Chapter Text
It was a warm, sunny day in Konoha, and the village hummed with an unusual kind of excitement. Three days had passed since Naruto proposed to Sakura, but the news still spread from one conversation to the next like wildfire. By now, people across the Land of Fire had heard that two of the shinobi who helped save the world during the Fourth Shinobi World War would be getting married in just two months.
The villagers could not stop talking about it. Every street corner, market stall, and teahouse seemed filled with cheerful speculation about the wedding. Their heroes had finally found happiness, and everyone wanted to celebrate alongside them.
Hyuga Hinata was happy for her friends. She truly was. No one deserved this happiness more than Naruto and Sakura.
So why had she spent the past three nights crying herself to sleep?
She quietly pushed the thought away before it could settle in her mind. Today was a day of celebration, and she refused to let old regrets overshadow it. Squaring her shoulders, she made her way toward Konoha Hospital, where she worked part-time whenever she was not assigned to missions.
The war had changed many things about her. Watching countless lives hang in the balance had awakened a desire to heal instead of only fighting to protect others. After the war ended, she sought out Tsunade and asked to study under her as a medical ninja.
What started as a single request became years of demanding training. Tsunade said she saw great potential in her, so Hinata devoted herself completely to mastering medical ninjutsu, and by the end of it, she had earned a reputation as one of Konoha's finest healers. Her knowledge and skill stood alongside Sakura's, something few could claim.
Even so, she had never wanted to leave her life as a shinobi behind. Protecting people in the field remained just as important to her as treating them afterward. When the opportunity came to split her time between missions and hospital work, she accepted without a second thought. It allowed her to follow both paths that had come to define her.
Following her usual route through the village, Hinata carried a basket of homemade meals on her forearm. The familiar weight was comforting, and by the time she stepped through the hospital doors, a chorus of familiar voices from patients, nurses, and doctors greeted her.
"Good morning, Hinata-san!"
"You're here early today!"
"Did you bring lunch for your patients again?"
A soft blush warmed her cheeks as she smiled and greeted everyone in return. The kindness she received never failed to brighten her mornings, and hearing those familiar voices had quietly become one of her favorite parts of the day.
"Well, look who finally showed up." Ino smirked from across the hallway, carrying a bundle of fresh flowers for the patient rooms. "Miss Popular herself."
"I swear, this place is never this lively when Hina-chan isn't around," Sakura added with a dramatic sigh. "You've somehow become more popular than either of us ever were back at the Academy."
Hinata let out a soft laugh.
"That's not true. Besides, nobody can outshine the bride-to-be."
She nodded toward the sparkling ring on Sakura's finger.
Sakura's face instantly lit up.
"Thanks, Hina-chan! Speaking of which, I completely forgot to tell you both." She grabbed their arms excitedly. "I finally found my wedding dress!"
Ino groaned. "Which one? You showed us photos of enough dresses to fill an entire store."
"The one with the low back," Sakura said immediately. "The one with the gemstones sewn into the bodice."
"That one looked beautiful on you, Sakura-chan." Recognition flashed across Hinata's face.
"It really did," Ino admitted. "Probably the best one, I know someone who can make that dress for you!”
Sakura beamed before her smile turned into a pained grimace.
"It better look amazing on me. Do you know how much a wedding dress cost? I can't believe I'm getting married two months!”
Both Hinata and Ino burst into laughter as Sakura let out another long, suffering sigh
The day passed much as it usually did. Sakura spent most of her shift assisting Tsunade with surgeries, while Hinata made her rounds through the hospital, tending to her usual patients and helping wherever she was needed.
Yet no matter how busy she kept herself, her thoughts kept drifting back to the upcoming wedding.
As she walked down the hall towards her next patient, clipboard tucked against her chest, a familiar ache settled over her heart.
Naruto is getting married.
The realization still felt strange.
She should have been truly happy. She was happy. Sakura was one of her closest friends, and Naruto had been precious to her for as long as she could remember. Seeing them find happiness in each other should have filled her with nothing but joy.
