Shimi-chan: I lied. I didn't start this right after finishing chapter seventeen. I was going to...but then my brother walked in and made me go to sleep. So I did. Oh well...

IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ: Does anyone know how to say Mother and Father in japanese? I kinda know...but I'm not entirely sure. I've see Okaasan, Oka-san, Okasan, and Kaasan for mother and Tousan, Otousan, Otou-sama, and more for father. Please tell me, I need it for a new fic I'm working on! It'll be SasuHina...to make up for this, you could say. And don't tell me unless you're sure. I was going to post my new story along with this chapter, but I want to be clear on that first...

Anyway, here you go.

Chapter Eighteen:

For some reason, she'd assumed this was over. After all, she'd slept with Itachi, agreed to marry him, basically given up her would-be life in favor of the one he had to offer...but she'd forgotten that she'd eventually have to go back. Strangely enough, she'd assumed that they would stay here forever...never considered how preposterous that idea was...but now, two days after her interrupted wedding, as she sat up staring at her surroundings she came to a realization...

They couldn't stay here.

The others were probably already worried sick about them. And there was no doubt in her mind that her father was probably furious at her. Even though she'd done nothing but get kidnapped...eh, unless you counted the personal, physical, spiritual, and overall general ties she now held with her captor.

Point being, their time was up. She dreaded the idea of explaining all this to everyone, especially Sasuke, but it had to be done...

"Itachi," she whispered softly, poking gently at his sides to rouse him.

Well, she got pretty close to poking him, but his hand caught hers before she had the chance to touch him. She yelped in her surprise, which caused Itachi to groan and bury his head deeper into his pillow.

"Dammit, you're so loud...what the hell do you want?"

"...I..."

Itachi sighed, yanking hard on her hand so she fell forward to land on his chest. His arm lowered to her waist to prevent her escape...which was a wasted effort at this point. She wasn't going anywhere, and they both knew it.

"What do you want?" he asked again, sounding a little less irked.

Though just a little bit.

"Itachi…we can't stay here forever..."

She regretted bringing it up instantly when she felt him tense beside her, the arm at her waist tightening to an almost painful degree. But she didn't dare say anything else, instead choosing to wait for him to speak.

Finally, he sighed, bringing his free hand up to run it through his hair. "I know."

She detangled herself from him and stood up from the bed, holding a sheet up to cover her still naked body. She could feel him staring at her, and though she tried to ignore it, she couldn't help the blush that rose to her face.

"You...You should g-get dressed too..."

Hinata didn't look at him to see if he'd complied, opting for gathering her clothes. Somehow they'd all ended up in very different places...which let her know that Itachi had a good throwing arm.

Oh God, what was she doing here? Now she had to go back to her family and explain all of this...and she'd agreed to marry Itachi! What had she been thinking?! She couldn't...she just couldn't...she was practically already married to Sasuke. God, Neji would be so disappointed in her...she didn't know if she could bear to see the look on his face when he found out, or anyone else's for that matter. And she could already hear her father yelling at her...she was so stupid...

Hinata felt tears stinging the corners of her eyes when she finally laced her dress up. She couldn't take this anymore. Why couldn't she just disappear under a rock for a while, no Sasuke, no Neji, no Hizashi...

No Itachi.

She brought her trembling hand up to her face, tentatively touching her cheek to feel the wetness there. Did she really love him so much?

"Hinata."

She wiped at her eyes quickly before he could see. The last thing she needed right now was for him to get mad at her. She tried smiling before she turned to face him.

"Y-yes?"

He was staring at her seriously, causing her smile to falter. He knew she was faking it, she could tell. Her smile dropped, replaced by a quivering frown.

"I-Itachi...w-we shouldn't h-have...f-f-father, S-Sasuke...N-N-Neji...th-th-they...I-I'm s-s-sorry..."

