Naruto 1. Homecoming

_**First, let me apologize for letting this story die. This was actually my favorite fiction to update and my first attempt at SasuHina. So many people have come to love this fiction and for that I am grateful. I know some of you will be upset with me for changing everything, especially those who have recently begun to read it. For that, I am sorry. However, I didn't like the way this was going, it was getting awkward for me towards the end and it honestly felt like a bunch of jumbled mess. I am confident in this version of the story and I hope that you fall in love with this one too! Thank you so much for sticking with this story and giving it another try with me.**_

_**- KawaiixKisses/Tranquil Seoul/ Rampantt **_

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**Cover My Eyes**

by, _Rampantt_

Chapter One : _**Homecoming**__  
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There was nothing Uchiha Sasuke hated more than having his time wasted. There were a million things, maybe even more than that, that he could spend his time focused on. In his mind, to be leisurely and idle was a crime and punishable by death. He was a man of few words and so rarely ever engaged in meaningless chit-chat. He couldn't stand to be sucked into conversations that lacked substance and so it is needless to say how every unhappy he was at the moment with his pink haired girlfriend of three years.

"So when I asked her if she had the the bag in beige she told me 'no' and preceded to try and sell me the brown one. Honestly! _Brown. _Not even an apricot or peach. Why the hell would I want that?"

Sasuke wasn't even sure he knew what the woman was talking about. She always seemed to be complaining about something that didn't matter one bit, something that could be easily handled. Over the years, Sasuke had learned that his girlfriend just liked the drama of it all. She adored chaos, it was like she got some sort of high from it.

The dark haired male sighed a bit, shutting his eyes and rubbing his brow as Sakura went on and on about whatever else had "gone horribly wrong" in her life that day.

It was times like these that made him question whether staying with her was really worth it or not. He knew deep down that he didn't want her anymore –the attraction was gone and really he was just dragging his feet with the relationship. It hadn't been like this for their entire relationship; there really was a time when he wanted nothing more than to be with the pinkette, but lately, the opposite seemed to be holding true. It was becoming more and more of a hassle to drag himself to meet with her. There had been many times where Sasuke had prepared himself to end things before they went any further, but that nudging voice in the back of his head prevented him from doing so.

Sakura was useful for now. There weren't many things he liked about her anymore, but he definitely stood to gain from their relationship. Haruno Hedeki. Her father was a huge donor to his architect business and it was sponsors like him that allowed him to stay afloat. He couldn't pass up such a blessing even if Sakura was driving him crazy. There was much to be gained from this relationship indeed. Sasuke constantly reminded himself that it wasn't forever –he didn't have to _marry _Sakura in order to keep his business running, her just had to tolerate her for a bit longer, just until he got his name out there and then he could rid himself of her.

His greed was a bit scary, he acknowledged this at least. He had sacrificed himself for his need to prove a point and as such he should bare no regrets. He made his choices. For now he was stuck with a woman who didn't know when to just _shut the fu– _

"Sasuke… Sasuke… Sasuke! Are you even listening to me? I said, what color do you think I would look best in? The brown or the beige, because really I was thinking that that brown one might not be so bad after all. Really what's the difference right? I mean they're both pretty colors, but I have shoes to match the beige one already. If I buy the brown one then I'd have to get brand new shoes… But! I could totally use that as an excuse to go shoe shopping! You know, they're having a sale at _Trish and Taylor _this weekend? I'm hoping to find some –"

"Sakura… I don't have time for this," Sasuke said at last, deciding he could no longer deal with her senseless conversation.

"But Sasuke… We barely talked," the pinkette whined, a pout forming on her lips.

"Yes, yes, I know. But I have work to attend to, I'll see you this Friday."

And just like that, the ebony haired male pushed himself away from the table, dropping his napkin in his plate.

He had met the pinkette into the city for lunch, at her request of course. Such was the norm for the two of them, lunch on Tuesdays at one of the manly upper scale restaurants that Konoha had to offer.

"Alright… Well, don't forget to call me then, Sasuke," she said to him as she watched him dig into his pocket and lay down a few bills on the table.

"Hn."

That was all he said before parting ways, not bothering to spare her a glance as he gathered his belongings. He all but bolted for the door, determined not to waste another moment of his time with his girlfriend. Sasuke was so quick with his exit that he hadn't heard her when she told him she loved him in parting. Not that it would have mattered to him if he did.

