We're at the last chapter! Thanks so much for sticking with this guys, I appreciate it.

(The story says complete, but don't worry, I'm going to have a little 2000 word-ish epilogue up.)

Please enjoy.

Chapter 11: Tennis Bracelet

With a heavy heart, Hinata stood into the corner of the plaintiff lobby by herself. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and she had somewhat of a dejected look in her eyes. If only she could go back in time to stop herself from doing something so stupid. Accusing her stepmother of thievery? Really? What even possessed her to take this to court?

Naruto's bright, confident smile was what did it.

And she couldn't even blame him for this embarrassment. None of this was his fault, he was only trying to help. She was the one who thought that maybe there was hope for her and Hanabi. She was the one who thought that for the first time since they were children, they could live normal, happy lives. She was the one who, for a second, had an unrealistic vision of her future.

How could she let herself be so… so naïve?

Hinata was always rational and honest with herself. Over the years, optimism just wasn't a word that was in her vocabulary anymore. Can you imagine? At one point, it was the very core of her being; it was something that made life just a bit more bearable. Now? Now Hinata felt like a sorry excuse for a person.

She couldn't even look at her sister, who was sitting just a few feet away from her. Hinata had been so confident in front of her, telling her that things would be different and to have faith, but look where that got them. What was she going to do? Hinata had no source of income anymore. After this whole mess of a court proceeding hit television, she'd be the laughingstock of the whole city – the entire country even! Who would even want to hire a poor sap like her?

Soon, Hinata's face began to pale and her hands trembled terribly. All of this was making her feel sick, and she even had the sudden urge to vomit. The anxiety was starting to eat her alive. Sweat dotted the top of her forehead and all of a sudden, it was getting harder to breathe.

"Hinata,"

She didn't have to turn around to know who it was. His voice was rather distinct and unmistakable. He called out to her so gently that it made her heart warm. However, she couldn't turn herself around to face him. She opened her mouth to say something but all that came out was a shaky exhale and a whimper.

Her eyes squeezed shut, embarrassed at the pathetic sound she made while Naruto's brow creased. Just the sight of her in such a vulnerable state made him angry. Hinata was, in his mind, somewhat of a lost girl. She was someone who put on a brave front when in reality, she's so fear stricken that she couldn't even move.

Naruto wanted to protect this woman with everything that he was, and then some. And if succeeded, maybe she'd smile again. She'd become happy again, and that was all Naruto ever wanted from her; just to see those pink lips curve upward and to hear that delicate laugh.

Failure was not an option. "Hinata, look at me, please."

"I… I can't. Please leave me alone for a moment. I just really want to be left alone." Her voice trembled and she was starting to fumble over her words a bit. The last time Naruto had seen her like this was at the hospital and he told himself that he never wanted to see her like that again.

So going through this again really hurt his heart.

"I uh… I got you some water. Please drink it, kay?" It sounded as if he were begging her to let him help and as much as Hinata didn't want him to see her, she turned to face him. The small paper cup was almost filled to the brim. Hinata didn't know how thirsty she actually was until she found herself yearning for another drop of water when her cup was empty. "Listen to me," Naruto started. "We're gonna get through this. We're gonna be fine, okay?"

Hinata bit her lip. "How can you be so sure? Naruto, maybe my father really did give her everything. He loved her so much and it would make sense…"

"More than he loved you and Hanabi?" He questioned. His intense stare made her shift uncomfortably before she nodded. If he truly loved her and her sister, this wouldn't have been happening in the first place, right? "I think you're wrong."

Hinata blinked. "Wrong?"

"My mentor and I were having a talk a little while ago. It's a fake, it's gotta be."

Fake? Her stepmother couldn't have stooped so low, could she? She shook her head in disbelief but Naruto wasn't giving up so easily. "C'mon Hinata – you've gotta believe me. Just look at the facts. You asked her for the will forever ago and she said she didn't have it. Why would she just whip it out now?"

To crush her spirit and embarrass her in front of the entire city to teach her a lesson about trying touch the invulnerable Himeko Sunahara? It sounded like a plausible idea. "Even so… how will you prove it? I'm sure they're incredibly easy to forge, aren't they?"

