Taking a few breaths, she began timidly.
"Sasuke?"
"Hm?"
"We need to… Sasuke, look at me, we need to talk."
Dark eyes lifted from the book he was reading and he noticed the slight tremor in her hands.
They were going to have this talk again.
He sighed, "Hinata we've been over thi-"
"I really want you to get help. This isn't healthy."
"I don't need help, I've got you."
Her eyes watered and her resolve started to crumble. "That's just it, I'm only one person and I can't take away your self loathing. I can't take away your depression or how much you hate your family or-"
She took a deep breath, "As much as I want to and as much as I've tried, there is no one person that can do all of that for you, Sasuke. You need to do it for yourself."
He simply stared at her.
"Are you done?"
He was treating her like a child throwing a fit.
She shook her head.
"Whatever this," she gestured frantically. "Whatever this is, I'm done being a part of it."
The corners of his mouth twitched down and he had the gall to look mildly inconvenienced.
"No." He refused to believe this was happening. "Don't ruin a good thing - we've been together for 4 years. Whatever you're worried about we can work it out."
"No?" She threw up her hands. "What I want is for you to work on yourself, but y-you're not even trying."
The tears fell.
"I'm just… tired. I need to take care of myself right now and maybe we can love each other at another time, but this is too much."
He continued to stare at her; charcoal burning into lilac.
He didn't know what to say.
Silence and regret hung in the air.
Shoulders shaking, she turned away.
Oh god, she was leaving. Without a second thought, he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and kissed the side of her neck.
"Don't… don't leave me like everyone else." His voice was small, pleading.
She leaned back into his warmth.
"Th-that's not fair, Sasuke," she was openly sobbing now. "I'm so tired."
He turned her around to clutch her close to his chest and familiar arms immediately snaked around him; it was second nature. Maybe if he hugged her tight enough she would know how much he needed her. She was everything to him.
She already knew.
After a few moments, he walked them to their bed and they just held each other.
"I don't want to but I need to," she whispered.
He kissed the top of her head, "I know."
She couldn't see that he was crying too.
Exhausted from the day's events, they drifted off to sleep.
She was alone when she woke up.