Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto there would be Byakuugan babies everywhere! So I guess it's not mine.

Warnings: Language

You're not alone
Together we stand
I'll be by your side
You know I'll take your hand

-Avril Lavigne, Keep Holding On

Chapter 3: Hyuuga Neji: Prodigy, Protector, Paramour

"N-niisan?"

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?"

Yes, this Neji was definitely different from any she'd encountered before. Even at the Chuunin Exams when he'd tried to kill her, he'd kept a tight reign on the majority of his emotions. Now he didn't seem to care and they poured out full force, surrounding him with a nearly visible aura.

"I-I-I-" She backed slowly away as he stalked towards her, until she hit the wall. She glanced around her room almost desperately, wishing there was a way to escape her cousin's wrath. She wasn't sure why he was so angry, but she couldn't afford to let him attack her. There was no way she'd come out unscathed.

"You," he continued, still moving towards her, "are the heiress of the clan. You have to take over after your father. Why are you running away?"

She blinked at him, too surprised to be terrified for a moment. He was angry because she was no longer the heiress? "Th-th-they want me to f-fight Hanabi. I can't do that. I'm s-s-sorry, niisan."

He finally stopped walking directly in front of her, keeping her pinned where she was, breaths coming a bit harsher than usual. "What do you mean you can't fight her? You don't honestly believe that she's strong enough to defeat you, do you?"

"N-n-no-"

"Then why can you not fight her?"

Hinata looked away, too afraid to meet his furious silver eyes. "This... this isn't ab-bout me, niisan."

Neji gave an incredulous snort. "What does that mean? Of course it's about you!"

"N-no... no..."

There was an almost eerie silence, and Hinata chanced a glance back at her cousin to see why he'd suddenly stopped yelling. His eyes were fixed on her stomach, which her arms had unconsciously raised to shield protectively. Immediately she dropped her arms, but it was far too late. Neji had already seen the action, and he was, after all, a very smart man. One who had already activated his Byakuugan; and was now staring at the bright little ball of chakra nestled safely in her abdomen.

Like lightening his hand snapped to the zipper of her coat, yanking it down and parting the fabric. His lips parted slightly as his hands grabbed the form-fitting black t-shirt underneath, pulling it even more taut against her stomach, exposing the small lump that had never been there before. He slid his hands absently over the bump, as if to be sure his mind wasn't just playing tricks on him, before both came back to rest firmly on her hips. "You're pregnant."

She couldn't seem to make her voice work, but her wide-eyed look of terror and almost violent trembling were all the answer he needed. She didn't know what she'd do if he tried to hurt the baby. One Jyuuken strike to the stomach, hell, one good kick from him, could kill it instantly. "I c-c-can't f-fight Hanabi, n-n-niisan. P-p-please..." She felt tears prick at the back of her eyes. Please don't hurt my baby.

Neji shot her a bit of a glare, though his whole manner seemed to soften now and his tight grip loosened. "Well of course you can't fight her, you're pregnant. Why didn't you just say so in the first place?"

Hinata blinked. Huh? "N-n-niisan?"

"Did you tell the council this was why you couldn't fight?"

At the shake of her head, Neji growled lowly in the back of his throat. She flinched a bit at the sound, but he didn't seem to notice. "Whose is it? One of your teammates?"

She blinked, startled, not by the question itself, but by the assumption that the baby was either Kiba or Shino's. Did he think she fancied one of them? "N-no."

"Damn."

What?

"Whose then? Shikamaru, Chouji... oh Kami, it's not Naruto's, is it?"

Hinata frowned, instantly reverting back to old habits of defending the blond. "What's wrong with Naruto-kun?"

Neji's eyes widened almost comically. "It's his?"

"W-what? No, it's n-not his."

A sigh of relief followed that statement, and Hinata was about to repeat her question, thoroughly confused. Neji and Naruto were friends; what would be so wrong if he was the father of the baby?

"I would ask if it was Sai's, but everyone knows he's gay."

Well, that was true enough. But it was time to put an end to this pointless guessing game. "A-ano, n-niisan... you don't know the father. I guarant-tee it."

One thin, delicate brow rose at the statement. "Oh? Whose is it then?"

"He's..." Hinata glanced away. "H-he's dead."

