Chapter 10

Kakuzu took Hidan and Yahiko home before anyone else even woke up, leaving Hinata, Tenten, Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto, and Neji at the beach house. Upon waking and discovering what'd happened last night, Tenten fretted over her best friend like a worried mother. Neji drove back, offering politely so Hinata could continue resting her injured wrist.

When everyone was finally home, the Hyuuga girl drove herself to the family physician and received confirmation that she hadn't broken her wrist but was warned to keep it wrapped for a few weeks.

She spent the rest of the day running made-up errands, like washing the car, stopping by the office supply store for school supplies, and similar things. Honestly, the girl was just trying to waste time so it'd be time to go to bed when she returned. Her stomach was too knotted to think of eating dinner, so she stayed out until it was well after dark, asking the maids she ran into on her way upstairs to please keep it a secret from her father when he returned on Wednesday.

When the door to her room was closed behind her, she hesitated but chose to lock her door. The anger toward Hidan had faded, leaving only her hurt feelings and anxiety at having to face him. Whether he tried to visit her overnight or not, she didn't know.

In the morning, Hinata felt awful. Her throat was so sore that it was excruciating to simply swallow water. She was so exhausted and sluggish that she was running behind. To her relief, Itachi and Neji didn't say anything, and they parted ways as they always do after arriving at school.

'If I stay home claiming to be sick while Dad's away, he'll think I'm playing hooky,' Hinata rested her head on her crossed arms as she waited for Mr. Oro's class to start. All she wanted to do was sleep but held on to her consciousness with all her might.

"Hinata, are you alright?"

Sakura's voice met the girl's ears, and she lifted her head, smiling softly, "I'm a little under the weather, but I'm okay." The pink-haired girl glanced at Sasuke in the back row of the class, and he offered a knowing look, but neither said another word on the topic.

The following few classes passed similarly, and it was time for lunch. Hinata was so out of it that she hadn't realized she would have to see Hidan until he sat on Konan's other side. Nausea rolled over Hinata as she pointedly kept her gaze on her lunch tray. The smell of food made her stomach turn, but she felt like she'd lose her carefully constructed composure if she moved. The poor girl was sweating but felt freezing cold to the point that she had the shivers.

'If I don't eat something, I'll end up fainting.'

Taking a slow, deep breath, Hinata steeled her senses and shakily lifted a hand to grab a spoon. As she stared down at the food, though, her vision rolled simultaneously with her stomach. Closing her eyes, she let out her breath with a furrowed brow, the utensil slipping from her weak grasp and clattering onto the table.

"That's it. One of you guys help her to the nurse's office. She looks like she's gonna pass out," Konan's firm voice met her ears.

Hinata's eyes shot open, and she sat straighter, intending to argue, only for the world around her to spin. When the girl brought herself back to Earth, she was on someone's back as they carried her. Given the long black hair, Hinata deduced it was Itachi.

"What's your fuckin' problem, Deidara? Back off before I kick your ass."

'Is that Hidan? Why's he following us?'

"Because she probably doesn't want to see you, idiot. In fact, why don't you go put her things in her locker?"

'It sounds like everyone figured out what happened without being told. I suppose it wouldn't be that hard. We were stuck in the rain together, and I came back, injured, without him.'

"How many times do I have to tell you it was an accident?"

"I don't believe you! Sasuke said she wouldn't stop crying. Did you even try to apologize yet?" The pair became silent as Itachi paused, the sound of a door opening meeting Hinata's ears.

"Oh! What happened? Lay her down there."

Itachi's voice responded, "She fainted. We think she has a cold."

The Hyuuga girl groaned when someone's arm came under her shoulders, Itachi lowering himself so her feet could reach the ground.

"C'mon, Hina," Deidara's voice was softer but close, meaning he was the one helping her. Her eyes cracked open enough to recognize the nurse's office and allowed him to help her lay on the small cot.

Something cold touched the girl's forehead, momentarily making the world stop spinning. "She's got a fever, alright. Thank you for bringing her in, boys. You can go now. I'll contact her parents and have them pick her up."

There was a long pause before Itachi spoke again, his tone uncomfortable, "Actually, her guardian isn't available right now. We're employed by her family, though. Should one of us take her home?"

The nurse's voice faded in and out, so Hinata didn't comprehend what she said and soon fell asleep again. When she reawoke, it was because someone was picking her up. Time passed, and she was picked up once more. "Are you going to just stand there or get the door?" It was Itachi carrying her again, his chest vibrating against her cheek as he spoke to someone in an incredibly annoyed tone.

"I'm fuckin' coming, damn. Both of you Uchihas piss me off."

"For once, I endorse Sasuke's temper. You deserved it."

'What are they talking about?' Hinata's eyes crept open, and she realized they were walking through the mansion's dining room.

Her voice was hoarse, "Please put me down."

The older Uchiha brother's hold under her body tightened slightly as though he expected her to physically fight, "We're almost to your room. I'll put you in bed."

Hinata was too exhausted to argue, so she reclosed her eyes and held a handful of his shirt to keep herself grounded. Once she was in bed, she rolled over onto her stomach, groaning, "Sorry about this. You guys can use my car and go back to school." Their voices mixed in a haze, obviously arguing with one another about something, and then the Hyuuga girl fell asleep.

Passing out, waking, and repeating left her unaware of what time it was, where she was, and who she was with, so the next time she awoke to the sound of her bedroom's TV turned down relatively low, she was confused as all get out. Her arms were wrapped around something warm, holding it against her middle with her knees coming up toward her chest. Her eyes opened slowly, only to widen in surprise when they saw the torso and lower body of someone lying beside her on the bed.

