Chapter 43

The next day, they were informed that the videos of Hinata's torture were the only things on the disc. 

According to Kisame, Kakuzu tried to watch the videos to ensure no blackmail-worthy information was hidden but surprised everyone by asking him to finish it. The older man couldn't stomach the sight of Hinata treated so poorly, whereas Kisame went through years of medical schooling to become a veterinarian. Blood and injuries are easier to stomach for him. That said, the vet went pale whenever he'd look at the poor Hyuuga woman all morning. 

"What I wanted to speak about yesterday is something Deidara discovered," Yahiko gestured for the man to explain. 

Breakfast had just ended, and everyone was loitering around in the dining room, some sitting at the table and some standing around restlessly. Hinata sat between Hidan and Itachi, feeling hollow as though she hadn't slept a wink last night. 

'I forgot how exhausting it is to experience things like that,' she thought, recalling the awful event Hidan barely managed to end. 

"Kakuzu said he was approached by someone claiming to be the right-hand man of the new Kunshu leader," Deidara said, snapping the woman from her train of thought. 

Sasori looked unhappy at his boyfriend's side but remained silent. 

"He didn't get his name but said he's seen him before." Everyone waited for elaboration, which he then offered, blue eyes severe as he glanced at Hinata, "He said he works at the police station. A Hyuuga man." 

Itachi said, "Impossible. He must be mistaken." 

Through her shock, Hinata nodded, 'Even if he's been distant from Fugaku and Sasuke, our families often got together when we were young. Other than myself, he'd be the one with the most knowledge on the topic.' 

"Did he get a name?" Nagato ignored the Uchiha man's statement. 

"No," Deidara shook his head, "He said his family name was the only thing on his nametag." 

Zetsu asked, "What about a description?" He looked at Hinata and Itachi, "Maybe one of you knows the guy." 

The long-haired blonde man shrugged, "He said he's normal looking other than his eye color. Brown hair, average build, nothing outstanding." 

'That could be anyone.'

"What are we supposed to do with this information?" Sasori asked. 

Yahiko turned his gaze onto Hinata, "We've managed to gain access to employee photos at most of the offices in Konoha, but not identities. Can you name many members of your family by only their faces?" 

She nodded cautiously, "I think so…." 

He nodded at Deidara, "You'll take Hinata to meet with Kankuro. See if he can point out the man in one of the photos," he turned to the Hyuuga woman again, "And you'll identify them." 

Itachi interrupted before she could properly process the important task she'd just been given, "I'm not comfortable with this. Let me go instead." 

"Your knowledge is outdated, is it not?" Konan asked, though an empathetic frown was on her face, "It's been more than five years since you last had significant access to this type of information." 

The Akatsuki leader lifted a hand to silence the room when Itachi opened his mouth to argue, everyone becoming quiet. He met Hinata's eye firmly, "I won't force it if you're against becoming involved, but I'll let you make the decision."

 "Hinata, no," Hidan hissed. 

'He already knows I'm not going to sit back and relax if it's true my family is involved.' 

She nodded slowly, "Okay." Anger immediately radiated from her boyfriend, so she looked at him with a weak smile, "I'll just identify the man and come back." 

Deidara attempted to reassure Hidan, as uncharacteristic as that was, "I may be an idiot, but I'd never let someone hurt her. You know that. I'll be with her the entire time." 

Hidan didn't demand the woman do only as he said, as he would have a year ago. No, he hissed threateningly, "You think I'll let her go anywhere alone with you? I'm coming." 

Yahiko interrupted, "Too many people might raise flags if Kakuzu happens to be under surveillance." "I'm not fucking-" "You'll stay out of sight," The ginger-haired man cut Hidan's argument off with an authoritative glare. 

Hinata sat in the room of intimidating men, feeling relatively small and meek suddenly. It was rare for everyone to be together like this and even rarer for each person to be completely on edge. Even Kisame and Deidara were focused. 

