March 8th, 2021: Decided to re-work this chapter as I wasn't happy with the initial draft. Plot remains the same though.

Chapter 1: Life of a lonely Housewife

"When will he stop taking me for granted?"

Hinata thought as she roughly unclasped the buckles of her black stilettos. She flung the torture shoes in the direction of the foyer and wondered why she allowed Hanabi to convince her to make such a painful fashion purchase. Was she a glutton for pain? No, the reason was less sensational; she was lonely and desperate to grab her husband's attention. If that meant dressing more proactively, then it was an easy solution. But as she looked at the lilac mini dress that clung to her generous curves leaving little to the imagination, she admitted that Naruto's absence had less to do with his libido and more to do with a pathological inclination. He was addicted to working.

Hard work and perfection were the only constants in his life, with his sense of self-worth directly tied to them. As much as he craved familial bonds, his lack of social upbringing rendered him ignorant on the ways to nurture these acquired bonds, outside the professional realm of work. She knew being with an orphan who turned into the village pariah would come with an unsaid number of challenges. But Naruto's warmth and optimistic nature convinced her that any obstacle could be demolished and happiness was just a hop, skip and jump away. Well maybe the latter sentiment wasn't that farfetched, as happiness was now just a drink away.

"Cheers to the good days!"

Hinata announced to the empty living room as she quickly downed a cup of sake. She sighed softly as the alcohol began to slowly numb her emotions. Life with Naruto wasn't always like this for the ex-heiress. Their courtship and first two years of marriage fulfilled her deepest teenage desires. Naruto adorned her with his affection, love and most importantly; his presence. But as expected, things started slowly changing when he began his tutelage under the sixth Hokage. As his responsibilities increased, his attention and presence at home dwindled. Initially, she happily accepted this change as it meant he was closer to achieving his life-long dream of becoming leader of their village. And wasn't she priming herself throughout childhood to be the pillar of unrelenting strength that supported him on his journey?
Now that she finally caught this attention, she had no intention of letting it slip through her fingers. So, she made it her mission to be the best wife, lover and companion she could be without wanting anything in return. Which initially was as easy as breathing, given her timid and subservient nature. But as time passed and the novelty of being with Naruto waned, her emotional and physical needs started sprouting. No longer was she happy with seeing her husband only a few nights each month, she wanted more. She wanted to be a priority in his life and not be pushed aside for professional responsibilities. The problem was that she didn't know how to address her growing dissatisfaction with their marriage. Confrontation was not her forte, so she further tried to bury these uncomfortable emotions and play the selfless role of the perfect, doting housewife. Which essentially was homemaking martyrdom.

Now alone in her home, with dinner set for celebrating their 5th anniversary, she couldn't hold it in any longer. As the pent-up tears of loneliness and frustration seeped down her pale skin, smearing the makeup that Hanabi laboured over, she drank her second cup of liquor and looked at the clock. It was 10pm; he was 2 hours late. He repeatedly vowed his presence tonight. Claiming it would be his way of making up for the two previous wedding anniversaries he forgot.

"I should have known better." She said to herself aloud and slammed the cup of sake on the coffee table.

"I hope that doesn't leave a scratch…but why should I care? No one ever visits anyways."

Inebriation coupled with frustration and anger had a tendency to skew her moral compass, like it does for most people. This temporary loss of morality, led to activate her kekkei genkai for personal use, something frowned upon among members of her clan.

"Byakugan!" Protruding veins appeared on her temples and a faint outline of pupils formed in her iris. As her vision travelled from her home to the city center, against all odds she was hoping he was wrapping things up in the office to find his way back to her.
Her brow furrowed in anger when she located him at a drinking establishment with several dignitaries from the Kumogakure. The same nation that plotted against the Hyugas by attempting to kidnap a 5-year-old Hinata. She didn't hold a grudge against the state, but the fact that she was being ditched on her anniversary for a once hostile nation didn't bode well with her.

Giving up on the idea of her husband coming home tonight, she kicked up her feet on the couch, poured herself another shot of sake and turned on the news. She barely paid attention to the reporters' announcements of various world issues and weather forecasts, instead her mind conjured up undesirable and unnecessary 'what if' scenarios. Like 'what if Neji was still alive, would she be in this predicament?' Would he have kicked some sense into Naruto and come to her aid like he always did? But where did that blind loyalty to the main branch get him? Nothing but a shiny memorial plaque and a resting place 6 feet under Konoha. All because of her incessant devotion to the blonde hero. With these negative thoughts in mind, she slowly drifted off to sleep.

A few hours later she awoke to knocking at her door. At first it was barely audible, so she brushed it off as an element of her dream spilling into reality. But as the knocking grew louder and more pronounced, she realized someone was at her door.

The clock told her it was 1:11 am. "Is that a good or bad omen?" This train of thought was interrupted by one loud bang followed by unnerving silence.
Quickly replacing fear with logic, Hinata assumed it was her husband since friends and family rarely visited the isolated pocket of land she now called home.