"Really? What a shame," Neji said, voice dripping with sarcasm. "However, that's not what I asked you. Who is the father of the child?"

"I c-c-can't t-tell you."

Apparently her cousin didn't much like this answer. He scoffed in disbelief, a glare that could kill sent her way. Hinata shivered a bit but held firm. There was no way that anyone would ever know. She wouldn't do that to her baby.

"Hinata-sama, I'm not going to get angry, I don't really care who it is," Neji said in a clipped tone. "But how this situation proceeds depends entirely on your child's lineage. I have to know."

The girl bit her lip hard, tasting blood, and shot him an apologetic look. "I can't, niisan."

"I'm just trying to help you," he added hurriedly, assuming she suspected him of ulterior motives, but she shook her head.

"I really can't. It's n-not about me."

Understanding dawned on his face, and he shot a quick look down at her abdomen before giving a slight nod. "I see." He took a deep breath and shut his eyes, obviously thinking hard. A moment later they opened, and for a second Hinata couldn't help but think how amazing they were. "Am I to assume that the father is not from a noble clan?"

Hinata stared. "N-noble... I... n-n-no. Definitely not." Or at least if he was, he'd been disowned long ago.

He let out a tired sigh, closing his eyes again. "I was afraid not. That only leaves one choice then. I'm tempted to use Shikamaru's favorite word here."

"Troublesome?"

"Yes, that one." He absently scrubbed a hand over his face in a very un-Neji like way. "Oh well, nothing more to it, I guess. Come, Hinata-sama," he said grabbing her hand and pulling her out of the room. "We need to meet with the elders."

Eyebrows disappeared beneath her bangs at the words. "The elders? W-why? I c-c-can't fight Hanabi and-"

"I know you can't fight her, Hinata-sama," he said in a patient voice, as if he were talking to a child. "They can't force a pregnant woman to fight in order to uphold her status, it goes against every shinobi moral there is. You'll be able to get a delay until you've given birth."

"I... I will?" Hinata felt her heart lighten at his words. She didn't overly care if her sister became head of the clan and not her, but just giving up and walking away from any fight like a coward really bothered her. Not to mention a small, selfish part of her really wanted to see the look on her arrogant sister's face when she shoved it into the ground...

"B-b-but, niisan... it doesn't matter whether or not I fight Han-nabi. When the elders find out I'm p-pregnant, they'll str-strip my status anyway."

"They won't."

Hinata's face screwed up in confusion. "They won't?"

"They won't. Just let me handle everything. All you have to do is sit there."

"Oh... o-o-okay..." What could he possibly have planned that would save her from disgrace? She had gotten pregnant, out of wedlock, with a person of common blood. There was no way, as the heiress, that she was permitted to do that.

As the pair rounded a corner sharply, nearly bowling over an elderly servant (Hinata apologized profusely in the moment she had before Neji dragged her on), she realized her hand was still enveloped in her cousin's much larger one. This in turn led her to a pressing question. Why was Neji helping her like this? And why had he accepted her condition so easily?

"Niisan... you're not... surprised that I'm..."

Neji glanced back at her with a frown, eyes telling her she'd asked something very stupid. "Of course I'm surprised, Hinata-sama. I would never have taken you for anything but a virgin. And I'm upset you put your birthright at stake like this."

Birthright? He was upset that she hadn't been more protective of her status in the clan? Why?

She never got to ask though, because they were suddenly knocking on the door to her father's study and requesting an audience with the elders again. Hiashi looked both teenagers over searchingly before granting them their request, an almost hopeful look on his face. Maybe Neji had managed to talk some sense into his oldest daughter.

Once all the old bastards had filed back into the room once more, mostly looking annoyed by the inconvenience, Hinata bowed low and thanked them for granting her a second audience. Except this time she wasn't alone. Neji sat to her right, just behind her as a show of his lower status. She was surprised how just having him there and knowing she had his support both calmed her and gave her courage.

"So what is it now?" Hideki asked impatiently, a sour look on his wrinkled face. "Have you changed your mind?"

