Episode 7

Hinata looked different. Sasuke noticed her come back from work, and he had noticed something that morning, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

"You put your hair up." Sasuke realized.

He wasn't expecting the guarded look he got.

"Do you not like it? I can take it down." Her hands quickly flew to her bun and started taking pins out of it.

He waved his hands to make her stop. "I couldn't give a shit how you style your hair. I just don't think I have ever seen it up."

Hinata blushed, looking down, putting the few pins she had taken out down on the table.

It did raise a question. "What would it matter if I didn't like it? It's your hair."

"...Naruto liked it down. I thought it was more proper to have it up for events, but he always insisted it be down." She mumbled, going back to taking some of the pins out, strands fell from their place, but when she was done, the bun was still there, just less neat. "But I've been getting hormonal hot flashes in the office..." She added an excuse like she needed to have one.

"He had a lot of opinions. He liked to make rules, it seems." Sasuke couldn't picture Naruto as this controlling husband, and sometimes he wondered if he didn't realize he was doing it or if he didn't realize it was hurting her constantly getting his way. He was leaning toward the latter. The Naruto he had grown up with was a brat. He wanted his way and would go out of his way to get it. He wanted a friend he pestered until they saw something to be friends with or tried to strangle him. Sasuke wondered if that same manipulation had extended to his marriage. Well, he didn't need to wonder. It was clear. The question was whether or not it was intentional.

"You look nice with your hair up. You see more of your face." He added. She was cute. There never was a question if or not. She was pretty. Though like most other girls, he had found her irritating in high school, mainly to her following him around, that went away when he had realized she wasn't following him. After that, she was just odd to him but by far the least annoying female he knew.

"Thank you." She blushed, tucking one of the strands behind her ear

Yeah, she was cute.

———

"Why do you start at episode 4." She wondered.

"They were made first, so the genuine order to things. Do you not know anything about Star Wars?" He asked.

"No, why." He grinned, the first person in decades to not have Darth Vader spoiled.

"It's great you're in for a treat."

———

Sasuke heard noises in the kitchen and looked at the time. What was she doing up at 3 am? He rubbed his eyes and sat up, making his way for the kitchen.

What was she eating?

Hinata stood at the counter in her PJs, eating a bowl of what looked like ice cream and little canned sausages?

"...Why?" He asked, rubbing his face.

"Cravings." She mumbled. "Sorry, did I wake you?"

"You craved that?" He made a face.

"It tastes amazing." She sighed.

"I'm going to be sick now." Sasuke looked away and fake gagged.

She giggled.

———

"Sasuke." Sasuke blinked as Hinata called his name from the other room. "Sasuke!" She called louder.

He got up and looked around. Was that coming from the bathroom? Was she still in there? He knocked on the door. "You need something?"

"I need help." Here voice sounded barreled.

He knew she had been taking a bath, so he was hesitant to invade that space. He opened the door cautiously. She was in the tub with a towel splayed over her front.

"I can't get up. I think I sprained my wrist." Hinata groaned. She looked like she was in pain but looked collected enough that he didn't even realize she was calling him for an emergency. He headed to the edge of the tub. It was empty, and she was shivering, and he noticed blood running down toward the drain.

"You're bleeding." He told her.

Hinata bit her lip. She was in more pain than she was letting on.

"It's the back of my head." She shivered. "I fell and hit it hard. I think I blacked out for a few minutes." She was taking deep breaths, slowly keeping calmer than he felt. "I need you to set me up."

Sasuke nodded hesitantly, trying to find how to move her without hurting her. "Put your arm behind my shoulders." She told him. He did as she said and pulled her forward. She pulled her knees to her chest, holding the towel over her chest with her injured arm.

Hinata reached back, pulling her hair away from the spot she was bleeding. There was a clear split in the skin. "Grab me that towel." She commanded.

Sasuke snapped back and grabbed the towel off the sink, and held it out to her. She pressed it to the spot.

"That looks like it needs stitches." He pointed out.

She nodded, clenching her teeth. "Do you think you can lift me out?"

"Yeah, move your legs out." She did, and he put his arm under her legs and around her back. She was cold. He wondered how long she had been unconscious. How long would it have taken him to notice?

He carried her to the kitchen and set her down. She was naked, cold, and only covered by a towel down her front. She leaned her head forward, trying to keep the bleeding from getting worse.

He grabbed the blanket from the couch and pulled it over her shoulders, and tucked it around her front. "I'll grab your clothes, and we'll head to the hospital."

She hummed her response, focusing on her head.

He rushed into her room and opened the first couple of drawers. He grabbed her first pair of underwear he saw, a bra, and a huge t-shirt she wore to bed that had a hole big enough to slip over the towel, and a pair of pants. He brought them back and noticed she was shivering more. He peeled the blanket off of her and held out the clothes. "I'll hold your head. You get dressed."

Sasuke placed his hand over hers, and she removed hers. Her face was red, he knew, but this was no time for modesty. He looked down at her back to avert his eyes and noticed bruises that littered it along with new and dried blood. "How long do you think you were out."

"I don't know. I woke up cold." Hinata mumbled, scooting off the table to put on her underwear and pants. He averted his eyes completely.

"How long was your bath?" He asked, looking at the time.

"Twenty minutes a half hour, maybe." She sighed, trying to put on the bra. "I can't clasp it." He looked down, and she had her bra tight to her chest with the two clasps hanging uselessly at her sides. "My wrist."

"I got it. Switch me." Her good hand took over, and he reached down to pull the straps together. It was tight on her. Maybe he got an old bra, or didn't women's breasts get bigger when they were pregnant? It took him a few tries. "You know I am much better at getting these off."

Hinata let out a small amused sigh, but it was laden with pain.

"There, I'll pull the shirt over your head, and we'll switch hands." He rolled up the shirt so he could place it over her hand, and he put his hand on the towel so it could fall to her neck. The shirt was so big she had no trouble getting her wrist through.

Sasuke wrapped the blanket back around her, put her flat on her feet, and lifted her.

"I can walk." She protested.

"I'm not risking it. Blood will rush to your head."