Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

He hated her almost on sight, her kind demeanour and doe eyes rubbed him the wrong way. Civilians just didn’t belong in military camps, they were a liability. They couldn’t defend themselves and neither could they take the high levels of stress that came with being in a war zone. He didn’t have time to babysit. To make matters worse she was a very beautiful civilian at that, there was no head she didn’t turn when she walked past, a clear distraction to his unit, which was the last thing they needed, he grumbled. 

But one thing stuck, her distinctive eyes, he was sure he had seen them somewhere before but just couldn’t pin point where…He dismissed the thought as quickly as it appeared, it was irrelevant and near damn impossible in his line of work, neither could he care less. 

He would be surprised if she lasted till the end of the month before she cracked and run from there. People like her just didn’t belong on a military base and Kakashi couldn't wait to see her tuck tail. 

From day 1, when Hinata and her team arrived at the south east military base, she couldn't catch a break.

The previous head surgeon that she was taking over from tried to give her a sub-optimal handover, she could see his obvious desperation of wanting to leave the base as soon as possible while he briefed her. She then had to put her foot down and have private words with him to get a better grasp on exactly what kind of state the med bay was in and its operational capabilities. Her calm, cold and calculated smile gave no room for argument or feeble excuses. This ended up causing over an hour delay for the military transport plane that was meant to be taking the previous team back to Konoha, which was sort of a taboo thing to do within the military. Oh well...

Nevertheless, her team was thrown into the thick of it and it was non-stop for the first 6 weeks.

She also seemed to have pissed off one of the high profile captains by just breathing the same air, who also happened to be in-charge of her unit. Perhaps the delay she caused with the plane helped to 'fan the flames' for his obvious dislike of her, she mused.

But worse of all she was unable to cook her own food. She could deal with the barely functioning med bay and a pissed off captain, that was just another Tuesday for her, but when it came to food she seriously struggled. Her go to stress relief was thrown straight out of the window when the head chef chased her out of his kitchen, threatening her to stay away from his turf. The old man even put a formal complaint against her, which was fun explaining to the said captain in-charge who seemed to have an almost permanent scowl on his face. Not the most friendly or approachable image she mused. The whole situation was so peculiar that it was kind of funny. She tried to repress the amused smile tugging at the corners of her lips as she sat across from him, to the point that her cheeks were beginning to ache. It was safe to say that the meeting didn't last for more than 45 seconds before he gruffly dismissed her.

Hinata's left eye twitched, this pissing contest between a lot of the men on their base was starting to wear her patience thin, among other things. Despite having been known for her patience this place was really testing her limits. 

So she was left with bland and barely edible food, at least her team shared her misfortune and they could joke about their situation, a captain who couldn't stand her and a dysfunctional med bay that needed a lot of administrative work. Just another day in paradise.

With a deep sigh she left the supplies closet, no amount of glaring would suddenly make it fully stocked. She needed to put some safeguards in place to make sure the supplies were replenished in a timely fashion to prevent 'low to no stock levels', that accurate records were kept and the place was organised in a more intuitive manner to help make the transition from one team to the next more efficient.

She had the work cut out for her.

Releasing yet another deep sigh, which seemed to have become her new hobby, she got down to business. 

Hinata liked to listen to the radio on a low volume during her surgeries, it helped to create a calmer atmosphere during high pressure cases and it broke up the monotonous noise of the anaesthetic machine, which was a bonus. 

They currently had a patient with an abdominal gunshot wound with a moderately damaged renal artery that required fine stitching so they put the right kidney on ice to preserve the organ until she could reattach it. Having clamped the vessel in question to prevent any further haemorrhaging she was still trying to repair the tares when she heard the gunshots. They sounded within 200 meter radius, which meant that the inner parameter was breached and it only gave them minutes to react.

She could see the paralysing fear in her staff's eyes, none of them were military trained, they were all volunteers. She needed to step in. 

She calmly proceeded to try to stabilise the surgery as quickly as possible so that she could come back to it with no detriment to the patient. She directed her staff to quickly check and replenish all of the syringe drivers with the control drugs in them to make sure there was at least 30 minutes before they had to be changed. The anaesthetic machine was already automated and she had everything at hand that she needed. 

She covered the open surgical site quickly to keep it a sterile field and hurriedly de-scrubbed, throwing the bloodied gown and gloves into the yellow waste bin as she instructed her staff to hide in the vents, helping some to get up there “Stay quiet and do not move no matter what you hear.” 

She cracked the surgery door open and quickly checked the corridors, which were empty for the time being but just as she was going to check on intensive care located further down the corridor to her right she heard footsteps from the connecting corridor to her left. Not a moment later one of the Kiri mercenaries turned the corner towards her, she ducked and quietly shut the door to not make any noise. She slid down the wall and waited for him to walk in, with a scalpel ready in her hand.

