A/N: Kushina's birthday comes on 10July, but for the sake of this one-shot let us assume it is in April. (10 July also happens to be the date today – the day I am starting this one-shot. Lol.)

I could not imagine living without my husband.

Even though, as long as I had known him, I had only ever lived without him. All we ever had were twenty-one days each year. One hundred and sixty-two days of our marriage of eight years.

I could not wait to see him again. I could not wait for him to see his son for the first time.

When my father chose him for me, I did not fight. All I had wanted was to teach, and Naruto's mother had never had issue with a working daughter-in-law. Naruto, himself, couldn't bother less. After all, he was only home for three weeks a year and thus did not really think he had any right to speak on the matters of the house.

The only companion I had for the last eight years was his mother – who was a wonderful mother to me when I did not have one of my own. My mother died of childbirth, and my father raised me the best he could in our family estate. The other family members helped, but our family is not known for its affections.

Kushina, on the other hand, was known enormously for her affections. Her smothering motherly affections. When her son was drafted into the army, she went through a withdrawal of loneliness, and within three years coerced him to marry. I was the daughter she had always wanted, and I was also the missing piece of her heart after her only son left to fight in a war.

For five years, I taught mathematics in a nearby high school, took care of Kushina, while she took care of me, and waited every day for Naruto's weekly call on Saturdays. It was happy and comfortable and I was in love with my husband who would come home every year in April, six days before our anniversary, and leave two weeks after that.

Until three years ago.

Every time he came home, we fell straight into the cloud of happiness, bliss, and passion that had never quite faded over time. He came home that year, we celebrated Kushina's forty-eighth birthday three days later, and then our anniversary four days later.

It was almost three weeks of contentment and delight for us, except some short spells of jumpiness and agitation that Naruto often showed when left alone for too long. A disposition that I figured manifested in all the soldiers after prolonged wars.

If I had spent more than a mere three weeks with my husband every year, I would have noticed he was more jittery than he usually was. As it was, I refrained from asking questions and tried to be there for him as much as I could.

He dropped the bomb three days before he was supposed to leave.

We were lying on our bed, rumpled sheets barely covering us, when his arms tightened around me and he took a deep breath.

I should have known then, that something bad was happening, but I didn't.

"Hinata," his fingers combed through my hair as soft as his whisper. "I wanted to talk to you. No, I need to talk to you."

"Hm? What is it?"

"Well, I was… promoted. To Captain."

"Hm?" my eyes opened when it registered and pushed myself back to beam at him. "That is amazing, Naruto! Why didn't you tell us before, we should celebrate."

My smile dimmed at the sad, pained look in his eyes. "What is it, Naruto? Aren't you glad?"

He closed his eyes. "That is not all. I… my team, we are going to be stationed at the frontlines now."

"Oh." If there was some delight left in me by then, it was all gone.

I had never pried into his army life, half because there has always been an unspoken agreement not to bring the omnipresent war between us, and half because I was afraid of the answers he might tell me.

I knew his regiment was stationed a little farther from the frontlines – they were the back-up for the fighting regiments and their connection to rest of the military. They were the ones who transported weapons, ammunitions, food, new orders to the soldiers fighting at the frontlines. And sometimes went to help them fight, too.

And now he will be among the ones always fighting.

The news did something to me. Like crushed my heart into vapours. Like ripped the veil of ignorance off my eyes. This is what it means to be married to a soldier.

"I am sorry, Hinata." His fingers brushed my cheeks and I realised I was crying.

I quickly wiped my eyes, sniffled, and tried to sound more optimistic than I felt. I tried to smile. "It's fine. There is nothing to apologise for. You are such a great soldier, of course they promoted you. It is an honour, Naruto."

He still looked pained, and I finally, finally understood. "There is more, isn't there?"

"I –" His voice caught in his throat. He continued after a moment, "We are not- allowed to contact anyone while we are at the frontlines."

