After another day of getting nowhere with a council, who seemed less concerned with the issue at hand and more concerned as to why she was in charge of the part of Suna government she was in the first place, and how that would affect them. She had a migraine.
She rubbed her temple and sighed as she rejoined her sister in the main house's living room only to find more reasons for her headache.
Now she liked Lee. He always was cheery when she needed him to be, but he was also cheery when all she needed was quiet. Not everything could be solved with a great attitude, and by the look on her cousin and sister's faces, they didn't think so either.
It was going to be a long day.
Gaara was going to make good use of his time in Konoha. He had his rest. Now he could work. He spent his time in the Hokage tower, ignoring the beast in his head that it was further from the Hyuga compound than their room.
The heavy growling would get to him eventually, but he tried to remind the seething beast that though she was probably uncomfortable, her clan would make no move to harm her.
They know if they do, the man and beast would agree to kill them.
The tanuki calmed down with a smug humming at Gaara's agreement.
Naruto, on the other hand, riled him right back up.
Hinata wasn't entirely surprised to not see Gaara back at the hotel room when she got back, but she was hoping to see him. Without their usual routine that they had set it, there was no promise of punctuality.
She took the opportunity to take a long bath and a well needed, almost instant nap.
Gaara hadn't meant to get back as late as he did, it was only diner time, but he had hoped to be back before his wife. Naruto had insisted on keeping him even though he refused to have dinner without Hinata present. They stopped by the Hyuga compound to check if she was there, only to find out she had left for the day. He promised his friend another time before they left and headed back. He found her curled the wrong way over the top of the covers of the bed, wearing one of his day tunics that was massive on her. Her legs were bare and curled to her chest, with her damp hair still twisted in a towel.
She had managed to tug the blanket she was sleeping on half around her, though not even slightly effectively, as she was mostly uncovered.
This was odd for a couple of reasons. Though Hinata slept curled up, she had never made a mess of the bed like she was currently. She also always dried her hair as thoroughly as she could before tying it up for bed. He glanced over to see that her bag was empty of its contents, but they were set out folded neatly. He didn't understand the need for his robe.
He crossed the room and leaned over her, waking her as lightly as he could. She flinched, bolting up.
"Oh! Gaara, your back." She rubbed her eyes and looked at the time.
"It's past dinner. Have you eaten?" He asked, tilting his head. Her behavior was worrying.
"Oh no, I haven't." She yawned, getting up just as quickly as she shot out of sleep. "I'm sorry, have you?"
"No, though I have been told we must have dinner with Naruto before we leave." He noted observing as she started to pull her hair out of the towel.
"You should have gone with him. There is no reason to wait for me. We could still catch him, or we could get something for ourselves. The shops are still open..." She rambled on comments until he crossed the room and caught her hands as she started to change.
"Hinata, stop." He bellowed with a frown.
She flinched. "I'm sorry..." She shrank into herself.
"What is wrong?" He asked, and she stared at him a few moments before her eyes filled with tears.
He tugged her back to the bed to sit. She tousled her damp hair and looked ashamed.
"Stop. You're still doing it." This time his voice came much softer in wonder.
The shame only seemed to get worse as it was clear she didn't want to tell him what was going on to make her behavior change so suddenly.
"I don't like being back here." She mumbled.
"I don't understand." She fiddled with her ring, and he covered her hands. "I want to." She glanced up only a second.
"I didn't mean to overwhelm you." She started, keeping her eyes down on the sand beast that formed in her lap. "If called on, I was expected to be ready even if I wasn't. Being presentable and catering is something a Hyuga lady must do. I have been fighting with the council for hours, then had to sit through a social call with Neji and Hanabi teams, then berating by my father. I even went back to my old bedroom by accident when I had had enough."
Gaara filed all this under reverting to an old habit she had in the overbearing clan activities.
"So you used to sleep..." He started, but he was quickly answered.
"I developed a headache and was tired. I had laid down with the intention of getting back up in a few minutes..." She started to explain defensively.
"I don't mind it." He answered. "I mind that you are feeling uncomfortable here."
Her head fell to his shoulder as a tanuki dug its nose into her stomach. "I don't want to complain."
