Midnight Ride 3

He looked down at the woman holding his hand and he felt for her, he really did. She hadn't deserved anything the man had put her through. He gripped her hand tightly and listened to everything the lawyer had to say. He couldn't focus on the words the man was saying anymore because he could only think about Hinata's burning gaze on him. He didn't like that in the slightest, it was like Mei all over again and he didn't want that.

He glanced down at her, and she tore her gaze from him. He sighed and listened to the man speak once more. It was horrible every bit of it. The extent of the assault she had endured was traumatic to listen to. The bottoms of her feet had been sliced, she had needed so many stitches in unmentionable places... the bite marks probably had faded, as well as the hand prints no doubt. But he knew the trauma remained.

He had seen what it did to her. She froze up anytime Tobirama got within breathing distance of her, and she loved that man so very much. He had even seen the man shed tears over glasses of whisky because of this. They couldn't be in the same bed from what he had heard from the man. It was honestly saddening to see two people who were so deeply in love suffering this way. He didn't know if he had the strength to handle it and he didn't know how these two had the resolve to do so. He was proud of them for trying time and time again because he wasn't strong enough.

What was he doing? Comparing their plights this way... He was disgusting. He could in no way compare to their pain and he knew this, so he shouldn't even try. He didn't know the pain they were going through. His eyes caught a flicker of white and looked over to see Ashura had a hand on Tobirama's shoulder, the other was over her mouth and tears were streaming over her cheeks as she silently cried. His eyes softened as soon as they landed on her.

What a kind woman. She didn't even know the man and she was comforting him. He knew she would be right here comforting Hinata if she had been allowed the space to. He looked back behind him to see the Akatsuki all sitting there, grim looks on their faces as they listened to everything that happened. Tobirama had his outburst, and the courtroom was silent for a moment. He glanced over to his friend and frowned. The man was truly suffering listening to all of this. He didn't think he and Hinata had even discussed everything that had happened to her yet.

He looked back to see Ashura still crying and he wondered if she had cried that way for him. It was a selfish thought, but he was a selfish man. He tore his gaze from her and made himself listen to the lawyer once more. When the court was adjourned for the day, he stood and allowed Hinata to slip past him. He narrowed his eyes at her and followed her out. When they got close to the corner, he grabbed her gently and pulled her around the side of the building, caging her in between his arms so she couldn't slip away.

"Are you ok?" he asked, and he watched as tears started to fill her eyes. She shook her head and bit her lip. "I... My therapist wants me to do something, and I don't know if I should." She said and he frowned. "What would that be?" he asked, and she looked up at him with that burning gaze once more. "She says it helped one of her previous patients, but I don't know if it will help me." She sighed and he frowned. "What is it?" he asked once more, and she didn't tear her gaze from his.

"She says when one of her previous patients went through something similar, the only way she got through her trauma was to sleep with someone else... Someone other than her partner at the time. She said it helped her shatter the illusion. I'm not sure how that would work though." She said softly and he grimaced. "Is that why you were looking at me this way?" he asked, and she opened her mouth to speak, but closed it once more only to nod. She didn't want to say the words. He could understand why she didn't.

"We've tried everything to help me... we've even tried with the helmet on, but I just see Toneri's reflection in the helmet. I can't do this anymore Madara. I don't know what to do." She sobbed.

She didn't need to sleep with him to get better, she didn't want to sleep with him, and he truly didn't want to sleep with her. Even if he had made advances in the past, he knew she was off limits. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "That's not fair. Not in the slightest." he said, and she nodded. "I understand." she whispered, and he shook his head. "You don't understand, or you wouldn't bring it up to him at all. I'm the one who caused him and Mei to break up, to sleep with you would absolutely break him." he said, and she nodded solemnly.

