Obito held her firmly, unsure for how long they had been in such a position. He would cradle her head against his chest, feeling her hot tears against his t-shirt. He hated seeing her cry like this, but knew that more would come once the investigation was over. He knew that Baki and Yamato were close to solving the case. And by the way things looked, he was certain that there would be nothing more but bad news in regards to what happened to her mother.

Her cries settled, and he wiped her tears with his thumb. He knew that right now, all he could do was hold her.

There was a knock on the door, and a nurse walked in. She opened her mouth but stopped upon seeing the young woman leaning her body onto the male's. He was hugging her, and she could hear the soft whimpers and sniffs coming from her.

The male, who she recognized as the rich Uchiha who owned the family's space program, looked at her and the nurse felt her stomach do flips and her face blush. He was very handsome. Tall, also. Six feet, for sure. And the scar on the side of his face made him more handsome. But watching how he held the young woman, she knew that he was definitely taken. And she was also sure that he was the expecting father as well. Why couldn't God make more men like him?

"...Is that OK?"

"Oh, I'm sorry! What was that?" she asked, coming back to her senses.

He had a slight annoyed look, and it just made her flushed in embarrassment. He definitely knew that she was checking him out.

"I asked if you could give us five more minutes,"

"Uh...y-yes! Sorry about that!" the nurse worried out, leaving and pulling her phone out. She just had to tell her friends that Obito Uchiha was at her work.

Once the nurse left, Obito grabbed Rin's arms and gently pulled her back. He analyzed her wet face, her eyes red.

"I'm going to bring you some water, OK?"

She didn't react, and he quickly got up and walked over to the small water dispenser. He filled the plastic cup with water and walked back to her side. Rin didn't move, her head still lowered.

"Drink some water,"

He grabbed her left hand, guiding her thin fingers around the cup. She lifted her head slightly, just as he pressed the cup to her lips. She took very few sips, pushing the cup away afterwards. Obito placed it by the window sill before sitting next to her. He cupped her face with his hands.

"Rin, look at me,"

Her brown eyes looked up, and Obito could've sworn his heart broke in half as he saw the sadness in them. Her once full and vibrant honey brown eyes were now filled with sorrow.

"The nurse will be coming back to check on your arm. If everything's OK, you'll be able to come home tomorrow,"

She lowered her head, nodding only once.

"I brought you some clothes,"

She didn't say anything, just kept her head lowered. Obito held her hand and paused, noticing for the first time how much thinner her fingers were. To think about it, he hadn't seen her eat or get any type of nourishment since waking up. She had been unconscious most of the time yesterday. If his assumption was correct, the last time she must've eaten was at the party hosted by the Hyuugas. Pregnant and with a broken arm, he knew that she needed to eat.

"Rin," Her head was still lowered, but that didn't stop him from continuing, "Are you hungry?"

She shook her head slowly, but he wasn't going to take any chance. He knew that her mind was too bothered with everything that happened in the last seventy-two hours to even think about herself. Until she became better, and came to herself, Obito knew that he would have to take care of her.

The door opened, revealing the same nurse and the doctor.

"Good morning!" the doctor, an old man with receding hairline, said with a bright smile. "I see that she's finally awake!"

Rin only looked up at the man briefly before focusing her attention back down. The doctor, who immediately sensed something was wrong with her emotionally, cleared his throat. He stood in front of the bed.

"Rin, I'm going to take a look at your arm just to make sure that the bones are healing properly. I'm going to have you do some basic movements, and you will tell me how it feels. OK?"

"...OK," she answered softly.

The doctor stood by her side and gently grabbed her right arm. He lifted it slightly, feeling the cast. Rin winced at the touch, closing her eyes.

"Just few more checks, and then I'll be done,"

He finished two minutes later, noting something down in his report. He then placed his notepad down and gave them a smile.

"Well, everything looks and feels as expected! Now, before I can discharge you tomorrow, I need to have a serious conversation regarding your second condition. The pregnancy," he then turned to Obito, "I'm assuming that you are the father?"

The Uchiha nodded, grabbing Rin's left hand, as he listened carefully.

"Good. I'm glad you're here. Now, because Rin is so early in the pregnancy, it's hard to know how the accident affected it. We can run another test in a week or two for a more accurate prediction. Now, she needs to consume a lot of protein and calcium in order for that bone to properly heal. And if her pregnancy is still viable by next week, she will need to be extra careful with her movements and what she eats,"

"Yeah," Obito nodded understandingly.