She heard her blood rushing in her ears, the strong thrum of her heart beat increasing as she felt him nearing. He kicked the door open and as he crossed the threshold she jumped into action stabbing him behind his knee, cutting the popliteal artery which made him fall backwards at an angle and with the same momentum she twisted and vertically cut his carotid in his neck before he even hit the ground, making him bleed out in seconds. She took his gun not bothering to move his body, there was no point trying to conceal it when the floor was a bloodbath. 

In that moment another mercenary turned the same corner but by the time he noticed his comrade she had already aimed and shot him in the groin where his femoral artery was located. The heavy bleeding and the bullet stuck in his hip joint immobilised him, making him stumble back awkwardly against the wall behind him, he struggled to simultaneously contain the massive blood loss and shoot at her, so she took that chance to shoot him in the head. The bullet proof vest covered major organs so she had to work around it to take them down quickly.

The first 2 soldiers underestimated the situation due to the fact that most of the medical staff were known to be civilians, they failed to take someone like her into account. She knew the next set of adversaries wouldn’t be so easy, eyeing the body cameras on the fallen mercenaries, they would be informed by now. 

She didn’t have time to warn the intensive care but she was sure they heard the gunshots, the best chance she could give them was if she tried to block the next corridor securing the 2 sections of the med bay in succession. She moved quickly running down to the corner of the adjacent hallway and could already hear shouting and movement close by. She sharply sat down and turned around the corner shooting at the 2 enemy soldiers at the end of that hall, she got one in the neck through his windpipe but the other managed to duck out and then opened fire, it sounded like a semi automatic firearm, which meant she was at a disadvantage or perhaps not too badly off as she eyed the 2nd fallen soldier she shot slumped against the wall opposite her. 

She waited until he had to reload before dashing forwards in a calculated move, grabbing the slumped over soldier as cover and resting her shooting arm on his shoulder as she aimed at the 4th one, she felt her cheek grazed by a flying bullet but she hardly felt it, she pulled the trigger and the Kiri mercenary went down, the bullet having gone through his right cheek and exiting the back of his skull.

Hinata released the soldier she was using as cover and calmly stood before checking the count of bullets she had left in her acquired firearm. Thinking quickly she assessed her situation, she managed to secure 2 of the 4 corridors, which gave them a good fighting chance. Breathing out deeply she tried to release some of the tension in her shoulder muscles before checking her watch, she still had about 17 minutes before the drugs run out and the syringes had to be refilled. 

This is when the Alpha team came in, quickly recognising their captain by his distinct features and the mask he wore with a fangs print, which he usually reserved for when he was out on missions. This meant that they must have just returned to the base. She let herself relax then, relieved to see him and his team despite him barely tolerating her. She quickly dropped the gun and raised her hand to pull her mask down.

To say that he was surprised to see her among the dead bodies of Kiri marines was an understatement. He quickly assessed her for any visible injuries as he walked towards her briskly but she didn’t seem to have any, only a superficial cut on her cheek. Relief flooded him “Any injured or down?” he asked, his voice thick, mind reeling. How was this doe eyed princess alive? 

“Not in this section of the med unit, south and west are secure. I neutralised 4 of the intruders before your team came in, there were none others.” She spoke calmly as she reported to him. He wasn't quite sure what he felt in that moment, if he was surprised he didn’t show it, the fact that she took down 4 marines without help or much difficulty it seemed and reported to him like one of his soldiers opened a pandora's box. He was taken aback, just who the fuck was this woman?

“I have to get back.” She spoke as she glanced at her watch, which was on a timer. He didn’t speak and only nodded in acknowledgement and dismissal, turning to his men he caught Genma’s eye who in response raised his eyebrow in amusement. He turned to look back at her again as she turned the corner leading to the surgical theatre. What the hell was that?

His unit was on the way back from a surveillance mission when the comms came in of an attack, they were 15min out but anything could happen in that time. The teams left at the base that were responsible for the safety of the grounds while his unit was away handled the situation by protocol, what they weren’t prepared for was the diversion tactic that the Kiri would use. It seemed their true target was the med bay, their weakest link. Upon this realisation he feared the worst. They were lead by a high profile Kiri mercenary, they called him Ao of the mist, a smart bastard and a great tactician too, whom he had several clashes with out in the field. If not for her Ao's team would have succeeded in their mission and the consequences would have been dire. Despite his opinions regarding the civilian status of the medical personnel they were still part of the team, he would put himself in harms way to keep them safe, the doe eyed princess included. 

A few hours after the bodies of the Kiri soldiers were removed from the med centre he received the report from the coroner. He didn’t need to look at it to know what it would contain, 4 efficient kills, but he flipped through the folder anyway, taking note of the photographs attached, his eyes dropping to the summary: 4 clean shots with high accuracy. But perhaps the most impressive was probably the first soldier she took down with only a scalpel, something that was barely a knife. His suspicions were confirmed that she was no ordinary surgeon. Nothing in the initial file he received on her before she even arrived at their base was out of the ordinary, she was just another overachieving civilian. 