She gave a strangled sob, powerless now against the onslaught of tears that assaulted her. She buried her face in her hands, crying her heart out, half-expecting for Itachi to leave or reprimand her or some such thing. She felt his approach but she couldn't quell her sobs even knowing that Itachi was probably mad at her now. In fact, that made her cry more. Through her fingers and tears, she saw the blurred image of Itachi lifting his hand and she flinched.

But instead of hitting her like she'd half-expected, he placed his hand on the back of her neck and pulled her to his shoulder. The action was so unexpected from him that her sorrow only multiplied in knowing that this wasn't right and it couldn't last. Even so, she ended up wrapping her arms around his neck to steady herself.

She blubbered, "W-w-w-we shouldn't h-have d-d-done this...th-they're g-going to b-b-be s-s-so d-disappointed in m-me..."

"For what?" he growled, "Who cares what they think?"

"...W-we shouldn't h-have...I w-was supposed t-to marry--"

"Shut up. They don't matter anymore."

"Th-they d-d-do to m-me..."

He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her away slowly so he could look at her. "I'm the only thing that should matter to you."

"I-Itachi..."

"You said you'd marry me. I'm not letting you go anymore, Hinata."

She lowered her head, shaking with held-back tears. "Itachi...I c-can't..."

"Yes, you can. You will."

She brought her hands over his and tried to pry them off her shoulders, but he wouldn't budge.

"Hinata, look at me."

She looked up shyly.

He brought his head down and touched his forehead to hers. "You're mine."

Despair showed clearly on her face. "I...I c-can't be, Itachi...Th-they'll...th-they won't l-let us..."

"Dammit, Hinata, forget about them! What do you want?"

She blinked. Not many people asked her that question...and even the few that did only pertained to small decisions. Right now, he was doing something that had never been done. He was putting her life in her own hands.

"I...I d-don't--"

"Yes, you do know. Tell me, Hinata, what do you want?"

She flushed, embarrassed, "I want you."

There. She did it. A full sentence, no stuttering no pausing. Mission accomplished. And when she saw Itachi's eyes actually soften and the unmistakable twitch of his lips upward, she knew she'd done it in more ways than one.

He pulled her back into his arms. "Good."

--

"I see them! I see them! Onee-chan's back!"

Hiashi, Fugaku, Mikoto, Sasuke, and Neji were all sitting around in the living room, discussing the tragedy at hand when Hanabi's shouts had interrupted them. They all shot each other hopeful looks before sprinting into action and rushing to the window to see for themselves. And sure enough, there were Itachi and Hinata, walking up to the house. Hanabi squeezed through all the adults and ran out the door to greet her sister. The others soon followed.

"Hinata! Hinata!"

Hinata started at her sister's voice, having been lost in anxious thoughts. She saw as her younger sibling ran with her arms outstretched, tears in her eyes. Seeing her sister cry melted her heart, and she felt tears welling in her own eyes as she opened her arms to her sister. Hanabi jumped at Hinata, and was easily caught and spun by the older.

"Hinata!" Hanabi blubbered, burying her head in Hinata's neck. "Hinata, I missed--whoa!!! Is that a hick--?"

"I missed you too, Hanabi!" Hinata butted, giving her sister a warning glance that she instantly understood. But the glare in her eyes clearly showed that she didn't approve.

Neji and Mikoto came next, Neji hugging his cousin while Mikoto obsessed over her son. Fugaku, Sasuke, and Hiashi were all standing a little ways away, watching the scene.

"...I'm sorry, Hiashi-san. I don't know what got into my son."

Hiashi scowled. "I do. Don't blame your son; clearly my daughter seduced him in some way."

Fugaku fell silent. "...I highly doubt that Hinata is capable of--"

"Why else would someone like your son be interested in such weakness?"

Sasuke felt his fists tighten, but he said nothing. It wasn't his place to do so, and luckily he didn't have to. His father came in handy when he was serious.

"Hinata is far too innocent to try to seduce my son, and he is far too strong to fall for any kind of seduction. What we have here is something deeper than seduction."

Before Hiashi had a chance to retort, Fugaku went up to greet the two runaways.