"Don't worry about me, I'll figure it out. I have to if it means that you'll get what's rightfully yours." He said with a grin so wide that Hinata let herself slip into the thought of them regaining hope once more. As much as she wanted to write off the notion, there was something about Naruto that made her feel secure. She believed in him when he said he'd protect her, and even though she lost faith in her father and in herself, she wouldn't lose that faith in him.

"I'm gonna head over to talk with my mentor about this for a bit. Maybe you should check on Hanabi. She was really worried about you."

When Hinata turned and locked eyes with Hanabi, she immediately scrambled to her feet and gave a smile. Hinata found herself smiling back. Even if she lost this case, it'd be okay. Hinata wasn't completely alone. She had Hanabi. She had Kiba and Shino.

She had Naruto.

And the trial of Sunahara vs. Hyūga resumed, but not without murmured gossip flying around about Hinata, her stepmother, and this entire situation. One person murmured that Hinata had to have been disowned and that's why she was written out of her father's will. Another said that her stepmother was probably a crook, and stole the money as easily as stealing candy from a baby.

The gossip, despite being for or against her, wasn't making her feel very good. She was determined to look past it. Hinata had no time to let herself succumb to the silly chatter of people who didn't even know her. Her focus was solely on Naruto, the judge and Miss Sunahara. Everything else was secondary at this point.

When the sound of the wooden gavel hitting the desk rang out into the courtroom, everyone had gone silent. The judge announced that they'd be getting started, and when she had given Naruto permission to speak, he didn't hesitate to get right to his point.

"Your Honor, that will, to put it bluntly, is a fake."

"Objection," Himeko's lawyer called out.

"Overruled," said the judge. "Mister Namikaze, how do you suppose that this will is indeed fake? You haven't seen it yet."

With the clearing of his throat, Naruto went on. "Your Honor, I don't need to see it to know it's fake. There was no record of the will for six years. I'm sure that if Miss Sunahara's name was on it, the will would have been filed and considered public record for anyone to access. It's very unlikely that a woman of her stature lost an important document like that in just days of having it, am I right?"

"If I could interject, Your Honor," Himeko's lawyer cut in, before the judge gave her nod of approval. "Of course my client is a woman of professionalism, but she didn't lose the document herself. Her former lawyer did. It was to be filed ages ago, however he slipped up, and the document was lost."

Naruto almost scoffed. "Oh, is that so? How was it lost in the first place? Because your client said not too long ago that she found it in storage, and unless she and her lawyer were smitten with one another, I find it highly unlikely that he lost it in her personal storage."

"Oh, but you see Mister Namikaze," the lawyer started, "my client and her previous lawyer were smitten with one another, something I'm sure you'd know all about." Naruto grit his teeth. Whisperings of Naruto and Hinata's relationship began to fly around. It was a conflict of interest, and he knew that, but to leave Hinata on her own like that? Even if it cost him his reputation, he couldn't do that to her. "As I was saying, it is very plausible that the document was lost there when the two of them were together and found very recently."

"I see you've taken a liking to trashy gossip magazines. Anyway, leave my private matters out of the courtroom."

That tone of voice sent shivers down Hinata's spine, and the murmurings behind them had stopped. So there were sides to Naruto she never knew. His gaze hardened and his lips curled into a scowl. She could feel the wave of anger that washed over him one second, then in another, it was gone. Naruto's poker face had returned as if his anger had never been there to begin with.

"You say that it's plausible, but you aren't certain. If you want to talk possibilities, we're certain Miss Sunahara has gone into her own storage in between the time the document was lost until now, right? Isn't is possible she could have found it while in there one of those days? Isn't it possible that she went to search for it frantically after it was lost? Why did it take my client questioning her about it six years later for her to get up and search for it?"

Soon the arguments were going back and forth and were so fast paced that Hinata could hardly keep up. However, she did watch Naruto with a look of admiration. He was quick on his feet, always ready for a rebuttal, always ready to protect and uphold her name.

Hinata found comfort in that.

Once Naruto was actually able to see the document for himself, there were a few things he remembered Hinata mentioned her father owning that weren't on there. He and the judge questioned about missing properties and estates that were known to be Hyūga owned, but this will didn't include them.

That was when Himeko started to sweat and her lawyer had begun to draw out some makeshift arguments. It took all of Naruto's willpower to keep from grinning.

