Disclaimer: Alas, earwax. It happened in my youth that I came across a vomit flavored jelly bean. So I haven't had a stomach for them since. (True story. I really did eat a vomit flavored one. It was horrible. I nearly threw up. More about the jelly bean at live journal. Shameless plug.) There is a time-skip from last chapter just so everybody knows.

VI ALEA IACTA EST (The Die is Cast)

--

VNVS MAGIS TEMPVS, NVNC ET IN HORA MORTIS NOSTRIS "One more time, now and in the hour of our death."

--

The scrolls were piled everywhere as she tried to get dressed. She started hopping up and down as she pulled on her pants, her eyes casting around wildly for her hitai-ate. She found it on a pile of dirty clothing she hadn't put in the laundry. She was running late and she knew it. A quick glance in the mirror told her that she did kind of look like a disparate person, but there was no time now to fix anything. Her hair would have to stay tied up in an off center bun and her jacket would retain it's rumpled look no matter what she did so she decided not to even try to make it more presentable.

Excitement pulsed through her veins as she exited her room and a short time later the compound, her eagerness to see him again singing out of every pore. He had been gone for a month, a very long month in which she hadn't gotten very much done because she as always worrying about him. Whispers of war were spreading through the village like wild fire and she knew that the rumors were based in truth making her even more eager to see him safe and sound. The research they had started together had floundered after he was assigned to a border patrol which was only supposed to last a week and then they were held over for another and another and she was cranky with the Hokage by the time she heard about the third renewal but now none of that mattered. He was back. He was back.

A crowd had gathered at the great gates by the time she arrived and she saw one of the men that had left with Neji that day surrounded by his family. She cast around wildly, knowing he was there, somewhere in the throng of people searching for her as desperately as she was searching for him. Every time a head of sepia hair went by she ducked and tried to see their face but every time it was someone she didn't know and didn't want; there was only one man she was searching for and he wasn't anywhere to be found.

"Where are you?" She sighed, her shoulders slumping.

"I don't know, I think I'm in Konoha, standing at the gates." A voice whispered in her ear, that beautiful voice that had been the subject of so many dreams. "Looking at the woman that loves me as much as I love her."

"You're late," Hinata giggled, spinning and wrapping her arms around his neck, not caring who saw. "I've been waiting."

"So have I. These past weeks have been torture." He whispered, pulling on her hand and leading her away from the horde and to a part of the village she had never paid much attention to.

"Where are we going?" She asked as he pulled into a building and passed a man behind a counter that didn't even acknowledge their presence as they swept by him and into a hallway lined with doors. "Is this…"

"It's a hotel. Don't worry." He said as he opened a door and swept her into his arms, carrying her into the room and lying her gently down on the futon.

"So how many girls have you brought here?" She winked at him before drawing her mouth into a pout. "I'm jealous, you know. Very jealous."

"Not that many," he leaned down and said softly in her ear. "You, and, um, you, and…"

"Let me guess, me?" Hinata grinned.

"How did you know? Are you telepathic?" His lips grazed the pale skin of her jaw. "'Cause the way you know just what I like leads me to believe that you are…"

"And if I am?" She batted her eyelashes as her hands curved to the back of his neck and pulled him down so she could kiss him. "What would you say then?"

"You are the best lover that I have ever had."

"Harrumph, you say that to every girl," she sighed, pushing him off of her. "I guess that sitting around all day every day for the last several weeks were for nothing. Neji wants a new lover. I knew that it would happen sooner or later. I was hoping for the later…"

"Minx," he hissed.

"Really?" She batted her eyelashes again as her hands came to rest on the waistline of his pants. "Am I?"

"You are a very mean woman. Do you know how many women I saw my whole time up north? None. I haven't done anything more interesting to entertain myself than sit around and contemplate just what I was going to do to you when I did return. I thought about the slow tease and the all-nighter, but right now I don't have the patience for either."

"Ooh, Neji's too big for his pants," she giggled. "I guess I can help with that problem."

"Good," he groaned. "I was hoping that you could." His hands enveloped her smaller one and he gently gave it a squeeze before he started pulling off clothing left and right. The first sacrifice was her rumpled jacket quickly followed by her white undershirt.

Not to be outdone she pulled at his shirt, not taking the time to undo it like it was supposed to be undone, the ripping sound of fabric tearing filled the room for a minute but they both ignored it. His chest was exposed to her and her nimble fingers started undoing the bandages wrapped around his chest as he started pulling on the ones covering her chest. Soon their upper torsos were both bare and heaving with deep breaths as they tried to restrain themselves from throwing their body at the other and consummating their illicit relationship once more.

Self control was taught to all Hyuga from the time they were able to crawl but in that moment neither could remember the training so painstakingly drilled into them since they were babies; all they knew is that they wanted each other and nothing was going to stand in their way. Sweaty skin slapped against sweaty skin as they wrestled to get the other's pants off. She ended up on the floor with her legs wrapped around his waist, his mouth teasing along her ear.

His hands reached behind her head and started pulling on the bun of her hair. She stuck out her tongue when he yanked it out roughly and spread her hair around her head and shoulders like a nimbus. A grin spread over his face and he gripped her hair tightly, bringing the indigo tresses to his nose.

"Beautiful," he sighed. "Never change, Hinata. Never change."

"The only time I will change is for you," she replied. "Do you want to talk or do you want to do something else? Like what you brought me here to do?"

"I think I can arrange that…"

--

The sun was still peaking behind the blinds when she awoke, sending it's defused rays over the floor, illuminating his face as he slept. All the care and worry from being gone a month had washed away in his sleep, leaving his face peaceful. The only time she saw his face like that was when he was in slumber or right as he was waking. His arm was wrapped around her waist and she slowly pried it loose so she could stand. Getting to her feet proved to be a challenge as somehow her legs had become tangled in the blanket covering them.

Tossing it aside was easier said than done she discovered with some frustration.

Finally with a low grunt she got to her feet and went over to the window, looking out to make sure that it was still the same day as the one when Neji returned. She wasn't quite sure what her father would do if she did not return but she was quite sure that he would not be magnanimous in his punishment.

With a sigh she turned away from the window and looked at the mess their clothing had made on the floor. She reached down and picked up his shirt, glancing back at him before grinning and pulling on the shirt on. It enveloped her and she couldn't see her hands at the end of the sleeves. His smell filled her nostrils and she closed her eyes wanting this moment to last forever. He stirred in his sleep and patted the empty bed beside him. She grinned and moved over to the bed, leaning down so she could kiss his bare shoulder.

"Ah," he sighed, opening his eyes and smiling at her. "What are you doing up?" He grinned as he rolled over and pulled her down on his chest. "It's too early and why are you wearing my shirt? This is a no clothes zone," he tugged on the sleeve. "Off."

