She didn't deserve this.
She was suffering far more than she ever should have.
Without thinking, Kakashi wrapped his arms around her, and whispered, "I won't ever leave you, Hinata. I promise."
Hinata looked up at him pleadingly and stuttered, "D-do you really m-m-mean that?"
She had been let down so many times that it was difficult for her to believe him.
"I swear on my life, Hinata. I will keep you safe." He stated, fully intending to keep his word.
Hinata couldn't help but feel as if he were lying.
"That's what Kushina-sama said too..." She bit her lip, trying to hold her tears back. "But she lied."
Kakashi's felt his heart break a little hearing that and a quick glance at Kushina told him it cut her more deeply than any knife could.
"Kushina loves you Hinata. She really loves you. And she regrets not being able to save you more than anything. As does Minato—"
Hinata buried her head in Kakashi's chest even further and shook her head.
"They should have tried to help me harder! They should have saved me. They don't love me, if they did, none of this would have happened! They lied to me. Everyone lies to me. You are probably lying to me…"
A sob kept her from continuing.
Kakashi looked over to Inoichi when he felt the small concealing Genjutsu take effect.
Hinata hadn't noticed that Kushina and Minato had been in the room yet, and Inoichi didn't want her too.
When Kakashi raised an eyebrow in confusion, Inoichi mouthed, "It's too soon."
Nodding Kakashi turned back to Hinata.
He couldn't worry about how Minato and Kushina felt right now, no matter how badly it hurt him to hear her say those things about them. She was in greater pain than either of them; she was in need of the most help.
Minato and Kushina would survive, Hinata, on the other hand, might not.
Kakashi took his hand and gently stroke her hair in what he thought would be a soothing gesture.
"I'm not lying to you Hinata. I will keep my promise. Do you remember what I promised you when I saved you?"
Hinata's eyes widened as his words from before filled her head.
"It'll be alright now, Hinata, I've got you. I'm not going to let anyone else hurt you, not now, not ever. You can relax easily now."
"And if you still can't believe me then, at least, bring yourself to believe your older brother."
Hinata's brow rose in confusion. "B-b-but I don't have any brothers…"
Kakashi's smile widened.
"Oh, yes you do. You're looking at him."
Hinata's mouth fell open in shock. He wasn't saying what she thought he was saying, was he?
No, it couldn't be.
No one could ever want her; at least that's what Kuro always told her…right?
It must be a dream, Hinata decided, and slowly she pinched her arm to wake up only to feel the sting of it when Kakashi spoke.
"Today you were adopted into my family. And I swear I will keep you, my little sister, safe. What kind of older brother would I be if I did otherwise?"
She still wasn't sure if she could believe him, and she pinched herself again and again and again just to make sure it wasn't a dream.
No one had ever showed any interest in adopting her; it was quite the opposite, actually. Whenever anyone came in looking to adopt they made it a point to ignore her.
So, did that mean that he was just pulling a mean joke over on her?
He must be seeing as it obviously wasn't a dream, and he couldn't possibly want her as a sister.
Tears of anger filled Hinata's eyes.
How could he do that to her?
Why did everyone she know have to hurt her?
Why couldn't she trust anyone?
"I promise I'm not lying to you, I truly promise I'm not." Kakashi said, seeing the disbelief and anger in her eyes.
Smiling reassuringly, he gently wiped the tears away. "Welcome to my family…Hatake Hinata."
Hinata's eyes widened as tears of happiness filled them to the brim; hearing him call her that had done it.
She believed him.
For the first time ever, she felt truly loved.
Burying her face into his chest, she began to cry uncontrollably.
"My family isn't very big, though, so it'll just be the two of us." Kakashi said, as he awkwardly ran his hand threw her hair.
Hinata shook her head.
She didn't care if it was just going to be the two of them.
None of that matter.
All that matter was that she had finally gotten the one thing she had ever wanted, a family.
'If this is a dream, I never want to wake up...' Was the last thing she thought before she slipped into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.
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Kakashi slumped against the wall in the hallway of the hospital, totally drained of energy.
He had just left the room after substituting with a shadow clone so as not to wake the slumbering girl. Now he was feeling totally exhausted as it had taken a lot out of him to do what he had done, but it lifted his spirits to know he had succeeded.
"How did I do, Minato-sensei?" He asked solemnly, expecting to get a tongue lashing for his inability to calm Hinata down faster.
Minato placed a kind hand on Kakashi's shoulder and smiled down at him.
"You did fine, Kakashi."
Kakashi cocked his head to the side slightly in confusion, "But I should have figured it out sooner…"
Minato shook his head. "I don't blame either you or Inoichi. It was a slight setback, yes, but it has been all taken care of. All we can do now is learn from our mistakes, right?"
Kakashi nodded.
"Right." He then sighed. "I don't know if I'll do a good job raising Hinata, but I will try my best."