"I'm coming, Naruto! Did you forget your keys at the office again?" she said aloud, and then muttered to herself 'stop being so loud, my head is pounding!'

Kicking aside her discarded stilettos to clear the entry way, she opened the door fully and was about to step aside but immediately stopped when she didn't recognize the tall, figure on her door step.

Even with the alcohol slowing her reflexes, she was still able to partially close the door before the stranger gained accessed full access to her home.

"Ano, please remove your foot from my doorway." She half affirmed; half begged the stranger.

Assuming he was homeless by the tattered brown poncho he wore and the torn scarf over his eyes, she again asked him to please allow her to close the door so she can fetch him food or whatever charitable donation he may like. He didn't respond, he just stared at her breathing heavily. The tension hung thick in the air, and as he moved toward her, she closed her eyes anticipating a violent onslaught. Instead, his body dropped forcefully onto hers driving them both down to the wooden floors of her foyer. The fall was hard and sudden, and luckily for the stranger she took the full brunt of the impact.

"Oww, get off of me." She moaned while trying to push him off. His unmoving body pinned her to floor. Realizing he was now unconscious she wiggled herself to get out of her precarious position. Dazed and confused, she sat next to the stranger trying to calm her breathing. Clearly something was wrong with him, but why did he choose to come to her home. It was away from both the main gate and city center of the village. It was near impossible to accidentally stumble onto her doorstep. His presence was most likely deliberate and planned. As she was wondering if she should call Naruto or the authorities to deal with the intruder, she noticed blood pooling under him.

Acting purely on adrenaline, she turned the stranger on his back, then placed him in a seated position. Panting, she raised herself into a squatting position and hooked her hands under his arms helping him up to a standing position so she could drag him over to the sofa.

As he lay unresponsive on the couch, she pushed aside his poncho and pulled up his shirt to reveal a well-defined torso littered with fading silver scars and a newly acquired 10 inch gash running along the left side of his stomach. Judging from his physique and the injury, she came to the conclusion that this was no ordinary civilian. He was either a shinobi or some sort of warrior. Without taking the time to look at his face or notice his missing left limb, she ran to the interior of her home to grab some tools to seal his wound.

She returned with fresh bath towels, gauze, a home-made saline solution, sterilized tweezers and a needle, as well as nylon dental floss. She prayed that the skills acquired during her short duration as a medical nin would help save this man's life. She didn't know if he was friend or foe, but she was determined to help. Afterward she would worry about notifying the appropriate body of power and allowing them to determine if his unannounced presence was hostile or simply by chance.

After applying pressure, the bleeding eventually stopped. She then proceeded to clean the wound site with the saline solution she created. Using the pair of tweezers, she removed debris and what looked like remnants of a broken sword lodged in the wound. Now being able to assess the site without any obstructions, she determined stitches were required as the laceration was deep enough to expose subcutaneous tissue. Performing a simple suturing technique, she closed the gaping wound using nylon dental floss.

Though still anxious, she proudly looked at the work she did and thought it would be enough until he received professional medical help. In an attempt to check the stranger's body temperature, she removed the scarf covering the top portion of his face. Thankfully he didn't seem to have a fever, which hopefully meant that the wound wasn't infected. The stranger looked very familiar, but she couldn't place a name to his face.
Objectively she admitted that the stranger was handsome, maybe even beautiful. As she gazed at his porcelain skin, high cheekbones and thick eyelashes she wondered what his eyes looked like. Maybe that would be the final piece of the puzzle in determining the identity of her late-night visitor. She wanted to lightly shake him awake, but decided against it since she was yet to determine his intentions. Grabbing for her cellphone, she dialed Naruto's number but it went straight to voicemail. He probably forgot to charge it again. She wondered if Sakura was still at the hospital, maybe she could take over from here. Before she could press the green phone icon to reach Sakura, a hand slapped the device away. A rough, coarse voiced wheezed out from the stranger's throat
"Don't call Sakura! Get Naruto."

"Sasuke-san?" Hinata incredulously exclaimed. Now seeing the mis-matched pair of red and purple eyes, the stranger's identity was finally revealed. The self-claimed ex-avenger of Konoha was now fighting for his life on her sofa. How did she not notice him before, was it that long since she last saw him. His boyish beauty had faded and was replaced by slightly aged features that still rendered awe inspiring good looks. However, now it was more subtle and less obtrusive.
"What are you doing here, Uchiha-san?" No answer would be given that night as the stoic shinobi had once again slipped out of consciousness. She retrieved her phone from the floor, but decided to fulfill his request not to involve Sakura. She thought of physically seeking out Naruto but didn't want to leave Sasuke unattended in the event that he awoke again.

Grabbing a futon meant for guests, she placed it on the floor next to Sasuke and laid down hoping to get a few hours of rest before the much-needed meeting with her husband. Sasuke's appearance softened the anger she held toward Naruto. She missed her husband dearly, and both she and Sasuke desperately needed his help right now. It would be best if he handled the situation from here.

TBC