A/N: Fully intended on the wedding being featured in this chapter, but an idea I couldn't let go of popped in and I had to write it. The next chapter featuring the wedding day is halfway written.
Chapter 13: Good News
It was five days before the wedding. All preparations and arrangements had come together including—miraculously by Kakashi's account—their formal attire. Hinata had thought she would be nervous about getting married in less than a week, only she wasn't. Kakashi had been kind to her, welcoming her into his home and sharing some of the stories of his childhood. She felt as though she knew him, or at least more than she had known most others.
He was an avid reader, owning far more books than the Icha Icha Paradise collection. Most of his bedroom—the childhood one—was full of books on shelves and piled against the wall. Among his favorites was The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi, the first novel Master Jiraiya had published. Hinata speculated that this novel is what led to his discovery of the more well known and financially successful Icha Icha Paradise series, though it was still possible he had more perverse tendencies.
Cooking was not a particular hobby of his, but he had learned a bit more than the basics and was a decent help in the kitchen. In all likelihood, this was a skill of necessity owed to the many years he spent on his own, but even so, he excelled in the dishes he prepared, which were mostly vegetable based. She was rather fond of the pickled radishes he had made when she had moved some of her stuff into the home, before Sasuke had come to check in. Sasuke had a whole new layer to unravel about her fiancé. Not everyone would have stood by Sasuke the way that he had, and he didn't do so simply out of benevolence. There was a level of empathy and forgiveness involved, but even more than that, a sense of responsibility over the actions of the student he couldn't save in time—a redemption for the two of them.
She couldn't say much about the way he kissed her—whether he was skillful or not; there was nothing to which she could compare it. But he was patient, never taking more than she was willing to give, and tender with his touch. Presumably, he felt something toward her, though she wasn't certain what it would be—she wasn't even sure what she felt for him, despite melting into his embrace. There was admiration in the least and perhaps an allurement at the most. She didn't know what the daimyo's son looked like, nor any of her anonymous suitors whose names and proposals never reached her ears, but Kakashi was unequivocally handsome and virile. His face had come as a surprise sight to her, but it was a sight that never left her mind—the last image before she would go to bed.
They had not seen each other in a few days, but even when she woke up in the morning, his face lingered in her thoughts. Perhaps it was because today was one of the rare occasions where Kakashi had the afternoon off, and he opted to spend it with her. What their plans were—if there were plans—she didn't know, but truthfully, she was happy just walking beside him. It was just another thing she valued about Kakashi. There was never any pretense or fluff, no need for elaborate dates with dinner here and presents there. They were content enough in each other's company. Contentment—that's what she felt the most with Kakashi.
Looking around the grassy fields of Senju Park, Hinata sighed amusedly.
"He's late," she said aloud to only herself.
Hinata knew right where she would find Kakashi, even without the use of her byakugan. There was only one place he would be.
'We really should just meet at the memorial.'
To others, it may have been a morbid place to meet for a date, but to them—to shinobi who had known loss—it was a place of comfort, like seeing an old friend.
'I wonder if he'd come with me to pay respects to brother. If Neji could see us now, I bet he'd be surprised.'
She smiled to herself as she strolled to the memorial. She'd ask him when she found him, knowing he'd probably say yes.
As she assumed, Kakashi was standing in the very same spot where she saw him for the first time. It was an overwhelming sense of déjà vu, only now she knew his name and the face beneath the mask. And unlike before, he had taken notice of her presence. He didn't even need to raise his head.
"Is it that time already?" he pondered aloud. "Really, I was just about to leave."
Hinata tried her best to stifle her giggle but found it harder than she thought. "Of course you were," she said without a trace of anger. Slowly, she extended her hand to him. "Shall we?"
Without hesitation, Kakashi had agreed to visit Neji's grave. Mentally, he compared it to meeting Hinata's family as any true fiancé would do before marriage. He had known Neji when he was alive, meeting him initially as Guy's prodigious student. He had also been present for Neji's attempt on Hinata's life in the middle of the chunin exams, having been one of the jonin to intervene.
She was no one to him then, merely a genin in the same class as his students, one who had seemingly no interest in Sasuke and a deep infatuation for Naruto. It made her a little peculiar in his eyes, though as he listened to what she said as she fought, he came to understand her feelings. Her adoration had not stemmed from Naruto's boyish pranks or boisterous outbursts—it was his perseverance in the face of failure. Like her idol, Hinata had endured until the very end. Kakashi never knew what happened after the exams that changed her relationship with Neji and idly wondered if she would tell him if he asked.
They had stopped by Yamanaka Flowers to leave a bouquet at Neji's grave. Kakashi had never come by often, but he knew Inoichi very well, his portrait now hanging on the wall behind the counter. He was a good man, and like Neji, he was one of the many lost too soon. Having also led Team 10 once upon a time, he had gotten to see the strength in Ino, and knew that Inoichi had left the fate of the clan in good hands.
Ino greeted them with a playful grin at the counter as Hinata carried over her selection of irises. Kakashi followed behind, pulling his wallet from his pocket.
"Ah, you don't have to!" Hinata panicked, only to be contradicted by Ino.
"Of course he does!" Ino chided. "Though really, don't you want something more romantic like a bouquet of roses or something exotic like these lilies of the desert?"
Hinata froze awkwardly as she attempted to explain the misunderstanding, but Kakashi spoke first.
