Author's Note: Wow. I am always blown away by the feedback I get for this story. I cannot thank you enough and most humbly ask that you continue to send me awesome reviews Also, this is the last chapter guys! Sorry! I hope you still enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it, however.

Disclaimer: I don't really want to own Naruto. Think of all those ramen bills…

Neji awoke with a start, his shinobi intuition alerting him instantly that something wasn't right. He was correct. The phone was ringing insistently, its high-pitched wailing making his skin crawl as he managed to blindly come to his senses.

"…hello?" the boy muttered groggily. Even though it wasn't his phone he had answered it by habit and pure assumption of it being okay anyways. The next moment he was sitting up in the bed, fingering through his now askew brown locks and frowning darkly.

"How did you get this number?" It apparently didn't matter what phone he was near these days. His frown deepened as the question was avoided on the other end, instead moving on to the heart of the matter. But Neji wasn't going to let this go that easily.

"No, you listen tome: you are not to call this number again. Ever. I don'tcare if there's an emergency, you are not to––– Good." Satisfied, the Hyuuga clan leader let the speaker continue.

"We're going to do what? But I thought that Hinata-sama… Yes, I realize that, but… Then get someone else to do it, damn it! I thought I made it perfectly clear I was not to be disturbed!" With an angry slam Neji hung up and sat there, eyes glowering a fierce frigidity at nothing in particular. He was furious, to say the least.

"Mmmnnn…" His eyes slid to the corners as he observed the woman at his side blink sleepily at him, yawn, then stretch widely.

"Neji…" she murmured at last, rubbing her eyes. "Who… who was that?" His heart softened as he took in the girl's tired, beautiful form, remembering his one source of true happiness. His gaze relaxed slightly.

"It was the Main House," he sighed, stroking her hair tenderly.

"Oh…" she nodded sympathetically. "What did they want this time?" Neji shook his head, as if repeating it would make the already foolish idea any more so.

"It doesn't matter."

"You have to go, then," the girl deduced, her eyes dropping to the wrinkled sheets.

"No, I don't." Her soft eyes gazed up at him hopefully, longingly, but she smiled sadly as she sat up.

"No, Neji. You have to go. I won't let you use me as an excuse to run away." He knew she was right. Silently he picked up his robe from the floor and shrugged it on, the loose white folds draping elegantly. When he was done, the Hyuuga male hesitated only a moment before bending down and brushing his lips against the woman's forehead, breathing in her scent.

"Neji…" She sounded worried, knowing that his tenderness was due to extreme inner turmoil. His pale eyes met hers. "Just… just take care of yourself."

"I know." He got up and headed for the door, but stopped when he reached it, leaning against the wooden frame.

"Would you…?" He began, then sighed and tried again. "Would you mind very much if I destroyed someone else's happiness for the sake of our own?" The question took the woman aback, and she had to blink several times before she could finally begin to consider the question.

"Neji, what are you going to–––?"

"Please," he insisted. The female fell silent as she reflected deeply on the question. Finally, she answered.

"I don't think I could ever live with knowing I'd ruined someone else's chances of happiness for my own," she answered carefully. "But I know I could never die knowing I could never be with you." This reply seemed to satisfy the Hyuuga, who smiled softly.

"In that case, we'll be getting married sooner than you think."

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Loneliness. She could feel herself slipping again, edging towards the black abyss of isolation. Hinata gulped and sighed, squeezing her eyes closed against the glaring light of the hospital room. Light, light, too much light. What she felt was the darkness inside of her growing, bubbling thickly like acid through her insides. She needed help.

It was the same feeling. This loneliness was what had driven her off the brink of life in the first place, and now it had come back full force. She felt she would be swallowed whole. Oh, Kami, no.

Nobody cared. Sure, she had heard that she was cute and several people had reached out to her, but their grasp was hollow delusion. She was alone. Cold, dark, alone. Useless, discarded, alone. She twisted on the white hospital bed, feebly trying to get up. She managed a few inches before collapsing into a gasping heap. Pain, oh pain. It was so agonizing she couldn't scream, so deeply rooted she could no longer hope to rid herself of it. Hope… Where did it go, so lost in this dark?

