A/N – Second chapter's here. This time we meet Hinata. Also Kakashi is scheming at all times.

Hinata entered her apartment, tired from a long day. She had returned from the Capital around noon, and then spent the afternoon and a good part of the evening at the Hokage's Office, helping Kakashi with paperwork.

It was quite strange to her that Itachi had managed to mix up the scrolls so bad, and when she had asked, he had simply replied, 'Senpai can multitask', which didn't explain as much as he thought it did.

Hinata went to her bedroom and checked on the Tiger summoning scroll and short sword she had had to leave behind. The Daimyō's court was always a mildly disagreeable place to be, simply because as a diplomat (and a woman), she was not expected to come with weapons (or anything that could be considered as such), never mind the fact that she was a kunoichi and could kill people with a touch. It was why Sasuke was sent with her, as a bodyguard, to keep up the impression of harmlessness.

Thankfully, they did not know as much as they thought they did about shinobi, and she got away with wearing her earrings, which augmented Sage Mode. There was very little possibility of her having to use it, but it was habit at this point.

Satisfied that the scroll was in place and undisturbed and her sword was in good condition, she decided to take a hot shower before dinner.

When that was done and she had eaten up a quick dinner, she went back to her bedroom. As she lay in bed, trying to sleep, she remembered the Hokage's Office.

She had been working there for 4 months now, and it was quite different from what she expected it to be. She had heard from Shikamaru and Itachi (and Sasuke and Naruto and Sakura and - ) that Kakashi was a difficult boss to work for. Apparently he was entirely too irreverent, chronically late, and gave incomprehensibly allotted missions.

She had been given the job after Kakashi's last assistant had moved to Kiri for her wedding, and she had taken a whole day to psych herself up.

She was Yūhi Hinata. Jōnin of Konoha and Tiger Summoner. This was her job and she was going to do it to the best of her abilities.

Kakashi had indeed been late her first day (or so she had been told), but she had been too busy being shown the ropes of what she was supposed to do to notice. After that, Kakashi was more or less on time (half-an-hour late was practically early for him), which Shikamaru and Itachi seemed to distrust for some reason.

He was irreverent, but never in a way that might jeopardize missions or diplomacy, although he had admitted that politics and diplomacy did not come easy to him ('It's like pulling my own teeth out with scissors and a rubber hose'. The description was concerning and baffling in equal measures). The missions were, sometimes, strangely allotted, but they always worked out and some adversity is necessary for a shinobi's growth anyway.

Working at the Hokage's Office was quite different from anything she had done before, but she did enjoy it.

_

The next day, Hinata walked into the office to a truly bewildering sight.

Shikamaru was laying on the floor, covered in scrolls. Naruto was hanging out of the window, retching and Itachi was sitting at the Hokage's desk, head in his hands and looking incredibly stressed. Kakashi was missing from this tableau.

"Good morning, 'Nata-chan."

Hinata looked down to see Pakkun, sitting near her.

"Hello, Pakkun," she smiled at him, bending down to pet him. "It has been a while. How can I help you?"

"Kakashi got stuck in a tree."

Hinata's hand stopped in shock.

"Kakashi-sama got stuck in a tree?"

"Kakashi got stuck in a tree."

'How on earth?'

"He asked to get you for help." Pakkun continued, ignoring her confusion.

"Yes, of course. Please take me to him, if you would, Pakkun." Hinata said, trying to figure out how it could have happened. 'Foul play? An accident?'

Hinata followed Pakkun through Konoha, to a patch of woods to the South, considerably far away from the Office. Hinata wondered what on earth had him coming this way. It seemed quite a ways for a stroll.

"Ah, Hinata-chan, good morning."

Hinata looked at where the greeting came from, and saw Kakashi laying on his belly, high up on a branch, face buried in Icha Icha as always.

He looked and sounded quite chipper for someone stuck in a tree, in Hinata's opinion.

"Kakashi-sama, good morning. Pakkun told me you were… stuck?" The statement faded into a question. She couldn't see anything that would keep him up against his will.

Kakashi smiled at her, closing his book. "Indeed, Hinata-chan. You see, I was strolling along the road of life, as one does, appreciating Jiraiya-sama's literary genius, when I found myself in a tree."

Hinata waited. There was no more information forthcoming.

"And the reason you have not come down?"

"I didn't want to."

There was silence for a moment, while Hinata digested that. Kakashi, once again, did not see the need to further elaborate.

"I... See..." Hinata said slowly, trying to figure out how to deal with this situation. What was she supposed to do about that? Why would Pakkun say he asked her for help?

"Kakashi-sama – "

"Would you mind helping me down?"

"Oh, of course not." Hinata said, giving a smile, checking once again to see if she could see an injury.

He held out a hand and Hinata grabbed it with both of hers, pulling down. As she did, she felt something hit the back of her shins. She tripped, and was about to fall when she suddenly stopped.

She looked up, to see Kakashi's face, incredibly close to hers. He was holding her close to him with one arm, the hand being held by her stuck between them.

"Are you okay, Hinata-chan?"

Hinata blushed in embarrassment, letting go of his hand, which created a new problem, of where to put her hands. She awkwardly hovered them for a long moment, before clearing her throat and resting them on his shoulders.

"I'm fine, Kakashi-sama." She said sheepishly. "I tripped over something." She looked down and around, only to see nothing, not even Pakkun.

"It seems I am clumsy today." She laughed lightly, while Kakashi smiled, still holding onto her.

"No worries, Hinata-chan. Happens to the best of us."

"R-Right, yes, of c-course."

There was a moment's silence. He still hadn't let go, and Hinata's blush was increasing to dangerous levels. She cleared her throat again, and stepped back a little.

Kakashi took the hint this time, and let go casually.

She was wondering what to say next, but Kakashi thankfully went first.

"I suppose it's time to go back."

"Ano, yes, we have been gone for quite a while."

Kakashi gave a long-suffering sigh. "Well, if we must." He extended an arm towards Hinata, who tilted her head questioningly.

"Just in case you trip again."

"Hmph."

Hinata pouted, but Kakashi's good humour and smile were infectious, and she took his arm as they returned to work.

_

"My dear clowns, what the fuck happened here?"

Hinata had no idea how things went from bad to worse in the time she was gone, and it was clear Kakashi had no idea either.

Shikamaru had been removed from the pile of scrolls (he was napping standing up against the wall), Itachi was missing (Shisui was there for some reason) and Naruto had stopped retching (because he was on fire).

"Everything's fine!" Shisui grinned at them over Naruto's screams, looking more stressed than they had seen him in a while. "Don't worry about it."

Hinata was very much worried about it.

"Where is Itachi-san?"

"Out."

"Out where?" Kakashi asked, putting Naruto out with a water jutsu.

"In the archives."

Both Hinata and Kakashi startled and turned around, seeing Itachi behind them.

Before they could ask for more details, Itachi spoke. "Time to get back to work, Senpai. I am not the Hokage, you are."

"You could be." Kakashi said hopefully.

"No."

A/N – Yes, Kakashi was directly responsible for everything that happened to everyone. Pakkun tripped Hinata and then left.

The conversation went something like this:

Kakashi: - and then you trip her so I can catch her. It will be romantic and she will fall for me immediately. Literally.

Pakkun: There's something deeply wrong with you, my guy. Just tell her you like her?

Kakashi: Fascinating opinion. But consider this. No.

Pakkun: Understandable, Have a nice day.