Hinata put her key in the lock, and it turned the first time. The new locks were smooth, and each time she turned them, it made her smile. She stumbled out of her shoes to follow the sound of cooking to the kitchen and wrapped her arms around Itachi's waist as he cooked something that smelled good in a pan. "Is this what you rushed home for?"
"Your stomach kept growling," Itachi commented. "Humans need to eat regularly."
Hinata blushed and pressed her pout in his back. "Reapers need to remind me when it's lunch so I don't work through it."
"I did." Itachi poked at the pan.
Hinata huffed, turning her head to the side and seeing the trash. "I need to take the garbage out."
Itachi backed up, taking her with him as he reached for an ingredient. "I already did it."
"You are going to scare my neighbors." Hinata scolded. "What if they see the trash floating by."
"They wouldn't see it unless it's left my hand." Itachi corrected.
"Are you sure? People still see me fine when you hold on to me." Hinata hummed, flattening her hands over his chest.
"Humans are not objects," Itachi answered. She could hear the smile in his voice. He thought this was cute now, but she was pretty sure when he didn't know what he was feeling, he found it annoying.
"I am not sure if I trust what you think a reaper can and can't do anymore. If there were a list, I would think doing mundane things like washing laundry and taking out the trash would be beneath you." Hinata prodded. "I bet Kisame doesn't."
Itachi didn't give her a rebuttal because he knew that she was right. "You are asking me not to help you."
"I am asking you not to frighten the neighbors." Hinata corrected. "I am sure they have already heard me talking to myself. They don't need them to think my apartment is haunted."
"I am not a ghost." Itachi turned off the burn.
Hinata sighed.
Hinata pressed the foot down on her sewing machine, but the usual aggressive rattle of the table didn't surge on. The light was on. She flicked the switch off and turned it back on again. Nope, still nothing. She sighed. "The machine isn't running again."
It was old and sturdy, but the only reason it ran as long as it had up to this point was maintenance.
Shino appeared from the other side of the clothes racks to take a look. "Is it making a noise?"
"No, it's just not even trying. The light is on. It has power to at least something. Maybe a wire is loose?" Hinata collected her work and backed off the bench so Shino could get in to see it.
Shino sat down and started to open it up. "I think I need to rewire this time." Hinata looked at her stack. It wasn't going to get done today. "Why don't you go home early? I don't think I will be done with it before closing."
Hinata looked out at the sun still beaming down on the street. It was finally warm enough that she could enjoy a walk home. "Are you sure you will find alone?"
Shino waved his hand. "It's been a slow day."
Hinata gathered her jacket. Maybe she could catch go to the shops before they closed and find an apron for Itachi. She knew she would tell him he didn't need it, but she also knew he would wear it anyway.
Itachi felt the familiar feeling of the call to his work. It was another soul's time to move on. He ignored the call for a moment to put down what he was working on before grabbing his coat and shoes and appeared in a busy street that had been stopped by the commotion and saw Kisame stand back with a grim look on his face.
He wasn't going to scold him for delaying?
Kisame looked at him and turned his head away, knitting his eyebrows together. Something wasn't right. Kisame nodded his head toward the commotion, and Itachi finally looked.
In between the on-lookers that all stood back from the few people trying to help was a heap that had made the dent in the stopped car in the middle of the intersection. The heap was Hinata.
Itachi passed through people to brush her hair back out of her face. Hinata made a noise that was incoherent as her eyes flicked around, not really focusing on anything. "Can you hear me?"
Hinata's eyes slid to him, and one of her limp arms tried to move, but her hand just shivered and reached for him in place.
Kisame crouched down on the other side of her. "She has to go."
Itachi took her hand and squeezed it. It was still warm, but it wouldn't be for long. "If I take her to the hospital, can they save her?" He knew that he shouldn't intervene. If he did, he might be dispatched as Hanabi had been.
If he could cry… he would be.
"You know if we were called, she won't survive." Kisame put his hand on his shoulder. "Her time is up."
"Can't I give her mine? I'm not alive, but I still have a soul. It still has value." Itachi asked. Hinata's eyes closed as her head rolled to the side. "Can't I?"
Kisame pressed his lips together. "Would she be any happier without you as you are without her?"
Itachi turned to Kisame to show him his misery. This was more pain than he could bear. He knew losing her would be painful, but he thought he had time and never thought he would have to take her.
"I can't try something." Kisame lifted his hand to Itachi's head, and Itachi closed his eyes to accept his own death if it meant letting her live a while more.
Hinata woke up to the sound of the rhythmic beeping of a heart monitor. She felt like she got hit by a car.
Wait.
Hinata struggled to get up. The last memory she had was lying in the street with Itachi holding her hand. Had she survived that? If she survived, why had Itachi known to find her? She thought he was there because she was dying.
"Don't get up." Kiba waved his hands and tried to get her to stop moving without touching her. "You're fine. You're fine."
"I… was going to die." Hinata realized.
"No, you didn't even break a bone," Shino added.
Hinata knew that wasn't right. She tried to rub her face only to notice that one of her hands was being held warm, but both Kiba and Shino were on the other side of the bed.
Itachi sat at her bedside, holding her hand, waiting for her to notice him. Oh. Maybe he had just been there so she didn't feel alone. He must have held her hand the whole time because his hand was so warm.
Hinata tightened her hand on his but looked away from him. Shino and Kiba would think it was weird that she was staring at the wall, or at least she thought until she found them side-eyeing the spot Itachi was sitting.
"Hinata… did you say anything about having a boyfriend?" Shino asked.
Hinata blinked at him and followed his eyes back to Itachi. "No?"
A smile spread across Itachi's face, and he nodded, confirming what she was thinking.
They could see Itachi!
"I…" Hinata gapped. How did she explain that?
"We've been living together for a while." Itachi thumbed over her hand. "She's a private person. I am not surprised she didn't tell you about me."
Kiba frowned. "I guess I thought you would have come to the store at least once."
"I might have to walk her to work now. If she can't even cross the street." Itachi teased.
Hinata frowned at him for making this a joke.
Itachi laughed at her upset, and Hinata's scowl melted away. Had he ever laughed before?
Itachi helped her into bed and moved under the covers with her this time. He wasn't cold anymore, but now he could get cold.
"What happened?" Hinata wondered.
Itachi sighed as he wrapped himself around her. "I was never meant to be a reaper. Kisame used the mistake to his advantage."
Hinata laid her head on his shoulder. It was weird but comfortable to feel the heat coming off of him. It made her eyes droop as she got more comfortable. "Does it work like that?"
"I don't know." Itachi smiled, kissing her forehead.
Hinata would miss his 'I don'ts' and 'I can'ts' but maybe he would find a new reason to keep saying it. There were questions she still had and things that would need to be done. Itachi would need clothes, a toothbrush, and all the other little things humans need.
But Hinata could worry about that in the morning when the bed didn't feel so warm.
Itachi's eyes closed as Hinata's breathing evened out. He wanted to wait until she had fallen asleep, but now that she was, he could give into his body's complaining. Feeling tired was so foreign to him now, but it was just one of the many things he would have to get used to.
Itachi was going to have to get used to being normal. He was going to have to get used to feeling cold.