"Kiba-kun." She said it slowly, a gentle whisper, a prayer. He had cared. No matter what she could say of other people, he had stayed by her bedside, he had saved her, he had needed her. She wasn't useless. She was needed. And yet every time the loving words were played in her head she felt a fresh stab of guilt. She could not answer the promise she had seen in his eyes. She wanted to, so badly, but… But what? Pain was blurring memory and nightmare together; she couldn't think, just feel and fear. What was Naruto-kun, that fallen angel that had taken her light, what did he mean to her now? He was what sent her world crashing down. She wanted to cry, but could find no tears. She felt that she had lost her heart.

"Stay here, Akamaru." Suddenly Hinata's eyes shot open, her pulse racing against her skin. The door opened a crack hesitantly, a boyish face peeking from behind it. When he saw that she was awake, he looked relieved.

"Kiba-kun." Hinata began to smile, but then blushed slightly, her face falling. She had almost forgotten what had happened earlier. She closed her eyes again.

"Kiba-kun, I… I'm sorry for what I said to you. I just–––" There were flowers in front of her eyes. "Ah?" She didn't understand.

"I stopped by Ino's on the way here…" Kiba was explaining sheepishly. All trace of the wild person he had been earlier seemed to have disappeared completely for the time being. "I just… I'm the one who should be sorry." Gently he placed the blooms in a vase by the bed, taking pains on the flowers in place of standing there dumbly, his heart raw and bare. What could he say to her? "I'm sorry, this is dumb on my part…"

"Kiba-kun…" Hinata whispered, frowning, looking away. Every inch of guilt he showed increased dramatically within her. "All I've done is cause trouble for so many people. My life… my life is a mess. I… I should have never tried to run away, but I… Kiba-kun… I'm so sorry for what I've done to you…"

"Shh, shh, it's okay…" Kiba was at her side instantly, placing a comforting arm around her shoulder. He was exhausted physically, mentally, and emotionally, and yet he couldn't stand to see her in the slightest bit of discomfort.

"It's not okay," Hinata protested feebly. "I wanted to change! I wanted to be strong. I… I broke down… Oh, Kiba-kun, what do I do now?" She turned to gaze into his eyes, but that was a big mistake. Etched in every fiber of his body was a self-restraint so painful he was shaking slightly. He looked away, and Hinata's eyes clouded over. What was she thinking, doing this to him? She was just as bad, no, worse than the fallen angel who had shattered her heart, her very existence. And here she was denying the one true friend she had ever had, her howling guardian angel. She softly, slowly reached out a trembling hand and stroked his hair, the soft feel of the brown locks like an animal's fur. Involuntarily he responded to the tender caress, moving his face into her sweet little palm. Such a light touch, and yet it was already consuming his entire being. But he held back, ignoring the excruciating jerk of his heart against his ribcage.

"I'm sorry… but we can't be friends anymore," he murmured at last, his breath on her palm as he kissed it lightly. "I love you, Hinata. I can't help it. I'll protect you forever, even when they try to kill me. I won't let you go." He emphasized this with a soft squeeze of her hand. And then there were his eyes. Calm, pained, yet undoubtedly submissive. She didn't deserve this, any of it. "Oh, Kiba-kun," she wanted to say desperately. "Find someone else to love. Love someone pure. Find another dream to chase." Hinata's lip trembled. And yet, he was the last person she had, the only one she had left to please.

"Kiba-kun…" she murmured, carefully, slowly tugging his face towards her. His eyes widened and he resisted immediately.

"Hinata, you don't have to–––"

"I want to make you happy, Kiba-kun," she admitted. "Please…"He watched her for a second, his gaze scrutinizing her every move, still uncertain. But his nature got the better of him and his restraint slipped.

"Mmn!" She hadn't expected him to react so fast. One moment he was staring at her tamely and the next his lips were pressed firmly against hers, a kiss that instantly knocked the wind out of her. Sweet, gentle, yet slowly growing more passionate and urgent as he began to give into his greater need. Yet even then he was holding himself away, being sure not to crush her with the extent of his large frame. Ah, everything was lips and warmth. She felt her eyes flutter close, her breath long gone, felt herself bend into him as if all her life she had been waiting for this one special union between her and this boy. Life! Oh, why had she wanted to take her life when life was so wonderful as the kiss of a boy in love? Everything, everything was perfect, was light, was warmth, was bliss––– and yet…

The second the pressure of her lips lightened Kiba tore himself away. His sensitivity to her was acute and startled the girl a little. But he had always been that way, just subtly, she supposed. Now he was looking at her hard with a distinct fear and shame that she knew could only have been caused by her.