"No," she grinned. "You are going to have to get used to people saying no to you."

"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow before spinning her around and pressing his weight against her. "I didn't think that you had it in you to say no to someone. I must punish you." He grinned as he leaned down and kissed her neck, allowing his teeth to graze against the sensitive skin, her back to arch in pleasure.

"I'm trying to," she gasped, "hold a civil conversation but you won't let me." Her breaths came out in ragged gasps as her hips started grinding against his. His member prodded her opening as his kisses became even deeper. The thought of the pleasure she could get clouded her thoughts but she pushed away. "Neji, no. We need to talk, not do things that make us forget everything but our lust."

"And what do we have to talk about? We rarely do so." He replied as he rolled over onto his back.

"That is what I am talking about! We never do so. It's always sex, sex, and more sex! Will we ever get to the point where we can just talk?" She growled as she hit him on the chest.

"Okay, let's talk, just talk. If that is what you want."

"Neji, I'm trying to say something important and you are over there pretending like it isn't! That is what is wrong with the male species to start with!" She moaned in frustration. "Neji, I wanted to talk to you about that thing we discussed when we first entered this relationship."

"Which thing?" He asked softly, stroking her hair. "You know that I am always willing to hear what you have to say, Hinata. I'm always here for you."

"Neji, I," she sighed and buried her face in his chest. "I want a baby."

"That's," he sighed. "That is a big deal, Hinata. I don't think that your father would be very happy if he knew that I was screwing around with his daughter. Hinata we gotta think about this one. We can't."

"We can. Neji, while you were gone I stopped my birth control."

"Why Hinata?" Neji moaned. "Do you want your father to kill me?"

"Not exactly. I want to be happy. I want to be with you forever." She pushed up on her elbow and looked him in the eyes. "Neji, you will be a great father. Look at how great a father yours was. You must have picked up some of his skills. You will be the best father ever."

"You are trying to butter me up, aren't you?" He sighed. "Can't we be together forever without your father killing me?" He pulled her tightly against his chest.

"My father wants me to marry the son of the Daimyo." She stated after a pause.

"What?! Hiashi has to be stark raving mad! Isn't he like thirty years older than you?" Neji sat up so he could look her in the eyes. "Why?"

"Dare we try to figure out what my father is thinking?" She whispered. "If we have a baby together then I can't get married to him. Please Neji. You have to help me stop this marriage. I can't marry him."

"I'll do whatever you need me to do. But we are going to talk about having a baby. That's something that we can't just do without thinking about how our lives would change with such a big decision."

"We can do that. Now that we have discussed this, we can go back to what we were doing before," she grinned.

"Ah, I don't think that I'll ever get tired of you." He grinned as he rolled back over.

--

"Tenten!" Neji yelled as he pounded on her door.

"You do know that there is a sound ordinance or something like that because of you." Tenten muttered as she opened the door and slipped outside, her hair and clothing rumpled.

"What's going on? Why aren't we going inside?" Neji frowned, peering over her shoulder. "Tenten?"

"So you are the only one that can get a new girlfriend? I can't get a new boyfriend? You are so biased, Neji. Sometimes I wonder how I put up with your pigheadedness." His teammate sighed, shaking her head. "What's up, anyway? Usually you don't come pounding on my door unless it is something important. What did you do this time? Get someone pregnant?"

"No," he glowered before sticking his lower lip out in a pout that always worked in getting her to cave. "It is something else. Something that will affect everyone living in Fire Country. Hiashi-sama wants to marry off his elder daughter to the son of the Daimyo. That man is thirty years older than her! What is he thinking?"

"Shinjimi Shigeru. Prince of Fire Country, expected to inherit the throne when his father dies, if his father dies. I should seriously think that Daimyo Shinjimi will live forever so he can deny his son the crown." Tenten mused aloud thoughtfully. "Do you think that Hiashi will actually go through with it? I mean, tainting the "pure" Hyuga blood? Even if it is with the royal family, still. I don't think that I've ever heard of this happening before."

"I don't think that I have either. What can we do to stop this? We have to Tenten," he implored her, gripping her upper arms. "Please help me stop this."

"I was wondering what is in this for me? If I help you, what will I gain? You already left me once."

"Tenten," he sighed. "I'm sorry. What else do you want me to say? I thought that we had agreed that the relationship we had entered into would not interfere with our work relationships. I thought that we agreed that it was just sex, nothing more."

"You're right, you are an idiot," Tenten sighed, a sweat drop appearing. "I think I'm going back to bed."

"Please Tenten, I need your help! You are the best at gathering information and you are also in contact with the Daimyo's family. Please, this is the last favor I will ever ask you." He pleaded.

"I'm going to regret this one day," Tenten muttered, forcing her fingers through her hair.

"No you aren't," he tried to reassure her.

"Oh yes I am but I'll do it anyway, for old times sake. But no more! You have a problem next time, you fix it yourself! Ah, I wonder how Kurayami-hime will react when I show back up at the palace. Haha, she still remembers you I'm sure." Tenten giggled as she opened the door and went back inside.

"Kurayami," Neji shuttered, remembering the Daimyo's niece's face when she was angry. "That is something that I never want to see again. Ever."

--

"Neeeeejjjjjiiiiiiii!" Hanashi called as Neji entered their bedroom. "You are in trouble."

"Oh, what now?" Neji muttered as he sat down on his bed. "Don't you ever leave this room? You are always here when I come in."

"So? This is my bedroom. You got yourself a new one, remember?"

"Yes, but I don't want to be anywhere near Hinata-sama right now. So let me sleep in piece." The Hyuga genius muttered as he buried his face in his pillow.

"Oh I could, but then you would not hear this news." Hanashi said, frowning as he held up a scroll. "A young woman came by with this not to long ago. Since I didn't know you were back, I looked at it to see if it was something that needed to be taken care of right away and it is something that needs to be taken care of right away."

"Hanashi, you being serious is scary." Neji muttered as he rose and took the scroll. "You make it sound as if it is a matter of life and death."

"I very well could be," Hanashi whispered as he watched his cousin read the scroll.

"Did you know of this?" Neji asked slowly, still trying to digest was written in the letter.

"If I had, I would have sent you word before now. It came yesterday afternoon," Hanashi said, gesturing at the rolled parchment. "I didn't think that I could get someone to deliver it to you in that time. Neji, what are you going to do?"

"Do? What can I do," he sighed, tossing the scroll aside.

"You ask your mother for advice. My mother was always a great help before she died." Hanashi shook his head. "Sometimes."

"Yes, my greatest goal in life is to admit to my mother that I'm a whore." Neji flung back at Hanashi. "What would your mother have said if she found out that you were like me?"

