Shimi-chan: Last chapter! I'm done with this story!! Yay! I can't even describe how happy I am...This will be my first success, my first finished story, hell this was a lot of firsts for me...Thanks to all those who reviewed my story. I had some pretty cool people review me. I'm glad. I really appreciate all the feed-back I got on this story, and please look forward to more stories from me, very soon! Check out my profile for a little info on upcoming stories. I think the one I'll be posting next will probably be Owner of My Heart. It's a SasuHina

Chapter Nineteen:

Struggles over life were always hard as they come. Life goes on and previous struggles seem petty and idiotic...looking back, Hinata couldn't help but laugh at herself for some of the things that used to occupy her mind. How she used to worry about if Naruto liked her or not...how she used to worry about if she were pretty or not...how she used to worry about how weak she was...

Her biggest frustration had always been not being able to defeat Hanabi and claim the title as heiress. Now she was going to fight her father for the right to renounce it in favor of marrying Itachi.

How ironic was life going to get?

Sasuke had left the house the night before and gone to spend the night at Naruto's. Only an idiot wouldn't be able to tell why, and Hinata felt the blow he'd meant to deal. On any other circumstances she would've apologized until she was forgiven, but she didn't think that she was on his list of favorite people right now; she really felt horribly but it had to be done. She was through bending over backwards to please people. And she had no one but Itachi to thank for that.

The night before her battle with her father was a restless one, and she doubted she even slept at all before Itachi came into the room to wake her, telling her to prepare. She nodded wearily, slowly getting out of bed to do as he'd said.

Noticing the bags under her eyes, he stopped her before she could pass through the door. "Why are you worried? That bastard doesn't look like he could even beat your little sister."

She smiled. "That 'b-bastard' is me f-father."

His eyes narrowed. "If you didn't have those white eyes I'd never be able to tell."

Her smile saddened. "I...I know..."

"Stop that. You can't let your confidence slip or your guard down. Your father," he spit the word out with distain, "Isn't going to go easy on you."

Sighing, she lowered her head only to raise it with new determination in her eyes. "O-okay..."

He found himself smirking and patting her head. "Good girl."

She took a step forward, wrapping her arms around his waist shyly and pressing her cheek against his chest, "I'm n-not a dog..."

His smirk widened, "I know."

She turned her head upward so she could look into his eyes. "Itachi...n-no matter wh-what happens today, I--"

"Stop. You're going to win today. That's what's gonna happen."

She giggled, causing his lips to twitch without her notice. "O-okay, but still I w-want you to know...th-that I...um..."

"Tell me or don't, Hinata."

"I love you!" she blurted before she buried her head back into his chest to hide her blushing face. Itachi tensed at her small confession, stunned into silence. Though she'd already said as much the day before, it was still new to hear. And the Itachi Uchiha, master of words, found himself not knowing what to say in response.

Hinata's arms tightened unconsciously at his lack of reaction, her blush turning from embarrassment to shame. "I...I-Itachi, I d-didn't..."

He grabbed her chin and lifted her face. She looked worried, embarrassed, and oh-so-tempting...

"You already said that yesterday."

She blushed harder, averting her eyes and unconsciously gripping his shirt tighter. "I kn-kn-know, I'm s-sorr--"

He cut her off with a kiss.

He pulled back almost as soon as he'd brushed her lips, wearing an uncharacteristic smile. "Me too."

And with those cryptic words he turned and walked away. It was her turn to be stunned, but slowly her blush resided and a smile grew onto her face. Ok, so it wasn't awe-inspiring...it most definitely wasn't something Naruto would've said. But it was undoubtedly Itachi...and undoubtedly why she loved him.

And it was definitely why she was going to win today's fight.

--

The three Hyuga arrived early in the afternoon, around 1:00 PM, giving Hiashi an unknown advantage. He was well aware of Hinata's sensitivity to the sun, so coming when the sun's heat was best was definitely part of his strategy. And he was not foolish enough to let himself think that this was going to be easy. Overestimating your opponent was always safer than underestimating them. And Hinata had a lot of things going for her, the biggest of which being that she was trained by an Uchiha, their prodigy no less. And she was in love...that factor he refused to count. He knew best, after all he was still her father.

