Chapter 59

-Sasuke's POV-

Maybe four hours later, just after midnight, I was the only one awake in the hospital room. The Akatsuki guys, Ino, Sai, and that Matsuri girl all visited and left after realizing nothing could be done but wait for her to wake up.

Kakashi's been out there dealing with the mess Hidan's created without rest. That fucking prick had to be knocked out because he was yelling and trying to fight the medical staff when he woke up. If Sakura wasn't there, holding onto my hand like a vice, I might've tried to get a go at him.

She's asleep now, just like Gaara, Neji, and Tenten. Her hand's still loosely in mine, but she's leaning against Gaara on the bench we'd pulled up to Hinata's bedside.

What I don't get is why this kind of thing keeps fucking happening to all of us. What is it about us four that attracts so much danger and trouble? Whatever it is, I'm sick and tired of the drama and the stress. Our careers are all freshly blooming, and we're all still young and stupid. Right now should be when we're experiencing an abundance of good things, not this shit.

"...S-Sasuke…"

My vision came into focus, and I realized it was Hinata. She's awake! I grabbed her hand and frowned, surprising myself by suddenly having to fight the urge to cry. Her hand shook in mine, and the other visibly trembled as she raised it to cover her eyes as she started crying. All of my rage disappeared, and suddenly all that mattered was that she was distressed.

Her voice was a bit hoarse as she whispered, likely trying not to wake the others, "I-I was s-so scared…I thought I was going to die…."

God, I've never been able to figure out what to say in this kind of situation. Usually, I'd just try to physically comfort her, but I can't do that without hurting her right now. As I watched her lower her hand to cover her mouth and nose, eyes squeezed closed, I made myself eat my discomfort.

"It's alright. You're okay."

Those eyes opened up to lock onto mine, and my breath hitched. That look is something I've never imagined I'd see, and I never want to see it again.

My voice wavered a bit, and I narrowed my eyes but kept whispering, "Everything's gonna be fine, Hinata."

She nodded, sniffling as she wiped at her tears.

It got quiet between us for a long time, and I rested my head on my crossed arms as I tried to keep a hold of her hand. She pulled it from mine and rested it gently to cup my cheek, not moving even after she fell asleep.

Then and only then did I allow myself to get some rest, now that I know she's okay. I couldn't dream of sleeping without ensuring someone was there for her when she first woke up. If I wasn't here just now, she would've laid there crying and terrified for who knows how long.

I don't even care if the others wake up and see her touching my face like this because it seems to help her stay calm, which matters more to me.

-Hinata's POV-

The hospital let me go home a couple days later with a prescription for pain medication and a strong warning to take it easy while my ribs are on the mend. I was utterly stunned by the public's reaction to what happened. Overwhelming support and words of encouragement were being sent at me from all directions, and it warms my heart just thinking about it. Typically, some would feel the need to still say nasty things, even after something awful like this, but not this time, that I could see.

What surprised me even more than that was Sasuke. Gaara and Sakura are acting exactly how I pictured they would when I first woke up and realized I was in the hospital and hadn't been killed. Sakura is almost always trying to dote on me almost frantically, and Gaara's silently doing the same in a more subdued manner.

Sasuke, on the other hand, is even more attentive than Sakura without saying much. The two downstairs let him handle most of the helping me since his room's beside mine, and he's doing so without a single complaint.

Hidan was taken to the police station and locked up immediately after being cleared to be released from the hospital. The officers assured me he couldn't be bonded out, so I won't have to worry about him trying to come after me again. There's no doubt in anyone's mind now that he's going to prison; it's just a matter of how long his sentence will be.

So many people visited me, bringing flowers and get-well-soon cards. I'm pretty lucky, all things considered. I quite honestly wasn't too far off from actually being killed out there, and someone walked away with minor injuries compared to what could've been.

That doesn't make what happened any less traumatic or terrifying.

It also doesn't bring me much comfort that neither my sister nor father bothered to call, much less show up to check on me. The look on Neji's face when I was about to ask was enough to shut me up and tell me there was no chance they'd show up, which hurt.

A sharp breath caught in my throat as I stood under the hot water of the shower, and I rested my forehead against the wall to both not get overwhelmed and lose my balance and cry. I don't know how, and I don't understand why my family's treatment of me still has such an effect. I wish I could just disregard them as they do me.

After taking a calming breath, I went back to bathing, wincing as each movement still hurt despite the medicine that makes me loopy most of the time. When I got out, I dried off. I pulled on one of Neji's old college sweaters and some loosely-fitting pajama shorts before standing in the mirror and verifying I didn't accidentally reopen any of the cuts on my body. Sighing, I turned to open the medicine cabinet when I realized there was one on my forehead and hand that had.

"You need help?"

I frowned, pulling the antiseptic and a box of bandages out, "I'm alright."