That night, the timid woman sighed while undressing in the bathroom, preparing to shower before bed. 'I know so many Hyuugas that work at the station but can't imagine any of them being crooked.' 

The task of visiting Kakuzu was to be carried out tomorrow. To say Hinata was stressed would be putting it lightly. Tension caused her shoulders and back to ache, not to mention her head. 

'Hopefully, this wraps up quickly and with no one getting hurt. Then we can all finally rest.' She was ready to focus on the upcoming school year since Summer's end was near. 

The hot water helped the sore muscles, but soon Hinata was finished bathing and entered the bedroom in one of Hidan's shirts and a pair of underwear, ready to sleep. The man himself wasn't yet present. After the meeting in the morning, he disappeared. She suspected he was sulking but wasn't entirely sure. 

Sitting on the edge of the bed, the woman used the light of the nightstand's lamp and began putting lotion on her feet and legs, wet hair falling over one shoulder. The room's door opened then, and Hidan silently regarded her while kicking his shoes off and entering the bathroom. Her eyes followed him until the door closed, cringing at the sound of it latching. 

'I can't tell what he's thinking. Is he angry with me about this morning? Or maybe he's feeling awkward because of what happened last night.' 

Hinata's mood fell further, and she rested her chin on the knee of one bent leg, the other still over the edge of the bed. The man had barely spoken to her since they woke in the morning, 'Maybe he realized I'm too much of a handful, and it's not worth it to put up with me.' 

Hidan was impatient with everyone, the exception solely being Hinata, but perhaps that changed when he saw her incredible mental weakness. When the bathroom door opened again, she realized she hadn't moved in over ten minutes, too deep in thought. 

For some reason, the woman felt terribly self-conscious. Fumbling nervously, she sat the lotion on the nightstand and climbed under the covers. She was careful not to face Hidan's direction and kept her back turned when he clicked off the lamp and joined her on the bed. 

It remained silent for a moment before a strong arm came over her waist, pulling her back against him. Her eyes widened, staring into the room's darkness and seeing nothing. 

"You good?" Just by his short and straight tone, it was apparent Hidan was also in an odd mood, though she couldn't yet define its nature. 

Hinata nodded, a soft affirmative sound leaving her chest, "You?" 

Long fingers ran over her lower stomach to tuck between her waist and the bed, leaving no room for escape, "Mhm." 

Something about his response put Hinata on edge. Hesitantly, she twisted her upper torso to look back and meet his eye. Hidan appeared mildly irritated, which wasn't that unusual. What was, though, was that he simply stared back instead of saying something. 

'...I forgot how handsome he is this close up,' the woman bashfully noted. 

It'd been a while since they were face-to-face like this. Every inch of him was attractive to her: the flex of his jaw, the barely-there freckles about his nose and cheeks that nearly blend into his skin tone, the lips that so often turn into a sneer or smirk, and especially the magenta eyes that sometimes brighten with speckles of pink and mesmerize the smitten girl. 

Hinata's swooning was interrupted when he kissed her, soft and slow to offer a chance to end it. A wave of warmth rushed through her chest, excitement bubbling in the pit of her stomach when he realized she welcomed the affection and angled his head to deepen the kiss. 

It was silent in the room as the woman turned her body to face him, hands against his bare chest. 

When she chanced a peek through half-lidded eyes, she saw his features were tense with focus and maybe emotion. Closing them again, she nervously inched her tongue past his teeth, breath hitching when he smoothly accepted it. 

Then the young woman ran a hand up the warm skin of his chest to meet his neck, where she felt his pulse beating slightly quicker than usual. 

The night they did this for the first time, in which the man skillfully tricked Hinata into giving him her first kiss, he ended the interaction by warning her that he'd kill anyone else if they tried to touch his neck like this. Since that day, it'd become a sort of symbol of trust between the couple. 

