Why am I writing this? Simple. Because I'm upset that there're a lot of Naruto/Harem fics (and they are popular), but not a lot of Hinata/Harem fics (and they are not so popular). It seems like it's alright for Naruto to be with multiple women, but Hinata can only be with one man. Even in love triangles, she always ends up picking one man. WHY CAN'T SHE HAVE BOTH?

(As you can see, I'm a little feminist right now.)

So here we are with this fic. I originally wanted it to be a romance with almost zero plot… but I was afraid it'd be too boring and everyone would just not read it. (Yes, I like people reading my stuff.) I can't guarantee the update rates, or even if I'll be updating it. I still have Summoner-nin, and this fic is going to require me to think a lot more.

Sometimes, after a hard day at school, I sorta don't wanna think too hard, ya know?

Anyways, I hope you'll enjoy the first chapter, at the very least.

The Hand of Lady Hyuga

Chapter One

The Household of the Hyuga knew well enough to wake an hour before sunrise to prepare the stoves for fire and to collect the eggs from the chickens for breakfast. The Branch members, especially, had borrowed time to tend to their toiletries and dress themselves before giving the vast corridors the first sweep of the day, the windows the first wipe and to light the incenses to ward off evil and dispel whatever curses the night may have left behind.

One such Branch member swept down one of the vast Hyuga corridors to oversee the other women and men tending to the cleaning and readying of the day. Her kimono, spare but with a silver obi that bespoke her rank in the House, flashed in the candlelight as she stepped into the kitchens to go over that day's menu with the chef; giving several suggestions for substitution if the chickens did not produce good eggs that day.

Hair in an immaculate and rigid updo, streaked with several grey strands as proof of her experience with a single bejewelled hairpin of the Hyuga Housekeeper slicked within her tresses, she began to rememorize the day's schedule of her Mistress. She did not rush, she floated even in her age to look over the dustless cabinets, the unwrinkled silk drapes, and the polished porcelain.

Everything was immaculate. Everything was perfect. Everything was unchanged.

Everything was as befitting of the Hyuga name and the honour of their Mistress.

Refusing to appear satisfied, least the other Branch members may think they had done well, she turned from the House and into the gardens just as the sun was beginning to peak. The Main House was to rise soon. Noting this, she drew out a pair of quicksilver scissors and clipped a delicate bouquet of peach-pink peonies and then another of wicker-white wisterias.

Cradling them in the crook of her arm, she went over to the fowl coup to watch the young Hyuga children feed the chickens and ducks, and gather eggs into a basket. A short distance away, there were several Hyuga men milking the cows and letting the sheep into pasture. From afar, she could hear the Hyuga warriors starting their morning training, going through the verbatim series of the Juken and the Byakugan, and the repetition of their loyalty to the Hyuga name.

She let herself soften her expression then, when one little girl boasted, quite proudly, of, "The Lady Hyuga says that my Byakugan is really, really strong!"

Sighing softly to herself, the Hyuga Housekeeper looked out to the endless expanse of the Hyuga lands and estate. The size had been increased exponentially since the last war as a gift to their Mistress, the great heroine of Konoha now. It was not all here, as all the Hyuga knew, for they owned several farmlands in the far south (for wine and cotton production) and townhouses (small estates) in most of the major cities in the kingdom. There were very few places within Konoha where there was not a single Hyuga – several Hyuga houses dotting even the land of Suna – a stronghold at the border of Kumo for security and infiltration purposes.

The last war had made Konoha wary, and for good reason.

Grim now, the Housekeeper made for the front gates to retrieve the mail for that morning, a pile that, if she had not been a ninja, would have surely crippled her wrists from the weight alone. She noticed, after a quick once-over, that they were the same material they had been acquiring for the better part of the past five years. Thanking the postman, she returned to the Main House, never rushing, ever patient – always the Hyuga.

Her Mistress deserved the best, after all.

"Airi," a rough, wizened male voice called out.

Airi, the Hyuga Housekeeper, turned gracefully, slow and gentle like the Juken, to face the former Regent of the Hyuga Clan with a bow. As old as she was, her knees did not protest at her action, familiar with the deed and, indeed, almost wanting more – to run across the fields and rooftops to give chase to a missing-nin… or two. But she was old now, retired now, and understood that her duty now lied with reforming the administration of the Hyuga Clan to be more efficient – to keep up with their Mistress' quick and often complicated mind.

"Lord Hiashi," she intoned with the outmost respect.

The man came forward and she obligingly, without being told as this was now a part of the morning rituals within the Hyuga Household, handed the morning's mail to him. Tall and imposing, certainly a worthy Consort of the former Head of the Hyuga Clan, Hiashi Hyuga cut a formidable figure as he went through the scrolls in quick successive glances, the Byakugan activated to look for traps and such.

