Chapter 16: A Quiet Stroll

Hinata found herself entirely unable to sleep. As a shinobi, she was often in unfamiliar territory without proper bedding and lodgings, forced to make do with what limited resources she had—a tent, a tree, a warm cave that kept out the wind and rain. Yet here in the familiar space of Kakashi's home—her home—she could not find even a minute of rest. It seemed that the familiarity of the place was the very problem. Everything smelled like him, which was strange because up until moments ago she wasn't aware that she even knew his scent.

But she did, and it clung to the sheets and the pillows and everything in between. There were traces of him everywhere, reminding her of what almost transpired. They were still unmarried, never having signed any of the papers before Kakashi had departed. She wondered if that made any of what they did improper or unbecoming of her and who was to say either way. Had this been before the war, barring her age and his, she would have felt differently, finding him too forward and indecent, but the war made her see with clarity for the first time how fleeting the life of a shinobi was. If she had any regrets, it was over the things she hadn't done and her wishes that she had.

She glanced toward her sleeping canine companion and smiled softly. He was snoring very lightly and laying on his back with his paws reaching for the ceiling. It had been some time since she shared a bed with a dog—Akamaru had grown much too large, long before Team 8 had grown beyond their genin days. Over the past few months, she had met all of Kakashi's ninken. Pakkun, with his dry sense of humor and gruff manner, was by far her favorite as well as the most inconspicuous to travel with. She shuddered at the thought of having to go shopping with Bull.

That was another thing she was going to miss over these next few days or so. She had grown rather accustomed to shopping with Kakashi, learning his preferences and dislikes and typical essentials. Though it had started as nothing more than a way to show interactions in public, it had become so routine that it was odd to think of grocery shopping alone or with a dog.

The former Hyuuga heiress sighed. She had to clear her head. With one last look at the sleeping pup, Hinata decided she would go for a walk alone. Surely, Pakkun wouldn't be too mad if she went without him.

The Sixth Hokage and his escorts leapt through the trees surrounding the Land of Fire with unmatched haste. They would have just enough time to make it to the summit, leaving not a moment to stall or pause. As Hokage and chief advisor, Kakashi and Shikamaru were in the center of the formation, one designed to protect them and the shinobi scientist accompanying them. Though he had been Hokage for some time, the formation still made Kakashi uncomfortable. He was the leader of the village, and his job was to protect his people, not have them die on his behalf. Yet such was the fate of the Hokage Protection Squad, a duty taken seriously by its longtime members.

As they pushed through the trees, he considered how unlikely it was that they would be ambushed following a near natural disaster when security measures would undoubtedly be doubled.

'Natural disaster…'

He had seen too much over the last few years to be so naive as to believe such meteors and events could only occur naturally. The power of two of his former students bordered on defying God, and they fought off what could also only be described as a God to those unaware of her origins. There was every reason to believe that someone or something hurled those meteors toward the village, but he just couldn't prove it or deduce their motive.

'And not a single injury or fatality.'

It wasn't adding up. It was almost like a warning sign of what was to come and not the attack itself. There was also the moon making its way toward the Earth, a fact their scientist companion would be explaining to the other Kage, if they hadn't already noticed for themselves. Though she wouldn't be able to explain why it was happening, her insight as to its consequences and plausible connection to the meteors was enlightening to say the least.

Kakashi sighed. 'I should have told Hinata.'

Before he could wallow down that road, the chuckle of his advisor snapped him out of his thoughts. "You know you couldn't have said anything to her," came Shikamaru's answer to his thoughts. For better or worse, the young Nara always seemed to be in tune with his thoughts and was starting to read him like a book. "She's better off not knowing anything until we have something more concrete to share anyway."

Kakashi sighed again. It wasn't just leaving her in the dark that bothered him. If someone was indeed trying to end the peace that the Five Great Shinobi Villages had established, surely the wife of one of the kages would be a target.

"I left Pakkun with her. He's not much of a guard dog though," he lamented.

Shikamaru only smirked. "You might be worse than Asuma, but at least in his case Kurenai was pregnant."

Though Shikamaru couldn't see it, a faint blush was forming beneath Kakashi's mask at the thought of a pregnant Hinata and all that would lead up to it.

"In any case," Shikamaru continued, "Hinata doesn't have any enemies."