"She would have kicked me out of the house and demanded that I never return," Hanashi said, glancing over his friend. "Neji, you know what you have to do."

"I know what I have to do, I'm currently thinking about all the options that don't lead to that though. I never thought that I would personally have to tell my mother that I go a girl that wasn't my wife pregnant." Neji sat down on the bed and buried his face in his hands. "Better options?"

"Tell your mom and get it over with." Hanashi replied. "You know, I'm thinking about getting a monkey. What do you think? I hear that they make great pets."

"Hanashi, just die," Neji groaned as he planted his face in his pillow. "Can't you be serious once in your life? Just once? Is that too much to ask?"

"Yes." Hanashi casually walked over and picked up the scroll. "I think that I'll call it Momiji. What do you think?"

"I think that if you do, I'll feed you to the dogs. Inuzuka is always bragging about them." Neji kneaded his temples. "Or maybe have you eaten by the inside out by the kikai bugs of the Aburame clan."

"Ha, funny. Well, I'm going to go out and comparative shop for my monkey friend," Hanashi waved as he went to the door. "Sleep well."

"Ugh," Neji replied.

"Neji, you are my best friend, but the lifestyle you lead will one day kill you slowly if a disgruntled boyfriend or husband doesn't first." Hanashi looked at the hand writing on the scroll before leaving the compound and going to the meeting place that the girl had specified.

She was sitting on the bench underneath the fifth Sakura tree in the grove, the browning leaves blowing around her. Her blonde hair was obviously dyed and the proportions of her body were not that of a normal woman. She was not the type of woman that Neji usually liked so Hanashi was surprise when he saw her.

"Koen?" Hanashi called softly.

Her head raised and a smile came to her face. "Neji!" She cried, jumping to her feet and running to hug Hanashi. "Oh, Neji, I've been waiting! How long has it been since we were last together? It's been far too long," she giggled.

"I know," Hanashi sighed. If this woman believed him to be Neji, chance were she had never seen Neji before in her life and she was just using the reputation that he had gained among the women of ill repute to her own ambitions.

"I have a question for you," Hanashi batted his eyes at her as he led her back to the bench. "How far along are you? I can't seem to remember the last time we were together."

"Oh, Neji, you know. It's been almost five months," she giggled nervously.

"Really? Five months ago. Let me think what I have been doing… Five months ago I was in the territory between Fire and Sound, just like I had been for the three months before that. Then I came home almost two months later only to be sent back three more times in the time period leading to today." Hanashi looked her in the eye. "Why are you lying? What will that bring you?"

"I'm sorry," Koen sighed, looking away. "I needed someone to be the father when I thought I was pregnant. I sent that letter almost a week ago after I heard that a man name Hyuga Neji had a reputation as someone that liked the ladies."

"But you're not pregnant?" Hanashi pressed.

"No," Koen looked up at him. "Please do not take this personally. It was very stupid of me to do this. When I heard the name Hyuga I thought about that money and prestige that name brings and I thought that I could get in on it, but now I see the error of my ways."

"You are just saying that aren't you? You still want the money and prestige." Hanashi sighed, wondering once again how Neji had managed to survive with his lust for women knowing no boundaries.

"Yes! Do you need a girlfriend?" Koen tried to bat her eyelashes but failed.

"No. Koen, you are aware that the Hyuga is divided into two houses? The first house is the Main house, which has all the money. Then there is the Branch house, the one that I belong to, that serves the Main house till we break. I have no money. It is not my place to even try to rise above my station. I am perfectly content to be who I am." Hanashi informed the woman as he stood up. "Don't do this ever again if you do not want me to have you arrested."

"Neji, please, we could still be like, friends, right?" Koen cried, jumping to her feet.

"No, and my name is not Neji, its Hanashi." He called over his shoulder as he walked away. "I'm glad that's over. Now maybe I can sleep in peace."

"Liar!" He heard Koen cry as he rounded the bend in the road and her cries were lost in the wind. "This day would have been beautiful if it hadn't been for that," he sighed as he hurried back to the compound, not to tell Neji that he had taken care of his problem but to see how his friend wiggle and squirm as he tried to figure out how to deal with his problem.

The courtyard was deserted when he entered the gates, something that rarely happened in the Hyuga family so Hanashi knew something major was wrong. He entered the Main house hoping that he could hear the maids gossiping, just like they were supposed to so all the Branch house could stay informed. He was rounding a corner when he saw Hijiri and knew she would have all the information there was too know.

"Hey, Hijiri," he called, waving at her.

"Hanashi-san," she replied, bowing her head slightly before returning to her dusting.

"I didn't know that you were reduced to a maid," Hanashi frowned, looking around to see if someone important was around that she could be spying on.

She glanced up at him before raising her finger to her lips. "Shh, I'm not. I'm listening."

"To what?" He leaned against the wall, allowing his ear to press to it but all he heard was mumbling.

"Hinata-sama disappeared before supper last night and didn't reappear until lunch today. Hitoshi-sama and Hitachi-sama are questioning her. They want to know if she has found herself a lover. Personally I don't think so. It's hard to believe that the timid little Hinata-sama could pull herself together enough to look at a man let alone actually enter into a relationship with one." Hijiri's eyebrows drew together. "Do you think it could be true? It is only a week before her nineteenth birthday; I wouldn't think she would do anything to upset her father so close to it…"

"I don't know. I always thought that Hinata-sama wore a chastity belt," he muttered under his breath.

"No she doesn't. I've helped her wash her hair before. She actually has a nice body but she hides it away so no one will know," Hijiri drew her curled forefinger to her mouth. "Perhaps it is possible. But then again that would mean that she would have to find a willing man that had total disregard for the social structure of the Hyuga and nothing against being with a woman that is hands and fists above you in social station, political standing and all around wealth so maybe not."

"Oh, I think there are people," Hanashi said darkly.

"Who?" Hijiri frowned. "Are they Hyuga?"

"Some," Hanashi chuckled. "If you will excuse me, I am going to go find one of them."

"Really? Will you tell me who it is?" She called as Neji appeared at the end of the hallway, coming from the direction of the library with his arms laden with scrolls.

"Neji-kun," she said, her eyes going large. "Talk to you later, Hanashi!" She exclaimed as she followed her cousin down the hall.

"Oh dear. Neji is going to get the best punishment I can think up for making me take care of the "Koen" problem. Hope Neji is defeated to a pile of putty by Hijiri." Hanashi giggled as he turned around and went back to the branch houses.

--

Scrolls and extremely old pieces of parchment dominated the floor of her room as she picked her way across to her closet to find a clean kimono to wear to dinner.

