Making her way down the corridor filled with afternoon light, Hinata ran her fingers through her hair and placed it to one side— on her front left breast. It had been two days since her baby shower and she'd woken up later than usual; thanks to her body pillow making last night's sleep one of the most comfortable since she'd grown a large stomach. She greeted the maid with a tired nod as the older woman left through the sliding front door. The crisp cool breeze entered the home for a moment, causing Hinata to quiver and awaken more. Noticing the door to the nursery room open she made her way over curiously, only to find Sasuke finishing up on assembling a crib.
"It arrived?" Hinata's voice cracked as her eyes widened upon seeing the beautiful woodwork of the crib they had ordered. Sasuke stood up and placed the screwdriver in his hand onto the chest of drawers.
"This morning." Sasuke rested his hand on the maple lacquered frame proudly while examining his assembly job.
"It's perfect." The flat of Hinata's finger tips traced the intricate detail engraved in the frame. Taking the shuriken pillow off the drawer top she places it onto the small mattress in the crib. Suddenly the heat from Sasuke radiates her back and she sees his two arms reaching out at her sides, in his right hand her stuffed bunny from her childhood and in the other a discoloring green dinosaur she had never seen before. She watches as he places them beside the fat shuriken pillow. Leaning her back into his chest she looks up at him with a smile.
"Don't laugh." His voice called out seriously as he gazed down at her.
Hinata's eyes curve, almost shutting as she smiles widely. "You had a dinosaur?" She says sweetly as she turns around to face him.
"Shush." He smiles and leans in to kiss her, muffling her giggle.
"Sasuke-dono." The maid called out from the doorway, scroll in hand. Sasuke retrieved the scroll and read through it silently as Hinata watched.
"Mandatory meeting." Sasuke rolls up the scroll and looks up at Hinata.
"When?" Hinata says as she walks over to him.
"Four o'clock."
"Maybe you could walk me over to the hospital then?" Hinata said as she followed him out the room.
"What time is your appointment?"
"Three." Hinata pinched the fabric on the back of his shirt in between her thumb and index finger while following him through the living area as a gentle plea.
"Yes, yes. You should go eat now." Sasuke took hold of her hand from behind and pulled her gently forward; making their way to the kitchen.
Letting out a disgruntled moan Hinata places a hand on her stomach as she exits the hospital. Her Braxton hick contractions had been coming and going, leaving her in pain every so often. Having had a successful check-up she made her way to the Hokage residence. On the way a group of young genins ran past her, all of them showing off their newly assigned forehead protectors. She watched them scurry off ahead of her and reminisced of the time she had earned the title of genin. It felt unreal when she realized how much time had passed and how much the rookie nine had grown up. She gazed up at the daunting Hokage residence as she made it onto the front of the property. A gentle wind blew through and caused the leaves to rustle loudly.
Hinata walked into the residence and took in her surroundings, she hadn't stepped foot in the Hokage residence for a long while. Aside from the different notices on the bulletin boards, she noticed not much had changed as she made her way through the winding halls. The sound of familiar voices neared her as she turned a corner. A large group of men in their casual clothes made their way towards her. She shifted against the wall and stopped to let them go past her. Watching the crowd closely the familiar voices got even closer and she noticed Kiba and Chouji walking toward her, behind them marched Kakashi and Sasuke who were in the middle of a conversation. Hinata waved at Kiba and Chouji as they passed her and nervously dug her fingers into the fabric of the violet dress she wore. Her cheeks turned crimson as she watched Kakashi point her out to Sasuke, breaking the Uchiha's concentration and causing him to eye her down. She couldn't help but wonder if the sensation she was feeling was the one that his many fan girls felt when he made eye contact with them. Her heart just about jumped out her chest when he made his way over to her. Kakashi smacked Sasuke's back and raised a friendly hand to say hello as he passed Hinata.
"Hi." Hinata said nervously as Sasuke closed in on her.
Placing his forearm on the wall beside her he leans in. "Hey."
The two chuckle at their teenage drama moment and he takes her hand in his. They walk back down the winding halls and Hinata stops to hitch a breath. Another Braxton hick contraction kicks in and she clenches Sasukes hand. He watches as her eyes shut, her fingers squeezing his hand tighter with each fleeting second.
