Chapter 36

Hinata glanced up at Hidan's back for the hundredth time before averting her gaze again. Apparently, Konan bullied Yahiko (more like seduced), so Yahiko bullied Hidan into becoming the Hyuuga girl's partner without complaint.

Their first trip outside the house together was so uncomfortable that Hinata had a headache by the time they returned from panicking the entire time. It'd been a week since then, and she'd become used to the silver-haired man's cold shoulder.

She tried not to take his refusal to even look at her personally. He was only acting that way because he felt guilty for mistreating her, as he should. Though it was uncomfortable for the first few days, Hinata ended up feeling a little grateful to Konan for forcing them into this awkward partnership.

'I still haven't decided if I want Hidan and me to patch things up, but having no choice but to be around him when he's like this makes it easier to withstand. Now, I can think clearly about things without constantly worrying about what he might say or do at any moment in time.'

So, the Hyuuga girl went through the pros and cons, back and forth, in her head while keeping a lookout for anything out of the ordinary amidst the streets in this dangerous spot of town, where gang activity was at risk of occurring.

Though she hated to admit it, there was something a little satisfying about knowing a strong and ruthless man like Hidan couldn't help but look out for her, even when they weren't talking. While out and about, if he stopped to get a drink or anything, he'd get her something as well, handing it over with a frown and averted eyes before returning to keeping his back turned.

"Hey, Hinata! Is that you?"

The girl in question's spine straightened, and she turned around in the alleyway they were passing through to see Naruto Uzumaki jogging their way with a hand raised in a wave. She smiled, "H-Hello! How are you today?"

When the blonde caught up, they fell into step beside one another, Hidan walking a yard or so ahead, seemingly pretending not to listen to their conversation.

"I'm great, actually, now that I ran into you! Was gettin' kinda bored since Sasuke and Sakura are on a date, and I had no one to bother. Ah…" His sudden frown confused Hinata before he lifted a quizzical brow, "Oh, man. Are you guys on a date, too? Should I leave?"

She looked ahead at Hidan's back, realizing no one outside Akatsuki knew they weren't on good terms. Rather than embarrass the silver-haired man, she also considered that Naruto wasn't aware that they were involved with a gang, regardless of how well-meaning said gang may be, so she nodded, "I'm sorry. Can we hang out another time? Maybe tomorrow or Saturday?"

"Of course! I'll call you later. Bye, Hina!" He awkwardly added, "Uh, later, Hidan," before jogging off in the direction he'd come.

Hinata noticed a slight red on the man's face and frowned, facing forward to confirm her partner still hadn't bothered to turn their way. He ignored Naruto completely, which came as no surprise. He never did like him all that much.

'If I let things go on like this for too much longer, I might lose my chance to fix things. I need to decide if that's what I want, and I need to do it soon.'

That evening, after returning emptyhanded to the house yet again. Hinata and Konan were hanging out in the family room, Sasori, Deidara, and Hidan playing some shooting game on the large, flat-screen TV there.

'Well, at least he hasn't fled the room yet. That's progress, right?' she thought while glancing at Hidan's back.

"Have you decided what you want to major in yet?" Konan asked casually while painting Hinata's toenails dark purple. Everyone was planning to attend college in the fall, having been accepted already. Classes and goals had yet to be set for everyone except for the blue-haired girl, who decided recently that she'd like to be an art teacher.

"I'm not sure yet, no. There's nothing I'm especially good at, so maybe I'll just sign up for general studies until I find something I like," Hinata responded softly, not wanting to distract the three hyper-focused men nearby.

Konan frowned, pointing the polish brush at the shy girl, "That's so not true! You were really good at writing and literature at school. You single-handedly made sure those three idiots passed that class, remember?"

"Yeah, and you're great at cooking, too!" Deidara chimed in. Sasori added in a monotone voice, neither looking away from the screen, "What's for dinner?"

Hinata blushed, frowning in a panic as she hadn't intended to cook this evening. Apparently, her friend picked up on it and yelled at the men, "That fridge is full of leftovers, you bums!"

Giving the blue-haired girl a grateful smile, she opened her mouth to thank her aloud, only to jump when her phone began ringing. Fumbling to pick it up, her heartbeat quickened when Naruto's name was on the screen.

'He did say he'd call, didn't he? I totally forgot.'

