"I know you mean well, but you should really speak to my attorney about this…" Hinata sighed, her shoulder holding her phone against her ear. Her hands were occupied cleaning the gunk out of the corner of Souta's eyes.

"This is just costing me so much, Hina. Please think about how this is hurting me."

She did. Of course she had. But this was hurting her, too. And this was all the last thing she ever wanted to experience in her life.

"I have to go, it's bath time," She says softly, and she ends the call. Redirecting her attention back to her child, she met his big, curious eyes. She gently cups some water from the tub and lets it run like a waterfall down his small back. These were times she could find comfort in the soft babbles of her son, the only times where her mind wandered to lighter things. He was growing so fast, already two years old! His short, blond locks were getting darker the more each day.

She always did this for him. His father was never as present as he led her to believe he would be. "I want a family with you" he often repeated, convincing the aspiring student that she should put school on hold to devote herself to him. She knew it was also her choice, but she thought they'd overcome it all together.

But here she was, watching the pink bubbles of the tub slowly sink as she drained it, holding her son tightly in his towel to keep him warm and dry. He didn't speak yet, he was more like her in that regard - he was as soft as his mother, a trait she's grateful he inherited despite looking physically less like her.

"It's time to rest," She said to him, bringing his head to her mouth as she kissed him on his forehead.

Here came the thoughts again. The headaches. The heartache.

Sasuke was not a patient man. His ex-wife knew this, before and after they got wedded. His closest friends knew this, and even his colleagues. It baffled him how Sakura still pretended like this was groundbreaking news to her.

"Sasuke, I didn't receive the check yet. When did you deposit it?" Sakura asked, as she was loading their daughter back into the car. Kazumi was asleep, letting her mother buckle her in without any issues. He spent a considerable time making sure she was already calm when Sakura picked her up. It's always hard on her leaving his place when it's time to rotate.

"I told you already, the transfer is automatic. It won't just appear when you want it to."

"This is hard on me!" She whispered harshly. "You know this is for Kazumi."

"I know," He says, in an effort to keep their daughter asleep and to shut his ex-wife up. "If it doesn't clear by midnight, I'll just Venmo you and you can return the deposit back." He doesn't trust her to return it, she's always managed to get him to let money issues go. But he'd rather have peace with her than another argument in court. He was also sick of asking his brother to represent him, even at his discounted rate.

"Okay," She says, satisfied as if she had won. Well, she had. She won spousal support until she remarried, she won primary custody, which he regretted, and she won by virtue when convincing their mutual friends that she was the true victim. It never mattered what he felt - when they dated, when they got married, or even during their painfully long divorce. All was just a ploy for Sakura to feel victorious, at his wallet's expense, and at their child's.

But he didn't think she realized that and never voiced it out loud. It was better to be peaceful, even when it was making him fume inside.

"I'll be moving into the new house in a couple of weeks," She says when she turns to him after shutting the rear door of her sedan. "I'll email you the address once I have the keys."

He nods. "How far is it from here?"

"Maybe fifteen minutes. I don't want her to miss out on the best school zone."

"Okay. I'll pick her up next Friday night then," He says.

"Yeah. Thanks, Sasuke." She turns to the driver's side and he watches her drive off.

"He just needs to sign the Agreement, and then we can file it for termination." Uchiha Itachi states.

Hinata looks at him and nods. She got her attorney's name from a friend of a friend, and trusted his judgment entirely. "I don't want him to call me about any of this again," She says, tears nearly forming. "I don't want to litigate either."

"I understand Ms. Uzumaki. I'll call him to cease contact until he seeks counsel. In the mean time, keep all conversations solely related to the child."

She nods. It's all she can do. She's thankful she has the family support system to help afford this process, but is reminded again of the failure of her marriage and her life at its current state. "How long will this take?"

He shrugs, the wrinkles on his face keeping his mouth a straight line. "It varies by case, but when custody and support is involved it may take years. I've been candid about your expectations since the beginning, Ms. Uzumaki."

She stands from her chair, and nods again. "I have to pick up my son, so if you need anything else from me, please let me know." She says.

"We'll be in touch. I am hopeful he will cooperate."

"Okay."

He stands and holds the door for her. She walks down the hallway in silence, hoping that no one can see her leaving the office. Once in her car, she lets out a sigh, proud of herself for keeping her composure.

It was difficult to accept the end of her marriage. It was difficult accepting that her husband did not love her nor respect her as much as she had for him. He made the cowardly choice of letting her know by lying. It was even harder finding out by coming home early, seeing heels that weren't hers at the door, hearing sounds that she used to make with him before her pregnancy, and the sounds of their bed creak from down the hall. She had her son in tow that day. To this day, she is still thankful he was asleep. The idea of creating early trauma even by accident would have devastated her.

Even so, the guilt of having to separate, having to work out financial and custodial parts, made her so unhappy. She just hoped her son didn't hate her for not sticking around. How could she? She wanted forever with him, with their child. She wanted more with him - more kids, eventual grandkids, everything. She meant her vows. She was so hopeful for the closest thing to eternity by his side.

