Chapter 4

Hinata had trouble getting her heart rate to lower after Hidan left but began undressing anyway because she couldn't stay in bloody clothes all night. Once in more comfortable and clean clothes, she stared down at the large jacket she'd been wearing. Blood had still gotten on it. It wasn't likely to come out in the washer, so she noted the size and decided to make a trip to the mall tomorrow and buy him a new one to replace it.

Dinner was uneventful. Hiashi was busy with work, so he ate in his office. Hinata ate quickly to avoid running into Hidan or her father, then she went upstairs, showered, and retired to her room for the evening.

The timid girl struggled to focus on her studies after completing the day's homework because she couldn't stop glancing at her cell phone. What Hidan said bothered her.

"Why am I not surprised you're so fucking vanilla?"

Hinata wanted to know what he meant but was scared to find out, too. Her curiosity wouldn't let her think about anything else, so she prepared for bed about half an hour earlier than usual and hesitantly opened the browser on her phone. Because she couldn't be sure of the content she was about to research, she opted to use an incognito window. She's pretty sure her father doesn't bother reviewing her phone's history, but it'd be best to practice caution.

When she searched for his words' meaning, she was humiliated and offended.

"A word used to describe someone with little inclination to do anything spontaneous or exciting, either sexually or in general everyday life. A vanilla person will not be open to trying new and exciting things, instead preferring to remain dull, innocent, and safe."

'How could he say that to me? There's no way for him to know my preferences!'

Hinata was primarily upset because she couldn't wholly deny his accusation. It wasn't that she genuinely was vanilla. It was that she didn't know. There wasn't a way to determine her likes and dislikes without trying things, and she'd never even kissed a boy. She was angry because she couldn't, in good conscience, go up and tell him he was wrong about her. It may be a lie. It may not.

'Ugh…. It's none of his business anyway!'

The Hyuuga girl glanced at the closed door of her bedroom before bravely clicking one of the many links below the word's definition. A squeak left her lips when an incredibly explicit website pulled up, a video showing examples of what could be determined as vanilla and what couldn't.

Hinata's face was burning hot, but her curiosity was too intense. She found it impossible to look away, not because she wanted to watch porn but because Hidan had struck a nerve. It felt like she'd be admitting defeat if she couldn't stand to look at those types of things alone in her room. Of all her bad traits, her stubbornness surprised her the most.

The next day, Hinata's eyes were dry from her research until the early morning hours. The only reason she finally cleared her browsing history and clicked off the screen was that she felt the urge to do something inappropriate and refused to allow it to happen.

'It turns out that it gets easier to see that stuff the more you're exposed to it,' she bitterly mused.

Her eyes were much too dry for the contacts she always wore, so she slid on her glasses. It was rare to see her in them because Hiashi didn't want people to know her vision wasn't perfect. In his twisted and unhealthy opinion, the family name would be tarnished if the public discovered her genetics weren't flawless.

The girl didn't understand why he felt so strongly because more than fifty percent of the world's population wears some sort of corrective lenses.

Sighing sleepily, Hinata trudged out of her room and into the bathroom down the hall to brush her teeth. Her eyes fell closed as she did. If it were up to her, she'd return to bed and get more rest, but her body's natural clock wouldn't allow it.

"G'morning, princess," Hidan's exhausted voice came from the open doorway of the bathroom.

Hinata was too tired to argue with him, so she simply made a sound of acknowledgment and continued brushing her teeth. She did open her eyes to stare down into the sink, though.

In her half-awake state, she sensed him approach and watched his hand cross her vision to grab his toothbrush and toothpaste. Politeness was ingrained into her being, so she stepped to the side so the boy could also use the sink.

It was silent, the only sound being them brushing their teeth for a minute.

The timid young woman's eyes became heavier again, and she struggled to keep them open until Tenten's voice suddenly rang out loudly from the doorway, "Hinata! What are you doing?"

