Author's note: Hey everyone, FireSlash here and welcome to another chapter of Healing Wounds. As you all know, the story's turned two years old already, so I want to take time to thank each and every one of you for all the support you've given me throughout this journey. When I first began writing, I didn't expect this thing to garner the attention it has. Much to my surprise, this story is the 20th most favorited and 13th most followed Danganronpa fic on this site as of writing this. Seriously, I can't tell you how much your support means to me, even to those of you who just took the time to read this story about a somewhat rare pairing (which should be more popular btw. Hinamiki for life!). I owe you a lot. I must say, I enjoy writing this, and I'm kinda sad we're reaching the halfway point in a chapter or two, but at the same time, I'm glad to see how much this story's grown. :-).
Heh, I'm kind of getting repetitive now, so I'm just going to leave now so you can get to the story. Review and enjoy :-).
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Taking a sip from his glass of orange juice, Hinata smiled as he watched his classmates hang out at the beach. It's been three days since they arrived at the hotel and the boy had to admit, he's been having a blast. Originally, the boy thought he would end up being bored, for he wasn't the partying type, but that wasn't the case. Throughout the trip, he hung out with Tsumiki, sparred with Owari and Nidai, played some arcade games with Nanami, helped Souda spy on some girls (well, he himself didn't do any spying. He was just there to make sure the mechanic didn't get himself killed), teamed up with Hanamura to cook possibly the best meal ever created, aided Sonia and Tanaka with some occult stuff (don't ask), assisted Koizumi and Saionji with some photography work, nearly ended up making a casino go bankrupt with Komaeda, bonded with Kuzuryuu and Mitarai, and killed it at karaoke with Mioda. Even Pekoyama seemed okay with the boy hanging around her, for he watched her hone her Kendo skills. He still didn't know why she was always on edge when near him, but that was something he decided to deal with later. Now was the time for relaxation.
Sadly, not all was sunshine and rainbows. Usually, whenever Hinata went swimming, he would wear a shirt. Before the operation, it was because he was self conscious, which was pretty funny since he had a rather fit body before. After the operation was a different story. He now had a body all men wished to achieve one day. Most would flaut such a body, but not Hinata. After all, he still wasn't the most outgoing person. Unfortunately, now he had no choice but to do so, for someone mysteriously stole the shirt he was going to use whenever he went swimming. Truth be told, he had an idea who it was, but he didn't know how to approach them. As such, he ended up just dealing with the loss of his shirt and went to the beach shirtless. This in turn caused the boy to receive some unwanted attention from nearly all the females at the beach, some even attempting to flirt with him. Again, he wasn't the most social person, so this was all too awkward for him.
"Looks like someone's popular," Kuzuryuu said with a smirk, causing Hinata to groan.
"Tell me about it," Souda said with a pout. "Geez dude, you've been having girls flocking towards you the entire day. Save some for us will ya?"
"Ugh, trust me when I say this isn't fun at all," Hinata groaned, causing Souda to shake his head.
"I find that hard to believe. Dude, I'd kill for some of those glances Sonia's been throwing your way."
"No you wouldn't," Kuzuryuu bluntly stated.
"Yeah, you're right. But I'd be willing to do anything else for a killer bod like that. What's your secret?"
"Uh… genetics?" Hinata weakly told him, obviously trying to hide the real reason his body was the way it was. Thankfully, Souda brought the excuse.
"Damn, seems like some people just have all the luck."
"It sure does," Kuzuryuu said. Coming from a business where lying was extremely common, Kuzuryuu knew Hinata was lying, he just wasn't in the mood to pester him for the truth.
An awkward silence befell the three boys, none of them having anything to talk about. Eventually, Hinata decided to ask Kuzuryuu a question.
"Hey Kuzuryuu? You know how the midterms are coming up soon?"
"Yeah, what about them?"
"What on Earth are you going to do for them? It's not like your talent is simple to flaunt off like Souda's or Mioda's."
"The headmaster said as long as the Kuzuryuu clan remains the most powerful branch of the Yakuza I can keep my title."
"Sounds pretty tough," Souda admitted.
"It ain't that hard," Kuzuryuu shrugged. "You just gotta be slick, intimidating, and alert. If you show any signs of weakness, then you'll be destroyed."
Hinata gave the boy a worried stare. "Damn, sounds rough."
"Tch, you get used to it. Shit's not as bad as it seems. My family's fucking rich, and we don't do all that bad crap most Yakuza do. We rely on deals and favors."
Nodding in understanding, Hinata began to develop a newfound respect for the ultimate Yakuza. Sadly, after his explanation, the three went silent again, trying to find something else to talk about.
"Hell yeah! We win again!" Owari shouted, causing the boys to pay attention to the beach. It seems while Hinata was being flocked by women, some of his classmates had set up a game of volleyball. On one team were Owari, Nidai, Komaeda, Mitarai, and Nanami. On the other side were Mioda, Hanamura, Koizumi, Saionji, and Sonia. Looking around, he noticed the rest of his class were doing their own things. Pekoyama was on high alert, keeping an eye on her young master despite him telling her to have fun while Tanaka was checking out some of the wildlife which lived on the beach. As for Tsumiki, she had passed out upon seeing her crush shirtless, much to his embarrassment, so she was lying next to Pekoyama for protection against people like Hanamura.