Turning the ignition on, she ignores Naruto's texts, ignores her sister's call - her way of checking in, she knew Hinata was always a mess after seeing her lawyer - and focused only on the streetlights on the road. She was going to see Souta again. She was going to see her son's smile, the crinkle of his eyes, and she was going to feel whole with him again.

"I think you may know her," Itachi says casually while cutting into his steak. The perks of being partner is being able to have lunch whenever he wanted, and in the company of his younger brother at his leisure no less. "Does the surname Hyuuga ring any bells?"

"That's Naruto's ex." He replies. Ah, the Hyuuga. She wasn't memorable to him, but having been Naruto's best man, you would think he'd know her more. "What a shitshow."

"Without disclosing too much, he's making it impossible for them to both move on."

"He already has," Sasuke shrugged. He didn't give a shit if it helped his brother's case. "I don't let him talk to me about any of the details though. I don't care to relive that."

"At least yours settled. Eventually." Itachi laughs dryly, shoving the steak into his mouth. He takes his time to chew and swallows. "You can thank your older brother for that."

Sasuke scoffs. Talking about his older brother's career didn't bother him before his own divorce, but he didn't have the mental capacity to want to hear anymore of it. "Kazumi's recital is coming up. Do you want a ticket?"

Itachi smiles. He adored his niece. She was every bit Uchiha as Sasuke, but cuter (and sweeter). "Of course. Count me and Kisame in."

"Okay. I'll reserve three with Sakura."

"Everyone following the court order fine?"

"Yeah." Sasuke takes a sip of his Sprite. He sees his daughter weekly, has Facetime sessions with her daily, and is every bit involved as Sakura is for all major decisions. The outcome could have been worse and he's grateful for the contact he has. He just wished he never brought a daughter into the world if he had known separation was inevitable. He still loves her, of course.

"Great." Itachi smiles, because to him none of this matters. A married man with no kids or pets who loved family law was bizarre, but not unheard of in the field. He used to tell Sasuke as he was getting older to avoid law school because it doesn't prepare you for all the fires you'll have to learn on your own to put out. "If you could though, please try to nudge Naruto in the direction to cooperate. That would save Ms. Uzumaki some attorney's fees."

Sasuke shrugs. "I'm staying out of that." He repeated. It was a sore spot to think about divorce. It was financially draining, and mentally impossible to tolerate.

"More for me."

Neji and TenTen like to visit Hinata on slow days at work. Since they work from home, it's easy for them to leave their laptops idle for 20 minutes as they come to the second floor of the apartment complex to see their struggling cousin.

The perk of moving out of the marital home was that she was able to find a snug one-bedroom apartment in the same building as her older cousin. She's never thought of luxury even though she was raised to have more. She loved her small space, where she could redecorate and have the fresh start she knew she needed.

"How are you feeling?" Ten asks. Neji's holding Souta, silent as ever. He holds his tongue (on behalf of his fiance) and keeps all thoughts to himself. He knew Naruto wasn't good enough for his baby cousin, but it didn't always please him to be right all along, especially at the expense of Hinata's feelings and her son's new life.

Hinata ponders on how to respond. The truth? She's miserable. She's sad to sleep alone, sans the baby's crib by her bedside. She's sad she hasn't been touched in months. She's struggling to manage letting her son go to daycare, because then she's more alone with her misery, and she's angry because it seems like Naruto still thinks she's doing all of this to get back at him.

"I'm tired," She decides to announce. Neji is still silent, and Ten is at her side, squeezing her shoulder.

"It would do you good to have a baby break." She says to her. "We can babysit! It can be a self-care day. Just focus on you."

"It's harder on my own without Souta," She admits, her eyes already watering. It's been six months but the pain hasn't gone away yet. She's not sure it ever will. "At least with the baby I feel something."

It pains them to hear her like this, admitting defeat and being so depressed. Hinata was always the most emotionally intelligent, and to struggle with this all alone was something they would hopefully never understand.

"I could kill him." Neji eventually says casually, and that just causes Hinata to snort.

"I needed that." She smiles softly. "I know you both mean well. I'm sorry I'm not better yet."

"Don't apologize." TenTen says sternly. "This is hard and it's okay to struggle. Just know we are always going to be here for you two."

Hinata tries to remind herself what her therapist says. Divorce is not painless. Divorce is hard, and it's normal to be affected. She doesn't long for Naruto anymore, just the life she had before it all shattered. If anything, she's filled with more rage that it ended the way it had, but her body physically disobeys her and instead makes her shut down.

"I think I'll be re-enrolling at Konoha University," She says softly, perking her guests' attention.

"That's fantastic, Hina!"

"You will succeed without issue." Neji says in his way of support, but it sounds so serious that it makes Hinata laugh.