"E-Excuse me-" "Just take it here; no one cares. You'll ruin your nail polish if you move now. It's still wet."

'If I don't pick it up soon, he's going to think I'm ignoring him….'

Left with little choice, Hinata brought the phone to her ear, clicking the little green icon, "Hello?"

"Hina, you answered!"

"Yes, sorry. I was…u-um, I was doing something, but it's alright."

"Gotcha. I won't bother you too much, then. Pretty Boy wants to have a party at his place tomorrow night. He has a pool, too, so we can swim. Wanna come?"

Hinata looked around the room at the others. Since returning to Konoha, she hadn't gone anywhere without at least one of the Akatsuki members. It was unclear if her father knew her location, after all.

'Would it be safe? I'd ask if they can come, too, but Itachi and Sasuke still aren't getting along.'

"...Is tomorrow not good? It's totally okay if you can't come. We can do something another day."

"N-No, it's okay! That sounds like fun. Are you sure it's okay that I come along?"

Naruto chuckled on the other end of the line, "You're kidding, right? I'm pretty sure they both like you more than they do me."

With one last glance around the room, still unsure, Hinata said, "What time should I arrive?"

"I'll pick you up at seven, okay? G'night, Hina!" Naruto hung up before she could respond.

Blushing, the girl set the phone on the carpet nearby, giving Konan a wide-eyed look. She whispered, "Did he ask you out?"

'Wait! He doesn't still like me, does he? I mean, as far as he's aware, Hidan and I are still dating.' "U-Um, I'm not sure. I don't think so."

Konan glanced at the three boys before leaning closer, blowing absently at the fresh paint on her fingernails before whispering, "I don't know if trying to make Hidan jealous is a good plan. He's still a little…."

"I'm not trying to-!" Hinata looked at the man in question before shaking her head, frowning at her friend, "That's not what I'm trying to do. I'm just going to a party with my friends. It has nothing to do with him."

Akatsuki's female figurehead made a face that said, 'Your intentions may be innocent, but Hidan probably won't see it that way.'

A defiant, slightly offended emotion swept over the Hyuuga woman, 'I shouldn't have to worry about how Hidan will react every time I make a decision. I'm my own person.'

So, the following evening, Hinata left the house with a backpack containing a change of clothes when Naruto texted her, saying he'd arrived. Last night, after getting off the phone with him, she felt determined to have a good time and maybe even a little spiteful about Konan's comment about Hidan getting jealous. Now that she was climbing into Naruto's passenger seat, though, she was as nervous as could be.

"It's just you? I figured you'd bring Hidan, or at least Konan."

"O-Oh, uh, no. It's just me. Is that alright?"

Naruto beamed, pulling away from the curb and onto the road, "Of course!"

The drive to the Uchiha estate would take just under an hour. Once on the highway and traveling toward the nicer side of Konoha, the blonde said, "I haven't had a chance to say anything because we haven't been alone, but I really am happy you came back to town. School was super boring after you left."

Sasuke was aware that she'd been sent away against her wishes, but she simply told Naruto and the others that she was going to a school that'd allow her to get some college credits while still in high school. It was for the best, so they wouldn't worry about her as much. That being said, the Uzumaki man's words were incredibly honest, making Hinata's blush darken as she wasn't used to that type of thing.

"I missed you, as well. You're a really great friend."

The blonde made a warm sound before letting the car fall into silence after that, but it wasn't uncomfortable.

When they arrived at Sasuke's house, a mid-sized house on the edge of the massive Uchiha estate, Sakura came running out of the front door to meet them in a pretty red bikini, "Hinata, you're here! C'mon, let's go!" She grabbed the timid woman's hand and pulled her along, waving over her shoulder absently, "We'll be out there in a bit, Naruto. Tell the others."

The two girls entered a big bedroom, where Sakura closed the door behind them and motioned excitedly with her hands, "Hurry and change into your bathing suit!"

Hinata softly smiled, her friend's energy contagious, "You're in a good mood. Did something happen?" She pulled her shirt off over her head, having worn her bikini under her clothes.

The pink-haired woman sat on the edge of the bed, inspecting her nail buds with a grin, "It's just been so long since all of us have hung out. I'm going to make sure you have the best time tonight!"

If it were anyone except Sakura saying that, Hinata would've doubted their intentions. Instead, she returned the warm look, "I missed you a lot, you know."

