Years of his life were gone, and he couldn't even miss them. He was too busy trying to figure out how in the hell he married Hinata Hyuga. Well, she wouldn't be Hyuga anymore, would she? That was why she was sealed.

Did she get sealed to marry him? Why would he have let her do that?

How did this even start?

And why did she return the following day with food if her husband didn't even know her?

Hinata opened her containers and set them out in front of him. Sasuke couldn't blame his head hurting anymore. He just didn't understand. Why was she still caring for a man who didn't know her? If she was smart, she would take the opportunity to leave him behind.

Why did she care at all after all he had done? It was years ago for her, and in his head, he could feel the distance, but he couldn't shake the regrets of his life. Had he let that go? Did he forgive himself? He couldn't believe that.

Hinata sat down and folded her hands in her lap. "I promise you'll like it."

Sasuke focused on what was actually in front of him instead of just staring at it. He didn't recognize it. He didn't recognize the smell. If he told her, would she leave? Would it break her hope?

Why did he want to force himself to be alone so badly now that he knew he wasn't?

He had a few memories from when they were kids and a few more from when he returned to Konoha. She had her own version of stubbornness. She didn't stop trying, even if she should, even when she was beyond the point of embarrassing herself. Was that something he liked about her? He had to have liked something.

Was it her cooking?

Sasuke picked up his chopstick and started eating to get the questions to stop, but the first bite made him wince as his head seared with pain again.

Hinata's jaw set as her lips twisted, trying not to show how upset she really was. She gave up, slapped her chopsticks down, and got up from the dining room table.

"Hinata…" Sasuke called, too quiet to actually stop her. He looked down at his food. He felt like shit. She was excited he was home, and he ruined it. He should have told her they would talk about it later. He should have just…

Why did she put up with him?

Hinata's hand on his shoulder grounded him as the flash disappeared. "Are you okay?"

"We argued while eating this," Sasuke repeated what he saw.

Hinata pressed her lips together as she thought. "Oh. I remember that fight." Her eyes faulted downward. Was he that bad of a husband? "I…" He felt like an ass in the memory. Was that what he was like as a husband, an asshole that couldn't talk out issues with his wife? "I'm sorry. I don't know how you will see this now." She admitted. "We were arguing about you taking on more and more extreme missions. I worried that you were being self-destructive, and I was worried you wouldn't come home if you kept throwing yourself into situations like that. You have a tendency to say things that you don't mean, and I don't even remember what you said." Something awful enough she didn't want to remember. "But what you aren't remembering what happened after."

Hinata laid in bed staring at the wall. Maybe she shouldn't have said anything. Sasuke could take care of himself. She just worried that a moment would happen when his nihilism would win over his self-preservation.

She wanted him to come home. Maybe she was being stupid. She was nin too. She knew the risks. She just… she wanted him to come home and kept getting the sinking feeling he wouldn't.

The door squeaked faintly as Sasuke opened it. He climbed onto their bed and wrapped his arm over her, burying his face into the back of her shoulder. "I'm sorry." He sighed into her sweater. "I'll scale it back."

"Don't… just do it because…" Hinata whispered to keep her voice from cracking.

"No. You're right." Sasuke pressed his face in further. "I'm not used to the idea of having someone to miss me when I am gone."

Hinata turned her head to him. She knew he always had someone who would miss him, but most of his relationships were strained. She wasn't going to argue with him about that now. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten so upset."

"No. It's…" Sasuke sighed, giving up arguing about it. "It's over now." He kissed her shoulder. Hinata closed her eyes as his arm tightened around her ribs.

Sasuke forced another bite in his mouth, though he didn't feel like eating now.

Could he trust any of the memories that came back to him? He could feel what he was feeling in the moment that he remembered, but he couldn't remember the context, so what if the conclusions he drew were wildly off base?

And could he trust her perception of the situation?

He could have lied to her then, couldn't he?

Maybe his memories would all flood back tomorrow, and he wouldn't have to worry about it.

Hinata collected the things she brought to the hospital for him. She couldn't avoid the question anymore.

The oddest things were triggering his memories, and the pain that was coming with them was visible. They kept telling him not to force it, to just let it flow when it came. Despite that, she could see he was struggling to remember more every time he came out of it, clinging on like a dream that he wanted to go back to.

Hinata zipped up the bag and stood at the foot of the bed to ask the question she had dreaded since he woke up. "Would you like to come home with me, or do you want me to find you somewhere other accommodation?"

Sasuke stared at her for a moment longer than she would have liked. If it were her husband, it would have been an easy answer, but this was Sasuke before all they had been though, and… she understood his hesitation.

Hinata lowered her eyes and bit down her lip as she waited for the answer that would break her heart.

Sasuke groaned and held his head. Another memory. What was he remembering this time?

Hinata looked away and bit down on her lip.

Sasuke could read all the pain in her eyes as she waited for him to do what she was used to: leave her, abandon her.

He hated that face. He hoped she would know better one day, and he would never see it again.

An uncomfortable pit formed in his stomach as Hinata's lips parted to ask him if he was okay. "I want to go home with you." He answered before she could ask.

Sasuke wanted to know what this was. He wanted to know how they got so close and what it did to him because these memories didn't feel like the whole story. Why was he only seeing her misery? He didn't want to think that he was so ready to go home to her looking at his wedding ring if she was miserable with him. How did they get here? He wanted to know what he was missing.

Hinata's lips twisted into a sad smile as she tried to hide the wave of emotion that hit her. She wasn't very good at it. Did she usually try to hide it from him, or was it because of the situation? She sniffed and whipped her face quickly. "I'll go get the paperwork." Her voice cracked.

Sasuke watched her go, and the pit grew. What would have happened if he told her he didn't want to go home with her? Would it have been another disappointment from him? Would she be used to it?

His heart rate shot up, and the heart monitor wouldn't let him ignore it. He hated this feeling. He put his hand on his chest and twisted his fit in his shirt.

Would the memories make this go away, or would it just keep getting worse?

Hinata came back with a brighter smile as she collected her bag. "They are going to run a few more tests before they discharge you. I'm going to go home and make sure I have everything we need for a few days, and then I'll come back, and we can go home together." She took a deep breath, and he could see the hope in her eyes that this was going to get better.

Sasuke nodded. He wanted to say something more reassuring, but he didn't know what he would say when he wasn't sure himself.

Hinata fidgeted before she came around the side of the bed and leaned over to lay her lips on the top of his head. "I'm glad you're coming home."

Sasuke twisted his hand into a fist in the sheet as she disappeared back out the door.