… that I might not ever sing to you.
"Young lady, you shortchanged me!" the woman's yellow shirt hit Hinata's tired eyes like sunrise for a vampire. She was worn-out, felt a little dead, and more than a little down on herself, but she had counted this woman's change three times now. She knew it was right. Before she could open her mouth to say so yet again, Neji had stepped in front of her.
"Excuse me, ma'am." He said softly. "But your change is correct. If you'd like, I can print a receipt for you and you can see it for yourself."
Hinata knew it made her seem like a younger sibling new on the job, but she scooted behind him, clutching his shirt sleeve and peeking around his arm.
The woman faltered when faced with his self-assurance and strode haughtily from the diner.
That's when Hinata first realized she was in love with him.
He still acted as her knight-in-shining-armor, and the way he moved, the way he spoke, told of a confidence she knew she'd never have and that she desperately wanted. She wished desperately that she could impress him – had been trying to since he came back, to no avail. All she wanted was his attention; she craved it – soaked it in when it was given to her. Now she realized why. She was falling hard.
He had stepped in to save her in more ways than one.
0
Neji knew he was attracted to his cousin when she tucked herself into his shadow, her face hidden against his arm. She was child-like, innocent – but her touch sent a jolt through his body, leaving him craving more – more of her attention, her affection. He yearned for her shy smile and the way her cheeks glowed with blush when she was embarrassed or pleased.
He wanted to protect her, to be her savior.
0
Hinata sighed, settling into the passenger's seat of Neji's car. He was staying for the evening at the Hyuuga manor, and they had decided to carpool.
It had been less than a week since her date had run to the bathroom of the bowling alley to make out with another guy, but she found herself nearly over it already.
She glanced at Neji, who was warming his hands at the car vents. He didn't know what had happened – she wasn't planning on telling him – and she had sworn Hanabi to secrecy.
Last thing she needed was to be humiliated in front of the boy she found herself adoring all over again. She wanted this to stay perfect, for as long as it could.
Neji looked at her, smiling slightly when he found her gazing at him, and she smiled back.
0
Hinata's forehead was pressed against the glass pane of her window. Her eyes felt dry, like she had cried too much, but in reality, she hadn't cried at all. She also hadn't slept at all, which might be the reason for the discomfort.
She drew her knees closer to her chest, shivering a little. Her stomach howled with the need for food, but every time she tried to eat, it just came back up. So she sat on her window seat, sipping green tea – or hot chocolate, when her mother made it for her – and watching the clouds roll through the blue sky.
She had laughed at Shikamaru when he had said a few years ago that his favorite pastime was watching the clouds go by, but she was beginning to understand why he liked it so much. It wasn't much of use, and one would think that minds wandered when eyes watched the clouds. But they went away to nice places, where thoughts weren't dark, where dreams weren't nightmares.
She heard muffled voices outside her door, and turned her head slowly, feeling as if it would fall off her neck and roll away under her bed if she moved too quickly, and stared in that direction. If she listened closely, she could pick out words.
"…doctor said there's nothing … just psychological …"
"…hasn't left her room in a week … is wrong … pale … isn't eating …"
A knock.
"Hinata?"
She grimaced. Her father. The last thing she needed was for him to tell her to get over whatever was wrong with her and move on with her life.
Her mouth opened, but she couldn't seem to force any sound out. And it didn't matter, because he came in anyway.
He looked partially concerned, but mostly annoyed. "Hinata, what's wrong?" He sat down on the edge of the seat, laying a hand on her knee.
She shrank back, pushing his hand away in one sweeping motion, and didn't respond.
"Hinata. You have to tell us what's wrong." His shunned hand fell in his lap. "Your mother's worried. You haven't been to school in a week. What happened on Saturday?"
She shuddered.
Whimpers, pleading.
"Hinata!" he gripped her chin, turned her head to look at him. "Tell me what happened."
"S-stop, please. D-don't -."
"Be quiet, honey. It'll be over soon. Hell, you might even like it."
Hinata tried to wrench out of his grasp. "Don't touch me!" she screamed, curling up, shaking uncontrollably. "I'm disgusting! Leave me alone!"
Taken aback, he jumped up, called her mother, tried to put his arms around her. "Hinata, please -."
"Don't touch me!" she was sobbing now, and tears fell against glass. She wanted to break it, to rip herself open with the shards.
"Somebody call an ambulance!" her father shouted, wrapping his arms around her, pinning her own to her sides so that she couldn't thrash.
She fell against his grip, weeping, her dark hair falling into her face, sticking to the saltiness of her cheeks. "Please," she whispered, begged, "please don't touch me."