At least he had the courtesy to carry her up to the bedroom when it was over.

Itach began slashing at her, arms first. The cuts created a surprisingly intricate pattern of X's and lines. Then her legs had random scratches that, unfortunately, did not turn out as pretty. On her left cheek, a long cut reached from close to her ear and across diagonally. On her neck and shoulders, the same thing; long gashes. Her clothes were stained with blood, and her salted tears made the wounds sting.

"What a nasty fall down the stairs." He said as he undid his tie and removed his clothing. Hinata still had a little fight in her.

"Even if I did fall, I'd say you pushed me." she spat from her weak position on the bed. He glared at her over his shoulder. "Careful, love. I still have the knife." he walked over to her, tracing the new scars with the tip of the knife. When he got to her hand, he cut a deep one into her palm. She yelped out in pain. Itachi kissed the fresh cut, licking the blood off his lips. Then he kissed her, his tongue invading her mouth. "I love you so much, Hinata." He crawled into bed next to her, wrapping his arms around her sobbing figure. The knife was still in his hand, and the tip of it poked her back.

--

She didn't go to work the next day. Instead, she spent the six hours wrapping and changing bandages and making up an excuse as to why she had them on.

"If I fell down stairs, I would have bruises too. And not to mention a broken limb." she muttered to herself as she cleaned her wounds carefully in the bathroom. "If I had an accident with the blender, they'd wonder what our cook was doing. And if I said I was depressed, then what?" she paused and stopped cleaning herself. "Maybe I'll just go to work today." She looked up through the window.

Hinata finished up putting her bandages on her arms and legs, forgetting to cover the one on her face. Her boss was absolutely horrified and worried. "What happened?" He asked. "Oh, just an accident. I'm okay." She smiled, even though it opened her wound a little. Blood trickled down her cheek, and the boss gasped. "Here, let me get you a bandage. My god!" he hurried to the back of the store and returned, promptly sticking the bandage to her cheek. "Thank you..." She said, touching the sore spot.

After confirming that she could work today, Hinata sat at the register, prohibited from doing anything more than sitting there and running items. So she began reading again.

-:-

Deidara couldn't take it anymore.

One night, he stormed out of the house and into the car.

"Where are you going?" Sasori asked, following him out to the car.

"I need Hinata. I'm going back to Konoha." Deidara slid into the passenger's seat. "Are you coming or not?" Sasori shook his head. "I've got an important meeting to go to in the morning." Deidara nodded. "I'll be back... later, I guess. Don't wait up on me."

Before the car could disappear onto the road, Sasori called after him. "But they'll recognize you. Cut your hair or something." Deidara touched his locks of hair, saddened. It had taken a lot of work to get it where it was today. "Maybe later..." he said.

"Bye, Deidara. Good luck." They nodded to each other before Deidara took off.

--

Deidara was able to stay at a hotel in Konoha. He was able to get a good room, though to him it didn't really matter. His money and title could get him almost anywhere - except by Hinata's side.

Once he settled, he took a pair of scissors and held out his long bangs. With a sigh, he began cutting his hair.

When he finished, he looked at himself in the mirror. It was uneven, but he thought the look gave him a sense of a free man or I do what I want, whenever I want. He kept his hair leaning to the left, like his bangs did, and he cut off the hair that made his ponytail. It would take some getting used to, but he could make it work.

The next morning, he walked around town. There were many new stores and cafes, and a new book store a few blocks down.

-;-

Hinata sat at the counter, reading a book as usual. But she wasn't all that focused on the book. The words just didn't process in her head - her mind was elsewhere.

Deidara-sensei. My job. My life. Deidara-sensei. Itachi. Home. Deidara-sensei. Deidara-sensei. Deidara-sensei...

She shook her head. He wasn't here, let alone her sensei. It was almost funny... Why would he -

"Reading was always one of your strong points." a voice said from the other side of the counter. Hinata's head snapped up in surprise. That voice was more familiar than Kevin's. This man was also wearing a hat, but everything about him was recognizable.

Except for his hair. It looked a bit raggedy, unevenly cut, under the hat.

"E-Excuse me...?" She said timidly, a small blush growing on her cheeks. He was beginning to look more and more like...

He took off his hat, ruffling his hair a bit. "I know its a bit different, but I'm still me." he looked at her expectantly, but she just sat there. "Oh, you didn't forget me already, did you?" He groaned playfully. He knew she remembered.

"Deidara... sensei." she whispered in disbelief.