Her conversation with her uncles had been… enlightening to say the least. They knew something was going on with her and they were trying to figure it out. If she hadn't mastered the ability to say one thing and mean another by the time she was fifteen she was sure that she would have broken under their interrogation. Hitachi had been especially shrewd in his words and she had almost slipped twice but she had caught herself in time, barely. What they truly wanted to know was beyond her but she did know that if she wasn't careful, soon she was going to reveal her illicit relationship with her cousin to men that would use it against her.

She knew that Neji wasn't going to be happy with her when he found out about the talk, his persistence that she stay away from her uncles almost drilled into her system. Neji was distrusting of anyone in the Main house that wasn't her which she always thought was silly until she realized that it was a survival method. Everyone in the Branch house used it to avoid punishment and the painful activation of their curse marks.

Everyone but Neji it seemed.

When the time was right he was perfectly willing to push anyone's buttons to the max and get away with it. That was the most unfair part in her opinion. He could say something to her father that not even she and her sister could and get away with it though now she knew that he did this when ever he thought that he was about to get in trouble. Hiashi was predictable, according to Neji. All you had to do was look out for the signs and you could be living the high life. Of course this all depended on if you knew the signs and as of late Neji had been unwilling to share them with her.

"Ungrateful bastard," she hissed as she pulled on her kimono and forced her feet into her tabi. "One would think that he would want to keep me happy but no, let's mess with Hinata's head. It is amusing."

She pulled her hair up into a simple bun and left the room, knowing that the family dinner was going to be about as fun as a funeral which is why her father didn't have them very often. Now her birthday was only one day away and on that day, traditionally, the heir's nineteenth birthday was when the Head declared the heir Head herself and stepped down though they kept their rule in the shadows if the heir was weak. She wasn't weak, but her family didn't know it. Just because she had endured her cousin's beating at her first Chunin exam and then only made Chunin the second time because her opponent had a cold didn't mean that she was weak. What they didn't know was she had taken the Jonin exam in secret and been elevated to that rank, that all news of her progress she was holding back from them. She had truly become Neji's rival for the title of strongest Hyuga, without them finding out.

The table was filled with people who Hinata would rather not see, ever, if she had a choice, but she didn't so she sat and endured. Hiashi ignored her as she sat down and instead praised Hanabi for finally mastering the third of the eight stages of the kaiten. Hinata bit her lip to keep from saying that she did that almost a year ago under Neji's strict instruction.

Hitachi continued to glace at her through the whole time, leading her to wonder just what he was going to pull out of his sleeve and throw at her to discredit her in front of the whole family. Grandmother Hanaka also was looking at her weird and Hinata knew that her brothers had told her about Hinata's disappearance last night. So when Hitachi raised his glass, the signal that he wished to speak before the Head, Hinata started twisting her kimono as tightly as she could.

"Hiashi-sama, I wish to report on a recent happening." Hitachi smiled, peering at his great niece. Hinata gritted her teeth as she waited for the accusation to come, her rebuttal on the tip of her tongue when he said, "The marriage negotiations are off. Prince Shigeru has decided that he does not wish to join himself to this family."

"He believes himself to be above the Hyuga?" Hiashi asked, a deep frown marring his brow.

"I believe so." Hitachi replied and for the briefest of seconds Hinata saw a smirk on his face, telling her that he had probably been the one that forced the negotiations to a halt and finally called them off, not Prince Shigeru.

"Then we shall withdraw our support from the capital. The Daimyo will have to find a new family to fund his wars." Hiashi proclaimed, taking a sip of his drink to signal the end of the discussion.

Hinata opened her mouth to say something but caught her uncle's stare, telling her that if she didn't keep her mouth shut her "loving" uncle would tell her father all he knew about what his elder daughter was doing, and with whom. Knowing Hitachi, he probably knew that it was Neji, when the first time was, and how many time after it had happened, something even she had lost count of. A dark glare pierced her outer defensives for a moment after which she promptly excused herself to go to the library where she wouldn't have to deal with her relatives, especially the uncle that was showing more than the attention he should have for his niece.

"What is he planning," she groaned as she looked through the stacks of scrolls for the thousandth time that week, what felt like the millionth time since she started her quest.

The floor board behind her squeaked and she spun on her heal, assuming the jūken stance with out a though.

"Very good, Hinata-sama," Hitachi grinned like a fox that had finally caught his prey. "Very good."

"What do you want?" She hissed, her eyes wildly searching the room for a place where she could escape from him. "What are you planning? The marriage contracts where already signed."

"Oh, the prince had a sudden change of heart. He decided that he didn't want a whore for a wife," Hitachi looked her over thoughtfully.

"What are you saying?" She hissed, instinctively covering her body from his gaze with her hands.

"You have been a bad girl, Hinata-sama. A very bad girl. If you had chosen a lover of the Main house I would have over looked what you are doing, but now that we know it is Branch house slime, there is nothing I can do. If only you had come to me when this all started. I could have helped." Hitachi said with a sad look on his face, slowly advancing on her.

"Helped how?" She started backing up until she hit the bookshelf behind her, her eyes wide with fear that he might do something to her. "Helped me by doing it yourself?"

"Oh, no. My ambitions do not lie with bedding you, Hinata. I want," he whispered in her ear, "to be the Head of this clan, and I will use what ever means are necessary."

"You are mad!" Hinata cried, her hand coming to grip a scroll. With no thought, she yanked it out and hit him in the head with it. His eyes went wide with impact and then they glassed over, a weird gargling noise coming from his throat as he fell to the ground with a thud.

"Just wait and see, uncle. Your ambitions will be your downfall," she gasped as the adrenaline started to recede and her limbs started feeling like jelly. "I will stop you," she sighed as her legs gave way and she sat down next to him with a thump. "With what ever means are necessary. I will make sure that you never get what you want most.

A burst of hysterical giggles erupted from her mouth and she clamped her hands over it so no servant would come in to see what was wrong with her to see a council member on the floor next to her, clearly knocked out. Another laughing fit went through her body and she dropped the scroll she had used to smack her uncle, but it didn't roll away, it fell to the floor with a bang and stayed there. This sobered her up and soon she was trying to read it but it was written in the same annoying backwards way her ancestor Hinata's diary read.

"So I managed to find another one, huh? Just my luck," she sighed, placing the scroll on her lap. "Why can't it just be clear? What was she hiding that was sooo important that she had to write in such a backward manner? I know she found out about the curse," Hinata shook her head, looking at it again. "But this is ridiculous. Except," she muttered, finding one paragraph at the end that was written normally.

If you are reading this, you have found a scroll that contains secrets that my family has tried to hide away. Dear prodigy, this is what you have been looking for if you have already found my journal and you wish to read it. The key is my name, Hinata.

"Hinata," she said, her eyes lighting up. "Yes, it does make sense. Hinata," she giggled, jumping to her feet. "Thank you, ancestor Hinata," she whispered into the wind clenching the scroll to her chest. "This is exactly what I needed…"

--

"Hinata."

