Hinata reached up on her toes and jumped a few times to smidgen the box forward.
"You know this would be easier if you would just stop being short," Kiba commented, reaching over her.
Hinata blinked and felt her face heat up, realizing he watched her struggle. Kiba plopped the box in her hands. "Thank you."
Kiba ruffled her hair and disappeared through the door to the front of the shop. Hinata sighed and turned to set the box to the side to look for the next one when she turned to Itachi.
Itachi lowered his face to hers, lifting a hand into her hair. Hinata was caught in a heated kiss by his cold lips as he backed her into the wall. Hinata buried her fists in his scarf, that now had a similar scent of ash as his coat did, to pull him closer.
Itachi's arm came around her back to hold her shy of the wall toward him and continued his surprise attack until her human lungs needed air. He back up only a hair to burn her with his stare as she gasped.
"You need to stop becoming jealous over the simplest things." Hinata huffed under her voice.
"I don't…" Itachi didn't get a chance to finish. Hinata pulled him back down.
Hinata scrambled for her coat and keys as she held her phone to her ear, bounced her leg on the bus, and ran to the hospital front desk only to be told that he father only had a stomach ulcer and should be fine. She sat and waited for Hiashi to be wheeled out with a sour look on his face. "Why are you here?"
"They couldn't get a hold of Neji-san." Hinata bowed her head to not look him in the eye.
"Hmph." Hiashi got up out of the chair despite the nurse's protest that she was meant to take him to the door. Hinata waved her hand and took his arm. Hiashi glared down at her hand, and his eyebrows knit together further, but let her walk him out. "This way." He pointed away from the parking lot.
He wanted to take a walk?
Hinata walked him slowly down the sidewalk. Was he meant to up and walking around? She certainly wasn't going to tell him he couldn't. Hiashi stopped on the bridge, looking over the water. "Where did you get that ring?"
Hinata's eyes shot down to her hands, and she tucked them behind her dropping her head. "It was in the box of things mother left me."
"Give it here." Hiashi demand holding his hand out.
Hinata hesitated, but she had never disobeyed a direct order before, so she took it off and placed it in his hand. Hinata's heart dropped as he threw it into the water. "What are you doing!?"
"Those rings are nothing but trouble!" Hiashi bellowed at her. "Hizashi and Hanabi both never listened to me. You do not play with that world." Hinata blinked widely at him. He knew? Did it come from his side of the family? "It killed them both. I know you know what I am talking about."
Wait. "You… knew Hanabi-chan was seeing real ghosts, and you acted like she was crazy." And Hinata believed him. How many times had Hanabi called her crying, and Hinata checked to make sure she was taking her medication? How many times did Hanabi want to tell her what was going on but didn't want to see more crazy? Did Hiashi even tell her that he knew what she was seeing was real? "You told us it was all in her head! You let me believe that she died because I pushed her away when she was ill!"
Hiashi's face twitched, showing only a drop of guilt. "There is nothing good that comes out of looking beyond the real world."
Hinata rubbed her face. Why did she think calling her father was a good idea? She just wanted him to pay attention to Hanabi taking her medication while Hinata took her exams. Hanabi was calling non-stop, and Hinata couldn't drop everything to come to her every time.
Hinata loved her sister, and she wanted her to get the help she needed, but Hinata couldn't be the help she needed and finish university.
Hinata's phone started ringing, and she sighed, knowing who was calling. She was tired. She had just spent half the night studying and the other half answering all the erratic messages Hanabi sent her. She had to take to go into this exam she couldn't reschedule.
Hinata would be more sympathetic if this didn't happen every few weeks. Hinata picked up the phone with one thing to tell her sister. "I wish you would stop calling me. I can't handle this right now." Hinata turned her phone off and gathered her bag to go into the exam room.
Hinata didn't know that the missed call that she would find when she turned her phone back on was a single voice message from her father telling her Hanabi left a note, and they couldn't find her.
Hinata was devastated when realized what she had done. Even more so when Hanabi was found, and it hit her that her wish had come true. Hinata would never receive another call from her sister again.
