July-winter
Series: Naruto
Ship: Sasuke x Hinata
Preferred Rating: T
Theme(s): honeymoon and Hiashi and the thin shoji in between
Genre: Romantic Comedy

Herculean Efforts

Honestly, was it supposed to be so difficult to be young and in love and a pain in your in-laws' side? Uchiha Sasuke was learning the hard way that marriage at such an early age was frustrating and arduous and full of unexpected discomfort. All because most of Hinata's more obnoxious relatives were still alive. And they all glared bloody murder at him whenever they saw him. It meant not being able to walk around the market place without feeling killing intent prickling at him from eight blocks away. It reminded him of the time Hinata's less-than-hygienic teammates thought they should pull the Uchiha Avenger aside for a little chat regarding his supposed mistreatment of their princess. It resulted in a cracked rib, a bruised eye, and fleas.
He really was grateful for the sunshine breaking through clouds of red, and not worrying about what might have gone into his food, and having someone who knew how to listen; tying the knot had more perks than he would have credited to something that was essentially an emotional leash. Hinata was the best thing to happen to him, it was all the baggage that came with having the right to say she was his that was the issue. He was getting really sick of having relatives again. And Hinata clasped around his arm, while it was something he privately admitted as relaxing in easy familiarity, it was also something that apparently made him less unapproachable; old women had no qualms about wandering up to them and starting up conversations about events he had no recollection of but that Hinata was well-versed in, merchants redoubled their efforts to promote their wares, and small boys tended to try and kick his shins for taking away the Academy's teacher princess. If it wouldn't mean a cold bed for over a week, he might have dropped less subtle hints about Uchihas and their genocidal tendencies.
Fortunately Sasuke wasn't his class genius for nothing. It wasn't hard to convince the Hokage that Hinata was over-worked and too nice to complain.
How the hell had he been supposed to know that the week he had chosen to spend some quality time with his wife at a luxury resort in Silk country all the ANBU swore by, was the same week the Hyuuga head and her entourage were going to play politics, also in Silk Country, also staying at a luxury resort that the Daimyo had insisted they spend at least one night at?

Sayako had the misfortune of being behind the counter when the large party arrived. The dreamiest face she had ever seen detached itself from the horde, dragging an elegant, if unwilling, woman away from her conversation with a girl who had to be her sister.
"How many in your party?" she asked, mentally counting how many boys were going to be needed to haul all the baggage.
"Just the two of us please. They are not with us." Sayako had to hide her disappointment, which she wasn't technically supposed to have, as this wasn't that kind of establishment.
"Let me ah… look for some—"
"Do you have a honeymoon suite?" the man snapped suddenly, as if something occurred to him. "One that takes up an entire floor, preferably?" He glared at his companion, who had opened her mouth to protest. "Don't argue. I don't feel like any of your family's 'friendly visits' on their way to the ice machine. Do you?" he turned his attention back to the trembling clerk
"Right away, sir," Sayako squeaked, handing over keys and receipt in record time. "Thank you for your patronage, next?"
From the look of the man who approached, he was also displeased and also related to the other woman. He looked possibly even more cranky than her first customer. Sayako thought about finding a new job.

By the time she, her supervisor, the manager and the owner had finally submit to their demands in a way that was acceptable to the Hyuuga and not completely crippling to the resort, Sayako was thinking desperately about a new job, because at twenty-something, it was entirely too much stress to be expected to cope with the chilling glare of three Konohagakure nobles over room arrangements. The resort had ended up renting out half of their guestrooms to the Hyuuga party, including the room next to the honeymoon suite. Having checked and double-checked the name on the hotel records, Sayako was confident that the last Uchiha should be more than capable of surviving his erm… in-laws, and if he wasn't, well ninja skills also included disappearing strategies, right?

Uchiha Sasuke and Hinata returned from lunch to their room to find Hyuuga Hanabi outside of their door raising her hand to knock.
"Nee-san We've got the room next to you! And guess what, apparently this whole floor was once one room, for when they had royalty I guess. But now, there's only a courtesy shoji between our room and yours. This is going to be fun, just like before hahaue died. We can play cards and-"
Hinata glanced apprehensively at her husband, whose eyes were slowly but surely bleeding to red.
"That's wonderful Hanabi, Sasuke and I have to run, we reserved a room downstairs for the deep massage therapy." She all but dragged him inside and shut the door behind them, ignoring her sister's objections.

Hiashi, who was meditating in his room, heard a door slam and low voices apparently having an argument. Since he was meditating, he wasn't trying to listen, but he heard pieces of the conversation all the same.
"Hinata, do we have to do this now?"
"B-but you promised me we would once we got here."
"Fine, but remember, you said it wouldn't be embarrassing, and it wouldn't hurt more than usual."
"I said it wasn't supposed to— w-wait, you don't need to change into your nice robes, you're not going to be wearing anything in fifteen minutes."
Hanabi chose that moment to enter the room, and so anything else Hiashi might have heard was lost to his second daughter's grumbling.

Hinata and Sasuke spent over an hour in the hot springs after having their every muscle reduced to jelly. When they recovered enough to move they staggered back and collapsed in a heap on the bed.

Hiashi had had to find his center and clear his mind a dozen times after his daughter left, and was several hours into his renewed meditation when…
"Do you feel better now?"
"I didn't even know those places could get sore until after this."
"But it's a good pain, the kind like after intense training that means you'll do better next time."
"Don't care, that was the last time anyone but you touches me there."
"B-but I'm not nearly skilled enough to get points that deep."
"If it's you, anything is fine. After all that I'm hungry."
"Should we ask my family if they—"
"Hinata, if you move one step from this bed, I will set the entire place on fire. We have room service, and I fully intend to use it."
"Y-yes, Sasuke."
"I'm amazed you can even think about leaving the room. And you wanted to do that at least once a day while we were here?"
"I didn't think it would be so intense. We may have to cancel the family luncheon tomorrow."
"I'm perfectly fine with that."

Hinata was too tired to argue, so she settled for batting at his shoulder weakly. Sasuke had dinner sent up and the Uchiha couple retired early that night. Or tried to. Every inch of them was a fingerspan away from aching in a painful way, so they spent a great deal of time shifting into more comfortable positions.

Hiashi gave up trying to concentrate after half an hour of bedsprings creaking and left to prepare his diplomatic tactics over sake. Preferably a lot of it.