Chapter 42

'We're late! I hope Yahiko's not mad!' Hinata thought as she followed Konan up the steps to the house. The blue-haired woman had taken her to get their nails done, ultimately using the time alone to fill her in on all the juicy details about her gang-leader boyfriend. 

The Hyuuga woman may never look at the ginger-haired man the same. 

According to his sarcastic yet somehow still sweet girlfriend, Akatsuki's creator is beyond doting. He showers her with gifts and affection behind closed doors. The idea brought a smile to Hinata's lips. It's not often you see men comfortable with being vulnerable. Even if Yahiko only shows Konan that side of himself, it speaks to how healthy their relationship is. The pair respects one another, too. Konan doesn't go around telling all the guys about their transgressions, and Yahiko treats her like a queen. 

For a moment, Hinata allowed herself to be a little envious, 'It'd be nice if Hidan and I were that open with each other,' but then she took it back. They may not be perfect, but they undoubtedly care deeply for one another. They just show it differently than others. 

When the pair hurried into the house, through the long hallway, and into the kitchen, chaos awaited them. Deidara and Kakuzu held Hidan's arms as though he was about to attack someone. His enraged expression hinted at that, too. 

Yahiko was quietly speaking to Kisame with what looked like a CD in his hand. Nagato and Zetsu were holding Tobi down to a chair while Itachi stood between them and Hidan. 

Kisame was the first to notice the women's arrival. His face paled, "...Hinata…." 

Everyone turned to stare at the confused woman, who took a step back, "What's going on?" 'Something's very wrong. What is it?' 

Her eyes darted to Tobi, who suddenly spoke, almost yelling, "I swear I didn't know, Hinata! You have to believe me!" 

Itachi bristled, turning to punch him and hissing with a deathly glare, "You don't speak to her." 

Konan lifted her hands in a calming gesture, "Everyone shut up and explain the situation." 

Hinata met Hidan's gaze, her chest tightening when his jaw flexed, and he looked away as though trying not to burst into tears of rage. 

Yahiko lifted the disc in his hand, "Tobi received this DVD from a man named Utsotsuki at a bar last night." 

"If I'd known who he was, I would've killed him, Hinata! I swear it! I'm sorry!" 

Zetsu clamped a hand over Tobi's mouth to shut him up, barking, "If you don't want me to cut out your tongue, shut the hell up." 

'Uso…tsuki?' The softspoken woman's hands trembled as she recalled their last encounter when he approached her and Hidan at the church in Yugakure, 'He said Dad paid him to find and bring me home. Is he still trying?' 

"He's here? I-In Konoha?" She managed to ask steadily. 

"Tobi said it was near the border of Amegakure," Yahiko replied. He looked at the item in his hand before hesitantly facing Hidan, "One of us needs to watch this to confirm its contents." 

Konan interrupted, stepping forward angrily, "It's obvious what must be on it!" 

Her boyfriend met her gaze firmly, "We have to be sure. If Hinata is being followed, this could be a blackmail attempt, meaning sensitive information may be at risk." 

"Give me the fuckin' disc or so help me, Jashin…." Hidan hissed. 

Hinata panicked, "N-No!" She hesitantly stepped forward with an outreached hand, trying to ignore everyone's stares, "I'll do it." 

This time, Konan glared at the Hyuuga woman, "You're the last person who needs to see it." 

"Wh-What? Why? Do you not trust me?" 

"Of course we trust you!" The blunette paused, her brow furrowing sorrowfully, "It's just that it's taken you this long to recover from what that man did. Watching this might trigger that." 

Tears welled in Hinata's eyes as she turned them onto her glaring boyfriend, who didn't look away this time. She shook her head defeatedly because Konan was right, "It can't be Hidan." 

"The fuck it can't, Hinata!" The silver-haired man freed himself from those holding his arms, walking up to grab his petite girlfriend's arms, "I'm watching it." 

Before anyone could stop him, he turned and snatched the disc from Yahiko, whose eyes narrowed dangerously, "I agree that it seems like a bad idea, Hidan." 

"I don't give a damn what you think," the man bit, stomping out of the kitchen without a glance back. 

Kakuzu followed after him, grabbing Hinata's wrist and pulling her along, "Come on." 

Those left in the kitchen began arguing, but the Hyuuga woman was too stunned to hear any of it as she allowed herself to be led to the den. 

She was released when the older man approached Hidan, who was crouched by the media player on the TV stand, the remote in hand, "You and I both know nothing good will come from this. Hand it over. I'll take care of it." 

'It makes sense for Kakuzu to be the one, now that I think about it. He was the first to see my scars and is trusted by both Hidan and me. He can also control his emotions far better than most under this roof.' 

