Gaara curled around his wife on the couch of their hotel room. Hinata was completely fine after meeting with the Uchiha avenger and even had a pleasant conversation with him. He was still unsure about bringing Suna into this battle for the man.
Hinata repositioned her head on his shoulder, reading her book.
Gaara laid his lips on her neck, wanting her full attention. He got it. "Gaara…" Hinata let her red face and glassy eyes turn up to him, closing her book.
Gaara didn't answer. He paid more attention to the soft points in her neck, possessively positioning her closer to him.
Hinata giggled as she moved her legs to be more comfortably set in his lap.
Gaara felt particularly possessive of his wife while they were in her home village. Though there was no real risk of her not coming back with him, he still had the smallest flicker of what might not have been. Hinata could have lost her temper with his rudeness and not offered to further their interaction. She could have never told him about her situation, he could have decided not to care, and she could have turned him down.
Gaara trailed up her neck, making her breath heavy before joining their lips. He could feel her smile as she tangled her fingers in his mess of hair. She curled her legs around him, making sure he couldn't separate them without force. There was no risk of that.
How would his time have been different? The prospects weren't appealing. There was so much of his life that now revolved around this small woman in his lap.
Shukaku was calmer. He thought twice before causing chaos and didn't give him as many violent thoughts or outbursts. His siblings trusted him more. His council was more malleable. His sleeping and eating were more normal than it had ever been in his life.
What would have happened without her?
These thoughts only added more reasons to make her giggle or lose breath.
"What has gotten into you." Hinata giggled, separating their lips, moving back to look at him.
Hinata was right. Gaara didn't usually become so affectionately aggressive. She started any intimacy, and it was usually short despite how much he wished to continue, but that was entirely his fault. "I need you," Gaara needed all of her now. Even this dumb summon would be almost physically painful with the amount of stress he would take on if she was not there.
Hinata's lip twitched to a frown. "Gaara, you don't need me."
Gaara felt his entire being taken a violently possessive turn, his grip tightened on her, and the eyes became searing. Her eyes became wider with an understanding of his sudden surge of anger. "I do."
"I think you would do fine without me," Hinata whispered. "You may not want to believe that, but …"
"Then I want you," Gaara demanded angrily. "Always."
Hinata licked her swollen lips and laid her head down on his neck. "Then, I need you too."
Gaara's hands slipped from her hips to her thighs, gently releasing the tight grip.
Hinata shivered as he revisited his assault on her neck.
Hanabi snorted. "Is that a love bite?" Hinata instinctively covered the part of her neck and turned red. That wasn't good. Not at all. "Don't look so scared." Hanabi giggled. "I'll lend you a compact to cover it up."
"No, it's not that." Hinata pulled her scarf closer to her neck. She had to make sure he didn't see it. It would hurt him if he knew he left a bruise, even if she didn't mind it more than the embarrassment. Gaara wouldn't understand that it was okay, and he would think that he had hurt her.
"You okay? You look scared. It is just a love bite, right?" Hanabi was a lot more concerned now.
"Yes, it is, sorry." Hinata didn't want people to think it was a real bruise, either.
"Then what the matter," Hanabi tilted her head. "It looks like it was fun."
Hinata gave her a scolding look. "It's just that Gaara doesn't like seeing bruises on me. Could you heal it? I don't want him to see it."
Hanabi activated her eyes and leaned over her. "You know, most men are proud of their work." This was not the conversation she wanted to have with her younger sister, no matter how old she was.
"He doesn't think of them that way," Hinata whispered honestly.
"He does think he is nothing more than the monster, doesn't he? Even now." Hanabi sat back, deactivating her eyes, leaving no spots behind.
No amount of convincing was going to tell him otherwise.
Hinata held out the package to Shikamaru with a smile.
"Really?" Shikamaru took it, flipping it over, barely examining it. "Troublesome woman."
Their relationship brought warmth to her heart. They bickered and fought, but they cared and acted like it was a terrible inconvenience that they did. It was truly one of the sweetest things she had ever seen.
"She's not expecting something back, is she?" Shikamaru asked, annoyed with the etiquette of gift-giving.
"She didn't mention." Hinata knew she would be traveling back with something, even if it was a quick note. They were so cute.