"I will have one of the nurses bring in lunch in half an hour. Emily here will work on her paperwork, and we'll be providing you with those documents. Regular appointments should be set to ensure that her arm is healing properly throughout the process. She will be experiencing some pain, but as her arm heals, that pain should lessen,"

"How long will it take for her arm to fully heal?"

The doctor sighed, "Considering the fracture happened in three different locations, it will take several months for sure. But we can have her cast changed as the healing has progressed,"

Obito noted everything down mentally, watching as Rin asked no questions. She remained still, almost frozen in her spot.

"I will take my leave now. Got a kid with a broken leg to tend to do now," the doctor said as he turned around. But then he stopped and turned to Obito, "Actually, may I talk to you outside for a brief moment? Emily can stay with Rin,"

Obito nodded and followed the shorter man outside. The doctor closed the door behind them and turned towards the taller man.

"Listen, what I am going to tell you may be obvious, but I want to make sure that my message has gone across to you. I know her accident was no accident, and there's an investigation going on. But I can sense the depression in that young lady. As her partner and father of her unborn baby, you need to keep an eye on her. She's an expecting mother and needs to take good care of herself, but I worry that whatever is truly going on will stop her. And that could cause her to lose the baby,"

Obito agreed with the man, "I understand. I will be taking care of her,"

The doctor smiled, patting him on the arm, "Good!"

XXXXXXX

The food, which was chicken, broccoli, and rice with a cup of fruit and orange juice, arrived nearly an hour later. The tray was placed over her lap.

"Someone will come in two hours to retrieve the silver ware,"

Obito nodded and watched as the male nurse left. He turned his attention to Rin, who stared at the food with a blank expression. He sat next to her on the bed, wrapping an arm around her in order to bring her closer to him.

"I'm...not hungry," she said softly.

"You still need to eat something," he said softly.

"I don't know if I can. I feel sick,"

He thought it was probably due to the pregnancy, but Rin couldn't stop thinking about her mother, the suitcase, Izumi and her son. Her mind was too preoccupied on the violence her father had caused to others.

"Try eating half for now then," Obito said, unwrapping the utensils from the napkin.

She raised her left hand and grabbed the spoon, picking up some of the food. Her hand trembled, making her realize that she will have to get used to eating with her left hand. Obito supported her hand a bit, steadying it in order to ensure the food didn't drop on her.

Just like he expected, Rin only ate a portion of the food. Not even half. Obito placed the tray aside, returning to the same spot next to her. Izumi had sent him several texts, mostly pictures of her son. She had also wanted to see Rin, see how she was doing and show her the baby as well.

But Obito knew that Rin wasn't ready for such a visit. The mention of Izumi or her son had her looking away, as if ashamed. Her mental anguish would take time, that he was aware of. And that would worsen before it got better.

XXXXXX

Obito was glad for Anko's quick visit. She was ready to be discharged, her arm in a smaller cast.

He watched as the two of them hugged for a long while, Rin apologizing for putting her life at risk.

"Idiot, why are you apologizing for? You didn't cause any of this!"

"Not directly, but…"

"We survived, right? It just shows how strong we are!"

The corner of Rin's lifted, just slightly, and Obito couldn't help but admire it. Even if it was small, it was the first time she had smiled.

"But your car is totalled… I can help you pay for the damages or help you get a new one,"

"Oh, there's no need!" Anko said with a bright smile before turning her attention to Obito, "The nephew of the future governor of Konoha offered to get me a new one!"

Rin's eyebrows raised, turning her head to Obito "R-Really?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "It's the least the family can do for her,"

Rin's smile widened slightly at him, and Obito could've sworn he was falling in love with her all over again.

Anko, sensing the energy between the two, cleared her throat. "Well, I'll let you two lovebirds get back to...whatever you were doing. My aunt's waiting for me outside,"

"The car will be dropped off at your place tomorrow afternoon," Obito told her, and Anko beamed with excitement.

With a last goodbye and hug to her friend, the girl left.

"Thank you for that," Rin said softly, "For watching over Anko as well,"

"Like I mentioned, it's the least I could do to help her out,"

Even though she was sure that Obito getting Anko a car was no big deal to him, to her (and Anko), it was a huge deal. Both of them had come from low-income families. Not too long ago, simply buying a new pair of shoes was a big deal.

