He forced his eyes open “Hinata?!...Where is Hinata?!” he lifted his body. It quivered the more it rose up, his eyes were completely out of focus ‘Where
Am I? Is this a garden that I have been lying in…smells like flowers’ he saw different colours that were in a bundles surrounding him, as though he were in a garden. ‘but then why is the ground so cold?’ the his feet connected with the solid cold floor. The weight of his fragile body surprised his legs and his knees began to bend forward; permitting gravity the privilege of pulling his body toward the floor.
“Oh my Sasuke-sama you must take it easy, you’ve only just woken up” he found himself in the hands of someone his mind did not recognise.
The person who had caught him slowly lifted his body and placed him on the softness he had risen from
“Just tell me where Hinata is” his throat released his words letting them escape from it, but they were distorted.
Clarity returned to his eyes and he saw the person who caught him from falling.
The person lifted the corners of their lips, smiling at Sasuke “Hinata-sama has been here ever since she brought you here that morning.”
Sasuke’s body involuntarily lifted “When was this? Where is she? ...Nurse tell me…” his hands shook her shoulders.
She withdrew his hands off her shoulders and sat him down “She brought you in about a week and three days ago and she hasn’t left your side. She’s been waiting for you to wake up.”
He let his head move around the room letting his eyes analyse the bundles of colour he saw earlier “But where is she now?” he asked looking at all the flowers, they spread the room with fragrance and brought colour into a pale room.
“She went home to change, but she’ll be back soon. These flowers are all from her” the nurse lifted the blanket indicating to Sasuke that he should get in.
“When did she leave? How long will she be?” Sasuke asked unwillingly commanding his body to slip under the covers.
“She left…” the nurse’s words were halted as another nurse called her out to help; and so she left Sasuke
‘S-she’s been here the whole time? For the whole week a-and three days?’ Sasuke sat up in bed looking down at his hands, losing himself in the motion of his fingers

“So you awake now? That’s good…Maybe now Hinata will smile a bit more” a voice wondered into the room and made its way through Sasuke’s ears, luring him out of thought
“Shino have you seen Hinata?” Sasuke asked not letting his eyes move from his hands
“No, I thought maybe I would find her here…did you just wake up?” Shino lowered his body onto a nearby chair
The motion Sasuke’s fingers made stopped and his head lifted as his met the flowers. They were bright Ajisai flowers reminding him of Hinata’s hair, “Yes, I just woke up now.”
Shino’s glasses reflected the view of the clouds as he turned his head to the window “So what happened exactly during the battle?” Shino asked
“Didn’t Hinata tell you?” Sasuke asked looking away from Shino
“No, she doesn’t want to. By the time we got to the two of you, you were on the ground and Hinata was wrapping bandages round your wound” Shino told Sasuke.
Sasuke eyes moved back to his hands “When I got to her, she looked like she was in trouble but in fact she had it all under control”
Shino continued to gaze at the clouds as they veered in the direction the wind pushed them.
Sasuke continued “She thought she had defeated him but he was just a Kage Bushin. There were many of them…”  
Shino’s attention sharpened the second Sasuke stopped “I hear a ‘but’ coming”
Sasuke stared at his hands recalling the battle “But…there were times where she saw the attack coming yet chose to stand still…”
“As if wanting to get attacked” Shino finished Sasuke’s sentence
Sasuke dropped his head “Every time I saved her, she became more and more infuriated…I was just an obstacle that got in the way of her longingness to die.”
“Since the aftermath she has become even mute than ever and only speaks when she is spoken to” Shino told Sasuke, commanding his index finger push his glasses back to their original position, indicating the seriousness of the conversation.
Sasuke curled his fingers inward taking the form a fist “So she is still holding on…”
“Uchiha Sasuke. Back in my genin years he was feared by everyone. Not because he was the last survivor of his clan or that he inherited the power of Sharingan but…because of he used his intelligence and his power as one to win in all his battles, in style…I wonder what happened to him, cause the one I saw in during our mission was not the same genius I had known…he has become weak, he would have easily won such a battle, but he didn’t…what has caused him to become so weak” Shino questioned    
Sasuke let what Shino had intentionally asked him slide into the one ear and out the other.
“What I can’t understand is that during the mission she made all effort to keep her eyes off of mine…why?”
“You obviously reminded her of that night” Shino removing his eyes from Sasuke’s and once again outside
“Damn it Shino!” Shino lifted his head at Sasuke’s sudden change of tone in his voice, Sasuke continued “All I keep hearing from you is ‘that night’ or ‘that incident’…damn it, just tell me what happened to her to make her so inhuman and why I sparked the re-awakening of that other side of her”
Shino’s eyebrows lowered under the lens of his shades creating lines of frustration a top of the bridge of his nose his “I really hate repeating myself. When the time is right she might tell you”
Sasuke leaned back letting his back rest on the pillow and bent his elbows behind his ears and his hands supported the back of his head “humph! Like that’s going to happen”
Shino threw his arm forward then raised it toward his making his sleeve slide backward up his left arm to glance at his watch “We have all tried but it seems impossible. She just isn’t the Hinata we knew before. Naruto managed to calm her down but the fire within her still remains and him being married to Sakura doesn’t help the situation at all. If that fire can’t be put out it will burn her and Hinata will be…gone…lost in pain of the smoke” he paused to look at Sasuke “but for now she is back to the way she was before the wedding”
Sasuke opened his eyes in reaction to Shino’s words “So she is human again?”
Shino nodded “Yes…whatever you did…it helped” he dunked his hands in the pockets of his pants and slowly walked to the door.
“You leaving? Sasuke asked
Shino stopped underneath the arch of the door “Yes, I told my wife I’d only be here for ten minutes and it has been forty-five minutes. I’d better return home” he turned his head one more time to look at Sasuke “good luck” Shino walked out Sasuke’s room ‘Please bring my friend back Sasuke’
“Huh? For what?...Oi Shino!” Sasuke shouted for Shino but he ignored him and continued to walk down the hallway away from Sasuke’s room.


