I don't own Naruto.

!!POSSIBLE TRIGGER WARNING!! TALK OF SUICIDAL IDEATION/ DEPRESSION IN THIS CHAPTER!!!

Tsunade barged into the room and Hinata looked up at the older woman, a brilliant smile graced the woman's lips and she couldn't help but feel hopeful. "I think it is safe to send you home." Tsunade had said, and Hinata smiled at Madara softly, who was grinning at the blonde. Hinata couldn't help the sadness that flooded her. Her thoughts drifted to the bouts of anger she had seen Madara have. He never turned them towards her, so she wasn't scared of that... she just knew he was struggling. She knew the exact struggle he was having. The deficits that Tsunade had mentioned? His fine motor skills had suffered.

He couldn't play the guitar anymore; his fingers just wouldn't cooperate with him. He had muscle spasms that frustrated the life out of him. She had come by after work one day to hear him cursing to himself. She had peered into the room and saw him trying to desperately to play, but his hand would tremble more often than not and he eventually dropped the guitar on the floor and glared at it. She hadn't been concerned about his outbursts until he had jumped to his feet and kicked the offending object across the room and it hit the doorway. That was when he had noticed her standing there and he had just slumped into the chair in shame.

They had been doing enough physical therapy that most of him was perfectly fine now, it was just his hands. He was getting his strength back and rapidly, his hands were the only thing holding him back now. She sent a sad look Madara's way as he listened intently to everything the blonde woman said. It had been two months since he had come out of the coma. They were going to let him go after the first week, but then it was revealed that he was faking being ok just so he could go home. He had suffered from a fall, thankfully she had been there or it could have been bad. Her eyes softened as she looked over him. The sight of him on the floor unable to lift himself back out of the floor haunted her. She didn't think she could make it through a third bout of coma, her or him.

She snapped out of her thoughts when she noticed that the other two were watching her intently. "Did you hear me, Hinata?" Tsunade asked and Hinata shook her head. She wasn't going to lie and say she had, or she knew there would be consequences. The blonde smiled at her softly, only to sigh and place a hand on her hip. The smile never once left her lips though. "He can't be alone, someone is going to have to babysit him almost every waking moment because in the time I have known him I have learned quite a bit." She said, amusement twinkling in her honey brown eyes.

Hinata cracked a small smile as well, despite seeing the irritation in Madara's red eyes. "I have learned that he is a stubborn asshat and will not do anything that I ask of him unless there is someone to make sure he does it." Tsunade finished and Hinata laughed behind her hand at the exasperated look that Madara had given her, and the appalled one Shizune had given Tsunade. Hinata smiled as she made her way over to Madara and offered him a hand, which he kissed the top of lightly.

"I think I can make arrangements for that." She said and Tsunade nodded, all the while Madara glowered at her. She figured he honestly hadn't expected her to obey Tsunade's orders in the slightest. "Ok, well now that this is all settled, here are your discharge papers." She said as she handed Madara a packet. "There is also some paperwork on how to help take care of yourself in there. It goes over everything you need to know about what you can and can't do yet, so please don't let me have to see you back here until your checkups." Tsunade sighed and Madara nodded.

He stood to gather his things from around the room, but Tsunade sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Madara," she called out and he turned to look at her once more, confusion swimming in those red eyes of his. "There is also a referral for a therapist in there. I can only suggest you take advantage of that..." she said softly and he looked back down to the paperwork, flipping to the last page with a sadness lingering in his eyes now. Hinata hated seeing him like this... so sad and lost... but she knew he needed the help, which is why she had asked Tsunade for the help.

She didn't have the referral for therapy when she had come back, lord knows she needed it. Her eyes softened as she stared at her hands, her thumbnail smoothing over the opposing thumbnail. "Hinata, there's one for you too." Madara said and handed her the paper. She bit her lip and the tears started stinging at the back of her eyes. She clutched the paper to her chest and began sobbing softly. Arms wrapped around her as her soft sobs wracked her body. After a while she looked up, expecting to see Madara holding her so gently, but it wasn't him. Tears dripped down onto her face and she looked up to see it was the older blonde woman hugging her. Tsunade was crying as well and Hinata's heart ached.

