This was not how Hinata imagined things would go after the War. Yet, she almost expected something like that to happen. To be sold off to fulfil her duties before her clan and village. She did not expect it to happen so soon, though.

Marriage. Arranged, to Kakashi Hatake. By Kakashi Hatake. The Kakashi Hatake. Before the war, people of Konoha said the name with venerance and pride. Now that the war was over they only scoffed in disdain.

She would have never thought things to turn out like that for him. Betraying his comrades and village, Naruto and Sakura, his teammates and friends. How could anyone see it coming: Kakashi Hatake, Konoha's finest who had long ago became a hero, only to lead his village to doom? Back then, no one expected. That's why everyone seemed to hate him so much. Danzou? He was always the bad guy, lurking around, causing trouble. He knew that people didn't like him, and he didn't care. Kakashi on the other hand. She imagined to him it was like a bucket of cold water.

It certainly was for Hinata. She realized that as she looked at Kakashi in front of her, all dressed up for their so-called "wedding ceremony".

It happened so fast. How have the two most unlikely people ended up at the altar? As the ceremony progressed and they exchanged their vows, she was asking that question to herself. And everytime her thoughts went to the events immediately after the war. The focal point of her and everyone else's lives in Konoha.

Their costly victory over the Akatsuki, then Madara, and then Kaguya. They'd come to Konoha, battered and exhausted, only to learn that the Village Hidden in the Leaves had a new leader. One that had no appreciation for the very people who saved this world. Danzou Shimura had become their Sixth Hokage, and the first thing he did was order to arrest Naruto and Sasuke.

She remembered how their friends were trying to protect the blond hero, even on the verge of chakra exhaustion they were willing to fight. And they would've, if not for Kakashi, Hinata reminded herself. He convinced them to give in for now, reasoning that they had no chance of winning against Danzou and his Root. "He is a legitimate Hokage of Konoha," he said. Their trusted general's reassurances have completely quenched any resistance in their ranks. And so, they watched as he personally escorted Naruto to prison.

Hinata remembered her shock at the happenings of that day, followed by disgust and shame. They stood there, like a bunch of sheep, following orders of the man who was Hokage in name only. She hated Danzou more than ever then. But surprisingly, she found herself not being able to hold those events against Kakashi himself. He was only doing his best in a given situation. All the more painful it was for her to learn that their sham of a marriage had come to be from his suggestion. Like many other questionable things nowadays, it seemed.

Kakashi was Konoha's Jounin Commander now, a prestigious position once held by Shikamaru's father, Shikaku Nara. After the war and Shikaku's death, Danzou appointed the office to Kakashi, as a reward for his loyalty. The political system of Konoha was far from just, if it allowed the Hokage to surround himself with his allies so easily.

A year later, nearly everyone in Konoha saw Kakashi Hatake as a coward and a shadow of his former self. His loss of Sharingan, coupled with his loyalty to Danzou and ruthlessness had cost him all the respect he'd managed to attain during all the years prior. People spat at his name, drew derogatory graffiti, cursed him left and right. The atmosphere of hatred around the man was so toxic, she wondered how he was able cope with all of it. It wasn't enough for her to change her mind, though. Hinata still firmly believed that what he did was in Konoha's best interests. Yes, he might have done some pretty awful things on Hokage's orders and his attitude might have changed as a result of Danzou's influence, but she still believed that the old Kakashi who everyone revered and trusted is still there.

That didn't negate the fact that everything went downhill since the day Kakashi supported Danzou, though. After a year of Danzou's rule everyone, or at least, everyone with brains and a fraction of humanity understood the direness of situation Konoha was in. Their economy was declining, the Great War depleting resources, including human lives. With less capable people to rebuild and more debts on its name, Konoha was struggling to come by. Danzou's attitude hadn't helped either. Allies were turning their backs on them left and right, while the number of their potential enemies had only been increasing. Nobody wanted to deal with a warmonger. Not when wounds from the deadliest war the Elemental Nations had seen in the past hundred years were still fresh.

Hope, however, always remained for Hinata. For her family was still there, her friends were still alive, and so Konoha's Will of Fire shall remain. Resistance against Danzo's regime was still in its infancy, but Hinata did not lose hope. People talked, and people realized that if they didn't act – nobody will.

'Certainly not him,' a voice echoed in her head as she looked at her husband. The lack of bitterness in it surprised Hinata; if anything, she should be hating the man for ruining all of their lives.