"He tried to put a cold compress on, and you grabbed his arm. I wouldn't believe it if I wasn't here to see."

Hinata's gaze lifted to see Itachi sitting against the sizeable purple beanbag chair, his eyes on the television. If she didn't feel so awful, she might've laughed at how out of place such a stoic man looked in a girly room.

'It must be Hidan. How humiliating.'

"I think he's sick, too, but won't admit it."

The young woman froze her limbs because she was about to release his arm and panickedly move away. Incredibly nervous, the girl lifted her head and looked up to see Hidan was asleep, one arm behind his head. There was a dark bruise on the right side of his jaw, but Hinata was more concerned with how starkly it contrasted with the rest of his skin.

'He does look a little pale….'

Though her instincts told her to get far away from him since he hurt her wrist so recklessly, she found herself incapable of moving. The girl was concerned and didn't understand why.

"You don't want to wake him, do you?" Hinata shook her head, face warm with blush as she let it fall back to the pillow. "He attacked you. Why are you still showing him kindness?"

For some reason, a defensive feeling came over her, her hold on the man in question's arm tightening slightly.

Itachi sighed, clicking off the television and getting to his feet, "I'll go pick up the others from school since you're lucid," he glanced at Hidan as he crossed the room, "You should be careful with someone like him. He's reckless. You can really get hurt."

Once the door was closed, Hinata jumped slightly when Hidan suddenly spoke in a raspy voice, low from being asleep, "He's right, you know." He took a deep breath, rolling onto his side to face her without tearing his arm from her grasp.

Upon closer inspection, Hinata realized a sickly tinge of pink was dusting his cheeks.

'He really is sick, isn't he?'

She watched in wordless awe as he reached forward to remove her injured hand from his arm, holding it up in her face as though she wouldn't see otherwise, "I did this to someone I don't hate. Imagine what I do to the pricks that get on my bad side."

"But did you do it on purpose?" Hinata's mouth moved before she could think twice.

Hidan's eyes narrowed, "Of course not. What the hell kinda asshole do you think I am?"

Tears welled up in her eyes, making his irritated expression falter, "I-I was really scared, and I'm still mad at you, but I-I know it was an accident, so just apologize, okay?"

There was a long pause where the pair stared at one another before she tried again, "Apologize to me, Hidan."

The boy's eyes widened slightly, and he released her wrist so she could gently hold onto his other arm again, "Alright, damn. Don't start fucking crying. I'm sorry, okay?"

Hinata sighed, closing her eyes, "I'm still mad, but I forgive you. Don't do it ever again." Her head was still pounding with a headache, and she was ready to fall asleep again any second.

"Aren't you gonna throw a fit and kick me out of your room?"

The girl opened her eyes a peek, frowning, "You're sick, too. Just stay this once so I can help if you need something."

Hidan scoffed, "How the hell are you gonna help? You can't even walk straight right now."

Hinata groaned, closing her eyes again, "Just go back to sleep. You're hurting my head."

They fell asleep not long after, the Hyuuga girl never releasing her hold on his arm and the silver-haired boy uncharacteristically making sure not to move closer and disrupt her boundaries. That was likely his way of showing he felt terrible about what happened, but maybe it was just the fever making him act weird.

The next day, both still had mild fevers and had to stay home to rest. When Tenten came to wake Hinata up in the morning when she didn't come downstairs, she squealed in surprise in response to the realization that Hidan had slept there.

Around mid-day, the Hyuuga girl turned onto her side, opened her laptop on the nightstand, and began watching a movie on it so she wouldn't have to strain to see it.

"For the love of Jashin, you couldn't choose anything else?"

Hinata rolled her eyes, ignoring Hidan's complaints, 'This is my room, so I'm picking the movies. If he doesn't like it, he can go to his own bed.'

She was watching one of her favorite comfort movies: Twilight. It's so bad that she can't help but love it.

Maybe twenty minutes into the movie, she suddenly became aware that Hidan had his head propped up on his fist so he could watch from behind her. With a smile on her lips, she scooted lower so she wasn't blocking his view, and he wordlessly relaxed against the pillow, tossing an arm over her middle lazily as he moved closer.

The grin on her mouth fell in surprise, and the girl became hyper-aware of the man's presence behind her, but she didn't move away for some reason, 'I've laid like this with Tenten a few times before while watching movies. This shouldn't be any different just because he's a guy.'

"This Bella chick is so fuckin' bland."

Hinata stopped her breath to prevent herself from laughing because it'd likely snap the boy out of his calm stupor and make him realize he was invested in a movie he apparently hated.

Another half an hour passed, the movie nearing its conclusion, when Hidan scoffed, "For real, though, how come they didn't make the bitch that plays Alice play Bella? She's damn hot!"

This time, Hinata did softly laugh, growing tired because she'd gotten over her embarrassment at their position, "She is quite pretty, isn't she?" An amused sound rumbled through his chest against her back, but he didn't respond otherwise.

When the movie was finished, the credits rolling, Hinata nervously asked, "...Do you wanna watch the next one?" The boy raised up on his elbow to reach around her and click the play-next button, slipping his arm under her when he came back down. A blush warmed Hinata's face, but she didn't argue.

She thought Hidan would be reluctant to say anything, but instead, he threatened her with his lips near the top of her head, "If you tell anyone about this, I'll kick your ass, for real."

The Hyuuga girl simply smiled, shaking her head knowingly, 'Maybe he's not as bad as I initially thought.'