Okay, guys, here's a new one. It is not what you are expecting however. At least I don't think it is. While I was writing The Path We Walk, I made an allusion to how different things could have turned out if it had been Hinata losing her memory rather than Naruto. BentShurikan, here is your AU.

Before everybody starts panicking, THIS IS AN AU! It has nothing to do with the reality I have been creating in Sparks or The Path We Walk. It is completely separate except for maybe concept. This is more of a standalone than a companion to either of those stories.

This is going to be a two part story. I will post the second part next week at the very latest.

I hope you all enjoy it!

XXX

There was something warm in her hand. That pleasant sensation was the first thing Hinata was aware of. The second thing was a dull throbbing at the back of her head, which was decidedly less pleasant, that was slowly but steadily growing. Whether she couldn't move or simply didn't have the desire to, she wasn't sure, so she focused on that warmth in her hand, like a bright little flame to distract herself from the pain advancing toward her eyes.

She had no concept of time. She could have been lying there for minutes or days, she didn't know. She simply was. And that throbbing in her head made her question whether that was a good thing or not.

She didn't really like the feeling, this drifting in seemingly nothing that had no beginning she could remember and no fathomable end she could see. That little flame of warmth between her fingers became an anchor, grounding her to something, even if she didn't really know what that something was.

Very slowly, although it could have been all at once, she wasn't really sure, she surfaced from the nothingness and her eyes flickered open.

A stark white ceiling greeted her apathetically, one that seemed vaguely familiar but that she didn't outright recognize. There was a dull beeping to her right and when she glanced that way she found a large machine, humming quietly and bleeping in a steady rhythm that matched her heart beat. From the very minimal medical training she had been exposed to, Hinata recognized the machine as a heart rate monitor. She knew it could do many other things at the same time, but the details, including its proper name, escaped her. As she expanded her attention, she realized she was in a private room of Konoha hospital. On a small nightstand flowers and get well wishes cluttered together in a chaotic pile.

That warm little glow in her left hand reasserted itself and Hinata turned to see what had steadied her so diligently when she had drifted aimlessly.

Beside her, his head laying on the bed next to their clasped hands, slept a man she would recognize in a heartbeat even if a thousand years passed without her seeing his face. His bright unruly hair was lying haphazardly in all directions, as usual, his bangs sweeping low over his closed eyes, brushing the bridge of his straight nose. His lips were parted slightly and he was breathing softly. It was a rare sight to see Naruto Uzumaki so still and quiet, and the serenity of it all nearly took Hinata's breath away.

Why is he here? She wondered after taking a moment to just enjoy his presence. It wasn't that she was upset to see him. On the contrary, that familiar fluttering that started in her belly whenever she saw him was present and she could feel a soft smile tugging at her lips. But it didn't make sense. He had never come to visit her in the hospital before, so why now?

Come to think of it, why am I here? Hinata looked down at herself. She was dressed in a crisp, stiff hospital gown. Her left hand was still caught up in Naruto's but her right had been laid across her lap and she noticed it was covered in small scratches and tiny clean cuts. Her entire forearm was bandaged. She didn't dare move too much for fear of waking the man beside her, but slowly, Hinata began to catalogue her bumps and bruises. Her ribs hurt, a dull ache with every breath. From her waist down, a crème blanket hid her body. She knew if she tried to move it, her visitor would wake up, but she examined as much as she could. Her right leg seemed larger than her left, oddly bulky under the blanket. Carefully, she tried wiggling her toes. The five on her left responded readily, but when she tried to move the ones on her right foot, lances of pain shot up her leg. She only barely kept herself from gasping aloud, although her hands balled into fists.

When the pain subsided she slowly took in a deep breath before activating her Byakugan. To her left was the familiar bright blue glow of Naruto's chakra. Aside from his smile it was easily the most beautiful thing she had ever seen and she had to consciously tell herself to focus and not allow herself to be hypnotized by the swirling dance that his chakra played out as he slept. Instead, she turned her attention to her leg and cringed at the damage she saw. Her femur was practically shattered. Hairline fractures webbed across the bone spanning nearly six inches. She could see trace remnants of foreign chakra that she identified as Lady Tsunade's tying the fragments together. Her ribs throbbed again and she took a closer look at her torso, finding the lowest rib on her right side was broken, and the three above it were cracked. Like with her leg, Lady Tsunade's chakra coated her bones, holding them in place. There were pools created by internal bleeding all along the right side of her body and even around her brain, although she could see most of the damage had been taken care of and she was quickly mending.