"I'm s-sorry for worrying you, Neji-nii."

Neji glared at Itachi over her head, leaning down to whisper in her ear. "Did he hurt you, Hinata?"

She smiled. "No, Neji, actually...h-he didn't..."

"Are you sure? Cuz if--"

Neji straightened suddenly, without warning, staring at Hinata with wide eyes. Hinata was confused by his actions for a moment before she thought of...

"Whoa!! Is that a hick--?"

She meeped, turning red with embarrassment while popping up her collar without anyone noticing. It wasn't too hard, sine the other three were now scolding Itachi.

"H-Hinata...you..."

"Shh!! Neji-nii, p-p-please!!"

"Hinata! What were you thinking?! You're--"

"I know, I know! I'm...married..."

"No, you idiot! I was gonna say you're sixteen!!"

She blinked. "You're not...disappointed in me for...you know...ch-cheating?"

He stared at her blankly. "Cheating? On who, Sasuke? Hinata, I knew you didn't want to marry him. Did you honestly think you'd fooled me?"

She blushed. Actually, yeah, she had.

"I want you to be happy...but not like that!" He lowered his voice considerably. "What are you going to do?"

"I...I'm g-going to tell them...I want to marry...I-Itachi..."

There was nothing but concern in his eyes. "...I can't back you up this time, Hinata. If you want this you need to do it alone."

She shook her head, glancing over at Itachi who was currently trying not to snap and kill her little sister. "No...I'm not alone..."

Itachi happened to look at her staring at him, causing her to smile and him to smirk. Neji watched their exchange, and with that much proof he had no objections. Well, almost no objections...they still had to talk about those hickeys...

Sasuke came forward with no warning, stepping between Neji and Hinata. She was brought back to reality with a sharp tug. She had to tell him...she had to do it now...

"Are you okay?"

She almost broke into tears again. If only he didn't show any concern over her, this would be so easy...

"I'm f-fine...S-Sasuke, I..."

"I'm sorry."

She blinked. "H-Huh?"

"I couldn't protect you. I...can't marry you yet. I want to be able to protect you, Hinata. Just give me a little more time to get stronger."

God, he was so considerate. If only he'd snap at her so she'd have an actual reason to break his heart. If only... "S-S-Sasuke...Don't apologize...I-I'm s-sorry..."

He lifted a brow. "For what?"

She kneeled down, bowing so low that she could've kissed the ground. Her actions caused everyone to look in their direction. She could feel her cheeks burning, and the tears seeping through her eyes, but she had to...wanted to do this. If only she didn't have to do it to Sasuke.

"I...c-can't m-m-marry you...I-I-I'm s-s-s-so sorry..."

The silence weighed heavily on her conscious, and she found herself curiously looking up so she could see Sasuke expression.

She recognized it instantly. It was the same expression Itachi had worn when she'd said she wanted to marry Sasuke. Calloused and uninviting, hurt and angered, sorrowful and vengeful. There was no one word to describe how it cut through her. Just what she felt in reaction to it.

Pain.

"Tch. Whatever."

He turned and walked toward the house, leaving Hinata kneeling on the floor feeling like crap. She lowered her head, tears hitting the ground. A hand on her shoulder startled her, making her jump in surprise. She looked up into Itachi's obsidian eyes, and for a moment she imagined that look...it cut her to pieces...but her imagination didn't last and she saw the concern that was actually there.

Sure, she had to look pretty deep to see it, but she saw it.

"Unacceptable."

She cringed, knowing the voice and the verbal put-down that was to come.

"Simply unacceptable. I don't recall giving you the order to recount your engagement."

She stood, her bangs covering her eyes as she did so. She took a deep breath, giving Itachi a small smile without anyone noticing before facing her father with the same smile.

"No, father...it's a decision I made. On my own."

Though he showed nothing, he was actually surprised that Hinata had recited an entire sentence without her usual restraint. Not to mention she was actually smiling at him. She'd never gotten up the nerve to do that.

