Hinata waited for Kisame to be upset and angry with her. She waited for him to want to leave and never see her again, but he kept holding her hand as they sat on her floor, and she told him what she was hiding. His hand got tighter and looser, but he never let go.

"I'm sorry," Hinata repeated, looking at the spot on the wall that was holding all her emotions in.

"This is why you were so emotional at the fountain. You knew you were leaving." Kisame realized.

"I… didn't want to tell you when you were so happy." Hinata whimpered. "And I wanted to tell you when we were all out, but Itachi-san collapsed, and I didn't want to make you feel worse."

Kisame's hand slid out of hers, and Hinata let her heart fall to pieces for a moment before it wrapped around her shoulders and pulled her into his side. Hinata broke again, turning her face into his shoulder. "It's alright, mouse." He rubbed her shoulder. "Damn, rich people." Kisame's grumble made her laugh through her tears. "Your uncle is fighting it now, right? Does this mean you don't have to go?"

"I don't know." Hinata sniffed. "I just want to stay here… with you." She admitted, pressing her forehead into his shoulder.

Kisame's arm tightened around her. "We can run away, and you can have your shop." Hinata let another small laugh break through her misery. Kisame turned his head to put his chin on her head. "I won't let them take you." He couldn't promise that, but it gave her empty hope anyway.

Hinata sat down in her chair and sighed. Was she going to be able to focus on her exams if she was worried about when her father was going to crop up again like the boogie man?

"What did your uncle say," Kisame asked as he joined her.

"My father's cut off my university fund and is threatening to legally reclaim custody," Hinata mumbled.

"Don't you live with your uncle?" Sasori wondered over his shoulder. Hinata didn't know if she cared anymore if everyone knew. She was tired of keeping it all bottled up.

"Yeah." Hinata folded her arms. "My father showed up. Upset because he saw pictures of me with the Uchiha heirs."

"Oh, that's bad, yeah?" Deidara wondered.

"Uchiha and Hyuga are rivals… how do you not know this?" Sasori scolded.

"My family is new money." Deidara excused with a shrug. "I thought you were disowned, yeah?"

Technically, she never said that. She didn't tell Deidara and Sasori everything that she told Kisame, but they knew pieces, like that she was living with her uncle and her father didn't want to deal with her disability.

"Who is your father?" Sasori wondered.

"Hiashi Hyuga," Hinata admitted.

"What?" Sasori turned full around.

"Who's that, yeah?" Deidara wondered.

"The director of Hyuga." Sasori turned to her. "That makes you the heiress of Hyuga."

Hinata laid her head flat on her desk and folded her arms over it. "Don't remind me." Kisame placed his hand on top of her head. It was a comfortable weight sitting there. Maybe if she could just focus on it, the rest of the world would disappear, and she would never have to think of her family ever again.

Deidara lowered his head to her desk. "Does this mean you're on Itachi's level, uh?" Kisame's hand left to flick Deidara's face away and rest back on her head.

"Not anymore." Hinata lifted her head up to rest her chin on the surface. "My father sent me away after he didn't want to deal with my health after my accident."

"Until a few weeks ago," Kisame commented.

Was he comfortable with them knowing she had known she was going to leave? Kisame's hand slid back from her head to her back. Hinata closed her eyes. She was so scared that she was going to lose him. She was still scared that she was going to lose him.

Hinata knew what her father was like. If he wanted something, nothing was going to stop him. Not his own brother and honestly not the law. The only that was going to stop him was if he was convinced that it was his idea to stop, and he may be far too angry now.

Kisame leaned on Itachi's hospital bed. The machines made their noises bleeping and humming, making them impossible to completely ignore. This is why Kisame didn't feel bad for complaining while Itachi was ill. He needed something to focus on other than all this sterile machinery.

"I just feel like at any moment, she might give up," Kisame admitted. "She's lost that light in her face because she's constantly worried. It's like she thinks he's going to come out of the corner and snatch her up and throw her in a tower."

Itachi pressed his lips in a line and wasn't saying that that was absolutely a possibility, but he was clearly thinking it. What was it with rich people? Did they all hate being happy?

Kisame grumbled. "I feel like it would be easier to just sweep her up and disappear."

Itachi broke into a smile. "You could elope." He started to laugh at the face Kisame made and let out a few small coughs as he stopped.

Kisame flopped his head down. "Stop saying stuff like that."

"Honestly, consider it." He couldn't be serious. "Hiashi Hyuga is going to do everything he can to twist her arm to make her come willingly. He will research you and all our friends and have her followed. He will find something to use against her. She's not going to want us to get caught in the crossfire. I wouldn't be surprised if he hasn't already started."

Kisame sat up. "Can I protect her?"

Itachi expression told him all he needed to know. No. He couldn't. There was going to be nothing he could do. "One way or another, she will be the Hyuga heiress again, probably right after graduation. Enjoy the time you have left."

Kisame put his face in his hands. What was the point of trying, then? He wasn't going to give up on her, but, god, did this remind him how much he hated rich people's politics. His stomach was in knots, and his chest was becoming hollow with this anxious feeling that she would just disappear tomorrow.

This was stupid.

Why could they just be left alone?

Hinata squeaked happily. This was the best thing that could have happened in their world of gray clouds looming in the distance. Samehada decided he wanted to lay in her lap. Hinata kept her hands out of the way as he got himself comfortable and immediately laid his head down.

She was afraid if she laid a hand down on him, he would get up to leave. She just held the sleeves of Kisame's hoodie up to her face to keep her from crying.

"Little bugger is finally warming up to you." Kisame scratched his head. Samehada turned his head to look at him before he re-closed his eyes, laying his head down and sighing comfortably.

Hinata squeaked as tears filled her eyes.

"Come on, don't cry." Kisame chuckled.

"It's really cute." Hinata blubbered. This was the best thing to happen to her all week.

Hinata's heart clenched as she received a single text message from her father's number. She looked up at the Deidara and Sasori, blissfully unaware, arguing over their notes.

Hiashi had done his research, and now he was going to start going after her friends.

It was a dirty play, but Hinata couldn't say she was surprised. If he wasn't upset with her enough before, he would have been the moment he knew who her friends were.

… She could stop this.

Hinata knew she could stop this before it started. She didn't want everyone to be dragged in with her.

One call.

But she might never see them again.

Was she willing to watch them become miserable just to have a few more weeks of her normal life? No.

Hinata looked back down at the article Deidara had shown her a few days before. Her father knew her too well. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard. She hoped Hiashi knew what he was doing because, after this, she was never going to trust him again.

Hinata had always respected and feared her father. Now, the dominant feeling was slowly becoming rage. Maybe it was the time away, the bruise on her wrist, or just him bringing innocent people into their family issues, but this time, once the initial fear wore off, all she could feel was anger.

Anger for him neglecting her after her accident. Anger for him cutting her out of his life. Anger for thinking he had a right to make her come back after all that.

Anger that he was trying to take her from the person she loved the most after insulting him to his face.

Hinata looked back up at Deidara. She didn't want to suffer in silence anymore. "Hey, Deidara-san, I need to talk to you." She slid from her spot to show him her phone