Checkmate.

The gavel slammed down on the desk again, and the judge was finally ready to hand down her verdict. Hinata waited with bated breath, her heart beating rapidly against her chest. This was it – this was what she and Hanabi had been waiting for. The next words that came out of this woman's mouth could change their lives forever. It could make or break them.

Her hands found Hanabi's, and Hinata gave her hand a tight squeeze as the silence had her at the edge of her seat.

"In the case of Sunahara versus Hyūga, I find the defendant liable –"

"Liable!?" Himeko practically screeched. And as her blood boiled with rage, a sense of relief swept through Hinata. Everything was going to be okay. She'd have money to care for herself and her sister. She was free from living a life full of crime in order so support the two of them. Hinata was finally normal. The moment she and Hanabi looked at each other, they embraced each other. Hanabi even cried a little.

In her defense, it was Hinata who had gotten teary-eyed first.

"Don't cut me off when I'm talking Sunahara. You've had this supposed will for years on end, and you didn't think to do anything with it until just now? And not to mention it's missing quite a few things on here! You want me to believe that this hastily thrown together, poor excuse for a will that doesn't even contain all of someone's riches, is real? I know a rat when I smell one, Sunahara. How dare you come into my courtroom and lie to me?"

What started out as a civil court case turned out to be so much more. Himeko stole millions of dollars from Hinata and Hanabi, making it a criminal case. Apparently she'd have to go to court once more, but that was okay. Hinata was sure that she could handle it.

Naruto wouldn't have been her attorney this time. "I don't do criminal cases," was what he said with a wink. Once they left the courthouse, they were swamped with reporters and such, pestering about the trial and silly rumors that may or may not have been true. But through all that, Hinata didn't get to thank him the way she wanted to.

And she didn't meet face to face with him for a while after the verdict passed. Winning was supposed to be a good thing, right?

Then why did she feel so hollow?

"Happy birthday, Hinata!"

The sounds of party poppers going off startled her, but the warm, welcoming smiles were enough to get her heartrate to settle down. Hanabi, Kiba, Shino and Ino stood in the living room of her new apartment in front of a banner that read "happy birthday" in beautiful cursive handwriting.

Must've been Ino's doing.

"You guys," Hinata mumbled, burying her face into her hands. "Wait, how'd you even get Ino to come?"

"Me and Ino ran into each other a while ago and exchanged numbers!" Hanabi cried. "She's the actual mastermind behind this little shindig."

Ino remembered her birthday? Hinata was absolutely touched. "Did… did you really? Oh Ino, that's really sweet of you."

Scratching the side of her cheek in embarrassment, Ino laughed. "Well yeah! You won a court case not too long ago and you got yourself a new apartment and didn't even let me throw you a housewarming party! This is the least I could do for you!"

Kiba's eyes narrowed. "Aren't people who live in the house the only ones eligible to actually throw a housewarming party?" Ino, with her hands on her hips, shushed Kiba as Hanabi took her sister's coat. This was a party Hinata could get behind. There were no big crowds and loud music, only a few people that she loved dearly spending time with her on her special day. It was easy to just let her guard down and relax with people who she knew cared for her.

"Hinata, would you like a glass of wine?" Shino asked. Hinata wasn't a big drinker, but tonight was her night. She nodded and watched as the red beverage partially filled the glass.

"Thank you, Shino."

"Aww, Shino what about me?" Hanabi cried.

Hinata frowned. "No."

"Hey, I'm already 21 now!" Hanabi argued. "Pour me a glass, Shino!"

Shino was starting to feel conflicted. Hinata watched him with narrowed eyes as she crossed her legs and arms. He didn't want to displease the birthday girl but her sister was glaring at him as she shook her glass in her hand, crying "It's illegal to deny me booze!"

Although Shino had done much worse illegal things, something as innocent as pouring his friend's little sister a glass of wine played upon his conscience heavily. "But, wine won't help your condition very much, right?"

Hanabi set the glass down while crossing her arms in a huff, muttering about how having illnesses wasn't fun while Hinata thanked Shino once again. Despite that, the five of them had a good time joking around and eating takeout. It wasn't long before Hanabi started talking about presenting gifts to Hinata, who complained saying, "You guys, the party was enough. You really didn't have to."