It was too late. 

Just as Hidan came to his feet in preparation to fend him off, the blue loading screen on the TV disappeared, a menu popping up instead. There were dozens of thumbnails for videos, each more familiar than the last to Hinata. The breath in her lungs disappeared as she recognized the hook where the cuffs would be hung. Those bloody hands, curled into weak fists, were hers. 

Suddenly, it felt as though she was suffocating. Tension coiled within her chest as heat rose to her face. 

Scared. Hinata was terrified. Across her back, where scars proving the events had occurred rested, tingled, and burnt as though they were fresh once more. 

The two men barely paused before beginning to fight over the remote, arguing loudly so neither could be understood. 

Hinata's mind went blank just as much as it began racing uncontrollably. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes as she tried to rip her gaze from the screen, or even blink, and failed. 

'I have to breathe. Calm down. That man isn't here. It won't happen again.' The self-soothing thoughts did nothing to ease the poor woman's panic attack. 

The world around her, both audibly and visually, dulled as her sight glazed over. Hinata's chest heaved as she tried to inhale and couldn't. One moment, she was swaying, suffocating, and overwhelmed with fear and light-headedness. In the next, she was on her knees, one hand on the ground as the other tightly gripped the shirt over her chest. 

'It hurts….' 

The woman didn't know why her body wasn't doing what she wanted, which didn't aid in slowing her racing pulse. Suddenly, a hand landed on her shoulder, the other cupping her cheek and guiding her back to her knees. The ringing in her ears gave way so she could hear Hidan's hushed, concerned voice, "Hey! Hey, it's alright." 

Hinata's brow furrowed as she tried to inhale again and still couldn't succeed. She looked down at where her nails were nearly digging into her chest, tears dripping down quickly. A quiet, petrified sound managed to escape. 

"Don't! Look at me, Hinata," Hidan's voice came again, this time firmer. He lifted her chin again, forcing her to meet his eye. He released her shoulder to pry her hand away from her chest. 

It caused her trembling to worsen. 

Seeming to panic, the man brought her hand to his neck, forcing her fingers around it. He shakily pushed the hair framing her face away with his other one, trying again to talk her out of the fit of terror, "Keep looking at me." 

Warm skin met Hinata's understanding when her fingers met his jugular. For some reason, it released her trance. Her hand twitched, the other lifting to clutch a handful of his shirt. 

Magenta eyes widened in realization before he nodded, "Now breathe." 

She tried. She really did but just couldn't. A choked sob tore at her throat as she squeezed her eyes closed in an attempt to keep the overwhelming dizziness at bay. 

The hand on her cheek slid down to her throat, making her eyes shoot open again. Out of nowhere, the tightness began sinking away. 

Hidan sighed in relief when the girl shakily inhaled, tiny sounds of grief accenting her sniffles as she came forward. He pressed his forehead to hers with closed eyes, "That's it. Just fucking breathe, Hina." 

Hinata was still scared, but the man's touch and heartbeat overpowered it. 'I haven't felt like this since the night I fainted, and Dad had to take me to the hospital.' She was exhausted. 

Time passed in a lull as she cried and tried to catch her breath until it returned to normal. The chest she rested against vibrated as Hidan's quiet voice met her ears, "I'm sorry." 

That's when Hinata realized they were in his bed, curled up under the covers. Just by his tone, she could tell that he, too, was thinking about the last time she was in this state. It's likely he was cursing himself for not sticking around back then to make sure she was okay. 

Now that her pulse had evened out, she mumbled into his shirt, "No. I'm sorry." 

'I'm humiliated. He probably thinks I'm crazy now. This is exactly why I asked him to leave last time.' The fear was replaced with shame, if only temporarily. 

Rather than cuss her out as she expected, Hidan seemed to pass over the fact that they both knew he didn't want apologies. Instead, he ran his fingers through her hair, returning his hand to the back of her head to keep her close, "Is it that bad all the time?" 

A negative sound left the embarrassed woman, "No. It's only happened a couple of times." 

Hidan remained silent momentarily before muttering, "Don't fucking scare me like that." 

Hinata's eyes crept open to see the black shirt covering his chest. Simultaneously, the couple pulled back to meet gazes. 

'The guilt's all over his face.' 

It was apparent he regretted losing his temper earlier. If he'd been more sound of mind, he might've recognized the signs of her anxiety attack before things got that out of hand. She didn't see him disregarding her requests like that again soon. 

"In the future, tell me if you…." he trailed off, clearly unsure how to say it without sounding out of character. 

She nodded somberly.