* * *

Haruno Sakura had always been known throughout her hometown of Konoha to be the most beautiful girl there. And like any home-town-beauty, she had learned to use that to her advantage. With just a bit of her father's influence she had entered the world of high fashion, booking jobs all over Asia and eventually Europe. Men flocked to her, women envied her, and that was the way Haruno Sakura liked it. She loved being the center of attention, the center of envy. To her, she was pretty much made for this kind of lifestyle. She was 23, beautiful, fucking rich and on the verge to becoming a super-model. But with all her glory and beauty, she couldn't for the life of her understand why her boyfriend of three years did not love her. She was many things, but she was not stupid.

She should have been everything the Uchiha could have ever desired in a woman. She was beautiful, rich, she fancied herself funny and while Sasuke didn't know it, she was smart. Sakura would admit it, at times she could be a bit ditzy, but she knew that powerful men often didn't find it too attractive when women were just as opinionated as them. That being said, she worked in secret, twisting and turning things until she got what she wanted. Sakura was smart and if any man was too full of himself to notice, than that was his problem because she always got what she wanted.

She had put a lot of work into Uchiha Sasuke, prepping and grooming him for marriage. She made sure he had everything he needed and pitied anyone who dared to get in her way. After a few months of dating, she decided she was going to marry Sasuke and as such he should be suitable for her. At the time, he wasn't. Many would question why someone like her would throw herself at Sasuke as she had and it was a question she didn't mind entertaining. Sasuke was rude and arrogant, a hothead with little to his name other than the notability that came with being an Uchiha. Word on the street was that he was estranged from his family so even that held little weight. But Sakura saw more in Sasuke –he had _potential. _All he needed was the right woman to push him and he could do anything. With this in mind, she even persuaded her father into sponsoring Sasuke's business while it was still on the ground, something she was confident Sasuke didn't know was her doing.

However, with all that work she had put into him, she had to admit that she was more than a little disappointed. Three years had gone by and she knew for a fact that Sasuke did not love her. In the beginning she could tell that his interest in her was genuine and that he honestly cared for her, but at some point his feelings had withered away. There was a bit of doubt in her for a while there, she honestly believed that he would leave her at some point but when that moment never came she knew what it was. Sasuke needed her. At first she had been hurt and angry, ready to end things herself, but then she thought on it. Why end it? What was so wrong with being needed? She had something he wanted and he had something she wanted. Wasn't that how marriages worked nowadays anyway? She could endure his apathy for a bit, she told herself, it wouldn't be long before he fell back into step with her. She was the perfect woman for him and it was plain to see. Many would have left him, not even spared him a parting glance after hearing that he was no longer attached with his family. Men seldom left the women who stood by them in difficult times and the seldom betrayed the ones who pulled them up.

If Sasuke wanted her money, he could have it, but he was going to have to work for it. She deserved a ring for all her hard work and she was going to be damned sure that she receive it in due time. Nothing was going to get in her way either. Nothing.

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Hyuuga Hinata took a deep breath and readied herself.

She had been staring at her reflection for the past hour, making sure that nothing was amiss or out of place with her appearance. Each raven hair had been straighten paper thin, not a curl in sight. She had been very precautions tonight, being sure to get everything exact. The young heiress even added a bit of make up to her normally alabaster skin. Tonight her cheeks were peach and her lips a soft nude shade; even her eyelashes had received special attention.

Hinata smiled at her reflection, satisfied with herself. She donned a deep blue evening gown that flirted with her knees and showcased her figure. On her feet were platformed suede pumps that made her taller than her normally five foot four frame. She added white gold accessories to complete her outfit; a white gold bangle locked around her left wrist and diamond studded hoops dangling from her ears.

Taking a step back from the mirror, she admired herself for a bit longer before grabbing her purse and turning on her heel.

"You look pretty."

Startled, the princess gasped and her eyes widened at the sudden intrusion of her sister, Hanabi. The teen grinned, her lips parting to show off her straight white teeth.

"Hanabi! Don't scare me like that," Hinata scolded the youngest of the Hyuuga, placing a hand over her racing heart.

Her sister only continued to grin, her clear eyes looking her up and down, silently judging her attire. "What's all this for?"

"Naruto's coming home party... You didn't forget did you?"