"Oh but we wanted to. Here, this one's from me!" Hanabi cried, handing Hinata a large box wrapped Christmas giftwrapping paper. "I wanted birthday giftwrap but it was really short notice and we only had Christmas ones in the house."

Hinata let out a giggle before carefully and neatly pulling off the gift wrap from her present. Hanabi rolled her eyes. Was her older sister meticulous in damn near everything she did? Once the box was out of the giftwrap, Hinata read aloud, "30-piece stainless steel baking set?"

"Yup! I know how much you liked baking when we were younger so I thought you'd like to start again," Hanabi grinned. "Do you like it?"

"I love it." There was a warmth to Hinata's smile, and it made Hanabi feel fuzzy inside. Hinata was her sweet, happy self again, and to know that she was only helping to widen Hinata's smile made Hanabi feel like their relationship was taking a turn for the better. "Thank you so much Hanabi, I think I'll use it pretty soon." She said before setting the gift down to receive Kiba's gift.

The box was much smaller compared to Hanabi's, and she couldn't really place the sound when she shook it. "Aww man Hinata, just open it already. I'm sure mine is the best gift here."

"Better than mine?" Hanabi challenged.

"Of course," Kiba said with a cocky grin.

"Oh, I love this perfume!" Hinata cried. It was a small bottle called Pink Champagne and was Hinata's favorite scent. It wasn't too sweet, and was very refined. How did Kiba remember this was her favorite? She remembered only saying it in passing. "Thank you Kiba, I really appreciate this."

Kiba snickered while Hanabi rolled her eyes. "Told ya she'd like mine the best."

"I love both of your presents equally." Hinata said as she began to open Shino's.

"She's just being nice to you." Hanabi commented offhandedly, and Kiba made a face. Those two bickered like children sometimes.

"Scented candles, Shino?" Hinata smiled. She didn't take him as the type.

He nodded. "Yes. You've mentioned wanting a couple once or twice, and they smelled nice in the store. Just like cinnamon."

Well, Hinata did love the smell of cinnamon. "Thank you, Shino."

"Oh, oh! Now you can open my gift, Hina~" Ino practically purred as she held a pink and black pin striped bag with the word Laces written in cursive. Hinata's face began to grow hot. "Oh come on now, don't be shy! Everyone has to own a pair of lingerie at some point in their life."

"But Sis does have panties like that already, right?"

"Hanabi!" Hinata scolded. "Not in front of the boys!"

Shino only sat quietly, unbothered by the whole situation as Kiba rolled his eyes. "Ugh, who cares? They're just a pair of panties right? Open the gift."

Hinata took the bag from Ino and took a quick peek in the bag before closing it again. All she saw were a bunch of sheer lines, and decided it'd be best to open this gift when she was alone. "Thanks anyway, Ino." She mumbled.

"Oh, before I forget," said Ino as she handed Hinata a small, rectangular box. "Here, this is for you."

Hinata blinked. "You got me another present?"

"No, this one's from Naruto. I invited him but he's been caught up with work, so he told me to give that to you."

They hadn't spoken in quite a while. Hinata was a bit surprised that he was still thinking of her, but being in his thoughts wasn't a bad thing. The box contained a tennis bracelet, which made her frown. She felt terrible not being able to pay him for his work. Now she was feeling even worse about this expensive, diamond bracelet she had no need for.

She could hear Kiba whistle. "Woah, Naruto really went all out. But that's a rich boy for you, I guess."

"It really pretty," Hanabi said in awe. Ino could only nod in agreement.

"It looks like there's a paper underneath it, Hinata," said Shino.

He was right. She carefully pulled it out from under the bracelet and unfolded it, eyes scanning over the words slowly. It read:

Happy Birthday!

I wish I could've seen you today, but I've been taking cases left and right. It's been pretty busy around here.

I heard you moved. Ino told me. Where's my invite? I'd love to see your new place.

Have you been alright? I really miss you. It's so weird not being able to hold you and talk to you.

We should really catch up sometime. I want to see you again.

"Love, Naruto." Kiba finished and Hinata pressed the note to her chest to conceal it from him.

"K-Kiba! You can't just read my things like that!" She cried.