So why did the thought leave a hollow feeling in her chest?
Perhaps she was simply emotional. Weddings had a way of making people sentimental, didn't they? Deciding not to dwell on it, Hinata pushed the thoughts aside and focused on her work. Distracted, she opened the door to her next patient's room without checking the chart.
The moment her eyes landed on the occupant, she nearly dropped her clipboard.
Uchiha Sasuke.
He sat upright on the hospital bed, wrapped in layers of bandages. Fresh cuts and fading bruises marked the exposed skin of his arms and face, evidence of whatever mission had landed him here.
For a brief moment, Hinata simply stared.
The infamous Uchiha Sasuke. One of the strongest shinobi in the world. A man whose name alone could unsettle entire nations, and somehow, today, he was her patient.
Hinata knew Sasuke through Naruto and Sakura, but their interactions had always been limited to brief greetings at gatherings or meetings. She had never truly spoken to him before. There had always been something intimidating about him. Not just his reputation, but the quiet intensity he carried wherever he went.
She knew exactly what he was capable of.
But as she looked at the battered man sitting in the hospital bed, she reminded herself of a simple fact.
Today, he wasn't a legendary shinobi, or a feared warrior. He was a patient, and she was his nurse.
Drawing in a steady breath, Hinata forced her nerves aside and stepped fully into the room.
"Good afternoon, Uchiha-san. I'll be your primary doctor starting today. It seems your previous doctor and nurse is unavailable." Hinata offered him a polite smile as she stopped beside his bed and glanced down at his chart.
Sasuke let out a quiet scoff.
"They’re not unavailable. I requested a different doctor and zero nurse." His deep voice carried a trace of irritation.
Hinata did not need to ask for details. Given Sasuke's reputation and appearance, she could make a reasonable guess. Some people had a habit of forgetting professional boundaries around him.
"Oh, I'm sorry your previous experience wasn't pleasant," she said. "I'll do my best to make sure you're comfortable while you recover." Her eyes moved down the chart.
"According to your chart, you have a fractured leg, a five-inch laceration on your arm, and a twelve-inch wound across your abdomen," Hinata said as she scanned the page one last time. "I'd like to examine the stitches on your arm and abdomen, then replace the dressings."
Sasuke stared at her with quiet suspicion.
He had lost count of how many doctors and nurses had said something similar over the past few days. Most had been professional enough, but there were always a few who seemed more interested in touching him than treating him. What should have been a routine examination often lingered a little too long, accompanied by flustered smiles or poorly disguised excuses to brush against him.
Experience had taught him to be wary whenever someone said they just needed to "check" his injuries.
He watched the Hyuga doctor across from him as she studied his chart with quiet concentration.
Hyuga Hinata.
He knew her only through scattered memories. Team meetings, village gatherings, and the occasional greeting exchanged in passing. Beyond that, they had never really spoken.
As Hinata set the clipboard aside and reached for a fresh roll of bandages, Sasuke found himself observing her more closely.
She had changed.
The timid girl he remembered from their Academy days was nowhere to be found. In her place stood a composed, confident woman who moved through the room with effortless professionalism. There was no trace of the nervous stammer he vaguely remembered, and every movement she made was calm, precise, and practiced.
Time had been kind to her. It was not simply her appearance that had matured. There was a quiet confidence about her, the kind that came from someone who knew exactly who they were and no longer questioned their place in the world.
For some reason, that caught his attention more than anything else.
As Hinata carefully removed the old bandages wrapped around his arm, Sasuke recalled overhearing conversations among injured shinobi after returning from missions. Even those nursing broken bones or deep cuts had sounded strangely eager to visit the hospital, joking that at least they would be treated by the beautiful nurses.
More often than not, the conversations eventually turned to a particular Hyuga doctor.
Some of the remarks had been crude enough that he had stopped listening.
At the time, Sasuke had dismissed it all as meaningless chatter.