"I know what you are going through... I suffered alone in silence... but you don't have to..." Tsunade whispered through her tears. Hinata bit her lip and looked over to see Madara staring down at his referral, she could see the streaks over his cheeks. The ghost of the tears that had escaped him as well. Tsunade stepped away from her and turned towards the door, most likely to compose herself once more. Hinata saw Shizune rub her shoulder slightly, sadness etched into her features as well.

Hinata made her way over to Madara, who was just staring at that paper as if it were the only thing keeping him stable. She touched his hand gently, taking the paper from his grasp and pulling him to stand. He just watched her as she slipped herself into his grasp, urging him to wrap his arms around her. The moment his arms circled her, he gripped her tightly. His shoulders shook lightly as his breathless sobs wracked his form. She traced small circles in his back as she pressed her ear to his chest and listened to his heartbeat.

"We are going to be ok," she whispered into the cloth of his shirt. "We can make it through this... You are so strong."

:-:_A week later_:-:

She watched him carefully, unsure if he should honestly be here. She crossed her arms over her chest loosely and made her way to the back of the place. She heard the impact of his fists against the hanging bag and her eyes softened. Perhaps this was how he needed to get his frustrations out... she leaned against the wall softly, just watching him. He had yet to make an appointment with his therapist, but that was ok. She was sure he would do it in his own time. He had to feel like himself again, she understood that. She watched as hit after hit connected with the punching bag, sending it a decent distance away from him each time. He was getting stronger and stronger every day, but she couldn't help but worry about him.

He had become slightly distant and didn't want to even discuss the thought of seeing a therapist. For most people it was a pride thing, she understood that. She felt that it was possibly something of the sort for him as well. He liked being able to say he has dealt with everything that has happened by himself, but everyone had seen what his version of coping like that was. It was hard, especially for men, to ask for help. She knew that there seemed to be a stigma about men and getting mental health help, but it made no sense. Yeah, men are strong... but they don't have to be. No one has to be strong all the time. No one deserves to sit and live with the burden of being strong all their lives and never asking for help.

There were so many things that had never made sense about that... standing tall even when your heart and soul were in the gutter. In a pit of despair that you had no idea to get out of. Her eyes softened as she looked over him once more. He was dripping with sweat, which meant he had been here for quite a while. Also meaning that somehow Tajima and Aurora were most likely going to be raising hell looking for him. She watched as he stopped punching the bag and took a step back to take a breather it seemed. She watched as he looked down at his hands, the left one held steady while the right hand tried to hold steady but ended up trembling once more.

He released an enraged yell and began hitting the bag even harder than before. Her heart ached for him, he didn't deserve this... he didn't deserve any of it. she watched with saddened eyes as he grabbed the punching bag in both hands and began jerking it, as if he were trying to rip it out of the ceiling. This bout of anger didn't last long before he sent a roundhouse kick right at it and caused it to smack the ceiling. His legs were definitely much stronger, that was for sure.

She watched as he stumbled backwards and flopped on the floor on his rump. He buried his face in his hands and yelled in anger once more. She knew he wasn't coping well, and that was what was worrying her. He had seemed like he had been doing so well when he first woke up, she had seen almost no difference between who he was before the coma... perhaps she had been focused solely on the fact he had woken up rather than the side effects of having been out for so long. She bit her lip and made her way over to him softly, one of the white gym towels in her hands. She made her way over to him and crouched a small distance away from him, she didn't want to startle him.

"How long have you been watching me?"

Her heart sank at the tone of his voice, it was so sad and filled with shame. "Long enough, my love..." she whispered as she offered him the towel. He pulled his hands from his now jaw length hair and let them flop against his knees as he looked up at her. His half lidded eyes were so tired and filled with shame. She offered a small smile as she pulled the hair band from her wrist and reached out to him. He flinched slightly, but she didn't take it to heart, she knew he was just upset. She used her fingers to brush through his sweaty hair and pull it back into a small ponytail. She gently began patting his face dry and he just slipped his eyes shut and let her take care of him.

She said nothing as she sat down in front of him and scooted closer. She brushed her fingers over his cheekbones and offered another smile, those half-lidded eyes were staring deep into her soul it seemed. "Why do you stay?" he asked, tearing his gaze away from hers. She reached up and brushed over his cheek with the back side of her hand before she traced her fingers over his cheekbone before finally settling it on his cheek. Her gaze softened as he leaned into her touch, his eyes didn't return to meet hers but that was ok with her. Her other hand reached forward and took his right hand in it, rubbing her thumb over the top of his hand.