The Haruno got to her feet, taking the shorter one's backpack and removed clothing to toss them onto a chair by the door before hugging her tightly, "I missed you, too! Now, let's go get wasted!"

'Wasted? Are we drinking tonight? I didn't know that….' She was worried but quickly convinced herself to calm down, 'It's fine. Either I'll stay the night here and go home tomorrow, or Naruto will drive me home tonight. There's no need to panic.'

When they stepped out into the backyard via the patio door, Ino approached with red disposable cups, offering one to each woman, "About time you arrive, girl! I was starting to worry Naruto got pulled over for speeding again."

Hinata spent the next three hours greeting, mingling, and drinking with everyone else. It was the lunch table attending: Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, Ino, Sai, and Kiba. There were a few of their old classmates, too, like Shino, Choji, Shikamaru, a couple of their friends from the basketball team, and a few from the cheerleading squad.

Hinata knew everyone's face but didn't know a few names, so she played it off as politely as possible. The alcohol helped.

Tipsy and happy, Hinata giggled at something Shikamaru said, standing between him and Ino, only to squeal in surprise when she was suddenly picked up. "Why's no one swimming when there's a perfectly good pool right here!?" It was Naruto.

Holding the startled woman, he jumped into the pull with an excited holler. The cold of the water contrasted greatly with the warmth in her cheeks, and she laughed when she swam to the surface, only to look over and see that everyone else had followed the blonde's lead and were jumping in.

Ino, notorious for drinking too much too quickly, threw her arms around Hinata and loudly mused, "Hinata, everyone wants to know what happened to your back. You'll tell me, right? Did you get into a car accident or something? Was it super scary?"

Just like that, Hinata's happy-go-lucky mood disappeared.

Those around who'd heard the blonde got awkwardly silent before Naruto tugged her arms off the shy woman with an uncharacteristic glare, "Ino, you're drunk. Go make out with Sai or something."

Too inebriated to realize she'd been rude, Ino did exactly as told, wrapping her arms and legs around her pale-skinned boyfriend, who was unaware of what happened and absently held her there without stopping the conversation he was having with Shino.

Heat flooded Hinata's face as she stared hazy-eyed at the water's surface. 'Everyone at home makes sure not to mention it, so I guess I kinda forgot about the scars. They all saw, didn't they? What do I say? Do I even have to explain? …I think I wanna go home. I feel like I'm gonna cry.'

"Wanna go inside for a bit, Hina? I'll go with you," Naruto softly asked.

The woman nodded, holding onto his arm as they exited the pool, grabbed some towels, and entered the dark house.

The blonde briefly disappeared before returning to where he'd left her, sitting on one of the stools at the island in the kitchen, offering her another drink from outside, "Sorry about that. You know how Ino is. She didn't mean any harm."

"I-I know…." Hinata's voice was quiet and unconfident like it often gets when she was uncomfortable or scared since returning to Konoha. It was silent between the two as they sat in the dark kitchen, sipping their drinks and not saying a word.

The woman's drunken thoughts became too much to keep to herself, so she shakily asked, turning wide, watery eyes onto her blonde friend, "Can I ask you something, Naruto?"

He seemed surprised but turned his body slightly toward her with a kind smile, "Of course. Anything you want."

"...D-Do you think I'm ugly?"

The man's smile fell, blue eyes widening in surprise.

Taking his response for something it wasn't, she added, voice wavering as she tried not to cry, "I-I-It's just…. Ever since I, u-um…. The scars, they…. I feel like everyone's disgusted by me because-" "You're torturing me here, Hina."

The shy woman's mouth closed, her tearful eyes locking onto his in surprise, "Huh?"

"...I shouldn't be saying any of this because you have a boyfriend, and me knowing you only see me as a friend makes me feel like I'm betraying your trust, but you must know I've had a crush on you for a while now."

If Hinata was sober, she'd have turned bright red and found a way to escape the situation. She wasn't sober, though. In fact, she slurred a response to the part of his statement he likely didn't expect her to focus on, "I have a boyfriend…. Hidan…."

Naruto's frown deepened, his voice more tense, "Yeah. I'm sorry for telling you like this, but I can't let you sit here and cry," he glanced at the patio door, likely to ensure no one was around before saying, "You're beautiful, Hinata. Gorgeous. Who cares if you have some scars? I sure don't, and I'm sure Hidan doesn't either."