"Thank you. I think I'm ready to finish my degree finally." She lamented the three year hiatus she took from her studies, but figured it was now or never to finish it. Especially since she has to return to the workforce sooner than anticipated.

"You'll make little Souta here proud." TenTen smiles.

"I was already proud." Neji states, getting another round of laughs from the girls. "Please consider Ten's offer though, Hina. Especially if your semester starts soon."

She nodded, grateful. She loved her family to pieces. "I love you both."

Neji's eyes soften in the way she knows he means to say it back. TenTen pulls her into an embrace.

Being that Sasuke's winter vacation ended when Sakura picked up Kazumi earlier in the day, Sasuke is now left with two more days off of work until he has to return to the office. The nearly two weeks off of work did him well to unwind from his daily stress, and it's always a joy to share the holiday spirit with his daughter. She's only five, but has the same strong will as her mother - always hardheaded, always on the defense. He's just grateful she didn't inherit her mother's pink hair. The constant reminder of Sakura would be harder to blatantly ignore.

Now, he's just laying down, with absolutely nothing to do. At least when he was married, he was occupied. There were the screams of his child, and Sakura's constant gossip. It kept the house filled with noise, and he thinks that's what he missed most. Something to fill the room. They sold the house and he bought a condo 4 miles away from it to stay close. It's spacious, but far from homey. Naruto once said it looked like an art gallery for minimalistic statues with so its bland gray walls and dull furniture. Not much he could do with what was left of his income, so Ikea was all he could do.

He closed his eyes, trying to push the thoughts away. Keeping himself occupied was hard. He contemplated texting Naruto, but figured it wasn't worth the risk of hearing about his friend's current qualms. He unlocks his phone, and sees a photo of him with Kazumi. It was her most recent picture with Santa at the mall. Definitely not his style, but he's been more open to doing things for her sake. It's easy to please her when she loves everything about Christmas.

He sees the Facetime notification pop up with Sakura's name and swiftly slides to accept the call.

"Hey Sasuke. You ready to talk to her? Baby's been eager to see you again."

He smiles. "Of course. Let me see the munchkin."

Sakura passes the phone and immediately he can hear Kazumi's whales. "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!"

It's probably her favorite word to say, and he can tell by Sakura's shushing in the background.

He smiles at her. "Hi, kiddo."

"Mommy says I'll see you next week. That's a long time!"

"I'll see you at your recital, at school for pick up. I'll still see you." He says softly. He finds himself holding back from saying more because she's only five, and will only understand so much. "Why don't we get ice cream after your dance? Uncle Itachi will come."

"Yay! Ice cream!" She cheers, beaming. "Okay. I will tell Mommy too. We're going to eat dinner. I love you Daddy!" Before he can respond, Sakura's back on the screen.

"We've been out so she's gotta eat. Same time tomorrow?"

"Yeah, that's fine. Thanks for calling."

She hangs up.

Hinata has finally gotten Souta to sleep. It was a tough battle, but she came out victorious. It has never been easy since the day he was born, she mused, but the silence in their apartment has given her the breather she desperately needed.

She's had Naruto's text notifications on silence, but she sees he sent her a long paragraph. She considers what her attorney advised to respond, but at the very least thought she could read it and then send the screenshot to him.

Hey Hina. I hope you and mini me are okay. I miss you. I know you don't believe me, but I do. I miss us so much. I haven't seen anyone else in the last six months because I do believe we can surpass this. We always have! We've always been a team. I know we can work together to rebuild our family. Why can't we just move on from this? It was a mistake and I regretted it as soon as it happened. I hate talking to Itachi, by the way. He's even worse in work mode. He called me to stop trying to talk to you, but I don't want a divorce! And I know you don't either. I really just want to talk things out with you. I really want to see my son. It feels like you're using all of this to keep him away from me and that's not fair either. I know we're fighting, but don't let him be away from his dad. That's fucked up. I want to be there for him, too. But I want to be there for YOU. Anyway, I just miss you. I miss holding you, and I just want to see you and Souta. Please let me know if you're ready to talk. It's been months. I want to fix this.

She held her breath reading it, and instantly felt the tears fall. Before she could even screenshot it, she saw he texted her another one again.

Hey Hina. I'm frustrated, I won't lie. I've spent too much time trying to figure this legal shit out, but I don't want a divorce, and I still believe we can do something to stop all of this. Just in case though, I hired someone at the Yamanaka Nara firm. This is so fucking expensive. Please come around.

Hinata felt her eyes fail her and she could no longer see her screen, just the tear drops landing on her phone. She wanted to scream. She wanted to ask him how he could have the audacity to find a way to blame her for any of this. She wasn't keeping him from Souta, he was avoiding her. He has never volunteered to see their son, let alone send anything to help him. He's never inquired about him, and it felt like the worst jab to paint the isolated father trope. She felt her blood boil.

Wiping her tears, she send the email to her lawyer.

Mr. Uchiha, please see the attached screenshots I received from my husband. I did not respond.