Dark Haired Children

"Such a beautiful child" my grandmother, Tsunade, would always say about me. I remember once when I was 3 years old when she had told me I resembled a fine doll made of china. Long midnight hair and porcelain skin were my traits and everyone in our village would exclaim my physical perfection. Though underneath the compliments they all knew the truth. I wasn't perfect. I had flaw, a beautiful flaw that was both my gift and my damnation.

My eyes were a gorgeous bright blue.

Blue as the summer sky on a cloudless day. But I would have given anything in the world if my eyes where white....

Yes, white. I was one of the most beautiful girls in the village, intelligent, strong and the one and only child of our Hokage but I would given it all up to have my beautiful eyes void of color. Because only then would I be able to be with my mother....

Thirteen years earlier....

Naruto paced anxiously back and forth as he waited outside the door of the birthing room. He was in the Hyuuga complex, awaiting the birth of his and Hinata's first child. He was scared out of his mind, after all he was a first time father, and he wanted more than anything for his lover and child to be alright.

"Calm down, stupid...." Neji growled in annoyance, sitting calmly across from him "Your jittering is even making me on edge!"

"Sorry Neji" Naruto apologized with a groan "Just don't understand what's taking so long! I wish I knew what was going on in there!"

"I would prefer that what happens in the birthing room, stays in the birthing room" Hinata's protector mumbled uncomfortably.

"I guess so..." the blond responded, after thinking on a bit. Weird and goofy thoughts began to run through his head.

Suddenly an infant cry rang from the room.

"Hinata-chan..." Naruto gasped sliding open the doors and running into the room before Neji could stop him.

"Naruto-kun! Nii-san!" Hinata said in surprise.

She looked tired, as did mid-wives around her. Yet as Naruto stepped towards his lover and child, he could feel the uneasy tension in the air.

"Hinata-chan....is everything alright...?"

Instead of answering him, she motioned to him the bundle in arms.

"We have a daughter..." she whispered softly tears running down her face "a beautiful baby girl...."

The baby looked so tiny surrounded by some much cloth, and her moon pale skin against her mass of shiny dark hair, almost glowed in the dimly lit room.

"Akira..." Hinata sighed "That's what her name will be.."

"Yeah..." Naruto agreed sitting next to them "She really does light up the room.."

With that, Hinata suddenly burst into restrained tears. And as she cried, Naruto could see what caused her sadness.

His little girl was staring up at him. And she had his eyes....

"Unbelievable...." he heard Neji whisper behind him. He could hear the anger in his voice and Hinata began to cry harder, hugging her child to her chest. He glance behind him as Neji stomped out of the room.

"You bastard!" Naruto growled as followed Neji out the room. He grabbed the Hyuuga's shoulder and spun him around to face him.

"You could at least congratulate her! So what the baby doesn't possess the Byakugen?! She still part of your family!"

"Congratulate her on what?!" Neji spat wrenching away from him "On the fact that in three years time she will never see her child again??"

"What?!"

"You heard him correctly" said a deep voice ahead of him.

It was Hiashi Hyuuga, head of the Hyuuga clan and Hinata's father. He was followed by one of the mid wives how must have left the room unnoticed. She shifted her white gaze nervously between the two men.

"But why?!" Naruto asked, his anger growing

"The only reason I allowed you and Hinata to continue your relationship was because the chances of a non-Byakugen child being born to a mixed line consummation is slight at best" he raised a dark eyebrow and added with distaste "Though as usual you seemed to have beaten the odds once again..."

"Children born without the Byakugen...are not considered Hyuuga..." Neji finished for him softly "They are allowed to stay with the Hyuuga family for their first 3 years of life and then they must leave and be raised by who ever else can take care of them"

"That is the Hyuuga law" Hiashi stated firmly "And we can not allow an heir who is not Hyuuga"

"This is your GRANCHILD your talking about!! Your own daughter's child!" Naruto roared in rage.

"No..."Hiashi shook his head softly "Not Hinata's child, your child"

And with that he sternly walked passed them and entered the birthing room with the midwife following close by his heels in nervousness.

"DAMN IT!!" Naruto roared punching the wall

"This is just the beginning...." Neji sighed heavily, his own anger at the situation melting into despair "Hiashi-sama had already pushed the limit by letting you two be together even though marriage is forbidden...."

"Hinata said she didn't care if we couldn't get married as long as we were allowed to be together" Naruto interjected

"True" Neji agreed "But even that was only allowed by the Council on the condition you two produced a Hyuuga heir. Now with this...situation, the Council will have even more ammunition against Hinata becoming the chosen heir. They will say that her blood is weak. With in no time they will force Hiashi-sama's hand.....and she will be branded a Branch House member...."

Naruto knew what he said was true. He had long since been told by Neji and Hinata the majority of Council's wish to demote her. Though not for the reasons most people suspected. In truth, they feared her. If she were to be place as the Head of the Hyuuga family they knew that she would stop at nothing to change their ways and destroy the ritual of the Branding Seal forever. Her goal was to unite her family and heal it. Though their were some Council members who believed in her goals (including her father), without adequate reason to keep her, they were just a powerless as everyone else...

"Can't anything be done??"

"No...There can not be any exception, especially for Hinata-sama. If Hiashi-sama did that it would basically guarantee her demotion. And under no circumstance can we let that happen. Our family needs her...."

"And now she's in trouble, right? Because me..."

Neji rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Listen it's not your fault—or hers. It's this stupid family with it's stupid rules and traditions. Any other family in Konohagure wouldn't be making a big deal about their child having blue eyes and maybe not even having a Blood trait. I mean...not everyone has to be a shinobi...."

"But not everyone is part of the Hyuuga clan..."Naruto said softly. The look on his face seemed as if he was coming to a decision.

"Hinata loves her family..."

"Yes...but she loved you more..."

Naruto shook his head sadly.

"I would never want her to choose between her family and me. I know what it's like to not have a family. To be alone and not know where you belong. She has obligations just like I do" he sighed thinking about his own apprenticeship to the Hokage.

"This was our last chance wasn't it...?"

Neji was silent for a moment before nodding his head. Naruto remembered his sweet Hinata's grief torn face as she showed him their baby. She had known it too.....

"But even if I.....even if we left her, there's no guarantee that she will not lose her position anyway is there?" Naruto inquired, his fear for his beloved's safety clear on his face.

"There is one way...."

Naruto looked at Neji in surprise. The Hyuuga head was turned from him, staring at the floor. His hands were balled in fists, shaking in shame.

"Oh..." Naruto whispered. With uncharacteristic insightfulness he concluded the alternative.

"He wants you to marry her, doesn't he?"

"Hiashi-sama had suspected your Hokage blood mixed with the kyuubi spirit might over power our own Blood trait" the dark haired man said carefully "And if that proved to be true he felt that this was the best way to secure Hinata's position and proved a strong heir for the Hyuuga family. Hanabi would be free from the cage to be a warrior shinobi like she wants and we know that as Head Hinata would never put the brand one her. Plus it would be one of the first steps in uniting our family. But.." he added firmly "...this is not his decision to make – nor mine..."

"I love her....so much...." the blond shinobi said though gritted teeth. Frustration and resent clear in his voice

"I know....." was the only answer, barely a whisper on the wind...

So with that Naruto walked toward the birthing room and went inside.

Neji didn't follow, leaned his back on the hallway wall and slid to the floor.

Life never turns out like you expected it to...

And fate aways has her way...

"Ironic...." he said to the nothingness of the hallway...

TBC