At night, it wasn't uncommon for him to fall asleep with Hinata loosely holding his hand to her throat. Whenever things get heated in a good way or bad, both had a habit of paying attention to the area. Even yesterday, when the poor woman was seconds from fainting, the act managed to calm her down when nothing else could.

'When did we start unconsciously doing it instead of deliberately? I can't remember,' Hinata's thumb brushed against Hidan's jaw soothingly, 'It feels so natural.' She wondered if the others had noticed their odd habit and, if so if they thought it was weird. 

The self-conscious burn that clawed at Hinata's gut faded steadily, Hidan's surprisingly controlled affection chasing it away. So, when he gradually made his way on top of her and worked the shirt off over her head. She didn't panic and accepted his kiss again when he returned. A calloused hand massaged her breast. 

This was the first time the man felt entirely serious. It wasn't that he totally separated emotion from the act in the past; he just severely stifled it. Likely, it was a side effect of his inability to completely trust Hinata due to the fear she'd stab him in the back at some point. 

To Hinata, it felt like years had passed since they were last intimate. In reality, just shy of seven months had come and gone. 

Hidan's eyes were dark and attentive as he pulled back to his knees to slide the woman's underwear down her legs and off her body. She was under some sort of trance, unable to tear her gaze away as he came down to kiss her neck while removing the remainder of his own clothing. Once finished, bare flesh met bare flesh, the woman's back arching as she felt his hardness press against the sensitive spot between her legs. 

Fingers ran absently about the man's back, the feeling of his skin on their tips bringing the girl great comfort. 

Hinata felt small compared to his larger body. It was like he canceled out anything and everything else. There was no bed beneath them, no ceiling above. It was only Hidan. 

"We don't have to," Hidan assured into her neck. 

'Is he offering to stop if I'm not ready?' she thought, eyes half-lidded and seeing nothing as she felt his dick press against her again. A quiet, negative sound left her lips as words were too difficult to form. 

Magenta eyes met pearl-colored ones, and then he reached between them, lining himself up before slowly sliding inside. Hinata's stomach fluttered, her lips parting slightly as the long-forgotten feeling of connection with the man atop her was suddenly all she could focus on. After pausing to ensure she was alright, Hidan's hips moved slowly, steadily. 

'...He's not looking away.' Though it was difficult to ignore the pleasant sensations the friction of the man's movements caused, it wasn't yet to the point that the woman could ignore his unyielding gaze. 

Heat warmed her cheeks, but she found it impossible to avert her eyes, either. This sex was different from what they experienced in the past. She knew it was because they were being more vulnerable with one another, but that wasn't all. Something else was going on, something scary and wonderful that made tears well up. 

Hidan froze, jaw flexing attractively as he searched her face expectantly. 

Hinata shook her head, wiping at her eyes with trembling fingers and looking at his chest, "Keep going." 

Nothing happened for a moment, but then one of her hands were grabbed. She met her boyfriend's gaze in surprise as he interlaced their fingers and began moving again. He closed his eyes, kissing her lips briefly before pressing his forehead to hers. 

It was like seeing her worked up affected him, too, because his movements changed. Things were still on the slower side, but it was like every inch of the thrust of his hips would cause a tingling to occur. 

The Hyuuga woman gasped, free hand sliding up to the back of his head near his neck to keep him where he was. 'What is this? Can he feel it, too?' 

Hidan's breath picked up shortly after hers, lips parting to aid him. Soft moans began to escape the bashful girl as the muscles in her lower abdomen flexed and squeezed excitedly around him. Every few strokes, their interlaced fingers tightened, and Hinata's body would press further upward against his. 

As she approached her end, Hidan pulled back to watch her face like before; his brow furrowed with effort to retain the pace and technique. 

Gasping breathily, Hinata reached up to affectionately cup his cheek. The man turned his face to press his lips to her palm, a soft groan meeting it as he felt her suddenly climax around his cock. Those magenta eyes closed as his hips pressed entirely against hers. 