"I know, that's why I don't want to bring it up to him. I want him back. I want to be able to be with him again without having a panic attack, but I don't know what to do to get over this." she whispered, and he pressed a hand to her cheek. "Sleeping with me won't fix you." he whispered and stepped away from her, letting his hand fall from her cheek. "I'm willing to try." His deep voice came from behind them, and her eyes went wide as she looked over to Tobirama.

Her lower lip trembled, and she stepped closer to Tobirama, but he stepped back away from her. "I'm willing to do anything to get you back, Hinata... My only request is that I be there in the room." he said, and she bit her lip. He tore his gaze away from her and looked over at Tobirama. The man was glaring daggers into his soul, and he knew why. This was a vivid reminder of Mei, although the circumstances had been very different. She looked between them silently.

"I'm not going to do anything that is going to hurt you, Tobirama." He said sternly and turned away from him, but Tobirama grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him to face him roughly. His red eyes met with the albino man's ruby red ones. He could see every emotion he was trying to hide behind those eyes, and it made him sad. "This is hurting me! Don't you understand that!?" Tobirama snarled and he grabbed his hand gently and pried it from his shirt. "And you will never forgive me... or her for sleeping together." he sighed and Tobirama bit his lip and dipped his hand.

"Please... If she's choosing you, it means she trusts you..." he pleaded softly and he sighed. He didn't want to do this in the slightest, so they might as well get this over with and prove it wasn't going to work. "Fine, but this is not something I want to do." Madara sighed and he made his way towards the parking lot. "Come on Tobirama, I have a spare helmet." he said, not sparing a glance at the woman who sobbed softly behind him. He couldn't look at her, but he wasn't angry with her.

He was angry with himself for agreeing to this.

He watched as the man limped up beside him. "You know this is not what I wanted." He said and Tobirama looked over to him with saddened eyes. "You think I want this?" he snapped and Madara refrained from rolling his eyes. "You think I do? I mean yeah, I have flirted with her in the past, but I knew it wasn't going to go anywhere. I wasn't going to let it." He snapped softly, only for the other man to sneer at him.

"It was before you even knew her for the most part, you forget I have known her longer." He said and Tobirama glared at him. He reached and grabbed the spare helmet from the attachment on his bike and shoved it into Tobirama's chest, waiting for him to place his hands on it. "I'm not going to take her from you man... I don't want to do this because I know it will hurt someone else other than you two if it ever got out." He grumbled only for the man to watch him curiously.

"I'm trying not to fuck things up with Ash, but I know this is going to do just that. I want to help you two. So, I can keep a secret." He said and Tobirama nodded, setting his hands on the helmet that was pressed to his chest. "I can too." Was all he said before he stepped over the bike from the opposite side so that he didn't put pressure on his injured leg. He slipped on in front of Tobirama and pulled his own helmet on.

They looked back to see Hinata pulling up next to them on her own bike. The ride to her house was a relaxed one, it seemed all of them were trying to come to terms with everything that was about to happen. He was doing this for them... he had to keep that thought going through his head or he would lose his damn mind. He was getting what he wanted from her in the past, but he didn't want it now. He felt like a sack of shit for even agreeing.

He was a shithole for agreeing.

He pulled up her driveway and waited for her to open the garage. He glanced over at her dirty car and wondered briefly if she was ever going to use it again. He slipped his bike into the garage and parked it. He stepped off and left the two of them in the garage alone for a moment. They needed to sort some things out, but if they started fighting, he was out of there before they caught sight of him. He flopped on her couch and started scrolling through Door Dash. He wanted food.

He ordered sushi and the next thing he knew, a bottle of his own brand of whisky was hovering in front of his face. He didn't know she bought his brand, but that was neat. It was something he did in his pastime. "What's this for?" He asked and she frowned. "Maybe we will all die of alcohol poisoning and our existence won't matter anymore." She muttered and he cracked a small smile at her complaint but took the whiskey from her. Tobirama took his and downed some of it swiftly.