'I want to hear it.' Shukaku gritted.
"You should." Gaara agreed.
She chewed her lip and closed her eyes. "I like Suna. I like not being pressured to be perfect, hide my fatigue, and be forced to be ashamed for skills I do not naturally have. I like to have a comfortable loose schedule so that I don't work on little sleep to keep up with all my duties that have to be shoved in with my training and ninja duties. In Suna, the council may be stubborn, but they see clear reason and logic when it showed. The people around me understand the signs of fatigue and understand that maybe means I am not at 100%. I'm still respected in their eyes. They don't look down their noses at what I am thinking of. Baki-san does not sit across from me and tell me that 'despite what others have said I have accomplished' I am still worth nothing more than marital property." Her father's exact words were 'despite what they tell me or what you may think you have done for the 'sand people' you have shown yourself to be a useless as of an excuse for a lady of the government as you have as heir and your decisions were only seen valid because of your lineage and marriage'. "And in Suna, I know where to find you when I need a hug." She mumbled quietly.
Gaara shifted to a frown and curled around her, letting her bury her nose into his outer robes.
"I believe I should pay your father a visit." He grumbled into her hair.
She giggled slightly. "I'm not sure that is such a good idea. You can leave this one with me." She mumbled, curling her arms around the sandy mass that begged for her affections.
"We can not be separated," Gaara noted bluntly. Hinata giggled as she had missed the point.
His wife's mood lightened as she prompted him to talk about his day. At some point, her bare legs had tangled over his, one falling between his legs the other completely over his lap. She leaned on his arm that held her snugly to him and had both hands buried in smooth sand as she commented on his short worded story.
He never started with the full description. She didn't mind asking. He didn't mind answering if she thought it was important. It must be, at least to her.
She gently pulled the story out of him over the next half an hour until a soft noise that made her blush interrupted them.
"You still haven't eaten." He commented.
She curled her body around his arm as they walked. Her body heat was comfortable with a dropping light chill that indicated the ending of the day. She seemed to feel better, or at least she hoped that she was.
She had changed at much less rushed paces and left her hair down rather than tying it up or back as she did at home. It swayed and hindered her, tickling his arm.
"You didn't say where we were going." She hummed at him.
"Your cafe." She tilted her head before realizing what he was talking about, and she smiled, laying her head on his arm. "Is that fine with you." She nodded on his arm.
She looked out the window of the cafe, feeling odd. The last time she had been in this cafe, Gaara had proposed to her by just sliding the sand ring across the table. Since then, she did not take it off if she could help it. She ran her finger over the smooth surface and felt the bracelet respond by rippling over her skin. She looked up to Gaara, who seemed unaware or uninterested in the movement. She laid her hand over it, smiling. Her husband may not understand the feeling she was having, but it seemed the ancient being he harbored had some idea.
She would just sip her tea quietly and once again wonder how her socially unaware husband had made the act that would usually have been seen as a rude proposal, to be the sweetest notion and gift she had ever received.
And sadly, he still did not understand how he could be so heart-melting without trying.
She cringed at how she acted when she got up. Before, many days in the Hyuga compound had caused her to stress out until she fell asleep, then wake in a panic and the feeling she was being a horrible inconvenience. She hadn't had the feeling in a long while, and it almost made her sick to think about that horrible habit.
Gaara had recognized the oddity and recognized it as a problem before she had even woken up enough to realize that she was doing it.
She glanced up at Gaara, looking confused at her, and she realized she was frowning. She would have to let the incident go and find some way to make sure it did not repeat itself. She didn't want to worry him so much with the trouble of her past.
Shukaku purred, lying in the middle of her stomach curled around himself, though his wife was unaware of the noise. She sat upon a pillow, one hand on the mass, the other hand holding a page to the book that was resting on the faux beast.
He frowned at the paperwork he was doing at the little desk and closed the folder, crossing the room to join her.
"I thought you had some paperwork to do." She asked, idly not looking up from her page as she moved to lay beside her.
"It can wait." He mumbled, laying his head into her neck.
She giggled, moving to curl her active arm around so she could still change the pages of her book.