"Oh yeah," Hanabi said, shrugging shoulders and plopping down on her sister's bed. "Sounds boring. I'm gonna stay here."

Hinata pouted a bit, chewing the inside of her lip slightly before speaking again. "It would mean a lot if you showed up, Hanabi."

The younger sister shrugged her shoulders once again, flipping through a glamor magazine she had found on the bedside-table. "He won't even notice that I'm not there."

Hinata arched a brow at her sister, studying her silently. "This wouldn't have anything to do with Konahamaru would it?"

Hanabi's sucked her teeth, her brow creasing and her lips turning downward. "No."

Hinata smiled, knowing she had struck a nerve with her sister by mentioning her on-again-off-again-boyfriend of three years. The two were apparently on another one of their breaks, the second one this year Hinata noticed. "You can't avoid him forever," she told her sister.

"I'm not avoiding him."

"Then why won't you come?" Hinata pressed, sitting herself on the edge of the bed and facing her sister.

Hanabi was silent for a few moments before she finally spoke. "I told you this has nothing to do with him; I'm just going to stay in and study."

"On a Friday" Hinata asked with an arched brow.

"Is that against the law?" her sister retorted quickly, snapping.

Hinata giggled at her expression and picked herself up from the bed, smoothing out her dress. "Alright, say no more. I'll bring you home some leftovers."

"Mhm..." Hanabi responded, turning away from her sister and gazing down at the magazine once again.

Hinata smiled at her sister then left her bedroom, taking the stairs down to the main floor of the Hyuuga mansion. Her heels clacked against the marbled floors in the foyer, calling forth the attention of her cousin, Neji who had been walking in through the front door. She stopped in her tracks, slightly caught off guard by his arrival –she hadn't been expecting him. As she gave it a thought, it occurred to her that he was there for business with her father.

Her throat burned as she pictured the two of them sitting around the table, holding conversations she was never invited to. She knew all too well that Neji intended to succeed her father's business and the thought made her stomach turn. Her father never considered her for the position and this knowledge was slowly pressing heavier on her mind with each passing day. Even though she had always been at the top of her class, her older cousin had always been ahead of her. Everything came easy to Neji, he never had to work like Hinata did. Part of her had always hated Neji.

"Hinata."

"Neji."

Squaring her jaw, she walked by him and grabbed her nude blazer from the closet and rested it over her elbow, doing her best not to make eye-contact with her rival as she exited the mansion. She spilled out into the night, the chill of autumn brushing against her knees as she crossed the drive way, fishing in her purse for the keys to her 2011 white Range Rover Sport. Opening the door, she slid the key into the ignition and started the engine. She fiddled with her ipod, plugging it into the appropriate spot and relaxing once Aaliyah's "Are You That Somebody" began to play. Throwing it into reverse, she backed out of the driveway and changed gears again, pulling off and away from her home.

She white-knuckled the stirring wheel as she sped through the streets, Neji still weighing on her mind. She clenched her jaw tightly, ignoring the racing of her heart as she rounded a corner. Instead, she forced herself to think of Naruto, the blonde sprouting up in her mind's eye immediately. Taking a deep breath she relaxed and leaned back into her seat, stirring the wheel with her left hand. At least there was Naruto, she told herself.

It had been a year and nine months since she had last seen him in person and she couldn't have been more excited. He had been deployed out to the Sound and hadn't been home since. The two had exchanged many letters over his time spent away from home. She had always worried about him. She knew she could never ask him what it was he was sent for but that didn't mean it hadn't crossed her mind. She imagined him on dangerous missions while she awaited his letters; she pictured him getting hurt more often than anything else however –that was her greatest fear. What was her life without him? Who else could she cling to when life became difficult? Who else was there to remind her that things would eventually get better and that she deserved to smile. Naruto was not her boyfriend but he was the closest thing she had to one.

It wasn't long before she arrived at her destination. She pulled into a park at the curb and tossed a glance at her dashboard to view the time –8:37pm. She was on time. Quickly, she turned the engine off, grabbed her purse and climbed out of her car, locking it and crossing over to the sidewalk, sliding her arms into her blazer at last. Her heels clacked against the pavement as she made her way to the condo. Balling her hand into a fist, she knocked on the door and patiently waited to be let in. A few moments passed before the door swung open, revealing the bubble gum princess on the other side.