What on earth happened to me? The grisly images faded away as she released her Byakugan. Without thinking, she lifted her hands to her face, startling Naruto awake.

He inhaled sharply and raised his head, his eyes blinking at her owlishly. A moment later his sleepy brain caught up with his eyes and a surprised excited grin washed over his face.

"Hinata! You're awake!" he exclaimed, rising to his feet and leaning toward her. He moved as if he was going to embrace her but stopped short, his eyes glancing down to her ribs. "How do you feel? Are you ok? Are you in pain? That thing," he said, gesturing to a strange little device clipped to her gown, "will give you a shot of painkiller if you need it." He gently grabbed hold of the little device and mimed pressing the button on top and Hinata was vividly aware of how close his hand was to her breast. When he gently laid the device back down his fingers brushed against her through the absurdly thin fabric and Hinata became abruptly aware of the fact that she was not wearing a bra under her gown. The familiar warmth in her face and neck hailed her bright blush.

Naruto didn't seem to notice anything strange in the way he so casually touched her, nor in her state of undress, which Hinata found startling. It wasn't that he was trying to be a pervert, but there was a casualness and familiarity to it she had never experienced with a person before, let alone with him, and she felt like her entire body was on pins and needles. They were friends, sure, but to her never ending sorrow, she would never have said they were close and to see him acting so casually with her was unsettling in its unfamiliarity.

The next thing she knew, Naruto's broad chest was inches away from her nose. He was leaning over her, across the bed, to press a button on the wall. A little light blinked twice and Naruto moved back, smiling at her, and took her hand again, almost as if it was a habit.

"That should call Sakura or Granny. We've been waiting for you to wake up, but I don't know which one is on call right now."

His words distracted her from the mystery that was his presence and brought her back to the reality of her situation. She was in the hospital with relatively serious injuries and from the sound of things had been here for a while. She tried to think back, remember what could have happened to land her in the hospital, but nothing came to mind. Her head was muddled and foggy and she couldn't remember anything when she tried to focus. Her head began to throb more, growing from a minor annoyance to truly uncomfortable pain, and she shifted, forgetting about her leg until the moment the sensation of knives driving into her flesh reached her brain. She gasped sharply and bit her lip for a moment before clicking the little button. If Naruto said it would give her painkillers that was all she really cared about at the moment.

For his part, Naruto was watching her anxiously, his hands hovering uselessly as he tried to find a way to help. "What happened? Are you ok?" he asked frantically.

She was still biting her lip, waiting for the last few tremors of pain to fade and absently wondering how long it would take the painkillers to kick in, but she nodded. As the pain faded, Hinata became increasingly aware of his unwavering attention.

Over the years she had learned that Naruto's attention span had two basic settings. There was the default setting that allowed his brain to jump from one subject, through about six others and land on another before once again leaping to something else entirely in about forty seconds, and then there was the less often seen one track setting that allowed him to concentrate on one single thing for hours at a time. The subjects that usually displayed this setting were training, particularly with new jutsu, Sasuke, Sakura, or missions. Hinata had never been the target of this focused attention up until this very moment and she fidgeted self-consciously under his scrutiny.

She didn't know what to say, still puzzled over why he was even there, and she hoped Tsunade or Sakura would show up soon to dilute some of Naruto's attention. As it was, Kami must have decided to cut her a break because the door slid open and Tsunade Senju herself stepped through. When she saw Hinata sitting up in bed she smiled and stepped to the foot of the bed.

"Good to see you awake, Hinata," she greeted cheerfully and Hinata returned her smile uncertainly. "I'm going to look over some things and then we'll talk, all right?" Hinata nodded again and then tried to wait patiently as the Hokage fiddled with the heart rate monitor beside her bed and took her various vital signs. Hinata watched the clock, wishing the hands would tick faster as Tsunade worked and Naruto still fidgeted anxiously off to the side. After nearly ten agonizingly slow minutes, Tsunade spoke.

