Square One

Notes: Here is the Kakashi/Hinata I promised bjorkubus for her birthday- err sorry it's several weeks late!

Disclaimer: I do not own rights to the manga/anime series Naruto, characters included.

Minor Notes: Minor Shippuden Spoilers- namely the notoriously short 'Super Team' chapter' and past the Battle of the Uchiha brothers (Chapters 300-408)

Pairing: one-sided Naruto/Hinata and Kakashi/Hinata if you squint, cross your eyes and stand on your head...

Disappointment clung to the entire team, much like the continually falling rain drops from above. Their mission to find Itachi, capture him, and then encounter Sasuke; had failed miserably. And while it was noted everyone took the defeat personally; the person most affected seemed to be quietly withdrawing more from the group as the day wore on.

Nervously, Hinata bit her bottom lip. Her fingers unsure to do with themselves curled up into the sleeves of the rain jacket. Pale lavender eyes watched Naruto's slumped posture as he walked several steps ahead of everyone. Even Sakura, who had approached him earlier that same day, didn't seem to welcomed company since Naruto had taken to avoiding her too. For a moment, Hinata toyed with the emboldened idea of going up to Naruto and attempt to talk or at the very least keep him company.

But, Hinata's plan did not get far past the thought stage, mostly because she was still too timid to approach Naruto.

'Maybe...I could help him though.' Hinata wondered wistfully. Yet again, action didn't follow through with her plans as Hinata tried to consul herself by simply watching out for Naruto from the back of the group.

"We'll stop here to rest for a minute." Yamoto called out an hour later. The rain had slacked off into a light and occasional drizzle thanks to the canopy of trees netted above them.

Kiba and Akamaru were the first to let down their guard and sit near a small group of flat rocks. Kiba tossed back the hood to his jacket to wipe sweat from his brow; only to cringe as Akamaru shook his fur loose of raindrops. Shino, alert and cautious even when resting, stood tall close to a tree. Sakura took to unpacking her bag to bring out small food stuffs for everyone to eat. Sai, like Kiba, had found a place to sit; but unlike her casual teammate, Hinata noticed how attentive he was. Almost more so than Shino, if that was possible.

Hinata, unsure whether to sit and rest with everyone else or run ahead to catch up with Naruto, inwardly debated with herself before taking a step forward.

"Hey Hinata-chan, where are you going?" Kiba asked aloud.

Stopped in her tracks, Hinata found herself temporarily tongue-tied. "I was going to..." she started only to gasp as a strong hand touched her elbow linking her to Kakashi-sensei.

"Come sit by me, Hinata-chan." Kakashi insisted, his voice sounding like he was grinning behind the mask.

Unnerved, yet not about to rudely decline, Hinata followed Kakashi back into the haphazard encampment. Hearing a soft growl, Hinata glanced over her shoulder to see Kiba sitting up straight as if ready to pounce and Akamaru bearing his teeth.

Swallowing once, Hinata had to admit she felt a bit uneasy around Kakashi-sensei. Not that he had ever done or said anything to cause her discomfort. Rather, Hinata felt uncomfortable around Kakashi-sensei because he was contradictory in so many ways it was difficult for the Hyuuga to get a sense of whether the older man was sincere or was withholding his true thoughts on a particular matter.

'I suppose that comes with the territory of being apart of ANBU...or at least formally so.' Hinata pondered to herself as she followed Kakashi-sensei to a patch of grass. It was only after she sat down did Hinata notice the way they were apart of the group, yet just far enough away to be separate.

Knees folded together, Hinata forced herself to relax. But just when she had mastered the deception, Kakashi-sensei brought about her ruin.

"You shouldn't worry so much about Naruto."

"W-what?" Hinata questioned without thinking, her composure lost in favor of an openly inquisitive and expressive face.

Gray eyes turned towards her. Again the crease in his mask made Hinata think he was smiling, or mockingly grinning, at her.

"Don't worry about Naruto. He'll recover from this in time. He's surprisingly resilient for someone his age...or any age for that matter.

Kakashi paused to look at her, and Hinata felt a strangely warm feeling form inside her chest as that smile-behind-cloth turned to her.

"Naruto may be depressed now, but once we get back to Konoha he'll be ready to take on the next opportunity to get Sasuke back." Kakashi reassured.

"Ah," Hinata said simply, but inside she was quivering. Was she really so transparent in her concern over Naruto?

Apparently so, since Kakashi had caught onto her staring and fretting over the boy.

'But he didn't have to come out loud and say it.' Hinata thought, squirming as a result of Kakashi's honest yet dangerously accurate scrutiny of her secret crush.

"So, instead of thinking about Naruto, maybe it's time you started looking out for yourself."

Caught off guard yet again, Hinata blinked widely. Looking to Kakashi, who sat with a slight leaning inclination against the tree behind them, his fingertips already thumbing through the pages of an orange book.

Unsure as to what to say, Hinata first resolved to remain silence. But Kakashi's words, as flippant as they sounded, ate at her.

"I can take care of myself, Kakashi-sensei." Hinata replied quietly, her voice barely audible.