"You never left me." She said softly and his gaze finally returned to her. The hand she held now grasped hers softly instead of being limp in her grasp. His other hand reached up and pressed the one on his cheek closer to him as he rubbed his cheek against it. "Does my anger not worry you?" he asked, that red gaze of his meeting hers once more. She couldn't help the sad smile that crossed her lips at this, that explained a lot of why he had been so distant with her since he had come home... He was worried he may hit her.

"I don't think you would ever hurt me, Madara..." she whispered and the look that flashed through his eyes before they darted off to look elsewhere, killed her inside. "I don't think you have it in you to hurt me... Sure, you've snapped at me... but never once have you raised a hand to me and I don't think you ever will." She said and she watched as he bit his lip. Her heart sank as she watched the tears beginning to form in his eyes. She brushed her thumb over his cheek once more and he pressed his face deeper into the palm of her hand, the tears breaking free and leaving trails over the back of her hand. He fought so hard to not cry, she could see his inner turmoil and it broke her heart.

"You can cry, Madara... I promise you no one is judging you... no one thinks you are any less of a man for having emotions..." she whispered, feeling her own tears threatening to surface. She crawled closer on her knees and placed her other hand on his cheek as well. "You deserve to feel... you deserve to let these emotions go..." she whispered, hearing her own voice cracking now. "Let me help you, my love..." she said softly and his eyes met hers once more. He gripped both of her hands tightly to his face. His tears began pouring over now and she slipped her hands away from his grasp and she hugged him tightly. They sat there for who even knows how long, she supposed she should have taken him home out of respect for him and whoever else may have wanted to work out at the gym, but she didn't.

She knew he needed to get some of this pain out and she was going to let him do so, no matter who was watching because if they couldn't allow a man to feel then they were idiots. The gym owners made their way over to them and she expected a spiel on how they should probably go, but that wasn't what they had approached them for which caught her off guard. They had come over and asked if he were alright. Asked if they needed anything at all. Her lips trembled once more at this, because she had been fully expecting the opposite from the large men before her. They had brought over tissues, something for him to drink, and something for him to eat.

She handed the things to Madara, who looked up at her with bloodshot eyes, he had gently caught her wrist in his grasp as she tried to stand. "Go ahead, eat... I will be right back." She said softly and he nodded, slowly twisting the lid off the bottle of water. She made her way over to the counter, where the men had returned to. They turned as soon as they noticed her approaching and offered sympathetic smiles. It was then that she had actually realized who they were... she had been so consumed with taking care of Madara she hadn't even recognized her own friends. "Might Guy, Rock Lee..." she greeted and they flashed her big smiles. "Thank you..." she said softly and Guy reached over and ruffled her hair, the smile never once leaving his lips.

"Hinata, I don't know if you remember or not... but we understand exactly what you both are going through." Guy said and she furrowed her brows for a second, then the memory of Lee being potentially paralyzed hit her. "The accident..." she said and Lee nodded, still smiling. Lee had played football at one point... how had she forgotten? Her eyes softened as she remembered that he had been tackled by a bigger player and had to be hospitalized. She looked back up to him and smiled softly. Gaara blamed himself for the longest time because he had been the one to talk lee into it. "You'll have to forgive me... My memory is still a little fuzzy from everything that has happened." She sighed and they both laughed.

"Don't stress it! We understand! It has been since middle school after all." Lee said and Hinata nodded with a small smile. "Of course it has..." she whispered and turned to face Madara once more, who had finished eating his snacks and was now making his way to the trash can. "You two should head home..." Lee offered and she nodded, seeing the street lights flicker on. Madara stood next to her and nodded to the two men, who grinned back at him, accepting his silent thank you. They made their way over to the front doors and her mouth fell open slightly upon catching sight of the sign in the door. A smile crossed her lips as she looked back to the two who were still grinning behind them.

Her fingers brushed over the sign as Madara opened the door for her. She didn't think he had noticed it, but she had and she was grateful for the two of them. They made their way to his car, the only sound following them was the tapping of the 'Closed' sign as it swung against the window.