"Hinata! You're here!" Sakura exclaimed, flinging her arms around her and hugging her tightly. "Where's Hanabi?" she asked once their embrace ended.

Hinata offered a kind smile, smoothing out her dress once again. "Home; apparently she has studying to do that couldn't wait until tomorrow."

Sakura gave her a knowing look and the two of them laughed as Hinata stepped inside. Sakura had been her best friend since the eighth grade. The two of them were so different that it was hard to believe at times that the two would even know each other, but once they were together everyone knew why. Sakura had something Hinata needed and Hinata had something Sakura needed –they balanced each other out. Sakura dared Hinata to be more expressive and take what she wants from life while Hinata kept Sakura grounded, reminding her of the practicalities of life and reality.

Hinata looked around the room filled with all her friends and smiled. Everyone in this room loved Naruto and were excited to see him home and safe. She remembered how silent they all had been when Naruto announced his entry in the Fire Country's military when they had all finished high school. No one had wanted to see him go. Naruto was such a knucklehead that it was hard to take him seriously and the military was no laughing matter. In the end, he had proved them all wrong and they had no choice but to be proud of him. Hinata always knew he could do it; she believed in him when no one else did.

She mingled with Kiba and Shino for a while, catching up with them on their latest adventures. She had been busy the past two weeks, preparing herself for her final year of university. The raven had only started classes that week and was already stressed out. She learned the semester before that she was a candidate for Valedictorian which meant that at all cost, she _had _to get it. Hinata didn't let her childhood friends know it however, she knew exactly what they would say –she worked too hard, she needed to relax and just enjoy her last few months of university life. She couldn't afford that however. They didn't understand what it was like to be her.

"Everyone they're here!" Sakura announced, running into the room, her pink hair bouncing around.

Everyone scrambled around the living room, landing hiding spaces anywhere possible. Hinata ducked behind the couch beside Kiba, peaking out to view the front door as Sakura killed the lights in the corner.

Voices could be heard coming from outside and it wasn't long before a key was slid into the knob and it was pushed open. All at once, everyone leaped and excited exclaimed "SURPRISE!"

Light spilled into the room and exposed a sea of smiling faces to Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke who stepped aside and allowed his friend the spotlight.

"Wow... You guys..." he breathed, a hand placed over his heart from being startled by the group.

By the look on his face he hadn't expected to see everyone which made Hinata wonder what lie Sasuke told him to keep him none the wiser.

"Naruto! We're so glad you're home" Sakura exclaimed, coming from her spot in the corner and tossing her arms around Naruto.

He chuckled hesitantly, still a bit shocked, and patted her back before pulling away.

"Yeah man, good to see you," Kiba was speaking next, clapping him on the shoulder and grinning wildly, which Naruto returned, rubbing the back of his head.

Hinata hung back while everyone greeted him, smiling softly to herself, her heart pounding in her chest. Though she hadn't leaped at him like the others had, she was probably the most excited to see him. She bit her bottom lip a little as his cyan eyes found hers through the crowd, a light blush staining her cheeks. He offered her a smile and separated himself from the latest person to grab a hold of him and made his way over to her.

"I'm home," he told her.

She looked down at her feet, her blush deepening. "Hn."

Without anything further he wrapped her in a hug, crushing her to him and holding her there. "Did you miss me?" he asked, resting his cheek atop her head.

"Of course," she whispered into his shirt, her tiny hands curling into the fabric at his back.

"Get a room!" someone shouted, forcing the two of them apart, both flushing awkwardly with Hinata looking away embarrassed.

Sakura laughed, slinging her arm around her shorter friend. "Aw, don't let them embarrass you Hinata."

The heiress continued to flush, swallowing past the hard lump that lodged itself in the center of her throat.

"Hn."

"Come help me in the kitchen for a bit," Sakura said to her once Hinata relaxed.

Before she even had a chance to respond the pinkette was already dragging her away and into Sasuke's kitchen.

Naruto watched her leave, glancing over her shoulder at him and offering him a shy smile before looking away once again.

"Sooo...you and Hinata, huh?" a voice sounded by his ear.

Naruto turned to find Kiba grinning at him.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb. We all saw you two," Kiba continued.

Naruto rolled his eyes and tried to ignore him but Kiba continued, draping his arm around the blonde's shoulder. "What are you hiding?"

