"So, for our handshake, I was thinking of something like..." Hidan held out his hand for Hinata to take, but she was making her hands busy wiping the tears from her eyes. He glanced at her with a sympathetic look, resting his hand on his lap. "Hinata..." He scratched his head and looked at the door, where another student was waiting. "Look, Hinata, why don't you freshen up in the bathroom for a little bit?" He pulled her up to her feet and led her to the door. The other student walked in and sat on the couch. Hidan stepped out of the room with Hinata, closing the door behind them.
She began crying openly, which confused him. Usually students would cry in the room, where it was more private. Hidan placed a hand on her shoulder. "I-I'm sorry." She sputtered, wiping her eyes with her palms "I-It's just..." She was interrupted by another wave of sobbing. Hidan pulled her into a short hug. "Go fix yourself in the bathroom, okay? You can spend the rest of the day with me afterwards." Hinata nodded, whispering a short thank you before walking away. Hidan waited until she was out of sight before walking back into his office.
-:-
Deidara sighed, slamming the newspaper down on the breakfast table. Sasori looked up from his copy of the same newspaper, confused.
"We're not getting anywhere, Sasori." Deidara groaned, resting his chin on his arms. Sasori shrugged, looking over the job pages of the paper. "We should keep trying. One more week, okay?" he said reassuringly. "I mean, you have a girl to be there for." He glanced at Deidara, catching the distant look in his eye.
"If we don't find a job soon, we'll have to move. Far away, where we can start over again." Deidara looked up at Sasori, who turned a page in his paper. "We'll find one, don't worry."
They continued their breakfast/lunch/brunch, reading their newspapers and, for Deidara, worried about Hinata.
-:-
Hinata came back from the bathroom just in time for the girl to leave. She sat down in front of Hidan on the couch, looking a little better, but not completely. Hidan studied her for a little bit, reading her like an open book.
"Was it Itachi-sensei?" he asked. She shuddered, rubbing a hand up her arm. "Y-Yes." she answered timidly. Hidan nodded. "What did he do?" at this, Hinata began tearing up again. She began to explain how Itachi stared at her all through class, called her to his desk after, and how he talked bad about Deidara, and how he 'saved her' from his 'clutches' and said that what was best for her was himself, which she didn't exactly agree on.
"And he started hugging me, and breathing on me, and kissed my cheek..." She brought her hand up to touch her cheek, blushing pink. "I was scared, Hidan-sensei, so scared..." Hidan stood up, sat next to her, and pulled her into a hug. "Itachi-sensei is a very dangerous man. Maybe you should ask for a class transfer. i can arrange something for you, if you like." Hinata smiled. That sounded like a good idea. "Would you? Please? That would be the best, Hidan-sensei!" she said excitedly. Hidan patted her head. "Of course, my dear. What're best friends for?" he chuckled, letting Hinata go.
As Hinata left the room, Hidan called Deidara on his cell phone.
"Hello?
"Deidara. I just talked to Hinata."
"Oh, really? What'd she say?"
"... She was crying."
"...Why?"
"Itachi."
Hidan heard Deidara's breath hitch in anger. Despite this, he began to relay everything Hinata told him. When he finished, Deidara growled, "I'll kill him." Hidan began drawing circles with triangles in them on a piece of scratch paper (or an important school paper; he could never tell the difference). "Well, if you actually decide to do it, make it quick. I feel that Itachi's planning something." Hidan glanced at the door, then gasped. Itachi was standing there at the door, his eyes suddenly red. "Holy shit." he sighed. Itachi let himself into the room.
"Hidan? Hidan!? What? What happened?"
"So, what time? 8:30? Okay. See you at dinner then, sweet cheeks." Hidan clicked his tongue and hung up the phone.
"Sweet cheeks? What the fu-"
Hidan glanced at Itachi uneasily.
"Is Hinata-san alright, Hidan-sensei?" he asked in that suave voice of his. Hidan kept his cool. "She'll be alright. Why?" Itachi stood up and began walking around the room. "Oh, just worried. She is my top student, you know." he stopped at the desk. "Why was she crying?" Hidan paused. "Just the usual teenage trouble. Someone talking behind someone's back, sadness, hate, the usual teenager stuff." Itachi held a look of fake surprise. "My goodness. Who could do such a thing to my poor, sweet, Hinata?" he gazed distantly out the window. Hidan's eyes narrowed. "I heard it was that Sakura girl, but I'm sure they'll apologize." Itachi nodded, suddenly glaring into Hidan's eyes.
"I suppose I'll take my leave now. Thank you for your time, Hidan-sensei." Itachi began walking for the door, but Hidan grabbed his arm. "Hey. If you're planning anything to hurt Hinata, I'll kill you." he hissed through grit teeth. Itachi gave him a haughty look. "Hurt her? Why, I'd never..." He leaned close to Hidan's face. "It isn't her you should be worrying about. Cretin." Hidan held back his fist, keeping it glued to his side. "Watch yourself." Itachi said before disappearing behind the door.
-:-
"Sweet cheeks? Ugh, whatever, Hidan." Deidara closed his phone, throwing it on his desk and running a hand through his hair.
