At the crack of dawn Sasuke stirs.
Muscles sore and tense from sleeping on the hard ground, he stretches his neck; turning first to the right. When he twists to the left he notices the absence of his sleeping companion. The area next to him is cold to the touch - an indicator that Hinata has been gone for quite some time.
After last night's transgressions, her disappearance isn't surprising, yet the confirmation of it still weighs heavily on him. Confirmation that their coupling wasn't a lust-fueled dream or fantasy. While her departure avoids the uncomfortable truth, it's only a matter of time before they confront what occurred. It's best to get over with it, so that they can focus on completing this self-appointed mission.
He works on packing up their belongings. After the area is cleared and bears no traces of human occupancy, he debates on whether he should make his way to the village, or attempt to locate the mousey housewife.
It would be easier to continue on the mission alone. Yet, he can't dislodge the niggling thought that she may be in danger and it's partly his fault.
With his Sharingan, it isn't long until he locates Hinata at the base of a large tree a few feet away from a nearby creek.
He kneels beside her sleeping form and brushes aside the long strands of hair obscuring her face. A faint bluish hue tinges her translucent complexion. Her shallow breathing releases puffs of warmth into cold morning air. He inspects the rest of her form and his brows furrow at the sight of bare, swollen feet.
"Hyuga." Sasuke calls in an attempt to wake the sleeping woman. With no response observed, he calls her name again and gently shakes her shoulder.
To his relief, her eyes slowly flutter open. There are shadows under her eyes, and her usually milky white eyes are now speckled with expanded blood vessels. This starkly contrasts with his own peaceful rest after he was awoken from the nightmare.
Hinata's first reaction is to recoil at his touch; she visibly flinches. She tries to put distance between them, but is thwarted by a large tree root.
"Tch," Sasukes gives her what she is seeking by standing and taking a few steps backwards. He pulls the blanket out of the backpack, letting it fall beside her.
"Put it on," he commands.
With wrinkled fingers trembling from the frigid temperature, she does as is told and wraps it around her shivering body.
"We need to get to the village," Entering the village risks revealing their presence to Hiroomi Hyuga and his group, as well as blowing their mission. Right now, however, seeking immediate refuge for Hinata outweighs that concern. Leaving her exposed to the harsh elements could potentially lead to greater complications.
Hinata braces one hand on the rough tree trunk in a weak attempt to pull herself into a standing position. She wavers for a bit when she's on solid footing, then moves a step forward. Her face contorts in a painful grimace and her knees buckle. She keeps herself from falling by bracing her body against the tree.
"Just give me a moment," Hinata requests through clenched teeth.
Sasuke steps forward in her direction. Their gaze meets, with her apprehension as clear as the blue sky they are under.
While he would never admit it, her mousey, innocent demeanor had grown on him to the point where it went from being irritating and frustrating to occasionally endearing. Today, however, inspires a new reaction - confusion and a desire to defend himself.
Details of the nightmare he was awoken from are fragmented - which he is grateful for as there is only one person who haunts his dreams. He has grown tired of reliving Itachi's portrayal of the monster he spent most of his formative adolescence trying to vanquish. This part of the night remains blurry, but not the fragments where Hinata willingly welcomed him into her body.
Yet, here she is reacting the way a victim would. He had not taken advantage of her. If his memories serve him correctly, she was the one who initiated things.
The thought that the act may have been nonconsensual breeds dissonance.
His consciousness was hazy, leaving the slim possibility that he misconstrued her physical gestures of comfort as sexual advances. Yet there are nagging reminders that contradicts this - such as the enticing drag of her fingernail against his lip and the collaborative disrobing of their attire.
All in all, it was a fucked up decision. But if anything, he is the victim as he was the one barely awake.
This preposterous notion of this idea is immediately dismissed as Sasuke refuses to shift the blame and shame away from himself. He refuses to succumb to cowardice.
Sasuke forces his mind to focus on the present, allowing his attention to focus on the dire situation at hand.
"You can't walk," Sasuke states the obvious.
"Just give me a moment," Hinata pleads through teeth still grounded together.
"You likely have frostbite." Sasuke reasons. He steps into her personal space. "We need to get to the village quickly."
Hinata flinches, and places her palm in the air in a halting motion. She shakes her head, "The mission, we can't risk-"
Sasuke wonders which god she prays to, for she is blessed to be the recipient of patience.
Channeling the patience that her god has bestowed upon with, Sasuke explains, "The mission can wait. If you're lucky and we're fast, we can still save your toes."
"It's not that bad." Hinata protests, even though the grimace on her face refutes this.
Patience waning, Sasuke takes a step forward, "You can add this to my list of crimes against you."
Hinata's eyes dart to him in incomprehension, not fear. While her guard is lowered, he takes the opportunity to scoop her in his arms. She doesn't try to push him away as he expects, she yields. In his sprint to the village, as the dried branches whip past them, she whispers, "I'm sorry for being a burden."
Sasuke doesn't know how to process this apology, but he speaks his truth, "You're not a burden."
Upon entering the village, Sasuke senses Yuki's chakra in the middle of the village, from his past visits he knows this is where the majority of inns are nestled.
At this early period of the morning, inns, shops and stalls have not yet opened and the streets are mostly unoccupied. Still, Sasuke doesn't chance exposing their identity, he pulls the hood of his cloak low and ensures his Rinnegan is hidden behind his dark bangs. Hinata follows his lead, tucking her head into his chest to obscure her distinct eyes.
