Naruto had been arrested before.

More times than she liked to think about, so this was not a new experience for Hinata; standing in the precinct, waiting for someone to give her the information she needed about Naruto and his booking. She is trying to keep her composure, trying not to dwell on the way in which he was taken into custody, trying not to worry the skin on her wrist raw by twisting her bracelet around and around.

She shifts on her feet, eyes darting around the station. There are people giving statements about any number of incidents, several in uniform officers and others in civilian clothes-detectives, she assumes, but doesn't really know. She's not overly familiar with how the precinct and police run. Her encounters with them were usually her picking up Naruto after a night in the holding cell for 'disorderly' or paying his bail and fines.

They'd been lucky so far that his episode-like the time he went door to door at three in the morning 'campaigning' for his presidency or any of his drunken fights hadn't actually garnered any criminal charges before this. She knew that he had been incarcerated before-years before they were ever a couple-but it wasn't something he spoke of, and it wasn't something that she wanted to push.

She winced as her bracelet bit into her flesh. She sighed, mentally forcing herself to relax and shifting her fingers away to move over her ring-rubbing the band. It was a small comfort.

Mr. Umino shifted in his spot beside her, looking a little bit like he doesn't belong amongst the chaos with his sweater and clean cut appearance. She hadn't expected him to come in with her, or stay, but he had insisted. Apparently, Naruto had come to mean a great deal to their quiet neighbor...former neighbor, on her part...while she'd been gone.

Seeing him, checking his watch, asking the desk clerk for information, kind of reminds Hinata of a father waiting for their son and it makes something in her heart clench. Naruto deserved all the love and support that life could offer and had been woefully bereft of it for a very long time.

"I'm going to find some coffee," Iruka tells her after another twenty minutes of no answers and more waiting. "You want any?"

"No, but I'll take tea if they have it."

He nods, patting her shoulder. "It's going to be alright," he says. "I'll be right back."

Hinata watches him walk down a side corridor and feels her anxiety tick up a notch. She inhales purposefully. She's managed to stay collected this long. She can handle waiting by herself...

"Hina!"

Hinata's head snaps around at the sound of Ino's voice, immediately grateful. Ino is pushing her way past a few people-Sai in tow-and marching straight for Hinata. Once she reaches her, she pulls her into a tight hug, then pushes her back at arms' length, holding her upper arms as she studies Hinata's face. "You okay?"

Hinata gives a small shrug. "As I can be...considering."

Ino makes an appropriate sympathetic sound. "You two just can't catch a break, can you?" she says, shaking her head.

Hinata gives a shaky exhale, but says nothing. What's there to say?

"How long before we can get him out?" Ino asks.

"I don't know," Hinata murmurs with another small shrug. "I'm still waiting…"

Ino shakes her head, moving around Hinata to crowd the desk clerk. "Who's in charge here?" she demands and Hinata both admires her forthrightness and wants to call her back. Stirring up more trouble is the last thing Hinata wants to do.

The officer at the desk raises his head from the papers he's filling out and gives Ino a flat stare. "That would be the Captain, and not you, honey, so sit down. I've already told your friends that as soon as things are processed I'll let you know."

Undaunted, Ino tosses her long hair over her shoulder. "And how long does 'processing' take? Aren't you people in the twenty-first century. Isn't it all automated and computerized?"

The desk clerk rolls his eyes and makes a shooing motion with his hand. "Sit," he barks.

Ino sniffs, turning on her heel. "Unhelpful bunch," she mutters.

Hinata glances about the busy station again. "They kind of have their hands full, Ino."

Ino scoffs, "They're gonna have their hands full," but she moves aside, taking Hinata over to a row of plastic chairs and urging her to sit. "Have you heard anything at all?" she asks.

Hinata shakes her head. "No." She swallows the tremble in her voice. "They won't even tell me if he's okay...I mean, they tased him, Ino." Hinata rubs at her face wearily. Everything feels so unfocused and heavy. She can still see Naruto's expression as the current buckled his legs. She shakes the mental image away. She knows it will be nightmare fodder for weeks to come-as will the attack in the alley. So much messed up stuff has happened in the past two days, she can barely keep track.