But they never did have traps, even after five years. Instead, Lord Hiashi wordlessly, and efficiently, pulled several scrolls he found unworthy and ridiculous, and handed the now reduced pile back to the Housekeeper. Ever the vigilant father, the Hyuga Clan understood that it was the duty of Dowager Consort to wheedle out the weak. He understood, for the ten years that he had ruled, who and what was worthy of the Hyuga.

"Go," he dismissed, turning towards his private study. They all knew he was to burn the scrolls that were not credible for the eyes of the Head of the Hyuga; mere words and… requests that were a waste of her time and energy and sympathy.

The Housekeeper bowed to his retreating back, and then turned to the office of their Mistress, deep within the labyrinth of the Hyuga House, within a small private crevice with its own Koi pond and garden, and a small field of flowers and grass. Placing the wisterias into the tall porcelain vase by the door to indicate that the Head of the Clan was in, she knocked on the rice paper door two times, before entering.

The Hyuga elite guards – affectionately titled as the "Hyuga Triple Threat" – nodded in her direction as the Head of the Clan gave her a smile and a quiet, "Good morning, Airi."

"The sun rises and sets gently, Lady Hyuga." The Housekeeper touched her knees to the ground and pressed her forehead against the cool wooden boards, waxed and polished just that morning. Everything was immaculate for their Mistress.

The Head of the Clan nodded in acquiescence and the Housekeeper stood to place the peonies in the round porcelain vase on her Mistress' desk, off to one side. As according to schedule, several butlers came in to serve breakfast to the Head of the Clan; the Triple Threat having had eaten half an hour earlier.

As the men set the table for their Mistress, the Housekeeper released the windows and slid one whole wall off to the sides to open up the office into the garden outside. The soft summer breeze that carried in the honeysuckle and birdsongs was welcoming, and when the Housekeeper faced her Mistress again, her heart was glad to see her smiling at the sky.

It was, however, most unfortunate that the smile was to end soon. As the most important meal of the day, for the past five years the Head of the Clan had yet to enjoy her breakfast without something obstructing her, without some upsetting mail that made her fresh eggs taste like ash in her mouth. And as much as the Housekeeper did not wish to give her Mistress her mail, she, at the very least, stalled the unpleasantness, as always, by going through her Mistress' schedule that morning.

She explained the purpose of the upcoming Hyuga Council meeting, and then reminded the Head of the Hyuga what they had concluded in the last meeting and which topics had been left untouched or unfinished. Then she related the decisions and issues of the Hyuga Branch Council meeting that had just occurred late last night, and which concerns the Branch Elders wished to take up with the Head of the Hyuga. Afterwards, she listed all the necessary Hyuga problems the Head of the Hyuga may wish to take up: the shortage of kunai in their inventory, the negative result of the spring floods in one of their southern farmlands, and the strange (and bordering on alarming) increase of male Hyuga children.

And finally, in good news, the Housekeeper informed, "Lady Hanabi will be arriving this afternoon from her visit to the capital. The Dowager Consort's schedule has been freed for dinner, and the menu has already been placed within your morning paperwork."

The Head of the Household smiled, and nodded, already reaching for the pile of papers placed ever-so-immaculately at the corner of her desk. "Thank you, Airi. I cannot say how happy I am to know that my sister will be in the house again."

One of the Triple Threat, the sole female, leaned forward with a grin. "Lady Hanabi has only been gone for a week."

"A week too long," the leader of the Triple Threat, the only Hyuga of the three, voiced impatiently.

The female Threat rolled her eyes and shared a smile with the Head of the Household.

"Yosh!" the third Threat burst with an energetic nod. "It is good to get out into the open air once in a while! I am sure Lady Hanabi's youthfulness has been regenerated from her short trip!"

The Head of the Household laughed, hugging her cup of jasmine tea in her hands; breakfast done with almost no bouts of being upset. It was then that the Housekeeper had to disrupt the good cheer, the light in her Mistress' eyes, when she finally placed the stack of scrolls in her arms onto the table – the morning mail.

The Head of the Household stilled; the Triple Threat turning silent. Just like the past five years, they despised the morning mail and what the corresponding scrolls represented, hinted at, hoped desperately for.

With a hushed sigh, the Head of the Household managed a smile. "Thank you, Airi. Dismissed."

The Housekeeper placed her knees on the ground and pressed her forehead to the wooden boards again. Rising, she did not turn her back as she took her steps backwards and, finally, out of the room. The doors shut quietly, leaving the Head of the Household and the Hyuga Triple Threat to their own designs.

Once they were sure that Airi was gone, and that the area was free of possible gossipy Hyuga servants and prying Byakugan eyes, Hinata Hyuga set her tea down with a heavy sigh and did not give the scrolls another look, knowing that it would only disorient her even further.

Five years. Five years, and she had assumed that all this farce would have ended by now.