Soon, a crowd formed around them and Naruto was sucking his teeth. "None of your business."

"Ah! So you _are _hiding something," Kiba pushed, grinning wildly.

"Why do you care?" Naruto hissed, shoving Kiba off of him.

Kiba through his hands up in defense, feigning innocence. "I'm just curious. Hinata's one of my best friends and all I want is to see her happy."

"Don't she look happy to you?" Naruto asked pointedly, her blonde brows furrowing in agitation.

"Calm down, dope," Sasuke chimed in at last, having enough of the two of them.

He clapped his friend on the shoulder and steered him away from the conversation with little protest from the crowd behind them. The two of them disappeared into the kitchen to check up on the girls and found them deep in conversation.

"And they had the gall to give me beige! Can you believe it?" Sakura was carrying on.

Hinata sat at the bar stool, one leg crossed over the other as she watched Sakura adding a few finishing touches to a plate of sandwiches.

"They didn't have an apricot or a peach at least?" Hinata inquired, her brow furrowed as she considered her friend's words.

"No! That's exactly what I asked too. Seriously. I don't know if I'll ever shop there again," the pinkette complained. "Oh! Sasuke, good, you're here. Take this out to everyone, please?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. Why hadn't he expected as much from Sakura? What was more disappointing was that Hinata had even entertained her shenanigans. One thing he could say about her, though they never really conversed much –both being naturally stoic people, Hinata was very level headed. He actually admired that about her. She was never lost daydreaming or caught up in fantasies like her pinkette companion. Often he wondered how Sakura had even obtained such a friend with her personality. Hinata was a stark contrast to Sakura when he really thought about it. He didn't let the thought linger however; he accepted the plate and was soon on his way.

"We really missed you around here, Naruto," Sakura said, leaning against the bar beside Hinata.

"Yeah?"

She nodded her head. "Especially this one; she even kept a calender specifically to count down the days until your return."

"Sakura!" Hinata exclaimed, heat flooding her cheeks as she slapped her thigh, her brow crumpling.

Naruto chucked at Hinata's embarrassed expression. He always knew that at the end of the day he could count on Hinata to be there for him when he needed someone. She had always been there, even at his lowest point, when he wasn't sure what he was going to do with his life. It was Hinata who urged him to join the military and he could never be more grateful to her for that.

Hinata's letters had been the only thing other than coming home that he had looked for while he was away on assignment. Sakura also wrote him every now couple of months, Sasuke too, far fewer than that however but then he hadn't expected anything different, but Hinata had been the most consistent. Her letters made him feel like he was home; she would recount her day for him and keep him up-to-date with the going-ons of Konoha. If he were to be honest with himself, Hinata had become the most important person in his life over the last year and nine months –he only wished he could give her what she wanted, what she _always _wanted from him. He wasn't ready to tell her that he couldn't yet. She had never voiced it but it was always obvious. He wanted to cling to her for as long as he possibly could, no matter how selfish that was.

Sakura laughed. "Well, let's get back to the party!"

Naruto watched as the pinkette shimmied past him and back out into the living room.

"Well?" he asked, turning his attention to Hinata.

He offered his hand out to her and smiled that smile she missed so much. She smiled back at him, unable to resist and climbed down from the bar stool, closing her hand around his.

"You look really pretty tonight," he told her, lacing their fingers together.

Hinata blushed. "Thank you."

She was grateful for her hard work paying off after all. It was worth it just to hear those five words. She leaned up on her tip toes and lightly pecked his cheek, pulling back just as quickly and blushing down at her feet. Naruto chuckled again and smiled at her, pulling her back into the party with him. For the first time in nearly two years, Hyuuga Hinata was content.