"You will do great, Kakashi. I believe in you." He responded, with a smile.
Kushina brought Kakashi into a hug.
"As do I." She then whispered so only he could hear, "I haven't forgotten the Tomato comment, though…"
As she pulled away, Kakashi caught the evil glint in her eye, as well as the threatening grin she hid beneath her sweet smile.
He was going to regret ever calling her that, he was sure of it. Kushina was a prankster at heart and while it was true she had not done much in the way of pranking lately, he had a feeling she was going to make an exception just for him. How lucky…
'You sure are a scary woman, Kushina…I pity Minato, sometimes.'
"For what it's worth," Inoichi said, interrupting Kakashi's thoughts. "I also think you'll do fine. You're everything she needs right now, Kakashi. You won't let her down."
Once again Kakashi's spirits were lifted.
It was nice hearing it from him as well, since he too had a daughter Hinata's age.
Inoichi then turned to the Hokage. "I really should get going; my wife is expecting me for dinner."
Minato nodded. "Of course, you're free to go, Inoichi. Thank you for your help."
Inoichi nodded, and turned away.
It was time for him to go spend some quality time with his wife and daughter.
Once he left, Kakashi turned to Chie. "How long until she can be released from the hospital?"
Chie thought a moment. "Within a couple of days, I would say. Her physical injuries have been fully healed for a few days now. Normally, I would keep her longer to watch over her emotional scars, but I believe she will do better, and heal better, in your care."
Kakashi nodded, and then he turned to Minato. "I have to go as there are things that I must set straight if I am to take her in two days."
Minato nodded in understanding. "It's alright. We'll stay with her until you get back."
Kakashi nodded before disappearing in a whirlwind of leaves.
"I feel bad that everything is being put onto his shoulders." Kushina said, sadly.
"As do I, Kushina." Minato then smiled. "But he is strong. He can handle this. I know he can. I'm going to check on Hinata now."
Kushina nodded as Minato walked into her room, and then turned to Chie. "Thank you for all of your help. Without you, Hinata might not have made it."
Chie smiled.
"I'm glad I could be of help." She frowned with a sigh. "But I have something I want to confess."
"And what's that?" Kushina asked, curiously.
Chie closed her eyes for what she was about to say was hard.
She felt horrible about it.
"The truth is," She began. "I was once someone who hated Hinata."
Kushina's mouth fell open.
She never would have guessed it.
"I lost my husband during the attack. He was a member of ANBU, a captain actually, and was needed on the front lines. He sacrificed himself in order to save his teammates. It was because of that that I blamed Hinata. I lost the only man I ever loved during the attack, and was forced to bring up my daughter without her ever truly knowing her father. I knew it was wrong, but I couldn't help but feel resentment towards her."
Kushina frowned. "Why did you save her, then?"
"I couldn't stand seeing her in so much pain. When I saw her in Kakashi-san's arms, bleeding, helpless, I finally realized it wasn't a monster I saw, but a young, broken girl who was in need of help, in need of love. She was hurt. So very hurt. I had to help her. How could I have gone home and looked my own child in the eyes, knowing that I left her to die?" She looked up at Kushina, with tears in her eyes. "Hinata isn't a monster. The monsters are the ones who cause her pain, who hate her. Myself included."
Kushina shook her head as she placed a hand on the young doctor's shoulder.
"You are not a monster, Chie. You were blinded by your grief. A monster would have left her to suffer. The one who put her here is a monster, but you are not. You've realized you were wrong to resent Hinata. And you've changed. Like Minato said earlier, all we can do now is learn from our mistakes."
Chie nodded, but she knew it would be a little while before she forgave herself.
But she felt a little better having let it off of her chest.
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Minato and Kushina were making their way to the office to put the Hokage seal on the papers, when Danzō appeared around the corner.
"Hokage-sama, Kushina-sama." He said respectfully.
Minato tensed. "What can I do for you, Danzō?"
"Nothing important, I was just saying hello." Danzō said. "I'll just take my leave now, good day."
Danzō bowed before the Hokage and his wife before continuing on his way.
'Those were adoption papers he was holding, I am sure of it…I wonder who they are for…'
Truth be told, he had a feeling he knew exactly who they were for and a small smile appeared on his face.
'It won't stop me from getting my hands on her at some point…but I wonder what Koharu and Homura will think? Hmmm, things are just starting to get interesting…'
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Elsewhere in the village, Kakashi sat in the shadows of an empty house. He had neither his headband nor mask on.
If one saw him, they would notice the deep pain showing freely in his eyes. Normally he hid his emotions expertly, he was a ninja after all, but sometimes he was unable to. Like now.
Kakashi sighed.
All he could see, while in the master bedroom of the house was his father hanging from the ceiling, his neck broken, his lifeless eyes staring into his own…
Kakashi closed his eyes to shake the vision from his mind.