"How are you feeling now?" he asked, taking advantage of her slightly improved mood.

"...Lost," she said with a sigh, "I...feel lost. I'm glad Anko is doing well. I put her life in danger-"

"You need to stop blaming yourself," he said, grabbing her chin and lifting her head up.

Her eyes watered again. "Obito, you knew how violent my father was… You wanted to do something about it, and I stopped you. Had I let you… Or had I reported him earlier, maybe then-"

"He would've hurt you some other way," Obito interrupted her, "Remember what Baki and Yamato said. The suitcase was hidden. There are others involved. You would've been hurt-"

"Maybe that would've been better,"

There was a silence, her statement surprising the both of them. She barely had time to think about her response, her lips acting on their own. She looked away, suddenly feeling embarrassed and regretting blurting that out. Obito grabbed her chin and gently turned her head towards him. Her eyes looked up at his, watching as his eyebrows were furrowed.

"Why would you say that?" he asked her.

"...I've caused nothing but trouble for you and your family. If we hadn't met...or...dated… You wouldn't have to deal with all of this. You've been taking care of me since the moment we met. Always there for me. You deserve someone who has less problems, less-"

"You don't believe that I love you then? Do you think that I've been lying to you all this time? About how I feel about you?"

She didn't respond, and he continued, "Have I not...shown you how much I fucking love you, Rin?"

Seeing the hurt in his expression made her heart ache, and she lowered her head.

"I-I'm sorry…"

"Do you trust me?" he asked.

She was surprised by his ask. Of course she trusted him. He has helped her in ways that she wouldn't have imagined. On the days she would come home tired from work and needed to study for some exam, he would give her the privacy she needed to focus. Sometimes, he would study with her - helping her recite important information. He never pressured her into anything, especially sex. He was also patient with her, allowing her to try new things at her own pace.

"Yes...I do,"

Obito leaned closer, pressing his forehead against hers. "Then let me take care of you. I can't promise that things will get better soon. But I promise that I'll be here for you. I want you to lean on me for everything,"

Their eyes connected, and it reminded her of the first time they kissed. She blushed a bit while thinking back. The first time she officially stayed in his home, that night her father had put his hands on her. Then, the first time they made love.

"...Thank you," she whispered, "I'm sorry for what I said… It...just came out... I didn't mean it,"

"It's fine," Obito said, brushing her hair with his thumb, "You're under stress. I understand,"

Rin gave a slight nod, "Are...you going to stay here the whole day?"

"That's my plan,"

"So you'll be going home tonight?"

"I was, but I can stay overnight as well,"

"...I would prefer that,"

Obito smiled, happy to know that deep down his Rin was in there. "Then I'll stay overnight,"

She gave him a quick smile, watching as he held her hand carefully. "Thank you,"

Maya Salamander had been in the middle of making sandwiches for her children when the police had arrived. Considering her husband had worked in law enforcement, she figured that they were probably looking for advice. Afterall, he had been given an award for excellent performance several years ago. The certificate displayed neatly in their living room.

But when the officers weren't from the local police, and two unfamiliar detectives told Renzo that he was under arrest, Maya knew that her life would be changing forever.

"Renzo Salamander,"

"Y-Yes?" replied her husband, having just woken up from a nap.

"You are under arrest for the spoliation of evidence related to the case of Misako Nohara, and attempted murder…"

"Daddy's getting arrested?" asked a little girl, watching with wide eyes.

"G-Go upstairs. And take your brothers with you," Maya said, ushering her children up the stairs.

The children, the oldest being nine, slowly walked up to their rooms. They turned their heads every couple of seconds, their small lips turning into a frown as they watched their father be escorted out of the house. They stopped by the top of the stairs, watching quietly as their mother demanded answers from one of the strange men.

"What is this!? Why are you arresting him!?"

Baki turned to her, "The black truck outside. Is that yours?"

"Y-Yes, b-b-but what does that have to do with any of this!?"

Baki exited the house, walking over to the side of the parked vehicle. Maya followed him, stopping next to him as he analyzed the scratch marks against the pickup truck.

"We will be taking the truck-"

"What-"

"If we have any questions, we'll reach out to you,

"You can't do this to us! My husband is a law-abiding citizen! He also served as detective for years,"

"We know," Baki said as a tow truck arrived to take the pickup truck away.