"Last thing, Hinata, and then we can talk. I need to have a look at your ribs. Naruto, can you get the back of her gown for her, please?" Tsunade asked as she began taking down notes on a chart.

Back of my gown? Hinata wondered briefly before Naruto was beside her.

"Can you lean forward a bit, Princess? I need to get to the strings." His hand gently pressed against the back of her shoulder, prompting her to lean forward, and still not quite understanding, Hinata did, grimacing at the twinge in her ribs, although she could tell the painkillers had begun to kick in. Her skin felt hypersensitive when his fingers gently brushed the back of her neck as he gathered her hair and pulled it out of the way. An instant later his intentions became abundantly clear when she felt a tugging on the neckline of her hospital gown before it slackened and almost fell off entirely! She felt like her face was on fire and she was sure it was as bright as a signal flare. Her hands frantically grabbed the hem of her gown and she yanked it back up to her neck, looking to Tsunade, alarmed. The Hokage was still scribbling on the chart, oblivious to Hinata's dire situation.

Electricity shot up Hinata's spine when the knuckles on Naruto's hand brushed her back as he tugged at the next knot holding her gown closed.

What is going on?

It was the only thing Hinata could think, over and over again. She felt like her head was going to explode!

Finally, Naruto leaned back and looked expectantly to Tsunade. The medic finished her notes and then looked up. A small confused frown puckered her eyebrows when she saw Hinata was still holding the front of her gown against her neck self-consciously.

"Hinata, I need to look at your ribs," she repeated patiently.

"But-," Hinata began before cutting herself off. She glanced meaningfully at Naruto before looking back to the Hokage. Apparently she hadn't been as obvious as she'd hoped however, because Tsunade did not seem to understand her dilemma. Quickly gathering as much courage as she could, Hinata took a deep breath and tried to meet Naruto's eyes.

"Can… Can you p-please turn around, N-Naruto?" She could have kicked herself for stuttering but in her defense, she was being asked to disrobe in front of the man she had loved for as long as she could remember.

Naruto looked surprised and glanced at Tsunade before shrugging and beginning to turn. "Uh, yeah, no problem. I don't know what you're worried about though, 'Nata. It's not like I've never seen you naked," he said casually as he turned to face the wall.

"What!"

Her shriek startled the other two, Tsunade looking at her surprised, and Naruto had whipped right back around to stare at her, shock apparent on his face.

"What do you mean you've seen me naked!?" Naruto looked at her like she'd grown a second head.

"Hinata, what ar-"

"Shut up, Naruto," Tsunade interrupted harshly. Both young shinobi turned back to the Hokage. Her amber eyes were drilling holes into Hinata, a small line between her eyebrows as she calculated something.

"What is today?" she asked, presumably out of nowhere. It seemed like a random question but Hinata could tell it was obviously directed at her.

She hesitated, not sure if she should try to answer or just admit that she had no idea. Reluctantly, she chose the latter. "I… don't know. I don't know how long I've been asleep."

Tsunade nodded, as if she'd expected that answer. "Do you know who I am?" Hinata tried not to feel insulted by that question. It was ridiculous honestly, especially since she was still holding that damn gown to her chest in a pitiful attempt to maintain a small shred of dignity.

"Of course. You are Tsunade Senju, the Godaime Hokage of the Leaf Village. Why are yo-"

"Who is he?" Tsunade interrupted briskly, nodding to Naruto.

Hinata felt her blush flare to life again but forced herself to answer, paying close attention to her words to keep from stuttering again. "Naruto Uzumaki." She kept her answer short, hoping it would keep her from embarrassing herself further.

"What is your name?"

"Lady Tsunade, really, what is the purpose of this? I don't understand," Hinata began, her frustration mounting, and a small amount of panic beginning to set in, before Tsunade once again interrupted her.

"Just answer the question!"

"Hinata Hyuga!" the frustrated girl replied, exasperation coloring her words. She was so frustrated and confused by this point she didn't see the renewed looks of shock on Naruto and Tsunade's faces. "Why are you asking me these pointless questions? What happened to me, why am I here?"