She was waiting for him out in the field when he arrived. Sporting only a black tank top and the Capri pants she usually wore, she'd seen through his plot and dressed lightly. And they both knew that her sweater was the reason she was sensitive to the heat...

'She thought ahead,' he thought with a scowl, 'Indeed she has improved.'

"Father," she said when he was within hearing distance, "I would prefer if we didn't waste time."

Yes! Haha, she'd been practicing that sentence without stuttering all day and she thanked God that she'd gotten it down. Hiashi nodded in agreement.

"Very well. Name the circumstances."

Fugaku stepped forward from the sidelines as the self-declared referee, "This will be a battle of speed. First one to land a hit wins," he looked pointedly at Hinata, "No holding back."

Smiling tensely, she nodded.

Hiashi nodded as well.

And they both got into their stances, signaling the beginning of the battle. Fugaku made his way back to the sidelines where Itachi, Neji, Hanabi, and Mikoto all watched on attentively.

"You have one last chance, Hinata. Marry Sasuke as I have commanded and stop shaming your role as my eldest."

"Please don't try to convince me, father. I'm not changing my mind."

His eyes narrowed. "So be it."

He was the first to move, running with such speed that the sidelines thought it was over already. But she quickly ducked his punch, thrusting her palm into his stomach, which only dissipated into smoke. Her body jumped left when she felt his presence behind her, effectively dodging his attempted blow. He quickly followed up with a kick aimed at her stomach, but it burst into smoke too. He fell into his defense stance, which came in handy when she suddenly appeared in front of him and started attacking, restlessly throwing punches and kicks, which were all blocked harshly by the elder Hyuga. Hinata kicked off Hiashi, springing a little ways away from him to plan out her next move.

It was obvious that she wasn't going to hit him like this, he was too fast. She needed an idea, some kind of edge over him. There had to be something that Itachi taught her that she could use right now...something that would shock Hiashi; she wanted him to wonder if she was the same girl.

'Pay attention, Hinata, this is important.'

Hinata nodded obediently, staring at Itachi with interest.

He disappeared before her eyes only to reappear behind her, causing her to jump, startled.

'Learn to sense when someone is coming no matter what.'

Hinata continued to evade her father's attacks, every single one getting closer. She had to think of something quickly, so she delved back into her memory...

'H-how, Itanii-san?'

He smirked, 'By ignoring your opponent.'

She blinked, genuinely confused, 'H-huh?'

She knew that if she ignored her father now, he'd get her. And that's all he needed, one hit, and she would lose and have to marry Sasuke. She couldn't let that happen; not when she knew that she loved Itachi. He fought for her, though in a strange way, now she had to...she had to beat her father.

'Make sure you remember this, Hinata.'

Again, she nodded, a little more eagerly this time.

'If you concentrate on your surroundings, the moment something penetrates you'll know it.'

Her silence urged him to continue.

He ran a hand through his hair, showing his annoyance at her not getting it, 'An example. If I concentrate on the sound of the wind rustling through the trees, the moment a closer sound penetrates it, I'll know where it's coming from.'

Hinata lashed out, missing by a millimeter, but she didn't delve into that. She had to dodge quickly before Hiashi caught up to her. She couldn't let it happen; she had to do something.

'I...I th-think I understand.'

He smirked, 'Good. Just make sure you time it correctly. If you don't, sensing an opponent won't matter because they'll be too close already.'

She nodded.

She'd been dodging for several minutes, throwing her own punches whenever she saw openings, but never actually connecting. Her body was growing weary, while her father looked as energized as ever. She forced him out of her mind; she had to concentrate, stay confident! And it wasn't too hard now that she had a plan.

But what noise should she listen to?

'Also, remember that it has to be a noise from all directions. If you concentrate on something only on your right and your opponent attacks on your left, you're dead.'