If I had thought 'nothing can be worse than this' before, then I would have been proven wrong right then.

"What," I whispered.

"I can't call you on Saturdays anymore, Hinata."

There was silence as I absorbed the news and slowly slid back into his arms. My vision blurred with tears until I couldn't see and I pressed my hands over my eyes to stop them from falling.

He held me until I fell asleep.

The next days, the last three days he was home, were full of passion, but without happiness, or bliss. I missed him even before he left, and I looked for ways to keep myself busy so I would not have to think about his impending departure.

The morning after he told me the news, he asked me not to tell his mother before he left. There were only so many heartbreaks he could take before he had to go and fight for his country. I resented him for that – for causing yet another fracture in his mother's heart and expecting me to mend it.

But he was already anguished enough, so I respected his wishes.

The day before he left, he took me to watch a movie, and we brought home Kushina's favourite food and a new kimono for her.

When he left, I told her he would not call again, and she cried in my arms for hours.

The year after that was the first time in all my marriage that I was afraid Naruto wouldn't come home. I waited in our bedroom the whole day and cried when the bell rang and I heard Kushina shout his name in relief.

The fear of him not returning home did not lessen last year, and I yelled at him for not calling us from the railway station's telephone. But of course, I knew why he never did. It was always too crowded, and our house was just half an hour away. It has always been easier to just come home than spend an hour in the telephone line.

Now once again, I waited for him to return home, prayed to god that he will return home. But this time with his baby whom he knew nothing about because he was not allowed to contact his family.

I looked at Kushina sitting on her wheelchair cradling my baby because I was too restless to make him sleep. Whatever wounds she had because of Naruto, it was clear they were all healed by his son. I had never in all my eight years with her seen her so radiant.

She got a lifeline in her grandson and I could not have been happier.

I looked at the clock. It was almost 4 o'clock now. Just one more hour.

I stopped biting my nails and walked all around the house, rearranging every cushion, every showpiece, then placing it back as it was. I prepared milk for my baby, then kept it in the fridge because he was finally asleep. I washed the couple of glasses and spoons in the sink, then went into the bathroom to was my face too. I tied my hair up into a bun, then untied them again because Naruto had always loved my hair.

The bell rang and my eyes went straight to the clock. 4:45 PM. I looked at Kushina. She smiled and gestured for me to get the door. It has been her for the last two years who opened the door for him. But now she stood up with her grandson, and went into my bedroom to lay him on the bed.

I wanted to tell her to use her wheelchair, but she never listens.

The bell rang again and I scurried to open the door.

And there he stood, with one large bag on the porch, the other on his back, hair buzzed, and eyes nervous, wearing his army fatigues. I stood in front of him, paralysed, until he whispered my name and gathered me into his arms so tightly there was no space left between us.

In the last three years, every time he came home, he was more haunted than the previous year. His hand on my waist was shaking this time. His face burrowed into my hair, I let him hide until he calmed down, and then I pulled back just enough to kiss him.

I had missed him so much.

He kissed me back, sweetly, like he had been waiting a whole year to do it. He pulled back and then kissed me again, and again, and again, all over my face, telling me he loved me after every kiss.

Then he finally pulled back, gently holding my face with both hands. "It is so good to see you again, Hinata. You look good."

He kissed me again. "Really. You are glowing. It is so good to see you. I missed you so much." And he kissed me again.

"I missed you too, Naruto."

Then I stepped back and stepped aside to make way for him to come in. He carried in his bags just far enough to dump them by the drawing room wall and went into the kitchen to drink half a litre of water.

"Where's Mom?"

Before I could answer, Kushina came out of my room and shut the door behind her. "Here, Naruto."

"Mom!" He dashed across the room and hugged her. He towered over her, but still looked like a child clinging to his mother. "I missed you, Mom."

Now that I was a mother myself, even if of just three months, I understood them even more.

Kushina patted his back. "I missed you too, baby."