"Mother?" Hinata whispered, turning around to see Hiromi standing there, the rot from being buried fourteen years ago set in. "Mother! What happened?!"

"Be wary, Hinata." Hiromi whispered before turning and walking away.

"Be wary of what?" Hinata yelled back. "Mother! Come back! Please tell me what you mean!" She sobbed, turning around wildly to see her uncle standing there.

"You have been a very bad girl, Hinata-sama." Hitachi smiled evilly.

"What is happening?" Hinata whispered as the smoky void they had been standing in turned into the interrogation chamber he had force her into earlier that week. She felt a chair beneath her and her hand was resting on a table, but she didn't know how any of this was happening. "Am I losing my mind?"

"What do you have to say for yourself?" Hitoshi said from the other side of the table.

"You are the Heiress, Hinata. We cannot have you doing these things." Hitachi said.

"If you will not act like the Heiress, we will be forced to tell your father what we know."

"And what do you know?" Hinata growled, not sure what was going on. The room was the same as the other day and Hitachi and Hitoshi were saying the same things but there was something wrong. She didn't know what it was but she knew that she couldn't be awake.

Paradoxical thoughts hit her that you couldn't think logically in dreams since those parts of the brain are shut off; but somehow none of this could be real, as real as it did seem.

"…We are willing to over look the man you chose if you go along with the plan to marry Shigeru." Hitoshi looked at her before turning to his brother. "You speak with her. I need to go."

"Of course." Hitachi nodded his head and watched his brother leave before a smirk spread across his face. "Hinata-sama," he spoke the title as if it left a bad taste in his mouth. "You are privileged to have been born a Hyuga. You were not only born a Hyuga, you were born the heir. No position in our family is higher and yet you act as if it is something that you play with. Perhaps it is time for me to make you understand your position."

"I think it is you that doesn't understand," she spoke even though she knew with every fiber of her being that she had not spoken back to her uncle the first time. "It is my body, my life, my title. You are the one that does not understand."

"You go too far," Hitachi's eyes narrowed. "How dare you speak back to a member of the council, your elder?"

"One day, uncle, you will understand," she whispered as he came around the table and gripped her shoulder.

"Oh, no, Hinata. You are the one that doesn't understand. No anything. Allow me to enlighten you…" Hitachi grinned as he tore the fabric of her shirt open.

"NO!" She cried, trying to force him away only to discover that her arms would not move like she told them to, her legs wouldn't even budge a toe to stop him from his attack and the most devastating part was her voice would not be heard by anyone in the house. Screams for help were always ignored, especially when they came from a room like this one, one that was used only for liaisons between a Main house male and a Branch female. The man was never punished in a situation like this but the woman, if caught with him, had her curse activated for five minutes, and if that punishment wasn't bad enough, if she became pregnant by the unwilling encounter, she and the child were stripped of the title Hyuga and forced onto the streets.

"No!" She screamed again, knowing that this never happened, wanting to know why she was dreaming it was happening. Her mother's earlier warning came back to her and she found the strength to fight back tooth and nail until they were both battered and bruised.

"You think you have won, Hinata-sama, but you have not! I have prevailed." Hitachi laughed pointing at her stomach.

Her eyes went wide when she saw it, swollen and distended. "No!" She yelled.

--

"NO!" She yelled bolting upright in bed.

"Hinata?" Neji groaned from beside her. "What time is it?" He raised his head to glance at the clock and instead saw the Hyuga heiress running out the door. "Hinata! What are you doing? You aren't wearing clothing," he groaned, casting around for his pants. He saw them under her shirt. He quickly pulled them on and followed her out the door to the bathroom.

"Hinata?" He whispered, going over to where she was huddled in the bathtub, the water running scalding hot. He reached down and turned it off before asking, "What's the matter?" He placed his hand on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "Please tell me?"

"Why do they all hate me?" She sobbed, clenching her knees to her chest even tighter. "Why do my father, and my uncles and my grandmother and my sister and my aunts and my cousins and my relatives that I'm not sure how I'm related to them hate me?"

"They don't hate you, Hinata. No one hates you," he sighed, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. "I don't hate you."

"You're sleeping with me. You are required to half way like me." She raised her head to look him in the eyes. "You do like me right and not just the sex? You don't wish I was dead."

"I would never wish you dead," he whispered, kissing her temple.

"But you tried to kill me. You almost did. You hate me too." She wept.

"Hinata, Hinata, Hinata," he said over and over. "If I hated you would I tell you that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you? Would I willingly bow down to your wanting to have a baby? Would I dream of the child, wishing they were just like you? Would I come in here and wipe away your tears?" He gently traced a tear track before gently kissing her lips. "Do you still think I hate you?"

"Why would you want a woman like me? I don't deserve you."

"No, Hinata. It is me who doesn't deserve you. I still can't get over the wonder that you were willing to see me as something more than just expendable. You love me as a woman should love a man, not as a lowly servant. You are the one that saved me from myself. You are my savior. Thank you, Hinata. Thank you."

"Neji, stop buttering me up," she cried, burying her face in his shoulder.

"What do you want me to do?" He chuckled.

"Love me," she sighed. "Just love me."

"I think I can do that." He replied. "In fact, I know I can." He ran his fingers through her hair. "Now, are you going to tell me what is going on?" He whispered pulling her out of the bath gently and drying her off.

"I had a nightmare," she sighed as he started kissing her leg after he dried it off.

"About what?" He glanced up at her as he repeated his actions on her other leg.

"Hitachi."

He drew back and looked at her with a concerned look. "Why him?"

"The dream started off with my mother. She told me to be wary," she said slowly. "She, she was, was, a corpse. Her skin was falling away from her face. She, she, she is dead. Why did she appear in my dream?"

"I don't know," he sighed, pulling her down onto his lap. "I don't understand this either. Did something happen with Hitachi yesterday? Did he say something that would upset you?"

"I saw him in the library," she whispered, burying her face in his shoulder. "He knows, Neji. He knows what we are doing. He is perfectly willing to use it against us, too. He told me that he broke off the marriage with Shigeru because of this."

"The marriage with Shigeru is off?" Neji's eyes widened. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Was it important?" She sniffled.

"He was trying to take you away from me. Of course something like that would have been important." His arms tightened around her. "We need to talk about your dream though. It is always best to talk to someone about something upsetting."

"I said things that I would never say and yet they came out of my mouth as if they were the most natural things for me to say," she gasped, remembering that she had acknowledged the fact she was sleeping with Neji to her uncle and then told him to butt out of it because it was none of his business.

"I'm sure that it wasn't that bad," he tried to reassure in a whisper, kissing her cheek.