Hinata opened her mouth slowly, not sure exactly of what to say, not even fully sure she had understood what Neji had told her about getting a delay. Should she just blurt out that she was pregnant or-

"We have come to request the fight between Hinata-sama and Hanabi-sama be postponed," Neji spoke up suddenly. Hinata shot him a quick, grateful look, remembering how he'd told her he would take care of everything.

Hideki looked far from amused that Hinata had found a voice that didn't stutter. "Does this branch house speak for you now, Hinata-sama?" he taunted.

From the corner of her eye she saw Neji stiffen and open his mouth to retort, but she beat him to it. "He is my p-protector, Hideki-sama. He sp-speaks for me, just as I do f-for him." She was a bit worried about saying she spoke for Neji, something she would never dream of doing, but the look he gave her was nothing short of impressed. Well, at least I can do something right.

Hiashi cleared his throat, gaining everyone's attention and bringing it back to the important matters at hand. "Why do you request this stay?"

Hinata didn't even get the chance to ponder how to answer this time. Neji instantly said in a deep, even voice, "Because Hinata-sama is with child."

The look of pure, unadulterated shock that crossed Hiashi's usually emotionless face was so priceless Hinata nearly smiled. She caught herself, though, figuring it wouldn't be appropriate given the situation, when something else came to her attention. With the exception of her father and a few choice others, just like earlier, the rest of the elders seemed unsurprised.

Neji didn't fail to miss this detail either. "You knew," he said softly, brows drawing together. He was so angry right then he didn't care about how much he could get in trouble for running his mouth off to them. "That's why you brought this whole issue up all of a sudden." Of course, it was a win-win situation for the elders who didn't want Hinata to take over as clan head. They had found out she was pregnant somehow, and chose then to make her fight Hanabi, knowing she would either decline because of the baby or admit her pregnancy to someone not from a noble clan. Either way, she would be forced to relinquish her position to her sister... Or that's how they thought it would go. Neji had ideas of his own.

"Yes, we knew," Hideki confirmed with a smirk, "and we were ignoring it for Hinata-sama's sake. Now, thanks to you, we have no choice but to take action."

Hinata felt herself tense. This was exactly what she'd been expecting. She was still going to be sent to the branch house, so why had Neji insisted on going through all of this?

"As the clan heiress, Hinata-sama would only be permitted to fraternize with others in an upper house of a noble clan. Does the father of the child fit this description?"

Neji cocked his head a bit. "No, but-"

Hideki chuckled. "I thought not. Then this act in itself is enough to dishonor Hinata-sama and have her status stripped. There's no longer any need for her to fight Hanabi-sama."

Hinata lowered her head, not wanting to look at all the pale, glaring eyes focused on her. Really, why had Neji made her sit through this for no reason? Was this some sort of payback for something? A way for him to safely torture her with no repercussions?

"Actually, there is one way to keep both your honor and status," one of the female elders spoke up.

The girl froze and cautiously looked up at the old woman curiously. Had Neji been right?

"You do not appear to be too far along yet. Probably at the end of your first trimester, beginning of your second."

A slight nod.

"Well, you could always eliminate the problem."

Dead silence followed. Hinata's eyes grew wide as her face lost any color it had once held, and her arms flew up to curl around her middle protectively. She meant get rid of the baby.

"Really," another elder put in, "that would be best for upholding the clan's honor. Better than having our heiress disgraced."

She felt herself start to tremble. Was this what Neji had meant? They couldn't. She wouldn't let them hurt her baby.

"That's true."

"Agreed."

No... no... no...

"Don't be absurd." Neji was suddenly right behind her, hand coming to rest on the middle of her back supportingly as she shook. "This is not your choice to make, and if Hinata-sama had wished to terminate the pregnancy, she would have done so already."

Slowly the tremors eased away and Hinata leaned into Neji a bit to keep from falling over. That's right, this was not their choice, it was hers. They had no right to do anything to her baby. She wouldn't let them. And... apparently Neji wouldn't let them. That hadn't been his plan. A fact that made her feel much safer.

"Watch your tone, branch house," Hideki growled but grinned smugly, apparently already having foreseen that outcome. "Well, seeing as that's the only way for Hinata-sama to keep her honor-"

"Hinata-sama has done nothing to lose her honor."