Gaara was ready to throw his only friend out of the room. He was sick of this entire trip. He didn't want to see any more damn village representatives or hear the opinions of a man he didn't even know. His wife sat silently beside him. Hinata had taken his hand under the table and rubbed her thumb in patterns over it. It was distracting enough to keep him from having any outbursts.
"Miss Hyuga." One of the village representatives addressed her. "What is the Hyuga's take on this."
Hinata perked. Neither of them expected her to be there for more than note-taking or keeping him from ripping heads off.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm not sure. I'm not representing the Konoha Hyuga and haven't spoken to them about it." Hinata didn't correct him on his misuse of her title, but then again, she had nothing to correct it to. Mrs. Hyuga? Mrs. Hinata? Addressing a woman by her marital status was not something they did in Suna, so she was not sure.
Tsunade waved her hand. "Hinata is here for the Suna government and represents the wills of their council." Though Hinata had sent back about it, she hadn't gotten anything back on their view, but that was essentially correct.
"Oh?" The representative frowned, not understanding. "My apologies."
Hinata shook her head, indicating there was no need. Though others seemed interested now as well. She was, short-lived, the center of attention before Tsunade pulled everyone back to the topic.
After the meetings, she asked to see Sasuke again if he didn't mind. This time, Gaara wanted to join her and was more than a little confused by her insisting on purchasing another bento.
"Your back?" Sasuke took the bag she offered.
"Same reason." Hinata took a seat in front of his cell. Gaara sat beside her. "My husband, Gaara."
"I know," Sasuke opened the bento, this time taking a bite as soon as he opened it. Hopefully, they were feeding him adequately.
"I disliked my involvement." Gaara voiced.
"I didn't ask you to be involved. If you want someone to blame, blame the idiot who called you here." Sasuke countered into his food.
Hinata was relieved to see Gaara hadn't taken offense to the comment. "He wants to see you free."
"He does what he wants," Sasuke grumbled.
An agreement of understanding passed between the two men solidified her idea that the two were similar. "Would you like anything for the next time?"
"You're going to come back?" Sasuke quirked an eyebrow.
"We will be staying an extra few days for a wedding we were invited to," Hinata explained. Though it wasn't an actual reason for her coming back. She just couldn't stand the thought that he sat in there all day, and his only interaction was for people to glare at him. There was Naruto, but she knew that even though she was sure he was entirely bothered, he did great on his nerves at any rate.
"Make me one of your bentos," Hinata remembered a day of her heartbreaking, as she had not dared to offer Naruto the bento she made him. Instead, she offered it to Sasuke when he commented on her tears of defeat.
Hinata's heart clenched as she realized that Sasuke probably hadn't had a real home-cooked meal in ages. He had been in the cell for however long, and on top of that, was rouge for years. He once made a point to say he was no good at cooking, and it wasn't a skill he needed. Back then, when was the last real meal that wasn't take-out with no one at home to make it for him?
Hinata pressed her lips together and nodded. Gaara had no clue why she was upset. Sasuke just turned away with no thank you.
"You're cooking for him?" Neji asked as Hinata fluttered around the Hyuga kitchens. There was no kitchen in the hotel room they were provided with, so she asked to borrow a few hours. Her sister couldn't be happier.
"He's in a cell. What they serve him can't be exactly good for you," Hanabi gave a half-hearted defense. She was just happy to have her brother-in-law and sister in the compound.
"He requested her cooking," Gaara didn't at all seem interested in what they were talking about. He was watching her cook. He never got to, so he was soaking it up while he could. Hinata was flattered.
"He what? When was this?" Neji outburst. "Why were you anywhere near him!?"
"Calm down. He is on trial for his life and freedom. A meal is the least I can do. He's done nothing to me." Hinata tried.
"Is this considered favoritism from Suna?" Hanabi shifted her head in her arms.
"Suna has already agreed to support Naruto's efforts, if only in not standing against him. I don't think it can be misconstrued as anything other than lending a hand in peace." Hinata hoped she was right. The last thing any of them needed now was accusations.
"You're okay with this?" Neji growled at Gaara, having nowhere else to turn with both women against him.
"I do not see how my opinion on her gift should matter," Gaara answered.
"I don't think Gaara is the jealous enough type." Hanabi smiled at him, though Gaara still looked confused as to why he would have an issue.
Neji huffed, sitting down with his anger as Hinata set a bowl in front of him. "I made enough for everyone." Hinata smiled as he thanked her and started eating.