They had no cameras in the med bay so he wouldn’t have been able to witness her skill level, to see just how good she was. The body cameras that the Kiri soldiers had were set up to only receive so no data was saved. Their personnel on the other side potentially would have seen her and witnessed the events, which posed a risk but her face was covered. However, they could still put out a hit on her head. 

He contemplated it for a moment before reaching towards the private encrypted landline to make a call to his Major but decided against it for the time being. He wanted to see what he would get out of her in the debrief without having to pull rank to find out just who the hell she was. He glanced at the clock on the wall of his office, it wouldn't be long now, to his own surprise he felt something akin to anticipation, scoffing at himself at the realisation, ridiculous. 

One of his men informed him when she arrived and he instructed them to let her in. He stood briefly and wordlessly motioned for her to take a seat across from him. She had changed from her scrubs to normal clothing, her hair was still damp from a recent shower. He watched her every move, she had this natural grace and calm that followed her, which…unnerved him, he didn’t know how else to put it but maybe it wasn’t the right word.

Clearing his throat he begun the debrief procedure, a standard set of questions about what happened. At the end he leaned forward slightly, she may have given him satisfactory answers but not what he wanted to know about her, he wanted to know answers to a completely different set of questions. 

“You are not at all what you seem to be.” He intertwined his fingers in front of him as he rested his forearms on his desk. 

“And what do I seem to be captain Hatake?” She raised her eyes to meet his. She didn’t act as if she didn’t know what he was getting at, she wasn’t going to out right lie to her practically commanding officer, she knew his level of clearance, which went above his current status. If it was otherwise she would redirect the questions but it didn’t mean that she wouldn’t enjoy taking him for a ride for a short while. 

He opened the coroner’s report “These were no ordinary soldiers and neither were their causes of death. I assume you had relevant training…” he trailed off, his mannerism uninterested but she wasn’t quite sure of it when she looked into his obsidian eyes, they spoke of something different.

“Yes sir, but I have no doubt you of all people understand, any personnel who have ever worked for specialist units have their files sealed.” She skirted around his question but knew it would be enough for him to get her drift. 

“I understand.” Black ops or the ghost unit he was sure of it, couldn’t be any other. Both of these specialty units were big enough and with enough branches for their paths not to have crossed. However, his curiosity wasn’t yet satisfied despite finally being able to fit her in one of the boxes he liked to divide and place people in. He also would be lying if he said that he wasn’t still intrigued by her.

There was a long stretch of silence, both lost in thought for a moment, before she decided to speak “I understand you may not remember me as I was in my full gear at the time but you have saved my life and not just mine but my teams.” His brows furrowed in confusion “We were on a surveillance mission near Kumo when we were ambushed, I stayed behind to give my team the best chance, we were not aware of your unit’s close proximity.” And that’s when it clicked in his mind, the turtle island, which was part of the land of lightning, he remembered getting the comms for air support for a ghost unit.

“You were the sniper on the roof.” It wasn’t a question. He remembered picking up a soldier with their black ops helicopter a few years ago. She had her lower face covered, that’s when he recalled the eyes, the same district eyes that stared back at him in this moment in time, which made sense to him now as to why he thought them familiar when she arrived to his base 2 months ago.

“I’m forever grateful for your assistance.”

“Soldiers who leave their comrades behind are no better than scum.” Her eyes widened a little at his comment, she knew this about him, he was known for it. Despite however merciless or cruel he came across he had never left a man behind no matter the risks, even going as far as disobeying direct orders, which was no mare thing in the military. The fact that he hadn’t been dismissed for disobedience speaks highly of how he is regarded by the higher ups. She lightly nodded in acknowledgment with a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips, not quite agreeing with him but she understood where he came from. They stared at each other for a long moment before he broke eye contact. 

So she was part of the ghost unit…he still had that case report filed in his records somewhere, no names are ever used except code names, standard procedure when it came to the specialty units. He’d be able to find her code name in there and dig deeper. 

“Thank you for your time miss Hyuuga, you are dismissed.”

“Sir.” She nodded in acknowledgment as she stood and exited his office quietly. 

He didn’t waste time searching for that file on his laptop, which didn’t take him too long.

“8th Dragoon.” 

It was a term which came from the nickname for a weapon, the carbine or short musket, called "the dragon," which referred to the fire that emitted out of the gun when fired, hence the term "dragon" or dragoon soldiers. It was a code specifically given to the snipers. The numbers didn’t correlated with their ranking that much he knew. 

He then tried searching for any files on the 8th dragoon and only 2 loaded. The first contained her involvement in a support mission and the 2nd was sniper ranking within the military...She had the furthest kill…’3,515m’. The gap between the recorded distances of the 1st and the 2nd rank was significant, the one below hers read ‘2,875m’, almost a 650m gap between the 2 sniper’s skills. She was…something else. 

