Chapter 33

In the morning, Hinata woke to the smell of food and coffee. Her entire face felt stiff, but no longer was she empty and numb inside like she'd been for the past few months. No, anxiety, terror, and anguish boiled in her chest to the point that it made her dizzy just to sit up and look toward the kitchen.

"I heard from Kosuke what happened last night. He stopped by this morning to check on you," Hira said in a calming voice when she realized the Hyuuga girl had woken up. "Come eat, Dear. You'll feel better with something in your stomach."

Tears were already in Hinata's eyes, but she shakily obeyed the woman's request. She was still in her work clothes from last night.

Frowning, the girl chewed on a piece of toast, the food feeling like sand on her tongue, 'Would Hidan have hurt me if the others hadn't been there to stop him? Why was he angry to begin with? He's the one who broke up with me!'

Hinata was confused, but more than that, she was hurt.

'How dare he show up out of nowhere and demand I give him my attention! After breaking all those promises, he should've either apologized and explained what happened or turned and left the moment he saw me.'

"Kosuke said Shinjo will give you another chance if you're interested. I told him I'd let you know when you woke. If you want the job, he asked for you to come in as soon as possible today since they're still short-handed."

Hinata's tears overflowed, and she wiped them away with trembling fingers, eyes dull and directed at the table rather than the sweet woman caring for her.

Hira's voice became even softer, "I know you probably don't want this old lady's opinion, but I think this town isn't where you belong, Sweetheart."

That had the girl meeting her eye.

The elderly woman's smile warmed, "Please don't think I'm trying to get rid of you because I'm not. It's been a delight having you here. It's just that I can see you're drowning. Everyone can. You'll never be happy if you don't get out of here."

"B-But what am I supposed to do? Where do I go?" Hinata asked in as steady a voice as possible, which wasn't much. She felt defeated entirely, especially after all the drama last night. Seeing Kakuzu and Hidan really took its toll on her psyche.

Hira tilted her head, her white hair falling gracefully over her shoulders, "Now, Hinata. You're a strong young woman. You wouldn't have made it this far if you were destined for failure. Wherever you head from here, just keep going, one foot in front of the other, until you find your home."

Her words did a little to encourage the girl, and she nodded, sniffling as she brought her tears to a stop, "Then, I-I think I'll work the rest of the week and leave when I get paid."

'She's right. This depressing town isn't where I belong. If I stay here, I'll suffocate. No matter how hard it is, I must keep moving, if not for myself, then for Hanabi.'

So, Hinata took a shower, changed into a clean set of clothing, and cautiously walked the three blocks to the diner, peeking around every corner just in case a familiar face popped up somewhere. When she entered the restaurant's employee entrance, the back door, Kosuke and Shinjo turned to look at her.

"Why didn't you tell me you were trying to hide from those men? Speak up next time. I could've really throttled you," Shinjo barked in his usual gruff tone.

With a red face, the timid girl nodded and pulled on her apron before tying up her hair in a ponytail and washing her hands, "I'm sorry for everything that happened. I swear I didn't know they would show up here."

The intimidating owner of the establishment had a busted lip, a black eye, and bruised knuckles. It was apparent Hidan hadn't left their fight untouched, either.

'Why should I care? Hidan made it clear that it's none of my business,' she cursed herself for worrying.

"You shouldn't run into those two again. They took off when I told them the police had been called. No one's seen or heard from them since, but I can walk you home after work if you're nervous," Kosuke reassured her as she peeked through the kitchen door's tiny window to see if any customers were out there. His words reassured her because, in a small town like this, word would've spread like wildfire if two dangerous-looking men like Hidan and Kakuzu were spotted.

So, Hinata took a calming breath before heading to the front and getting to work.

The only other waitress was a slim, tall woman in her late twenties named Mariko. She was a little catty and didn't care for the shy girl. The blonde woman offered a quick glare before returning to her task of wiping down a recently-used table.

