Hinata's meetings with Konan happened every day, and every time the two would get closer. They'd talk about simple things, like what kind of sandwich they'd prefer, or what their favorite color is. Pretty soon, they became close enough to tell each other anything.

Well, almost.

It didn't bother too much that Konan wouldn't talk to her about Pein and the Hospital, but that was okay. If it wasn't relevant, it wasn't relevant, and Deidara always had her on a tight time schedule. There was always something to do in a mental hospital.

Today was the day before her "Monthaversary," which was Hospital talk for "Congratulations! You have successfully survived one month at Akatsuki Mental Hospital!" Konan had mentioned it a couple times the week before, but Hinata saw no real thing to celebrate. Though, upon further reflection, she did make good friends with all the people living here. Being here, she realized, made her a bit happier than she would have been in the real world.

As she walked through the halls, everyone kept looking and grinning at her. It was when they passed Pein in the hall and he gave her a big hearty grin that Hinata got fed up with it all. She stopped Deidara, who of course was walking next to her, and huffed. "What's with everybody? Why are they acting all goofy?" Hinata huffed again and crossed her arms. Deidara chuckled and put his hands on her shoulder. "Well, here. Tell me this – What day did you arrive at the Hospital?"

It took Hinata a moment, but she calculated the date and remembered it well. "Um. August 14th." Deidara smiled. "What's tomorrow?" Again, Hinata thought a moment and gave him an odd look. "…September 14th." It made her smile a little when she caught on to what he was talking about. "It's your Monthaversary, Hinata!" He casually draped an arm around her shoulders and kissed her head.

"But I don't understand why it's a big deal. A month's just a month." Hinata said softly. Deidara stopped this time and looked at her. "How long do you plan on staying here, exactly?" She had nothing to say to that, only thoughts that raced through her head. How long am I staying here? Has everyone else been here longer? "Well, the point is, nobody really plans to stay here for years, right? So it's always good to celebrate months instead of years." They continued walking again, deciding to take the longer route to spend more time to themselves.

-:-

Hinata didn't expect the Monthaversary to be a big deal. But apparently, it was important enough to warrant a visit to Pein's office. Hinata only recalled being there once before, and that was when she first came here. It didn't change much, but the atmosphere was a bit… tense.

Next to her, Deidara seemed equally anxious. He gave her a nervous smile, which didn't help at all.

Pein stared at both of them, his chin resting on his interlaced fingers. He took a deep breath and spoke.

"Happy Monthaversary, you two. I hope it was a very productive month." Deidara nodded, and Hinata did the same. "Hinata, since it's your first time here, I'll tell you what goes on during your special day."

Pein explained that she wouldn't have to go to any Hospital activities – things like evening Yoga and Sharing Circles – and spend the day doing whatever she'd like. Of course, her caretaker would still be with her, but they were allowed to leave the compound for the morning and early afternoon. It all sounded great and all, but the only problem was –

"At the end of the day, you will have dinner with your parents or immediate family. You will discuss your progress thus far, and they will decide whether or not to take you home." Deidara visibly cringed. Hinata let herself look panicked before regaining her composure. Pein only chuckled. "It's how the system works, you two. I can't let everyone live here forever."

It ended with that, and Deidara and Hinata left the office, free to do whatever they wanted for the day.

Hinata was still very unnerved about her dinner with her family. Who was coming? What would they think? What's progress to them? Deidara squeezed her hand, and when she looked up at him, he kissed her. "It'll be okay," he said softly. Hinata felt like she was about to cry. Instead, she bit her lip and blinked back the tears, following Deidara as he walked out of the Hospital.

They didn't really decide on where to go. Deidara just walked her to the park across the way. They sat on the grass, staring up at the September sky. When Deidara decided that it was silent enough to speak, he said, "I don't know what you're sad about." Hinata's head snapped at him, tears unconsciously falling from her face. "What do you mean you don't know?" she huffed and turned her back to him, sulking. Deidara sighed and let her stay silent.

"I mean, I know why you're sad, but I don't think you know quite yet." Hinata turned back to him. He wiped the tears that were on her face and pulled her onto his lap. She squirmed a bit, but stopped as soon as she started. "Tell me what you're going to miss if you leave." Hinata thought a moment, thinking about the past month fondly. All the people she met, the things she did – she felt like she wanted to continue that for a long time.

"Konan. Itachi, Kisame, Hidan, Kakuzu, Ze,Tsu, Tobi, Sasori…" Deidara grimaced at Sasori's name, and she giggled a little. "I'll miss the Yoga, the Circles, and the activities Pein tried to plan but failed…" A short breeze swept over the grass, and both shivered a bit. In their closeness, they kissed, soft and quick. "I'll miss you the most." The rustling of the trees filled the silence that followed, and Deidara just stared into Hinata's eyes. His eyes held a pained look, like he wanted to tell her something. She placed a hand on his face and he closed his eyes.

After a while, the two headed back to the Hospital, not really knowing what to do for the rest of the day. Hinata talked with Konan again while Deidara went out on his own for a bit.

"I thought you and Deidara were going out on a date today?" Konan asked, though still delighted by Hinata's presence. Hinata shrugged. "We didn't really know what to do. So we came back." Konan nodded, her smile fading into a concerned expression. "What's wrong?" Hinata asked.

"Hinata, I've been thinking." Konan started, staring intently into Hinata's eyes – much like how Pein stares into people's souls. It made Hinata shrink back into her seat a little.

"You have to go home today." This disturbed Hinata a little. No fiber of her being wished to leave. She shook her head. "Why would you want me to leave?" she asked softly. Konan looked around to see if anyone was listening. Then she leaned forward and whispered, "Okay. I'm going to tell you everything that Pein is planning. Alright?"

Hinata took a deep breath, unsure of what to expect.