"I'm sorry," she repeated for what felt like the hundredth time. "You're… you're just…"

"I'm not him," he sighed, as he slid to the floor, head tilted back in defeat. "Yeah. I should've known better."

"Oh, but–––!" She felt horrible, going back and forth like this. She was an awful person. "I want to love you, I do, Kiba-kun you have no idea how much I–––"

"Hinata," he cut her off, his smile tired and patient. "Don't force yourself for my sake. Okay?"

"But I–––"

"You're exhausted and still in pain. We can talk about it another time. I just… I just wanted you to know how I felt." A thought occurred to him as he glanced towards the door, his face downcast. "I shouldn't be here." He made a move to leave, but Hinata wasn't ready for him to go just yet.

"Ah, Kiba-kun?" She ventured, causing him to falter in his path.

"Yeah?"

"Just… just give me time. I just need some time…" Her look was one of beseeching. He grinned, using all his strength just to reassure her.

"Don't worry about it. I told you I'd be here forever, and I intend to stick by that. Plus I've got a pretty sweet kiss to stay with me for a while, so I'm all good." He opened the door then, but before departing added, "I mean it, Hinata. I love you. And I always will." And with that, Hinata found herself alone again. But this time, this time she had hope for her future. All she needed was a little time. But Fate had other plans.

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Epilogue

"You're thinking about him," Aburame Shino observed solemnly from his post by the bench in the cool stone building. Hinata jumped visibly as he intruded her thoughts, her face glowing red in embarrassment. How easily her friend could read her after all these years. All these years…

"Hinata?" Shino persisted, his voice echoing quietly on the gray hewn rock. Hinata twisted her pale hands in her lap, the cold, damp building making her shiver in so many ways.

"Yes," she responded finally, sweeping a lock of deep violet from her temple. "I am." It had been five years, five long years since that dreadful night, the night of dark, the night that Hinata had stood boldly on the threshold of life and leapt over the edge without a backwards glance. She could still see the shining white of the hospital room, inhale the stingingly sanitary smell. She actually still had recurring nightmares about that time occasionally, though she shared this information with no one.

Suppressing a sigh, the Hyuuga woman turned to look beyond the cobweb-frosted glass to the bleak land outside. Even the sky was grey and heavy with clouds, although they much needed the rain in the recent drought. Impatiently Hinata squirmed, constantly smoothing and re-smoothing the cream dress around her knees.

Her cousin, who was now the official Hyuuga clan leader, had received his title back then with little, if any, confrontation. Although Hinata had tried to use her power as the figurehead to keep her clan at bay, they had outsmarted her by declaring Neji leader, effectively making her order null and void. She shuddered to remember how her family had reacted to the news of her attempted suicide, how the matter of what to do with her life had then been debated relentlessly for days on end. At last, however, a conclusion was reached: because Hinata no longer held any power she was to save face by marrying into another good portion of the family at the standard age of twenty-one. But as the date had neared, however, Neji had decided that it was best if he himself took Hinata as his wife; the girl had had very few suitors and Neji had already taken to protecting the Hyuuga princess anyway.

This was where Hinata found herself at this moment, wringing her hands and fidgeting nervously, trying to imagine matrimony with Neji. Marriage. The word was so final, and yet she had little say in this life-changing event. The woman knew well that trying to divorce someone in Konoha was an utter social taboo. Hinata considered briefly how this day, her marriage, was not so unlike the suicide she had tried to commit all those years ago. Decisive. Absolute. Irrevocable. Only back then she'd had some say in her actions. At least the Hyuuga elders would be pleased.

"He's here." Hinata glanced towards the large wooden doors at the end of the hallway that connected to their little waiting room. Goosebumps dotted her arms and her heartbeat accelerated to a point where she was certain it was audible. She was deeply grateful that Shino was there as a witness; otherwise she might have passed out from nervousness as she used to do when she was twelve. Noises on the other side of the doors could be heard. Now they were creaking open, and now she was breathing fast, reality once more rudely making itself present. She gulped hard.

He looked staggeringly handsome as he walked down the hall, his companion sniffing noisily but showing delight nonetheless behind him. Hinata almost forgot to breathe in that moment; she had never seen anything so gorgeous in all her life. And they were getting married.