"No," Kakashi agreed, "Just suitors, apparently."

The village was calmer tonight than it usually was, the inhabitants all nestled inside their homes, certainly still shaken up over the disaster that nearly befell them. The midnight sky showed no evidence of what had earlier transpired, and the warm breeze was comforting. Walking leisurely with no clear destination in mind, Hinata found herself at the children's park, eyeing the empty swing. It seemed like the perfect place to gather her thoughts.

Everything had been changing so rapidly. In just a few short months, she had learned to let go of her former crush, had gotten engaged, practically withdrew from the shinobi ranks, and had her wedding day marred by unearthly events. It was certainly a strange time, yet she couldn't help but smile softly.

Somehow, it seemed that everything was happening the way it was supposed to happen all along. Her feelings toward Kakashi, although a little vague, strongly resembled affection, that much she was certain. And it was an affection she never would have felt had they not been cornered into this arrangement. She couldn't really say where she would be otherwise, perhaps pining over Naruto or accepting some other arrangement for the good of clan, but neither sounded right.

She hardly thought of the blonde any longer, at least not in that sort of way, and could no longer picture what she had once thought of their future.

'Had I really ever pictured it?' she wondered. She could envision them on a date, eating ramen of course, but a future, that had come to a blank. Yet with Kakashi, she could see it—their home, their meals, sitting side by side as they read different books. She imagined that they'd surely argue as every couple would—how she'd make a breakfast far too sweet and how he'd leave that dirty novel laying around where children may see.

'Children.' She could almost picture them, too, and how they'd grow up to be as strong as their father. She remembered being young—not even a genin—wishing to be as strong as her own father and as kind as her mother. And though she'd be the first to admit her failure to achieve the former, she was certain she had become much like her departed mother. It had been some time since she felt the sting of her mother's absence, but in this moment, she felt it quite strongly, having no one with whom she could share these thoughts and growing feelings, and knowing that her future children would be deprived of two grandmothers, a grandfather, and an uncle.

Truly, the future was far different than her younger self could have ever predicted. Overcome with emotion she hadn't let out in weeks, she finally allowed herself to cry. In doing so, she had come to realize that her guard had been down, and that she failed to notice a presence lingering above her.

"I've been looking for you," a wispy voice called from above. "But why are you crying?"

It hadn't been long before Pakkun had realized he was all alone, the scent of Hinata's homemade lavender shampoo having long since dissipated. Kakashi had given him all but one job, and not even two hours in, it seemed he had already failed his assignment.

"Not even a note," he grunted as he launched from the bed. 'Don't most runaways leave a little note or something?'

He didn't know why she had left—cold feet about the marriage, a longing for her former home, a secret lover perhaps. Hinata didn't seem like the type to have such a secret, but Pakkun wasn't one to blindly trust an attractive woman. With nearly thirteen years between her and his master, he wouldn't be too surprised if she loved someone else. Still, his mission was to watch over her, and he wasn't going to let Kakashi down. Hinata's scent was still traceable, and he wasted little time following its trail.

Quickly wiping her few remaining tears, Hinata drew her attention to the pale male figure floating in the night sky. "L-looking for me?" she asked with a stutter as she tried to gather all composure. She hadn't so much as felt his presence, not even a chakra signature and she was rather skilled at detecting them.

"My bride," he called. "My dear, dear bride."

There was something unsettling about this man, more than just how he floated seamlessly in the dark with his eyes closed shut. She could feel an imminent sense of danger she hadn't before despite no sign of killing intent or malice.

"Y-your bride? Wh-who are you?" she demanded, though still unable to so much as lift herself from the swing.

"You tried to betray me. You forced my hand."

She didn't understand how she could betray a man she had never even met, but the seriousness in his tone told her how convinced he was of this perceived betrayal. "Betray you? I-I don't know you," she answered, finally lifting herself from the swing.

"It wasn't time. But your people, they have other intentions for you. I won't allow it."

Nothing the man in white said seemed to make any sense. Was he another suitor from a noble clan, spurned by her father's rejection? She knew that her father had answered requests on her behalf, not telling her the quantity or the names. But would any go as far as to seek her out in the middle of the night?

She slowly glanced left and right, just moving her eyes. They appeared to be alone and there was a chance of escape.

"Come with me, my byagukan princess. Join me in your rightful place."

-End Chapter 16-