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_Thank you for reading it through and if you skimmed it, then that's cool too lol thank you for at least looking at it. I'm confident in this. There might be a few grammar or spelling mistakes, all of which I am ashamed of, but thank you for ignoring them. Anyway. Let me know what you think. Leave me love via reviews or even messages! I want to know your opinions. _

_Much love,_

_Rampantt _


	2. It's Personal

**_Hey guys! This is an early update! I simply couldn't stop myself from writing. You'll be happy to know that I also finished the third chapter. Tomorrow (December 27th 2012), I'll be starting the fourth one. Now, I told myself that I wouldn't make promises about updates because you know, who knows if I'll actually keep them? In an ideal world I'll be posting at least one a week with a max of two (have to keep you guys in suspense lol). But, without further adieu, chapter two:_**

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**Cover My Eyes**

by, _Rampantt_

Chapter Two : _**It's Personal**_

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It had been a week since Naruto had come home and Hinata had been on cloud nine ever since. She literally felt invincible, like nothing could touch her. She felt more secure and confident in herself just by knowing that he was there in the flesh. In the near two years that he had been gone, Hinata had only ever looked forward to his letters –nothing else was nearly as important. Every now and then they would even skype but that became too painful after a while –being able to see him and not touch him was too hard. Each one of his letters meant the world to her, whether they were long and intimate or brief and crude it didn't matter, she saved each one of them in a shoe box under her bed. When she was sad and lonely, or just sick thinking of her father and the Hyuuga, she reached into that box and pulled out any letter that would make everything alright.

They hadn't established anything between them and as such Hinata had been careful not to say too much about them to anyone. Naturally private, it wasn't too hard really. Often she felt bad keeping it from Sakura when she would pry but she didn't want to risk anything by talking about him. Sakura only knew the basics of their relationship, or whatever was going on between them. Hinata hadn't really thought too much into it either, she didn't mind the slow pace she and Naruto were taking. Honestly, she was just glad that there was anything at all between them.

Hinata had just gotten out of class when her phone vibrated. Pulling the sleek device from her Dooney & Bourke tote, she glanced down at the screen, _Haruno Sakura: Where are you?_

The heiress quickly responded to the text as she made her way out to the parking garage, letting her pink haired friend know she was still on campus. Her text was answered with a frowning emoji.

Typical. What did Sakura expect?

The pinkette had contacted her earlier in the day, wanting to meet for lunch and the Hinata had specifically told her that she wouldn't be getting out of class until after two in the afternoon. Now she was upset with her for not skipping class? Not everyone could live such a sweet and pampered life like Sakura. Hinata considered her thoughts soon after and decided that she wasn't one to talk much, considering the fact that her family was far more wealthier than Sakura's, but still. Hinata had things to take care of during the day. She didn't spend the majority of her time shopping or modeling like Sakura did.

The pinkette had tried to explain on many occasions that her occupation wasn't as easy as it looked but Hinata wasn't too impressed. Sure, not everyone could be a model but she wouldn't call it hard work necessarily. She never told her friend that however, she didn't want to spoil her fun. Climbing into the driver's seat of her vehicle she texted her friend back and let her know that she was on her way. She dumped her things into the passenger seat and was out of the parking garage in record time.

It wasn't long before she arrived either, she made it downtown rather quickly, she noticed, sparing a glance at the clock. It was slowly approaching three. Her gut told her that she was in for a verbal lashing from the pinkette when she got into the restaurant and she was right. Hinata parked in one of the various parking garages on main street and walked down the block until she came upon Sakura's favorite place to eat: _Nodaiwa. _

Hinata handed over her burned orange blazer as she entered to one of the many attendants and was soon brought over to Sakura's table. She flashed the pinkette a small smile and was greeted only with a grumble.

"You're late..."

"I told you I had class," she said quietly, sinking into the seat opposite her friend.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Would it have killed you to skip?"

"Potentially."

Sakura cracked a grin. "You're always so over dramatic."

Hinata smiled at her friend, picking up the menu and glancing over it. "You're one the talk. Have you ordered yet?"

"No, and neither will you," Sakura said, taking the menu from her and closing it. "Sasuke isn't here yet."

Hinata arched a brow at that. She hadn't expected to be eating with Uchiha Sasuke. To be honest, she didn't like hanging out with Sakura while Sasuke was around. It wasn't because she disliked him, rather she just felt like the third wheel. Had Sakura told her Sasuke would be coming she would have invited Kiba too...or Naruto. She swallowed as the blonde crossed her mind for the millionth time that day.

"I didn't know he was coming," Hinata said, looking to her friend openly and pushing the blonde from her thoughts.

"Well, it _was _going to be just me and you but I got some good news earlier and I wanted to share it with the both of you," Sakura explained, excitement evident on her face.

"Oh? What is it?"

"Don't be so greedy Hinata. I'll tell you just as soon as Sasuke gets here."