"Do you think that I am losing my mind?" She sighed, pushing away from him.

"Yes," he replied, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing it. "Every piece that was ever in there is lost. We will have to find it…" He chuckled as he started kissing the sensitive skin of her shoulder and then her neck, making his way up to the skin behind her ear.

"You really think me crazy?" She murmured sadly.

"No, what I think is that it is your birthday and we shouldn't even be thinking about this. I haven't even given you your birthday present yet," he laughed, shifting her so she was bridal style in his arms as he stood.

"What is it?" She giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"If I told you now, it wouldn't be a surprise." He grinned.

--

"Should I leave my hair down?" Hinata asked as she sat in front of her vanity, only a towel wrapped around her lithe body.

"You already know what my answer is going to be so why did you ask?" Neji muttered from behind her as he came over and placed his hands on her shoulders. "No."

"Predictable," she made a face at him in the mirror and he made a face back. She picked up her hair brush and started running it though her hair.

"I know that I am," he grinned.

"So did you get me anything else for my birthday?" She asked.

"Maybe," he said.

"What?" She tilted her head to the right so she could look up at him. "I'm not telepathic."

"Are you sure?" He whispered in her ear.

"Very sure," she murmured as she felt his hot breath on her neck. "What are you doing?"

"Wondering how long it would take me to convince your father that you should be mine," he said.

"I don't think that that will ever happen." She sighed, getting up so she could dress.

"I think it could," he grinned, gripping her arm and spinning her around. "Don't you want me?"

"Yes."

"Then what is the problem?" He muttered as he gently pushed her against the wall and started oscillating his hips against hers.

"I think that we have already had three too many happy birthday romps," she whispered.

"I don't think that is true, but if you don't want me to anymore, I guess I'll just have to give you this," he said, holding out his palm. A small box rested on it and she took it.

"Do I get to open this now?" She asked, taking the package.

"Of course," he nodded.

"Do I get to guess what it is?" She questioned softly, pulling at the wrappings to reveal a small white box. She pulled the lid off slowly to reveal a delicate looking umeblossom necklace. "It's beautiful. Thank you."

"I got it just before I went up north. I thought you would like it." He grinned as he took it out of the box and placed it around her neck. "And your father will never ask where it came from because it will stay hidden near your heart, just like me."

"Neji, it's beautiful. Thank you," she grinned, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him. "I'll treasure it always. I'll never take it off."

"I was kinda hoping that you would say that," he smiled. "I'll see you later, right?"

"Of course," she winked at him. "You can comfort me after I have dinner with my crazy family."

"Hopefully I'm not one of the crazy ones," he smirked.

"Go, I need to get dressed," she giggled. He stuck his tongue out at her before leaving the room. Her hand went to the pendant on the necklace, a smile growing on her face. No matter what her father and uncles said at dinner that day she would have Neji close to her heart, making everything perfect.

--

The threat of snow hung in the air but other than that the day was perfect. The sun peeked through the clouds every now and again, bathing the world with its brilliance, warming her. She pushed her scarf away from her nose and mouth so she could see her breath, something that always made her giggle.

"You're really weird, Hinata." Kiba muttered from beside her.

"My insanity keeps me from going crazy," she giggled.

"She's not weird, Kiba-kun. You are." Shiri said from across the table.

"Kiba, you do realize that you are out numbered," Kurenai said as she took a sip of tea.

"Yeah? That's why Akamaru is here! He's a guy and he can withstand all these girls." Kiba stuck out his tongue.

Hinata sat back and watched with some amusement as Shiri stood and tackled her brother's teammate and held her own against him.

"Do you have anything special going on today, Hinata?" Kurenai asked, her two tone eyes watching Shiri triumphantly sit on Kiba's chest amid his protests.

"Only a family dinner," the birthday girl sighed. "And you know how those go. Long, boring, tempers flaring, food sometimes flying... I almost wish I could get out of it but I know that I can't. It's my nineteenth birthday."

"Next year you won't have to worry about it." Kurenai studied her former student before asking, "Has your father said anything about you becoming Head?"

"No, but that's just my father. He doesn't talk about anything," Hinata sighed. "I think the last time I actually spoke with him I was seven or eight. I told him that I was happy he was my father, and in reply he told me I was lucky that I was his child. Back then I didn't realize that he meant that if I had been born anyone else in the family, I would have been a Branch member at birth and forgotten."

"You can't know that Hinata." Kurenai's brows drew together. "Your father loves you, in his own way. He just doesn't know how to express his love."

"If he loves me…" Hinata trailed off. "I don't think he does. He never has. It is something that I realized a long time ago. I have learned to deal with it."

"Hinata."

"What else can I do?" Hinata said. "I don't want to talk about this right now. It's my birthday. I want have at least a little time away from my family.

"I understand." Kurenai smiled sadly, wishing there was something she could do for her former student. "Damn Hyuga law," she hissed under her breath.

"Shiri-chan, if you don't stop, you might suffocate him!" Hinata laughed as she saw her young friend's arms wrapped around Kiba's neck. "Though if he can't breathe that would mean that he would be quiet for once."

"Hinata!" Kiba gasped out.

"You know, you have matured a lot since I met you," Kurenai smiled as she handed her student an envelope. "I figured that you might be needing it."

"What?" Hinata raised an eyebrow as she opened it. Inside was two all day passes to the hot springs resort.

"I thought that you might want to spruce yourself up," Kurenai said. "You know. For when you get a boyfriend."

"Yes. He'll come along when I'm eighty by the way my father acts," Hinata said dryly.

Kurenai chuckled before calling, "Shiri-chan, Kiba, weren't you going to give Hinata presents? It is her birthday."

"Yeah! Open mine first! It's better than Kiba's!" Shiri yelled, grabbing her present and handing it to Hinata. "It's from our whole family. Mom, Dad, and me."

"I'm sure that it will be better than Kiba's. Last year he got me a flea collar." Hinata chuckled as she tore open the package to reveal a photograph of a flower. Upon closer inspection she saw that it was a large moonflower that was just opening as the moon's rays hit it, tiny drops of dew clinging to its petals.

"Shiri-chan, it's beautiful. Thank you," Hinata whispered.

"I saw it and thought that it would have been the gift Shino would have gotten you," the younger girl said softly. "When Mom saw it she agreed."

"Shiri-chan," Hinata said, rising and going over to the girl so she could give her a hug. "I love it. And you're right. Shino would have picked the exact same thing."

"Okay, I hate depressing moments." Kiba said after a moment's pause. "I swear that this year's gift is better. Hana helped me pick it out."

