Sacrifices

Epilogue

Two years after they get married, Hinata has a daughter.

She has black hair, and aqua eyes, and the solemn, wide-eyed countenance of both her parents. She doesn’t bemuse Gaara, she terrifies him, and the Kazekage goes around in a constant state of almost-panic, like he has for the entire time Hinata was pregnant. They have a brief, extremely mild contest of demurral over her name, before Temari comes up with the bright idea of drawing suggestions from both villages from Gaara’s hat. A surprising number of papers are not thrown away, but Shikamaru deals with Temari sulking for weeks when her niece is named without Gaara even bothering to glance at the papers or his hat.

Hinata enjoys this all immensely, and suspects from the tilt of her husband’s eyes that he does as well.

.0.

One day after a long meeting with the heads of various clans, who spend the whole time hinting unsubtly that the outsider would not understand, he stops her in the hall on the way to a formal dinner and asks her calmly, with concern, “You…were uncomfortable. Is it so bad?”

Hinata almost says, it’s our duty, like- like their marriage, she knows, like the way she must handle the household, and their daughter, and… loving him… like a good wife…

“No, it isn’t,” not so bad, not just a sacrifice she’s making, “Not at all.”

His brow creases, “If you are sure…”

“Yes,” in a breath across his face, a peck of uncharacteristic affection on his cheek, “I’m sure.”

He brushes a hand over her cheek, uncertain, soft. “Very well.”

They are announced into the formal dining room as the lord and lady of the Sand, and by the side Temari and Kankurou are (not) quietly fighting with Hanabi for their niece, and with her husband’s hand supporting her slightly with his hand on her obi, it’s not so bad.

Not bad at all.

-end-