It was that damned hope, she supposed, that allowed her to agree to the marriage and keep the feelings of resentment at bay. It was hope that kept her emotions in check during that dreadful conversation with her father and her suitor. When discussing the terms and preparations for her wedding she tried not to think about her sister, Hanabi; about Naruto, her, now waning, crush, or about what would become of her life for the foreseeable future. It was all too painful to think about, then. And even now, at her wedding day, she tried not to dwell on it. Instead, she focused on that illusory hope which is both her mission and motivation. A desire to be useful in the fight against Danzou.

In her pondering Hinata almost missed a flicker of emotion in her husband's stony visage. He'd become even more reserved recently, so much so that the only student of his to be allowed freedom in Konoha complained of not recognizing him anymore. Hinata's eyes turned to Sakura, who'd been standing at the front row amongst the tiny group of guests from her husband's side, and she caught a small encouraging smile from the pink-haired woman. Sakura's belief in her sensei was what grounded Hinata's own. Even when complaining about him, Kakashi's former student never did it with an accusatory tone; it was always worry that dominated her emotions whenever her teacher was regarded.

Hinata would've kept watching the crowd, but she didn't want to see her friends' no doubt angry or disappointed faces. She trailed back to her husband instead, surprised to see that he hadn't removed his eyes from her this whole time.

He too, it seemed, tried to give a smile, but Hinata abruptly dropped her gaze, missing the gesture, only hearing the man's soft exhale afterwards.

Standing beside Kakashi, her now husband, she decided to focus on her goal instead of wallowing in self-pity. What was the point anyway, after she herself agreed to the arrangement? There is no one to blame apart from herself and her husband.

'I can do it,' Hinata steeled herself, before lifting her eyes back to look her so called husband in the eyes, 'for Konoha, for everyone.'

The wedding ceremony was a cold, dull affair from the beginning till the very end. Everyone who attended knew what it really was about. Her friends, who wouldn't have even been there had she not specifically requested it from Kakashi and her father, sat there as if it was someone's funeral. They were glaring murderously at Kakashi.

The man himself stood disinterestedly, either not noticing or not caring about all the hatred directed at him. Despite almost exclusively looking at Hinata, he could feel the scowls on her friends' faces all this time. It would have been amusing, had it not been so sad. What kind of man could ruin another's life like he had Hinata's?

'I am a traitor, after all,' Kakashi reasoned, dejectedly, before noticing his wife-to-be looking at him with such strong determination. It reminded him of the emotion he so often saw on ANBU agents sent on a suicide mission. Again, Kakashi did not blame the woman at all. He was surprised to see no hatred in those cloudy orbs. Well, he was no prodigy in human relations, so his assessment was likely to be inadequate anyhow.

Luckily, however, he was a prodigy at everything else.

Being a genius never gave Kakashi much happiness, though. He could throw a kunai and hit its mark long before other kids his age were even considered for ninja academy by their parents; could perform a jutsu perfectly on his first try; adapt to any situation. He noticed the tiniest details and still managed to never miss the bigger picture. He effortlessly learned things that others spent days on trying to understand.

You'd think his life would be a breeze with the hand he'd been given at birth. Turns out it only made it barely bearable. With great power comes great responsibility, and now Kakashi understood more than ever the meaning of the saying. Still, a mission is something during which he could always rely on that genius mind of his. Despite spying every hateful look and hearing every disappointed comment towards him, Kakashi knew that his perceptive mind will serve him right when the time comes.

'Until then, have to bear,' he convinced himself, his thoughts returning to the woman in front of him, 'so beautiful, such a waste.'

Once again, the whole thing felt unfair. Especially towards such a kind and gentle person as Hinata Hyuga. Kakashi studied her face, trying to keep his mind from his bitter thoughts, focusing on her delicate features instead. He would've continued ogling had she not met his eyes. Momentarily lost in those big pools of lavender, Kakashi was surely reminded of why exactly he was bitter about their circumstance.

The innocence he saw in those surprisingly expressive orbs bedazzled him. It was the kind expressed by special brand of people like Naruto, who really loved the world for what it was and saw the best in others. The kind you see in people who find it in themselves to be genuinely happy regardless of every bad thing that happened. And despite him always being envious of them for having such an ability, it was not the reason why Kakashi's mood was so sour. Hinata simply did not deserve any of this, and that was what caused the bitterness to resurface.