"From what Ino told me, you and Naruto were jumped, yes?" Sai asks, taking a seat nearby. He slipped a sketchbook out of his satchel, already drawing loose lines on the pages.

Hinata had filled Ino in-briefly-on the ride over. She nods. "Yeah."

"And...the ones that jumped you are pressing charges?"

Hinata shrugs, a bit helpless. It would appear that way. It doesn't make a lot of sense, but nothing at the moment did."I don't know...maybe? I mean...that doesn't make a lot of sense, but...yeah, I think so."

"That's fucked up," Ino states, eyes narrow. She wraps her arm around HInata's shoulders. "Shikamaru's on his way," she informs her.

Hinata blinks a bit at that. "I didn't think Shikamaru did criminal law anymore-"

"I don't." Behind them, Shikamaru walks towards them. He has his hands in his pockets and his stride is easy, despite the situation. Hinata doesn't think she's ever seen him rush for anything-ever. "Well, I don't like to," he amends. "Too troublesome. But, I'm making an exception." He gives a one shoulder shrug.

Hinata presses her lips together. "Thank you," she whispers softly. He shrugs again. She knows he's not really doing it for her, but for Naruto (and probably a little to keep Ino off his back), and that actually helps put her mind at ease. She's still fighting the urge to cry, but having so many people here-when it used to be only her-is helping calm her frantic nerves. Shikamaru is one of the smartest people she's ever met, and though they aren't close by any stretch, she knew him to be an honest and upstanding person.

"Here." Iruka suddenly appears with a steaming styrofoam cup in his hand. "It's green, I hope that's okay." He notices the crowd now around Hinata. "Uh, hi," he greets a bit uncertain. He glances at her and she offers a small-barely there-smile. Iruka takes it upon himself to conduct introductions before taking a seat across from Hinata. They all sit in a sort of awkward silence for a few minutes while Shikamaru approaches the desk to see what he can sort out.

When he returns, he's frowning.

Hinata's nerves twist in her gut. "What is it?" she asks, back on her feet.

Shikamaru sighs, angling his head. "They've put Naruto in isolation."

"What? Why?" Hinata's voice cracks. All she can picture is Naruto bruised up, beaten, and alone. She wants to go to him and hold him and assure him that it's going to be okay. She's going to make it okay.

Please.

"Oh, I don't know. Could be the fact that he violently resisted arrest," Shikamaru says, with more than a hint of sarcasm. He casts Ino a 'what have you dragged me into' look.

Ino, in turn, waves him off. "Okay, smarty-lawyer-man, when do we get him out?"

At this Shikamaru's gaze flickers over Hinata. "It's going to be awhile. They have seventy-two hours to process him. It's usually quicker, but there's no guarantee that it will even be today. I've already called down. They know I'm his lawyer. That should speed things up a bit." The Nara name held clout.

Hinata sucks in a breath. Naruto alone, in a cell, for however long it took to process him with no way to know that she's here-no way to know that any of them are there? Her heart beat increases until she feels dizzy.

Iruka is also on his feet now, a steadying hand on Hinata's shoulder. "Will it take longer because he resisted?"

"That's part of it," Shikamaru acknowledges. "The police do not like it when you fuck with them. Processing could get held up. Nothing illegal, but enough to be a pain. Naruto has been charged with multiple counts of assault and battery. Hence the warrant for the officers this morning. I'm going to try and head off the DA before he can add a 'resisting' charge to the list of offenses."

Hinata feels a little like the world is on crazy pills. "That's not what happened though! We were the ones attacked-"

Shikamaru holds up one hand, cutting her off. "I'm not saying that's not what happened, but if that's the case, that begs the question: why didn't the two of you press charges? Or hell, even go to a hospital?"