He had never been so wrong about someone as he has been about her. But in his defence he had no doubt that no- one would believe him even if he told them what he knew of her now. She didn’t fit any profile of any current or discharged soldiers, he’s never met anyone like her. Her position and history within the military, level of skill did not match her demeanour, mannerisms, doe like disposition…he could go on.

His curiosity only grew.

He respected privacy and there was no way in hell he’d spill her background, it was not his place. However, the word got around fast about what happened, how she took down 4 Kiri marines. Questions were being asked. He released a heavy sigh, rubbing his face with his right hand. 

But none of this explained why she was here…he reached for that phone again and dialled.  

The phone didn’t ring for long before his superior answered. “I need to know who Hyuuga Hinata is and why she has been placed in my unit.” He knew he had enough clearance to ask this question without being able to see her actual ghost files. He’d spent enough time in the black ops and the shadows unit to warrant deep background checks on anyone under his watch. 

There was a long pause before Fugaku spoke, Kakashi was sure he has already been briefed on the breach that happened earlier that day. Like him he didn’t like mincing his words “She’s Tsunades, 1 of 3. Surgical rotation.” He’s heard of them, the 3 apprentices of the previous general that specialised in military medicine. “Understood.” Shortly after the phone line went dead marking their conversation as over, he put the phone down. Reclining in his chair he stared at the ceiling, contemplating the woman in question before shaking his head, it was no longer his business. The debrief was done and all that was left was to file it, he was sure that as soon as he sent it off it would be immediately sealed, no doubt about it.

The only times he would see her were break times, the canteen was shared so he’d catch her once in awhile sitting with her colleagues nonchalantly, eating and laughing at their ridiculous jokes. He wondered if any of them knew just who she was and what she was capable of. He couldn’t help his eyes straying to her whenever she was in the vicinity, this was definitely not good, not good at all, he needed to get her out of his head. Aoba and Genma were not helping the matter with their constant pestering about the said woman. He's in so much fucking trouble. 

Chapter Text

When it came to night shift duties for emergencies there were 3 of them in rotation, unless there was a major incident then the others would have to be called in too. Hinata was the surgeon oncall that night.

She was reviewing her patients in intensive care, going over the nursing notes, when they brought in the Alpha team’s injured. No severe gunshot or knife wounds but still needed immediate attention, one to the upper shoulder and one to the lower leg. She was surprised to see the captain, despite his injury he was one of the 2 men carrying the soldier with the leg wound. No extensive triage was required as they were having a quiet night so straight to the theatre they went, to assess the injuries better and treat them immediately.

His cheek was lacerated, it looked like a deep cut. She delegated the leg wound to her senior registra, “Call me if you need me” before turning to the captain as she put her gloves on and asked him to follow her into the adjacent theatre.

She could see he was agitated, people swarming him to attach monitoring equipment must have been making it worse, so she asked for the nurses to prep the sterile trays she needed and to step out. One of them pouted “You need help.”

“Don’t worry Moegi I’ll be fine, it seems like a clean wound, I’ll call if I need anything.” she smiled encouragingly. They left reluctantly, one of them murmuring ‘lucky thing’ before walking out, which she found amusing but managed to suppress her smile. 

He’s been somewhat civil towards her since the incident a couple of weeks ago so she didn’t want to give him another reason to hate her. She still couldn’t quite figure out why he disliked her so much in the beginning, nor why his behaviour towards her flipped almost 180. She experienced prejudice in the military as a woman, being easily underestimated but despite showing her skill it didn’t lessen much of the prejudice because of the systemic ‘low key’ sexism within the military. If he was sexist his opinion of her wouldn’t have changed if not worsened, so it must have been something else.

As she checked over the sterile trays she recalled the debrief she had with him, his eyes studying her intently with none of the previous detest made her feel a little self conscious, something that she hasn’t felt in many years now. What was it that made her nervous? Neither did he look at her like many of the men did, she didn’t feel objectified by him. He looked at her like he was trying to figure her out, like she was a curious puzzle. It was somewhat refreshing and perhaps still a little alarming.

“It seems like you have a fan club captain.” she teased lightly. He grunted non comically, he’s brows furrowing in clear un-amusement. This time she couldn’t suppress her smile. She helped him remove his bullet proof vest before grabbing a pair of sizzors to cut his shirt off as it would be impossible to get it off without lifting his arms, which was out of question in this moment in time.

“I’m going to give you a little shot of morphine to take the edge off.” She spoke as she wiped a patch on his arm with an alcohol wipe. She tried to keep her eyes off his bare chest and perfect abs, there was just no other word to describe it, it was a good thing she had her surgical mask on as it hid her warming cheeks. 

“Don’t need it, it’ll only make me drow…mmph…sy” she administered the shot in his bicep before he could properly protest. “Your ethics and bedside manner are questionable miss Hyuuga.” he muttered slightly annoyed, to which she only smiled and hummed in response nonchalantly.

