On the one hand, he didn't agree with what she was doing. He wanted her as far away from the clan as he could get her. On the other hand, she was trying to make the clan more balanced for the better of her extended family. He ignored his feelings when she decided to help her sister. He didn't look into her work mainly because he didn't need to know and didn't care about the Hyuga secrets. Though he checked out her books for her, so it wasn't obvious that she was researching seals, it just seemed like more of his endless read material. She kept her notes in an Uchiha sealed journal that she had hidden somewhere in the house she felt safe with. Which happened to be tucked under the bed frame. He had found it while cleaning.
To his knowledge, she did not change its position.
What did bother him about the research as it could stress her when she was looking for answers to her questions, and they just didn't seem to exist.
Hinata did her work mainly when she was out of rotation for a while, many hours curled up on the couch laying up against him, making little-annoyed sighs at the barely readable text that seemed to be purposely vague.
Though it did lead to many good memories as well. Those hours were not wasted entirely pulling her hair out.
"But you can't make that conclusion with no evidence to support your claim!" Hinata whispered at the book, annoyed, snapping it shut and looking up from where her head was on his lap under his book. The cold breeze was making her cheek red, but she had wanted to bundle up and sit on the porch anyway. It might snow soon.
"Too bad the author died a century ago, or I would suggest marching to his doorstep and telling him exactly why his work is shit." He smiled down at her frustrated face and leaned down to give a kiss to her pout.
"I understand the need for secrecy in the public books, but you could only get this out because of your Uchiha clan head status. Why is it so insanely vague where it should be telling you exactly how it works, why, and how they know." He kept his mouth shut, not wanting to break her pure heart with the probable answer of it was tested, and the subjects were killed or had adverse effects. "I'm beginning to think the reason the Hyuga seal hasn't been changed in centuries is that this is all poorly documented and wouldn't hold up as evidence of their usefulness."
"It's probably why they aren't taught and aren't public." She rested her head back and lay the book on the chest. He slid his hand over her knit fabric cover stomach and pulled the edge of the blanket up further to her ribs. "Hinata, you're digging in a hole of bullshit for magic. I think you're going to have to come up with evidence that the clan seal is bad and there are better options to be researched. I honestly don't think you will be finding a seal that already does what you want. It would have to be developed."
She childishly whimpered. "This what they should have taught me, not a horrible etiquette class."
"But now you are such a well-behaved lady." He grinned as her eyes popped open and poorly glared at him.
Hinata giggled, tossing the pillow across the living room before tripping on a blanket and tumbling onto the mess of them on the floor. Sasuke crossed the room and stood over her with his hand on his hips and his breathing ragged. "Do I win now?"
"No!" Hinata squeaked, snatching his legs out from under him, giving him enough time to catch himself. He tumbled over her into the couch, leaving them both laughing.
Sasuke playfully kicked her with the heel of his foot. "We are going to get hurt."
"Yeah." Hinata giggled, tossing one last pillow at him.
Laying her head on her bare knees, Hinata wondered what else she would have done with her life would have been like if she hadn't married this man. He had his head laid back against the tub, eye closed scars across his chest and jaw showing darker days.
What would have happened if one of those had been his last or just they had never crossed paths?
Who would she have married? Not Naruto. She didn't have that option. She knew that before she lost her memory. She had accepted it.
Would she have married? Yes, she was meant to reproduce for the clan. It was expected but never really discussed.
She turned to look blankly at the wall.
The Hyuga may have chosen a husband from the branch or had her marry politically. Was there anyone that they would have been happy with? Was there anyone she would have been happy with?
"What are you thinking about?" She looked up to Sasuke, now lazily looking at her. She scrunched her nose and huffed. "You're cute." The corner of his mouth went up. He reached for her, tucking a wet strand of hair back up with the rest of it, tied messily on top of her head.
"Well, what would have happened to me if we wouldn't meet?" She hummed honestly.
He made a face and laid his head back on the tub. "I don't know. What did you think your future was before you woke up?"
"I was going to step down, and it was still unsure if I would be sealed. It had been hinted at that I would be pushed toward a male in the clan to produce children in case my sister was unable to." That was why the main branch usually had more than one child, to make sure there was less of a possibility the heir would die with no children to replace them.
"Not marrying your childhood crush then?" Sasuke wondered idly, not meaning it harshly.
"If I was to step down, the likelihood that I would be allowed to marry who I liked would drop significantly and would only happen if the clan approved or it benefited them in some way." She sighed and watched the steam from the bath roll to the side with her breath. "I would serve my sister, which is fine, but I would never be free of my clan and the daily reminder that I was simply not good enough for them."
"You're depressing," Sasuke mumbled, then she felt warm water sprinkle across her face. She looked up in confusion and was greeted by a poorly hidden amused smirk. He had splashed her! She flicked water back at him. He chuckled. It would seem they were about to soak the bathroom.
Hinata giggled. This was the first time she had seen him passed out before her. She had only gone into the kitchen to get tea, and he had knocked out with his head resting back on the couch, and the book laid open across his stomach. She set the tray down and set her hands on her hips. Did she wake him to enjoy his tea, or did she let him sleep? He had done a few errands without her and had looked tired when he returned. He hadn't said anything had happened, so she hoped he hadn't had a run-in that had drained him.
She decided to let him sleep. She slipped the book out of his hand, laid a blanket over his lap, and leaned over, tucking her hair back to kiss his forehead. She squeaked in surprise as it was not his forehead that her lips reached. His lips connected with hers, and she was tugged down onto his lap. He laid his lazy grin on her shoulder, looking up at her in a way that was frustrating because he knew he embarrassed her.
She shrank under her blush and pouted.
"You think I fell asleep on you?" He hummed.
"Yes, you looked tired. I was going to let you rest." She crossed her arms to further her pout.
"And what part of that was kissing me, hmm?" He tightened his grip as she tried to get up. "No, you're not getting away from me now."
She whined and let out something faint along the lines of 'not fair.'
"Oh, really? How am I not being fair?" He chuckled as she did not answer.
"I brought tea." She told him, trying to get up again.
"I'm not interested in tea anymore." He leaned forward toward her face.
She covered her face with the end of her sweater sleeves to hide her embarrassment.
Sasuke rubbed his Sharingan, lit eyes. They were getting irritated from this use. It was low level and would ultimately do no damage to him, but the constant chakra use to them made them itchy and annoyed. He heard footsteps come in the door and turn his head to see his wife closing the door behind her, carrying a bag.
Hinata looked up, smiled, and waved as she headed over.
"Have you eaten?" She asked, setting the bag down. From the warm smell was food.
"No, but you just got home from a mission. You should have stayed home, took a bath, and went to bed." He deactivated his tired eyes to look up at her.
"I wasn't going to let you go hungry. I knew you wouldn't have eaten. It's late." She sat down beside him and set out to bentos. "So what is he having you do?"
"The dumbest thing he possibly could." He rubbed the back of his ache head. "Document restoration."
"With the Sharingan?" She hummed as she popped food into her mouth with her chopsticks.
"Yeah, it's idiotic. I don't even think he knows what these are. They're not even in Japanese. I can only copy the characters. I can't translate them." Sasuke had drained hours into scripting whatever the hell language.
Hinata frowned and pushed his bento toward him to make him eat. He rubbed his temple and took the offered food. "I'm sure that this is not what the Sharingan is designed for."
"Probably not," Hinata replied.
"This feels like annoying busywork," Sasuke grumbled.
"Well, I guess it could be worse." Hinata hummed sympathetically.
Sasuke groaned. "Yeah, he could make me his assistant for a week or something else."
"That would be cruel." Hinata giggled at his misery.