Letting out a painful cry Hinata takes a deep breath and looks up at Sasuke. Her eyes watery she smiles and reassures him that she's fine. "That was a big one."
Gently massaging her now relaxed hand Sasuke kisses her on the forehead before they continue exiting the residence.
"So…" Hinata says breathily as she slumps her shoulders. Sasuke hums and response and Hinata playfully rubs his hand with her thumb.
"Shizune-san gave me something…important." Hinata said anxiously.
"Important?" Sasuke looked down at her, their footsteps matching pace as they walked.
Reaching into the pocket of her ivory cardigan Hinata takes out a folded piece of paper. "This..."
Sasuke takes it from her and studies it. "What is it?"
"The gender." Hinata whispers quietly. "Do you want to read it?"
"Do you?" Sasuke asks without hesitating.
"Well…" Hinata looked up into the horizon and sighed heavily. "I don't know. A little bit?"
Sasuke places the paper into the pocket of his sweater and continues to stay quiet. Hinata pouts at him and swings their clasped hands in the air cutely. "I shouldn't. Should I?"
The two had agreed previously to let the gender stay hidden until the delivery, due to the many eyes and ears waiting to see if the first born of the Uchiha clan would be a boy. The two didn't necessarily care if the first born were to turn out a girl or a boy, it was a sensitive topic to those around them but the couple couldn't care less. They had agreed the future successor to the clan would be chosen by their skills and not birth rank. But the root of Hinata's sudden surge of curiosity peaked at the recent baby shower.
"You really don't want to know the gender?" Ten-ten furrowed her eyebrows at Hinata as she leaned over the table.
"Sasuke and I agreed it would be best kept a surprise." Hinata swirled the straw of her fruit drink in front of her.
Ten-ten leaned back in her seat in awe at Hinata's remark.
"I think she's crazy too." Ino said as she sat back down at the table. She placed a small plate on the table and picked at the various sweets on it.
"I hate to say it, but I kinda agree with these two. I'd never be able to wait until the birth to find out."Temari said as she held a cup of hot tea up to her lips. "I do lack your incredibly holy patience though." The blonde took a sip of her cup.
"Okay, think about it." Ten ten shifted in her seat to better look at Hinata."How are you going to pick a name? There are so many names to go through. Don't you want to be able to narrow down the list as quickly as possible by knowing the gender?"
"I've always had some names in mind, both girl and boy names, so it's not that much of a hassle for me." Hinata retaliated gently.
Since the conversation with the girls the names she had always set aside for her future children suddenly started to sound strange. All of them started to mismatch with the Uchiha name and she really did start thinking about finding out the gender to ease her mind.
Sasuke Looked over at Hinata. "I'll keep this with me." He patted the pocket he had put the note in.
"Don't you want to know?" Hinata pleaded as they neared the gates to the Uchiha compound.
"I do…" He nodded to the guards to open the gate. "…On the day of the birth." He chuckled. Hinata followed him quietly into their home.
"Did you look at it already? Sasuke asked curiously as he watched a suddenly quiet Hinata enter the home before him.
"Not exactly." Hinata hurriedly took off her shoes and rushed down the corridor to their bedroom.
"Hinata. Did you look?" Sasuke shook off his shoes and followed her to the bedroom. Entering the room he saw her sitting at the end of the bed with an apologetic stare and her two hands placed together in the style of a prayer at her chest.
Sasuke scoffed in disbelief, before looking at her with an upset stare. "So?"
"Well…I said not exactly." Hinata said, balling bother her hands into fists in the air. "I just saw a bit, the light in the examination room was really bright and I saw it through the paper for a moment."
Sasuke moved closer to her. "Did you see it or not?"
"No." Hinata said with a tremble in her voice. "It could be either…" She squealed out."I only saw the last few strokes of the word."
Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose and shut his eyes hard for a moment before looking back at Hinata. "Do you really want to know?"
Hinata bit her lip and took a deep breath. "No." She shut her eyes and shook her head. "No. I'm fine."
Sasuke let out a sigh in return. "This is going into hiding." He said as he took the note out of his pocket. "I trust that you won't byakugan the whole house trying to find it."