Hinata smiled, understandingly. Who knew how long that would take, however? Sakura had already been waiting fifteen minutes before Hinata arrived and Sasuke wasn't there yet. Perhaps it slipped his mind then? Hinata leaned forward to express her thoughts to her friend but she didn't get the chance to.

"Here he comes!" Sakura exclaimed, her emerald eyes leaping up to meet with his onyx ones.

Uchiha Sasuke nodded his head in her direction as he made his way over to their table, escorted by one of the attendants.

"Now that your party is here, I'll be back in a few moments to take your order," she told them as Sasuke took up the seat beside the pinkette.

Hinata smiled and bowed her head politely, silently dismissing her.

"It's good to see you again, Sasuke-_san_," Hinata said to him, ever the polite one.

She offered him a smile which he did not return, not that she expected anything else from the stoic Uchiha. He reminded her a bit of her cousin Neji which made her avoid him all throughout high school. It wasn't until Sakura became close with him that she found herself sucked into positions where she had to engage with him. She supposed even more so now that Naruto was home, she'd be seeing a lot more of him.

"Good to see you too," he responded with less enthusiasm.

Hinata didn't take it to heart, however. Just like her cousin, Sasuke was stale but she didn't think he was particularly mean however. He was a man of few words which often left the majority of their conversations awkward and boring. Which was odd when Hinata thought of it, it was clear that Sasuke was not a dull man, nor did she consider herself to be. She supposed they were just two people who were forced to communicate with one another every now and then.

"Well, now that you're all here...albeit _late_," Sakura stared, making a point of their tardiness. "I can finally tell you all the good news."

Hinata looked to her expectantly, a light smile gracing her lips. Sasuke on the other hand was busy looking over the menu. Sakura was known to make any little thing into something massive. He didn't put it past her to drag the two of them out to tell them about some shoe sell across town. He only hoped for her sake that it truly was important or else he wasn't sure if he'd be able to control his tongue.

"So, what is it?" Hinata pressed.

Sakura beamed, bubbling with happiness for herself. "I just signed a contract with Juicy Cosmetics. I'm gonna be a Juicy Girl!"

Sasuke tried hard to hold back his laughter which ended up sounding like something caught in his throat and he was choking. Sakura ignored him however, too caught up in herself to even notice him laughing at her expense.

"Wow Sakura! That's amazing! Congratulations," Hinata cheered for her friend, reaching across the table to squeeze her hand.

Sakura continued to smile, her rosy lips splitting and showing off her perfect teeth. "Thanks so much! I shoot my ad next week," she started. "This is the sort of thing I had been hoping for. I'm finally getting real recognition!"

Hinata smiled for her friend, she was genuinely happy to see her succeeding. All Sakura ever talked about since middle school was being a model, Hinata kind of suspected that it was because she didn't want an actual job. When she thought of it, she couldn't see Sakura doing anything other than modeling. She had long, toned legs that most girls could only dream about. She had an interesting bone structure to her face as well. Sakura wasn't conventionally pretty, she looked more exotic, the way her emerald eyes were set sunken in slightly below her brow bone. Her hair was naturally long too, falling at her waist and curling lightly at the ends. Sakura had always been the most beautiful person Hinata had ever met. It was often intimidating to be around her, what with her towering over her and commanding attention with her looks. Hinata got used to it eventually however.

She remembered in middle school she had avoided that girl like she had some infectious disease. Looking back at it, she was surprised they even became friends. If it weren't for their fathers working together on multiple occasions they probably wouldn't have. She still remembered the evening her father had the Harunos over for dinner. After the meal was over, Hinata and Sakura had been excused to Hinata's room. It took her a while to warm up to the pinkette, however. Sakura started by asking her various questions as she looked around her room, picking through her things and commenting on how neat everything was. Hinata had mainly answered her questions in formal "yeses" and "noes" and when they wouldn't do she answered as plainly and politely as possible. Her father told her before they arrived that she ought to be good to their guests and make them feel welcome. Hinata didn't want her father to scold her if she'd didn't behave well.

"_Is this your cousin?"she had asked that night._

Hinata remembered the picture the pinkette had picked up from her dresser. It was the only one she had of Neji. Back then he had been her most important person. Had she been honest with her she had developed a tiny crush on him but it fizzled away during high school.