Deidara looked her over observantly. The bandages must be a new look, he thought. They ran over her arms and down her legs, on her neck and one on her cheek. Before he could get a good look at the bandages, he felt her wrap her arms around him. Tightly. Then he heard her sobbing into his chest. He smiled, cupping the cheek that wasn't bandaged. "I missed you, Hinata." He said, kissing her softly on the lips. Hinata loosened her hug so that she could look at him.

"Your hair..." She touched it lightly, letting the shorter hair fall back to his face. He touched it a bit too. "They would've recognized me if I didn't cut it." he said. Hinata laughed lightly, hugging him again. "I'm so glad you're here, Deidara-sensei." She sighed. Deidara placed a hand on her head. "I'm not your sensei. Just call me Deidara." he stroked her hair, kissing the top of her head.

"Can you get off work? I want to talk with you." He asked, looking around the empty store. Hinata looked to the back, where her boss was sitting and watching them. He nodded to them, and Hinata smiled at him. "Thank you!" She called as they walked out the door.

"Do you want me to even this out for you?" She asked as they neared Deidara's hotel building. He shrugged. "Does it look that bad?" She nodded hesitantly. "Okay then."

On the way up to his room, they talked about Deidara's new career as an artist. He told her that being an artist was the easiest job ever - since you just did what you wanted on an easel and got paid for it. Hinata didn't talk much about what happened to her. She was just happy he was with her again.

"Okay. Here are the scissors. Work your magic." he chuckled, and Hinata smiled shyly. She began cutting, slowly and carefully. He watched his hair reluctantly as it fell to the floor. "It took a long time to grow this..." he sobbed playfully.

"Ow!" Hinata dropped the scissors. She accidentally cut her finger, and was now sucking on it to top the bleeding. "Are you alright?" he asked, standing up and looking at her cut. She winced in pain when he grabbed her wrist. His look got more concerned. "What happened? Are these real bandages?" he lightly stroked her arm. "O-Of course they are. Why would I put on fake ones?" She asked, reaching into her bag for a bandage to put on her finger. Suddenly, he started unwrapping the gauze from her arm. "H-Hey!" She tried pulling away, but he held her tighter.

"No, hold still." he hushed, studying her cuts carefully. She trembled a bit, so he made her sit down on the bed. "You didn't..." he began. Hinata furiously shook her head. "Then... Itachi..." he bit his lip, angered. The bastard! He yelled inwardly. Hinata turned her head so that she couldn't look at him. "I-it's okay. I'm fine now." She said unconvincingly.

Deidara looked at her, a pained expression on his face. "Why didn't you tell me? Where was Hidan when this happened?" he asked. At the sound of Hidan's name, she began sobbing. She thought of how Itachi killed him, and surprisingly of his nephew, Kevin. "H-Hidan-sensei... I-Itachi just..." Her sentence was lost in her bout of crying. Deidara's eyes widened. He sat beside her, in his hands her arm. "What... happened while I was gone?"

Hinata retold everything that happened after she called him five years ago. He told him how Hidan planned to marry her to keep her away from Itachi, how he really loved her, and how Itachi found out and shot him in the head. After the funeral, they got married and Itachi had been the posessive, abusive husband he was today. And to explain her cuts, she said that she got Itachi angry. That made Deidara grind his teeth together. "What a lunatic!" He shouted, gripping her hand tightly. Hinata yelped in pain. It was the hand with the deep gash, and it was bleeding again. "Oh! My god, Hinata, I'm sorry!" he tried wrapping the bandage around it again, but it didn't work. "I-It's fine, Deidara-sen-" She cut herself off from saying 'sensei'. Deidara, unable to think of anything else to do at the moment, brought her hand up to his lips. Her eyes widened with surprise, and her cheeks turned a dark red.

He licked the blood off his lips. Itachi had done the same thing, but Deidara made it right. And oddly sensual. Hinata looked away when he kissed her hand again. This time, she could feel, he intended for it to make her skin tingle. "I'm sorry I let this get so out of hand." he whispered, going down on one knee in front of her. He wasn't proposing, however. He was formally apologizing. Hinata moved her hand away from his grip and tried pulling him back up to her level. Her hand stung, and she winced again. Deidara took her hand and kissed it more, this time moving up her arm and removing her bandages. Hinata blushed. All her cuts were being exposed, and he was kissing each and every one of them.