The closing of Kakashi's book was louder than her words, yet softer than Kakashi's dare.

"Prove it then Hyuuga."

Hinata's lips moved to question, but as if reading her mind Kakashi cut the young Hyuuga off.

"You claim of being capable, but I've yet to see it."

A zing of inward pain stuck Hinata. Doubts instantly started to plague her, but not ready to surrender to either her insecurities or to Kakashi's taunts; Hinata returned the comment with her own observation.

"How can you judge if I'm capable or not, when you always have your nose buried in a book?"

Not a moment after those words left her mouth did Hinata regret them. This...this wasn't like her at all! She didn't offer up retorts or challenged an older and more seasoned ninja! Granted she had been provoked, but still!

"I...I'm sorry Kakashi-sensei!" Hinata attempted to get out, yet had a hard time getting her voice to raise above Kakashi's laughter. Feeling her face burn, Hinata didn't dare look ahead to the rest of the camp; knowing that most likely her teammates and Sakura were probably staring at her and Kakashi-sensei strangely.

"So, you do have some fight in you after all." Kakashi remarked with that same smile Hinata could not see for the mask, but could hear in his voice.

Hinata was starting to feel that she was around only for Kakashi's amusement.

Why else would he want to talk to her if not for kicks?

Moving to stand, Hinata nearly lost her balance and fell as Kakashi reached up and gently tugged her hand.

In the end, Hinata had to resign herself to being stuck beside her sensei, who for some reason didn't want her to reach Naruto-kun. Her only outward display of displeasure was a small sigh, Hinata considered turning to Kakashi-sensei and attempt to start a conversation- preferably one where she didn't wind up feeling like a fool.

Yet Hinata found it a futile effort when she came nose-to-nose with the orange spine of Kakashi's book.

Since she was so close, Hinata pondered the title. 'Makeout Tactics'. Now, Hinata wasn't so sheltered that she was unaware about the rumored contents of the Icha Icha Paraidse series. Her father often denounced said literature as disgusting. Though like all teenagers, Hinata couldn't help but wonder if the books were really as 'bad' as most people claimed it to be.

"You know, its difficult for me to read when someone is looking over my shoulder." Kakashi casually remarked as he flipped a page.

Sitting up right, her face overtaken by the pink-hue of an intense blush, Hinata attempted to stammer her excuses.

"I wasn't trying to read it, Kakashi-sensei! I was just curious about..." Hinata paused as Kakashi leaned over and dangled the open book in front of her.

Unable to stop herself, Hinata's gaze took in the first few lines of the amorous scene being played out in the pages.

Her blush intensified as Hinata realized too late that she should NOT be reading this book! Before Hinata could protest or even turn her gaze away, Kakashi and the book were suddenly lifted up off the ground. Blinking, Hinata looked up to see Kiba ready to pound their sensei, Shino right behind them, with Akamaru barking up a storm.

"What did we tell you about showing her that shit you pervert!" Kiba yelled, his right hand pulled back in a fist.

"Did you forget that we had Kurenai-sensei's expressed permission to bring you bodily harm if you tainted Hinata-chan?" Shino asked as bugs started to swarm around him.

Kakashi sheepishly responded with, "Oops, guess I forget." was his cheeky reply.

Kiba growled, "Don't give me that! You knew exactly what you were doing!"

"Ah, Kiba-kun don't hurt him!" Hinata cried out just as the boy's right hand moved to connect with Kakashi's jaw. Violence was thankfully interrupted as Kakashi vanished in a puff of smoke. Coughing, Kiba cursed at the loss of their sensei.

"Where did he go?" he groused, Akamaru barking right along side him, both of them obviously itching for a fight.

Scrambling up from her spot, Hinata attempted to convince her teammates not to kill, or harm, their new sensei once he came back.

After thirty minutes of rest and food, the team was back on their feet. Everyone was more than ready to leave the rain drenched countryside and return to the familiar towering trees and high walls of Konoha.

As Hinata was arranging her things and zipping up her bag, the young woman couldn't help but wonder about where Kakashi-sensei had taken off to. But since Kiba and Shino were still angry at him, maybe it would be better if the former ANBU kept a low profile.

Placing her now useless rain jacket back into her bag, Hinata's gaze widened as her fingers came across something strange inside her bag.

'I don't remember packing any books.' Hinata thought as she extracted the object, only to blush as she recognized the book.

A small white patch of paper stuck out from the top. Carefully prying the orange book open, Hinata read the note.

Thought you might want to read the rest without my shoulders being in the way

Kakashi

Blushing furiously, Hinata quickly stuffed the book back inside her pack before anyone else noticed.

'I'm not going to read it. I'm not going to read it. I won't...' Hinata stubbornly thought to herself as she caught up with the rest of the team.

But in the back of her mind Hinata knew, she would read it. Just in case Kakashi tried to tease her later by being afraid of a simple book.

'Okay, I'll read it. But I won't like it.' Hinata assured herself.

A part of her knew though, she would enjoy Icha Icha Paraidse.

And more importantly, Kakashi knew it too.