Hinata blinks, feeling a bit under attack. She bristles, defensively. "We just wanted to get somewhere safe and put it behind us," she says, voice tight. She knows that's not entirely why they didn't. Naruto's history of violence and his relationship with cops in general definitely influenced their reactions, but she also knows that the moment Naruto took the wallet, he was no longer simply the victim.

Shikamaru exhales. "Look, I'm not trying to get you riled. I know you've had a rough morning, but the simple truth is that things like that don't look good to the police or the DA. I know it may seem like this is all bullshit, and some of it is, but you've gotta stay focused, ok? Emotions are only going to make this mess messier." He lets out a disgruntled sigh. "It's already messier than I'd like it."

"How messy?" Iruka wants to know.

Shikamaru slants him a look. "Given Naruto's history…" he lets the sentence trail off.

"That hardly seems fair, holding the kid's past over his head." Iruka counters.

Another shrug from Shikamaru. "Fair or not, it's fact."

Breathing is becoming slightly harsher-quicker. Hinata can't quite catch up to her own body. She can barely hear her own voice over the pulse pounding in her ears. "What...What happens now? How can I help him?"

"Now? Now, you and I are going to sit in one of the side rooms here and sort out your story. I want every detail. We'll also go and request for a statement to be given here, to the police, after you fill me in. That way we have a counter argument. A flimsy one-"

Hinata feels so frustrated that tears do sting her eyes. "It's what happened!"

"Still flimsy. You're involved with him, so that makes anything you say dubious at best."

"Are you legit questioning Hina's credibility?" Ino seethes.

Shikamaru rolls his eyes. "I'm not, no. I'm saying it will be questioned." He gives the group a collective scowl. "If one of you wants to take over as defense attorney, feel free to show me your J.D. and ABA, otherwise, I'm going to ask that you shut up and let me do my job."

Sai simply shrugs and resumes sketching while the others slip into a more sullen silence. Shikamaru mutters a quiet, "Troublesome," before urging Hinata to walk with him.

In a side conference room she fills him in on everything. When she's done talking he nods, gaze level. "Well, that's not the best defense in the world, but it's what we have."

Hinata presses her palms flat to the tabletop, frustrated. "They tricked him."

Shikamaru nods. "Yeah, but where's the proof? It doesn't matter if it's true," he interjects before she can be indignant. "What matters is what we can prove."

Taking a breath, Hinata rolls up her sleeve, showing her very bruised wrist. Then, once Shikamaru's gaze locks back onto her own, she adjusts her shirt, showing the ring around her neck. "I have proof."

"Jesus," Shikamaru exhales. He gives her a once over. "We need you to get checked by a physician. You also need to give an official statement. I can't say whether it will be much help. Honestly, any good attorney can flip your injuries and try and suggest abuse."

Hinata's eyes go wide. "Naruto would never-!"

"I know that." Shikamaru states with an eye roll. "You just need to be ready for it if they try and smear him."

Hinata glances up at that, her own eyes narrowing a bit. "What aren't you telling me?"

At this, Shikamaru leans back, eying her speculatively. "I don't know who Naruto pissed off, but someone's clearly pissed, if they went to all this trouble. If these thugs jumped you but feel confident enough to walk into a police station and file a false report...well, then they have someone powerful in their corner or they're incredibly stupid. I'm hoping for stupid, but I want to be as prepared as possible. All avenues covered, all moves accounted for. No surprises."

Hinata feels like she's had enough surprises to last several lifetimes.

"For now, we're going to get you checked out and then I'm going to get on the line and see what's what with Naruto. Best case scenario is that we get him out on bail ASAP. A trial, should it come to that, will take the DA's office time to prep for. We'll use that time, too. If we're super duper lucky, then we'll get this shit dismissed and I can go back to running legal shit for Kakashi and not be neck deep in drama."

Hinata swallows back the hope that kunges in her throat. "Do you think that we can?"

"Worth a shot, right?" He shoves up from the table. "I could really use a smoke. You good?"

No, not really. But she was going to push through it. No falling apart while Naruto needed her.