He kissed her head then released her. "Why are you standing? Where is your wheelchair?"

Kushina rolled her eyes, "I am fine. I am not a cripple yet."

"No, you are not, but you still shouldn't be on your feet too much." He steered her to the sofa. "Here, sit."

I moved to get to the kitchen. "I will bring you something to eat."

"No, you won't." Kushina stood up from the sofa, and Naruto moved to hover his behind her, as if expecting her to fall. It was little things like these that reminded me how little he knew his own family.

"Hinata has something to tell you, Naruto," Kushina spoke to Naruto but looked at me with a raised eyebrow all the while.

"But he must be hungry from his long travel. Aren't you, Naruto?" I looked at him, trying to spell with my eyes that he should say 'oh, yes of course, wife, bring me food right now.'

But he was frowning in confusion. "Um, not really?"

"Great!" Kushina clapped her hands and turned to Naruto. "I am going to get some rest; I am feeling tired."

Then she leaned down to kiss him on his cheek and ruffled his short hair. "I will see you at the dinner."

Naruto smiled at her and watched her walk into her room, his eyes full of love, concern, and uncertainty. It pained him not to know everyday things about his mother, like how much she can walk per day without causing pain in her legs for days afterward, or if her feeling tired in early evening is cause for concern or not.

I went into the kitchen anyway. He followed me.

To look busy, I pulled out a glass, and the mango juice concentrate from the fridge. He leaned on the counter with his arm and watched me mix it with water and hand the glass to him. Immediately, I turned to the fruit basket and started chopping up two apples. If he eats it, good, or Kushina needs to eat more fruits anyway.

"What did you want to tell me?" he finally asked when I showed no indication of speaking first.

I stopped cutting the apples. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. When I still didn't speak, he stepped closer to me. "Hinata? Are you okay?"

"How long will you be stationed at the front lines?" I asked instead of answering him.

"What?"

"How long until you are allowed to call us?"

"I- I don't know, Hinata. Not before the war ends, I think." His eyes averted in shame and I tilted mine up to not let my tears fall.

Then I straightened and looked at him. "Come, there is someone id like you to meet."

He let me lead him into our bedroom. He stopped at the threshold, beside me.

There, on the centre of our bed, surrounded by pillows, was the most beautiful baby boy ever. His fingers curled into little fists on each side his blonde, fuzzy head, his mouth puckered in sound sleep.

Naruto let out a shaky breath, and then slowly entered the room. His steps all the way to the bed were tentative, uncertain. Then he sank into the bed, his mouth open in disbelief and his fingers hovering over his son before gently touching his hair, his cheeks.

He turned to me, still in wide disbelief, then gestured me to come closer. He turned back to look at his son again, his eyes filling with tears.

I stood in front of him and he looked up at me. "Boy?"

I nodded. My hands went to his hair and he buried his face in my stomach, quietly crying.

When he quieted, he looked up at me again, "He is mine?"

He didn't ask it because there was any doubt, he asked it because he still could not believe it. He was the father of a three-month old baby boy and it was going to take some time to settle. I nodded in confirmation.

"What's his name?"

I shook my head. "I was waiting for you."

He teared up again and gently kissed my stomach. "Thank you. Thank you so much, Hinata. I love you so much."

"I love you too, Naruto."

…

When we had dinner later, there was no limits to his happiness. When I was washing dishes, Naruto learned from Kushina how to change diapers as she showed him. When I nursed our baby later, Naruto watched us both with the softest look I had ever seen on him. And later when our baby was asleep, he made love to me sweeter than he had ever before.

It was the first time in all our years of marriage that we did not go out once. We spent all our time in the house with our baby and Kushina.

We named him Boruto.

And then our twenty-one days were over. Naruto left once again, and it was worse than ever before, but in some ways better because now I had Boruto.

And I hoped, as I watched the news of the escalating war, that this wasn't the last time I see my husband.