She could see him instantly relax as the pain started to lift. She instructed him to lay down on the table to make it easier for her to assess the wound, clean and stitch it closed. But before she begun she inserted a cannula in the crook of his elbow and hooked him up to an IV drip to compensate for some of the blood loss. She then changed her gloves, cleaning her hands before putting on a pair of sterile ones.

He felt himself almost floating, the morphine lifting a lot of inhibitors but not enough for him to completely forget himself, he was lucid and could still think clearly more or less. He wanted to watch her work but couldn’t due to the awkward angle so he tried to listen instead. She wasn’t the sort to babble, which he appreciated as he hated needless small talk.

The morphine then took full effect and he could feel his breathing even out. He listened to the quiet radio music in the background and must have drifted off at one point but the one thing he didn’t notice though was himself start talking aloud.

“I hate this smell.”

“The antiseptic?” She asked, amused by his sudden comment.

He then realised that he spoke aloud, shit, he needed to concentrate to make sure he didn’t blab something else and embarrass himself. He hummed in answer not trusting himself to speak.

Her hands turned his head gently and he realised she now stood over him at the head end. Staring up at her dumbly he allowed her to position his head.

“I’ve finished with your shoulder and now will tend to the wound on your cheek. I’m going to remove your mask.” Her calming voice washed over him and despite hating removing his mask he didn’t mind if it was only her.

She didn’t cut the mask which he appreciated, it was his favourite one, he wasn’t superstitious but there was this thing that many did in the military before every mission to mentally prepare. It varied from certain habits to bringing certain items with them for ‘luck’, that something for him was his fanged mask. He wondered absentmindedly if she did the same.

She gently slid her fingers under his mask, lifting it slightly and then pulling the material down and over his chin, making sure not to catch the cut. She then changed her gloves again to prevent any cross contamination.

“Sharp scratch again, just administering some more local anaesthetic to numb the cut. It’ll sting shortly and go numb a few seconds later.” She spoke gently, prepping him. He felt a light sting, the morphine still doing its magic, then all he could feel was light pressure as she cleaned and then stitched it closed. She was gentle, he could barely feel her touch.

At the end she covered his cheek with a clean dressing and gave him painkillers and instructions to come back tomorrow for a change of both bandages. The short acting morphine having already started abating.

He lifted himself into a sitting position and pulled up his mask despite her protests. No he didn’t need a wheelchair and no he didn’t need assistance to walk back to his quarters, he was fine. Although he did find her ‘displeased’ expression amusing, it was hard not to as she was almost pouting at him…cute, a word he didn’t have in his dictionary and yet…he shook his head. She didn’t argue though, he could tell she obviously thought it would be futile.

“Just a last check over and you can go, but if you feel light headed please don’t try to stand and stay seated until it elevates.” she then draped him with a blanket "for your modesty" she teased, he huffed in response. 

In the sitting position it was easier to observe her work at a closer distance. She hit the blood pressure start button and then grabbed the pen sized flash light from her chest pocket and checked his pupils. She was nothing but professional, her touches didn’t linger, no unnecessary contact either, and neither was she affected by him. Having had experienced enough blushing medics and nurses alike during his career it was different, it made him feel somewhat at ease but a part of him was a little disappointed, realisation of which surprised him. He tried to suppress an urge to scoff at himself. 

He needed to distract himself, concentrate on something else but like a pair of traitors his eyes could’t help but to stray to her as soon as she looked away from him while she removed the IV line from his arm. Her lashes were dark and long, everything about her was…elegant…she had that uncommon traditional beauty. He looked away when she straightened, the cannula gone and only a bit of gauze where the puncture was remained with some tape to hold it in place. She then removed the blood pressure cuff and the sats probe before grabbing the paper chart to write some notes. 

A few moments later she looked up from her clipboard "And that's all, you are free to go captain Hatake." she gave a little bow in departure and turned to leave but before she walked out of the door she turned towards him again “Despite hating removing your mask, thank you for letting me tend to your wound and I’m flattered that you would consider me as one of the few that you would allow to do so.” she gave him a warm smile.

The embarrassment of the realisation that he spoke aloud again without realising it hit him full force and his ears burned red as his eyes widened in mild panic.

“For what it’s worth, I think you are very handsome under your mask.” her eyes carried a hint of amusement, clearly enjoying how her teasing remark affected him, and then she was gone.

All he could wish in that moment was for the ground to open up and swallow him whole.

“Shit…”

“The kitchen's closed so it’ll be vending machine food for me tonight.” said her senior registra Udon in defeat as his night shift begun, his predicament giving her an idea.

The kitchen usually closed at 8pm and all of the staff would be gone by 9pm…if she got permission…but that trail of thought got thrown out of the window as soon as it appeared, who was she kidding? That senile old man would sooner jump off a cliff than give her full reign of his kitchen…but then…well what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him sooo…she started scheming. Night shifts could be tough, you had to sleep during the day to make sure you had the energy and concentration during the night, people often got hungry around 12/1am so that was usually the time they would try doing break times.

She was going to risk it…she shared her plan with her staff who eagerly supported her on her brilliant idea, but the biggest issue was supplies and storage.