Now, seeing her up close, he understood why she had become such a frequent topic of conversation.
"Your stitches look good and your leg is not as swollen as the previous report," Hinata said after examining the wound. "No signs of infection."
"That's good." He said plainly. So far, the Hyuga hasn’t attempted any inappropriate contact towards him unlike his previous nurses and doctors.
"How has your day been so far, Uchiha-san?" she asked casually.
"Terrible." The answer came so quickly that Hinata almost laughed as she changed the dressing on his abdomen. Sasuke crossed his arms and leaned back against the pillows.
"I want to get out of here already. The hospital food is awful, and they keep serving honeydew." The slight scowl on his face made it clear that his dislike for the fruit ran surprisingly deep.
This time, Hinata couldn't hold back her laughter. It was soft and genuine, filling the room for only a moment before she composed herself. To Sasuke's surprise, the sound eased some of the irritation he had been carrying all day.
He wasn't trying to be funny. Yet hearing her laugh was... pleasant. Not that he would ever say that out loud.
"I agree with you on the honeydew," Hinata said, a smile lingering on her lips. "I've never been a fan of it either."
"Finally. Someone with common sense." A look of vindication crossed Sasuke's face.
"I'll be sure to pass along your very serious feedback." Hinata laughed again.
"You'd be doing the village a service."
The corner of Sasuke's mouth twitched upward into a faint smirk. For a moment, the atmosphere felt surprisingly light. Hinata finished securing the fresh bandages around his abdomen and arm and made a few final notes on his chart.
"Well, everything looks good so far, I should go finish my rounds.”
"Alright."
She set her clipboard against her chest and stood from her chair.
"Since you're under my care starting today, I suppose we'll be seeing quite a bit of each other. I’m looking forward to getting to know you better, Uchiha-san."
Something about that statement made Sasuke pause, they were going to be spending a lot more time together every day.
"See you around, get some rest."
Hinata gave a small bow before turning toward the door.
"Yeah."
The response left his lips automatically.
For some reason, watching her leave felt oddly disappointing. Sasuke frowned slightly at the unfamiliar sensation.
The door clicked shut behind her. The room immediately felt quieter.
A week had passed since Hinata became Sasuke's primary doctor.
Over those seven days, they had settled into an easy routine. Every morning, Hinata arrived with a clipboard tucked against her chest and greeted him with the same gentle smile. She examined his injuries, changed his bandages, and filled the quiet with light conversation.
Ordinarily, Sasuke preferred silence. Yet, he found himself not minding the company.
The rest of Hinata's day was spent making her rounds through the hospital, checking on patients, updating charts, and ensuring everyone under her care was comfortable.
She always ended up in Sasuke's room by lunchtime, and without fail, his lunch tray always looked the same. The meal would be gone, save for one untouched bowl of honeydew.
It amused her every single time.
It was Friday noon, and she found herself outside his room once again. After knocking lightly, she stepped inside to find Sasuke sitting upright in bed with an orange-covered book in his hands.
The cover looked oddly familiar. It took her only a second to realize why. It was the same series Kakashi was always reading.
The moment he noticed her, Sasuke snapped the book shut and set it aside a little too quickly.
A smile tugged at Hinata's lips.
"Good afternoon, Uchiha-san. What are you reading?"
"Nothing important." He gestured dismissively toward the book. "Just some garbage Kakashi left here. Apparently, he thinks I need entertainment."
Hinata giggled as she walked over to his chart.
"He's probably right. Hospitals can get very boring, especially when you're stuck in bed all day."
"Tch." The sound was neither agreement nor disagreement.
Taking a seat beside him, Hinata began reviewing his chart. As she glanced around the room, her attention landed on the lunch tray resting on the nightstand.
Most of the meal had been eaten except for one thing. A small bowl of untouched honeydew.
Hinata pressed her lips together trying to stifle a laugh. It didn't work. A laugh escaped her anyway.
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. The moment he followed her gaze to the bowl, realization dawned.