:-:_:-:

Madara sighed slightly and looked at the man sitting across from him. This man had set a two-hour session aside for him every Thursday, and told him that he was welcome to come in any time as long as he called to check in first. The older man just watched him carefully, not saying a word to him about his silence which he appreciated. He thought about everything that had happened and how he had ended up here on this couch, the shrink staring at him patiently. A frown crossed his lips as he laid back against the back cushions. He wanted nothing more than to leave and see Hinata. He missed her; she had been working so much he barely got to see her.

"May I ask you something?"

Madara's eyes slipped shut as the man finally spoke, they had sat in a comfortable silence for almost fifteen minutes now. He could understand that the man didn't want to sit in silence for two entire hours, as it would have him getting absolutely nowhere. Madara turned to look at the older man, who offered a small smile at this. He wondered what the man wanted to ask him, but he was going to let the man ask away. He nodded to the man who nodded back at him, the smile never fading.

"So, may I ask your name?" What an odd question the old man had asked. Madara quirked a brow, but replied anyways. "Madara Uchiha." He said and the man nodded, he expected the man to grab his pen and notepad and begin scribbling something down, but he didn't. Madara furrowed his brows at this, he had heard all about how these things were supposed to go. Shrink asks shrinky questions then gets to scribbling down notes about everything you say. Ammunition to use against you later, he supposed. That damnable muscle spasm hit his hand again and he grit his teeth as he grabbed it in his other hand, he knew the anger was written all over his face, and yet... the man still did not write anything down.

"I'm Hiruzen Sarutobi, it is a pleasure to meet you Madara." Was all the man said, his hands still clasped patiently in front of him. Madara was genuinely confused by this man, he was confused by this whole situation honestly. "Can I ask you a few more questions?" he asked and Madara nodded. He knew the man would eventually try and delve into the issues that Madara himself knew he had, but he didn't know if he wanted to share too much right now. "Good, thank you. I appreciate your cooperation, as I know this is an extremely hard situation." Hiruzen said and Madara just watched him. The older man confused him through and through.

"May I ask what happened to your hand?" he asked, upon seeing yet another muscle spasm caused his hand to jerk violently despite his attempts to stop it. "I fell... and I suffered some nerve damage for being in a comatose state for almost seven months." He said, confusing even himself. "I appreciate you sharing that, as I said I know it's hard." The older man said, and Madara never one pulled his gaze from the pen and notepad behind the man on the desk. As if catching his glance the older man chuckled. "You don't have to worry about me taking notes unless you are alright with it." he said and Madara watching the man once more, confusion filling his whole body.

"See, I try to make my new friends as comfortable as possible. I know coming to see a therapist is already uncomfortable, so I try and make the situation a little more relaxed." He explained and Madara nodded. "When you do take notes... what do you use them for?" he asked and the man seemed surprised by this question. Madara looked down to his hands as he started to sit up and face the man. "Well, that is a good question." He said and adjusted himself in his seat. "I take notes because it makes it easier on you all." He said and Madara gave him an odd look which made him chuckle. "See, I know that look. Let me explain it a little better I suppose. I take notes because later on down the line most of my patients ask to see them." He said and Madara nodded. That actually made a little more sense now.

"I take notes because if I have a patient who is here and they are feeling down, feeling like they aren't making any progress I can go back and show them that they are actually making so much more progress than they believed they were. Would you mind if I took notes with you, so I can show them to you later?" He asked and Madara just watched him now, he felt like he had been led to this point just for that question to come out. His eyes dropped to look at his fingers once more, he didn't know what the right response would be here.

"You don't have to let me; I promise this is a no judgement zone." He said and Madara nodded. Those beautiful lavender eyes flashed through his mind and his heart began to ache. He was doing this for her... no... He was doing this for himself to get better for her. He wanted to be the best he could be for her. "Ok... feel free to take notes." He said and the man smiled and grabbed his pen and paper, pulling his left foot up to cross it over his right knee. Madara felt strangely calm near this man.

"May I ask something personal?" he asked and Madara frowned but nodded, which made the older man nod as well. "Thank you. Who were you thinking about just then, if you don't mind me asking that?" He asked and Madara blinked, a slight tinge of embarrassment flooding his features. "My friend, no need to be embarrassed. No judgement zone, remember?' Hiruzen said and he nodded. "Yeah... I remember." He sighed, but then crossed his legs in front of him on the couch. "I was thinking about her... Hinata." He said and Hiruzen nodded, and began writing. Madara knew what he was writing, he had made the exact same pen strokes thousands of times before. He was writing Hinata's name.