Several of the elders snorted (in the most dignified way possible, of course). "Oh really? As part of the main house and heiress of the clan, it is Hinata-sama's duty to keep up all appearances in a respectful manner. Having a bastard child hardly indicates-"

"Don't call my child a bastard!" Hinata suddenly snarled ferociously at the same time Neji snapped, "You yourself had three children out of wedlock, when you were already married!"

"Silence!"

Both teens shut their mouths, but they were visibly seething by now. Hinata had lost all traces of her timid demeanor after the slurs against her unborn child, and Neji was only getting more and more angry at the ridiculousness of the whole situation. They weren't really giving him a chance to speak, and if he dared interrupt them too blatantly, he'd be punished and still ignored.

"Comparing Hinata-sama to myself will get you nowhere, boy," Hideki growled at Neji, looking as if he were a second away from activating the curse seal. The only reason he hadn't yet was because of Hiashi's protectiveness over his nephew. "My children, born out of wedlock or not, were conceived with a member of the branch house. Thus they are legitimate members of the clan with pure, noble genes, regardless of their low status."

"Exactly," Neji jumped in, finally spotting his chance to explain properly. "It has always been acceptable for main house members to take a branch house mistress, and even pregnancy is acceptable in those relationships so long as the child is then kept a member of the branch house. I was merely pointing out that you are a perfect example of this, Hideki-sama. What Hinata-sama did is no different; the only difference is that since she is the female in this case, she is the one to actually carry the child."

Hideki was momentarily stunned into silence and Neji did an inner victory dance. The old prick hadn't seen this coming.

"A branch house courtesan?" another elder said slowly. "But Hinata-sama is a young lady. Surely that isn't appropriate..."

Neji inclined his head politely the elder's way. "I understand your thoughts. However, as a girl, Hinata-sama can be recognized as the heiress of the clan, she can be acknowledged as a shinobi, she can take over from her father and become our leader; shouldn't she also have the same rights as any male member of the main house?"

He paused for a moment, letting his words and what they meant sink in. This was where his argument was either won or lost. It all depended on how sexist the council of elders turned out to be. He wished there were more females present, but only two of the twenty in front of them had their reproductive organs on the inside instead of the out. Still, Hiashi definitely wanted Hinata to take over after him, so he would support any decision that would allow that...

Hinata didn't look up from the ground, unsure of whether or not she would be able to school her expression appropriately. What the hell was Neji thinking, implying she had some sort of branch house concubine like those assholes? Where was he going with this?

"The father is a member of the branch house?" Hideki asked almost skeptically. He shot Hinata a look, sizing her up, and obviously thinking her incapable of using her status to take a branch member to her bed. Which he was right, of course. Hinata would never use her authority for something like that. "Who is he then? We would like to question him immediately. Call him at once."

Hinata bit her lip anxiously. Hadn't Neji seen this coming? How were they supposed to get some random branch house member to pretend to be her child's father? Who would agree to that, and then likewise be able to play along with no prior warning-

"I'm right here."

The silence was deafening, and Hinata thanked Kami she had indeed chosen to keep her head down. Because her eyes were wide enough to pop, her face was red as a cherry, and she found she had a sudden inability to breathe. Had Neji just... Really?

Neji watched patiently as the stupor that had taken its hold over the entire room slowly faded. Well, if nothing else, at least he'd taken a few years off these old bastards' lives. He gently rubbed a few small circles on Hinata's back where his hand was still placed, knowing the poor girl was about to faint. Maybe he should have warned her ahead of time.

What followed was a rather heated argument over whether or not Hinata, as a girl, had the same right to 'help herself' to the branch house as the men did. As expected, Hiashi supported Hinata fully as did his usual group of blind followers. Hideki and his own group of followers vehemently denied that girls should be given the same rights when it came to sex.

Yes, Neji thought bitterly, protect the delicate, little main house flowers while you're free to practically rape any branch girl that catches your eye.

The real decision came down to those elders who actually made up their own minds, and Neji watched with bated breath. The two females, though both very old and conservative in most of their views, still had enough feminine pride to insist that Hinata should have the same rights as any male did, not buying the bullshit about protecting a woman's purity. Most of the males, it seemed, leaned in Hinata's favor as well. One of them even repeated Neji's words from earlier, saying if she could lead the clan, certainly she could sleep with whomever she wanted. And when it was finally put to a vote, Hinata's pregnancy was deemed legitimate, twelve to eight. Likewise, a delay was granted for the fight with Hanabi until she gave birth, followed by a three month grace period for her to regain her health.

