Chapter 9

Once everyone was done swimming and the sun had set, everything was packed up and taken inside so they could verify they were ready to go. Neji, Itachi, and Kakuzu, who Hinata finally learned the name of, didn't drink, so they could drive. Sakura and Naruto did drink, but they planned to hang back until they were sobered up enough to drive. Sasuke was stuck waiting with them because Naruto had carpooled with him.

Hinata wasn't drunk, per se, but she was tipsy. When it gets hot out, it's hard for her to eat much because it makes her nauseous, so the two cups of whatever they were all drinking affected her on an empty stomach.

Sasori, Deidara, Itachi, and Kisame left in Kisame's big Jeep, saying their goodbyes exhaustedly after spending the day in the sun. Hinata's brow furrowed as she searched her bag, crouched down to sift through it.

"Lose something?"

She looked up to see Sasuke kneeling at her side, the bridge of his nose a little red from the alcohol. A small laugh passed her lips, and she raised a hand to cover them, "Yeah, I can't find my keys."

Typically, the Uchiha boy might glare at her for laughing at him, but instead, he smirked and appeared to be holding back a laugh himself.

"Didn't Tenten use them to get her sunglasses out of the car earlier? She might've misplaced them," Konan asked. Hinata rose to her feet, turning to look at the girl in question, who was drunkenly passed out on the sofa. She'd gone a little too hard on the drinking.

With a sigh, Hinata mumbled, "I'll go check the beach," and went outside.

On the deck, Hidan and Kakuzu were standing and talking, the latter smoking a cigarette while the former continued to drink. The girl didn't spare them a second glance before descending the steps and jogging down to the beach with her phone's flashlight on to search the sand for her keys.

The clouds above had thickened to the point that the moon and stars weren't visible. If they didn't want to get caught in the rain, they needed to all leave soon lest they be forced to stay the night.

About five minutes into Hinata's search, she physically jumped when Hidan spoke from behind her, "What the hell're ya doin'?" He seemed coherent, but his manner of speaking was even more relaxed than usual.

Hinata frowned, returning her gaze to the sand, "I lost my car keys."

The young man didn't verbally respond and simply followed her around as she searched, his eyes dancing from the dark water of the ocean to the sky, then back to the sand. Ten minutes passed, and they were nearing the far side of the beach, but they still hadn't found the missing keys.

Hidan suddenly began to speak, "Hey, princess. Do ya-" He was cut off by a startlingly loud thunderclap followed by a heavy downpour of rain. Hinata's spine straightened, and she squeaked when lightning flashed over the ocean, grabbing the silver-haired boy's hand and pulling him along as she dashed for one of the shallow caves for cover.

The pair was completely soaked by the time they made it, both breathing heavily from running. Returning to the house would take over five minutes because they'd wondered so far while searching. Hinata shivered, her arms around her bare torso as she watched the rain with worried eyes. She had her button-up shirt on, though she had yet to button it, and her shorts.

"This is bullshit! How long d'ya think it'll last?"

The girl glanced at Hidan, only to be distracted by his wet shirt clinging to his torso. When he noticed, he looked her way, and she quickly averted her gaze out to the beach again, "I-I don't know."

'God, I can really feel the effects of the alcohol right now. The timing couldn't be worse.'

Her phone began to ring, and she answered it when she saw Sasuke's name, "Hello?"

"Hey, where'd you go? It's storming like crazy out there. Everyone's freaking out thinking you and Hidan drowned." Hinata's lips tugged into a slight grin. His voice was more relaxed than usual. It appeared that Sasuke didn't handle liquor well.

"We're just stuck in one of the caves. We'll head back up when the rain slows."

There was a long pause before he responded in a quieter voice, "You don't think he'll try anything, do you? I can come look for you."

Hinata's face warmed, and she quickly declined his offer, "N-N-No, that's alright! I'll be okay. Just stay inside where it's warm."

The call ended, and the girl glanced at her company to gauge if he'd overheard. It appeared he hadn't. When she slid her phone into her back pocket, he surprised her by holding out his cup, not looking her way, "Here. It'll warm you up."