"Guys, is it me or is Owari's team unbalanced?" Souda asked his friends.
"Oh definitely," Hinata agreed. After all, two of the class's best athletes were on that team.
It seems as if the other team realized this as well, for after taking a timeout, Sonia approached the three boys, looking at Hinata.
"Greetings, I hope I'm not disrupting anything important," Sonia politely said.
"Not at all!" Souda replied, excited that his crush was speaking to him. Well, she was addressing all of them, but the boy was willing to accept whatever he could get.
"That's a relief," Sonia said with a smile before turning to Hinata. "Hinata, would you be interested in playing a game of volleyball with us? You see, we're losing quite a lot and we believe you're inclusion would help tip the odds in our favor."
"You guys mind if I play a game or two?" Hinata asked his pals.
"Eh, do whatever you want," Kuzuryuu told him.
"Sure. But you do know the other side will need another player as well. I'll be more than glad to fill in that spot."
"Splendid!" Sonia gleefully exclaimed.
"Now I can impress her with my mad volleyball skills," Souda whispered to Hinata before the boy rolled his eyes.
"Isn't that what you said when we had that video game tournament a while back, you know, the one where you lost all the games?"
"That was one time! This time I'll win for sure."
"Whatever you say…"
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"Everyone, I have returned with Hinata," Sonia said, much to the relief of her friends.
"Whew, now we actually stand a chance," Koizumi said, wiping sweat off her forehead.
"I just have to ask, what makes you think I'll be enough to help you win?" Hinata asked his team. He didn't recall using his full strength or speed when hanging out with any of his friends.
"You fought the two ogres yesterday and won," Saionji bluntly told him, referring to Owari and Nidai.
"Ibuki was sure you were going to die that day," Mioda stated.
'Crap! I need to be more careful in the future,' Hinata thought to himself before turning towards his team. "Let's just do this."
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With everyone taking their places, Hinata braced himself for what was going to happen next. It was decided Owari's team was to serve first, and the gymnast would be the one doing the serving. Smirking, she tossed the ball upwards.
"Eat this!" Slamming the ball upwards, it flew over the net and began fastly descending towards the other team. Thankfully, Koizumi was able to slap the ball upwards, passing it Saionji who weakly passed it to Sonia, who then shot it over the net. Sadly, with surprising agility, Mitarai managed to prevent the ball from touching the ground, passing it to Souda who in turn passed it to Nidai. Having experience with volleyball, the ultimate team manager managed to launch the ball over the net in the blink of an eye. With the ball traveling at such high speeds, most of the opposing team weren't willing to block such a shot, but not Hinata. Diving under it, he lightly hit it towards a shocked Koizumi, who in turn passed it to Hanamura. With the chef hitting the ball back over the net, Owari quickly passed the ball towards Souda, who tried hitting it towards Nidai, but he ended up messing up. Instead, it went towards Komaeda, who tossed it over the net. Normally, his luck would've caused something to happen right now, so the lucky student was surprised that Mioda managed to hit the ball back in the air with no problem. Tossing it to Sonia, the princess then passed it to Hinata. As the ball was heading towards him, time seemed to slow down for the boy as he tried to find where would be the best place to hit the ball. He ended up deciding that he was going to shoot it towards Nidai, for he wasn't worried whether or not someone would be able to stop the ball. He knew no one would be able to, so he was more worried about trying to prevent any injuries from happening. If he hit it to Nidai's left, no one will get hurt. As such, when the ball finally reached him, Hinata effortlessly spiked it over the net. Nidai obviously tried to stop the ball, but he wasn't fast enough, for the ball ended up creating a mini crater when it landed, spilling sand all over the muscular teen. Everyone looked at the crater in disbelief before they looked at Nidai, who let loose a loud laugh a second later.
"I've never seen such power before," Nidai exclaimed. "You are certainly something special."
"Special indeed," Komaeda muttered under his breath, something only Hinata managed to hear due to his increased senses.
"Yo, you guys up for another round?" Owari asked, causing everyone to nod. "'Cause I ain't resting till I beat you Hinata."
"But I just joined the game. How could you possibly want revenge on me this early?"
"It seems the tides have turned," Sonia declared as everyone began readying themselves for the next game.
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After about two hours of playing, the game finally ended with Hinata's team reigning victorious. Even though Hinata had to hold back to make the game fair, he ended up having a blast. The happy atmosphere was enough to keep him entertained.
With the game having ended, Hinata found no reason to stay at the beach any longer. Changing back into his regular clothing, he decided to explore the boardwalk along with Tsumiki, who also had enough of the beach.
"So, have anything specific you want to do?" Hinata asked the nurse as he took a bite from a hotdog he got from one of the various shops located at the boardwalk. Taking a few moments to think of something they could do together, the girl eventually spotted a large, multicolored stuffed bear which caught her eye. Sadly, the only way to get it was by winning a game of Milk Bottles, which was extremely hard to do.