"Hinata..." he sighed. He was up at her shoulder. His other hand began removing her shirt. "Ah... D-D... Deidara... It's not th-that big a d-deal..." she failed at trying to not sound needy or turned on. Deidara stood up a little, hovering over her on the bed. She lay down as he advanced on her. He kissed the cuts on her other arm and her now exposed abdomen. There was an unbandaged cut on her side, and another on her stomach. "Why didn't you call the police? He hurt you so much." He asked as he kissed her neck and collarbone. She calmed herself down a bit to answer. "He... has... power over... everyone..." she panted, gripping the sheets in anticipation. He shook his head as he fingered the bandages on her legs.

Deidara leaned down and kissed her lips, and brought her up higher on the bed. "I'm sorry I wasn't there." he apologized, beginning to remove his shirt. "I don't even deserve to do this to you." His hands stroked her sides and her cuts. She stiffened, and her light moaning was beginning to turn him on. "D...Deidara... sen..." She trailed off, and he kissed her neck again. "I love you, Hinata." He said in a husky voice, sliding his fingers into her pants and removing them. He kissed her again, and she buried her hands in his shortened hair.

She thought, briefly, that his longer hair would have been more fun to play with.

--

When Hinata woke up, it was late at night. Deidara was already awake, with his arm around her naked body and his hand fingering the many cuts hidden on her body. After tracing every cut on her body, he let his fingers brush over her cheek. She looked up at him, and his pained expression from before returned. "How could he do this...?" His hand returned to the cuts on her neck and collarbone. She cupped his face and kissed him. "I'm okay. Really." He shook his head. "People like him need to be arrested." he muttered, tracing her body and kissing her again.

Hinata smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck. Then, suddenly, like a spark of lightning, it hit her that she just slept with a man she wasn't married to. Whileshe was married to someone else. "Oh my god." She gasped, sitting upright in bed. Almost reflexively, she brought the blanket up to cover her chest. "What?" Deidara asked, sitting up with her and wrapping an arm around her waist. She started gathering all her clothes together, getting out of bed with a dark red tint on her cheeks. "I'm married, Deidara." She turned an even darker red. She had started calling Deidara by his name when... well, when they were having sex.

Deidara smiled a little when she said his name, but still kept the seriousness of her situation. "To who?" he asked, though he already knew the answer. Hinata stopped buttoning up her shirt. She looked up at Deidara, an uncomfortable look on her face. "Itachi." She said the name with pure distaste. After a moment, she started changing again. "But... That doesn't change the fact that I'm legally bound to him. Not to mention morally wrong." Deidara huffed and started putting on his pants. "So are you saying you didn't like it?" He had to admit, five years apart did something to their relationship. Hinata didn't stop gathering her things. "Deidara, of course I liked it. There's nothing in the world I'd rather do - literally - than be with you." He wrapped his arms around her as she brushed her hair. "Then stay, my love." he kissed her neck.

Hinata groaned inwardly. Did he have any idea what position he was putting her in? "Deidara..." she hoped he would understand. She hoped with all her soul.

Deidara looked at her through the mirror. After a few minutes, he let go of her. "Okay. I understand." He held his hands up in the air in surrender. Hinata could swear she could orgasm. He was the right guy. She knew it.

Hinata jumped on him, hugging him tightly and kissing him heatedly. "I'd do you again if I had the chance." She said, suddenly fiesty. Deidara smirked and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I was the one doing you, my dear." he chuckled and kissed her again before letting her go.

As Hinata continued brushing her hair, Deidara looked out the window. It was dark, and it was unsafe... "Hinata, maybe I should drive you home." He said uneasily, looking out onto the sidewalk. Sure enough, there was a prowler there, loitering. Hinata walked up beside him and nodded. "That's just scary, a guy outside your hotel." she said softly, stroking her hair to even it out. She soon got ready, and the two headed out for Deidara's car.

"You still have this piece of junk?" Hinata eased herself into the front seat. "Junk?" Deidara patted the dashboard lovingly. "It's okay, she didn't mean it." He smiled at her - or was it the car? Hinata giggled. He jerked himself back to his seat, embarrassed. "Let's go." he started the car and began driving.

Hinata told Deidara to park a block away from her house. She gave him a small kiss on the cheek. "Will I see you again... tomorrow?" She asked. Deidara winked at her. "You got it." he clicked his tongue, and Hinata blushed. "Good night, sweetheart." He blew her a kiss, and she rolled her eyes. She closed the door and began walking. After she was well ahead of him on the sidewalk, he slowly - but not slow enough to arouse suspicion - drove alongside her. She pretended to not notice, but held a smile all the same.

As she expected, Itachi was waiting for her in their living room.

And, she realized, she had no excuse prepared.

-:-

Blaaaah!

I'M GRADUATING TOMORROW! HOLY SHIZNIT!

(Stepping up to High School! Is it scary? o_O)