“I know one of the cooks, he wouldn’t mind helping us! So don’t worry about storing the food!” Moegi eagerly supplied.

“That’s great Moegi! Now for the acquiring the food itself…we can't use what's in the kitchen's storage as the head chef would surely find out and how would we replace what we used? Leaving money would be suspicious…” Hinata contemplated aloud. 

“I know a guy! A pilot! Eerr what was his name…damn…got it! Raido! We patched him up a couple of weeks ago and he did say if there was anything he could do for us he would. If we gave him the money and a list of things we needed maybe he could do a drop for us?” Said Udon, his excitement palpable.

“Guys I think we might just make this happen! Let’s do it!” Moegi pumped her fist in the air with enthusiasm making them laugh. 

Having finished her late shift at 9pm, showered and mentally prepared for their ‘midnight feast’ mission, Hinata grabbed her bag containing her knives and seasonings, which she took with her everywhere she was deployed for her surgical rotation, and made her way to the canteen around 10:30pm when it was desolate and quiet.

The doors to the canteen were never locked so it was easy to slip in, quickly checking there was no one inside she gingerly dashed to the kitchens.

Looking around the spotless space she was glad that at least they maintained it despite the food being so disappointing…she didn’t dwell on that too long before jumping into action. She checked the supplies closet and one of the fridges where the cook that was helping them said he would hide their food. It was all there, rejoicing she grabbed everything she needed and got to work, she was going to be making quite a few different dishes for their midnight feast.

The feeling of giddiness only increased as she started the prep, cutting up all of the required ingredients. It has been too long since she held her knives in her hand, her beautifully crafted folded steel babies! No one could understand her love for cooking until they have tasted her food, her team knew as they have been together the last 2 rotations. They were as eager as her if not more so, which made her smile to herself.

She quickly sent a text to Moegi and Udon, letting them know that the coast was clear and not 10 minutes later they shuffled in ready to help. Udon stood guard in case anyone walked past or tried to enter the canteen. Moegi begun setting the table before joining Hinata and helping with the prep and anything she could.

As Hinata relaxed into the comforting routine her thoughts tugged her back to what she said to her captain a week prior. She still couldn't believe she told him she thought he was handsome, her cheeks heated at the mare memory, that was bold even for her and borderline unprofessional, she berated herself. She didn't know what possessed her to do it but his response was just so...cute? You'd think that word and him could never share the same sentence but it was all that came to mind in that moment and the words just slipped past her lips unchecked. She shook her head lightly to stop her train of thought, she never allowed her thoughts to stay on the topic of said captain too long due to their stations but his lingering looks lately were starting to make it very difficult for her...could he? no he couldn't possibly...she was snapped back into reality by Moegi's teasing remark "Hinata-chan you have been staring at that tomato for the last 5min as if it has confessed it's love for you." she sputtered in embarrassment and threw the offending vegetable at her to be cut up for the salad, the younger woman only sneakered in response.

When the food was almost ready they sent Udon to get the others and one by one her staff started shuffling in. They planned the rotation of groups of staff to make sure everyone got a chance to eat during their breaks. Their shared anticipation in the room lifted people’s spirits and some couldn’t repress their laughs, Udon shushed people to be quiet so that they wouldn’t get caught.

As the food started coming out of the kitchen and being set on the table they suddenly got unexpected visitors in the forms of lieutenant Genma, Aoba and their one and only captain in-charge.

Everyone froze, caught red handed, you couldn’t tell which party was more surprised.

Hinata’s mind short circuited before she tried to act nonchalant and invited them to join like it was a regular Wednesday afternoon and they weren’t doing anything incriminating, which technically they weren’t…despite feeling like they were or as if they had smuggled contraband or something...

Genma was the first to approach with Aoba closely behind, their eyes widening at the sight of the amount of food laid out on the table. “Is that katsu curry?” he swallowed thickly as the delicious aroma wafted towards them. Hinata nodded encouragingly before she looked behind Genma to see their captain standing apprehensively a little way behind “Please join us” she smiled and everyone else held their breath in anticipation of what the usually gruff captain would say.

Genma looked back at Kakashi unimpressed “Screw him! This is our little secret rendezvous!” he and Aoba eagerly sat down and the medical team rejoiced, passing them plates of food. They wasted no time in stuffing their faces and humming their appreciation.

Hinata shuffled closer to Kakashi and gently took his elbow to direct him to one of the chairs “Eerr yeh…I could eat.” he mumbled dumbly as he willed for his ears not to turn red before sitting down and a mountain of food being piled on his plate, which he eyed wearily. Genma looked at him curiously across the table and Kakashi tried to avoid his sly looks, while Aoba was too busy stuffing his face. Kakashi was very much aware of her as she sat next to him, their shoulders bumping time to time and their knees almost touching due to the close sitting arrangement. 

