What if it had been the other way around? Sasuke wondered, making himself sick with dread.
What if he had woken up with three years gone, and his loving, worried wife sat there in his hospital room, with him remembering only the man he had been back then.
He would have rejected her.
Sasuke would have pushed her away out of fear and denial that someone cared. Would she have stepped back and let him leave her, or would she have tried to make him understand? Would she let him break her heart silently or bear it to him and let him break it into a few more pieces when he rejected her further?
He hadn't realized the idea had sent him into a panic attack until he found himself on his knees on the floor hyperventilating with his wife wrapped around his head, holding it to her shoulder while he hugged his ribs painfully. If she had said anything, he hadn't heard her. He just felt calming kisses to his hair and gentle brushing through it with the tips of her fingers.
He shakily released himself, ignoring that he had drawn blood from digging his fingernails into his skin or that it would be transferred onto her shirt as he dug his fingers more gently into the fabric of her sweater rather than her skin.
He focused on her heartbeat and breathing until he calmed down and found himself panting as he had been holding breath as he listened.
As his head cleared, he wondered how she had gotten to him. He looked over her shoulder at the room, noticing the kitchen chairs she had been in had been knocked over. The bowl he had been holding's contents were scattered around them.
"Are you okay?" She whispered into his hair.
"Yeah, sorry." He pressed his nose further into her shoulder, thanking whatever was listening that she was still here.
Neji's presence at the door was concerning, more so because of the look on his face. "What?" Sasuke asked, annoyed that he had once again shown up at his front door.
"You have been called for an audience with the Hyuga council." He informed very professionally, through his teeth. Flicking his eyes to the side quickly to indicate that they were being watched.
"Ah, and if we refuse?" He asked, crossing his arm and leaning a hip against the door. "Hinata happens to have her day planned out. She has this ridiculous looking vanity she wants to make into a plant box for the back porch." He put an extra annoyed twitch into his eyes. Whether it was his actual annoyance or helpful to the cousin-in-law's situation was yet to be told.
"They wish to talk about your marriage," Neji informed him stiffly. "It has been decided that the customs that were ignored caused great insult to the council."
"Well, the insult was meant. They need a better reason to drag my wife and me out of the house any day they want. They can make a damn appointment. They don't own her anymore. They can't summon us. Tell them that with all insults implied." Sasuke nodded, closing the door noting the hidden approval in Neji's face as he acted insulted for whoever was watching.
Hinata lightly touched the chair on the back porch she was sitting in. Maybe she would try her hand at all this handy work he had been telling her about. The chair could use some work. It had some damage from being in the open weather as the porch was only covered by a roof.
"You're getting that look on your face," Sasuke said into his tea, looking at her with his eyes narrowing. "No remodeling until your health is cleared."
Hinata giggled. "Alright."
Sasuke didn't like that stiffness in her back or the careful way she walked as they got closer to the Hyuga compound for the meeting that they did the schedule. Sasuke had made a point to not make it easy for them, making excuses for nearly two weeks before they would be free to make such a house call.
Her hands trembled and fidgeted in front of her. It was like watching years of abuse laid on top of each other uncomfortably unfolding to show how weak she felt in the presence of this house.
Sasuke wasn't having this. He snatched her hip, pulling her to his side. If she was going to be trembling, he was going to make sure he was feeling all of it, so he knew just how angry to be. He was not letting this place hurt her more than it already had.
The usually painfully polite guards didn't seem to know how to address her and stumbled. "Hyuga-sama… Hyuga-sa... Hinata-s…"
"Uchiha-san is fine." She corrected with a light smile and nod as they opened the door.
They were met and taken to the council meeting, where she straightened more with her head high but her eyes down. "You need to stop that. Like you said, you're an Uchiha now." He whispered to her. She flinched, only relaxing her stance with a bare fidget. He was never letting her set foot back in the room again if this kept up. He would burn it to the ground first. Before they stepped in, she made a point to separate herself and take his arm. Instead, he hated this damned forced properness.
"Uchiha-san, we are so glad that you were able to make it. You seem to be so busy." The speaker started snidely.