Hinata let out a laugh at his silly implication. "I promise I won't use my byakugan." She giggled the last words of her sentence as she rose to her feet.
"Thank you." Hinata sighed as she buried her face in Sasuke's chest.
Hinata raised her head from the book in her hand and looked as Sasuke walked into the bedroom. Covered in sweat he had just returned from a simple training session in the dojo. Flipping the page in her book, her eyes quickly scanned the words on the parchment before finding themselves back on Sasuke. Shutting the book softly she rested her head on the headboard and silently observed Sasuke from behind as he undressed. Feeling a little sneaky, she held a proud smile on her face. It was incredible. To think, he was her husband. She wondered if he knew just how good looking he was, like really had an idea as to how attractive he was. Placing her book on the nightstand she cleared her throat obviously.
Turning around topless Sasuke crooked his head at her while wiping the sweat off his brow with a small hand towel.
"You're handsome." Hinata smiles foolishly as she crooks her head in return.
"Excuse me?" Sasuke asks with a chuckle.
"Do you know how handsome you are?"
"Stop." Sasuke turns back around to open his drawer. His brow furrows as the corner of his lips shyly turn upward against his will at her sudden statement.
Hinata giggles and pats her stomach. "If you end up looking anything like your father, I'll have my hands full fighting off all you're fan girls."
"And if she ends up looking like you I'll end up locking her away in a tower." Sasuke says while making his way towards Hinata.
"Back on that topic." Hinata looks up at Sasuke, his face leaning in for a peck on the lips.
"What?" Sasuke says before kissing her, his lips salty from his sweat.
"You keep saying she." Hinata says with a gleam in her eye.
"And you keep saying he." Sasuke backs off and sits down on the mattress.
"Touché" Hinata says while reaching out and stroking Sasuke's forearm with her fingers.
"So, you want a boy?" Sasuke asks with a jealous tint in his tone.
"A mini Sasuke-kun would be adorable don't you think?" Hinata continued to concentrate her eyes on tracing the line of muscle on Sasuke's arm.
"As would a little Hinata." Sasuke caught her hand and held it in place.
"I have a feeling she'd be an insane daddy's girl, so yes I would say I'm partial to having a boy." Hinata laced her fingers with his.
"Well no matter the result. We could always try, try, and try again until we have one of both." Bringing her hand upward he kisses her fingers.
"Thanks again for keeping me company tonight." Hinata said as she walked out the kitchen with a tray of snacks.
"No problem, the boys are all out for Neji's birthday anyways." Ten-ten said while taking the tray from Hinata.
"You sure are the wife of all wives though aren't you? Letting Sasuke go out for a boys night after not seeing him for three days straight." Ino swirled the wine in her glass and took a sip.
"I did see him." Hinata said as she took a seat on the couch. Sasuke had recently come back from a three day mission, only to be invited to Neji's birthday party the night he had arrived home. Hinata agreed to let him go out in turn for being so good with handling her hormonal self.
"When he came home and got ready?" Temari said with a smirk while reaching in for a cookie from the snack tray.
"That was plenty of time for us today; I get to have him forever it really doesn't matter if I don't see him for an extra few hours." Hinata fluffed the pillow in her hand and placed it behind her.
"Oh listen to you, 'I get to have him forever'." Ten-ten shivered in delight as she leaned back into the couch.
"Do I sense a bit of envy in your tone?" Ino smirked at Ten-ten.
"Oh you couldn't be any more wrong." Ten-ten chuckled. "I had to force him to have a boys night out this year."
"Ah." Hinata's eyes shut and she clutched the cushion at her sides. Her friends watched in awe as she soothed herself back into normality from the small contraction.
"See, you are amazing. I'd need Shikamaru there with me if that ever happened." Temari said with a cheek full of cookie.
"Aw, Temari. Who knew you guys were such a sweet couple." Ten-ten said with a sparkle in her eyes.
"What? No, with that pain I'd need to hit 'something'." The blonde snickered at her own joke and the laughter of the girls soon followed.
Ino nudged Temari in the side and shot her a raised eyebrow. "Are you guys planning on having any kids soon?"
