Chapter 25

The pair soon parted, Hidan taking his shoes off while Hinata fixed the covers that'd been messed up during their struggle.

Then, the sound of the window opening met their ears, and they turned to see Itachi climbing inside. She still hadn't managed to stop her tears, so when the Uchiha man surveyed her appearance, it must've looked like she was in distress.

Suddenly, Hinata recalled the phone call from Kakuzu and tried to explain before anything could happen, "Itachi, he-" It was too late. Hidan was against the wall, seething because he'd just been hit. He might even end up with a black eye.

The girl hurried across the room and grabbed Itachi's arm before he could hit him again, "W-Wait, don't!"

Uncharacteristically, Itachi glared at her, "What do you mean 'don't'? We all heard the call. It was on speaker."

'Wait a moment; he's pale.'

Hinata took a step back to look him over more closely. His hands were shaking in fists, eyes dark with anger, and jaw set in a firm line. It was an expression she never dreamed he'd make.

'He rushed over here to save me. Everyone must've thought Hidan'd kill me if they didn't stop him in time.'

She forced herself between the two young men and hugged Itachi, burying her face in his shirt, "I-I'm alright. Sorry for making you worry."

The Uchiha tensed up before slowly wrapping an arm around her, the other hand still holding a handful of Hidan's shirt. He spoke to the silver-haired man in a hiss, "I swear to God, or Jashin, or whatever, if you ever make her cry like that again….." Then he let him go and hugged her with both arms, "The others still might."

Hinata released him, pulling back to meet his eye, "Can you try to calm the others down before he goes home? Everything's fine now."

After a few more moments of reassuring Itachi that she wasn't harmed, just shaken up, he left. Hidan was silent the entire time.

Once the window was successfully closed, the girl stood before her boyfriend, gently brushing her thumb over his steadily darkening cheekbone from being hit, "Should I get some ice?"

"Hinata." For once, Hidan's voice was weak.

The Hyuuga understood that he wanted her to stop worrying about him because he felt he didn't deserve it after how he'd treated her. Honestly, he may be right, too. She didn't care because, though he did terrify and insult her, he didn't leave a scratch on her. He couldn't make himself do it if he wanted.

Sighing, Hinata pulled him toward the bed, and they cuddled under the covers. His front to her back, she held his hand between both of hers, absently tracing her thumb over it as she got lost in her thoughts.

'Laying here like this with him makes me feel like we never fought. Still, I can forgive, but I can't forget.'

"I'm not gonna cheat on you or disappear, y'know," Hidan suddenly whispered into her hair.

The girl recalled her confession of insecurity earlier and hummed softly, "Y-You can't promise that." Something could happen. He could be hurt or meet someone new that he immediately clicks with more than her.

Gently, the hand she held moved to her face, over her mouth. It felt reassuring rather than scary, though. "I promise."

Blushing, she kissed his palm, "I never expected you to take us dating seriously like this. I thought you were just messing around."

"I don't want to give you my reasons now because it'd seem like a big fuckin' lie after the shit I just pulled."

'That makes sense. If he suddenly said something nice and sweet, someone else would take it as him trying to get back on their good side. I'm not someone else, though, and he's not your typical guy.'

"Go ahead."

Hidan's arm tightened around her, his fingers slipping to loosely cup her throat, his thumb brushing her collarbone absently. For a long time, neither said a word. Still, he eventually broke the silence, "I've never fuckin' done this before. I don't know how to do it right, so I'll just say it," he paused, sounding uncharacteristically concerned about what her response would be, "I love you…. I'm pretty sure. No, I do. I'm sure as hell I do."

Hinata stopped breathing, eyes opening wide.

'Did he just say 'love'? Hidan?'

The entire time they've known one another, she understood he's not one for verbal sentiment, especially something as serious as that four-letter word. So, the fact that he said it meant a lot to her. As she thought about it, Hinata realized she felt the same way. It was her first time falling in love, so recognizing it took a long time, but after tonight, there wasn't a doubt about it.

"Will you say something already?"