"I hope Hinata's okay. She's a good girl." Sasori said, looking up from another newspaper. Deidara nodded in agreement. "I wonder what happened. To Hidan, I mean." he slid on his jacket and headed for the door. "I'm going for a walk." he said as he walked out.
This is terrible.Deidara tilted his head downward, deep in thought the second his foot hit the sidewalk. We're getting nowhere with job department. We're running out of money, fast. We're so close to red on our bills, we're orange, I bet. I mean, if bills were ranked by rainbow. He shook his head. If we don't find a job by tomorrow, we'll have to move. Far.
Deidara was already heading back to the house. He hoped Sasori had something, even paper boys, or janitors. But, as it happened, Sasori had no such thing. In fact, he already had some of his stuff packed.
"No optimism today, Sasori?" Deidara joked, sliding off his jacket and closing the door. Sasori shrugged, kicking scattered newspapers on the floor up into the air. "Nothing. We can't even fake our ages to any jobs in the area because our story spread. Jackholes." he muttered, annoyed. "Well, I'd better get packing. I got a lot to pack." Deidara rolled up his sleeves and headed down to the basement.
He looked around his room for the last time. His posters needed to be taken down and rolled up into containers he didn't have yet, and his collection of random things should be put in a special box he had yet to acquire. Seeing how hopeless it was to start big, he started small, with the small desk he had that held a few papers from school. He took a recycling box and sorted through the papers, deciding if it were garbage or important. Among these papers (most of which were recycled), he found something with Hinata's name on it.
You kissed me last night.
He smiled a little.
Why, yes, I did.
Why?
Because.
He read all the way to the end, not believing how flirtatious he was back then. He almost blushed from embarrassment.
I think it means... I love you too.
He read that sentence over and over, his heart sinking a bit. What would he do about Hinata? He couldn't leave her - impossible. But what choice did he have?
Sighing, he folded the paper into fourths, tucking it into his breast pocket. I love you, Hinata.he patted his pocket and continued sorting through the papers. He saved all the papers Hinata had written, and some of the ones he thought were good from other students. The rest he recycled, and pretty soon the desk was clean.
The rest of the day continued like this, until Deidara got a phone call from Hidan.
-:-
At school, everyone was getting ready for the big Senior Prom. Posters and streamers decorated the halls, guys were asking girls out and vice versa, everyone was in a happy and festive mood.
Except for Hinata.
Which was only natural, really. With all that happened to her, it'd be a surprise if she werehappy. Even Hidan, who usually could, couldn't cheer her up. What was she depressed about? Not because her young teacher love got fired and she can't see him every day, and not because her older math teacher is after her, but because she knew that she couldn't go to prom with some other boy. She refused every boy who asked her, and planned to do so until the entire prom was over, despite that it made her feel depressed.
Hidan's conclusion: Girls are weird.
But Hidan was nothing, if not a gentleman. He took the liberty of calling Deidara and inviting him to the prom. It was a little weird at first, what with the 'Sweet Cheeks' incident hanging in the air, but when he explained himself, Deidara agreed. However, Deidara also had something to tell Hidan, that Hinata didn't need to know. Yet.
"You're leaving? When?"
"When we're done packing. Which, hopefully, will be the day after the prom. I'll say good bye to her then."
"... Okay." Hidan felt uneasy. If Deidara left, Hinata would be in more danger of Itachi than before. And he knew that with Deidara gone, Itach would have more of a chance at getting Hinata.
"Hidan."
"Huh?"
"Take care of her. Please."Deidara's voice suddenly sounded weak. Pleading. "Right now she's probably scared, alone, sad. All because I'm not there with her. But now I'm going to be gone, and..."There was a pause. Hidan heard a sound so soft he thought he imagined it, but he trusted his hearing enough to know what he heard. A sob. "She needs someone there for her. I can't be that someone anymore. Please, Hidan, please..." There was another unmistakable sob, and then another. "Deidara. It's okay. She'll be fine with me. Just come to the prom and dance with her. She'd love that." Deidara calmed down enough to reply. "Thank you, Hidan."Hidan chuckled. "So I'll see you Friday. Bye, Deidara."
"Yeah. Bye, Hidan. Thanks."
Hidan understood that Deidara was in between a rock and a hard place.
-:-
Hinata, with Hidan as her escort, went to prom riding a limo, like every couple should. She sat quietly, staring down at the floor while Hidan stared at her. He resisted the urge to cheer her up with the surprise he planned. But Hidan was nothing, if not dedicated.
"So... Are you excited for prom?" he asked, playing with his thumbs politely. Hinata nodded, implying the exact opposite of her answer. "You know, this is technically my first prom ever. I didn't go to the one at my high school." He looked at her. She seemed interested, so he continued. "When I was your age, I liked this girl. But she didn't like me, and I got depressed and skipped all dances, proms, and other social activities." She glanced at him, the smallest hint of a smile on her face. "Do you find this funny? My anti-social-ness in high school amuses you?" he poked her cheek, and she let out a giggle. He laughed a little as well. "And you know what? I feel like one of the luckiest guys on earth, taking you to prom." He pulled her into a quick hug. "One of them?" She questioned, looking at him. "Well, there's another guy who's lucky to have you." he winked at her, and she blushed a bit.