Looking for any way to distract herself from the warmth in her stomach, she snatched up the cup and quickly drank what remained inside. Hidan snickered, "Damn, princess, take it easy. I don't wanna have to carry your ass back to the house."

Hinata sighed, sitting cross-legged to watch the rain more comfortably, her hands on the stone ground behind her. The silver-haired man followed her example, resting his elbows on his bent knees rather than crossing his legs. In her peripheral, she couldn't help but be uber-aware of him.

The rain was coming down so hard that it was hard to see more than a short distance, meaning the house's lights were lost in the chaos. Lightning struck again, this time closer, and Hinata flinched when thunder shook the air. Shivering, she came forward to hold her arms around herself again, hoping to mask her discomfort.

"You're shaking like an angry chihuahua." Hidans voice was amused.

He turned to press his back against the cave's edge, facing Hinata with a half-drunken grin. She turned her head to frown at him, only to freeze when their eyes met. The pinks and magentas of his eyes seemed darker than usual in the near pitch-black atmosphere. Without realizing what she was doing, Hinata crawled over to sit between his legs on her knees, drunkenly mesmerized by his face. It was rare that she dared to hold his gaze for so long that the finer details of his features could finally be studied.

Alcohol fueling her lack of inhibition, she breathily observed, "You're pretty…."

Hidan's smile faltered, irritation replacing it, "I'm a man. I'm not pretty; I'm handsome." Hinata continued to stare, not having a response. He frowned, sitting straighter to glare, "Say it with me. Handsome."

The usually timid girl smiled amusedly, "No, you're definitely pretty."

Hidan simply glared at her for a silent moment before looking her up and down, "Don't piss me off, princess. I'm not in the mood."

Flashes of heat crossed Hinata's memory, tiny ghosts of how it felt for his lips to press against hers, how he tasted. Her eyes instantly dropped to his mouth, remembering how demanding he'd been.

'Don't do it, Hinata. You're drunk, but you're not that drunk,' she warned herself when her eyes dropped even lower to his neck, where his wet hair clung to damp skin.

Her mind said one thing, but her body said another, and she found herself rising to press her hands against his chest and shoulder, lifting her gaze to meet Hidan's eye again. He was still frowning, but the anger had left his face. He simply watched her struggle with herself, not moving in any way.

'...It wouldn't be all that bad to kiss him, would it? I mean, he didn't seem to mind last time.'

So, she kissed him.

It wasn't the hesitant way she'd done it last time, either. No, she exhibited a confidence that surprised even herself. The hand on his chest slid up when he reacted, kissing her back, cupping the side of his face so he'd remain still as she tilted her head slightly, pressing her tongue past his lips.

"Mm…" A low, attractive loud came from Hidan, but the girl didn't respond because he didn't push her away.

He ran a hand slowly up her arm, shoulder, and neck to wrap his fingers in her hair, his nails slightly grazing her scalp in a way that felt good to Hinata. As their tongues danced, she realized it was a more feverish tango than they'd done in her bedroom. The shivers in her body slowly faded because Hidan was warming her up.

The air in her lungs disappeared when he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her flush against his front. Half-surprised and half-aroused, a slight sound came from her mouth, ending their kiss. Dark magenta eyes searched her face as the hand at the middle of her back slid down and under her shirt, fingers brushing her bare skin daringly. Goosebumps trailed up her skin, her lips parting slightly.

Hidan's gaze drifted down to them, his voice raspy and low, "You just can't help yourself, can ya?" He kissed her lips softly before smirking when a blush finally met her face.

'What am I doing! Why did I attack him like that? I was so angry when he did it in my room, but here I am, doing the same thing.'

Hinata didn't have a moment to act on her panicked thoughts because the young man dipped to press his lips against her collarbone, causing her to fumble and grab onto his shoulders with both hands, "H-Hidan!"

He chuckled against her skin, "Don't act all shy now. You fuckin' started it." His hand traveled higher, to the middle of her back, where he applied more pressure so she couldn't pull away, and returned to tasting her skin, moving up from her collarbone to her neck and shoulder. His other hand grabbed her wrist to keep her still.