"Ah, sorry," the girl gasped. The surprise had overwhelmed her thoughts, "I-I'm pretty sure I love you, too, Hidan."

The man groaned as though being tortured, burying his face in her hair in a way he'd never done in the past, "You really are too damn good for me."

Warmth spread throughout the girl's entire body. The night had begun awfully, but now they seemed even closer than before.

It became quiet, comfortable.

With the excitement dying down, Hinata realized how tired she was, and her mood fell. 'I forgot the reason he came here in the first place. He seemed like he wanted to talk about the nightmares.' She didn't really want to bring it up now. So, she pressed back against him, closed her eyes, and tried to focus on falling asleep.

"Kakuzu used to hang around while I was sleeping, just in case I woke up freaking out. Won't make 'em go away any sooner, but it helps."

Hinata smiled to herself. He was getting more apt at understanding her thought process, meaning it'll be harder to fool him in the future. She recalled Itachi saying Kakuzu sees Hidan as a son or nephew. Although unsure if it was pushing it, she asked, "How'd you two meet?"

"After they dismissed the church case, I ran away from the halfway house they sent me to. I ended up trying to steal his wallet. You can guess how that fuckin' went."

"Did he beat you?"

"Within an inch of my damn life."

She giggled softly, trying to imagine it.

"When I came to, he'd already figured out who I was," he continued, sounding less downbeat, "He said he'd kill me if I tried to pickpocket him again but brought me along when he left town anyway."

The silver-haired man's other arm slid beneath her to wrap around her waist, "We ran into Kisame about, uh, five or six years ago."

'Hidan has been a part of Akatsuki since he was approximately thirteen. It's no wonder they're so close-knit. They've been together for a long time, getting through who knows the number of dangerous situations.'

"I'm glad you found each other," she offered, genuinely meaning her words. Who knows how awful his life could've turned out by now if he'd never tried to steal Kakuzu's wallet?

"Yeah, the geezer's alright, I guess."

Hinata smiled, feeling calm and content with the atmosphere.

"This is the part where you tell me something, too, so I don't look like a sap."

'But what should I tell him? All I can think about are negative events right now.'

Hidan had gone way out of his way to be vulnerable with her, so she had no choice but to return the sentiment.

"U-Um, my mother died earlier this year, in July," though she paused, he didn't say anything, so she continued, "My little sister and I were raised by her our entire lives. Dad worked all the time. He, um, he hasn't adjusted well."

A scoff met her ears, "That's the understatement of the goddamn year."

"I'm sorry," Hinata said after losing her courage briefly, "We should talk about something else. This is too depressing."

"I didn't know you have a sister."

"Really?"

He made an affirming sound.

"Her name's Hanabi. She's been in boarding school since August."

"...If you can find out where you're being sent, I'll follow you."

As touched as the girl was to witness his loyalty, she couldn't allow it, "N-No. You should finish school and get you're diploma. Then, we'll be together again afterward."

It was hard accepting the fact that they'll be apart. In truth, it was the better option. Things would only worsen if they tried to fight her father on the subject. Hiashi would have all of Akatsuki's faces on the Most Wanted list if she ran away. Dozens of Hyuugas work in law enforcement.

Hidan's thumb stopped brushing against her collarbone, making her cringe. The last time they talked about this, she had a panic attack and asked him to leave.

"Is that really what you wanna do?"

"I-It's not because I'm okay with not seeing you, because I'm not! It's because everyone will be in danger if they do much more to p-piss off my dad. I really don't want that to happen."

"I know."

Hinata hesitantly asked, "Will you really wait?"

Rather than respond verbally, the silver-haired man warmly hummed, kissing the back of her head.

For a long time, it was silent, and Hinata began to fall asleep. When Hidan slightly tightened his hold around her, settling in as well, her eyes shot open. He was wholly pressed against her. She pictured what they must look like, which turned into her imagining something inappropriate.

Humiliated but determined, Hinata grabbed the hand around her neck and lifted it to her lips so she could kiss Hidan's palm, "Hey, um….D-Do you wanna…?"

His body tensed momentarily before he snickered, "If I ever say no, I want you to kick my ass."