He knew the man didn't want to be in this in the slightest. He didn't want to watch this happen, but it was by no choice of his own that he was in the middle of the two troubled lovers. He decided to lighten the mood a bit. "Don't get too fucked up yet, I'm ordering food." Madara said and she stared at him in confusion. "What? I want to make sure you are both well fed." he muttered, and she nodded. She ignored his warning though and started downing her first bottle, he sighed and shook his head at this.

She got up a moment later and walked over to her Bluetooth speaker. She turned on the music and sat back down. "IamJakeHill, good choice." Madara said sourly and she nodded. She didn't seem to realize what he meant by that, nor had she picked up on his tone; but he wasn't going to press it. Most of the songs the man sang were about an ex who cheated on him, and this was his way of getting over it. He used his music as a release for his pent-up anger. His eyes drifted over to Tobirama who was still staring holes in him as the music played.

He knew Tobirama was the one who showed her the band because Tobirama had used it as an outlet. He also used it as a weapon every time he could, playing these songs where he could hear them so he would know he fucked up. He hadn't done it lately, so he thought the anger was gone, but it was clearly not. The combination of whisky and music choice made all those feelings come right back. The man's jealousy burning him like a raging flame.

Their gaze met once more as Hinata started chugging her bottle of whisky. As soon as Tobirama nodded they both reached for her. His hands found her cheeks and turned her to face him, while Tobirama's took the bottle from her lips. His lips met hers before she could do anything about it, causing her eyes to go wide. He moved his lips against hers and she complied, all the while Tobirama was leaned forward his hands roaming her thighs. He pulled away from her after a moment and he started tugging at the hem of her shirt. Once it was discarded atop her riding jacket, he waited for her to fight him in the slightest.

If she showed any resistance in the least, he was going to stop. She showed none, much to his displeasure. He got her out of her pants, and he turned her to pull her onto his lap with her back to his chest. He wanted her to want him to stop, he didn't want to do this to them in the slightest... he couldn't bear it if they turned on each other after this. He would be responsible for yet another of Tobirama's breakups and he didn't think he could handle that. He valued the man's friendship too much even if he were currently angrier than hell.

The whole time he was doing this to her, he was off in another world. Just focused on what he was feeling and pretending it were someone else he was with. He slipped his eyes shut and he tried his best to picture another woman, any woman. Only the image of one came to his mind, and he had to shove those thoughts aside. He couldn't think of her in such a manner, it would be disrespectful he hadn't talked to her since he left the ER the last time. He sighed as he felt himself lean back on the couch with her atop him. Only for her to lean fully back atop him and another weight to be added to the mix.

A chuckle threatened to escape him, but he refrained. He felt the other man slip inside her as well and he raised a brow, he didn't know the white-haired man was into this kind of thing. He refused to meet the man's gaze, he just listened to the noises the woman made atop him. He slipped his eyes shut and soon enough he released within her. They all finished up and separated. He tossed his pants back on and made his way to get the food. That was all he wanted to think about right then.

That little thing happened only two more times and then he told himself it wasn't going to happen again. He hadn't told them this, but he hoped they wouldn't want it to happen again now that they seemed to be fine. He was currently face down on a tattoo table waiting for the man to finish the tattoo. They had been here all day, and he was due to open the bar in an hour. The pounding of the needle against his skin was of little comfort to his troubled mind.

He was doing this to cover up his scars. The moment his wounds had healed he had made the appointment. The man begrudgingly agreed, saying that the scars might not take the ink as well since they were still fresh, but he wanted this anyways. It was a dragon holding a skull that trailed up his arm and spread to his back. The shading was the hardest part because there was so much of it. The dragon was surrounded by red lotus blossoms and dark shadows to fill the void. Not the one in his soul though. It just happened to be a pretty artwork that would be a part of him for the rest of his life now.