No customers were currently in the diner, so she didn't hesitate to speak, "Heard a couple of gangsters came in here looking for you last night. I guess quiet, sweet little Hinata isn't as innocent as she tries to appear."

The young woman in question gritted her teeth but didn't bother responding because it didn't matter what she said; Mariko would continue mocking her. Proving her expectation correct, she scoffed, "You think you're so much better than all of us, don't you? I can't stand uppity people like you."

Hours passed. Both waitresses focused on their work, and Hinata stayed to help the two in the kitchen clean up once the diner closed at ten that night. Mariko left instead, grumbling about how she doesn't get paid overtime.

It was past eleven when the three were finished for the night.

"Want me to walk you home?" Kosuke asked as they stepped outside. The man lived in the opposite direction and rode his bike to work each day, so Hinata felt like a burden and shook her head, turning down the offer.

"Are you sure?" "I-I'll be alright. Thank you, though."

So, Shinjo drove away in his beat-up old pickup truck, and Kosuke pedaled away, leaving the timid woman alone in the dark. Her fingers tightened around her purse strap as she lowered her head and began walking on the sidewalk at the side of the road where the streetlamps actually worked.

Barely a block away, she jumped in fright when a woman cried for help across the street, where there was almost no light.

'It's not my business. Keep walking, Hinata. You'll do more harm than good if you go over there.' Swallowing anxiously, she faced forward and continued walking, albeit more quickly.

"Please, someone!"

Hinata froze once more, this time because she recognized the person's voice. It was Mariko.

With her body moving independently from her mind, she rushed across the street, putting her keys between her fingers so she might stand a chance if she had to fight someone off. 'Why am I trying to rescue her? She spent the entire day insulting me!'

Trying to keep her footsteps and breathing silent, Hinata slowed down when she came to the alleyway, listening in an attempt to gauge Mariko's location. A shuffling sound came from right around the corner at the alley entrance.

Fear threatened to discourage her, but she choked back the lump in her throat and turned, ready to fight whoever was hurting the blonde woman. Then she froze because Mariko was standing behind Kakuzu and Hidan, completely unharmed though appearing terrified.

Trembling with fright, Hinata stepped back but gestured for her coworker to run. She didn't need to be told twice and took off down the alley without looking back.

Her eyes were locked onto Hidan's hateful magenta ones, unable to look away, even when Kakuzu spoke, "We're sorry for tricking you like that, but-!" The Hyuuga woman bristled when the silver-haired man stepped forward before turning to run as fast as possible.

"Hinata, stop! Wait!" Kakuzu called, but she didn't listen.

Tears fell down her cheeks as she heard the sound of footsteps behind her. 'What am I doing? Why did I run? And why are they chasing me?' All she knew was that she had to get away from them because it hurt too much.

"Stop fuckin' running, Coward!" Hidan's angry voice came from very close behind her. He was right on her tail.

A yelp left her mouth when he managed to grab her arm, and she was so stunned that she lost her footing, and the pair fell roughly to the ground. He landed on top of her, cursing under his breath as he pushed off, grabbing her wrist and tugging her to her feet, "You pathetic piece of shit."

Hinata could barely breathe because she was panicking so much. Her knees, palms, and the right side of her face were bleeding with road rash.

Kakuzu caught up to them, "How could you tackle her, Hidan? What's wrong with you?"

Severely shaking, Hinata pulled against her ex-boyfriend's tight grasp, "P-Please…."

"What the fuck do you mean "please"? You've got some real balls trying to make me feel bad for you."

The trio was near the corner of the street, just an arm's reach away from an illuminated section where the street lamp was functioning correctly. It was too difficult to speak in her state, so the girl kept her body turned away from the pair and continued to pull with all her might despite knowing it was hopeless.

Hidan's grip slipped because of the blood, and he moved to grasp the back of her shirt instead, "What did I fuckin' tell ya, Old Man? She doesn't want anything to do with us. Let's get the hell outta here and quit wasting our time."