"May I ask who she is? Forgive me if you feel I'm being too intrusive, I know we just met and all..." Hiruzen said and a small hint of a smile crossed Madara's lips. "I don't mind, I could talk about her all day." He said and once more he saw the man begin writing. Amusement flickered through him as he figured he would eventually have to give those notes to Hinata, as a proclamation of his deepest feelings. He chuckled at this thought, only to look up and see Hiruzen still writing, however, a soft smile lingered on the old man as well.

"She's the woman I've been in love with since we were children." He said and Hiruzen nodded. "That sure is a long time." He said and Madara smirked and opened his mouth. "And yes, I know I have been around a lot longer than you were even a twinkle in your father's eye." Hiruzen chuckled and Madara laughed at this. "Seems like you deal with a lot of assholes like me, huh?" he mused and the man just continued writing. 'Perhaps I shouldn't show them to Hinata after all.' He thought with a slight grimace. "So, this Hinata... Is she the one you want to spend your life with?" Hiruzen asked and Madara's eyes slipped shut. He thought about that day at Himawari lake and his soul felt at ease.

"Yes." He said and more writing. Madara didn't figure it could be too bad. If he got to talk to this man about Hinata for two hours or more solid every week, he could endure that. He knew eventually he should probably open up and talk about something other than Hinata, but he wasn't quite comfortable enough to do so. And it seemed that this man understood that, which he was grateful for. He slightly wished he had agreed to do this sooner, because the anger that continuously is building up inside him was becoming overwhelming. Madara left that session feeling a little better, which was good. The second, third and fourth sessions went even smoother, despite the massive amount of notes the man had been taking.

He had told the man all about all of their little adventures of him sneaking her out of her home, and away from doctors appointments, which had earned him an amused chuckle. He had been surprised by that, he had at least expected a small scolding look or even a sigh, but that was what he was beginning to like about Hiruzen, when he said no judgement, he meant it. Madara had been doing much better, but that wave of darkness hit him one day and he didn't want to be around anyone. He pulled out his phone and stared at Hiruzen's contact. He had known he needed to call him, see if he could meet with him... but he had looked up to the ever darkening sky and thought against it.

That was how he found himself in the predicament he was in now. He was sitting in a random bar, he hadn't wanted to show his face to Touka, for fear she would call Hinata. He sat there, swirling the disgusting amber liquid in the glass, six empty shots sat stacked on the counter top. He downed that one and stacked it on the top of the pyramid, his puffy red eyes trying their hardest to focus. He had stacked them with his left hand, knowing full well if he had stacked with his right, he would have toppled the whole thing over. His lip curled up in a silent sneer at that. He hadn't even realized the hair had pulled out from beside him and someone had sat down next to him.

He tried to focus his hazy gaze on the screen of his phone, but it was all blurry. Last that he had checked he'd had Hiruzen's contact still pulled up and had been fighting the urge to call him. He raised two fingers to the bartender and the man nodded and brought him two more shots of whisky. The moment they were placed in front of him, he swiftly downed one and stacked the empty glass. His fingers barely touched the rim of the second when another hand stopped him. He looked over and saw that the person next to him had placed his hand over the top of his drink without even looking at him. He frowned and opened his mouth to speak but a familiar voice hit his ears and he bit his lip.

"You called me, my friend. I promised you I would come to help you whenever you needed it. Did you not believe me?"

Madara fought back his tears as hard as he could, but no matter how much he fought it wasn't enough. "Do you want that last shot to sooth your nerves?" Hiruzen asked and Madara nodded, making swift work of it before he stood. "Now that you've taken care of that, how about I get you out of here." Hiruzen said as he placed money on the counter to pay for all the drinks. Madara glanced over at the man, who had tucked himself under his shoulder to help him walk. Madara didn't feel sick, just angry.

"Why did you come all the way out here for me?" he asked and caught the blurry smile that the man sent his way. "While most of my colleagues end their shift when they leave work, I don't. My job is never over." He said and Madara stared at the cracks on the ground as he walked with the older man to his car. "My job never ends because I know that depression never ends, there is always someone out there who needs my help." He said and Madara shook as the tears started to fall. The man barely knew him and yet... he was so kind...