The man tapped him on the shoulder, and he pulled the earbud from his ear. They had been working on this tattoo for the last few days in multiple sessions. "All done." The man said and he nodded. "Thanks, Deidara." He said as he stood and made his way over to the large mirror. The arm looked phenomenal, he turned and could only see part of the back. Deidara handed him a handheld mirror and he flexed as he looked at the rest of it that trailed over the part of his back that had been utterly mauled.

"Looks great man, thank you." He said and Deidara nodded with a grunt. "I do my best works when given more time to prepare, but this one turned out amazing." He said and Madara nodded as he tried to tug the shirt over his head, but Deidara stopped him. "You need the second skin." He said with another grunt. He knew it was just one of the man's tics, so he didn't mind it in the slightest. He pulled the shirt back over his head and allowed Deidara to put the protective cover over the tattoo. He slipped Deidara a wad of cash and patted him on the shoulder.

"It's the least I could do." Deidara said with a grin, and he nodded. He knew he got the friend discount, but he was going to pay in full anyways as an extra tip. He slipped his shirt on and made his way outside to his bike as soon as he slipped his riding jacket on. He tossed a leg over his bike and stared it. He sighed in content as the bike hummed to life. He had the occasional pain in his arm, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. He supposed it was nerve pain from the infection's damage.

It was Hinata's therapy day, and he knew she was going to need a drink at the bar, so he wanted to hurry and get there to get opened up. He rushed over and met up with his bartender, who was waiting at the front door. He waved to the man and unlocked the door. He let the man in first and followed behind. "Thanks, Madara." The man said as he ruffled a hand through his dark spiky hair. "It's no problem, Kotetsu." Madara said as he closed the door and locked it behind him.

He didn't want anyone wandering in yet. Especially not the usual degenerates like himself who came to score other substances during the early hours when no one was around. He used to be one of those, so he knew how they thought. He didn't make the money he did solely by selling alcohol and throwing parties in his bar. That much was for sure. If he were ever found out he would get into massive trouble, but no one who knew was going to say anything. Especially not the bartender who got a cut of weed anytime he asked for some.

The man knew to keep silent about Madara's business practices if he wanted his free supply. Itachi knew as well, but the man would only give him a heads' up when to lay low with it, so that he didn't get caught. It was honestly a miracle he had managed to stay clean for a year considering he was around some of the shit that fucked him up in the first place on a daily basis. He knew one thing for certain, he wasn't going to dabble in his own supply again. That had almost cost him dearly.

He flicked on the open sign and made his way to the front door to open it up, seeing as the rumbling of the bikes was heard from down the street. He grabbed a shot of whiskey and began sipping it from his usual seat at the bar. He wasn't sure how tonight was going to go. He knew Hinata was coming in because she had texted him to let him know she would be here. He looked over to see her sit down the bar almost immediately. He nodded to her as she looked his way and she smiled at him but made no move to come over to him.

He was glad she didn't because they might have gotten to talking about things he didn't want to talk about. Especially since the woman he couldn't get out of his head was sitting right beside her now. It had been quite a while since he had seen the woman, despite her saying she was going to come check out his bar sometime. He guessed this was the time. He was glad it wasn't some dingy run down joint, but instead quite the classy place even if it were just a bar. he preferred it neat and orderly rather than rugged and degenerate in appearance.

Speaking of degenerates, he heard the voices of those two other guys that Tobirama had beat the shit out of over Hinata. He clicked his tongue and Kotetsu glanced his way. "Trouble just walked in, make it vacate quietly, would you be so kind?" he asked and Kotetsu sent him a salute before he slipped from behind the bar with a baseball bat. He didn't want those guys anywhere near Hinata or any of the girls within his bar.

He turned and glanced at the men who were about to say something to Kotetsu, but the moment their eyes met with his they backed out of the bar and took off running. They knew he wasn't playing games with them anymore. He didn't know why they were going to try and push their luck. He turned back to face the bar, only to take a sip of his drink once more. He was lost in his mind as per usual when movement down the bar caught his peripheral.