A strange heat was pooling in her lower abdomen. It flared hotter with each thing he did.

'This feels even better than last time. It must be the alcohol,' she guiltily mused, her eyes slipping closed as she begrudgingly stopped resisting.

Hidan traveled slightly higher, his nose brushing just beneath her earlobe and sending a shiver down her spine. He snickered, his breath tickling the girl's damp skin, "You're so easy to fuck with, Hinata."

Her name on his lips had her eyes shooting open, and he pulled back to search her face with a cocky smirk before lifting his chin slightly, "Still think I'm pretty?"

Hinata's eyes widened before she drunkenly smiled, holding back her laughter, "Is that what that was all about?"

Hidan's glare returned, kissing her once before biting in annoyance, "Why the hell would you call a guy pretty? You're so fuckin' weird. That's like calling you handsome."

The Hyuuga girl laughed, bravely pressing her forehead to his, "You don't think I am? I'm offended."

His eyes widened, and he pulled back to stare at her face, making her respond with the same reaction. After a moment, he laughed, tilting his head to tease her, "You're even more annoying when you're drunk. You know that?"

Feeling like their little makeout session was over, she released his shoulders and scooted back to sit on her bottom where she was no longer between his legs, rolling her eyes, "You're the same as always."

Hidan looked over her appearance, from her bent legs to her chest, to her irritated, red face. Then he surprised her by coming up to his hands and knees, making her lean back slightly when his face came too close, "We should come up with a safe word."

Hinata shook her head, confused, "S-Safe word?" She had no idea what he was talking about.

He came closer, making her give up and lay back, hovering over her with a hand on her waist, "Y'know, a safe word, like when you actually want me to stop."

"W-Why would we need that?" Hinata blushed, pressing against his chest to try and earn some space.

Hidan's hand jumped from her midsection to her throat, his thumb lifting her chin so she'd be forced to raise it and meet his gaze more firmly, "I gotta strong inkling you're one of those pampered rich girls who just love fuckin' around with boys their daddy doesn't approve of."

Hinata's blush warmed a million degrees hotter, and she shoved against his chest more forcefully, but he just smiled wider. She still chastised him, though, "Stop saying stuff like that! It's not true. Get off me!"

Rather than oblige, he kissed the daylights out of her. When she tried to shove him again, he caught her wrist, held it to the ground near her head, and deepened the kiss.

A moment later, he put his weight on that hand so he could use his other to run up her side. Her wrist pressed against the uneven stone ground. The pressure from his weight was too much, and she felt it would break. It seemed like the stone was digging into her skin, too, so she might've begun bleeding.

The girl made a pained sound that was lost between their lips, so she tapped his shoulder.

'What is he doing? It hurts!'

She tried to pull away to yell at him, but he wouldn't let her. Tears rose in her eyes in response to the pain on her wrist and the fear that he wasn't stopping when she clearly wanted him to. In a moment of panic, she reared back her fist and hit him. He paused enough for her to slip out from under him, kicking his chest so he'd stay back.

Tears fell down her cheeks as she cupped her injured wrist with her opposite hand. It was throbbing painfully and bleeding from a few minor cuts on the back of it. Hidan was livid, but so was she. Where anger was his only emotion, she was also scared and somewhat betrayed because she thought he'd come to finally respect her.

'I guess I was wrong. He's selfish and greedy. There's no way he can't tell how uncomfortable I am.'

Brow furrowing, her anger temporarily lost the battle with the feelings of betrayal, and she stumbled to her feet. Hidan's eyes widened when he looked at her hands, as though he'd finally realized he'd physically hurt her, but it was too late. Hinata turned and ran out into the rain toward the house.

It took almost ten minutes for her to blindly find her way to the house, and she was dripping with water, heavy tears only adding to it. Almost everyone was gone when she went inside, except Tenten, who was still asleep on the sofa, Kakuzu, Neji, and Sasuke. The others must've found guest rooms to sleep in.

The three young men looked up when she shut the door behind her, and she tried to keep her face turned away as she walked hurriedly toward the staircase. Sasuke grabbed her wrist, "Hey, what-" Hinata made a slightly pained sound, turning to face him with a wince because the one he'd held was the injured one.