The girl turned her head, stepping back so she could see around Hidan, grumbling sleepily past her toothbrush, "Mmrushing my teef. Whai?"

Her best friend's pretty brown eyes danced between her and the tall silver-haired man at her side a few times before she frantically shook her head, "Uh…. N-Nevermind! See you downstairs."

Hinata was confused by Tenten's odd behavior but didn't have the energy to care all that much. She faced the sink again and rinsed her toothbrush before getting a mouthful of water to swish around her mouth. After spitting it out, she rinsed the sink out and groaned, rubbing her eyes under her glasses and deciding to look for some eye drops.

She knelt in front of the tall storage cabinet across the room from the sink and searched the shelves for the correct item, only to hiss and drop the tiny bottle of solution when she tried to use her injured hand to open it once it was located.

The sound of the sink being turned on met her ears, and she glanced over to see Hidan bent over the counter. A moment later, he turned and looked down at her with tired magenta eyes, "Where're the bandaids?"

The realization that she was in a bathroom with him finally hit her, and a bright blush met her cheeks, but she pointed at the top shelf.

Hidan reached over her and grabbed the large first aid kit before sitting cross-legged in front of the Hyuuga girl.

When he grabbed her hand, her kneeling stance was thrown off-balance by her surprise, and she fell gracelessly onto her butt, "H-H-Hidan…?" The young man rolled his eyes, reaching behind him to close the door so no one would walk by in the hall and see them.

'He thinks I'm worried about that?'

Hinata's fingers trembled slightly as he unraveled the gauze from her injured hand so he could change the bandages. It appeared he was quieter when tired because he didn't bother taunting or cursing at her and simply focused on his task.

She watched his hands move expertly, stunned in silent awe. Long fingers were calloused and sure, but he was careful not to hurt her. Her eyes glazed over as she observed the process.

"Didn't know ya had glasses."

The Hyuuga girl jumped in shock when Hidan suddenly spoke, breaking her daze so she could realize he'd finished rewrapping her hand with fresh bandages and gauze and was putting everything back into the first aid kit.

She flexed her fingers, momentarily admiring his work before gazing at him, "Oh! Um, yeah. I try to keep it a secret." Her blush was still aflame, and his mention of her lenses only worsened it.

The pink speckles in Hidan's eyes were more noticeable than usual when he looked at her face with an annoyed air, "That's stupid."

Suddenly, Hinata was reminded of what he had said to her yesterday and what she'd spent the night researching. Her brow furrowed as she got to her feet, opting to escape rather than stay and face the young man, "Thank you for the help." She didn't spare him a second glance because he might've seen her face if she did.

"Fuckin' weirdo…."

She heard him mumble but didn't acknowledge it. Instead, she turned into her room and locked the door behind her.

When crossing the room to her dresser, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in her vanity's mirror and froze in horror. Tenten's strange behavior earlier suddenly made sense. Hinata was still in her pajamas: a thin-strapped tank top and shorts. The left-side strap of her shirt had even fallen loosely over her shoulder. She wasn't even wearing a bra!

The mortification nearly caused her to faint, but she somehow held onto her consciousness and dressed quickly. Her goal was to escape the mansion as soon as possible so she wouldn't chance another run-in with Hidan before she could make peace with her embarrassment.

Downstairs, she grabbed Tenten's arm and dragged her outside. Only when they were at Hinata's car did she release the taller girl.

"Figured it out, didn't you?" The brunette giggled at her humiliated expression. The pair climbed into the vehicle and sped away toward the mall.

Upon arriving, Tenten dove right into the girl talk, "So, how was your first week? Sorry that I've been so busy with Archery club."

Hinata smiled softly, leading the way into a men's clothing store to shop for Hidan's jacket replacement, "Don't apologize. It's been, uh, interesting."

Tenten absently browsed a nearby rack while her friend set her sights on the item she wanted and began searching for the correct size, "Uh oh. What happened?"