Maya shook her head, "You men should be ashamed of yourselves! Wait until I call his brother about this! He's also a detective, you know! And he's a much better one than any of you pigs! You ought to be ashamed of yourselves wearing that badge!"

Yamato and Baki ignored the woman, their minds still pondering over the fact that there was another Salamander working for the police.

Next Day...

"The arrest has been made,"

Obito had received the text early in the morning as a nurse helped Rin change into the clothes he had brought her the previous day. He felt a slight sense of relief - the sooner this settled, the quicker Rin could move on. Nonetheless, Baki's subsequent text had him even more worried.

"Be wary of any detective trying to approach you or Rin,"

"She's all ready," the nurse said as they exited the bathroom, "The receptionist by the front desk will give you the paperwork for follow-up checkups,"

The couple grabbed the paperwork and exited the hospital. He held her hand and walked slowly to match her pace. She wasn't looking down like yesterday, but her gaze seemed distant. She was quiet; had been quiet for most of the morning. She had only eaten five spoons worth of oatmeal for breakfast, and then had stopped. Her beautiful brown eyes no longer had that honey glow, and her lips were thinner.

"Are you hungry?" he asked her.

Rin shook her head slowly, "...No,"

Obito didn't say anything else, wondering what else he could do. He could feel the negative energy engulfing her.

They reached his car, and he opened the door for her. He watched her carefully as she got in, making sure she didn't hit the cast. Afterwards, he got in the driver's seat and drove off silently.

The entire car ride was quiet, yet he occasionally looked at her from the corner of his eyes. Her head was turned towards the window. Steering the wheel with one hand, he used the other to grab her left hand. In return, she gave him a light squeeze and he smiled. His Rin was in there for sure.

As he made a turn towards his condo, he took notice of the black sedan making the same turn. His eyes narrowed as he gazed at the vehicle from his rearview mirror. To prove his theory, he drove past the building of his condo.

"...Um...Obito? You…missed the building..." Rin said quietly, confused.

"I know," he said casually. He didn't want to scare her, "I just want to take you on a quick ride,"

He turned his head towards her and smirked, and Rin only blinked confusingly as he merged onto the ramp and entered the freeway.

He glanced at the rearview mirror, the black sedan making the same move. He changed the gear of the Jaguar to sports mode, the engine roaring to life. Rin's eyes widened, her left hand holding the seat belt. She trusted Obito's driving skills, but this was the first time he drove much faster than the speed limit and weaved from one lane to another. It quickly reminded her of the car accident she had just been in.

She was about to ask him if he could slow down, but stopped when he took an exit and got back onto the local road.

Unbeknownst to her, the black sedan followed them. Obito made one last daring move as the traffic light in front of him was yellow, ready to turn red. He pressed on the gas, and Rin yelped as he zoomed past the light as it turned red.

He slowed down immediately, parking by the side as the sound of a crash was heard from behind them.

"You OK?" he asked her, and Rin could only nod before turning around.

By the intersection they had just passed laid broken parts of a black sedan. It had been t-boned by a white SUV, causing the smaller car to turn onto its roof. Several pedestrians rushed towards the sedan, helping the injured driver out of his car.

"...I...I've seen that man before," Rin said softly, and that angered Obito. While he knew that he had to be alert, he didn't know that someone would actually try to follow them directly from the hospital. Which only meant that Rin wasn't completely out of danger.

"...I think his name is… Hanzo," she turned to Obito, watching as he texted Baki, "Wait...he was following us? That's why you were driving...like that?"

The Uchiha nodded, putting his car in drive and zooming away. "Yeah. I noticed it shortly after leaving the hospital. Had I stopped by our place, he would've known where you were staying,"

Rin nodded slowly, now understanding why he decided not to stop and instead trick Hanzo. It was still dangerous, and it had her scared that they would get into an accident themselves. But the fact that Obito was able to fool the man amazed her, and she could only watch her boyfriend with admiration and love.

"Th-Thank you, Obito,"

He grabbed her left hand and brought it to his face, giving it a kiss on top as his focus remained on the road.

"No need to thank me. I'll always protect you,"

Author's Note: Thank you for reading! hope you enjoyed this chapter (and fic). I will start wrapping up this fic with the remaining chapters. Let me know your feedback!