"Let me guess, you want it?" Hinata asked her, even though he had already won her something earlier.
"Y-yes, if that isn't too much trouble."
"Psh, not at all." Walking towards the game booth, Hinata put down a few yen. "One game please?"
Nodding, the man working the booth gave the boy three balls. "One in gets you any prize of your choosing. Good luck."
Lazily watching the boy, he honestly expected him to fail just like nearly everyone else who attempted to play the game. Imagine his surprise when Hinata managed to not only get one ball in a milk bottle, but all three.
"Uh, so do I get three prizes or just one?" Hinata asked the man. For a few seconds, all he could do was stare at the ultimate hope with his jaw hanging down. Eventually, he managed to find his voice.
"I-I guess you get three prizes," the man said, still in awe at the boy's performance.
"Sweet." Before he did anything else, Hinata picked the bear Tsumiki wanted. He then picked out a large pink and white stuffed rabbit as well as a black stuffed bear.
"F-for me?" Tsumiki asked as Hinata handed her the other two prizes.
"Yeah," Hinata stated. "I don't really care for stuffed animals, so why not give them to you?"
"Thank you," the girl softly said before burying her head in the stuffed animals, trying to hide the large blush forming on her face. Having no reason to stay around the game booth any longer, the two decided to continue exploring the boardwalk.
"Y-you know, you seem to be good at a lot of things," Tsumiki told Hinata as they walked. "What is your talent? I-I know you're supposed to keep it a secret, but can't you tell me?"
Frowning, Hinata shook her head. "Trust me when I say I really want to tell you, but I can't. The headmaster himself said I can't share my talent and knowing the people he works with, he'll easily know if I spill the beans."
"Oh, I understand."
"Thanks. So, do you know what you're going to do for the midterm?"
"Um, I think I'll be operating on someone," Tsumiki told him. "Apparently I'll be assigned to a case where there's little chance of someone succeeding. I-I'm kinda nervous."
"Don't be. I've seen what you can do with my own eyes and there's hardly anything in the medical field you can't do," Hinata reassured her. "If you're still unsure, then I'd be more than willing to be with you during the operation, you know, for moral support."
"H-how are you so nice?" Tsumiki asked him, catching the boy off guard.
"What do you mean?" Last time he checked, while he was a kind individual, there were others who's selflessness would make him seem like a greedy bastard in comparison.
"Ever since we met, you've always been looking out for me. Y-you protected me from those bullies I was paying, you're always willing to hang out with me, and you've never said anything mean to me. What did I do to deserve your kindness?"
"Heh, you're still worried about that?" Hinata playfully scoffed. "I'm do all that for you because you're worth it. I genuinely enjoy spending time with you. And if I'm kind, then your a saint. I don't care how many times I have to repeat myself if it'll make you realize how great of a human being you are. Whew, that was awkward, sorry."
"..." Staring at the boy, Tsumiki immediately wrapped him in a hug, nuzzling her head in his shoulder, much to his surprise. "I-I'm so happy that I meant you."
"S-same here," Hinata replied, his face turning crimson.
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Hanging around the boardwalk for a bit longer, Hinata and Tsumiki eventually found themselves approaching a Ferris Wheel as the sun began to set. With the nurse practically begging him to ride it with her, the two ended up seated on the ride, currently on the Wheel's lowest altitude.
'I can do this, I can do this,' Tsumiki told herself as the ride began to start. "H-Hinata, can I ask you something?"
"Uh, sure," Hinata replied, not noticing that she began scooting closer to him.
"T-this may be selfish of me to ask, but could you promise me to never leave me?"
*Scoot*
"...Never leave you?"
"Yeah. You see, ever since you entered my life, I-I've felt this immense happiness."
*Scoot*
"You've given me the confidence to be myself."
*Scoot*
"You've made me feel safe."
*Scoot*
"You make me feel as if I can do anything."
*Bump*
As they began reaching the highest point of the Ferris Wheel, Hinata finally noticed that the nurse was right next to him. Before he could react, the girl crawled on his lap and began straddling him.
"T-Tsumiki?!"
"You've given me the world and I don't want to ever let you go. I-I love you Hinata, and I want to be with you for the rest of my life."
It was at this moment, when the sun had officially set and they reached the top of the Ferris Wheel, that the boy felt a pair of soft lips come into contact with his. Tsumiki was kissing him. It was so gentle, yet so powerful. He couldn't help but kiss her back, a tingling sensation leaving his body as he did. As he continued to kiss her, he realized some things were starting to make sense. The reason she's been acting so weird lately, the reason why she wanted to share a room with him, it was because she liked him. While the boy would be lying if he said he didn't have feelings for the nurse, he couldn't believe she felt this way about him among all people.
Eventually, Tsumiki ended the kiss and gave him a smile worm by those with a schoolgirl crush. "I don't know what I'd ever do without you, so please, don't ever leave me, okay?"
Hinata tried to answer, but the fact Tsumiki had just kissed him prevented him from thinking straightly. He was struggling to breath, let alone formulate words. All he knew was that things will certainly be different from now on...
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Author's note 2: Future chapters will be longer, just wanted to let you all know :-)