"Not anytime soon." Temari waved her hand embarrassed. "Why, are you planning out the next generation of Shika-Ino-Cho already?"
"What!?" Ino gagged on her wine and cleared her throat. "Chouji has to place a ring on this finger first!" She threw out her left hand and wiggled her bare ring finger.
"By the way when is that happening?"Temari hugged the throw pillow in her lap.
"Goodness, I really don't think the thought crosses Chouji's mind at all." Ino sighs and rubs her right temple.
"Wow these cookies are awesome." Ten-ten said with a mouthful. "Did you make these?"
Hinata shook her head and smiled. "They're from the new bakery in town."
"You haven't heard about that place? They had a huge line up the other day for some kind of special they were having. The line made it all the way to my flower shop." Ino examined a cookie in her hand. Ten-ten reached for another cookie whilst still chewing on her first.
"Figures—you are out of town a lot. I'm surprised you're even here right now." Temari chuckled as she watched Ten-ten nibble at another cookie; her cheeks were stuffed full like a squirrel readying itself for winter.
"Me too." Ten-ten nodded, her mouth still full and strenuously chewing. She gulped down hard and reached for her glass of water. "Truth is I really needed this." She sat back comfortably into the couch and took a sip before continuing. "I love Neji, but I rarely ever get to be out of girlfriend mode when I come back from a mission ya know?"
"What? You two have been together forever! Girlfriend mode shouldn't even exist anymore." Ino protested.
"I know, but I guess I'm just always a little too aware, maybe self-conscious? Like when we go out on actual dates. I mean we're fine. I'm just not good with special occasions like birthdays or valentine's day all that event stuff." Ten-ten's finger traced the edge of her glass.
"I get it, I'm like that too." Temari confessed, raising her hand in the air as if taking an oath. "Truth, I do like to be pampered or chased after sometimes, but for the life of me I'm not very good at reciprocating that kind of outward affection."
The weapon expert nodded her head in concurrence, "Right! I think it's that cheesy, ooey gooey aspect that I can't handle. That's why I just can't do any type of romantic gesture. Grand or not."
"Romance; giving or receiving I love it!" Ino squealed.
"Yeah but you do like planning events in general." Ten-ten crossed her legs a top the couch cushion.
"True, but being cheesy is what makes it fun, love is supposed to be childish." Ino hugged the pillow her lap and giggled inwardly.
The front sliding door opens with a thud gaining the attention of the girls and letting the cool night air enter the living area.
"Neji?" Ten-ten runs towards the genius shinobi, both his arms slung over Shikmaru and Sasuke's shoulders as they entered the home.
"How much did you drink?" Ten-ten placed her hands on his cheeks and watched his eyes while they crept open; his pearly skin was burned red with intoxication and his heavy eyes began to shut.
"We ran into some of the guys at the bar."Chouji said as he slipped off Neji's shoes. "Let's just say they didn't let him off easy when they found out it was his birthday."
Ten-ten laughed and the girls soon encircled the men at the doorway. "Here, let me." Ten-ten took Sasukes place and scurried off with Neji to the bathroom; Shikamaru helping her along the way.
"Well the night sure ended short for you guys didn't it?" Temari said, taking a seat back on the couch.
"That's for sure." Chouji sat down beside Ino on the couch and scanned the treat filled tray on the coffee table before him.
"Hey, I'm gonna take Neji home." Ten-ten proclaims as she pokes her head out the corridor. Behind her Shikamaru supports a sluggish Neji. His long hair disheveled, he slicked back the hair in his face as he leans against the wall.
Placing her cup on the table Temari stands. "We'll help you guys home."
"Thanks, I appreciate it." Ten-ten said grabbing her coat and bag."Sorry for leaving so soon Hinata."
"Oh, no worries." Hinata takes Temari's coat off the back of her chair and hands it to the blonde.
"Well we'll head out too then." Ino slipped the handle of her hand bag onto her forearm, she watched Chouji as he reluctantly paused from inhaling a cookie.
Hinata led her guests to the front door and patted Neji on the back lovingly as he exited, she smiled at Ten-ten and waved goodbye. Ino and Chouji followed after—Ino giving Hinata's ever growing stomach and gentle rub before leaving.
