Happy New Year my lovelies! To kick off the new year, a new story! Okay so here's the thing, I'm totally going to continue my others, it's just when inspiration strikes...I run with it. This idea came to me one day and I wanted to write about it. SO now that I've said that, let me say this: This idea has been done before. *GASP* This idea has been done before with this pairing. *DOUBLE GASP* I'm sure that somewhere deep in the fanfiction lairs is some other story that may have the same idea in mind and have been put out here first. Awesome. Here's the thing, though the idea has been done before, the story is of my own creation. On that note...HAPPY DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters or any of the Narutoverse but the story they're in and the OC's that happen to come about, are mine.

Enjoy and happy reading.

Chapter 1

The morning was bright and beautiful; the sun had come out to warm the earth and rid it of the last bit of winter still hanging on to it. Her hair swayed gently in the breeze as she sat, completely at ease, leaning into her husband's embrace. The book she had been reading was placed beside her, having turned her undivided attention to the scene in front of her. Two small girls, no more than seven, with porcelain skin and hair as black as night, giggled and ran through the yard. It was expansive grounds, but through hard work and a bit of patience, she'd turned it into nothing short of their own, personal Eden.

The laughter rang through the air and she smiled to herself, watching the girls chase butterflies. She leaned more into her husband's hold, sighing contently, knowing that her life was richly blessed. She turned her face to the sun to warm herself.

And then the sun faded into gray and eventual black. Her husband and children had faded along with it. The scene turned dark.

Confusion swarm 'round her mind furiously, trying to make sense of what was happening.

She panicked.

What was going on? Where had they…

Who? Who were those people?

Her mind was blank and she remembered nothing of the picture that had flooded her mind mere moments before.

Her body felt heavy. Too heavy for liking and she attempted to move her limbs-no luck. Slowly and a bit numbly, she managed to move fingers. Then her hand. She began to feel her own weight again. Her eyelids were stubborn, but they, too, opened to her will. There was a ringing in her ears. She thought she could hear people talking and scurrying about but she couldn't focus her hearing. Slowly, she began to sit up and when she did so, felt herself instantly regretting that decision.

I feel nauseous. What….happened?

Her eyes stung with the bright white of the hospital and it was only making her head throb more. She had little time to wonder why she'd been admitted because in moments, what seemed like hundreds of people came storming into her room. Now she was even more confused than she had been because these people-people she knew-looked so different.

"I must be dreaming all of this," she said, a croak to her voice, "because I know you, but I don't know you?"

Her visitors looked toward one another, faces etched with anxiety and worry.

"Do you know who you are?"

She eyed Tsunade warily.

"Of course I do, Hinata Hyuuga."

Immediate relief washed over most in attendance.

"Do you know how old you are?"

"Yes," she said pausing a moment, "I'm 20."

The worry was back and the anxiety in the room was nearly suffocating. What had happened now? Had she grown a second head?

"What was the last thing you remember?"

She thought for a moment and then a vivid memory came to her.

"I was food shopping for Father. I had wanted to surprise him for his birthday with a new tea cake recipe I'd found."

Silence. And faces of pity and sadness.

"Hinata," Tsunade hesitated, "that was over eight years ago."

Wait. What?

"No, I'm nearly positive it was just yesterday. I may be off by a few days since I've been seemingly sick enough to be hospitalized but that is what I had done last."

"Hinata, you are no longer 20 and you have been in and out of consciousness for the past 6 months."

No. No this couldn't be right.

"I-I don't th-think you're right, Tsunade-sama."

Damn she hadn't stuttered in ages.

Some habit die hard, she supposed.

"Hina," Sakura stepped forward, "you're now 28, nearing your birthday. Take a good look around, we're all far from 20."

She did as was instructed.

Faces she knew. Faces she loved. Even faces she didn't expect. Sakura had aged. Not as well, perhaps, as her mentor but well nonetheless. Her hair was past her shoulders where it had only passed her ears. Her face had acquired more wrinkles than she remembered and, dare she say, there was a tiny bit of silver tucked behind her ear? Her stomach was not as toned as it had once been and she saw the tell-tale signs of pregnancy and delivery there. As she looked around, she found more of the same among her friends.

"Twenty...eight."

Sakura nodded.

Hinata began fidgeting with her fingers as had been her comfort as a girl. It was only then had she realized two things: she was married and Naruto was not in attendance.

I'm not his wife. But I'm someone's wife…

She stared at her left hand where a well worn and loved band rested on her finger. She began to feel the heat rise to her cheeks.

"Ah, that's the other thing," Tsunade offered but didn't have an opportunity to finish. Very surely, and very confidently, a man stepped to the forefront. A man she'd never really spoken to as a child nor very often as a young adult. Why was he...unless…

"Perhaps we should leave them now," Sakura instructed and the few visitors followed. She shut the door behind her leaving Hinata and Sasuke Uchiha in silence.