Sasuke rested his body on the pillow again ‘Fire? How big is this fire?...Is it the same fire as mine or is it bigger?’ he began slowly closing his eyes, but footsteps in the hallway caused him to open them again ‘Is that Hinata?’
An explosion of unfamiliar pain coursed through his weak body ‘Tck! It hurts so much…what hit me?’ he gritted his teeth questioning the reason for the pain numbing his senses. His hand slowly lifted the gown he had on, his hands then ran up his abdomen ‘stitches?’ he felt the threads that held his skin together
The pattering of footsteps in his ears distracted him from the pain but not as strong. He waited for the footsteps to slow down ‘these footsteps denote authority. Humph, I was much like that when I stayed at Orochimaru. At the sound of my footsteps the people in those prisons pushed up against the dark corners of the cells and the ones in the halls looked down in panic and they too pushed their backs to the walls…they were so afraid of me and my power. But that was then and this is now…and that Sasuke… died… the second he came back to Konoha.’ The footsteps became louder as they came closer to Sasuke’s room

Three people sauntered into the room, the one with authority in their steps spoke first “So It is true. The sake thief is awake”
Sasuke turned his head toward the direction of the voice “What do you want baaba (old hag)?”
Two other voices spoke in unison “Hi Sasuke” they smiled and waved at him
Sasuke closed his eyes in disappointment “Hi”
“How you feeling?” a blonde female with a long pony tail asked
“I’m alive, have any of you seen Hinata?” he asked the three visitors
They all shook their heads.
“Its like a garden in here…my Sasuke, you must feel like you’re in a paradise with all these flowers here?” the male voice asked letting his nostrils open to take in the sweet fragrance of the flowers surrounding the room, ‘the fire within her’ Sasuke slipped into thought while staring at the bright Ajisai flowers; totally ignoring Sai’s comment about the room.
“Sai is talking to you Sasuke!...I thought that wound would perhaps change your attitude but it appears not…you’re still just plain heartless” the blonde began to attack Sasuke
Sasuke kept his eyes on the flowers “Tell me something I don’t know… or did you come here to mock me?”
“No, it’s not like that” a third voice spoke trying to avoid an argument
“Well this is what you don’t know.” She paused and closed her eyes “Hinata hardly ever left your side, then again you didn’t let her leave” the blonde crossed her arms making them rest on her breasts.
Sasuke finally turned his gaze toward the blonde, responding to what she had said “What do you mean I never let her leave?”
The blonde lifted her right hand pointing her index finger “Well first of all you didn’t want to let go of her when she brought you here, she had to tell you that you were in my capable hands first; then only did you let go of her. Secondly, during surgery you didn’t stop calling for her, over and over; and third of all, even after the surgery you kept on… asking her not to leave you.”
Sasuke’s head turned a full 180 degrees way from the blonde to hide the blush that had scratched its way to the surface of his cheeks “I don’t know what you are talking about”
She smirked as she realised a blush had caused him to turn his face away “When I walked past your room and she wasn’t here all I heard was ‘Hinata…Hinata’, its was actually sweet”
The one Sasuke had called babaa picked up Sasuke’s chart at the end of the bed “As I recall she slept here every night.” She flipped over the page
After hearing Tsunade say that Hinata slept there, Sasuke looked at the chair next to his bed; a purple blanket placed on the chair had been neatly folded ‘She slept here too?’ Sasuke thought, his eyes not leaving the blanket.