"Thanks for everything." Temari walked through the threshold with a sweet smile.
"Ah, right. Hinata." Shikamaru leaned in closer to her and she naturally lent her ear mirroring his stance.
"Sasuke might seem alright…" The pony tailed shinobi looked back at the couch area at Sasuke. The Uchiha's head hung in his hands as he rubbed his temples. "…but he did have quite a bit to drink tonight."
Hinata looked at Sasuke throw his head back and rest it on the back cushion as he stared up into the ceiling.
"The guys we met earlier didn't go so easy on him either." Shikamaru chuckled apologetically before giving into the tugging at his sleeve from Temari.
"Sorry, he's probably spouting some nonsense; we'll leave you guys now." Temari said as she pulled Shikamaru away.
Hinata smiled awkwardly as she waved goodbye to the couple. Shutting the door she turned back around and observed Sasuke who was now staring back at her. True, whenever Sasuke met any of his subordinates on a night out they made sure to make use of their chance of getting the stoic Uchiha more than a little intoxicated.
"Water?" She said while walking to the corridor before hearing his answer. A thankful grunt exited his lips and he yet again rested his head in his hands.
Sasuke raised his heavy head when the clinking sound of ice cubes called out to him from his side. Gladly accepting the chill glass he drank it as though he had not had water for days. Gliding down his throat the water sloshed, the ice cubes clanking once again as the cup emptied. He let out a large satisfied growl as the edge of the glass left his lips. Fate paid him a cruel reminder again that he was aging. The tension in his shoulders was at an all time high after taking only a couple of the shots that were forced upon him at the bar. Placing his empty glass on the counter he felt the gentle graze of Hinata's hand on his thigh as she sat beside him. He shifted to his back and positioned his head to lie on her thighs, only for his supple human pillow to be preoccupied by a round belly. Grumpily he slid down. His head barely rested against the side of her thigh; his one leg hanging over the arm rest of the couch, the other lazily hanging off of it.
Hinata looked down at him, his eyes closed. She noticed the collar of his t-shirt. She could imagine a sloppy Neji desperately grasping it while in a drunken stupor, trying to gain some kind of balance, loosening the cotton fabric. Her fingers grazed his exposed skin—dancing against his collarbone—and he flinched at her touch in surprise. He let out a small mew of a hiss, while opening his eyes. He gazed up at her in despondence and took hold of her hand, placing it lower and the finally settling it on his chest.
With her free hand she parts his hair, exposing his forehead. She giggles and instinctively looks up to the ceiling as she tries to contain her laughter. Sasuke shakes his head, letting the dark locks of hair fall back into place. Clicking his tongue in annoyance he brings her hand on his chest up to his mouth and sinks his teeth into her index finger. Crying out Hinata's laughter disperses and she instinctively pulls away her hand. Pulling it back to his lips he licks the indentations his teeth left and kisses her finger gently.
"Sugary." The word glides off his tongue and flows into her ears like a playful melody.
"I had a cookie, or three." Hinata smiled as she looked down on him.
"More." He whined before the flat of his tongue smoothed over her finger.
"Okay that's enough." Hinata slipped her hand away and patted his cheek before slowly rising to her feet. "I will go and get you some more water."
Sasuke hummed sadly as she walked away and she cursed him internally. He was on a whole other level of intoxication she had never seen from him before. He was overflowing with a vulnerable cuteness and yet it also seemed like he could jump her bones in an instant; or anything on two legs for that matter. She returned to him with another glass of ice water. Still lying on the couch he smiled at her crookedly, releasing his rarely seen childlike features.
"Sasuke-kun?" Hinata placed the water on the table. "Sleep, rest a while."
"No, I can't sleep." His usual stoic voice came back but this time a little hoarser. His hand reaches out and clings onto her pinkie. "I'm hungry."
Hinata scoffs, afraid to ask the obvious. "What do you want to eat?"
A mischievous grin shines on Sasuke's face and he chuckles. Rolling her eyes Hinata lets out a sigh. Now he just seemed like a perverted teenager. Slipping out of his grasp again she sits on the couch opposite him and leers at him curiously before doing anything else.
