Chapter 46

The next time Hinata woke up, it was to Hidan telling her to get dressed so they could leave. She sleepily aided him, rubbing her eye with one hand as he slid her other arm through the armhole of a shirt. After packing her and clothes for them both into Kakuzu's car, they were on the road.

The Hyuuga woman looked out the window with a frown, 'He told me we're leaving. I just didn't expect it to be so soon.'

She turned to study Hidan's serious face while he focused on the road, one hand on the steering wheel. In the back of her mind, she appreciated the view. Shadows from the slowly rising sun made his features more profound. Truthfully, though, she couldn't spare her attraction much thought when Deidara and Gaara's whereabouts and conditions were unknown.

Before she knew it, she was being woken yet again. This time, Hidan made her eat. To both of their relief, she could swallow typical food without too much discomfort.

For the next two days, the couple drove in nearly complete silence. Hidan would speak to her occasionally, like when one of the others would text him an update or check on her condition since she couldn't talk.

Finally, in the early morning of day three, the duo arrived at a small cabin in Yukigakure. The air was noticeably colder than in Konoha because winter is the primary season for the town. It'd become easier for Hinata to walk since she'd been off her feet for a few consecutive days, so she allowed her boyfriend to pull her along as he led the way up the few stairs on the porch.

Once inside, they took their shoes off. It was a cozy little place with just one bedroom, one bathroom, a small kitchen, and a den with a fireplace. 'If we weren't here for such an awful reason, I'd be excited to spend time alone with him in such a cute place.'

Hidan tossed their bags onto the bed before nodding toward the bathroom, magenta eyes flickering briefly to her face. She nodded, entering the bedroom to find something to put on once they were done.

The man grabbed her wrist, pulling her backward, "It's just us. Fuck clothes."

Hinata blushed, allowing him to lead her into the bathroom, where they began undressing and the bath ran, 'Now is very much not the time to feel like this. Our friend is in danger! Get it together!'

So, feeling bashful and awkward, Hinata joined her boyfriend in the bath. Once they'd freshened up a bit, they relaxed in the steaming hot water. She sat with her back to his front, his legs on the outside of hers and bent.

'He's not said a word or tried anything, so he's obviously not in the mood, too. What is wrong with me? Maybe I should get some rest once we're done here.'

Hidan's fingers were loosely interlaced with his arms around her. His head rested against the wall. If she looked, Hinata guessed his eyes would be closed. Since the man wouldn't allow her to drive at all, it was only natural that he'd be exhausted. He slept maybe twelve hours over the course of three days.

With that thought in mind, Hinata gently moved her fingers against his bare thigh, twisting her torso so she could meet his gaze. He frowned, looking as tired as she expected.

'I wish he could read my mind. Let's. Go. To. Bed.'

"A few more minutes, Princess."

With a furrowed brow, the woman relented and relaxed against his chest again. Her face was bright red. 'Is it because he's been taking care of me? Is that why I can't keep my mind out of the gutter when I look at him? When did I become such a pervert that my initial idea of showing gratitude is to…well, you know?'

It was wrong. Not only that, but it was selfish to think such things. Steeling her resolve, Hinata gritted her teeth, 'I won't let myself do it. I'd feel too guilty. Why would I deserve to relax and enjoy myself while Deidara is…?' No, she decided then that she'd keep her desires at bay until they received good news from the others.

Three days pass.

The couple received confirmation that the others have narrowed Deidara and Gaara's location to a few city blocks' radius. It's to their understanding that they're not dead because they would've killed them and left the bodies when Hinata escaped.

No. For whatever reason, the enemy wanted the men alive.

All of the unknowns made it difficult for the Hyuuga woman to relax. Being separated from everyone made her anxious, as did the fact that she was going stir-crazy in the cabin with nothing to do but watch television.

On the morning of day four, Hinata woke up early and began cleaning the place because anything was better than sitting there doing nothing.

By the time Hidan awoke, she was standing on a chair so she could reach atop the cabinets in the small kitchen and dust them. They looked at one another as he stepped out of the bedroom, him mildly surprised to see her appearing so manic and her mimicking a deer caught in headlights.

"That fuckin' bored, huh?" He eventually snickered, having substantially lightened up over the past few days.

She sheepishly nodded with a red face. Hidan filled a glass with water and leaned against the counter to watch the woman, "S'pose I should've brought something to distract you."

Hinata returned to her task. She still hasn't begun talking again. To her understanding, it's best to remain silent for as long as possible in regard to throat injuries.

'I wonder if I even can speak. I haven't tried.' That was yet another thing Hinata was fretting over, whether or not Ko's attack left her permanently mute.