"You look…" His reaction mirrored hers as he stopped in front of her bench. He floundered for a moment at his loss of words, but finally was able to come up with one: "…beautiful." Instantly her face blushed deep pink.

"Thank you," she responded quietly, her glance directed to the floor. She could hear the smirk before she saw it.

"Why the formality?" She looked up again, smiling self-consciously.

"I'm sorry, I just…" What could she say? What words were there to describe this feeling that welled up from the pit of her stomach and wrenched her heart tightly? "I… That is…" She stood then, accepting his hand as he helped her up. "Well, you see…"

"What is it?" he pushed, shaking his head at her adorable awkwardness. And suddenly, everything was all right.

"I love you, Kiba-kun!" She cried, embracing him tightly. "I do, with all my heart! I love you! I love you! I love you!" Those words, those three simple words that had been so hard to understand so long ago now came to her as easily as living itself. Kiba laughed, hugging her back tightly.

"I know," he smiled at last, bending down to kiss her hair. "That's why I'm here. In a tux, no less."

"It's bad luck to see the bride before the ceremony," Shino suddenly observed quietly, making the couple jump. Akamaru whined from beside him.

"Yeah, yeah. You and your superstitions," Kiba snorted at his friends. "I'll remember that the next time I get married, okay?" Always the cocky jokester, of course. And yet… Hinata grinned softly. And yet, here they were.

All, of course, was not what it seemed. Even though the council of elders had blessed the union of a Branch House member and a Main House member, marrying outside the family was still banned. Enter the genius of Hyuuga Neji. In order to mask his true intent, Neji had ordered that he and Hinata be given a private ceremony for her sake before appearing before the clan.

Now they stood on the threshold of solidifying the first double outsider wedding in the history of the Hyuuga clan, a step that might jeopardize Neji's rule as leader and firmly sever Hinata's connection to the family and the privileges she had as a result of being a Hyuuga. But in spite of these daunting consequences, neither Hyuuga was willing to back away from their partner and future spouse.

"The ceremony will start soon," Shino warned, adjusting his sunglasses slightly. Kiba looked alarmed for a moment.

"So where's Neji and–––?"

"They're in the next room, waiting for us," Hinata answered.

"And we were waiting for you," Shino added with slight annoyance. Kiba rolled his eyes.

"Look, next time I won't see the bride before the ceremony and I'll be extra early, just for you. Is that good?" Shino sighed and shook his head at his friend's immaturity. Akamaru barked eagerly. Kiba turned to Hinata, gripping her hand softly as they approached the doors to the next room.

"You ready for this?" he asked, searching her features for some sign of doubt. "Because, y'know, if you don't want to go through with this I could–––"

"Kiba-kun!" Hinata insisted, frowning slightly. "I love you. Yes, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Yes, I know what I'm getting into. No, it won't be easy, but I'm determined." She paused and looked at him meekly as a thought came to her. "And you? Do you… still want to go through with the marriage?" Kiba's face broke into his trademark fangy grin.

"Hinata, I've been waiting my whole life for this moment."

"Then I suggest you hurry," Shino muttered from behind them unexpectedly.

"All right, all right, I'm going already!" Kiba replied, rolling his eyes again. "Don't get your sunglasses in a knot." And with that he pushed the doors to their future wide open.

Hinata had never felt purer than in that moment, in that dank, hidden building during an overcast day. As she walked down the aisle, she could feel the last remnants of the haunting darkness in her soul dissolve into clean, sweet light, the light she had been craving for so long. Somehow she knew she would never have her recurring nightmares ever again, and somehow, holding onto the hand of her future husband, the man she loved more than anything in the world, somehow she knew that the darkness was gone forever.

She had found her release.

Thank you, everyone who supported me in this fic and gave me feedback. I guess I fooled you a bit there in the end, though, didn't I? Oh, well. It ended happily for Kiba and Hinata, and for me as well! I'm so sad that I have to finish "Release" up, but I'm glad that I can move on now. Again, thank you so much for your support and don't forget to review! 3 Labbess

P.S. About Neji's lover; I had a hard time deciding between Tenten, Ino, or some unknown girl. Finally, I just left the name out and made the description vague, so essentially she's whoever you think should end up with him