"Well if you got feminine input this time…" Hinata rolled her eyes as she opened the small package. She could tell that Hana had also been the one to wrap it since last year's and all the years before that had never been wrapped so neat. Pale blue paper fell away to reveal a small white box. She sucked in her breath when she opened the lid and saw a necklace exactly the same as the one Neji had given her that morning.

"Kiba-kun," she whispered.

"I know, not like last year's gift. Here, let me help you put it on," Kiba grinned taking it out of the box and moving to put it around her neck. "You already have a necklace on; do you want me to take it off?"

"I," she bit her lower lip. "Where did you get it?"

"That little pawn shop, you know the old dude that sells everything for ten times the price anywhere else. Hana seemed to think that he sells the best jewelry. Funny thing is we saw Neji in there at the same time. He was buying a necklace like this and Hana said that it would be the one that any girl would want. She said he had good taste. I only hope the girl he had snowed this time has good enough sense to break it off with him. He's bad news no matter how much I respect his abilities."

"Kiba-kun, I don't think that I can wear your necklace to my family's dinner. I would not want to taint it in such a way," she said, swallowing hard, trying to hide her surprise.

"Oh, okay. Just as long as you wear it on a date with me," he joked as he returned it to it's box.

"Sure," she tried to smile but failed. "I need to be getting home."

"Hey, I'll help you carry your presents." Kiba grinned as he collected Shiri's gift in his arms.

"Shiri, be a good girl," Hinata said as she hugged her. "I'm always here if you need me."

"Thanks Hinata-san," Shiri grinned.

"Take care, Hinata," Kurenai whispered as she drew her favorite student into her arms.

"I will, Kurenai-sensei," Hinata nodded. "See you later," she called, waving as she and Kiba started their trek back to the Hyuga Compound.

"Say, Hinata, I'll see you tomorrow?" Kiba asked as they stopped at the gates.

"Yes," she nodded, taking her gifts from him. "Thank you, Kiba-kun."

"Don't mention it," he laughed. "Bye."

"Goodbye." As the word left her mouth she felt a sense of foreboding, telling her that as soon as she entered the compound her life wouldn't be the same ever again.

--

Hinata stood near the door to the dinning room, all those who are gathered there weren't there to celebrate her birthday but watch her become a bumbling idiot, she was sure. The nineteenth birthday of the heir was the day when the Head became the former head but so far her father hadn't said a word about it to her. She had known since she was a small child that her father had never liked her and disliked the naturally meek disposition she had inherited from her mother, but she didn't think that he would actually cut her off. Hiashi was a stern father, but he was also a man of principles and when something was written in the laws he would uphold them even if it meant that he would have to brand his own nephew.

She took a deep breath and entered the room, ignoring the glances, snickers, and less than polite comments as she took her seat next to her father, just like the heir was supposed to. Hanabi was seated on his left and by the smirk on her face as she sat across from her sister she knew that something big was going to happen, and it wouldn't be good for her.

"Father," Hinata said as he sat, the overwhelming urge to run away hitting her full force. She wasn't sure where these emotions where coming from but she almost gave into them, her hand posed on the table to push her to her feet when she bit the inside of her cheek. The feeling retreated as soon as she tasted the coppery blood on her tongue and she knew that someone was trying to use genjutsu on her.

"Father, why this pretense?" Hinata looked around at the hostile faces, knowing that it was finally the end for her. Her reign as heir was over on the day she should have become Head. It would have been funny if it hadn't been so serious she decided. "Stop pretending. Tell me what is going on."

"Hinata," Hiashi looked his elder daughter in the face for the first time in a long time. "I declare a secession battle."

Hinata stared at her father in shock. A secession battle? That ancient method of deciding a successor hadn't been used in almost eighty years, so why now? Was Hanabi that mighty in his eyes that he couldn't see his elder daughter's worth?

"I see," Hinata whispered. "When will it take place?"

"As soon as you have changed," Hiashi said, standing. The rest around the table also stood, Hanabi's grin haunting her as she was left in the room with her grandmother and great-aunt.

"Come, Hinata," Hanaka ordered.

Hinata sat immobile, the tapestry on the wall across from her depicting the same battle that she would soon fight, the winner in it having killed the other contender. "Do you wish for my death as well, Grandmother?"

"Do you believe that Hanabi is so much stronger than you that she will kill you?" Hanaka asked as she pulled her granddaughter to her feet and out the door.

"Even if Hanabi does not kill me, I will still be dead. My name will be erased from the family records; I will become another servant, one whose name and life are easily forgotten." Hinata said as she was pulled into a small room off from the dojo.

Hanaka and Hotaru made quick work of removing the silk kimono she was wearing for her birthday feast, replacing it with a pair of stretch pants and a jacket, her ninja sandals by the door.

"If you do not wish to die, fight, Hinata," Hanaka said after a while, surprising her granddaughter. "No matter what they say, you have the blood of the original Hyuga in your veins, the unbroken Royal line has lasted for thousands of years and you are part of that line. You have the strongest Hyuga blood flowing through your veins; it is what you decide to do with it that will choose your fate."

"Grandmother?" Hinata said in astonishment.

"Your sister is strong and a good fighter, but she does not have the patience that you do. Watch her, feel her movements. If you do this, you will win," Hanaka said, tying her hair back.

"Thank you, Grandmother." Hinata said, taking a deep breath. "I am ready now."

"Hinata," Hanaka said as she went out the door, "I am proud of you."

"Grandmother," Hinata bowed her head. "I am honored."

Hanaka inclined her head and Hinata walked out of the room and into the dojo, ready to face her fate, what ever it might bring.

Many Main house members were seated in the arena, the sides clearly drawn-in Hanabi's favor. There was only a hand full of people on her side, the purists that wanted the family to say the same, no matter what political storm they would have to weather to have their way. Her father stood behind Hanabi, his face expressionless but Hinata could see in his eyes the desire for his elder daughter to lose the match-and the title-so he could be assured that the strongest blood was the next heir.

"The battle is simple," Hiashi declared as the sisters came to the middle of the ring. "The first one to submit, either by withdrawing, or by death, is the winner. May the best Hyuga win."

"Sorry, sis," Hanabi said as they waited for their father to give the signal for them to start. "I know you've always been like a mother to me, but you aren't cut out to be the Head. You should withdraw before this battle starts."

"What, you don't have confidence in my abilities?" Hinata frowned.

"Of course I do, I just know that I am better than you." Hanabi grinned as the signal was given.

Hanabi struck fast and low to her right side, the veins around her eyes budging as she activated her kekkei genkai, looking for chakra points to close.

But Hinata was faster, having fought her sister many times over the years so she knew where she would strike first, where she always did, on the right side because she had trouble with judging distance on her left side.

Hinata blocked the attack as she jumped back slightly, just out of Hanabi's reach. Her own Byakugan activated as she moved forward experimentally to see how much ground her sister would give her.