"You told me exactly where you were, so I came to you." He said and Madara bit his lip to try and stop the tears once more. Hiruzen opened the passenger side door of his car and helped him in. "I will bring you back in the morning so you can get your car, please do not worry about anything. I can handle it all for you." Hiruzen said and Madara nodded. Looking down to pull his phone out of his pockets. "Including making the phone calls, I will do those for you as well, my friend. Don't you worry about a single thing. If there is anyone you can count on right now, it's me." He said and Madara nodded. Madara focused his fuzzy gaze on the older man as he began driving.

"May I vent?" he asked and Hiruzen looked over at him for a second then nodded. "Of course... I am here to listen." He said and Madara nodded, returning his gaze to the window where nothing but blurry objects and colors flew past him. "I want... to die. But I also don't..." he said and the older man stayed silent. "Well, then tell me how you feel." Was all he said and Madara frowned. "I don't feel a single thing..." he whispered against the window. "Do you ever get a little bit tired of life?" he asked and still he received silence from the man driving. "I don't want to die... but I'm not happy. I'm happy with her, but when she is gone... I feel so useless. I wanted nothing more than to sit there and drink up the courage to make my pain stop." He mumbled against the window.

"You know the office is a no judgement zone correct?" Hiruzen asked and Madara nodded, the fog in his brain making him close his eyes. "However, my car is not." Hiruzen said and Madara's eyes fluttered open so he could look the man in the face. "Go for it. tell me I'm a piece of shit." He mumbled and the man shook his head. "You're not. You're someone who was been struggling for so long that he never learned to cope." Hiruzen said and Madara just listened. "I am however going to tell you that you are a fool." He said and Madara released a wry laugh.

"However, now that I have gotten my judgement out, you are going to stay at my office tonight and we are going to see what we can figure out while you are in this state. I know it is unethical, but you called me and I am not going to turn you down." He said as he stepped out of his car and opened Madara's door. "That's ok with me... I just want to be better..." he sighed and Hiruzen smiled at him. "Good. That is a start." He said and Madara followed him inside. He was starting to sober up, due to the hour long drive the man had taken to get them back.

Madara was grateful, because he wasn't sure if any of his friends would have been able to make the drive out there to get him. He smelled a fresh pot of coffee and his brows furrowed. He entered the room and saw a circle of chairs set up there. A group of men he didn't know sitting there. "Hello everyone, forgive me for my tardiness." Hiruzen said as he started making everyone a cup of coffee. He looked around at all the men and the few women who had seated themselves in the room. One of the women's eyes went wide and she waved at him.

"Hey there Madara..." she greeted and he nodded at her in greeting. He remembered her, she had been one of the women that he had escorted home from a bar. Hiruzen handed him a cup of coffee and motioned for him to take a seat. "Everyone, this is Madara. Our new friend, he has been having some trouble lately so I feel like he could use a little group therapy." Hiruzen said and they all nodded and greeted him warmly. "Who would like to go first?" Hiruzen asked and the brunette threw her hand up in the air. "Thank you for volunteering, it can be hard to speak first." Hiruzen said and she offered a small smile.

"My name... Is Rin Nohara." She greeted and everyone around him greeted her back. "We all know how these things go, we talk about our trauma and we work to get past it. However, tonight... tonight I finally get to say thank you to the person who saved my life." She began, her lips trembling as she stared directly at him. He furrowed his brows because he could not think of a single thing he had done for her, other than take her home. "When I met you in that bar... I was at a very low point in my life... I was going to end my life that night." She said and his lips parted slightly, surprise crossing his features. "That night, I was sitting there at the bar trying my best to finally gather the liquid courage to do it... to jump from Kannabi bridge." She said and his eyes widened.

He remembered how they had walked over the massive bridge and she had actually leaned out over the edge to look at the raging river below. The shock did not leave his features, instead it dug deep within his soul. "You pulled me from the edge, telling me... telling me that it was so sad to hear about all the suicides that had happened on that bridge. You told me you never wanted to hear about another suicide off that bridge again. You told me that ending life that way did nothing to end the cycle of pain. You had no idea, you were just talking... just making conversation. You couldn't have had the slightest idea that was my plan... But with a few simple words of let's get you home... I left that idea behind." She whispered and he swallowed lightly as he looked down at the cup of coffee in his grasp.