Once again he asked, how could he ruin her like that?

Said woman, on the other hand, didn't back down when Kakashi continued staring, locking eyes with the man. Copy Ninja's eyes lacked the cold, calculating edge that Hinata so often saw in her father's partners. Instead they were blank, completely devoid of any emotion, the fact that scared Hinata far more. Daringly, she lifted a delicate eyebrow in a silent question. Kakashi responded by merely shrugging his shoulders, being the first to turn away.

His actions seemed weird to her even then. She couldn't pinpoint anything concrete, but the way her husband carried himself did not look like someone who could willingly support Danzou. She decided to file that thought for later, seeing as their wedding was reaching its conclusion.

After all the ceremonial formalities had been dealt with, Hinata said her goodbyes to her friends and family. To Kakashi it felt like Hinata was parting with them forever. He couldn't help but snort at the thought, immediately regretting the action as his wife turned an accusing glare at him. Feeling that he'd done enough, Kakashi went ahead, leaving the company to finish with their goodbyes.

It was a quiet evening when he escaped the stifling atmosphere of his own wedding. Letting out a tired sigh, Kakashi was surprised to hear his wife's footsteps follow him. Hinata stopped right beside him, giving no explanation. Evidently, it was expected of them to go together, and his abrupt departure only meant that she had to follow as well. Once again, Copy Nin screwed things up trying to make things better.

'Way to go, genius,' he told himself, taking the first step towards their new home, wishing this day to end as quickly as possible.

As if fate wanted to punish him even more, the evening was a perfect picture of what a typical newlywed couple would enjoy spending some quality time together. Kakashi strode ahead, unable to turn a look towards his wife until he gathered his wits about him.

Hinata, in turn, had been dreading this moment, all emotions she pent up now returning with full force. She was on edge, her awareness suddenly increasing to the point it was overwhelming. What was going to happen now that she was married? She futilely tried to steady her emotions when her now husband's voice pierced through the calm of the night, interrupting her gradually increasing panic.

"I am sorry", he said, so quietly she thought she might have imagined it. Only after turning to him and seeing his apologetic and somewhat expectant expression she realized that indeed, Kakashi had said he was sorry.

"It's alright", she quietly replied, not really meaning it and not knowing what else to say and not trusting her emotions to keep her words in check when speaking her mind.

Anything could hide behind the man's calm and emotionless visage. She could anger him if she said something he might not like, and she couldn't have him angry or dissatisfied in any way. Her mission's success depended on her husband's trust in her. Hinata knew her answer was obviously not true, but she hoped Kakashi would drop the subject. To her relief, he did not inquire any further.

Kakashi knew something was wrong with his wife. He had a fair idea of what might be bothering her. He did not to press the matter and instead opted to do what he thought would put her at ease. After all, what could her immediate concern be at a time like this, if not them having to spend the night together as a married couple. Hoping he read the situation correctly, when they finally entered the house, he decided to cut to the chase and set clear boundaries to make her understand she had no reason to fear that particular problem.

"Dear wife," he started after the door clicked behind them, making her jump a little, "we both know this marriage is purely of convenience, so I would not expect it to be consummated."

An awkward pause ensued.

Thinking that his words sounded rather stiff, Kakashi tried to amend by wishing his wife good night, after which he immediately went to his study. Spending the night working on village matters and shoveling through the mess that was Danzou's regime seemed a far more appealing prospect than having to face his wife for another second. Besides, it gave him plenty of time to ruminate on their new arrangement.

Later that night, lying in their shared bed alone, Hinata contemplated on what had happened. Despite being irrationally fearful of going to sleep, the day's exhaustion was catching up to her, and she found herself slowly but surely dozing off to slumber.

When she woke up in the morning, Hinata noted that her husband's spot on the bed was empty. The only signs that indicated he was in this room at all were crumpling of the sheets and a note on his pillow.

Dear wife, good morning. I had urgent matters to attend to. Did not want to wake you up. I apologize for not being able to stay for breakfast. This house is yours as much as it is mine, so feel free to use and do anything you like. Of course, you are free to leave the house any time for any business you might have in Konoha. I wish you a pleasant day.

That last sentence started with a fat spot of ink at the beginning of 'I', as if he struggled deciding on whether to write something or not, which did not escape Hinata's attention. Moving on, she saw the part about being free to leave the house at any time.