“H-h-hi Ino, S-sai-kun, and Tsu-tsunade-sama” a soft stuttery voice spoke.
This sweet familiar voice caught Sasuke’s attention ‘the pain…Its g-gone’ the pain in his abdomen left him.
“More flowers? This room is full enough already” Ino comment on the bouquet of flowers that sweet person had in their hand.
Sai smiled pocking his nose in the direction of the flowers “They’re really nice.”
The sweet person answered “T-thank you they a-are fresh from y-your family’s shop, Ino”
Tsunade lowered the chart just underneath her eyes in order to see the person who had brought more flowers “At least now you catch up on your sleep, young lady”
“Guess who’s awake?” Ino smiled pulling the flower bearer into the room

“Umm…h-hi Sasuke-kun, how a-a-are you feeling?” the flower bearer walked to Sasuke’s bedside, keeping their eyes to the ground
‘T-the pain…it’s gone but how?’ Sasuke’s again questioned the disappearance of that horrid pain; he turned his head, watching the one bearing flowers approach his bedside “I-I am fine Hinata…how are you?...are you okay? Were you hurt?”
She smiled with a small but visible blush on her face “I-I am just g-g-glad that you a-a-are finally a-a-awake”
Both Sasuke and Hinata looked at each other, until Hinata finally lifted the bouquet of flowers from her hand “I-I brought more f-f-flowers for you room”
Sasuke took them touching Hinata’s hand “Thank you. They are nice like you” Sasuke hit his mouth after realising what he just said. Then they both pulled away from each other’s grip after realising that they were holding hands were still clinging together. Hinata sat down on the chair next to him.
Ino crossed her arms “Wow Hinata, you’re the only one whom he treats so kindly”

  
Sasuke with a blush still evident on his cheek asked Tsunade “So can I go home now?”
Tsunade shook her head “No. If you were to be discharged you’d need someone to take care of you until you have fully recovered and also to keep you away from sake. However we’d rather you stayed here just in case”
Sasuke squinted his eyes and lowered his eyebrows “I don’t like this place, it makes me feel uneasy”
Tsunade threw the chart board on the floor inn anger “You ungrateful specimen! Hinata goes out of her way to make you feel at home here and you are just throwing it back in her face.” Tsunade scolded Sasuke
“No it’s not like that, I‘d just fell better if I was at home. And besides no-one likes hospitals” Sasuke explained turning his face in guilt, away from Hinata’s face
Tsunade lifted her chin “Too bad this is going to be your home for the next three weeks and in this way I know you will stay away from my sake”
“What?! Are you out of your mind? I have already wasted enough time here” Sasuke protested; he then flinched from the pain that had found its way back into his body. “Itai (ouch)…oh man”
“Sasuke-kun?!” Hinata rose up from her seat to try and tend to Sasuke’s pain
Tsunade coiled her fingers indicating her anger toward Sasuke’s stubbornness “Looked at you…you’re still in pain and you want to go home?...to be alone?…” Tsunade brought her face closer analysing the real answer that sat comfortably in his eyes “Of course not”
“I-I will look after Sasuke-kun” Hinata relaxed, dropping her arms to her side, tilting her face forward commanding her hair to cover her eyes “H-h-he can stay with me, I-I-I promise he won’t do a-anything he is not s-supposed to”
“You’ve already done enough for me Hinata. Its okay I will to stay here” Sasuke replied glancing at the flowers laying on his lap ‘I don’t deserve it’
Ino nodded her head “I agree with Sasuke, Hinata it’s just too much for you…you’ll burn out soon”
Sai and Tsunade nodded in agreement.
Hinata face remained unseen “B-b-but I…I w-want S-S-Sasuke to… stay with me.”
Sasuke gazed at her in shock.
“Fine then, Sasuke, you are to stay with Hinata in her apartment” Tsunade told Sasuke.
Sasuke kept his eyes on the flowers ‘she wants me to stay with her? She wants to look after me?’
Ino added “Okay then but if you need help please Hinata, just ask”
Hinata nodded “Sai-kun, I-I If you could fetch s-s-some of Sasuke’s cloths, please”
“Oh and Sasuke you have to live off soup for the next three weeks, at least until your stomach manages to repair itself” Tsunade informed Sasuke
“I hate soup” Sasuke complained lifting his eyes from the flowers to the ceiling
Tsunade crossed her arms over her chest “Would you rather stay here and be fed hospital soup?”
Sasuke kept quiet.
Ino narrowed her eyes at Sasuke “Now you listen here Sasuke! Hinata makes great food, so stop complaining”
Hinata let out a small sweet giggle and brought her small gentle hand to her mouth “I-I promise it’s not anything b-bad”
Sasuke rubbed the back of his head “I was just teasing the old lady here; she really does a short temper doesn’t she?”
“What was that?” Tsunade asked
“Nothing Tsunade-sama” Sasuke said the second her saw her step closer to his bed side
Sai, Ino and Hinata laughed.
Tsunade broke the moment of bliss that had been created “Hinata! Step outside with me; I need to show how to suppress the seal of heaven on Sasuke’s neck just in case the cursed seal acts up involuntarily”
Hinata nodded “Yes Tsunade-sama”
Tsunade left the room and Hinata followed her.
‘That’s right, I remember now, she saw the cursed seal…if she asks, how am I going to explain it to her?’ Sasuke dropped his head remembering Hinata’s face when the cursed seal acted up during the battle.  
Sai and Ino left to Sasuke’s place to fetch some clothes like Hinata had asked for while the nurses helped Sasuke get dressed in the clothes Hinata had bought for him.

Later that afternoon Hinata wheeled Sasuke out of the hospital to her apartment.
‘She changed so suddenly…Is this how it happened last time?’ Sasuke wondered ‘Will she go back again?...I have to be careful around her’