Hinata was high with pleasure, feeling much more relaxed than just an hour ago while trying to commit the attractive man's tortured expression to memory. 

Hidan sighed, kissing her palm again before moving so she'd slide it back into his hair as he pressed his lips to hers. Their fingers unlaced, and he instead held her wrist, thumb caressing back and forth against her palm as though apologizing for squeezing so tightly. 

'...Is he alright?' she inwardly worried when the man's actions remained gentle, even as he pulled out and they cuddled up to go to sleep. 

The way his fingers were in her hair, his thumb brushing comfortingly against her jaw near her ear, wasn't all that odd. The lack of curse words, teasing, and acknowledgment that the sex they'd just had might be the oddest, most satisfying as of yet was, though. 

He held her close to his chest in a manner that seemed almost protective. If that was his intention, it was successful because Hinata felt like nothing and nobody would be able to lay a finger on her so long as he was there. She liked the odd behavior even if it confused her. 

Warmth fluttered in her chest and stomach as she recalled how sweet his kisses had been, and she gave up on waiting for him to say something. Though she wanted to tell him exactly how smitten she felt, the woman hesitated because if he acted this way because of what happened yesterday, if she misunderstood it as something positive when it wasn't, it'd be humiliating. 

So, the woman bared her insecurity to him, whispering, "Are you, um, okay…about last night?" 

Hidan's pulse slightly quickened, the soft motion of his thumb pausing before returning a moment later. His chest vibrated when he said, "I don't fucking know." 

Hinata's eyes shot open, the content aura shattering into a million pieces. It felt like her heart stopped. '...I knew it. I knew something had to be wrong because he was distant all day. What do I do?' Tears welled in her eyes, but she tried to blink them back, 'I don't want him to dump me, but I can't just ask him to stay when I know how stressful it is to deal with my anxiety all the time. It wouldn't be fair.' 

"Quit fucking panicking. I know what you're thinking, and you're wrong." 

She tried to pull back, but his hold became firm to keep her still, "I can't say it if you're staring at my damn face." 

So, Hinata became compliant again, heart racing as she waited for him to continue explaining. 

Moments later, after seemingly taking a moment to gather his thoughts, Hidan admitted in a tone that said he was incredibly uncomfortable sharing the information, "You can't fucking disappear on me again." 

'...What is he saying?' 

"You keep getting hurt, and you're so fucking stressed that you-!" He stopped speaking before groaning, nails lightly brushing against her scalp as his fingers curled in her hair, and he skipped over the part he was struggling to get out, "I love you, and I know you love me, but I'm so fucking bad for you, Hina." 

Hinata cut in before he could continue, relieved beyond belief, "You're just worried? I thought you were going to say we should break up." 

Then Hidan moved back on his own to glare at her, "The fuck do you mean "just worried"?" 

"You…" The soft-spoken woman blushed, averting her gaze to his chest in the dark room, "You make it better when things get hard, so please don't say you're bad for me." Her boyfriend remained silent, and he appeared hesitant when she looked at his face again. She felt unsure but chose to be completely transparent, "I-I'm worried you'll get tired of babying me all the time." 

The man scoffed, mumbling half-heartedly, "I prefer that to worrying if you're gonna fucking die." He closed his eyes and relaxed more wholly as though preparing to sleep, "And I don't give a damn about that kinda shit anyway. It's what I'm fucking here for, Idiot." 

'He's come a long way,' Hinata thought while studying his relaxed face. 'I guess he really meant it when he said he was sorry for everything. It's obvious he's putting in a lot of effort to communicate better.' The gesture reassured the girl enough that she, too, could close her eyes. 

Snuggling closer into his chest, she smiled when his thumb returned to how it'd been softly brushing against her jaw, "Thank you, Hidan." 

"Yeah, yeah. Go to sleep, Princess."