The young Hyuuga woman didn't dare lie to her best friend, so she told her honestly all that'd happened in the past six days, minus a few details like Hidan helping her at school and that morning.

When she was finished, the taller girl whistled, "Sakura and Ino have been like that for as long as I can remember. You should just tell the principal, avoid them, and hopefully, this'll all blow over."

Hinata nodded, walking to the checkout area to purchase the clothing article. It was a pretty standard man's jacket, a gray just slightly darker than Hidan's hair, with a strip of white lining the pockets, zipper, and hood.

The pair shopped for some items for themselves for a while. It didn't bother Hinata that Tenten didn't offer to talk to her bullies because she understood it'd be too dangerous. Sakura and Ino were the most popular girls in school. If things came to blows, they'd easily outnumber them.

The pair traveled to the food court for lunch a little after noon. After getting their meals and sitting, Tenten smiled mischievously, "Do you have anyone you like yet?"

Hinata blushed but nodded.

Her friend perked up, "Really? Who is it?"

The shyer girl lowered her voice, leaning forward so she could still hear her clearly, "N-Naruto Uzumaki."

Tenten's response wasn't what she expected. Rather than squeal excitedly, she raised a confused brow, "Him? I thought you were gonna say Hidan or Sasuke."

Hinata's face burnt wildly, "W-What? No! Hidan's way too…you know, and I've never spoken a word to Sasuke. I don't know why he gave me his number."

"So it really is just a rumor, then, about you and Sasuke? Shame. I think you two would look cute together. It'd be nice to see someone finally steal him from his fan club, too."

"Hey, guys! What's up? Doing some shopping? I like your glasses, Hina. They look cute on you!"

Both girls turned their heads to see none other than Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha approaching. They shared a surprised glance before Tenten saved the day, "We are. Do you guys wanna join us? We just sat down."

Hinata gave her a wide-eyed look, but the girl pretended not to notice.

"Sure! Sasuke, go ahead and sit. I'll get the pizza," Naruto's smile gleamed as he turned to hurry to retrieve their lunch. Sasuke wordlessly walked around the table to sit beside Hinata, his hands in his pockets and his usual almost-angry expression.

The two girls at the table were having a silent conversation with their eyes. Tenten was encouraging Hinata to say something to the Uchiha boy while Hinata was internally screaming at her friend for forcing her into such an uncomfortable situation.

"You went to a private school, right?"

Hinata looked at Sasuke with wide eyes, surprised to see him looking at her, though his face didn't betray any emotion. Slowly, she nodded, "This is my first time in public school."

"You're Hiashi and Yua's daughter. I thought I recognized you."

The Hyuuga girl's brow furrowed in confusion, "Do you know me from somewhere other than school?"

Sasuke made a slightly irritated face before it fell neutral, "It's been a long time, but our parents used to make us hang out when they'd get together for lunches and stuff. I think we were five or six the last time."

Hinata's mouth fell open in disbelief as his words dug up memories she'd unintentionally buried. He was right. She recalled walking between two dark-haired boys, each holding one of her hands as they ran through a large yard searching for frogs in the wet grass after heavy rainfall.

Her hands moved independently, and she reached forward to grab one of his, "Y-Yes! I remember you now! I can't believe it, after all this time!"

The corner of Sasuke's mouth tugged into the slightest hint of a grin, "I wasn't sure if it was you or not. Your hair's a lot longer."

"I guess it is, huh? How's your older bro-"

Naruto arrived with a large tray with two plates of pizza, interrupting the pair's catching up, "Aren't you two chummy! Should Tenten and I give you some space?"

Hinata looked at him with wide eyes, then at her hands, still holding Sasuke's excitedly. She released it with a blush, "I-It's not like that!"

The four students casually ate, chatting and catching up. Everything was going swimmingly until Naruto ruined it by not reading the room and bringing up what'd happened at school yesterday, "How's your hand, by the way? Konan said you hurt it, and that's why you left class."

