I don't own Naruto.

Bump on the Head

Hinata walked into the hospital looking somewhat at ease as Sasuke bounced along at her side. She rubbed at her eyes as she walked, tired from another sleepless night. She really wished she hadn't mentioned lowering the sedative to Sasuke before checking with Tsunade first. From the time he had woken up the day before until now, he'd been begging her to take him to the hospital. After ten minutes of searching and asking around, she finally found Tsunade resting on a bench. She looked worse than Hinata did.

"Hokage-sama…?" Hinata asked tenatively. She didn't respond at first, but then her eyes opened and rolled around until they settled on the young Hyuuga. The younger woman blushed slightly and shifted under the other woman's annoyed gaze.

"Um, I was wondering...eh…if we could…lower...the ah, sedative in Sasuke's monitor?" She asked awkwardly, her face turning scarlet at the bemused expression on Tsunade's face. Hinata played with her fingers, eyes averted as she waited for the answer.

"Hinata…when I first asked you to look over him, you begged me to give him to someone else. And now you ask about lowering the prescribed dose of sedative?" She asked incredulously. Hinata really didn't want to stand there and give her the whole story, so she summed it up in two sentences.

"He's asleep all the time." She mumbled. "I don't think it's healthy."

"It's not!" Sasuke chipped in. Tsunade glared at him like a mad dog, to which he puffed up like an angry cat. The two glared at each other.

"Just lower it, that's all." Hinata said quietly.

"Fine." Tsunade said, shaking her head with obvious impatience. She stood up and grabbed Sasuke's arm, hauling him off. The young woman was left standing in the hallway, blinking furiously.

(Sunday 4:44 PM, Hinata Hyuuga's Residence)

Hinata was worried she would regret her decision, but it turned out to be a very good idea. Rather than passing out for hours at a time, Sasuke simply became so exhausted that he had to lay down a while until he had the energy to move around again, and he was much more helpful that way. Usually, when she left for work, he'd pass out on the couch after a futile attempt at persuading her to stay home but when she got back some time later, he had the house spick and span. He even had her meal cooked and her bed made. She was shocked by his culinary prowess.

She stopped turning him away when he wanted in bed with her. She was actually enjoying it a little bit more every night. The weather got a bit cooler by the day, and Sasuke radiated heat like a furnace. Although she was beginning to notice Sasuke getting quite restless. Hinata wasn't totally innocent like most people would like to think, and she knew that the lack of sex killing him; even if they'd never actually been intimate aside from his delusions, unless you count the millions of thwarted attempts.

Hinata was not a virgin, but had never had a problem with abstinence. She didn't feel the need to have sex after six months without. She could wait for someone. Knowing about it was one thing, but understanding Sasuke's predicament was different. She knew that sexual abstinence was very different for a man than it was for a woman. She watched passively as the stress mounted higher.

He was never angry or aggressive or violent, not at all like she would have expected. But she noticed a change in behavior nonetheless. He was very suggestive, and very whiney. But there was really only one worry that Hinata had. Sasuke would undoubtedly be awake and running around while she was at work.

(Sunday 9:00 PM, Hinata Hyuuga's Residence)

Sasuke lay on the couch, drowsy but not asleep as he waited for his wife to get home. Before she left, while he was sagging limply across her bed, she had a talk with him about staying in the house while she was gone. He looked around for something to do. The house was clean, and he had a while yet to wait before she got home. It took a little under an hour until he was able to get up, then went looking for something to do. He found a few sheets of paper and a pen, so he drew six pictures of Hinata before he went in search of something else. He found a chest in Hinata's closet, and as luck had it, it wasn't locked. He thought about leaving it alone, but what was so private it was worth hiding from your husband?

When Sasuke opened it he nearly choked to death on the dust. A bunch of old blankets were on top, dark blue and white like most of Hinata's blankets. Spares for when guests came over, he assumed. He pulled them out and dug around some more. Underneath were books and scrolls, thick and thin, newer and older. He pulled them out by the armful and began to sort through them. The majority were books on form and technique, some on weapons. He also found a book on flowers and plants, one on bugs and another on dogs. He even found a book of fairytales.

And for some reason, among the selection was a book called "Itchi Itchi Paradise". It looked like it'd never even been opened once.

(Monday 1:14 AM, Hinata's Hyuuga's Residence)

Sasuke was on his knees, his nose shoved in the story book. He was on the fourth story, over two hundred pages in, and not even a quarter through the book. He only just happened to look up and notice the time. He jumped to his feet, struggling to clean up his mess as he hastily crammed the books back inside the chest and mashed the blankets on top. He took the other five books he planned on reading and sat them on Hinata's bedside table, then darted into the kitchen to start cooking.

Hinata got in ten minutes later, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and leaning heavily on the wall as she kicked off her shoes. She walked into the kitchen and glanced at Sasuke, who was scrambling to fix her something to eat.

"You didn't have to do that." She muttered. He glanced back at her and smiled sweetly. Hinata just shook her head and sat down at the table, resting her chin on her arms and shutting her eyes. Just as she started to doze, there was a clink on the table and the smell of food. She opened her eyes and felt Sasuke kneel behind her. Before she started eating, Sasuke turned her head and pressed a kiss to the side of her face and then over her mouth. He was soft and warm and comfortable. She fell asleep with their faces mashed together.

(Monday 1:54 PM, Hinata's Hyuuga's Residence)

After he had carried Hinata to her bed, undressed her (much to his pleasure), tucked her in and ate the meal that she hadn't touched, he read. He was almost halfway through after reading sixteen more stories. Hinata woke up completely naked, Sasuke cuddled at her side with her old story book resting on his face. She raised her eyebrows and picked it up, then glanced over at her bedside table, looking over the other books he'd dug up and laid out to read.

Sasuke's breathing was even and peaceful, his arms crossed over his chest. Hinata stood up and went to her closet, taking a change of clothes with her and going to the bathroom to get a shower.

(Monday 1:57 PM, Tsunade's Office)

Tsunade's face was stuck in a massive book, her snores echoing throughout the room. The door opened and Shizune came through, slamming the door a bit harder than necessary. The Hokage's bloodshot eyes opened a crack, so irritable she was on the verge of baring her teeth and growling.

"So what do you think? Did you consider it?" the young woman asked hopefully. Tsunade thought about tearing her apprentice's face off and gnawing on it. She woke her up to ask about Sasuke? It couldn't have fucking waited?

"I considered it." She snarled. "I'm leaving it up to Hinata."

"What? If you leave it up to Hinata, we both know what'll happen! He'll just get up, and walk out once we repair his memory! Kami knows how many people he'll kill trying to get out for a second time!" Tsunade just shook her head.

"Hinata is the one caring for him so I'm leaving it up to her. That's my final answer. Now go." She finished flatly.

"But Tsunade-sama—"

"Go!" she repeated.