Author's Note: Alright, this is the other finished one I have ready.

Day 28: Pregnancy

Canonverse but slight AU (due to the fact it's SasuHina)

Despite appearances, Hyuga Hiashi was not a hard man. He did love his daughters. However, the world was hard and as their only living parent it was his duty to prepare them for it.

Perhaps he could have afforded some softness had they simply been shinobi. Perhaps he could have afforded some softness had they simply been a noble clan. But alas, they were both and the combination brought a long list of expectations and harsh realities.

Hanabi had thrived under his strict parenting. Hinata… not so much. He'd raised them as he himself had been raised. Reprimands were harsh. Physical conditioning was extensive. He drilled into them the manners, the techniques, the expectations of being Hyuga. And as Hanabi blossomed, Hinata wilted.

It didn't help that Neji, his brother's son, was even more talented than his youngest daughter. Every report, every observed training reminded him that the traditions of the Hyuga clan although unfair, were absolute. His nephew, the branch member, was a prodigy. Meanwhile his eldest, the heir, could hardly make eye contact.

With the elders breathing down his neck and his frustration growing at every failed training session, he'd been glad to hand her over to Kurenai. Perhaps she could figure out how to help Hinata.

Sure, he may have seemed harsh, but he didn't know any other way to be. He couldn't just be their parent. He had to be their Clan Head, the unwavering pillar of Hyuga ideals and strength. He was Hyuga first, shinobi second, and father third.

But his eyes, the all-seeing Hyuga eyes, watched her as she grew. He watched her train. He watched her get stronger. He watched her admiration for the Uzumaki. He watched as that admiration grew into love. He rejoiced when her love inspired strength. He felt both pride and fear at the knowledge that she had been the one to step in and help Naruto when no one else in the village would face down Pein.

He mourned with her when Neji died.

And he observed from afar as her affection for Naruto went unreciprocated.

She was strong. She was Hyuga. She smiled, though heartbroken. And his own heart broke a little when he heard her whisper a question at her mother's grave: "Am I not worthy of affection?"

He couldn't give it to her. Naruto couldn't give it to her. And Neji was no longer around to give it to her.

So when he noticed the Uchiha's lingering stare at the memorial shrine, he'd taken note of it.

And when Hinata had returned from a mission with the Uchiha and agreed to train with him once a week, he'd paid closer attention.

When their training sessions grew more frequent and were sometimes followed by meals, he'd quieted the elder's superstitions concerning the last of the Uchiha.

When flowers began appearing on Hinata's window sill, he'd ignored protocol and allowed Sasuke to continue to slip into the compound to leave his gifts.

When Hinata began to smile more, so had he - in private.

And when Uchiha Sasuke had come to inform him that Hinata had accepted his marriage proposal, he hadn't scolded them as Hinata had so clearly anticipated for not consulting him first. He had merely congratulated them and offered the clan grounds for what would certainly be a large celebration.

When Hiashi had given Hinata away, he had done so with no reservations. Although a stoic man, it was clear that the Uchiha cared deeply for his daughter. And it was also clear that Hinata felt cared for.

And now, as he watched Hanabi touch Hinata's swollen stomach in awe, as he observed the way Sasuke hovered nearby as if protecting the most precious treasure in the world, he was thankful things had turned out alright.

He'd raised her the only way he knew how. But he knew she would do better. And maybe, just maybe, for his beautiful grandchild, he didn't have to be Clan Head or Master. Maybe he could just be grandfather.