The hand in question tightened into a fist, and Hinata gingerly pulled it off the table and down onto her lap, where it was out of sight. Her face warmed with discomfort, "I-I, um, I'm alright. It's nothing to worry about."

She met Tenten's eye, silently begging her not to say anything, but it was futile.

"She's lying. Sakura and Ino put razors in her notebook because they saw her walking with you and Naruto, Sasuke. They've been bullying her for days. You should take responsibility and tell them to back off."

The two boys looked at Hinata with wide eyes, but the Hyuuga girl glared at her best friend, "Tenten! It's not his fault-" "No, it's not, but he can put a stop to it, can't he?"

Humiliated tears welled in the timid girl's eyes, and she stood, avoiding the stares of the two awe-struck young men, "That's enough. I'm leaving. Do you want a ride or not?"

Tenten looked just as angry and crossed her arms, "If you want to be a coward and let them keep walking all over you, then fine. I'll find my own way home."

Hinata dipped her head, mumbling, "Excuse me," before grabbing her bags and hypothetically fleeing the scene. Her tears overflowed the moment her back was turned, and she headed toward the exit with her head low.

While stepping out through the entrance, she ran smack into someone's chest and stepped back, "I-I'm sor-" Her lips clamped shut in surprise when she looked up to see Hidan staring at her in shock.

Two tall young men, appearing a year or two older than them, turned to give him a confused look; the one with dark blue hair asked, "Do you know her or something?"

Hinata didn't know what came over her, but all the frustration she'd been bottling up over the past week at Sakura, Ino, Tenten, Hidan, and even her father finally boiled over, and she glared at the silver-haired man. She was still angry at him for his "vanilla" comment.

Hidan's eyes narrowed dangerously as he picked up on her attitude shift.

Hinata bit at him, "Of course, you'd be here right now. Every time something goes wrong, you show up."

The two men looked surprised at her audacity, but Hidan just looked pissed off. He grabbed Hinata's wrist, the one connected to her injured hand, "Who the fuck do you think you're talking to?"

She tugged against his hold, but he didn't release her. A few others entering and exiting the mall slowed to watch their argument. "I'm talking to you, Hidan. What's your problem with me, anyway? You always have something to say, some comment to make me feel bad, and I'm tired of it."

'What are you doing? He's dangerous enough as it is. Why are you trying to get him angry? You're gonna get hurt!'

Proving her point, Hidan grabbed the front of her shirt, pulling her closer as he lowered his face to glare directly into her eyes. His voice was deep and laced with poison, "My problem is that you're a spineless little rich bitch. You're so pathetic it disgusts me."

Hinata's anger faltered, her fists loosening slightly as she comprehended his harsh words. It seemed she'd pushed him too far because Hidan continued when he realized he'd struck a nerve, "Are you gonna cry again? Are you gonna call your Daddy and have him fix everything?"

Tears did well in her eyes, but she didn't let them fall. No, Hinata searched his face, carefully contemplating her following response, "Okay." She yanked her wrist free, and he let her, his glare still blazing with ire. Then, she tossed the bag containing the jacket she'd bought him at his chest. He caught it with one hand. "Here. Your other one's ruined."

Hinata acknowledged his two friends, "Sorry for causing trouble. Please excuse me."

Then she stepped around the silent trio of young men and crossed the road in the direction of the row where her car was parked.

The Hyuuga girl kept it together all the way home until she made it to her bedroom. Once the door was closed and locked behind her, the dam on her emotions crumbled, and she burst into tears. In one day, everything went horribly wrong.

Tenten was mad at her. Naruto probably thought she liked Sasuke when really she liked him. Sasuke likely thought she was weak because she was being bullied by his fangirls and tried to hide it. Finally, her and Hidan's relationship had finally been clearly defined.

The way he treated her over the past week was too confusing. One moment he acted irritated by her mere presence, and the next, he was coming to her rescue like a cursing knight in dented armor, but a knight nonetheless.

They're not friends or even acquaintances. No, they're opposites and not the good kind that attracts.