Theirs 24

Hinata

If there was anything she'd learned from life, it was that being a good person was a great thing, even if life didn't always thank you for it.

She reflected on everything she had lived up until now as she chopped a head of cabbage for the dumplings she would cook later tonight. She had grown from being the shyest and weakest ninja of her generation, to being a strong kunoichi who fought beside her love at the war. She'd ended up where she hadn't expected to; marrying the love of her life, having wonderful children and the strength to beat almost any opponent. Even after everything that happened in the last few days, she was still grateful that she got to live through that. Even of her marriage hadn't been as happy as it could have.

It was deeply saddening, the situation she was currently in, but the strength in her to surpass this continued to surprise her everyday. Last night, when Naruto came for dinner, she confirmed everything she'd been thinking.

While part of her wished that the dinner had had a different ending, –it being naruto missing the cozyness of their home and deciding to stay, - she knew that what actually occurred was the best outcome for her story with him. They had to end it, there was no need to prolong the inevitable any more than they already had. And she accepted it, as hard as it was, she had to let go.

Another amazing discovery about herself was that she didn't actually mind it anymore. Of course, it broke her heart like nothing else, but she could move on. She had known for years that their marriage would end like this, and all that time prepared her for it. She was ready to face it when it happened, and her heart felt way less heavy knowing she wasn't carrying the weight of a whole marriage on her shoulders. Now, thinking back, she noticed she used to carry all that weight all on her own, her husband had never been in it.

Suddenly, a knocking at her door startled her so badly she almost cut herself. Putting the knife down next to the chopped cabbage, she removed her apron and walked to the living room, yelling at whoever was knocking so hard to knock it out. "I'm coming, wait a minute!"

To her surprise, it was none other than Sasuke, looking like he could explode any minute now.

"Where is he?!" He yelled in her face.

"Okay, well, first, don't yell at me," she scolded him, in a tone she usually reserved for Boruto. "Second, he's not here. Hasn't been living here in weeks."

Relaxing just a little bit, he asked, "where is he, then?"

"I don't know, probably at his old apartment, or with... her..." she said, putting extra disgust in her voice as she mentioned Sakura.

"Okay, thanks," he bowed lightly, turning around and walking in the direction of Naruto's apartment. She followed, worried.

"Wait, what are you going to do?" She asked, walking quickly behind him as she saw him clench his fist.

"Kill him," Sasuke replied simply.

She kept following him, but didn't try to stop him. She knew he would never actually kill Naruto. "I'm divorcing him," she confided.

"Good, it's what he deserves." He replied coolly. "That and death."

That made her giggle a little. She knew more than that. "Sasuke, he's like a brother to you."

"Exactly!" He exclaimed loudly, "that's precisely why I want to crush his head, he was the last person who I expected to betray me!"

He had a point, but she had another. "Sasuke, you betrayed them first. Multiple times."

He stopped abruptly to stare at her face. "Why are you defending him?" He questioend angrily.

"I don't know," she sighed. "I guess I know it's my own fault. I always knew he had feelings for her."

"Then why did you marry him?"

"Same reason you married Sakura."

He didn't retort, she was right, she knew. There was even a small smile playing on his lips.

She continued, "I just always hoped he'd love me more."

He nodded, knowing he too hoped for the same thing. "I underestimated what they had," he confessed.

"Me too."

They were silent for a few seconds, both thinking. Sasuke broke the silence."When did you find out about their relationship before?

"Naruto confessed everything to me on our wedding day."

"What?!"

"Before getting married," she explained, realizing it sounded worse than it actually was.

"Oh."

"He gave me the choice to leave him right there, but I didn't," she told him, embarrassed.

"Well, that was foolish."

"Sasuke, you married Sakura even after she broke up your engagement to try and break mine," she defended herself, she wasn't about to let him make himself look better than her.

He chuckled at that. "You're way too witty, you know that?"

Smiling, she asked him a favor, "don't kill him, but do beat him up really good, for both of us."

"Will do," he promised, walking more calmly towards who she knew he'd still consider a brother.

Back at home, she continued preparing the ingredients for the dumplings she'd eat later with her date, as she heard the destruction her almost ex-husband and Sasuke were unleashing on the village. Somehow, it brought a smile to her face. She knew she'd be okay, after all.