He pulled the glass from his lips and looked to see what was happening. Hinata was leaned halfway over the bar with her ass in the air looking at him. He raised a brow and she smiled at him. It seemed she wanted him to make his way over, so who was he to deny her. He downed the rest of his drink and turned the glass over on the bar top, much to Kotetsu's displeasure. He was saving his seat, so Kotetsu better leave the glass alone until he got back.

He made his way over to them and looked from one woman to the rest. Ino tugged his shirt, and he looked down at his sister-in-law. "Are you doing good tonight? You seem stressed." She commented softly so the other women couldn't hear, and he offered her a half assed smile. He wasn't doing the greatest, but he was trying. He was fighting an internal war only she, Izuna, and Hashirama really knew about. He knew she knew all about his battles with himself.

"I'm trying my best." He said and she smiled at him lovingly. She was a damn good sister, especially to someone who had never known the love of a sister. He had only had brothers, four of them to be exact. Now he just has Izuna, because Izuna didn't go down the path he and their three other brothers did. That was why they weren't here now; may they rest in peace. He missed his younger brothers, but he knew they weren't suffering like he was anymore. They weren't fighting a losing war every single day.

He tore his mind from his thoughts and looked over to see Hinata was staring at him now. He hadn't been zoned out for long, that much he knew. "Our friend here thinks you're hot." Hinata said offhandedly and he watched as Ashura glared at her. "Is that so?" he asked and leaned over her, propping himself up with his uninjured arm, it still hurt when he put pressure on it. She sputtered indignantly as he wrapped two fingers in her hair that framed her face, her cheeks flushing a beautiful shade of crimson.

"Then would you like to come to my side of the bar with me?" he asked, the flirtatious tone in his voice making Hinata roll her eyes. He saw that from the corner of his eyes.

"I remember you, by the way. The lovely nurse who took such good care of me." he said as he stepped away from her, letting his fingers gently fall from her strands.

"Fuck you." Ashura seethed, which made a chuckle escape him. He looked behind him at the beauty of a woman who was currently giving the three women dual middle fingers as she trailed backwards behind him. He knew she had some spunk to her, he liked that about her because he knew she wasn't going to let him run over her. She was going to throw the same shit right back at him. He knew what this was deep down, he knew the girls were trying to get him on the straight and narrow and settle down with someone.

His gaze drifted to the beautiful woman who was climbing up into the seat beside his and he looked her over once more. They had found this wonderful woman, and they were subjecting her to him. And she was allowing it to happen. He didn't know if they knew just how troubled he was, but he wished he could be honest with them about it. He wanted to be honest and tell them that he wasn't ready to try and be with anyone, but if he did that... he didn't know when he would ever be ready, so why not go for it.

His eyes slipped shut and a sigh threatened to escape him as soon as a troubling thought entered his mind. 'Maybe she can be the one to help me fix myself.' The thought had set itself free. It was such a selfish thought and he hated himself for it. He didn't need someone to fix him, he needed to get his ass in gear and do it himself. He looked over to the woman once more and offered a small smile. "Being set up on your first day at the group hangout, how does that feel?" he asked as he turned the glass that he had set upside down on the counter over and offered it to Kotetsu.

The man took it and placed it in the sink, bringing him another glass of whiskey as he strolled back through. His gaze was momentarily stolen by a waitress carrying two large trays of drinks out to a table, but then he looked back to the woman beside him. She was silent as she stirred her drink. "I kinda like it, if I'm honest." She said and he raised a brow at her. If she liked the fact that they were trying to set her up with him, then why the antics. "Gotta make it seem like they planned this and like it wasn't my plan the whole time." She said coyly and a smirk crossed his lips.