But it didn't matter. She'd gone against his wishes, and he simply could not have that.

"No. You are to marry Sasuke, and that is that."

"I apologize father, but...I can't do that."

He was getting frustrated, they could all see that. "You will do that, simply because I said so. You were born for no other reason than to marry an Uchiha."

Her smile faltered and eventually fell at hearing that, but a determined stare came into its place. She'd never know how proud Itachi was of her for not breaking down...

"And I still will, father."

Hiashi fell silent. "...What do you mean? Him?"

Hinata, knowing he was referring to Itachi, nodded. "Yes."

"Disgraceful. What possible reason would he have for marrying you, other than maybe to bear an heir. Who knows if you are even capable of that."

She felt herself wanting to cry, but she wouldn't. That would lose her the battle. Itachi fought for her, now it was her turn. "He will marry me, because...he loves me. And I do him."

Itachi felt himself tense at her words...whoa, whoa, wait. Love? When had he said that? But as he looked into her eyes when she glanced back at him with another smile, he knew he hadn't said that.

She just knew.

His lips twitched at seeing her like this, so determined over...him. It made him, dare he say it, happy. And, oddly enough, it actually turned him on...

But that was a story for another day.

"You disgraceful child. How dare you talk back to me? You. Are. To. Marry. Sasuke. It was not discussable before, and it most certainly is not now."

"You are right, father. This is not something we should discuss. There are other ways to settle this."

Hiashi raised a brow. "Such as?"

She sighed, saddened that it had to come to this, but ready to do it to get her life back from him. "A match. Winner makes the decision."

The group fell into a shocked silence at Hinata's bold declaration.

Hiashi was the first to recover. "We already know that Hanabi is superior to you, no need to prove it once mo--"

"I was not speaking of Hanabi."

Hiashi's eyes narrowed. Now she was interrupting him. And she just challenged him to a fight. All for this one boy...maybe she truly loved him. Maybe he should just stop being stubborn and let her have her happiness...

"Very well. Rest tonight, for tomorrow I will return for our match. And don't forget; you are to marry Sasuke next week."

Hiashi walked away, pausing only long enough beckon Hanabi and Neji to him. Hanabi glanced at her sister apologetically and glared at Itachi before running to meet her father. Neji patted his younger cousin's head affectionately, also glaring at Itachi over her head, before following after Hanabi.

The remaining stood and watched the Hyuga's retreating backs with silence.

Silence that was broken by Fugaku. "Hinata...are you okay?"

She didn't answer right away, staring at her father walk away. "...I think so. I...I just want to be happy, Uchiha-san."

He found himself smiling at her words. "That's your right."

She smiled, "No. It's my prize. All that's left now is the contest..."

The two elder Uchiha exchanged startled looks at her wisdom, but they morphed into smiles and they both went into the house, leaving Hinata and Itachi alone.

Hinata suddenly felt awkward and embarrassed, and she looked down to avoid his eyes. "I...I kn-know I s-said that y-y-you love m-m-m-me...b-but I w-w-was j-just...i-i-it w-was a b-b-better a-argument th-than m-most...th-that's all..."

He lifted a hand to touch her face. "Hn."

She unconsciously leaned into his touch. "I d-d-don't kn-know w-what I was th-thinking..."

He stroked her gently, taking a step closer to her while wrapping his free arm around her waist.

She didn't even notice as she leaned into his touch. But he did. "I-I'm s-sorry Itachi, I d-don't know--"

"Hinata, shut up."

She clamped her lips shut immediately, looking up at him in wide-eyed wonder. He almost smiled, but instead he planted his lips firmly on hers. She lifted her arms to wrap around his neck and brought his head lower while she tip-toed to deepen their kiss.

This was worth fighting her father for.

No...it was only worth beating her father for. And she would.

Shimi-chan: Yay! Is Itachi becoming...OOC? Do you think? Say it isn't so...But tell me the truth, I need to know. Cuz I kinda feel like he has...T-T I like that face...XD