A loud ripping sound filled the air, and then Hinata stumbled forward, only to fall to her hands and knees under the light, her ankle twisting awkwardly in a way that guaranteed she wouldn't be able to run.

'There's no way to escape now. All I can do is hope he shows mercy.'

The Hyuuga girl remained on the ground as the two men remained silent, likely staring to see if she'd try to run again. Her entire being trembled, and she brought her arms around her middle so her torn shirt wouldn't fall forward enough for her bra to be exposed. Squeezing her eyes closed, she kept her head down and softly sobbed.

For an entire minute, no one moved or said a word.

'...Are they not going to beat me up? What're they waiting for?'

"Hinata…." Goosebumps shot up her spine when Kakuzu's voice was much closer, not to mention softer.

She looked over her spine, only to scramble away when she realized he was about to lay a hand on her shoulder. The girl tried to get to her feet, only to drop into a crouch with a tiny yelp when pain ran through her ankle.

With no choice, Hinata tried to speak, "P-Please get it over with o-o-or leave me alone!"

"What happened to you?" The older of the two men asked, his green eyes narrowing as he stood to his full height again.

"Wh-What?"

'They hunted me down in the streets, and now they're asking weird questions. What's going on?'

Hidan's glare wasn't gone, but it wasn't quite as furious, and he wasn't trying to get closer to her as before. In fact, he seemed to want to go far away from here.

"Who did that to your back, Hinata? Was it one of those men from last night?" Kakuzu knelt before her again, cautiously offering a hand, "I won't hurt you. Come on."

The girl didn't know what to think. The man had never spoken to her so reassuringly before, but he also never chased her through the streets under the cover of night. Hesitantly, she allowed him to take her hand and pull her upright.

He moved slowly to not frighten her, eyes dancing over her battered appearance, "Do you live nearby? I'll take you home."

Hinata quickly shook her head, 'I can't let Hira get mixed up in all this, not after all she's done for me.'

Kakuzu's long hair fell over his shoulder as he studied her face with a severe expression, "Tell me where to go, then."

It appeared that Hinata's already fragile disposition couldn't take any further stress, and her vision was black before she could respond.

When the girl woke again, she was in a bed with soft sheets and blankets, but she didn't move or open her eyes because Hidan and Kakuzu were speaking in hushed tones nearby. There didn't seem to be a method of escaping that didn't involve facing one or both of them, so she lay there and panicked.

"-tortured. Put aside your personal feelings for now. I think we're missing parts of the story."

"Stay and take care of her, then, but I'm not fuckin' doing it. Whether or not she got her ass beat has nothing to do with me."

Tears fell slowly to drip onto the pillow as Hinata listened to the disgust in Hidan's voice as he spoke about her. 'He said in his letter that he doesn't hate me, so why is he like this? I have no idea what's going on! What did I do to deserve this?'

His tone was even more disrespectful than what she'd heard in the past, directed at her or not. For whatever reason, Hidan was utterly livid.

"You're acting like a fool. Can't you see that?" "I don't give a damn. I'm going back to Konoha. Have fun."

"I-I thought you l-l-left Konoha?" Hinata clasped her mouth shut, gritting her teeth while wincing. She hadn't meant to speak. She was just so confused with the situation.

There was a long silence before Kakuzu spoke, a weight coming to the bed near her legs, "Sit up so I can treat your face."

Still trying to get her sniffling to stop, the girl obeyed, rising to see Hidan standing beside the door of what she now recognized as a hotel room with his arms crossed and a glare averted to the floor. The older man gently guided her to face him with a hand on her chin. It felt like he was trying to distract her from the intimidating silver-haired man.

"Why would you think we left Konoha?" He gently dabbed the cuts on the side of her face with antiseptic, making her cringe at the sting.

Hidan cursed under his breath before leaving, slamming the door behind him without glancing back. Then she was alone with Kakuzu.

'Did Hidan not tell him what he did?'

"The letter…."

"The one you sent Hidan? There was no mention of us leaving."

'...what?'