"Hinata, can you tell me the last mission you completed?" Tsunade asked, still ignoring Hinata's questions.

This time, she hesitated. Her mind was still foggy and she couldn't piece things together properly. She could recall small bits, little moments, but nothing was cohesive, nothing fit together. Had she searched for the Bikochu beetle before or after her mission to escort that snooty diplomat? The arena from the Chunin exams merged with her spars with Hanabi. She couldn't remember the last mission she had completed, what the objective had been or who she had worked with. She couldn't properly remember any of her missions.

Tsunade could see her struggling and spoke before Hinata had to admit she couldn't remember. "Your last mission was a search and rescue that turned into a hostage situation. During the fight that broke out you were caught in a landslide jutsu and got pretty roughed up. Thankfully Sakura was on the mission with you and was able to provide immediate medical care, but even so, you had severe internal bleeding around your brain. We've done all we can with jutsu up to this point but if we continue to speed your healing process it could cause more problems than it would solve. Unfortunately, you're just going to have to be patient and wait for your body to recover." Tsunade spoke in that practiced sterile tone all doctors have, laying out the facts quickly and concisely, all business. Hinata couldn't decide if it was a blessing, because she was quickly given information she desperately wanted, or a curse, because she knew a hammer blow was coming.

"The way you've been acting since you woke up and some of the answers you've given me lead me to suspect that you have a small degree of amnesia." Hinata was beginning to loath that little spark of panic that kept jabbing in her chest. However, Tsunade must have seen some of her inner turmoil on her face because she raised a calming hand and smiled gently. "It's not as bad as it sounds. You are incredibly coherent, but there are some details that aren't matching up. Your name, for example-"

"What's wrong with my name?" Hinata couldn't help but ask. She knew it was rude to interrupt but her desire to understand what was happening to her overrode her desire to obey etiquette. Tsunade gave her a reprimanding look but continued on.

"Some large things have changed in your life recently, in the last year or two, and your memory of that could be affected by the blow to your head. It will take a little more work to discover what exactly you may be missing and what is still around, but we can work with this. I know it's asking a lot, but I'll need you to be patient. If my theory is right, the excess bleeding in your skull has put pressure on your brain, which could lead to memory loss. It's very likely that when the swelling goes down, your memory will return-

"And if it doesn't?" Both women turned to Naruto, surprised he had spoken. Hinata was astounded by his reaction. His face was pale, his hands were clenched into fists and his expressive eyes seemed to be swimming in panic and fear. His voice was low and rough with emotion. "What happens if her memory doesn't come back?"

"Then we'll deal with it." Tsunade answered deliberately. She stared the young man down, daring him to cause more trouble and see what happened. "For now, the important thing is getting you well again, Hinata. We'll worry about your memory when it becomes a real issue.

"Now, I still need to examine your ribs and make sure they're healing properly. Naruto, if you could step out into the hallway, it would be appreciated." Tsunade's words seemed to knock the blond man out of a daze, his unfocused gaze meeting Tsunade's like he was confused before his expression cleared and he nodded.

"Uh, yeah. Sorry." He crossed to the door as if he was in a daze and glanced over his shoulder at Hinata once before turning and leaving quickly. There had been something in his eyes. Belatedly, Hinata realized it was sorrow.

"What did I do wrong?" Hinata asked as Tsunade gently tugged down the front of her gown and began gently pressing on her bandaged ribs. A small frown of concentration puckered her brows, but Tsunade answered absently.

"You didn't do anything. None of this is your fault and he knows that. He isn't angry with you."

"But he was upset," Hinata argued before wincing when Tsunade pressed a particularly sensitive spot.

"Of course he was upset, and when you remember things you'll understand why. But that's not important right now." Tsunade stepped back and began retying Hinata's gown behind her back. "Naruto will be fine. He's dealt with worse. The important thing right now is to make sure you make a full recovery," she repeated firmly.

With Naruto's strange behavior still bothering her, Hinata nodded hesitantly. Tsunade nodded in return, an understanding passing between them before she smiled encouragingly and began making more notes on her clipboard.