As the elders filed out of the room, Hiashi said in a light tone that fooled no one, "Hinata, Neji, stay. I wish to have a word with you."

Hinata almost immediately started shaking again. How the hell was she supposed to explain this? Her father would kill her, he would tear her limb from limb, knock her head off her shoulders, throw-

"Hinata-sama."

The soft whisper brought her away from her pessimistic thoughts and she turned to look into the eyes of her cousin. How could he be so calm?

"There's nothing to fear, Hinata-sama. I'll protect you."

Hinata felt her lips part as she made a small, startled noise in the back of her throat. Neji had never directly said that to her, even if he had acquiesced that it was his duty many times. Never had he looked at her with such sincerity. Never had he been so kind to her.

"Well, I must say," Hiashi's firm voice rang out, making the girl jump a bit, "this is quite a surprise." He peered down at the teenagers in front of him, his face giving nothing away. "How long has this been going on?"

Neji glanced Hinata's way and shrugged just a bit. "I'd say about five months or so. I wasn't paying very close attention."

Hiashi's pale eyes moved to rest on his quaking daughter. "Hinata?"

"Th-th-th-th-th-th-th-" She stopped and shut her eyes, cheeks flaming. Why oh why did she have to get stuck on a word now of all times? She couldn't do this, her father would know, he'd get even angrier at being lied to, and then-

No. What was she thinking? She was Hyuuga Hinata, she never gave up, and she refused to back down to anything. Especially something so mundane as her own father. Taking a deep breath to steady herself and feeling the warmth coming from Neji's palm still resting supportingly on her back, she said, "That sounds about right, Chichiue," without the barest hint of a stutter.

Hiashi studied her a moment longer. "I see." For a moment there was silence but then he said, almost curiously, "I know for a fact that you were never ordered to Hinata's bed, Neji. I know that much about my daughter. Therefore, there is something more going on here than you two are letting on." He stared piercingly at them, unnerving even Neji a bit. "And I think I know what it is."

Hinata stiffened at the words, hands absently protecting her slightly rounded belly, eyes fixed unseeingly at a spot over her father's shoulder. She wouldn't let anyone hurt her baby. Not even him. If he somehow figured out the truth...

Neji's hand slid across the spot between her shoulder blades and she felt the tension ease away. It would be all right, she wasn't alone. Neji had helped her this far, had promised to protect her. It would be okay.

Hiashi's lips twitched for a moment, obviously withholding a smile. With something akin to a chuckle he muttered, "Yes, I see. There are worse things I suppose."

Hinata blinked. Worse than what? She was starting to think her father didn't see.

"Regardless of how this all came about, it has happened, and action needs to be taken. Pregnancy is a very vulnerable time for any woman, kunoichi included, so Hinata's safety is of the utmost importance. For a bit longer I believe there is no real worry, but soon she will be too far along to properly defend herself in any sort of attack. Once that time comes, Neji, I expect you to take a leave of absence from all missions and focus solely on her protection."

Hinata winced. Neji had only just recently made ANBU, and she knew he wanted to become a captain within the next year or so. Having to take months off duty so he could babysit her would not help him with that. In any way. There was no way he would be happy about the arrangement.

"Of course, Hiashi-sama. Hinata-sama's protection is my greatest concern."

Hiashi nodded, but added almost off-handedly, "Your child's protection should also be of concern, Neji. I would like to see my first grandchild be born healthy."

Neji's eyes narrowed just a bit and he regarded his uncle carefully before speaking. "It will only be a branch child. No one will consider it your first true grandchild."

Hiashi's lips twitched once more. "For now."

Neji and Hinata both shot each other perplexed looks. What?

"You're dismissed." They stood to leave when he called, "Actually, I think it may be best if Hinata were to move into your home with you, Neji. That way you can be with her most often."

Hinata nearly groaned out loud. Just how much did her father expect her to take advantage of her cousin's kindness? Not that he realized that's all this was.

Neji still looked unfazed. "Wouldn't that be inappropriate, Hiashi-sama?"