"What is your name?"
Sasuke sluggishly shifts onto his bottom and faces her. His legs spread out in front of him as he leaned back into the cushion behind him. "Uchiha Sasuke."
"What is your favorite color?"
"Anything dark." A smile followed as he licked his drying lips.
"What did you have to drink today?" She watches him pause as the gears turn in his head.
"Three beers and a lot of shots." His eyes settle on a spot on the ceiling, zoning out.
"See any hot girls tonight?"
"None as hot as you."
"By the way are you single?" Hinata raised an eyebrow.
"Married."
Hinata taps her feet; "Happily?" she asks straightening her posture. He replies with a deep nod.
"What's your wife's name?" Hinata watches his face closely.
"Hinata." He smirks confidently as he sees her tense at her name.
"Is she pretty?"
Sasuke rests his elbow on the arm rest and places his head in his palm. "Gorgeous."
Hinata smiles, her cheeks turn red as apples. "Does she know you're drunk right now?"
"I think she has an idea." She observes as his blinks slowly lengthen while his heavy eyelids grow more tired. She continues rambling, asking him random questions. Hinata hums quietly as she watches him drift off into a deep sleep, his head bobbing to the side. Getting up she helps him lie down on his side and places a throw blanket over him. She had literally talked him to sleep. Thankful, she tidied up and went off to bed alone.
The next morning Sasuke groggily opened his eyes, only to discover an ache in his back as he looked up to the ceiling. Sprawled out on the couch in a graceless manner he sits up and palms the small of his back, cracking a vertebra in the process. Removing the blanket off his bottom half he stands and continues cracking his aching bones, twisting his upper body back and forth.
"Good morning Sasuke-dono." The gentle voice of the maid called out to him as she walked through the front door with a bag of groceries. Still immersed in his stretching he gave a tired nod of the head and made his way to the bedroom.
The door swung open and Hinata jerked up in surprise. "Morn…" Her eyes squint at the lingering odor alcohol encompassing Sasuke's very being. "Shower. Now."
She squirms away as the scent rises up her nostrils. Shaking her head places a hand over her mouth. Holding back a gag, she convulses and look at Sasuke with watery eyes. Not able to take it any longer she rushes towards the bathroom. Her senses were overwhelmingly sensitive, unlike the night before.
Sasuke's mouth opened in a silent exclamation as he watched her leave.
With her head hanging over to the toilet bowl, Hinata wipes her mouth with a wad of toilet paper. The flush of the toilet sounds as Sasuke walks past her. Wiping the corner of her mouth once more she shuts her eyes and concentrates for a moment before getting up. "Uwah." She exclaims as she shakes her head, surprising even herself at how fast her body reacted.
Defeated, Sasuke silently creeps into the shower quickly. "Good thing I didn't give you a good morning kiss." Sasuke jokes as he pokes his head out the shower. Hinata can't help but chuckle at his silly remark and throws a towel in his direction.
As she steps into the living area, the smell of alcohol penetrates her nose once again. Holding back a gag, she puts on a thin cardigan and walks outside to get some fresh air.
Inhaling deeply she crosses her arms at the light breeze sweeping through the veranda. The day was exceptionally warm. The peak of the summer heat was arriving as if it was introducing the beginning of August and she dreadfully thought of how uncomfortable that would make her. Walking on the engawa she rounds the corner and walks towards the heavenly smell of the ripe plums dangling from the tree in the back courtyard.
Resting her back on a pillar she scans the empty courtyard and a flood of images run through her mind like an old movie. Her imagination went wild, picturing young Sasuke playing around the yard with foe shuriken, training if you will. He never did tell her much about his childhood, the happy memories anyway. The rails of the back sliding door sounded, and Sasuke appears. His hair damp and sticking to his skin, she could tell by looking at him he had rushed his shower. The fabric of his shirt wet from him not properly drying himself. His hands gently cup her cheeks and he kisses her gently. "Sorry."
The taste of mint invades her senses and she smiles on his lips. Her hands ruffle through his damp hair and she coaxes his mouth open with her tongue, slipping away at the last moment. Looking at her with wide eyes Sasuke scoffs at her bold act. "Am I forgiven?"