Hinata found herself straining to find the perfect block-out while still evading her father's attacks. He was relentless, and taking her mind off him for even a moment was becoming impossible. She had to find something--

--and fast. Itachi was getting quicker, and she knew that he was going to attack her at any instant. He seemed to be giving her some time so she could find that perfect noise--

--but she didn't know what to pay attention to. There was no universal sound, and her father was attacking from all directions--

--making this lesson an impossible one. But Itachi would never teach her something he didn't think she could learn, and she really wanted to get this on the first day to make him proud. And then, suddenly, it occurred to her; this was the Uchiha compound!--

--Unlike the Hyuga compound, which was two mansions (one for the branch, the other for the main house), the Uchiha compound was surrounded by life! Surrounded by--

--chakra. Any average person wouldn't be able to detect life, but she had a special gift! She had the Byakyugan--

--She whispered softly, activating her blood limit. She sensed it, the chakra outside her own, outside her father's--

--outside Itachi. Concentrating on that and only that, she saw the different flowing chakra before she sensed a disruption directly behind her. Transferring all her chakra onto her elbow, she brought it back hard--

--against her father's chest, sending her opponent propelling backward. Okay, so it wasn't using sound, but the basic lesson was learned. She deactivated her Byakyugan, swiftly turning around and racing to her father's side, worry etched onto her face.

Once she'd gotten to him she kneeled, shaking him in panic. "F-father!" tears formed in her eyes when he didn't respond. "Father, I-I'm s-s-s-sorry!"

His eyes opened slowly. "H-Haruki?"

Hinata's eyes widened. 'Haruki?' She recognized the name as her mother's. Torment squeezed at her heart, causing her tears to triple. "N-N-No...I'm s-s-sorry, it's o-only m-m-me, F-father..."

Hiashi sighed, rubbing his temples. "I apologize...clearly I underestimated you, even though I'd tried not to."

Hinata wasn't sure if she should feel proud or mortified.

"The rules were stated. You may marry Itachi."

Joy overwhelmed her, and before she knew what she was doing she found herself latching her arms around her father's neck. "Th-thank you, father! I love you!"

She pulled back the instant the words left her mouth, blushing in shame. "I m-m-mean...f-father, I kn-know th-that y-y-you don't...H-Hanabi-chan c-c-can b-be th-the heiress n-now..."

Hiashi remained stoic as ever, but his voice sounded a bit remorseful. "Hinata..."

Suddenly Hinata was yanked upward, and when she looked up she saw Itachi's obsidian eyes glaring at her father.

"Too late," he seethed, "You waited too long. You don't get to be her father anymore. She's mine now."

Hinata blushed, but before she could protest Itachi dragged her off...and in truth, a dark part of her wanted him to suffer. Why should she just forgive him? He'd never given her the time of day, except to tell her that she was a disgrace...

The couple didn't get very far before they were approached by the rest of the group. Hanabi, with her usual exuberance, hugged Hinata's waist.

"You did it! You won, Onee-chan!"

Neji came over too, smirking at her proudly. "I knew you could, Hinata-chan."

She smiled, for once in her life crying in joy. She wiped her eyes, giggling a bit. "Th-thank you both..."

"Now," Hanabi added, glaring at Itachi, "You're sure this time? You wanna marry him, right?"

Itachi glared back at her and Hinata felt his hand tighten over hers, causing her to giggle again. "I'm sure, Hanabi-chan."

The answer seemed to satisfy the younger Hyuga, and once Hiashi felt better they all started on their way back home. Hinata walked up to her father, looked him straight in the eye, saying "I'll be marrying Itachi next week, father."

He looked tired, though not physically, and for once in their relashionship Hinata was the one keeping her face devoid of emotion. With a sigh, he regained his composure and nodded proudly before walking off, not looking back even once.

But with Itachi beside her and her new family a few steps behind, she didn't care. For once, life was perfect, and nothing was getting in the way again.

Smiling, she grabbed Itachi's hand and turned her back on her father as well; shutting him out of her life until the day he apologized truly. And if that day never came, she'd be just as well...because she had happiness and love.

Really, what else did she need?

Shimi-chan: This ending is kinda corny...and oddly enough I find myself not caring. Maybe I'm too sleepy. Fear not, readers, there shall also be an epilogue, kay? It's not over yet. -