Hiashi laughed openly in a way that was rarely heard. "I think it's a bit late for that, don't you?"

Hinata ducked her head, a pink tinge on her cheeks, while Neji just stared. They bowed once more and left the room. And once Hinata was safely back in her own room, the door shut tight behind her and Neji eyeing her warily, she realized just how shaken by the whole ordeal she was. And promptly fainted.

~To protect what's precious~

Hinata couldn't suppress her giggle as an irate Kiba splashed Akamaru with everything he was worth, growling playfully about how his dog should respect him more. She knelt down next to the lake herself, filling the teams' canteens diligently, not flinching when Shino suddenly appeared behind her.

The quiet boy took in the scene for a moment before calling out, "Kiba, keep it down. We're getting closer to the rogue line."

The Inuzuka paused and sniffed a bit in Shino's direction. "Yeah, so?"

"So don't attract any unwanted attention."

"Ha!" Kiba scoffed, waving away Shino's concerns. "Who cares. Like any of those missing-nin are a match for us. Bring 'em on, right, Akamaru!"

As the dog yipped excitedly, Hinata smiled.

~To protect what's precious~

When Hinata woke, she was quite warm and comfortable, tucked underneath the blankets of a bed. Her bed, she realized, when her nose caught the familiar floral scents of her own bedroom. And judging by the quiet song of crickets playing outside, it was obviously still nighttime.

She sat up slowly, still a bit light-headed from passing out. In front of Neji. How humiliating. And from the looks of things, he had tucked her in before leaving, like a child. She felt unusually pathetic at the thought.

With a resigned sigh, she glanced over at the clock on her bedside table to see it was indeed three in the morning. Flipping on a small lamp to dimly light the room, she found a note leaning against its base. She knew right away who it would be from.

Hinata-sama,

I will be by tomorrow at one o'clock to help you move some things into my home. Prepare things you know you will want and need during your stay. Please remember that the arrangement is only temporary, and that you are only going across the compound. Any item you desire at a later time can be retrieved immediately.

Neji

Hinata read the note once more and frowned at it a bit. Does he really have to add 'sama' even in writing? She could also read through his polite wording. He was asking her to pack light, because in all honesty she wasn't even really moving at all, just more switching rooms. And her old room would still be there to store anything she didn't use on a daily basis.

Groaning despairingly, she brought her knees up to her chest, hugging them tightly and burying her face into them. Why was Neji doing all this? She honestly didn't understand just what was going through her genius cousin's head. Didn't he realize what all this implied? That in doing this he would be stuck as her baby's father forever, or at least until she took over as head of the clan? Why would he go through all this trouble?

She understood that it was his 'duty' to protect her, and that over the past few years he'd been taking that duty very seriously. But really, this was far beyond anything that was expected of him. To lie for her just so she could keep her status... status that in all truth, she didn't give two shits about. There was no reason for him to go so far.

When one o'clock rolled around, Neji knocked softly on Hinata's door, waiting for an answer. He had just finished some morning training with Lee and Tenten and was now starving. How was it that he still allowed sparring with Lee to go to his head like that? Honestly, the green-clad shinobi still, after all these years, had the ability to get him riled up, even if he never let it show on the outside. He'd been so involved in their fight that he didn't even realize what time it was, had forgone lunch, and then rushed back to the compound so he wouldn't keep Hinata waiting. He didn't even get a chance to wash up, so he stank of sweat and dirt and... Lee. Who interestingly enough smelled predominantly of mint.

When Neji could detect no movement from inside the room though Hinata's presence was obvious, he discreetly activated his Byakuugan, a slight smile curling at his lips. He let himself into the room, his steps making no noise as he went over to the sleeping girl on the bed. She was dressed for the day, wearing different clothes than the ones last night, so he knew she'd been up at some point. With the way she was sleeping now though, he also knew she must have been exhausted. Was being pregnant tiring? He would have to find out...

The girl on the bed stirred, eyes snapping open as soon as she realized there was someone next to her, hand moving instinctively for the kunai she kept under her pillow. After a moment she relaxed. "Niisan?"

Neji stared impassively down at her. "I apologize for letting myself in, Hinata-sama, but you didn't hear me knock."