'As if Danzou did not install a curfew,' she thought bitterly. 'And why all the formality?' Honestly, the way he talked to her was nothing like his usual aloof speech. Did he really want to make it clear that they were married just on paper, and there were no feelings? Or was he just a traditional person, like Father? 'Anyway, she decided, I need to start looking.'

There had to be something useful in this house. Trivial curiosity aside, she desperately wanted to find something that might help their cause against fighting Danzou. So, after her morning routine, Hinata dressed up and immediately set to the task of digging up any information that might be useful for resistance. Kakashi was the Jounin Commander, afterall.

Breakfast forgotten, she went to the only room that could possibly have any valuable information regarding Konoha's state of affairs – Kakashi's private study. The room was not protected in any way, indicating that whatever she found there would be of little significance to Danzou. However, there must be a reason he did not want her to enter this room, she thought.

She had a good look at the contents of the room. It was a relatively small study. The wall on one side of the room was completely covered in shelves filled with various books, a comfy looking armchair near it. Nothing looked unkempt, so she reasoned he must've been using the library often. His desk, on which Hinata presumed he worked, was empty except for one Icha Icha book, a potted plant, and two framed photos. Taking a closer look on the pictures, she saw that one was the photo of Team 7 when they had just formed their team. All new Konoha genin teams traditionally took a photo, to commemorate the moment when their lives became connected through that special bond of comradeship. Immediately, nostalgic memories visited her head, reminding her of happier times.

Hinata didn't have much time to reminisce about their carefree past, as her gaze fell on the next photo. Her intrigue peaked at what she saw on the worn picture. There was younger Kakashi, those droopy looking eyes and silver hair, no doubt it was him. Next to him were two other kids. Their teacher, the Fourth Hokage himself, stood behind the three.

'So, this is his genin team,' she concluded, taking a closer look. One boy, definitely Uchiha, judging from his clothes and raven hair; one girl with purple markings on her cheeks, was smiling warmly. In contrast to the cheerful and probably even amused expression on the girl's face, both her male teammates had a rather similar vibe of irritation oozing off of them. The Fourth, though, had only a slightly exasperated look mixed with a smile that despite being there to mask his exasperation, still seemed genuine.

Hinata did not know what to make of this. Icha Icha on workplace she understood, it was Kakashi after all. But a plant? Somehow Danzou did not strike her as someone who would have any form of decoration on his desk. Yet, Kakashi had a cute little plant. It even said 'Mr. Ukki' on the pot. Moreover, he had his teams' framed photos. But why would he keep something like that if he knows that he betrayed his team? It would just remind him of his betrayal.

She sighed, 'it makes no sense.'

She reminded herself that even if Kakashi did betray them, she never actually saw him doing anything evil or acting like a ruthless bastard everyone described him as. In the end, Hinata concluded that Kakashi was not beyond redemption if he still held onto something of sentimental value like those pictures.

'He was a hero, people like him don't change overnight. There has to be a reason. Maybe he was threatened? Maybe he did not think it would result in all this?' she reasoned, thinking of all the injustice brought by Danzou's regime.

After brainstorming all kinds of reasons, she could not come up with a single valid one to justify what happened. Hinata refused to let that discourage her.

'I was there when it all happened, when Naruto got carried away by ANBU, when he told us not to oppose and that everything is going to be alright. Kakashi was there too. He was the one who convinced Naruto, and everyone else, for that matter, not to fight. It doesn't matter if I don't understand, there is still a possibility that he had his reasons', she finalized, before leaving the study and closing the door after herself. She had entered the study with the intention of spying and left with a feeling of renewed purpose.

She was a ninja and she was a Hyuga. If anything, arranged marriages were their area of expertise. She could sulk about it and let it destroy her life, or she could deal with it like she dealt with any mission: with honor and earnest intention. Right then and there Hinata made a decision. If there was still good left in Kakashi, it was worth to try and bring it out of him again.

It was worth to try to understand.

So here we go, folks, first chapter. Thank you for reading. Please leave reviews, any criticism would be appreciated.

I want to state straight away that this story will be finished. Yes, you got that right, we WILL see this through till its end, no matter what. I will try to post every weekend starting from the Second Chapter (Friday to Sunday).

Once again, thanks for reading and/or leaving a review. This is my first attempt at writing anything big, and your feedback will help me improve.