"This one looks handsome," Tenten teased.

Hinata's head snapped up and, to her horror, saw Tenten and Lee going through the scrolls, but for two very different purposes. Tenten was obviously for mockery, whereas Lee was actually serious. One would believe that after five years that she wasn't serious about this.

"This Shino Aburame seems promising," Lee mused aloud, flipping the scroll upside down to get a better look.

"Ooh," Tenten gushed in an exaggerated manner. "An Aburame."

Hearing Tenten's supposed "approval," Lee emphatically pushed the scroll out for Hinata to see with a giant grin of sparkling teeth. It was a beautiful scroll, Hinata would admit; crafted with the most expensive silk from the rarest silkworms that could only be acquired within the Aburame Clan. Painted at the top of the scroll was a rectangular portrait of who she could only assume to be "Shino Aburame" with his telltale Aburame shaded glasses and high-collared jackets. Half his face couldn't even be seen!

Hinata didn't even know where to begin.

"You cannot even see what he looks like!" Neji hissed vindictively.

Hinata was thankful that someone had said something because it certainly wasn't going to be Tenten, who was trying very hard to hold back her laughter.

Lee gaped, appalled by Neji's reaction. "But Neji, it is not the appearance that matters! It is his youthfulness! It is what is inside of him that counts!"

"Yes," Neji snapped impatiently. "Hundreds of kikaichu that could kill my cousin while they are in bed!"

And just as quickly, her cousin had inadvertently turned on Hinata, for Neji quickly picked up one of the scrolls he had already partook of with his Byakugan beforehand and unfurled it with dramatics. Tenten was going to burst with laughter judging by how red her face was turning.

"He, as I have been saying for the past five years, will be the perfect Consort to the Lady Hyuga," Neji declared, holding up the scroll with such certainty that it was almost humorous. Considering that he had been doing so for the same candidate for the past five years, everyday was enough to send Tenten rolling onto the floor with laughter.

All Hinata could do was sigh, and swallow the rest of her tea. She used the opportunity to avoid her cousin's avid stare by pouring herself another steaming cup, wishing that it would all stop, in particular Tenten's roaring laughter that had scared the birds away… again.

"Brother Neji," she began.

"No, Lady Hyuga," the male Hyuga interrupted, adamant even when he knew that he had just erred erroneously. "I understand that you do not wish to wed the incompetent and the unworthy and the idiots-"

Tenten snorted and Lee huffed indignantly.

"However," Neji continued as if there was no peanut gallery, "you cannot deny that Lord Sasuke Uchiha will be the perfect Hyuga Consort."

Hinata refrained from sighing again, already knowing what Neji's arguments were going to be. They were the same ones he had been using for the past five years, altered only to include the Uchiha's "mounting accomplishments," according to one Neji Hyuga.

"He is an Uchiha," Neji listed with an unwavering glint in his colourless eyes.

Tenten quieted then.

"He is the second son of the Main Family," the Hyuga male continued. "He is now a jonin – at twenty. He is proficient in ninjutsu, taijutsu and genjutsu, like all other Sharingan users. Not only that, but they still say that he is the strongest in his generation-"

"You mean our generation," Tenten cut in with a raised brow.

"His generation," Neji repeated with emphasis. "We are older than him."

"Then you should have said 'in his age group,' not 'in his generation,'" Tenten gave a snarky reply.

Neji didn't even bother arguing with her. Instead, he looked to Hinata expectantly, as if she would suddenly take on his idea after five years of him vouching for the Uchiha…

"No," Hinata said, firmly.

Neji frowned. "Lady Hyuga-"

"No."

"Hinata," Neji finally stressed, at his rope's end. "At least explain to me why he is unacceptable."

Hinata did not know where to begin, and after five years, she didn't want to shoot down his obvious preference and hurt his feelings, but-

"He is an Uchiha," she said gravely.

And that was enough. Neji understood as he rolled up the scroll and placed it back onto the pile without another word. They understood why he would vouch for the Uchiha, and why she would gainsay the Uchiha.

Sasuke Uchiha could be as powerful as he could be, as handsome as he could be, as popular as he could be, but he was an Uchiha, and that was the end-all as far as the Hyuga was concerned. After that travesty within the Uchiha Clan during the Ten Years War, they were almost a virus no other Great Konoha Clan would touch, especially one of the Three Powerhouses, even if Uchiha being one of them – Hyuga being the leading figure in the aftermath of the war.

"And Shino Aburame?" Lee asked cautiously… hopefully…

Hinata, the container of much more patience than the average Hyuga… or even ten Hyuga combined, turned to Lee and graced him with a smile. With a quick glance of the Aburame's scroll, she shook her head "no."

Lee deflated. "Why? Is he not youthful enough?"

Hinata giggled. "No, Lee, that is not why."