"You think it’s funny that I hate honeydew?" A faint smirk appeared on his face.
"I'm sorry." Hinata covered her mouth, trying and failing to suppress another laugh. "I really am."
"You don't sound sorry." That only made her laugh harder.
Sasuke stared at her for a moment before shaking his head.
"It's just fruit."
"Exactly," Hinata replied between laughs. "Which is why it's adorable that a shinobi feared across five nations has declared war on honeydew."
The word made him pause.
Adorable.
Most people wouldn't have the courage to say that to his face. If anyone else had said it, they probably would've received a very different response. Yet somehow, hearing it from Hinata didn't bother him. Not even a little.
Instead, he found himself fighting back a smile.
"You're one to talk, you hate it too."
"Fair point." She wiped a small tear from her eye. Her laughter gradually faded into a warm smile.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The silence wasn't awkward. Just... comfortable. A strange thing for Sasuke to experience with someone he'd barely spoken to before this week. What’s stranger is that he found that he didn't mind it.
He watched as his doctor reached into her bag and pulled out a small bento box.
Sasuke's eyebrow lifted slightly.
"Here." She held it out to him.
"I know you've already had lunch, but I thought I'd bring you something you'd actually enjoy."
For a moment, Sasuke simply stared at the box. Then at her.
"You made this?" The question came out more carefully than he intended.
Hinata tilted her head.
"Of course. Hospital food isn't exactly famous for being delicious, and I recalled you mentioning that you like tomatoes once." A faint smile crossed her face.
Sasuke accepted the box and opened it. Inside was a simple meal. Grilled chicken resting on a bed of rice, accompanied by neatly sliced tomatoes.
His favorite.
The realization of Hinata remembering an insignificant fact about his food preference caught him off guard. He quietly closed the lid and set the bento on the nightstand.
"Thanks." The word sounded unusually sincere which made Hinata's smile brightened.
"You're welcome."
As she gathered fresh bandages and medicine, Sasuke found himself staring at the lunchbox again. He couldn't remember the last time someone had gone out of their way to make food specifically for him. Most people either feared him, obsessed over him, or wanted something from him.
Hinata expected nothing. She had simply noticed something he liked and acted on it.
It was such a small gesture…Yet somehow, it lingered in his thoughts.
By the time Hinata finished replacing his dressings and checking his stitches, the room had fallen into a comfortable silence.
"Everything looks perfect," Hinata said, making one final note on his chart. "You're healing faster than expected."
"Good. The sooner I recover, the sooner I can get out of here."
She slipped the chart under her arm and offered him a smile although it didn’t seem to be as genuine as it usual is. She almost looked…disappointed.
"Right, well I'll see you tomorrow, Uchiha-san."
"See you." Sasuke nodded, observing the change in her demeanor.
Hinata turned and began walking toward the door. The handle was already in her hand when a sudden feeling of reluctance settled in his chest. Before he could overthink it, the words left his mouth.
"Hyuga."
She stopped and turned around.
"Hm?"
Sasuke immediately regretted speaking because now he actually had to say something. He cleared his throat into his fist.
"Have you...had lunch yet?" The question sounded awkward even to his own ears.
Hinata blinked.
"Oh." She glanced toward the clock. "Now that you mention it, no."
A brief silence followed. Sasuke suddenly found the far wall incredibly interesting. Meanwhile, Hinata's expression softened with understanding. The poor man was probably bored out of his mind. Being confined to a hospital room for days would drive anyone crazy.
Maybe he just wanted someone to talk to.
The thought eased some of her surprise. Holding her clipboard against her chest, she asked, "Would it be alright if I ate lunch here, Uchiha-san? I don't really feel like going to the cafeteria today."
He met her eyes again and for the briefest instant, relief flickered across his face before disappearing behind his usual composure.
"Fine with me." The faint smirk returning to his lips made her smile a little wider.
She took the chair beside his bed, unpacked her lunch, and the two of them ate together in easy silence.
From that day on, another activity had been added to their daily routine.