Kisame glanced up from his chemistry homework as Hinata hopped on the counter. Again. Her cane was abandoned on the back of a chair while she got around the kitchen by shifting her hip or her hand against the counter for leverage. He was too amused to even think to offer help and end the display.
Hinata tucked dinner into the oven not a moment before Neji walked in the door and started complaining. "Why didn't you tell me you needed to go home?"
Kisame didn't like his tone. "Give her a break. She had a tumble. Be happy she isn't severely hurt."
"You fell!" Neji snapped. Whoops. Well, he was no help.
"I tripped this morning. I probably broke the strap, then. When I went down the stairs, it didn't support my weight," Hinata explained.
"You got tripped." Kisame corrected.
Hinata gave him a look, but he wasn't letting that one go. "I didn't fall far."
"Why didn't you call me? I would have taken you home." Neji was quickly losing ground.
Hinata folded her tea towel to keep her eyes down. "Kisame-san was already there, and you would have had to come the whole way home to get my chair." When it was folded, she just flattened it out with her hand. "I wouldn't want to interrupt your classes."
Neji released some tension in his shoulders. She was hard to stay mad at. "Does father know?"
"I sent him a message." Hinata nodded. "And I've already replaced the strap." Neji then turned his attention to glaring at Kisame. "Kisame-san's staying for dinner to thank him."
"I just want help with Chem." Kisame tapped his homework.
Hinata moved to sit beside him and look at the page. Neji glared at the two of them. "Fine."
Hinata was up and at the door before Kisame even heard the key. She leaned on her umbrella, bowing her head, warmly welcoming her uncle home. "Dinner's almost ready."
Hizashi took off his shoes and put his coat away. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, thank you." Hinata took his suitcase, tucking it into its place.
Hizashi stepped into the house and caught sight of Kisame in the kitchen. His face faltered at the sight of him. Kisame looked straight down at his homework, not wanting his eye contact to be seen as a form of aggression. "Is that your friend?"
Hinata appeared beside her uncle. "Yes, I hope you don't mind. I invited him to stay for dinner."
"Good. We should thank him." Hizashi nodded in Kisame's direction before disappearing down the hall.
Kisame was expecting her uncle to be a bit more like his son. However, despite his minor loss of composure when he first saw him, Hizashi didn't kick him out. Kisame didn't know how to deal with the polite bow and genuine thank you Hizashi gave him. Kisame just flinched his own head down to accept it.
Kisame bit his tongue at the table because he wasn't sure if he was meant to speak. He hadn't sat in a formal dinner setting since he was… maybe he never had.
"This is new," Hizashi commented on the meal.
"Kisame-san has food allergies," Hinata answered.
"So you are the one she makes lunch for." Hizashi put it together.
Kisame was wondering what he should read that as. "We sit together. She won't let me skip lunch."
Hizashi nodded, looking back down at his meal. "And the one that has been carrying her home."
"Not always, just when we are pressed for time or uh…" What did he say?
"I walk too slow." Hinata interrupted. "I'm shorter than him as it is, and my stilted walking can be a pain for both him and Itachi-san."
"The Uchiha." Hizashi's eyes slid to her.
"He is in the same after-school club as Kisame-san," Hinata's eyes snapped to Neji, daring him to comment.
"You haven't joined any." Hizashi allowed the conversation to change.
"I stop by the art club, martial arts, kendo, and Akatsuki, but…" Hinata looked over at Neji. They all knew why she wasn't joining any.
"I see no reason why you can't join one that is within your ability." Hizashi gave his son the same look Hinata just did.
"The Akatsuki would have her," Kisame commented. "She knows nearly everyone, and Pein, uh, the head of it, noticed she's there but not officially a member."
"What does your club do?" Hizashi's intentions were starting to feel pure, but Neji looked like if he bit his tongue any harder, it would bleed.
"Just a study group of about half scholarship students and half pay-ins." Kisame shrugged, hoping that didn't make it sound bad.
"That have all been in detention or suspended at least once," Neji finally spoke up.
"In middle school." Kisame shot back.
"Hidan was suspended two weeks ago." Neji corrected.
"Hidan thought it was a good idea to jump two sets of stairs onto a wooden bench." Kisame countered. "Hidan is an idiot."
Hinata snorted, covering her mouth with her napkin, coughing to recover.
Hizashi lost attention on the small argument to focus on her.