Lee waited for her explanation while Tenten closed her eyes and relaxed, already knowing Hinata's reasoning and logic.

"He is the only child of the Aburame's Main Family," Hinata explained and Lee drew his lips together grimly, beginning to understand. "It is… inauspicious enough that they have no daughters… but to take their only child away, even if he is a son, seems cruel to me. If there is no daughter to inherit, then certainly the son must rule."

Lee sadly rolled the scroll back up with a disheartened sigh.

"Plus," Tenten quipped to lighten the mood, "you can't even tell if he's handsome or not."

Lee frowned. "It's the inside that counts!"

"I will not have the next Hyuga heir turn out physically unattractive," Neji cut in sourly.

Hinata bit her lips together, not wanting her cousin-brother to say something so… shallow, but she knew that if her sister were present, Hanabi would say something even worse. The Hyuga were known for their ethereal, almost ghostly, beauty in their midnight hair and pale moon eyes. They used them to their advantage, especially useful for missions requiring the seduction of the opposite, and sometimes the same, gender.

"Perhaps the Aburame did not think that we would care about appearances," Lee supposed aloud.

Tenten raised a brow and pointed out, and quite bluntly too, "It's a matchmaker scroll. The receiver always cares about the looks of a potential spouse."

Lee sighed, finally giving up as he placed the scroll back onto the pile.

"Okay, my turn." Tenten sat up sharply with a grin. "What do you think of him, Hinata?"

Ever the weapons mistress and adept in scroll works, the sole female of the Triple Threat flung the scroll open in the air with a dramatic dance, the silk sliding open with a soft hiss – sensual and promising and-

"No," Hinata said.

Tenten faltered. "Why?"

"Because he is the only child of the Uzumaki," Hinata said, this time raising a brow of her own. "I already explained why it cannot be the Aburame. The Uzumaki are in the same position."

Tenten frowned. "But it has been announced that Lady Uzumaki's position is to go to her niece upon her death."

"That cannot be guaranteed," Neji said, a lot calmer now. "If her son is to have a daughter, then the girl will be the one to inherit. If he marries Lady Hyuga, then our clans will contest over the heir."

Tenten pinched her lips together. "I'm sure we can draw up a Marital Agreement over the potential conflict of begetting heirs…"

"Even so." Hinata shook her head. "He is an Uzumaki."

At that, Tenten understood, much like Neji had understood that the Uchiha was unacceptable because he was an Uchiha. Although the Uzumaki were not cursed like the Uchiha, they were one of the Three Konoha Powerhouses.

Hyuga, Uchiha and Uzumaki – the relationships between the Three Powerhouses had to be monitored and constructed carefully – conducted with caution. Hinata was not going to upset the equilibrium by choosing one over the other, especially when they had no daughters to inherit for the next generation. The Hyuga had been lucky, to have two daughters – an heir and a spare. It was one of the reasons why the Hyuga were the preferred Powerhouse within the Empress' Court.

"Well," Tenten sounded with exaggerated fatigue, placing the scroll back onto the table. "I think those are the best picks for this morning."

"They are the same picks every morning," Neji pointed out, agitated by the lack of options.

Hinata understood Neji's feelings, wanting to secure the Hyuga's position for another generation. However, Hinata was not in a hurry. She was only twenty; she had twenty more child-bearing years left in her, and with Hanabi five years younger than her, Hinata had no fear in leaving the position of the Head of the Hyuga empty. If anything, she could always choose Neji's child as her successor… whenever he decided to marry and copulate of course.

Hinata Hyuga had no interest in marriage or children.

She was the clan's, first and foremost, and Konoha's second. She could not find a plausible reason to divide herself into a third portion for a husband, and how many times afterwards if she were to have children – children, meaning more than one if the clan had anything to say about it (and they did, and sometimes loudly too). Like her mother, the former Head of the Hyuga, Hinata would give herself wholly to the clan and her kingdom, and nothing else.

Her mother's greatest mistake, Hinata sometimes believed, was having children – was having Hinata specifically. It had been, after all, Hinata that had led to her downfall and, ultimately, her death.

"Well," Tenten huffed again, this time falling back onto her pillow seat. "It doesn't matter. It's not like we're in a hurry to have babies anyway."

Hinata smiled ruefully and Neji looked to the table in contemplation.

With that, as it had been for the past five years, they reached for the paperwork on the table and began to tackle the issues of the Hyuga, of Konoha, and of the world when there was a call for it. There was no issue, too big or too small, that Hinata did not oversee at some point, no bullying within the Hyuga she did not known about, no corruption within the Konoha administration she did not see the end to, or no skirmishes within international borders she did not try to dissuade.

For she was the Lady Hyuga, Head of the Hyuga Clan, and there was very few things that could escape her all-seeing eyes.

xxx

the point