Sasuke ignored me and came in from his bedroom. He looked at my face, then the items on the counter, and gestured for me to return to my room. I didn't argue, knowing it was useless. He came to kneel in front of me as I sat on the edge of the bed, reminding me of the night I rescued Matsuri and came home a bit busted up.

With surprisingly gentle hands, he bandaged my hand before pushing my bangs back with one hand and moving on to the one on my forehead. My eyes studied his face as he focused on what he was doing.

Right now, he's guarded as can be. I can't tell what he's thinking because he hasn't been able to meet my eye once in the past four days that I've been home. At the hospital, the fear and shock on his features took me very much off guard, especially when I first woke up, but that's gone now.

This is…quite awkward if I'm being honest.

Sasuke feels angry somehow, and I don't know what I did to make him feel that way. I mean, none of this is my fault, and someone I care about so much being upset with me isn't going to guilt me into believing it is. Still, it hurts that he's icing me out now after everything.

Dark eyes suddenly locked onto mine as he pressed the bandage over the cut and widened slightly, making mine do the same. "Does it hurt?" Even his voice was closed off.

That's when I realized I was seconds away from crying, and he could probably tell. I shook my head, and he removed his hands from my face and hair. "...A-Are you angry with me, Sasuke?"

His brow furrowed, and he tilted his head slightly as his gaze fell down to my hands in my lap, "No."

That should've reassured me, but it confused me more, "Then why are you…?"

His fingers trembled slightly, shocking me to the core, as he pulled my less injured hand into both of his and brought it to his lips as he closed his eyes. The expression on his face almost made it seem like he was in pain, too.

Something clicked in my mind, and I figured it out. How he's acting right now and how he was when I first woke up…He's scared that he's as worried as he is about me and doesn't know how to act or explain.

His name left my lips weakly as the tears overflowed, and he looked up at my face again, finally not looking away when our eyes met. I hesitantly pulled my hand from his grasp to cup his cheek, brows furrowing, "Y-You don't have to say anything. I'm okay. W-We're okay."

Sasuke seemed stunned for a moment before nodding, coming closer to gently and carefully wrap his arms around me, burying his face in my chest. I lifted a hand to the back of his head and tried to stop crying.

He doesn't let it show, but he struggles with anxiety, too. It's just in a different way than me. Where I failed at swallowing it repeatedly growing up, he managed to hide it away when his father demanded it. So now he has trouble being open about his emotions because he's never been allowed to show them openly.

I can't bring myself to blame him or get angry. It's not his fault; I can see how hard he's trying for my sake.

-Sakura's POV-

My fingers ran up Gaara's back as I snuggled closer into his stomach on the sofa in the family room. The hand in my hair moved a bit in a short massage before he became still again. There's some random movie on the television, but I'm not really seeing it. There's too much going on right now to focus on something so meaningless.

Hinata's hurt, Sasuke's acting super weird, and I'm still trying to overcome my fear so Gaara and I can be an average couple or as normal as possible when we're celebrities.

Of course, he's been absolutely perfect, as if he could ever be anything but. Never, not once, has he done a single thing that made me even slightly uncomfortable. Only me. I've been making myself uncomfortable by constantly, unconsciously, comparing us to Sasori and me. I shouldn't let such an awful person enter my mind, but it keeps happening.

The differences are glaring. Where Sasori would try to get as far as he could before I'd cut him off, Gaara waits for me. Sasori would get irritated and angry with me when I got spooked, but Gaara just comforted me and reassured me that I was safe.

I can't keep doing this to him. I haven't said anything to him about it, but I know he can tell when it happens because he tries to distract me from it each time. He deserves more than I've been capable of lately, but I desperately want to get past this for him.

The arm around my middle tightened slightly, and I felt him bend slightly so he could kiss the top of my head, making a light blush rise as I buried it into his shirt. I want to do everything with him that scares me because I know he'll make each one a wonderful experience.

It's been almost a month since we started dating, and we've done literally no more than kiss and cuddle. When he kisses me, though… A familiar heated feeling sank from my stomach into my lower regions, and I squirmed slightly to try to stifle it. Every time he kisses me, it's like he's trying to show me how much he loves me, and I can feel it.

Above all else, I appreciate his sincerity. He doesn't hide anything from me and immediately lets me know if something's on his mind, so I'm not sitting there worrying it was something I did. He was the perfect boyfriend, and I love him to pieces.

With that thought warming my chest, I moved my hands from his back to flat on the sofa beneath us, so I could lift myself up to my hands and knees and meet his eye. Those beautiful teal irises turned to me in a snap of the fingers, and a small smile tugged at his mouth.

I kissed him softly, slowly. His lips are warm and soft, and he accepted my affection gracefully just to send his own right back. Then I pulled away just enough that our noses were touching and kept my eyes closed as I mustered the strength to finally confront the elephant in the room, "Do you wanna have sex?"