The moment he tugged on his mask made the whole chattering group stop and stare, the only thing that could be heard was Genma’s and Aoba’s loud eating, until Hinata kicked Udon in the shin and he quickly redirected everyone's attention, the group looked away sheepishly and carried on with their joyful chatter.

They toasted with juice as no alcohol was obviously allowed on a military base “Campai!”

As Hinata ended up sitting next to the soldiers she got roped into participating in their conversation, with a few curious questions directed at her.

“Where did you learn to cook like this? Every spoonful is like a slice of heaven!” Gushed Genma.

“You have undoubtedly ruined the food for us here because I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get back to that old man Renji’s senile cooking.” Added Aoba in agreement. 

She laughed demurely, with her hand coming up to cover her mouth as she was still chewing.

“Well…it all started with my family’s cook, mr Teuchi, I used to follow him round until he gave in and agreed to teach me.” smiling to herself at the fond memory. 

“A family cook huh? You sure live up to your nickname of ‘hime-sama’ Hinata-san.” Genma teased, she smiled in response scrunching her nose “I really hate that nickname, it has followed me unrelentingly throughout my life, I was even accused of getting to where I am because of my surname but they clearly don’t know Tsunade-sama.” The knowledge that she was one of Tsunade’s apprentices was now widely known, curtesy of Moegi’s blunder but she wasn’t mad. It has always got out sooner or later, she just didn’t enjoy the attention it brought with it. 

Kakashi tried to concentrate on eating his food and keeping his eyes there so that he wouldn’t stare at her like a creep, his comrades having started to suspect his not so impartial sentiments towards her. But he listened to her answer Genma’s 20 questions intently. He could see how easily she must have been underestimated, him guilty of it too, but it wasn’t just her appearance but background as well that she struggled with when proving her worth. He could read between the lines despite her downplaying it. His respect for her only grew as he got to know more about her. 

He enjoyed the light atmosphere, the food even more so, it felt like one of those rare nights where he could truly relax and enjoy good company.

Their break hour came to an end too quickly but they had to get back “Thank you for your hospitality.” he nodded at Hinata, looking at her for the first time since he sat down, noticing her lightly flushed cheeks and warm smile, making him feel winded all of a sudden. He looked away and masked it with a cough as he got up to leave with the other two in tow.

“I don’t remember the last time I’ve eaten this well Hinata-san, compliments to the chef.” Aoba thanked her and her team, "Ditto" Genma added with a grin before they turned to follow their captain who was already out of the door. Hinata waved after them and her team cheered to them as they departed. 

Chapter Text

He couldn’t remember how he got there but all he knew was that it was just the two of them.

He tilted his head down to watch her as she pulled his mask down slowly, not breaking eye contact, he couldn’t look away even if he tried. Her hands then slid down to rest on top of his chest. The next thing his brain registered was a soft brush of her lips, so warm and tantalising like sin.

When she pulled back he almost followed her lips, fighting down the temptation to just take and take and take “You’ve got to tell me to leave” he murmured lowly as he opened his eyes. Her lavender pupils were dilated and her cheeks were flushed, he felt her hands fist into his shirt, and the image made his heart thunder and his gut clench with heat, in want. They were only a couple of inches apart, he could feel her warm breath against his lips when she smiled and whispered back in reply “Stay”. He leaned down instinctively to close the small gap between them and kissed her like a well versed lover. His right hand snaked around her to pull her closer while his left came up behind her head gently fisting in her midnight locks to tilt it back just so, so that he could deepen the kiss. 

He broke the kiss abruptly with a low groan to then grab her waist, making her softly gasp in surprise before pulling her up to sit her on top of the counter to make them eye to eye, her legs parted and he stepped closer. His hands slid along her thighs, gripping them hard, “Tell me to leave” he said urgently as his lips trailed along her jaw and down to bite the junction between her neck and shoulder earning him a breathy moan, she turned her head to bring her lips closer to his ear “Stay” she whispered in answer. Her legs curled around his waist as she pulled him closer still.

His alarm woke him with a start and a raging hard on. His right hand came up to rub his face in disbelief and frustration. 

“Fuck.”

Genma noticed that Kakashi’s mood was extra sour that morning as he briefed them about their next mission. Well well well…how could he pass up this opportunity? 

Once they were in the armoury he pipped up. 

Game…

“Men! Our dear captain here has got a type! I mean I’ve always suspected that you were totally into me Kakashi but I’ve finally figured it out.” Genma’s eyes narrowed and a sly grin stretched across his face, his giddy energy emanating from him in waves. All of his men looked up in interest, their reclusive captain always a hot topic if ever anything came up but this? The bomb! Even the quiet Hayate’s interest got picked. 

Kakashi scowled at him before he proceeded to ignore him, checking over his firearm. Genma’s grin only grew from his reaction. Oh this was going to be all too easy, he thought to himself. 