He had been the one who had found his father's dead body, after all, and it was because of that that he had never returned to the house before now.
Would he ever be able to live here peacefully?
Or would he always see his dead father within the confinement of the house?
"I'm sorry, for everything." Kakashi whispered to himself, trying to push the image of his father's corpse from his mind.
He blamed himself for his father's death. He, just as everyone else had, had been ashamed of him. It had been hard on his father when it was the village who had hated him, but it must have been even worse when he realized that his own son started to, too.
Kakashi had been so ashamed of his father that he had started to wear a mask to hide his face from the village. He didn't ever want to see his father in himself, so he hid behind a piece of fabric like the coward he was. It hurt his father every time he saw the mask, he knew, but Kakashi couldn't stop himself from wearing it. He was weak, and afraid of what other people thought of him. Kakashi had cared too much about what strangers thought than he did about his own blood.
He had yet to forgive himself for it.
Even now, he wore the mask to hide behind. Sure he did it to mess with Gai mostly, but part of him was still afraid of being seen by others. He didn't want people to tarnish the memory of his father any more than they already had, and he believed if he showed his face to others they would do just that. He felt everyone would be reminded of his father if they saw his face, the face of his father's legacy, and that all they would do is talk about the man who helped bring him into the world.
He was also ashamed of himself, and felt he did not deserve to be his father's son.
'I'm a coward…'
His father had been a wreck before he died. First he lost his wife, then he lost the respect of the village, and lastly he had lost his one and only child.
"I was such a fool..." Kakashi paused, trying to collect himself. "Can you ever forgive me…Dad?"
A couple of tears fell down Kakashi's uncovered face, landing on the photo he held in his hands. Looking up at him were the smiling faces of a younger man and woman, holding a newborn Kakashi between them.
End.
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Character profile for Chie…
Name: Manami Chie (Chie Manami)
Age: 29
Academy Graduation Age: 12
Chūnin Promotion Age: 13
Special Jōnin Promotion Age: 15
Family:
Mother- 64; Civilian; Restaurant Owner
Father- 62; Civilian; Restaurant Owner
Husband: Manami Kyo; 32; Deceased; Member of ANBU; Killed on the front lines during the Kyūbi's attack.
Daughter- About 7
Personality/Background:
Manami Chie is a special Jōnin level shinobi, specializing in medical ninjutsu. She became the head medic in the Konoha hospital after Tsunade's departure.
Chie lived a mostly normal childhood. She grew up with a mother and a father, though she had no siblings (something she always wanted).
Her parents were civilians, owning a successful restaurant, and was hoping Chie would take over the business one day. However, when she told them what she wanted to do with her life they decided to support her decision to enter the ninja academy.
Chie trained hard in the academy to prove that even though she didn't have a shinobi background, she could still become a great ninja. Her excellent chakra control made her an excellent candidate for medical ninjutsu, and when she made Chūnin she was recruited to the hospital by Tsunade and she trained with all other recruits, slowly making her way up the ranks.
One day while working a double shift in the hospital, an ANBU captain was rushed in for emergency care. Even though she was still new and inexperience, Chie worked her hardest to save him and succeeded.
While the man, who she found out later was named Kyo, was recuperating Chie got to know him and little by little they fell in love.
She married him not long after their relationship was official, and was soon with his child.
Chie had never been happier
Night The Fox Attacked:
During the attack she was required to stay at the hospital, even though she was pregnant. She knew her help was needed so even though she was almost due to deliver; she had to heal those around her.
She knew parents had gotten to the shelters safe and sound; however their restaurant was not so lucky. Chie knew that that was a small price to pay for their lives, however.
Her husband, she wasn't so sure of. He was a captain in ANBU and was needed in the front lines. She hoped he stayed safe, and prayed for him to return to her.
Her prayer was answered, though not in the way she had hoped.
Her husband was one of the people who were brought in for emergency care, after he got severely wounded after saving his teammates.
For thirty heart wrenching minutes he was operated on, however he did not make it.
That night Kyo and Chie had shared their final goodbye.
He died never meeting his unborn daughter.
After The Attack:
For many days Chie was a complete wreck. She was devastated at the death of her husband.
She loved her husband like no other.
She didn't want her daughter to grow up without her father.
She wanted a big family, and lots of kids, but that never happened.
Chie, not being able to handle the loss, sold their house and moved in with her mother and father to raise her daughter.
Over the next few years, Chie raised her daughter, alone, and continued to work in the hospital, becoming the head medic a few years after Tsunade disappeared.
Even though she didn't want to, she couldn't help but hate Hinata.
However, that all changed the night Hinata was attacked. When she saw Hinata so broken, beat, and helpless, all of those negative emotions toward her disappeared. Hinata was no different than her own daughter, she realized.
She knew her husband and daughter would be disappointed in her actions, so she vowed to make it up to the girl and heal her to the best of her abilities.