Kakashi's PoV:
As we were leaping branch to branch my mind wandered over to Hira, she kept by my side no matter what and somehow we work well together unlike anyone.
I glanced over at the Hyuga girl to find her half asleep and she looked hazy and somehow in an instant her eyes closed and she didn't push enough to reach the next branch and just started to fall. "HIRA!" I found myself yelling out as I took a sharp turn and jumped down at an angle to catch her. When she was safely in my arms I landed on a branch a little lower than before then next few branches before jumping down to the floor. I softly laid her down when I saw her passed out. The rest of the team joined me.
"Sensei, is she alright?" Obito asked worried and tried to get closer, but for some reason, I didn't want him to and blocked him, my excuse. "Give her space Obito," I said and kneeled down on the opposite side of Rin as I looked over my friend's body for any injuries. "She has no external injuries," I stated as worry filled me. "She'll be fine, she just overused her chakra, maybe on her Byakugan," Rin said after she had inspected her for anything that may be fatal or symptoms of what was wrong. "That's highly unlikely, Hyuga's are use to using their Byakugan and their bodies were built for it so they use the least amount of Chakra on it," Minato-sensei spoke making us all look at her, then something flashed into my head when Sensei spoke.
"But she didn't really use her chakra, only for the jumps and speed." Obito comment and I thought about it for a while. "Can it be that her body won't be used to the Byakugan if she isn't a full Hyuga?" I asked intrigued by my female comrade and that made the whole team turn to me. "What do you mean?" Minato asked. "Obito do you recall the day of the exam where you got your headbands and you, Hira and I went out for lunch?" Obito nodded before I continued. "We had asked her about why her sensei would be training her so hard from such a young age and she responded about her only purpose was to protect the Hyuga-Clan's main household. When I asked why she replied with 'Because it wouldn't matter if they lost a half-blood...' " I repeated her exact words as everyone looked over at the passed out girl as she started to stir.
Hira's PoV:
As I was waking up I could hear chatter and nature sounds around like the birds chirping. I sat up with my body aching. "What's going on? What happened?" I asked looking around at each of my team members. They were all staring at me with shock. "Hira?" I looked over at Minato-sensei as he had called my name. "Yes, Sensei?" I was so confused about what had happened that his next words took me by surprise. "Are you a full-blooded Hyuga?" he had asked and I gulped. I felt as if I couldn't lie as his piercing blue eyes looked at me expectantly along with two pairs of onyx eyes and a pair of brown eyes. My eyes fell to my lap.
"No, but I am not allowed to say anything else about it though as I risked everything by telling you already that I am a half-blood." I sighed as my mind was filled with worries not at what my uncles would do to me, but at the fear of what they may think of her now. It wasn't common for Hyugas to marry other clans not to mention having a child with them. It wasn't allowed as the Hyugas wanted purebloods, a strong bloodline. "That's alright, but I need to know about these things to know your limits." My head shot up at that.
"How is it a limit for me?" I asked as I had no idea what he was talking about. "The Byakugan, Hira. There's a reason that Hyuga clan members forbid a mix of a child with another clan. The Kekkei Genkai of the Hyuga clan is very strong, so strong that it uses a lot of chakra and a pureblooded Hyuga's body was made for this amount of chakra usage, you being a half-blood can only use so much before your body fails from lack of chakra. But sometimes it's not really the case as there could be non-pure bloods strong enough to master the Byakugan, but none so far." I nodded as the information sunk in, "They never told me this." I spoke softly mostly to myself.
"Well, it could be that the other half of your blood type would also need such an amount of chakra and will help you when you have accessed as it will add more chakra to your very own chakra." Minato-sensei finished leaving me in my thoughts.
"It's almost as if he knows I am also half Uchiha." I thought.
We reached Konoha and I headed straight for the open field where the team and I have been training at. I was furious about the fact that my guardian/family haven't told me this knowing it was putting me in danger.
I was hitting against one of the three pillars as I let all my anger out, but what I didn't realize was that tears had started to fall as well. I was so angry, sad and confused that I didn't pay attention to my surroundings until someone grabbed my hands that were full-on bleeding and was bruised at the knuckles.
