Hinata reached for her umbrella to find it… not where she left it. She turned around and looked under her chair, but it wasn't anywhere. Surely someone didn't take it thinking it was theirs. The weight alone would tell someone it wasn't a normal umbrella.

Kisame was dead asleep in the nest he made with his jacket under his head, and she didn't want to wake him. She didn't know why he was taking extra shifts, but he was coming in tired more often. She did everything she could to keep him from nodding off in class, so she didn't want to wake him up now, but if someone had her cane, she couldn't chase after them.

Hinata pushed her seat back and looked again. Maybe she just missed it? She checked the seats to ensure she didn't lay it flat somewhere.

It wasn't anywhere.

Hinata huffed, starting to feel an anxious heat in her chest. Kisame could take her home, but the only backup cane she had was the one from the dance, and it was much more obvious, not that she cared that much if people knew anymore, but the decorative one Sasori made for the dance wasn't designed for daily use.

"Mouse?" Kisame blinked at her blearily, yawning wide, revealing his rows of teeth. "You look scared."

"I can't find my umbrella." Hinata lowered her voice.

Kisame only put his head back down. "It's not supposed to rain." It took a moment more of silence before his head popped back up as he realized the problem. He rubbed his face to get rid of the rest of the grogginess as he ducked his head under the table like Hinata had done at first. "Did anyone sit with us?"

Hinata shook her head. "I thought I just put it on the back of my chair."

Kisame got up and started to look around until a sharp whistle made them both look up at the balcony above them to the next floor of the library. Hidan waved her umbrella over the railing with a shit-eating grin. Hinata breathed a sigh of relief. At least it wasn't gone. How long was he up there waiting for her to notice it was gone?

Kisame was not as relieved. "Give it back." He bellowed in a yell whisper. Hidan dropped it. Kisame caught it, turning it to point at him. "That's not funny." Hidan flipped him off before disappearing. The veins in Kisame's face tensed as he resisted barreling up the stairs after him. "Dick."

Hinata reached her hand out, motioning for him to sit down. "He's not going to learn."

"Maybe not, but I think a hospital visit might make him think twice." Kisame sat down with eyes still trained on the upper level.

Hinata put her hand on his to soothe the tenseness of his knuckles. "It's really not worth the trouble."

Kisame purposely flattened his hand out under hers and breathed out to round his shoulders down. Hinata wrapped her fingers around his hand. "How do you do that?"

"Do what?" Hinata pulled his hand up, so he would hold hers back.

Kisame fingers wrapped around hers. "Never mind." He curled his other arm around his jacket, tucking her umbrella under his arm like an angry dragon around its hoard, but left his hand out full length, so she could keep his hand comfortably on her side of the table. Hinata smiled. She could study like this.

Deidara bounced up to Hinata before she could even get in the classroom door. "Your idea got picked, uh!"

Hinata blinked at him. "What?"

"For the festival, yeah." Deidara held up the printout of the decided festival booths.

"But… I didn't submit one?" Their class was listed next to the food stand she talked about, but she was out the day they voted because of a doctor's appointment.

Deidara titled his head at the list. It was what she suggested to them. She just never submitted anything. Hinata used his confusion to get back to her seat, where Kisame sat with his hand across the lower half of his face holding his head up, looking away innocently.

"It's been a while since I've had to walk you home." Sasuke trailed slowly to keep pace with her.

"You didn't have to. I would have been fine on my own." Kisame had work, Neji had practice, and Sasori and Deidara had tickets to something. It was an odd day when one of them didn't spend the evening with her. Even Hidan couldn't study tonight because he was in detention.

"Kisame complained to Itachi. Itachi complained to me." Sasuke tilted his head. "He still thinks I'm broken-hearted, so this might be a cruel request."

Hinata gaped at him. "You haven't told him?"

Sasuke shrugged. "It makes him squirm when he wants to talk about how cute you and your boyfriend are."

Hinata flushed. "He doesn't talk about that, does he?"

"Sometimes he tells mom when he thinks I can't hear. He thinks you two are just too cute together." Sasuke teased, scrunching his face.

Hinata ducked her head face down to hide behind her bangs. "He shouldn't…"

"Let him have fun." Sasuke chuckled. "He's missing his senior year. Seeing you guys around puts a lot more color in his face."

Hinata sobered from his embarrassment as Sasuke sighed sadly. Itachi's health was always looming threateningly in the distance. He could be fine for a few years or get sick again tomorrow. It made her wonder about the future, and she didn't want to. She wanted to enjoy now without wondering what was coming down the line.

"And hey, rude giving back the keychain through Itachi." Sasuke suddenly added. Hinata blinked at his change. "I put them both on." He shifted his bag to show her both of the bunnies and the tomato. "Now it really looks like I won't let it go."

Hinata sighed as long as it didn't get her in any more trouble.

Hinata snorted and covered her mouth with the back of her hand to keep from laughing at Kisame. She didn't want to find it funny, he was trying really hard, but it almost made it funnier that he was trying his hardest and messing it up so badly.

Kisame'a face dropped, holding up the sad dumpling he had made. "Can I stop now?"

Hinata took it to try to fix the edges. "You have to practice, or you're not going to get it."

"I can't imagine I am going to make dumplings again," Kisame grumbled, picking up another flat of dough and watching her hands as she once again demonstrated what he should be doing.

"You wouldn't cook with me again?" Hinata pointed to his, where he missed a pinch.

Kisame's face twisted in focused frustration as he tried to use his much bigger fingers to do what she was doing. "You want to suffer through this again?"

"I think this is fun." Hinata pressed her lips together to hide her smile. Kisame's effort, despite his complaining, made her heart flutter in a way she couldn't explain. His focus was so hard, no matter how much he struggled to chop or stir without spilling. His coordination wasn't really granular enough for her kitchen set. Maybe if she had bigger bowls, he could just mash the filling with his hands like she could. "I like cooking with you."

Kisame side-eyed her like she was lying, but her smile made his nose twitch in acceptance. Maybe she should have started with something bigger, like a steamed bun. Kisame grumbled a curse as he broke through the edge again. "Give me all the ugly ones."

Hinata put down another few dumplings while he still fought with the one he was on and brushed her hands off on her apron to work on rolling out more dough. "I will send you home with a bunch. You can keep them in the freezer and take out only what you need."

"I think we are going to need a lot more if you are sending any of them home with me." Kisame joked.

Hinata worried about what he ate at home. She knew he ate a lot of what he shouldn't, especially after getting home late from work and with his extra shifts. That's why she wanted to make these dumplings, so she had an excuse to send him home with food. There were only so many calories she could stuff into his lunch bento.

It would be a lot easier to ensure he ate if he came over for dinner more… or if they just… Hinata shook her head. She needed to graduate before they started thinking about moving living situations. University admissions would start soon, and she didn't know what she was doing. She was dreading having a conversation with her uncle because despite his unwavering support and rejection of her father's wishes, he was also practical, and he knew that she should still go to business school. It was reasonable because even if she was never used in the directorial branch of the company, she could easily have a career in one of the quiet, hidden businesses where her father would never have to see or hear from her.

It was a guaranteed job, and good guardians liked stability, but offices made her heart sad. Hinata would probably stop thinking about Hanabi's excitement running through cubicles eventually, and the painful memories of quietly being tucked in her father's shadow out of fear of stepping out of line would fade. She would get over it, but she didn't want to have to.

"Look!" A lopsided but correctly sealed dumpling popped up in front of her face as Kisame proudly presented it.

A smile spread across her somber face. "I want that one."

Kisame pulled it back. "No."

Hinata giggled.