"Well, we aren't used to being 'summoned' with no prior notice. It's rude if the subject isn't urgent, right?" He tilted his head back, raising his eyebrows, making sure his point was taken with a full insult as kindly as possible. He remembered all this horrible political crap. If they wanted to play, he was ready to play dirty.
"We have concerns about your recent marriage." The council head said clearly through his teeth.
"Recent?" Hinata spoke up from beside him. He took in the change in her entire demeanor from terrified to dignified political icon. She did still look terrified, at least to him, but there was a political attitude that took over her whole body. How long had she been doing that? "I would hardly call four months recent. If there were concerns, why they were not brought up sooner. This is hardly an appropriate conversation to be having now."
The speaker stiffened and let his upper lip twitch. "The matter was delicate. We want to have all our facts straight."
Hinata's eyes frowned at him through her face, staying neutral. Staring him down with her harsh kindness. When did his little wife become so oddly fierce? He wasn't sure he liked this side of her. It was conditioned.
"We are confused about why the Hyuga was not informed before the marriage. It is custom to..." The speaker was cut off by her hand, gently coming up to stop him.
"We had the support of the current head. Sh-She signed all of our papers. The previous head was informed by my husband that he intended on my hand." She explained with fake confusion. "I'm not sure what you are talking about."
The speaker's false polite smile got tighter. "I'm sure you are aware that customs go much further than that. There was no mention of your dowry..."
"I'm not exchanging goods for my wife." Sasuke interrupted. "I had made that clear."
"Or a proper ceremony." The speaker continued without comment.
"We wanted a small ceremony. All the legal requirements were met. I am not head and was no longer heir, so there is no obligation to have a show, and the head of the Hyuga signed and was present. We had a witness, and a legal authority performed the ceremony." She commented, he tried not to be amused by the twitch in the speaker's face at 'legal authority.' He would say Hokage was at the top of legal authority.
"Hyuga… Uchiha-san, you seem to be missing the point. This is a great insult to..." The council was once again cut off.
"From who?" Sasuke asked in a growl. "The Uchiha? Because I have news for you."
"As the surviving member, we expect you would be wary of placed customs." He defended.
"Nope." Sasuke popped.
The speaker turned his eyes down at his papers to poorly hide his irritation. "Well, there are reasons for it. There would be decisions made beforehand like the prospects of children that resulted in the marriage." The speaker looked up from his papers as he spoke and flinched at the look Sasuke was giving him.
"They are Uchiha. You have no claim on them," Sasuke growled.
"They will have the Byakugan. They will not be the main branch. They will need to be sealed." Sasuke was ready to burn the room down for just suggesting it.
"They will be Uchiha," Hinata repeated softly, cutting the tension and adding a new form as the still silence would be needed to hear her low but clear voice. "If you do have your facts as you claim to have, you would know that the only other Hyuga-Uchiha children to be born were decided what clan they belonged to by which the father was from. They will be Uchiha's and will be decided to be sealed by the ruling head of the clan." Sasuke's lips quirked. He didn't know that.
"That was a fair few years ago when the clan was still established." The speaker seemed to sweat.
"You indicated that the Uchiha clan had insulted the Hyuga by establishing proper customs, but now you are claiming that there isn't one?" Sasuke was liking this side of her more.
"Uchiha-san, this is not something we can ignore. You went behind the council's back to slip your marriage through the system." The council head was finally accused.
"I'm sorry, I'm not sure I understand. My marriage is legal and signed by the head of this clan, receiving approval from the Hyuga as I would understand it." Sasuke felt her hand that was hooked in his elbow tighten. "So this is a clan matter, yes. However, it is no longer a Hyuga one."
The council speaker opened his mouth as she bowed, and with a sharp tug on him, they left.
Hinata frowned at her knees. She knew what he was talking about. She had a particular defense mechanism when it came to the council meetings. She would revert to being cold and clear like her father had taught her. Hinata would shove all of her insecurities down and act like a proper Hyuga heiress while facing the council. She would then leave and have a complete breakdown. She could see what was coming next from the look on Sasuke's face, still being mildly impressed to a flat frown.
It did plant an idea though, she hadn't seen her cousin yet.
"Can we see nii-san and Tenten-chan?" She wondered. She wanted to ask for his whole team, but she was sure that Sasuke would be uncomfortable enough without Lee and Guy. They could be a little much.