"I imagine Neji would be a bit repulsed by the idea of me leaving him roses."
"F-for Neji? I-irises are a great selection, Lord Hokage!" The embarrassment was palpable.
Quickly wrapping the flowers, Ino had sent the couple on their way, cursing herself for placing her foot in her mouth. Shikamaru had always warned her about jumping to conclusions, her father as well. Long after they left, and the embarrassment had run its course, Ino had come to the same conclusion that many before her had drawn—the two were somehow lighter around each other.
The couple laughed as they continued to way to the cemetery. The thought of Kakashi leaving roses on Neji's grave and what Neji's reaction in the afterlife would be left quite the vision for Hinata. When they finally reached Neji's grave, Hinata knelt beside the marker to place the bouquet of irises.
"Irises…they mean good news," she explained. It was a fact Kakashi hadn't known.
"Brother," she began, "I'm getting married this week. I…I am alive and getting married because of you…and…I'm happy. Please continue to look after us—Kakashi and me."
They walked along the riverfront, hand-in-hand, as they had done many times. Kakashi was quiet, not knowing what to say, It was the first he had heard that Hinata was happy with the arrangement, whatever that implied. It was also the first time he heard her speak so much without a single stutter and he couldn't help but wonder when she became so calm in his presence. Before his thoughts could wander too far, Hinata had broken their silence.
"Thank you for coming with me," she spoke meekly. "Neji and I…we weren't always close, but toward the end…he really was like a brother. And it's because of him that I am here…but sometimes I think that it should have been me…or that if I had been stronger, we could both be here."
Kakashi looked at her empathetically. He knew that feeling of regret all too well, once wondering if he should have been the one to die instead of Obito who had not only saved him but gave him the gift of the sharingan.
"I know brother…he wouldn't want me to go on like that. But really, I wish that peace had come sooner."
Their stroll had come to a stop as Hinata looked over the small footbridge they had just to cross.
'Peace,' Kakashi thought, recalling his conversation with Sasuke some time back. "If peace had come sooner, what would you have done with your life?"
Hinata glanced up at him slightly taken aback. "I guess… I haven't really thought about that. From the time I was born, being a shinobi was…it was predetermined. I don't really have any other skills or many hobbies aside from flower pressing and gardening." Hinata paused to think for a moment. "Maybe I would have been a florist, too. Or an apothecary." she giggled before becoming serious once more. "But the reality is, our peace is fragile, and I am a shinobi. I'd like to be stronger…to protect this peace so many died for."
It was a sentiment Kakashi could understand. Hinata was an excellent student from what he knew of her time in the academy, struggling only with self-confidence. She had excellent chakra control, precise enough to damage a single tenketsu, though she seemed to lack physical prowess and stamina. Even her range of vision with the byakuagn had far exceeded many in her clan. To a degree, it was almost inconceivable that she was not more skilled than she was. When he thought about it, he couldn't think of ninjutsu she used that wasn't related to the gentle fist or other Hyuuga Clan techniques and led him to the question he found himself asking aloud.
"Hinata, what's your chakra affinity?"
Perplexed by the sudden question, Hinata tilted her head. "Lightning…but I have had some success with fire release."
Kakashi stared in disbelief. Fire release was common in the Hidden Leaf, but lightening release was not. It was especially uncommon in the Hyuuga clan. Even more uncanny was that it was the same affinity as himself, and Sasuke. He wondered if, like Naruto, she simply didn't have anyone to teach her techniques associated with those natural affinities.
"Hinata, how would you like me to train you?" It wasn't something he expected to ever offer, his days as a sensei behind him, but the words just seemed to flow. She could plan for a future in floral arrangements or making medicinal remedies any day, but today, while peace was still fragile and shinobi needed, it wouldn't hurt to learn a few new basic techniques, even if she never used them.
"A-are you sure?" she asked, glancing up at him with her wide.
He smiled beneath his mask. "We could start today, though you might want to change out of our dress," he teased.
It was then that she offered him one of her rare, wide-mouthed smiles. "Yes!"
That evening, her dress replaced with mission attire, she had her first small success with lightning release. She wasn't as skilled as Sasuke, not by any means, nor was she as quick of a learner as Sakura, but she had done it, and he was proud.
Kakashi continued to guide Hinata up until the night before their wedding making for the most unique dates they had ever had. She would pack them meals and they'd eat together, side by side. Their training was nothing rigorous—he had a feeling that there might be cause for concern if the bride-to-be arrived at her wedding full of scrapes and burns. And after their sessions, they'd still take a walk, hands interlocked as he brought her home. This would be the last night that he would walk her to the Hyuuga Estate.
"So…it's tomorrow," Hinata stated calmly looking up at the stars. The moon had seemed bigger than usual, though she couldn't say why.
Following her gaze, Kakashi nodded his head. "I should probably walk you home," he admitted, his mask still pulled down after the meal. 'It's definitely closer.' He wondered if Hinata had taken notice.
"J-just a few more minutes," came her faint reply. Kakashi couldn't recall the last time he heard her stutter, but as she leaned upward and pressed her lips to his, he understood. It was the first time she kissed him.
Though he very much would have liked to stay like that, he had promised to have her home early for a good night's rest—their dates having gone later and later recently. Reluctantly pulling away, he walked her to the other end of the village one final time.
-End Chapter 13-