After finishing his glass of water, Hidan came to stand beside the chair with a smirk. Blushing wildly, Hinata allowed him to take the cleaning supplies from her grasp. Then, he made her take off the gloves she'd been wearing to protect her skin. Finally, he wrapped his arms around her thighs and picked her up over his shoulder.

The woman gripped handfuls of his shirt, inwardly cursing since she couldn't verbally protest his barbaric way of showing affection.

Feeling his firm muscles and body heat stirred a familiar something in Hinata's lower regions, causing her eyes to squeeze closed, 'Ignore it. Don't let him know how badly you want him right now.'

She was concerned he'd think terribly of her for wanting sex while their friends were handling such serious business. She was also worried he'd tease her, but that was much less powerful anxiety. The foul-mouthed man always finds something to tease her about, so she's grown used to it for the most part.

The past three days have been a true test of Hinata's self-control. It was as though Hidan's presence was all she could physically focus on. Everything seemed more attractive than usual, his scent, his appearance, his voice, and especially his touch. She half-jokingly worried that she was in heat, like an animal.

'Good God, if he could hear my thoughts, I'd never hear the end of it.'

Hidan laid her on the sofa, hovering over her with a devilish smirk, "It's boring as hell talking to myself all the time."

She accepted a kiss from him, fingers loosely holding his shirt as she took advantage of the chance to study his handsome features up close. A benefit of being mute, at least to her understanding, was that when she stared, Hidan thought she was trying to communicate. In reality, Hinata's been ogling the man since the morning after their arrival.

'No! No, stop thinking like that! What is wrong with you, Hinata?!'

The woman was pulled from her trance by her boyfriend, who suddenly seemed solemn. He brushed his fingers across her neck, making goosebumps crawl up her skin. Oxygen left her body when Hidan met her gaze again, jaw flexing amidst his mild brooding.

"You scared?"

Hinata lifted a hand to his jaw, running her thumb gently over the corner of his lips. She frowned to deny his inquiry. It wasn't a lie. His touching her throat didn't petrify as she worried it would. She was a little proud of herself for somehow avoiding that trauma.

They kissed again, more slowly this time. A light, fluttery feeling tingled about her chest and stomach. It was his fault. Hidan's gentle and cautious actions while they've been hiding threw her off. What will it take for him to return to his normal self? Hinata wasn't comfortable with him treating her so sweetly. It was appreciated until about two days ago.

'How do I tell him to stop tiptoeing around me without being awkward?'

She wanted her confident, cocky, and annoying boyfriend back. She needed that normality with all the craziness going on.

Unconsciously, Hinata slid her tongue past Hidan's teeth, brow furrowing when he smoothly responded, 'Why did I do that? I was distracted!'

Her fingers slid into his hair. Her other hand clutched his shoulder because it felt like she'd lose her cool if she released it. Unlike usual, Hidan's hair was loose and a little messy instead of slicked back and behind his ears. The unkempt look suited him well.

Hinata felt a little possessive when she imagined other women seeing him this way. 'I only want him to show it to me.' Her closed eyes squeezed as she resisted cringing, 'Stop! What the hell? Quit kissing him!'

Nervous and angry at herself, Hinata pulled away.

An irritated groan rumbled Hidan's chest. Magenta eyes narrowed as he bluntly stated, "You're pissing me off."

She sat up as he moved back, glaring confusedly to question his words. He looked over her with a frown, "Enough with this hot and cold shit." When Hinata's face turned so red it was nearly purple, he grabbed her chin so she couldn't look away, "You think I'm blind? The only reason I haven't said anything is 'cause I don't want you to think I'm pissed because of the sex."

The man's eyes remained firmly on hers, daring her to deny his impending accusation, "We're going to be stuck here whether we fuck or not. Make a choice."

'He knows exactly what this sounds like coming from his lips. That's why he didn't say anything until now,' she opened her mouth to speak before mildly panicking and closing it again. Then she searched his face while pondering his words, 'Is he right? It feels selfish to enjoy ourselves. What if we wake up tomorrow to find out someone died? I'll feel awful.'

Hidan relaxed, watching with an impatient stare as she fretted.

'But I kind of get what he's saying. We're not there, no matter what we spend our time doing. Will I feel less guilty if I spend our days hiding bored and undistracted? The only way to know for sure is for it to happen, but then it'll be too late to choose.'

Tears welled in the woman's eyes as she went back and forth.

"Don't cry. I'm not trying to fucking pressure you or anything."

'I didn't think you were,' she wanted to reassure him.

She had to settle for dismissively shaking her head. Ultimately, she felt a little rushed with him staring like that, so she hesitantly grabbed his hand. He watched as she wrote the word 'thinking' into his palm with her index finger.

The man lifted a brow but nodded. After a moment, he smirked, "Keep your tongue and hands to your goddamn self then."