His dark eyes widened, and he released her, only realizing what was wrong when he looked down to see the slight swelling, discolored skin, and blood, "What happened? Where's Hidan?"

Hinata's tears overflowed, and she drunkenly broke into tears again, no longer feeling light-hearted and happy in her inebriation. The terrified girl dipped her head, lifting her uninjured arm to cover her eyes.

Sasuke awkwardly stood there for a moment, obviously not having a clue what to do, but eventually wrapped an arm around her shoulders and guided her to turn around toward the stairs, "Come on. Let's find a change of clothes before you get sick."

She sniffled, trying to regain her composure, but allowed him to lead her up to one of the large bathrooms, where he located a towel and placed it over her shoulders. She gingerly lifted a hand to it, wiping her tears as she hiccuped. The boy sighed, squatting in front of where she sat on the closed toilet seat.

"You're totally drunk, aren't you?"

Hinata nodded, opening her eyes to see he was focused solely on drying her hair with the towel with his jaw flexed.

A knock came at the door, and they both turned to see Sakura there with wide eyes, "What happened!"

She hurried over to kneel beside Sasuke, holding her hands to wordlessly ask Hinata to show her the injured wrist. The Hyuuga could only sniffle but shakily allowed the pink-haired girl to inspect it.

Sucking in some air through her teeth, Sakura gently turned it in her hand, "I don't think it's broken, but you should still try to let it rest for a few days," she glanced at Sasuke while standing, "I'll get some ice. Do you need anything else?"

He nodded without looking her way, "Dry clothes." The pink-haired girl's lips thinned, but she nodded once and disappeared.

When they were alone again, Sasuke paused in his task, both hands cautiously cupping Hinata's face to force her to meet his eye, "Are you alright?"

'You have to get it together. You're making everyone worry. Suck it up, Hinata,' she thought.

So, she nodded, frowning and forcing the tears to slow. Sakura soon reappeared, this time with Naruto in tow. The blonde looked at Hinata and hurried to her side, "Did Hidan do this?" His usually sparkling blue eyes were dark. It was her first time seeing him angry, and it was unsettling, to put it lightly.

Hinata thought about what happened, clenching her hand into a fist. Though she was still drunk, scared, and hurt, she shook her head. Something told her Hidan would never do something like that again. Before she ran away, the look on his face was the most sincere expression he's ever shown, and it was dripping with the others would only create more animosity. The group of teenagers had enough of that in the past month.

'I'm not forgiving him just because he feels bad, though. He went too far.'

Naruto and Sasuke shared a look before the blonde turned to Sakura, "You got this?"

The pinkette nodded, waving dismissively, "Yeah, get out of here."

When the door shut behind them, Sakura turned to start the shower before pulling two more towels from the closet, "Let's get you warmed up, Hinata. Let me know when you're done so I can wrap your wrist. I'll be right outside."

The Hyuuga girl offered her best try at smiling as she watched the taller one leave the room.

When she was done showering and dressing into the spare clothes Tenten packed, she allowed Sakura to clean and bandage the cuts to her hand before wrapping it and her wrist. Then the two girls went to a guest room, where they climbed into the large bed. Hinata didn't want to be alone, and the other two girls were preoccupied, so Sakura was her only option. Konan was reportedly drunkenly knocked out like Tenten. A few guys ensured she got to bed safely and left her alone.

'Even though what happened sucked, I can appreciate how good the people here are. Other guys might've tried to take advantage of one or all of us girls, but they've just been making sure we're safe,' Hinata mused as she stared at her wrapped hand on the pillow.

"Hidan did do it, right?" a soft voice behind her asked.

The Hyuuga girl closed her eyes, admitting uncomfortably, "I don't think it was on purpose."

There was a long pause before Sakura responded sleepily, "You lied because you don't want the others to fight, right?" Hinata's eyes reopened, but she couldn't find a response. Her bedmate reassured her with a sigh, "You're a better person than me. …I won't say anything, though."

The room became silent, and the pair of tipsy girls fell asleep, ending a very eventful day.