Kisame wasn't expecting Hizashi to shake his hand, but he took it. "Thank you for taking care of my niece."
"You know she doesn't need it." Kisame rubbed the back of his head. "Didn't even realize she had anything more than a bad back, and I've spent the last few months sitting next to her."
"That's not really what I meant." Hizashi looked down, looking tired. "She's been understandably uncomfortable with talking to anyone. I haven't seen her laugh like that since before her accident. I wasn't sure she could anymore." Kisame felt his gut wrench. This girl was going to kill him. "I am glad she has a friend she can trust, even if my son disapproves of her choice. I hope you won't become a bad influence."
Kisame was uncomfortably aware of the cuts and bruises he usually wore with pride. He knew he looked like a street urchin, but it looked so much worse to a parent that actually gave a shit what their kid got up to. "Uh, thanks… sir. I will try not to be."
"Kisame-san," Hinata called from the kitchen. Kisame rounded the corner to her, holding out a cover dish. "I thought I would send you the leftovers for this weekend. Neji doesn't like leftovers."
"Thanks, mouse." Kisame patted her on the head.
Hinata smiled up at him with that cute little smile. "Have a good day at work tomorrow." Hinata waved him out.
"Mouse?" One of the two asked as the door closed.
Itachi smiled, watching the two of them walk down the hall. Those who dared try their luck with Hinata the day before steered clear as she giggled at her grouchy companion, oblivious to the aura Kisame was giving off to the girls in the hall.
Protectiveness was a good look for Kisame.
Much better than his usual self-destructive behavior.
Itachi was unsurprised that Kisame ran out of class on only a hunch that she was hurt. He was less surprised that Kisame took her home, and he put the rest together. They would have to deal with the rumor that had started eventually, but it wasn't something the group would let her hear willingly.
Knowing Hinata, she really wouldn't care anyway, would she?
Hinata pouted up at his big blue grin full of sharp teeth. "I can't jump."
"I know." Kisame held the notebook just out of her reach. "The point is, I get what I want. You wouldn't be able to get it even if you could."
"He's not going to let me," Hinata whined.
"Your cousin is not your guardian." Kisame felt the notebook snagged from him.
Itachi handed her the notebook. "How are you trying to get her in trouble today?"
"I want her to come to the Akatsuki dinner tonight." Kisame defended. "She's been coming to the meet-up for weeks but never comes out with us when we go to eat."
"Neji-san says it's no longer part of club activities and, therefore, no longer school-related," Hinata held the notebook to her chest like he might snatch it back at any moment. "He knows when you're planning to go, so he makes sure to pick me up before you leave."
Itachi nodded thoughtfully before a smile spread across his face. "Well then, I guess we will have to leave a little earlier. If we study while we eat, it's still studying, right?"
Hinata's face bloomed. Cute. Little thing was getting all excited about breaking the rules.
'Where are you?' Hinata frowned at her phone. That didn't take long.
"Go ahead. Tell him we are studying." Itachi leaned over her shoulder, holding out his notes, so she could take a picture to prove it.
Hinata pouted. "Shouldn't I tell him where we are?"
Kisame popped food in his mouth. "You want him to show up?"
"What's wrong?" All three looked up from Hinata's phone at Pein.
Hinata put the phone flat on the table, realizing she was now the center of attention. "My cousin…"
"The other Hyuga?" Pein clarified.
"Yes," Hinata confirmed. "He's asking where I am."
"Do you have a curfew?" Pein wondered.
"Not really, but he usually picks me up after the meeting, and I'm not there…" Hinata didn't want to cause more trouble.
Pein's eyes shifted to the other two. "That's why you two rallied for an early diner."
The boys nodded.
"She never gets to come because he drags her off. We know she's not official, but she helps out a lot. It's hardly fair that she only studies and heads straight home." Kisame defended.
"You're right. Hinata made the last 3 study guides for literature, and they were all legible." Pein's eyes shifted to Deidara. "It's time she became official. With that, this weekly meal can be required." Hinata wasn't sure if he wanted her official or was just avoiding the conflict. "I would prefer not to eat while I study, so this should prevent this in the future." Oh, it was just convenient. She could work with that.
"Awesome, yeah." Deidara gave her a heavy pat on the back around Itachi.
Kisame shoved him away. "You'll need a jacket, mouse. You can stop stealing mine."
Hinata's smile grew as she looked up at Kisame. She was part of the club!