When the woman in question couldn't figure out what to say in her drunken state, he hesitantly asked, "He didn't…say something about them, did he?"

One moment, she was fine, then she was crying prettily, wiping at her eyes. With her common sense clouded, Hinata said, "H-Hidan and I…. I don't know if we're even together anymore! I don't know what to do! I-I-I love him, but h-he's hurt me more than once. What if he does it again?"

Naruto stared at her in disbelief.

Sniffling childishly, she closed her eyes and mumbled admittedly, "I miss him. I wish he was here right now."

"You two aren't together?"

'Did he not hear what I said?'

"I said I don't know, Naruto! What should I do? What if I forgive him and he hurts me again? I'll look like a complete fool, a-and I don't know if I'll ever want to date again after that."

"...Would you consider me?"

Hinata's eyes opened, turning onto the blonde man, only to see a serious expression on his handsome face.

He repeated, "Would you consider me instead of Hidan? I don't know what happened between you guys, but I know I'll treat you better than him. You'd never cry like this because of me; I swear it."

The Hyuuga woman was so astounded that she couldn't respond. She couldn't speak or move and simply stared at the man in disbelief.

Naruto grabbed her hands, guiding her to face him fully and leaning in so their faces were closer, and he could look into her eyes, "If you like me, too, then date me, Hinata. What do you say?"

Again, she could only stare, too drunk to compose herself.

Somehow, the blonde man took that as something it wasn't and kissed her.

For a moment, Hinata was baffled as to what was going on, but when she realized it was his lips against hers, she shoved him away, stumbling to her feet and backing away, "N-Naruto, what…?" Tears flooded her cheeks as she ran upstairs and locked herself in the bathroom, drunk, confused, and afraid.

The man knocked on the door, trying the locked door before apologizing, "I'm sorry, Hinata! I thought you wanted me to! Come out. I won't do it again."

Sober, she would've realized he meant what he said. Instead, she shook her head, pulling her knees up to her chest and sobbing, "H-Hidan's the person that kisses me. I only want Hidan! Why did you…?"

"Alright, I'll have Sasuke drive you home. He hasn't drunk tonight. Come on out, Hinata. You're safe."

"No! I-I want…." the Hyuuga girl's words were cut off by her sobs. In her state, it was impossible to choke back the powerful emotions she had for weeks now. She was scared and cold, and she wanted the person who always made her feel better when she was frightened.

Naruto sent Sakura and Sasuke upstairs to try and talk the girl into opening the door, only for them to fail, too. Then, it went silent for a very long time.

Hinata leaned her temple against the wall, tears falling more slowly as she stared blankly at her knees, 'I wish I was at home in bed. I don't want to be here anymore.'

A knock came at the door, suddenly, the first one in at least an hour. It snapped the woman out of her daze, and then she was crying more heavily, "I-I said no! Please go away! I want-!"

"Hinata."

Her eyes widened, 'That voice…. Is that…?'

"Open the door. I'll take you home."

Scrambling drunkenly, she fumbled to unlock and open the door, eyes landing on a blank-faced Hidan. The pair stared at one another in silence for a moment. Right then, none of what happened mattered to Hinata except that she'd been yearning to see him, and he actually appeared. Sobbing, she threw her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly, slurring out his name between hiccups.

Strong arms came around her body to keep her where she was as his torso twisted slightly. Hidan's voice was menacing when he spoke, "What the fuck happened to her?"

"I just-! She was crying and said you guys weren't talking, and I-!" "Naruto, shut up before you get yourself killed," Sasuke suddenly interrupted. He continued, this time addressing Hidan, "Whatever happened can wait. Right now, she needs you to take her home."

The next thing Hinata knew, she was in the passenger seat of a moving car. Sitting up with tears in her eyes, the woman panicked.

An arm crossed her front to keep her back to the seat, "You're fine. We're almost home."

Pearl-colored eyes turned to see Hidan's handsome profile, eyes sharp and focused on the road, and jaw flexed tensely. Trembling fingers wrapped around the man's arm, his name softly leaving her mouth. Hidan hesitantly glanced over when she held the limb between her arms, sniffling softly with closed eyes.

'I'm not scared anymore.'