Hinata felt like a fitting punishment was to think about Hanabi trailing behind her like she used to. Haunting her, reminding her that she deserved the rain and the cold that came into her life. Sometimes she could even see her there. Maybe she was crazy too, but if she was, she deserved to suffer without help just like her sister did.
Hinata turned from him, rounding the bridge and running down the bank to look into the water. When she looked back up at the bridge, Hiashi was gone. Hinata saw a shiny glint in the water, and she pulled off her coat and shoes and dipped herself into the ice-cold water. She could be quick, grab it, and get out.
That became less and less of a possibility as, in her rush, she realized how deep the water was with a few steps, but she was already drenched, and she wanted her ring. She waded closer and ducked her head down and looked for it coming back up for air after a moment.
The water was freezing, and she was already shivering, but she fought the urge to go back to shore and ducked her head again. She swam closer to the sparkle, but as soon as her foot left the river shelf, she realized the current was stronger than she thought. She ducked her head down one more time and forced all her strength to reach for it.
Before she could reach it, she was yanked back by the back of her shirt. She was dragged back through the water until she was back on the bank. The surprise made her swallow water, and she coughed and gagged to get rid of it as she shivered, realizing how cold she really was.
A cold hand pulled her up as Itachi appeared in front of her.
"I almost had it!" Hinata tried to push her wet hair out of her face.
Itachi opened his other hand, revealing her ring. "I didn't pull you out." Hinata blinked at him, taking the ring and sliding it back on. Now Hinata realize how panicked she was to get it back, and a shiver reminded her that jumping in was a dumb idea. Itachi pulled her out of the river and put her coat on her shoulders and then his. "You should have waited for me." He scolded.
"I wouldn't be able to see you." Hinata's teeth chattered together. "And it could have washed away by the time you found me."
Itachi set his jaw, not wanting to argue. "I'm not warm." Itachi put his scarf around her and a grab her shoes, and suddenly they were back in her apartment in her bathroom.
Hinata watched Itachi turn on the hot water. She pulled off the jackets with difficulty as her muscles locked up with each shiver. Itachi pulled her into her bathtub, fully clothed, to run the warm water over her.
Hinata wrapped her arms around herself as she shivered. Okay. Maybe it was a really dumb idea, but she panicked. She wasn't really thinking about how cold or deep the water was, how strong the current might be.
Hinata reached out for Itachi's hand, but he pulled it away. She curled back around herself. He was really mad at her.
Itachi gradually turned the water up until she stopped shivering, then gathered her clean clothes and a towel. He waited by the door to place a cup of tea in her hand when she opened the bathroom door.
"Are you going to leave?" Hinata wondered as she brought the cup to her lips. Despite being warmed though, the tea warmed parts of her she didn't know were still cold.
"No," Itachi answered flatly.
"You don't seem happy with me." Hinata's hand hovered toward his showing her insecurities.
Itachi's hand turned into a fist but didn't pull away. "I am not warm." He repeated.
Hinata looked up at him. He was worried about making her colder. Is that why he didn't want to touch her? She pulled his hand into hers with the tips of her fingers. "Your hands are warm now."
Itachi released the tension in his hand to turn into hers. His hands kept some of the heat of the warm water and the teacup. His other hand came up to her face and brushed her cheek. She must have scared him. Did reapers get scared? She was sure he would say the couldn't.
Itachi held on to the bundle of blankets that huddled into his chest, feeling her weight reminding him how human she was. Stupid, impulsive, sentimentally human. Hinata's breathing kept him calm as he berated himself. He wouldn't have been there in time if someone hadn't warned him. He wasn't even the one that pulled her out.
Which raised the question. Who did?
Itachi only got a glimpse. They were gone before he returned with the ring. Were they the same one who warned him?
Itachi laid his head on hers and took part in her heat only because she was now sweating in the bundle of blankets he wrapped her in. Humans could go into shock. Their hearts could stop if they got too cold. People died quickly in cold water. Didn't she know that?
Hinata continuously reminded him of how mortal she was just when he got too comfortable. But this was his own fault… falling in love with a human.
