Midnight Ride: A Backpack Spin-off

A Secret Best Kept Secret.

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.