It was late at night, but yet she could not sleep. The pain in her chest kept torturing her. The Chunin exam was so many years ago, but the pain stayed. And it stuck her whenever she looked at him, at her father. Whenever someone asked her too many questions, whenever she worked too hard at the hospital. She talked with Tsunade many times, but the medic-ninja kept telling her that the wound had properly sealed. It was Gaara who first gave her a probable reason for her pain. He called it a wound to the heart. A wound caused by lack of love. And he was right. Her live lacked love and happiness. Those rare moments when she smiled and was truly happy only made the pain worst because it would remind her of what she was missing. She was scared, scared of everything in her life. Sakura kept giving her anti depression pills, but yet the stress in Hinata's life kept bringing back the pain. She just looked up at the sealing and kept dreaming about what her life could be if he were the heir, and she just a member of the clan. She envied him, he was free to do what he pleased. He could go out and spend time with whoever he wanted. And when time came he would marry the person he wanted.

Her father gave her no such choice. She knew the council had been discussing candidates for her hand, and she knew one would be grated the privilege of taking her and the leadership at the same time. That thought made the pain intensify making her gasp in agony.

She just whished the pain stopped. She felt too numb to cry. It was like a heavy burden was put on her shoulders, and burden she could not handle.

The clan, the duties, her father. And him. He whose one smile would make her happy. He who had the power to make her pain go away and come back just by a simple almost unnoticeable expression of his face. She last saw him smile several weeks ago, and he was not smiling at her. He was smiling at HER. And with that one smile he caused her pain to hit her double fold. And then as she thought about it, it kept hitting her one time after another.

She kept wondering why, why she let him do that to her. Why he had so much power over her. She kept wondering why she had not died that day he almost killed her. Her life would have been so much easier if he did. Or maybe that was just an illusion. Maybe she did die, die suffocated by the feelings she felt. Tortured everyday as she trained with him, as he accompanied her on official occasion as her protector.

She knew one thing. He had no smiles for her, no pity, nor sympathy. She was just one more duty, one more pain inflicted on him by the main family.

She still could remember the one time, the one time she felt as if he actually liked her. He was nice to her the whole day. But when she asked if he would like to have dinner with her, he looked at her as if she was insane. He told her he had no intention of spending more time with her then demanded because of his duties. And he left her. Not knowing how much pain those words caused. Not knowing she fell to the ground and cried all evening.

Her tears gently rocked her to sleep. A blissful state in which more images of him haunted her.

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He made sure she knew nothing of his feelings. Ever since he was a child he envied her. She had everything he wanted, she was the heir, she had power and she was respected by the clan. He had nothing. He was given nothing, only pain and duties. He wished to yell at her, to finish what he had started during the Chunin exam, but he knew it would bring him no profit or satisfaction. What satisfaction could bring killing someone as weak as she was? Killing and defeating a powerful enemy was fulfilling, but she was puny. She needed protection. She was the thorn in his side. And he promised to do everything to get rid of that pain.

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As they both sat in front of the council, each fought with powerful feelings.

Hinata tried not to faint, as her stomach reached her throat, and as her heart wound pounded.

He did not look at her. But she could feel his hateful gaze drilling into her.

Their feelings did not count. The council had decided. By the end of the week they would marry in a modest ceremony only meant for family members.

She prayed her pain would kill her before he did…

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He watched her walk into the room that was their bedroom. For today onto eternity they were bonded. Hopefully someday he would be able to go free. He discussed this issue with the council, and they said they would let him move out the day a second heir would be born. He knew what that meant. That meant at least two years at her side. Only if he forced her and himself to make the children so fast.

Looking at her in that moment he was closer to killing her than impregnating her. She was not who he wanted. And she would never be.

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She watched him look at her with hate. And she did not know what to say to ease his pain. She heard what the council said, two children and he would be free of her and their marriage. Just that two children. She was scared because he might as well kill her to go about the demand of the council. And as he approached her with that dreadful glaze in his normally empty eyes, she decided she would not fight with him if he really tried to hurt her.

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He watched her face, as it expressed fear and hopelessness. Her eyes were empty, she just lay there on their bed, with an open robe showing her body to him. Offering herself to whatever he wanted to do with her. He saw it in her eyes. She would not fight, she would not even defend herself. That made something in him break, he never wanted to be this way. He never wanted to be cruel to her, he just wanted to be in her place.

As he gently touched her, and gently took her. He somehow knew that even if those two children were in the world he would not leave her side. Not because he loved her, but because he could feel he would love their children. And as long as she was willing to love them as well, he would treat her with respect and as much love as he could find in himself.