Beaten black and blue like my life.
The person pulled my hands to their chest, cradling them as I was automatically pulled closer to them, their smell was intoxicating and I am sure that I already am addicted to it. The person smells of forest and somethings strong and warm that I just can't pinpoint.
When I was really close they let go of my hands and pulled me into a hug. I was sobbing at this point so I couldn't identify who was hugging me, but I didn't care as I just needed this for a while now even if it is a total stranger.
The tears stung my face and my eyes as it ran down my face probably soaking the person's clothing. And along with the tears rain started to pour out the heavens with light thunder in the distance, but even so with each strike I would slightly jump and hide my self even more in the person.
And I guess that I must have passed out while I was crying as I had woken up in a bedroom, it was a standard room. Nothing special about it only two picture frames with a photo in each at the top of the bed. As I looked at the first one it was of Team 7.
A cheerful Rin and Minato and a grumpy Kakashi and Obito to either side of the photo, I was in the middle with Rin as she stood next to Obito and me next to Kakashi. Minato-sensei stood grinning widely over us, as we all were different in most ways but in some we were the same.
The next was of Kakashi sitting on the shoulders of who I was guessing was his dad, the White Fang of the Leaf. I picked the photo up and looked at it more in detail. "Please put it back." A boyish voice spoke making me jump a little and scrambled to put it back as I knocked over the other photo onto the bed.
"Sorry." I sheepishly apologized and put both back in their places.
"You're actually very clumsy you know," Kakashi commented from the doorframe with a tray of food and water. He walked over to the bed and sat next to me on the 3/4 bed as I tried hiding my flushed face. "Here...eat up." I looked down at the tray fulled with mouthwatering food. "Are you sure?" I asked looking back up at him and he nodded then grabbed a plate identical to mine and started to eat. I grabbed mine and ate neatly as I was on his bed and didn't want to mess.
"So Kakashi, how did I get to your apartment?" I asked looking around after I had finished eating and was busy drink the glass of water before placing it down when I was talking. Kakashi looked at me oddly, "You passed out after sobbing, so I carried you here and bandaged up your hands." He said making me look at my hands to find bandages wrapped all around it.
"Th..thank you." I stuttered out. I looked over and out the window close to the bed to find the starry night sky staring back at me. "I better get home and get out of your hair." I shyly spoke looking back at Kakashi, but he looked at me in a way I just couldn't describe, partly because it was quite dark in the room with only the moon coming through the window.
I found myself studying him and how the light and shadows showed more of his face as they danced together. Kakashi cleared his throat breaking my trance as we both looked back out the window to find the sun pretty much gone while the colors still stayed on the horizon. Warm tones mixing with cold tones.
"You don't have to, you can stay if you want?" I heard a boyish voice run throughout the silence. I smiled down at my lap, "Thank you Kakashi, but my guardian must be worried about me." and with that the thin material of bedding that was draped over me slid down my legs letting the cold air cool my heating skin.
He walked me to the door with another odd expression that I just gave up trying to understand, as I was going to turn to leave I spun around swiftly as my hair flew behind me. I stood before him smiling softly at him and then leaned up on my tippy toes and kissed his cheek, with my own burning red, "Thank you, Kakashi" was the last I said before I took off to the place I use to call home.
Weeks past after that moment and things were as it was before. Kakashi and I would train together and sometimes Rin and Obito would join us as we have lunch under a beautiful shady tree. Our circle and bonds grew stronger and at times Minato and his wife, Kushina, would also join us after a mission making it a tradition and we would talk about random things.
"I have signed you all up for the Chunin Exams."
Minato stated as we had gathered at the training ground expecting to go on a mission or two as usual, but no, he had us there taken by surprise with our jaws hanging low except for Kakashi next to me. "But Sensei, i...isn't it a bit early for us to join the exams?" Rin asked looking a bit frightened which made me frown slightly and walk up to her rubbing her back as we had become great friends over this last week and grown completely comfortable with one another.