Once Sasuke has pinpointed Yuki's exact location, he moves toward a smaller inn two doors down. The location should give him the freedom to survey the area without detection as well as receive a clear line of communication from Yuki.
Sasuke's third, loud knock on the wooden door of a one-story inn is answered by an older, pudgy man in glasses. His gaze first goes to the bundle in Sasuke's arms, then moves upwards to be enraptured by Sasuke's swirling tomoe. Being mindful of conserving chakra, Sasuke casts a light genjutsu to further hide Hinata's Hyuga features. Pale eyes are replaced with non-descript brown irises.
"We need shelter," Sasuke doesn't waste time on pleasantries. "My wife and I were caught in the cold. I need to get her inside."
The innkeeper takes a moment to process Sasuke's words, mind clouded with sleep and being caught in Sasuke's control.
"Please come in," He opens the door wider. Once Sasuke and Hinata are in the warmth of the inn, the door is shut, preventing the cold air from entering this haven.
"My wife is still asleep, but I'll wake her up and she can assist. She was once a midwife" The innkeeper explains.
The less they interacted with others, the less energy and chakra would be needed to maintain their disguises.
"Don't. We just need a room and a basin with warm water." The inn was simple, and Sasuke believed it fair to assume that the rooms didn't offer private baths or an ofuro attached to it.
Nodding his head and moving quickly behind the counter, the innkeeper hands over a key and points toward the end of the hallway, "Room five is yours. I'll bring the warm water to your room, but there is a small tub in the bathhouse that she can use to warm up quickly."
"I wouldn't want to intrude or interrupt your guests." It was early in the morning, but Sasuke didn't want to foolishly assume privacy in shared lodging.
"We only have one other guest. A travelling merchant who is still asleep. There is a lock on the door to ensure our occupant's privacy."
Sasuke couldn't anticipate a better outcome. He nods and follows the innkeeper to the other end of the establishment.
Sasuke flips the light switch to reveal a small room with white floor tiles and one wall painted of a sunny beach against the backdrop of Mount Fuji. Against the wall, at the bottom of the elaborate painting is a wooden tub just under two feet in height. This is where Sasuke gently places Hinata.
With his hand free, he lifts the bamboo style faucet to fill the tub with warm water. He then walks back toward the door where he slips the sliding lock into place.
Hinata has not moved an inch since he placed her on the edge of the tub, she remains hunched over as if still exposed to the elements.
Sasuke quickly notices that Hinata's fingers and toes now appear even more swollen, likely a response of her body to the warmth of the inn.
"I can't feel my fingers or toes," Hinata says through shaky breaths. "Is this normal?"
They were both Shinobi trained in survival in the wilderness and unforgiving elements, yet the personal experience of adversity sometimes repressed recollection of instrumental learnings from the classroom.
"It is," Sasuke placates, even knowing that the numbness could be an indicator of nerve damage. "I can leave so you can soak in the tub." Sasuke dips a finger in the water, "It isn't hot. Just warm enough to restore blood flow."
Hinata nods her head in understanding, as shaky fingers work on shedding her clothing. Her moves are uncoordinated and she doesn't reach far in her pursuit. She sighs defeatedly.
Sasuke instinctively moves to assist, but quickly retracts his outstretched hand as he doesn't know if he is once again misreading her signals. He waits for a verbal or more pronounced cue.
Tired, weary eyes seek his. Apologetically, she asks, "I'm so sorry, Sasuke. I can't-" she gestures towards her mission gear, and sighs again, "can you please help me?"
Sasuke approaches her, kneeling to untie the brown obi secured around her waist. He places it at the bottom of the tub. It takes a bit of fiddling with the zip's slider until he is able to glide it to the bottom of her lilac tunic. Hinata doesn't try to cover her bare breasts when he removes the tunic and bra covering her chest. Likely too weary to conceal her modesty.
Given Hinata's predicament and the need to remain respectful, he tries his best to avoid lingering on her body.
Sasuke places his fingers on the band of her leggings, "Can you raise up a little?"
She nods her head, then clasps both hands on his shoulders and uses it for support as Sasuke slips the stretchy black fabric off her legs.
When her bare bum fits the cool wood, Hinata flinches.
Sasuke determines it's time to get her into the tub for both of their sakes. He removes his cloak and bunches up the sleeve of his arm, then swings her feet over the ledge into the warm water.
"Is the temperature okay?"
"I can barely feel anything," Hinata responds.
"It should be fine, it's not very hot. I can help you in." Gently he lowers her into the tub.
It doesn't take long until she is wincing in pain and scrunching her eyes shut, "It really hurts."
"I think that's a good sign. It's probably the blood returning to the area."
"It hurts like fu- hell," Hinata moans.
He chuckles at her near use of an expletive. "I'll visit the pharmacy for some pain meds."
"After. Please don't leave. I don't think I can get back to the room on my own." Hinata requests in a barely audible, weary tone.
"I'm here," Sasuke reassures.
Within the span of thirty minutes, her once bluish coloured toes turn to an angry shade of red, and Hinata complains of an increase in pain. All good signs of healing in Sasuke's opinion and experience.
Sasuke wraps her in a thick, white robe and carries her into their rented room.
Tucked under the warm blanket. Sasuke seeks out the medicine he promised. He returns a few minutes later with a cup of warm tea and two white capsules he received from the innkeeper's wife.
Sasuke waits until Hinata is fast asleep under the warmth of the thick blankets, until he resumes their mission.