Set…

“That’s right.” He paused for emphasis before raising a finger for each point as he said them “a lady, competent and sweet like sugar…” he continued as he walked past Kakashi, leaning slightly towards him when he said the last characteristic. The warning look that Kakashi threw him only egged him on. It was normally almost impossible to get a reaction out of their aloof long time friend so he was going to enjoy needling Hatake until the man self-combusted. His winning bet against Aoba depended on it.

When Genma was listing the 3 traits Raidou nodded along each one and then frowned in confusion, like he was about to have an almost light bulb moment but not quite “Wait, so we know this woman?”

Aoba looked up at Genma with a shit eating grin, playing along “No…” 

“Yes!” 

“Who?!” Confused Raidou piped in eager to know the latest gossip. 

“None other than our lead medic, miss Hyuuga!” as Genma revealed the name he turned to watch Kakashi like the Cheshire Cat in anticipation for his reaction and the man didn’t disappoint. 

Match

“Shut your mouth before I shut it for you.” Kakashi growled in threat.

It was dead silent for like 5 seconds before his subordinates burst into uncontrollable laughter “It’s true!!! I was right!! See I told you!” Genma managed between gasps. 

“I don’t blame you Kakashi, half the camp got a crush on your lady.” Aoba wiped a tear from the induced laughter. 

“Woooow…I would have never thought I’d see the day our cap pining over anyone.” Raidou said in almost wonder. 

Kakashi got up wordlessly, murder written all over his face and the kill intent coming off him in waves as he grabbed his firearm.

“Oh come on cap, don’t be like that! We are totally rooting for you!” Shouted Genma after Kakashi as the said man walked out of the room. The guys carried on laughing, quickly grabbing their equipment to run after him to get geared up for their mission. Only Hayate didn’t laugh, shaking his head at the group as he trailed after them, he was going to need to speak to these idiots.

Hayate and Kakashi sat in his office hours after arriving back from having completed the mission successfully.

“You want to talk about it?” Hayate nonchalantly asked as he sat across from Kakashi while they put together the mission report. Kakashi looked up at him wordlessly with a mild scowl, however being used to it it did not deter him from continuing “In our line of work there is never telling when it’ll be our last day so we can’t have regrets. We may have out lived many of our comrades, our superiors and our friends but no one knows the time Death has set for us.” his voice may have been monotone which was typical of Hayate but those who knew him well could pick up the slight tell tell signs when he spoke of something that he truly believed in or felt strongly about. 

“How’s that advice working out for you with Yugao?” Kakashi never did pull any of his punches and Hayate despite himself winced “Working progress.” This earned him a rare laugh from his comrade and despite himself he smiled in return. The Hyuuga surgeon and him have been dancing around each other for weeks but he had trusted no one else whenever he needed any medical intervention. He'd linger behind the surgical doors when ever any of his subordinates were being attended to, waiting for her direct report instead of asking his lieutenant. Perhaps he was making himself a little too obvious to his team if Hayate has broached the subject with him. 

"The offer still stands." Hayate knew that when Kakashi was ready he will seek him out. 

Kakashi lay awake that night thinking about Hayate’s words, he knew what he spoke of innately but speaking in real terms what would these feelings achieve? She was not like the women he sometimes spent ‘brief times’ with, no strings attached. Neither did she seem the type nor had he any inclination of wanting to treat her as such.

Since he can remember he had never wanted anything serious or long term with any woman that had passed by him throughout his life let alone have a family or settle…no…it wasn’t for him. Those type of bonds only weakened you and made you vulnerable, his father being the prime example of it. He never wanted to be that weak. Your life experiences ultimately shaped you and made you who you are in the present, and he agreed. And neither repeating the mistakes of others you have observed, that was the one quality that never let him down, ‘a smart man learns from mistakes of others while the fool learns from his own’. 

She has surprised him plenty so if she was willing for something casual he would not deny her, he didn’t even think he physically could. She was…everything and more, a mare thought of her lush lips on him made him hard. 

He was unsure if the attraction between them was mutual but he suspects…their stations held him back and kept him in check.

He groaned and rubbed his face in frustration, he needed to get her out of his head. 

He woke earlier than usual for him but getting back to sleep was proving to be difficult so he got up. It wasn’t the usual time he hit the gym on their base but perhaps it would be quieter now, he needed to clear his mind.

Dressing quickly in a loose t-shirt and joggers he made his way to the gym facility.

Once he got there there was only 1 other person there, they had the hood up so it was difficult to tell who it was, he didn’t really care as he wasn’t in the socialising mood so just started on his sets.

Having finished with the weights he got on the treadmill, as he steadily increased the speed he noticed from the corner of his eye the other guy get on a treadmill a couple of rows to his left and as he started running his hood fell back to reveal the head surgeon that's been metaphorical running through his mind. The surprise and the distraction made him falter and he almost tripped but managed to right himself to lower the speed. He hoped against all odds that she had not noticed his embarrassing blunder but heard a half suppressed chuckle coming from her direction. He sharply looked up at her and caught Hinata's  bright smile, her dimples showing and he felt all air knocked out of him at the sight.