"All right, Hinata. You should probably get some more rest. I'll be back to check on you tomorrow. If you need anything, that button will call a nurse or Sakura." Tsunade pointed to the little button Naruto had pushed earlier before she turned and made her way to the door. Hinata saw her one chance at a few answers making an escape.

A small burst of panic sparked in her chest and Hinata couldn't hold back her words, despite agreeing with Tsunade that she wouldn't worry about Naruto right now. She couldn't help herself and she called to the Hokage before her chance was gone.

"Lady Tsunade! Please… Why is Naruto so upset?" Tsunade gave her a strange look for a moment and turned to face her, her expression guarded and giving nothing away.

"Why wouldn't he be upset? One of his precious people is in the hospital with amnesia."

Hinata shook her head, her fingers knotting together in her lap. "It's more than that. Naruto would be worried if anything happened to any of his precious people, I'm not saying that. But he was here while I was asleep. He was waiting for me to wake up." Tsunade didn't seem to understand the significance of Hinata's words and with the heat of her blush coloring her face, Hinata forced herself to speak plainly and boldly. "Naruto and I are friends…but that's as far as it goes. I'm not saying it's unusual for him to visit me, but it is unusual for him to sit here for hours, waiting for me to wake up. We are friends but we are not close."

Understanding dawned on Tsunade's face and she sighed tiredly. "You're closer than you remember, Hinata. You're right, spending endless hours at a hurt friend's bedside would be a little strange. But it's not strange for a man to wait at the side of his injured wife." Hinata's train of thought promptly slammed into an iron wall.

Shock. That was all she could feel as Tsunade's words repeated again and again, tumbling over each other in her mind. She sputtered for a reply and managed a few disjointed words. "But-… we-we're not… N-Naruto and I-"

"Yes, you are Hinata," Tsunade interrupts gently, a bittersweet smile on her face. "We told you, there have been some big changes in your life in the past two years or so, and that's one of them. Naruto is your husband."

Naruto is your husband. How many times had Hinata wished those words were true? How many times had she imagined being with Naruto, loving him and having him love her? She couldn't even begin to guess.

Yet here she sat, in a hospital bed with the Hokage telling her it was so. Her greatest wish had become reality and she didn't even remember it. She hardly dared to believe it. But even as her head told her it wasn't possible she began looking at the evidence.

A marriage certainly explained Naruto's behavior, both his anxious worry and his sudden familiarity with her.

It's not like I've never seen you naked. Hinata's blush flared as she remembered his words. That certainly made more sense. The easy way he touched her, the casualness with which he had untied her gown - Hinata felt a little lightheaded for a moment at the implications. He was no stranger to undressing her.

"Is this real?" She didn't realize she had spoken aloud until Tsunade answered her.

"It is." When Hinata looked at her, Tsunade was giving her another encouraging smile. "I know it's a lot to take in. Things have changed, and it's going to be confusing for a while, but he does love you, Hinata. We'll be here every step of the way. You don't need to worry about anything, ok?"

She nodded, trying to feel confident and Tsunade moved to the door. "Would you like a little time to yourself? Or can Naruto come back in?"

Hinata wasn't sure what to answer. On the one hand, she had always jumped at any chance to spend more time with Naruto. On the other, she really had no idea where they stood and she wasn't sure if she could handle it.

Unbidden, the image of Naruto's bright smile flashed in her mind. That shining, face-splitting, smile that had given her hope when she was a sad, scared little girl and the burning desire to see it again flared in her chest. She could use a little encouragement, she decided.

"He can come back in." Tsunade smiled one final time and stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her. She expected it to open immediately and was surprised when it didn't. In fact it was several minutes before the door opened again. Hinata's eyes had returned to the clock as she waited and she watched the hands tick away, trying to be patient as the minutes slowly trickled by.

XXX

Here is the end of the first part. The second half will be about 1000 words longer, and I promise I won't wait too long before posting it. It is already complete, so you need have no fear of this going unfinished. As always my dears, let me know what you think. BentShurikan, this goes doubly for you!

Happy reading!

Tenneyshoes