"I began coming to these meetings because I wanted to tell my story... about how no matter how far you feel you've fallen there is always someone waiting to pull you back up." She said and sat back down. The group clapped for her and she only smiled. He was fighting his hardest to keep his face from showing his sadness, but with everyone that took turns speaking it was getting harder and harder. The second man told his story, it was about his younger sister. Who he had escorted home as well... she had asked him to take her home because of the group of men hanging out at the bar. They had tried to follow her outside when she had gone by herself. She was terrified they may have tried to assault her.

The third man... Madara had protected his brother from Nagato in school... this was the ever growing trend that kept circling around the room until it got to him and they all watched him carefully. He choked back his nervousness and stood, looking everyone else in the eyes one by one. "I'm Madara Uchiha... and I suffer from depression, PTSD, and alcoholism." He said and Hiruzen offered him a small encouraging smile. "Hello Madara, welcome." They all greeted and he looked over them once more. "Can you tell us about the PTSD?" Hiruzen asked and he looked down at the empty cup within his grasp.

"I... I have post traumatic stress disorder from watching the woman I am absolutely in love with... almost die and then... I almost died myself. I almost left her alone..." He said and he felt the tears fall over his cheeks once more. He bit back a sob and a hand placed itself on his shoulder. His eyes snapped open and he saw that every last one of them were placing their hands on his back and shoulders. Supporting him when he could no longer support himself. A sob wracked his body and he started to fall to his knees, but not a single one of them let him fall. They helped him into his seat and patted him on the back as they each returned to their own seats.

"Madara, you don't have to go any further if you don't feel up to it." Hiruzen said with a small squeeze and pat of the shoulder. He took a deep breath and released it as he ran a hand over his face to smudge away the offending tears. "I... have poor coping mechanisms as well. I drink, or I fight." He said and gripped his right hand tightly, the damn spasming coming back. "I... I want to get better... I want to be able to be the man she needs me to be. I don't want to be this walking force of anger anymore..." he whispered the last part and was only met with smiles around every side.

"Madara, we are all here for you. We are here to make sure that even when you feel like falling... that someone has your back. There will always be someone to hold you up when you're feeling low." Hiruzen said and every last person in the room nodded in agreement. No judgement. Not a single one of them laughed at him because he was crying, every last one of them was supportive and kind. He choked back more tears and nodded, standing once more. They all seemed surprised by his sudden movement, but he hadn't meant to surprise them.

"Thank you!" he said and bowed lightly to the group. That was the last time he had drank. It was also the last time he had held any doubts about calling Hiruzen. When he had made it home that night, he had made his way through the apartment without anyone jumping him and asking him where he had been. Instead, it had been pure silence as he slipped past Izuna who was sleeping on his couch, while his father was knocked out in the recliner. He took one last look at them from the doorway of his bedroom and offered a sad smile. "I love you, father... little brother... I'm so sorry I worried you." He said and turned towards his room once more.

When he had made it to his bed, he had pulled back the covers and had seen it was not empty. He didn't think he would ever get used to how absolutely stunning that woman was. Her hair was splayed out across his pillow, her face so peaceful as she slept. He brushed his finger over her cheek and covered her back up. He had slept on the couch at the opposite end of his brother that night, he hadn't wanted to wake that beautiful woman in his bed.

:-:_:-:

She has watched him ever so carefully the past three months, not because she was worried that he was going to hurt himself, but because he had been going to therapy like clockwork and she was so proud of him. She had watched him as he was slowly coming back from the broken man he was and it made her heart feel full. She continued to roll the dough in the back of bakery, a small smile on her lips as she carefully kneaded the dough. She understood why he hadn't come back to work yet, and that was perfectly fine with her. He needed to rest and get better. She was perfectly fine with that.

She had been going to her therapy as well, she was so truly grateful that she had been able to go. She sighed as she let go of the dough and looked over to the clock. It was almost time for her to go. She smiled as she put the dough in bags and put It in the freezer. She pulled her apron off and neatly hung it up on the hooks along the wall. She washed her hands of all the flour and sighed as she dried them, taking a deep inhale as she did so. The smell of the pastries baking filled her senses and she couldn't help but smile.