He shrugged. "He's got such bad handwriting, so that was one of the only things I could read." Hinata sighed in relief before looking over the note once more. Maybe she'd give him a call tonight. The worst he could say was that he was busy and ask for her to call back, right?

After reading his letter, Hinata couldn't focus on anything other than the eccentric blond lawyer who clouded her thoughts.

Hinata hadn't visited her father ever since her stepmother took off with her money, but that was only because he had no time. Well, that was partially true. Even if she did have the time, she wouldn't have gone because she had truly thought that he had betrayed her and Hanabi.

She went years believing her father hadn't cared about her or her sister and saw no need to pay her respects to a man who would have willingly let his youngest child die of heart disease. Now Hinata knew that she was in the wrong, and decided to pay her respects to him.

Hinata went to apologize for every terrible thought that ran through her mind when she thought of him, and for not believing in his love for them. He must have been so lonely there, with no one to say, "Hey," every once in a while or give him flowers to show that he was appreciated.

From what she remembered in her time spent at Ino's flower shop, purple hyacinths were the perfect flower to apologize and ask for forgiveness. Hinata thought that it would be a step in the right direction for her.

His grave was as fancy as she remembered it. A woman made out of marble rested her head on the headstone as if she were crying. Hinata almost scoffed, remembering that Himeko was the one who picked out such an unnecessary headstone.

Hinata placed the bouquet down gently before shoving her hands in the pockets of her pea coat. She had forgotten to bring gloves and the cold, January air began to nip unpleasantly at her fingertips. Now Hinata wasn't sure what she should do. It felt wrong to leave but, what was she supposed to say? It wasn't as if he could hear her, right?

If that was what she truly thought, why'd she bring the flowers then?

"Umm…" Hinata started, a bit unsure of herself. "Hello. It's been a while since I've last seen you." Her eyes drifted off from the silly headstone to the gates of the cemetery. "Hanabi and I were actually going to see you this weekend but I just thought I'd stop by and give my apologies.

"She had plans today, and I didn't want to disturb them. She's gone out with her boyfriend today. They go to college together and I met him the other day. He's very nice." And he was just as silly as Hanabi. Hinata was sure that the two of them were a perfect match.

"I've um… Father, I've done some things that I am not proud of. And if you can see me, I'm sure you've watched everything. What I've done was truly disgraceful, and I'm sure that if things hadn't worked out the way they did, I'd still be on the same path.

"But I don't regret it, not at all. I did what I had to do. You don't have to understand, but I ask that you forgive me. Actually, if you've been watching me, I have met someone very special to me. His name is Naruto and he's helped me fix my life. I love that man with all of my heart, but I haven't told him. I'm feeling… shy."

A light blush dusted her cheeks and she wanted to laugh. The two of them had slept together, for goodness sakes, but the thought of uttering three little words to him made her feel faint. He made her feel like a little school girl again, getting her first crush. How silly.

"Look at me, going on about my love life. I'm sure you didn't want to hear that. I do hope that you found mother and that the two of you are happy, wherever you are. I know that you loved her very much. Speaking of love…" Hinata mumbled, "Himeko confessed to everything the other day. She handed in the real will and it had our names on it.

"It also named her as our caretaker but, that didn't work out so well. I always thought that Himeko really loved you. You both seemed very happy back then, and there was even a picture of you in her office. But I don't think she loves you anymore. How could someone who loved you go behind your back and hurt your children like that?"

Hinata sighed. She was such a rotten woman, but Hinata would never have to deal with her anymore. "Um, it's getting pretty cold out now, so I should go. I'll see you this weekend." The walk back to her car wasn't a very long one, but before she left the cemetery gates, Hinata could hear the wind howling.

Hinata turned to face the direction of her father's grave with a smile. "I promise."

"It's freezing outside. May I please come in?" Hinata asked in a muffled voice, as her scarf covered her mouth. She stood in the doorway of Naruto's condo, waiting for him to let her in. Hearing his breathy chuckle kind of warmed her up a bit. Okay, maybe a lot. She could have sworn that she was melting.

"Your nose is so red. Look at that," He laughed, giving her nose a little pinch as Hinata scrunched up her face. Honestly, he could be so childish sometimes.