The woman was smart. Ino and Sakura did very much enjoy setting people up on makeshift dates in his bar. It was a first for it to be his turn though. "You really are beautiful, you know." He said without thinking and she turned her striking gaze to him, a wicked smirk on her lips. "And I'm a sucker for tattoos. Show them to me." She said as one of her hands found its way to his knee. He glanced down at the hand that now had fingertips tracing circles on his knee, her glowing eyes on him as she sipped her drink delicately.

Dammit he knew he liked this woman.

He shrugged and tugged his shirt off from over his head, eliciting a few cat calls from women in the front of the bar. he smirked at her as he draped his shirt over his shoulder. Deft fingertips trailed up the dragon's tail and around every curve of its body till they landed on its head, and she drew a little circle there. "It's beautiful. Very nice work you've had done." She praised, although her fingertips started to trail back down the dragon as her eyes locked on his. She was trying to see if he was going to stop her, which he wasn't.

Her touch on his warm skin was ice cold and he liked every bit of it. He wished he had tried to ask for her number when they had parted ways at the hospital for the last time, but he knew it would be unprofessional if she had given it to him. He knew she could have gotten in trouble. Hell, she could get in trouble for just associating with him. But here they were, doing this anyways. He leaned closer to her, and she offered her glass of cherry margarita to him. He placed his lips on the glass, and she tilted it up for him to take a sip. He watched her over the rim of the glass, searching her silver gaze for anything that may betray her thoughts.

When he pulled his lips from the glass, she turned it and placed her lips in the same indent in the salt ring that his lips had once been. He knew his eyes were probably telling her everything she needed to know, his burning gaze was on her, and he wanted nothing more than to leave his own bar with her. It seemed she was amused by his desire, but it didn't appear to be in a mocking manner. She pulled her lips from the edge of the glass and licked them lightly.

She was just as much of a flirt as he was. "Just needed the right amount of spice." She said smoothly and his lips twitched up into a smirk once more. "Now it's perfect." She said and a chuckle escaped him. "Be careful what you ask for, even if you don't outright say it, you might still get it." He warned playfully, which made a slow smile tug at her lips. "And you might be jumping the gun. You don't know anything about me." She said with a smirk that rivaled his own.

She pulled one leg up to cross it over the other elegantly and his eyes were drawn down to the tight black denim that covered her long legs. He pulled his gaze back up to hers when she clicked her tongue. "I might be flirting, but I know where this is going to go tonight. Me in my bed alone." She said and he chuckled as he leaned closer to her. "It won't be if you keep taunting me." He whispered and she smiled at his playfully veiled warning.

"Maybe another night. I have to work tomorrow night and my brother is off work sleeping tonight. He lives with me, so he wouldn't be too thrilled to wake up to us making racket." She explained and he thought it over for a moment. "You don't always have to go to your home." He offered slyly and she let loose a laugh that surprised him. "I'm not going home with you either, dear. Not until I get to know you." She said and he nodded, that was fair.

"You're such a tease." He sighed and leaned away from her. "And you're not?" she asked, and he furrowed his brows at her. "You're sitting there in all your shirtless glory, while I'm sitting here fully dressed. It's a shame I can't go home with you sometime, because you won't tell me about yourself now." She said, only to pull her glass to her lips once more. "Touche'." He said and she looked over the rim of her glass at him, just waiting for him to spill the beans on something personal, anything at all.

"What's your favorite color?" he asked, and she smiled. "Red." She said simply and he raised a brow. "Why red?" he asked, and she shrugged. "I've never seen a more beautiful color. Other than teal, but that's beside the point." She said and he nodded as he listened to her. "And yours?" she asked softly, her gaze never once leaving his. "Red as well. I happen to like the color of rage." He said and she nodded with a small smile.

"Do you know what my name is?" she asked, and he looked at her oddly. Of course, he knew what her name was. "Ashura." He said simply. "But what does it mean?" she asked, and his eyes widened slightly, he didn't know that much. "It is the God of wrath." She said simply as she set her glass on the bar top with a clink. "I see, and why were you named that?" he asked, and this brought amusement to her silver eyes.