Konan explained that Pein was planning to change the world using the Hospital. She told her about how Pein was trying to build an alliance with all the rich and powerful families in the world, and how he already had the Uchiha clan under his belt. Hinata was trying to piece it all together, somehow bringing Deidara's past into the mix. In her gut, she knew that Deidara and Pein's crazy plan were connected. But how?

"I think Pein is trying to use you to get the Hyuga clan… Hinata, I want you to be very careful tonight." Konan reached out and held her hands. "I think it would be best if… you went home." What Konan was saying was still swirling around in her head. Slowly, her mind put certain pieces together.

Deidara's sister, Ino.

Her illness.

The cure that Pein provided.

Deidara was still paying off that debt.

Taking over the world? Changing it?

Using her.

Using Deidara.

Deidara using her…

… to pay off his debt…?

Just then, Hinata stood up. "I… I have to go." She said softly. Konan was confused, but let her go anyway. Hinata felt tears in the back of her eyes. Deidara was walking toward her in the hall.

"Hinata! I was just about to go pick you up. Are you two done talking for the day?" He was about to put an arm around her, but she stepped around him. He saw a tear fall down her cheek and he grabbed her arm. She tried to shake him off, but he was stronger than her. "What's wrong? What did Konan say?" Hinata took a deep breath and wiped her tears away.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked. Deidara gave her a puzzled look. "Doing what?" Hinata shook her head. "This! Why are you working here? Why are you being my caretaker?" she began stepping away from him, and he kept a firm grip on her arm. "What do you mean? It's… It's my job." He didn't seem too sure, which only made Hinata even angrier. "No! Your debt… you're trying to pay it off, aren't you?"

Deidara frowned. "What are you getting at?" he asked. Hinata sobbed, finding enough strength to loosen his grip on her arm. "You're just…" she stepped away from him as he tried to touch her again. "You're only trying to pay back your debt to Pein!" She tried to quickly gather her thoughts, but only words came out. "The only reason you're being nice to me is because he helped your sister!" Deidara froze. What was she saying?

Hinata ran away from him, around the corner and into the nearest room.

When she looked up, she gasped.

Pein's look pierced through hers, sending chills down her spine.

"I see you've returned from your day out with Deidara." He said softly, closing the file he was reading on his desk.

Hinata gulped, fear making her back up to the wall. Her hand travelled up to her necklace, clutching it tightly in her hand. Pein stood up and began pacing around his room, slowly making his way toward her. He only stared, and she got the feeling that he was reading her like a book. She avoided eye contact and tried to see if she could somehow melt into the wall. It wasn't going so well.

By the time Pein stood in front of her, he had already gathered all the information he needed. She knew that he knew that she knew everything. His plans, who told her about them, and how her family was involved. "Why don't you take a seat, Hinata?" his voice held a tone of malice, almost as if it were a threat. "Or better yet, why don't you give me a good reason why I shouldn't hurt you for snooping around?" Hinata squeaked in surprise when Pein punched a fist into the wall next to her head.

"I… I…" She didn't exactly know what to say. She couldn't rat out Konan, and she couldn't just make a dash for the door. He wouldn't really hurt her, right? She closed her eyes, praying, hoping that Deidara would come to her rescue.

-:-

Konan left her desk after overhearing what Hinata said in the hallway. She was making her way towards the commotion, but all she saw was Hinata running in the direction of Pein's office and Deidara standing in the hallway, speechless. She walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Deidara, where's Hinata going?" she asked. Deidara's expression was blank.

Hinata must be hurting so much right now. Why would she think that? What should I do? What should I tell her? How do I explain to her? Deidara fell to his knees, his heart suddenly aching. Konan failed to catch him, but kneeled beside him.

"Deidara? Deidara. What happened? Is Hinata alright? Are you alright?" Konan cupped his face and made him look at her. "Ko…nan… Hi…na…ta.." Konan rolled her eyes. She raised her hand and gave him a hard slap to the face. He stood up straight and pressed his hand to his face. "Fuck!"

"Deidara! Wherever Hinata ran off to, she's hurting now, and you need to comfort her." Konan said calmly. Deidara stood there for a minute, still registering what Konan just said.

Then suddenly, his necklace started vibrating and blinking red. It brought him back to what he really needed to do – find her. He ran past Konan and into the hallway where Hinata ran, barging into Pein's office like she did minutes before.

Pein was pinning Hinata to the wall, his expression ready to kill. When Deidara saw this, something stirred inside him. What was it, exactly? Worry? Fear?

No.

Anger.

Rage.

How dare he touch Hinata like that? How dare he make Hinata look as scared as she did right now?

Deidara stomped over to Pein and shoved him aside, earning a surprised grunt from the leader. Then he pulled Hinata aside, behind him, and faced Pein, looking him in the eye. Hinata rested a hand on Deidara's arm, urging him not to do anything drastic.

For the first time since Deidara first saw him, Pein looked uneasy – disheveled, almost. Pein had let his emotions take over as he got ready to attack Hinata. Now that Deidara knew this, he felt sorry for his boss – well, probably former boss, since he was sure to get fired for what would happen next.

"Well? What are you going to do, Deidara?" Pein asked patronizingly. Deidara only stood still, hand reaching for Hinata's. "Don't forget what we're here for, Deidara. Your debt hasn't been paid. You still belong to me." Deidara's silence was beginning to anger Pein even more. He began to laugh, deep and spiteful.

"You can't just back out of this, Deidara. It's your choice – your darling sister, Ino, or Hinata, your lover." Deidara visibly stiffened, his hand clenching into a fist. The three were silent for the longest time.

Pein smiled triumphantly.

-:-

Hey! How's school? Fine, I hope.

I'm doing alright.

I'm learning French!

Sorry for the late update… my goodness.