She made her way home and greeted her father and cousin as she walked up to her room, they just smiled at her as Hanabi ran to chase her. "Hinata!" Hanabi called and she let her sister in before she shut her door to change. "What's up Hanabi-Nee?" she asked as she tossed her dirty clothes into the hamper. "How is therapy going?" she asked and Hinata smiled. "It is going very well. I feel so much better as a whole." She said and her sister nodded with a small smile. "Good, I'm so glad." Hanabi sighed and flopped backwards on her bed.

"How is he holding up?" she asked and Hinata smiled at her. "He seems to be doing so much better." She said and Hanabi sighed in relief once more. "Good!" she chirped and Hinata raised a brow at her younger sister. "So what are you wanting to know?" Hinata asked and Hanabi smirked. "Izuna said you and Madara have a date tonight." Hanabi said suggestively and Hinata laughed loudly, trying her hardest to hold in her laughter, but failing. "You're so nosey! Yes, Madara and I are going on a date tonight. But no, I highly doubt he is going to ask me to marry him. We are not in a good enough place right now." Hinata said and Hanabi pouted at her.

"I highly doubt he would ask me to marry him at Sakuya's Tavern anyways." Hinata laughed once more and Hanabi shrugged. "I suppose you're right about that one." She said and Hinata could only smile as she pulled on a nice long sleeve black shirt and a pair of black jeans. She made her way downstairs and saw that Madara was sitting in the living room with her dad, a smile on his face that made her heart flutter. She missed those smiles. She smiled at him and he grinned back at her, oh how she loved that man. He shook hands with her father real fast and thanked him and Neji and rushed over to her. The moment he reached her his lips met hers and she couldn't help the flutter of her racing heart.

He offered her a hand and she took it happily. "Ready to eat?" he asked and the growling of her stomach answered his question. He only chuckled at this while she blushed. "I love you." He said and she smiled brightly at him. "I love you too. I'm so happy you're doing better." She said and he pecked her on the lips once more. One day... one day she would take this man's last name. One day she would kiss him at the alter, and one day... they would never have to say goodbye to one another, only good night.

Her heart soared at the thought of this.

I love all of you, all of my faithful readers who have been with me from the start, and the ones who joined in along the way.... I just want to be a bit serious here. I know this may have been a rough chapter to get through, and I am so sorry.

Mental health is not a game, please do not treat it as such. I have struggled with it for the majority of my life and before I knew it, I had been lost in it. I had forgotten who I was as an individual, what I even liked to do... I lost all will to write and draw... I just... lost all motivation to do anything at all. 'Numb Little Bug' By 'Em Belhold is a perfect description of what I was going through.

Now I'm not telling any of you this to try and have you feel bad for me, because that isn't what this is at all.

As someone who has fought tooth and nail to get out of that pit of despair, only to grip the edge of the top and fall back in... What I am trying to say is that... I UNDERSTAND. Any and ALL feelings you have are VALID!!! Don't any of you EVER let anyone tell you differently. Depression is a real disease and it takes the lives of so many. It comes in so many shapes and forms that you may not even realize you are suffering. I realized I was suffering and then I realize exactly how long I have been suffering...

I read over every story I have ever written to try and get a sense of where I had left off in all of them, but all I learned was that my earlier works were darker, when I was suffering as I was younger and I had no idea how to cope with it, so I wrote. The ups and downs of my writing I have learned were the patterns in which I fell in and out of my depressive states, the worst one was when I stopped writing completely. We have all had a rough couple of years lately, and for some of us it goes further than just the Covid insanity...

We come here to read, to escape, to feel love that we have craved... to get lost in the world of everyone's imaginations and be free for a while. So I just wanted ask of you all, if you are suffering, please don't go at it alone. There are people who will listen. There are people who won't judge you. There are people out there who will love you and understand you and will support you through everything you are going through. SO please... If this reaches even one person who is also suffering...

Even though I personally do not know any of you...

I LOVE YOU. You are NOT alone. Keep your head up love, and never stop fighting. You'll get out of it one day even though it may not feel like it right now. Keep your heads up and never lose hope! Always check on your friends as well... Its always the ones who smile the brightest who are feeling their lowest...