"Because before I was even born the world knew my wrath. I was a vicious baby in the womb according to my mother. I didn't like that I was getting cramped in there and she says I tried to kick my way out of her." She said in amusement. "I see. It's also a name befitting a queen." He said as he sipped his drink lightly. He waited for her to ask him the reasoning behind that statement, but she didn't say anything, she just waited for him to continue.

"Because a queen only shows her wrath to those who deserve it." He said and she feigned putting a crown on her head. He chuckled at this, and she shot him another smile, while offering him her hand as a queen would. "Then how about I be your queen?" she asked, and he thought it over a moment, only to reach and take her hand in his, pressing his lips to the back of her hand gently. It seemed she hadn't been expecting him to actually kiss the back of her hand, so her cheeks flushed pink.

She gently pulled her hand back from his and set it in her lap. "So, what else do you want to know about me?" he asked, and she smiled, the blush fading away. "Anything you're willing to tell me at this time." She said and he nodded. He could do that. He opened his mouth to speak, but something caught his eye and a smile tugged at his lips. "I will be right back with an answer for you, but I believe my assistance is needed. Tobirama is in the floor." He chuckled and she turned to look at what he was looking at.

A gasp escaped her as he walked past. He tugged his shirt back on and crouched beside the knelt down Tobirama. He slipped an arm under his while Hashirama did the same on the other side. They helped him to his feet and patted him on the back before they both took off their separate ways once more. He slipped back into his seat, and she was still looking at Tobirama and Hinata. "Did what I think just happened, happen?" she asked him, whipping her head back to him swiftly.

"I believe so." He said and she grinned. "I'm so happy for them!" she said, and he nodded. He was happy for them too. They both deserved to be happy, and they were with one another. "My favorite food is Inari sushi." He said and she blinked at him. "I've never actually had that. But I like sashimi as well as sushi rolls of almost any kind." She said and he nodded, she was a fellow sushi lover, good. He had an idea for a date now if she decided she wanted to go on one with him.

"My least favorite is roe." He said and she nodded. "I can understand that. It's bland, literally has no taste. Its all texture." She said and he chuckled. The woman hit the nail right on the head with that one. The rest of the night was filled with much less flirting between the two of them and much more talking about random things they liked. Her favorite time of the year was spring, which was his as well, although for very different reasons.

She liked the coming of new life after the winter, and he liked being able to ride his bike again. Winter was both of their least favorite, for the same reasons. He wanted to ride, and she wanted to see the flowers. She did think snow was beautiful though. "Don't you just get lost in the snow?" he asked, and she swatted his arm gently. "Rude!" she exclaimed in disbelief. "Are you trying to say I'm that pasty white?" she asked, and he grinned at her.

"You said it not me. You could use a tan though." He said and she puffed out her cheeks at him. "I've tried, I only burn!" she snapped, and he just laughed at her misfortune. She proceeded to tell him in grab detail about how she turns the color of her very vibrant red drink when she tries to tan. "A whole lobster!" she sighed animatedly, which earned her another laugh from him. She was genuinely funny without even trying to be. He supposed he very animated antics had something to do with it.

She reminded him of Hashirama in a way, he had similar egregious antics. She continued to tell him about her childhood cat, and he couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips. She loved cats, so did he. They were like little royal beings who walked the earth. "I too, enjoy the little four-legged royalty." He said and she smiled at him brightly. She continued to talk about anything and everything under the sun and he enjoyed every word that escaped her lips.

He spent the rest of the night just chatting back and forth with her, until two hit and like Cinderella at midnight, she was gone with nothing remaining but a single empty glass. Before she left though, she managed to catch him off guard. She placed the smallest little kiss on his cheek before she slipped off her bar stool and vanished into the night. It was such a brisk kiss on the cheek that he barely felt it. He released a sigh and looked off towards the door she had vanished through.