She blinked. "Oh." They stared at each other for a moment longer when her eyes widened and memories rushed back to her. "Oh! I'm sup-pposed to move in with y-you. G-gomen, I only m-meant to rest for a m-moment. I didn't mean to fall as-sleep."

"It's quite all right," he muttered as she dashed from her bed and into her bathroom. She came out with a small bag, most likely containing her toiletries, and then went to another larger bag that he could only imagine held her clothes and some other personal items. So she had packed before her nap.

"Gomen," she said again, tucking a lock of blue/black hair behind her ear. "I'm ready."

Neji watched as she picked both bags up, eyebrows raised. Was she really going to carry that heavy thing by herself when he was right there? "Give it here," he said, taking the larger bag from her while she stuttered out a protest. "You're pregnant." Admittedly, the bag wasn't as heavy as he'd first thought, meaning she had packed light, but still.

"I'm n-not an invalid, niis-san!"

"I never said you were." He turned to start the walk to his cottage. "I said you were pregnant. Besides, it's my duty to serve you."

Hinata's teeth clenched at the words. In a very uncharacteristic move, she grabbed Neji by the arm, practically throwing the surprised boy into a wall, shoving her door closed to give them privacy from prying eyes. She watched Neji's own eyes widen in shock, clearly never having expected her to do something like that. And he was right, it wasn't really like her, but dammit, none of this was exactly normal and none of it was okay. She wanted answers and she wanted them now.

"Why are you doing this, niisan?"

He was looking at her like she'd grown a second head. "Hinata-sama? I don't-"

"You do know what I mean," she cut in immediately, not giving him the chance to finish. "Why have you been helping me like this? And don't you dare say it's your duty. You never cared this much about your duty before, and I don't believe for a moment you really care about it now. So why would you go so far? Do you even realize what it is you've done? The elders think this is your baby. They think it's a branch baby, which means you'll be forced to take responsibility for it. I'll be there as much as humanly possible, but once I give birth, so long as this charade continues, I'll be forced to move back to the main house; and I can't bring my baby with me. You'll be expected, as the branch parent, to have it live with you, and, while I have no intention of dumping my baby on the branch house to raise, I won't be able to be there all the time. Do you understand that?"

"Of course." He seemed affronted, apparently annoyed that she thought he hadn't planned it all out already. "I plan on learning how to take care of a child properly, and I have quite a few aunts in the branch house that would be more than happy to help when neither of us can be there. We can both continue our careers as shinobi, and the baby will be fine. You needn't worry."

The sound she made in response couldn't be called anything other than a growl, and it served to surprise him further. That certainly wasn't a Hinata-like sound. "You still haven't answered my question. Why are you doing all this?"

There was a long silence in which Neji carefully studied the ground, refusing to look at the frustrated girl in front of him. She was asking questions he couldn't truthfully answer. Questions he wouldn't answer. "You're my cousin, Hinata. Isn't that enough?"

It wasn't. It really wasn't anywhere near enough, but Hinata didn't pursue the issue further. First of all, Neji had just used her name without the usual added suffix, something he hadn't done since they were children. Second, even though he was obviously withholding something from her, she had heard the sincerity in his voice. His tone, the expression currently on his face, all of these things were very rare for Neji. She may not know why, but he was truly just trying to help her. She may as well accept it.

"Very well, let's get going then." She flashed him a shy smile. "I missed lunch, and I could really use a trip to Ichiraku's."

Neji watched her depart before following a respectful distance behind her, making the nearly five minute trip from one side of the large compound to the other. That had been... different. He had never known his demure, little cousin to be so forceful before. Suppressing a chuckle, he wondered if Hinata knew she hadn't stuttered during the entire conversation.

For those of you who were wondering how Neji was going to play into all of this: now you know. I'm aware I'm taking some liberties with how the Hyuuga clan works, but it's not like Kishimoto ever went into great detail about it. And throughout time, people were constantly knocking their servants or slaves up and producing illegitimate children. I just twisted it a little, taking into consideration that the branch house are still Hyuugas and Hinata is a girl. And most importantly: it's a fanfiction. I can do what I want. Now my thank yous.

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I had a bad week. Any and all reviews would seriously make my day, even if they're not good ones. I really want to know what you think, even if you hate it!