Nodding her head, Hinata turns her attention back to the courtyard. "Soon all this will be littered with toys."
"It also won't be as quiet anymore." Sasuke sits on the engawa, his legs hanging off of it. Looking at the yellow plums he hops off the engawa. With bare feet he walks in the courtyard and examines the fruit before picking some off. The leaves rustle above him, some falling into his hair causing him to shake his head foolishly underneath the looming tree.
Tossing a plum in the air playfully Sasuke walks towards her with several in his other hand. "I have come bearing fruit."
"I too have come bearing fruit." Hinata says cheekily as she rubs her stomach causing Sasuke to click his tongue at her cheesy remark. Making his way back up the engawa, Hinata opens the back sliding door and the two enter the home.
"I'll be heading out for a mission tomorrow." Sasuke says abruptly as the couple walk through the threshold of the kitchen.
"Tomorrow? For how long?" Hinata takes a bowl out of the cupboard.
"It'll take about two weeks."
"Two weeks?" She stuttered in surprise.
"Naruto promised me one last mission leading an ANBU squad before the baby comes. I will be taking a break after the birth, remember?" Sasuke says carefully as he places the plums into the sink. Turning on the water he looks over at her. "It's not too urgent of a mission so you don't have to worry."
"Not too urgent?" Hinata scoffs. She places a hand on her hip angrily. "I have aided several ANBU missions and all of them were urgent. That's why the ANBU exists. They take care of the dangerous and not to mention the dirty work."
"You clearly understand that when you were marrying me you were marrying a squad leader. Not to mention one of the running factors as to why I married you was because you know how this works, you yourself are a kunoichi of this village." Sasuke raises the tone of his voice while stating the somewhat obvious.
"One of the factors? So if I wasn't a kunoichi what? I didn't know you had a detailed list of what kind of woman you wanted to be with." Hinata couldn't help but snap back at hearing his remark.
"List? Please, everyone has a list." Sasuke gives his head a shake at her fairy tale thinking.
"Really, because I don't."
Shutting the tap off with a quick flick of his wrist Sasuke clenches his eyes shut and inhales deeply as he feels a storm brewing. With a restrained voice his replies. "I'm leaving in the morning; do you really want to argue about something as trivial as this before I go?"
"Yes. I made it very clear I didn't want you out on such missions."
Sasuke watched Hinata rolls her eyes frustratedly. "You made it clear? When?" His brows furrow in and he raises an eyebrow at her when something finally clicks inside his mind. "Did you tell Naruto to hold me back?"
"Not exactly." Hinata avoided eye contact. "He was planning on doing so anyways. You have a child on the way. Do you really think I could sleep at night knowing you might not come back?"
"Hinata, you are my world; but before you there was my life as a full-time shinobi." Sasuke walked away and paced the kitchen. "My life is being a shinobi. I understand what you're saying; but do you not trust in my skill? I'm here now, I've come back every time."
"I've never said you weren't skilled, but that's now who knows what could happen later." Hinata places a hand on the counter top. "I just wish you could see how hard it is for me."
"What, once the baby comes you want me to do mediocre surveillance mission's day in and day out?" Sasuke shouts as he slicks back his hair angrily."I've been living that! During your entire pregnancy I've been doing these dull missions, do you know how helpless I feel? But still, I do it because I understand. I do it because I want to be nearer to you during this time."
Hinata jolts and her breath trembles. "At least you'd have more memories with your child. Don't you understand where I'm coming from?"
Sasuke places a hand on the counter top and hangs his head. "Not once have I asked you to change. I'm going to continue my work of leading the ANBU, protecting this village, you and our child."
Inhaling deeply he raises his head to look at her. "You'll be staying with your Hiashi while I'm away. A carriage is coming tomorrow to pick you up in the afternoon." He walks past her with heavy steps and she turns to watch his distant back, tears well up in her eyes as he stops on the spot. "It was decided the day of the baby shower. You'll be staying there until I return from my mission."
She watched him leave. The slamming of the weapons room door down the corridor jolted her. She took a deep breath inward, her tense shoulders slouched and her tears began to fall as the adrenaline of their argument flooded every fiber of her being.