He missed her presence already.

:-:-:-:

She slipped her key into the lock of her front door, and she slipped inside, a giddy feeling in her chest. She liked him so much more than she thought she would. He was so much more than just a regular old flirt; he was a genuine man with similar interests. Although some things they would disagree on, but no one was meant to match perfectly. They had to have differences that they had to work through, and yet still be compatible.

The change in him had been a shocking one, but it was much appreciated from the man who looked like he would have laid her over the bar at any given moment. It made her feel attractive, that was for sure. But that was feeling attractive in all the wrong ways. What made her feel even more attractive was the fact he was caught off guard by her little kiss to the cheek. It had come to such a shock to him that he hadn't even said a word as she left, his fingertips had just held the place her lips had left.

She hated leaving him like that, but her ride was going to leave her if she didn't hurry up and call it. Her eyes went wide, she hadn't paid for any of her drinks! She turned to rush for the door, but the moment she pulled it open Ino was gone. She frowned and felt so bad that he hadn't gotten paid for those drinks. Damn it! She didn't even give him her phone number to let him know either. She groaned and a light flicked on in the house.

"Oh, hey." She greeted her older brother who was decked out in his sleepwear, which consisted of a ragtag pair of old black shorts and a paint-stained t-shirt. "Where were you all night? A text would have been nice." He grumbled, wiping sleep from his eyes. "I was hanging out with the girls for the first half of the night, and I had what I could only guess I could call a date the second half." She mused lightly and he raised a lone brow at her.

"Someone willingly went on a date with you? They must be insane to deal with your incessant chatter." He chuckled and she flipped him off as soon as he turned his back. "Bastard." She grumbled and he paused in the doorway, blocking her path. "Oh, am I in the way?" he asked feigning innocence as he leaned to get further in her way. "Who did you have this little supposed date with? Tell me and I'll let you through." He said and she rolled her eyes.

"What so you can scare him off too?" she asked, and he smirked at her over his shoulder, while she struggled trying to shove his blockhead ass out of the way and failed. She gave up and crossed her arms over her chest. "It was Madara." She grumbled and he raised a brow at her. "Seriously, your patient?" he asked, and she nodded. "He's not my patient anymore, so it's fine." She said and he sighed and ran a hand through his messy hair. "Just-" "Be careful, I know." She sighed in frustration as she tried again to slip past him, but failed yet again because he wouldn't budge.

"Please be careful with him, there are things I know about him that I can't tell you about because I will get in trouble, I just don't want you to get hurt." He said and she smiled softly up at him. "I will be careful, I promise. I'm a tough cookie. I know how the world works." She sighed and he slipped his hips out of her way to let her through to the hallway. "As the resident bully, I'm the only one who can hurt your feelings or break your heart. I'll kill him if he hurts you." He called after her and she paused, grabbing her door frame lightly. She turned to him once more and frowned.

"If I don't do it first." She said and he sighed once more. "That's what I worry about. Don't go doing anything stupid and don't let him get you caught up in anything you don't need to be." He warned and she smiled at him. "I'm pretty sure all the vague warnings I'm getting from everyone about him will be enough to make me cautious. But if it makes you feel any better, I'm sure he will tell me about all the things you are worried about when he feels he is comfortable with me. Don't go being an asshole to him, ok?" she pleaded softly and he nodded.

"It's my job to protect you." He said and she shook her head at him. "Your job was to make me thick skinned so no one could ever hurt me. I think you've done your job well enough. It's time to back off and let me see how I handle things for a while." She said and he frowned, but pulled his little orange book out of his pocket and crammed his nose in it. "Just don't make me worry until after two in the morning again and we will be fine." He grumbled as he slipped into his room.

"I won't make you worry until two am anymore!" she called, and he chuckled. She wasn't going to make him worry until two a.m. anymore, she knew this. What she didn't know, was that the next time she went out, she was going to make him worry until sunlight the next day.