Not much, she discovered as she was drawn into a sparing match.

Left block, right strike, parry low, swing high…

The motions repeated themselves so many times that Hinata lost count of them, all she knew was her own ragged breathing; and that of her sister. Hanabi started to weary after the seventh squabble they engaged in and Hinata finally started allowing herself some breathing room.

Hanabi was good, yes, but Hinata knew she was better.

Younger sister started to be driven back by older sister until they were on the edge of the mats, the family members who had gathered to watch the battle only feet away.

Hinata continued to hold her own against her sister even when Hanabi's desperation got to the point where she started using dirty tactics, such as using a knee and elbow as weapons. Such things were strictly forbidden in a battle such as this one but Hanabi was never called on it and Hinata knew if she started using the same tactics she would.

The double standard that her family held her to was almost laughable to her and at one point during the battle she did let out a chuckle at the ridiculousness of it. Why were they, sisters that were as close as sisters could be, fighting each other in a life or death duel? It made little sense to Hinata as she jumped out of the way of Hanabi's kick.

Very little of her life made sense she discovered in that moment. Who were the Hyuga to believe that they held a high position? Once a very long time ago they had proven that they were worthy of it, but now, they only clung to that memory, the power and strength of those long gone people only seen in faint whispers now.

Neji was the closest to the original Hyuga as had been produced since the very first Hyuga and he was very likely to be the last of such power if the Hyuga continued down their self appointed road to destruction.

"Stop this, Hanabi!" Hinata cried. "Don't you see what they are doing? They are trying to destroy our family!"

"Stop trying to confuse me!" Hanabi yelled back. "I know what I want and you can't keep me from it! I will be the Head of the Hyuga!" She growled as Hinata landed a blow on her side.

"Hanabi, this is madness!" Hinata screamed as Hanabi's foot came into contact with her knee after she couldn't quite get out of the way. "Sister against sister like this? What has the Hyuga name been reduced to? Are we a pack of wild wolves?"

"I don't care what you are talking about!" Hanabi yelled. "I will prevail! I will be Head!"

Hinata stared her sister in the eyes, seeing the slight stirrings of madness in them. "Then take it," she whispered, taking a step back as she slowly raised her hands in defeat as she knelt. "Take the title you so long for. Just stay my little sister. Don't give into your hate."

"Hinata-sama has backed down!" A voice cried.

"Hanabi-sama will be the new Head!" Another joined in.

"Hiashi, what do you say?" Hitachi asked calmly as the Hyuga Head stood.

"The winner is…Hanabi." Hiashi said with pride, nodding at his younger daughter as she stood over her older sister.

"Sorry, Hinata." Hanabi gave a grin. "I just want this more than you do."

"You can have it then." Hinata hissed in anger at her clan as her sister was lead away by their grinning father. "I have something that will make your rule into nothing. The curse will be no more."

"Hinata! Why did you do that?" Neji softly cried from her side, slowly helping her to her feet.

"Neji, I have decided something. Do you want to hear what?" Hinata said, gripping his wrist. "How much do you want this to be gone?"

"What are you talking about?" Neji asked, looking around to make sure that no one was close enough to see the two of them talking.

"How much would you sacrifice for this clan?" She whispered, staring into his eyes.

"Honestly? Nothing," he shook his head. "What does this have to do with what just happened?"

"He is dangerous, Neji. Look out for him," Hinata whispered, nodding toward Hitachi who was making his way toward them. A chill ran down her spine at the sight of him and a sense of foreboding overcame her.

"Hitachi?" Neji muttered, his brows drawing together thoughtfully. "My mother told me something interesting about him once. He apparently told Hotaru-san's father that he was going to marry his daughter whether Hotaru wanted it or not. Hotaru's father was a member of the council and had no male heir so Hitachi couldn't have picked a better bride. Name, position, power; he gained it all with his marriage."

"Not to mention he was saved from the branch house because of his lucky marriage," she sighed. "We have to look out for Hanabi. We have to keep her away from him until everything can be sorted out. We cannot allow him to tear our family apart."

"How will you do that?" Neji questioned.

"You'll see. Trust me, you'll see," she said as Hitachi came over and touched her arm.

"It seems that we have a lot to talk about, Hinata." Her uncle grinned, leading her away.

"What do you want?" She sighed as he led her into a deserted room.

"What do you think about Hanabi-sama becoming the new head?"

"I don't care. My father has made it clear from the very beginning that he wanted her to succeed him in the first place. My only hope is that Hanabi can keep her head when faced with the challenges of being the Hyuga head at such a young age."

"You will be branded. Does this not upset you? You have been against the curse mark for almost three years now. What will you do when you wear it yourself?" Hitachi laid his hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I could help you," he whispered in her ear. "I could place you on the throne if you cooperate with me."

"What would a man such as you, married and part of the council, want with me, a girl that now has nothing? I am now just Hiashi's other daughter, the one he forsook for his younger one." Hinata said in a guarded tone, not liking the way Hitachi was talking to her, it reminded her too much of her nightmare from the night before and what he had said to her in the library.

"You could have a position that is higher than the one you just lost," Hitachi hissed in her ear.

"I refuse." Hinata bit out.

"Then you are a fool. Watch your back, Hinata. I'll be coming for you soon." Hitachi's eyes narrowed as he turned and left the room, leaving behind a heavy atmosphere.

"Do I dare ask what that might be?" She whispered as she slipped her hand into her pocket and felt something there. She withdrew her hand slowly, Kiba's necklace resting in the palm of her hand. She stared at it long and hard, wondering how it got there.

"You and Shino were always helping me be better than I was, you always believed in me even when I didn't believe in myself. Soon, the changes that this clan needs will come. Soon, there will no longer be two houses. Soon, there will only be Hyuga." She declared as she put the necklace back into her pocket. "I have a lot to do first, though. Wish me luck."

Her grim words followed her out of the room and she felt the power of the Hyuga pressing down upon her, but she refused to bow to it. She might not have been the favored daughter and she might have been weak as a child, but in the end she knew that she would be the one that would save the Hyuga. No matter what her father, uncles and even sister said, she was the one that was born into that position, she was the one that would save them from ruin, she was the true Hyuga Head.

A humorless chuckle escaped her mouth, the knowledge that waited to be unlocked in the scroll she had so painstakingly gathered only needed to be translated now and she knew that she could do it before Hanabi's coronation. The ultimate irony about it all was Hanabi's almost over the top need to be Head would be wiped out with Hinata's plan and as the elder daughter pondered her next move, she realized that she didn't care. The Hyuga would return to the way they were originally supposed to be, and that was all that mattered to her. When she was through, the curse would be no more.

--

Finis Incipient, the story continues in One Last Time and then Forsaken.