"Naruto," she whined, "stop it! It's not funny!" When he let go, she was able to look at him, and he had one of the biggest grins she had ever seen on his face. Much to her relief, Naruto was making this little reunion a lot less awkward than she initially anticipated.

But maybe she only thought it would be awkward because she had planned on confessing to him today. She planned exactly what she was going to say to him too. She'd start out with saying thank you for all his hard work and the birthday present, and go in for a kiss. Then hopefully she'd have enough courage to relay her feelings for him.

"Come here, lemme get your coat for you." He said, guiding her inside. She shrugged off her coat and he took it right after closing the door behind him. Hinata walked around his place, quite astonished with what she was seeing. Everything looked so neat and tidy.

"Wow, it looks so clean in here." She said quietly.

Naruto's face soured. "Hey! I'm not totally lost without you!" He cried, and Hinata turned around to face him to apologize. However, she never got the chance to, as Naruto's posture slumped and he sighed. "Okay, I am pretty lost without you. It was really messy in here until a few days ago when you said you wanted to visit."

Hinata wanted to scold him, but instead giggled. "Oh hey! I see you're wearing the present I got you!" Naruto cried, pointing to her wrist. "It really looks good on you."

She held onto the tennis bracelet and gave him a frown. Uh oh. Did she really not like it? "It's beautiful, and I appreciate it but it must have been expensive. Naruto, I don't want you to spend money on unnecessary things for me."

"What? But it's not unnecessary," he said before wrapping his arms around her waist, gingerly pressing his lips to her ear. "I wanna spoil you." His warm breath tickled her. When she gasped, he let out a low chuckle.

How would she ever be able to confess to him if he was going to spend all day teasing her?

"Naruto, please stop."

Something was off. She felt tense; almost agitated even. He was sure that they'd have a great time together today since everything was working out for her now. So what happened? Naruto removed himself from her and watched as she turned to face him. "Is there something wrong, Hinata?"

"No, there's nothing wrong. I know this is late but I just… I just wanted to say thank you," she reached out to hold his hands. "Thank you so much for everything. I couldn't have gotten here without your support." Hinata watched as Naruto's cheeks turned a light pink color.

"Hey, it's no problem," he mumbled. "I mean anyone would have defended you. I was just doing my job."

"But it's so much more than that Naruto," she said. "You stuck by me, someone awful enough to take another person's life. You listened to my terrible crying and consoled me during ridiculous hours of the night. You took care of me and made sure I was always in my right state of mind. Naruto, if I hadn't met you I… I don't know where my life would be right now."

She could hardly control her emotions. Hinata could only list all the wonderful things he'd done for her instead of sticking to her original plan. It didn't take long for her to burst into tears right in front of him yet again. How many times was that now? She had lost count. Her arms wrapped around him and she buried her face into his chest with heaving shoulders. "Thank you so much! Thank you so much for loving me!"

Hinata could feel him wrap his arms around her protectively as he rest his chin on top of her head. He said nothing. The harder she cried, the more firm his embrace was. He hadn't thought about it, but what if he'd never found the courage to talk to her in city hall two years ago?

Would she still have been in the business? Would she have been as miserable as she was when they met each other? What if she had actually died on the job one night and he saw her beautiful face on the 11 o'clock news instead?

He let out a shaky breath. Thank God he found her.

Once she stopped crying, Hinata pulled away to speak properly. "I… I'm sorry," she laughed, wiping away her tears. "I cried like a child and I didn't mean to." Naruto leaned down to kiss the top of her forehead.

"Yeah, and you made a mess out of my shirt," he teased. Feeling slightly embarrassed, Hinata started to apologize but he stopped her. "Hinata. Thank you for telling me that. It really makes me feel appreciated. It makes me feel loved."

"It's because I do love you, Naruto. You've spent so long making me feel special. I'd love to do the same for you too."

He snorted. "I already do feel special. I've got butterflies just knowing that you love me~!" He teased, lifting her off the ground to spin her around. On her neck, he placed kisses so tingly that she squealed, but made no attempt to actually push him away.

This was something she thought she could never achieve. Hinata had a normal, stable career and her sister was in good health. Her best friends were out of such a scary business and she and Ino were able to reconcile and become friends again. Hinata's favorite thing about all of this was falling in love with the man whose shining, bright smile had saved her.