"You're doing everything you can." Itachi praised her.
Hinata still felt the anxiety eating at her soul. Deidara was almost too happy to risk his show. Stating that art was born on anarchism. Sasori was less ready to be on board but was supportive. Luckily, he didn't have an art show coming up that her father could ruin, or this might have gone differently. "It won't be enough."
"But you are showing him you won't lie down and take it." Itachi encouraged. "It will mean something in the long run." Hinata just wanted more time. She could always hope that he got sick of it, saw her as a lost cause, and gave up, but she knew him better than that. "Have you thought about running away?"
Hinata blinked at him. "What?" Itachi waited for her shock to wear off. "I can't…"
"Why?" Itachi interrupted. "You didn't even know what you wanted to do for school."
"But…" Hinata didn't have anything to say. It was so ridiculous that she didn't even know how she could explain how ludicrous it was.
"It's the only way you will ever see Kisame again," Itachi told her. "Once your father has a hold of you, he is not going to stop. If Kisame tries anything, and you know he will, Hiashi is going to make his life miserable."
"I should have just kept my head low until I went abroad." Hinata lowered her head into her hands and whimpered. That problem was so big to her for weeks, and now it felt so small in comparison.
"But you didn't want to break his heart." Itachi readjusted himself on his pillow. "But now… it's going to be worse because Kisame knows you don't want to go."
Hinata didn't need to be reminded. If she could go back, she would have just been cruel. Broke up with him without explanation. It would have been less painful for everyone.
"I am just trying to dream up a happy ending for you, too, because I don't have a lot of hope right now." Itachi looked at the machines. "Let me hope for you."
Hinata wanted to be able to hope, too.
Hinata's head flopped down on her books. She couldn't focus. Final exams were next week, and she was struggling to study. Was this extra torture from her father, not knowing what else he was going to do to sabotage her? Who else would he try to hurt? Would he burn down Hidan's church? Would he go that far? Her brain was melting, and it was definitely a possibility for her right now.
Hiashi hadn't even made a formal move for custody yet, which made her believe he knew what he was going to do to push her too far. He already had it planned, and the anticipation was going to kill her. That and Neji's hovering like her father was going to snatch her off the street on her walk home.
Hizashi was beyond through with him. Hinata didn't like that she had come between them. They were brothers, after all, but it really confirmed to her that he had always been on her side, just like her friends were.
But what was that going to cost them? When would it be too much?
"Mouse?" Kisame chuckled, pulling her curtain of hair away to reveal her face, smushed into her book. "Is that how you get all the words in? Absorbing it?"
Hinata made a noise of protest and leaned back to tilt her head up. "My brain feels like mush."
"You're going to do fine even without studying," Kisame assured her.
"But…" Hinata blinked as she realized. Why was she studying so hard? She always worked so hard so her father would be proud of her. Her uncle was always proud of her. Why was she trying so hard when her father was just going to just try to buy her into the best school anyway?
The anger was back.
Hinata snapped her book shut. "Do you want ice cream? I want ice cream."
Kisame raised an eyebrow at her. "I can't eat ice cream."
"They have lactose-free ice cream bars and popsicles without dye now." Hinata countered.
Kisame waved his hands, unable to argue. "Okay."
Hinata stood up and leaned over the short distance from her standing height to his sitting high to kiss him. Kisame blinked at her as she turned to collect her stuff, and she could hear him chuckle as her cheeks turned red. Maybe she was using the rage fuel a little too much.
"Can I make a wedding dress, yeah?" Deidara bounced up to Hinata as soon as she stepped into the classroom.
Hinata blinked past him to Kisame sitting in his spot, his face a deep shade of purple. "Did Itachi-san try to get you to convince us to run away, too?"
Deidara nodded eagerly. "Can I, yeah?"
"We aren't getting married." Hinata pushed past him, feeling her face flush. This was stupid. Itachi was getting too bored in his hospital bed.
"You two are already disgustingly together all the time," Hidan commented as she passed.
"I don't think you should let him," Sasori commented. "I would be a much better choice."
Hinata almost gave him credit. "Not you, too!"
"Kill me." Kisame held out one of his textbooks to her. "Just put me out of my misery, mouse."
"We could have a themed wedding with the animal ears." Deidara's eyes sparkled with the possibilities. He whipped around. "Hidan can officiate, uh."
Hidan leaned back, raising his eyebrows. Oh no, he was in on it now too.
"No." Kisame snapped.
"Oh, then, do you have someone in mind?" Sasori titled his head. Why was he on board with this torture?
"Stop it," Kisame growled.
"The angry Hyuga." Deidara looked up, hopefully.
Hinata shook her head. "You would have to convince him to allow it first." Oh, no. She was playing along now, wasn't she?
"We can just tie him to a chair and duct tape his mouth shut so he can't object." Sasori solved.
"I can't get married. I am seventeen." Hinata backtracked.
"Your uncle likes Kisame. He can give you permission, yeah." Deidara waved his hand at Kisame.
"He doesn't like me that much." Kisame stretched himself out over their desk, knowing that he wasn't going to stop the train now that everyone was on board.
Hinata leaned on him and just waited for the teacher to come in to start class. Hopefully, that would end this mess.
There was one glaring question the Kisame didn't want to think about until he had to.
Now what?
Kisame planned his future on being better for her, and as much as everyone wanted to joke about them running off to marry, that wasn't realistic. Hinata was probably going to leave. Maybe she would be able to come back to see him one day or sneak him a message now and then, but eventually, she would forget the scholarship street bastard she brought lunch to every day.
Hinata would go back to her fast-paced life, and she would resent her father, but she would have to accept her situation eventually. She would either fall in love again or, worse, she would have some kind of business marriage if they still did that. She would live her life of business meetings, commutes, and coffee, and she would forget about him.
But would Kisame be able to forget about her?
It was something Kisame knew the answer to, looking at his mouse plush. He wished he had let her stay that night she fell asleep. He wanted to have the memory to hold on to when he went back to the bar because what was really the point of the trade school if she wasn't there to be proud of him for it?
He should have spent those nights he was working extra shifts with her. He should have found more reasons to kiss her. He should have seen how upset she was when she kissed him.
If he could just make it all stop so, they could plan a future and, yeah, maybe someday… a wedding.
Ugh. Itachi was seeping into his brain. He should be happy he was in the hospital, or Kisame might have put him there. Didn't they have enough to worry about with a meddlesome pint-sized ill bastard poisoning the well?
Samehada made a noise as he curled himself up on the discarded hoodie that Hinata had been wearing to encourage him to come near her. It probably smelled a bit like her now, too.
Hinata looked so cute wearing his hoodies. She swam in them. They fell off her shoulders and went to her knees, and they made her smile.
He was going to miss that smile. He was going to miss everything.
But he hoped she didn't miss him. He would take being forgotten if it meant she would smile, even if he didn't get to see it again.