They were nearing the school, the road vibrating with the music. "Were your parents iffy about letting you go to prom with me?" He asked as they stepped out of the limo. Hinata shrugged. "I doubt they could tell how old you were. I mean, I know you're not Nineteen, but you don't look Thirty-four." they walked side by side, since as teacher and student, they couldn't hold hands. But mentally, they were.
When they entered, Hinata was greeted by her friends, Sakura and Ino.
"Hinata! We didn't think you'd come! You look great!" Sakura pulled her gently onto the dance floor. Hinata glanced at Hidan, who nodded and winked at her. Have fun. She smiled at him and followed Sakura onto the dance floor. Within an hour, she had danced with four different guys. Shikamaru Nara, who Ino, (Besides Hidan-sensei) had the biggest crush on. Shino Aburame, who Hinata recognized to be in most of her classes, Kiba, likewise, and Naruto, whose eyes reminded her so much of Deidara. She and her friends were very tired after that, and decided to sit at a table to rest a bit. Ino managed to drag Shikamaru with her to the table.
"So, Hinata, spill! Why were you with Hidan-sensei?" Sakura asked, fanning herself with her hand. Hinata blushed, glancing at Hidan, who was flirting with a few girls he knew had a crush on him. She rolled her eyes, and her blush disappeared. "Why? He escorted me here by limo because he felt bad that I wasn't going." Only part of that was a lie. "Sure." Ino said, hugging Shikamaru's elbow tighter to her. "It's true! If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be here!" She defended. "Hm... I suppose that's believable. Agreed, Sakura?" Ino looked to Sakura, who nodded reluctantly. "For now, I suppose."
Hidan walked toward the girls' (and one boy's) table, bumping Hinata with his hip. "Hey, girly girl. Can I borrow you for a while?" he asked casually. He winked at Ino, who was staring at him. She turned pink, to the dismay of Shikamary (poor guy). "Uh... S-Sure." Hinata stood up and gave her friends a look that said, Don't get any ideas. The second she was out of earshot, Sakura and Ino leaned over the table to discuss the ideas Hinata told them not to have about her and Hidan.
"Where are we going, Hidan-sensei?" Hinata asked when they started heading to the yard behind the school. "I've got a surprise for you! I just know you'll love it, because you do!" When they got close to the door, Hidan covered her eyes and led her outside. "Let's dance for a little. But keep your eyes closed, okay?" Hinata nodded, following the steps Hidan was taking in their dance. She leaned her head on his shoulder. "When can I open my eyes, Hidan-sensei?" she sighed. She felt him kiss her head, and she pushed him away.
"Hidan-sensei!" she shrieked, opening her eyes. Then she gasped. She blushed, covering her open mouth with her hand.
Deidara smiled at her, his arms wide open. "I've missed you, Hinata." he said softly. "D-Dei... Dei...!" Unable to say his name, she ran into his open arms, tears falling out of her eyes. "Hinata..." He sighed her name, his lips pressed against her head. "Oh, Deidara-sensei..." Hinata laughed a little, drying her tears on his blazer. They danced a bit, just swaying from side to side to a rhythm of their own. When the vibrating of the music stopped to allow a new song to begin, they kissed.
Deidara glanced at Hidan, who only smiled at them. Deidara frowned a little, holding Hinata tightly.
"Hinata, I need to tell you something." he said, giving Hidan a look. He took the hint, a serious expression on his face. Hinata noticed this, and the feeling of worry shone on her face.
"Me and Sasori are leaving." Hinata recoiled as if she were hit by a bullet. Deidara closed his eyes, gripping Hinata tightly. She was already trembling. "We can't find jobs here. We have to move to a place where no one knows who we are." He bit his lip as Hinata tightly held his arms. "Y-You're going... far away?" she mumbled, her tears turning into ones of sadness. "Yes... Far away." He held her close, even though she was trying to push him away. "No! Don't! Stay here!" She pleaded, giving up and wrapping her arms around him tightly. "We might not see each other again." He whispered, making her throw more of a tantrum. "No!, Deidara-sensei, please! Stay!" she begged. Hidan was beside them, ready to hold Hinata when he had to leave.
"Hinata, please. I love you. This'll be better for both of us." he said. "How? Tell me, how!" She sobbed, holding him tightly and crying against his shoulder. "How far can you go, living in a world where your husband is a criminal who lies about his age? I have to find a world where I'm not who they think I am here. Otherwise we both can't get anywhere. And that's the last thing I want to do - hold you back." Hinata loosened her grip on him, but still held on. "Then take me with you. Please! I've only been away from you for a week, and I'm already falling apart at the seams! How long can I last in a world without you in it?" Deidara gave her one last kiss. "You can. You will." he assured, holding her face in his. "I'll never love anyone else. I promise." he held her one last time. "Deidara-sensei..."
"I'm not your sensei anymore."
He thrust her into Hidan's arms and ran.
Far away.
-:-
;^;