She glanced at his hand and noted the similar band around his own finger.

"You're my husband?"

He raised an eyebrow.

"You seem more confident than I had expected."

"I-I suppose so."

He smiled gently and went to her side. He took her hands in his and sat down. He was closer than any man had ever been. She felt the burn return to her face. Her instinct was to turn away from him, but his gentle voice and soft expression had persuaded her otherwise.

"There's no need to be embarrassed. I can tell you whatever you want to know. I hold no secrets from you and, before your...accident, you held none from me."

That's right. She still didn't know why she was in here.

"What happened to me?"

His face grew dark; his anger surfacing.

"I-I'm s-ssorry. I didn't m-mean to-"

"No," he said sharply, then instantly softened, "don't do that. Don't apologize for something that was NOT your fault."

He rubbed her knuckles with his thumbs absentmindedly.

"But you said it was an accident? I had to have made some error…"

"You were in the garden, seeing to the orchards mostly. You wanted to check on the potential buds for next spring. You were high up in the tree, and since the g-you'd taken to using civilian methods for the last six years or so. It made you feel closer to your mother…"

He trailed off and gazed into a distant space that she couldn't see, but part of her-a large part of her-wanted to.

"...anyway," he continued, "the ladder collapsed. I'm still unsure how seeing as to you had just purchased it. Tsunade thinks the manufacturer made a bad product."

"What do you think?"

The question caught him off guard. He looked at her-really looked at her-searching her eyes and face for something, anything of the woman he married.

"I think we have a long road ahead of us."

He tensed and darkened once more.

"I can understand if you don't want to return to our home. I'm sure accommodations can be made with the Hyuuga...it would be difficult but manageable. I'll have to explain things to-"

She raised her hand to stop his speech. In doing so, she examined her rings once more. Simple. Practical. And completely beautiful. He knew her taste well.

"Uchiha-"

"Sasuke."

"Sasuke," she started softly, "I th-think it would be better for m-my recovery if I returned to our h-home."

His eyes softened and he clasped her hands once more.

"You don't have to do anything-"

"I kn-know."

Why had she chosen to return to his home? Their home? Was it the way he acted around her? The gentleness he showed her and how at ease her body felt on an instinctual level when in his company. Was it how, in the very little interaction they had, he bared his soul to her. It seemed that they used few words to define their love, in this life she didn't remember. DId she want to remember? Parts of her wanted to run to her home-the one she actually remembered-and hide in her blankets forever. The overwhelming parts of her did want to be this woman. This woman had a husband and a home. A husband who, under all intents and purposes, should not even be in the village. But here he is, sitting next to her, searching her face for any sign of insecurity. He wanted her to be comfortable and confident in her choice and to not feel the obligation to maintain her life with him.

She knew what she wanted.

"I want to go home Sasuke."

He smiled his soft smile and got off of the bed.

"I'll go tell Tsunade. Maybe I can demand enough and they'll let you go soon."

A knock on the door disrupted their conversation.

"How are you fairing Hinata?" Tsunade asked as she made her way into the room with a clipboard. She was alone. Sakura had not followed her.

Odd. Or...maybe not?

"She wants to come home Tsunade."

The woman looked up from the documents.

"Oh? And to which home is that?"

"The only home she has."

He practically growled.

"I see."

She returned once again to her paperwork. Studying the details and flipping through what seemed like countless pages.

"Tsunade."

Another growl.

"Calm down Uchiha. I'm reviewing her last set of labs and as long as she can maintain solid food for the next twenty-four hours, I don't see why she can't be discharged. However…"

"What."

"...she needs to gain weight. And she needs proper care before rehabilitation can even be considered. Are you equipped to provide her this?"

The woman looked at him with knowing eyes. He returned her stare, not with one of anger, but with one that also communicated much. What was she missing?

"Yes. I have prepared for her release."

"Very well," she sighed, "eat and keep it down for twenty-four hours and you're free to go. Not a moment sooner. Understood?"

"Hn."

"Yes ma'am."

"Good."

She took a last look at the pair before leaving. Tsunade shook her head and continued with her rounds for the day.

Sasuke too glanced to the woman on his arm. As she slowly made her way with him he remembered every reason why he was the luckiest man in the world. He knew he didn't deserve her and there were several people who told him so daily. His thoughts turned dark when he remembered why his wife was in this godforsaken hospital in the first place.

Someone tried to take his life away. Someone had tried to kill his wife.

Well?! What'd ya' think? Hopefully you enjoyed reading it as much (maybe more?!) as I did writing it. Like I said before, if you have read something along the same lines. That's awesome. I'm glad you're reading. Just remember that this story is something of my own mind and any other OCC's out there have their own spin on this idea as well. Different points of view and all that. Leave some love and I'll see ya' next time. :)