"_Yes."_

"_He goes to our school doesn't he?" Sakura asked, setting it back in it's place._

"_Yes."_

"_He seems kind of standoffish. He must not have many friends."_

"_I... don't know..." Hinata answered shyly, her voice soft._

"_Hm. Everyone says he's a freak. That he chases squirrels after school and keeps their dead bodies beneath his bed," Sakura mentioned, spinning around to look at Hinata._

_That was probably the most ridiculous thing Hinata had ever heard. Her cousin was not a freak nor did he have dead bodies under his bed. Even if that were true, Hinata was certain no one outside of their family had ever even been in Neji's room to know what's under his bed._

"_Th-that's not true..." Hinata said, defending her cousin despite knowing how stupid what Sakura suggested was. Anyone with a brain would know that wasn't true._

"_Are you sure?" Sakura bated. "I wouldn't put it past him. He's always so...weird. You know?"_

"_Neji-_niisan_ is not w-weird...!" Hinata exclaimed, clutching the ends of her dress._

"_Of course you'd think that. He's your family. You're supposed to love him and think the best of him. But the facts are the facts. Neji's got dead squirrels under his bed."_

"_Shut up! That's not true!" Hinata nearly shouted._

"_Oh yeah? Prove it then! Let's go to his room and check under his bed."_

_Hinata's brow crumpled lightly and she bit at her bottom lip. "We're...not supposed to g-go...into Neji-_niisan_'s... r-room."_

_Sakura arched her brow, folding her arms across her chest. "Oh yeah? Says who?"_

_Hinata blushed a bit, feeling intimidated by Sakura's emerald stare. "_Niisan... _he doesn't like people t-touching his stuff..."_

"_We won't touch anything. We're just going to peak under his bed and check for the squirrels," Sakura insisted._

"_But there aren't any s-squirrels..."_

"_How do you know for sure?" Sakura challenged, her gaze narrowing slightly and her brow arching in question._

_Hinata felt her heart racing and she found herself looking away from the pinkette. She pressed her index fingers together, feeling cornered by her question._

"_Well? How do you know for sure?" Sakura repeated herself as if speaking with a child._

"_I...d-don't."_

"_Then it's settled," Sakura said. "We're going to his room and we're going to see for ourselves."_

"_Sakura-_san... _I don't th-think that's a good i-idea... Neji-_niisan _will k-kill us if we – "_

"_Just like he killed those squirrels?!" Sakura exclaimed, her eyes wide._

"_No! There are n-no squrriels!" Hinata answered, tripping over her words._

"_Then don't be so scared. We'll just go peak real quick and then come right back. Don't be such a baby."_

_Hinata pressed her fingers together again, biting into her bottom lip as she considered what to do. "You p-promise not to t-touch anything...?"_

"_Yes. I promise, now lets go."_

That night the two of them ventured into her cousin's room and peaked under his bed just like Sakura suggested. Of course there were no squirrels under his bed, the idea was ridiculous to begin with. Just as soon as they peaked their heads under his bed did Neji walk in and catch the two of them. Hinata still remembered the verbal lashing Neji delivered to her after the Harunos left. The next day at school Sakura had clang to Hinata despite her many protests. The pinkette had dragged her everywhere since then and it wasn't long until Hinata actually considered her a friend, then eventually her best friend. That night had been the first of many shenanigans Sakura had dragged her into. Hinata loved her anyway. Sakura added fun to her life. She was so unpredictable yet predictable at the same time.

"How long are you going to be gone for?" Sasuke was asking, interrupting Hinata's thoughts.

"Hmm... about a week," Sakura answered.

"Where are you going?" Hinata asked, trying to find out where the conversation had turned since she drifted away.

"Weren't you paying attention Hinata? Jeez," Sakura complained, rolling her eyes. Her smile quickly returned however, she was far too excited to be upset even for more than a few seconds. "The Tea Country."

"Wow. It's really nice there, I'm sure you'll have a good time," Hinata commented, smiling softly at her friend.

Sakura bobbed her head and went into a rant about her career and the luxuries of the Tea Country. Sasuke on the other hand was less enthusiastic like the two women around him. He took a deep breath, blowing it out slowly as he eyed the menu. At least he could get some peace and quiet around his condo for the next week. He wouldn't have to worry about the pinkette barging in at random times and staying for however long she felt. Then again he supposed with the dope home he'd be suffering somehow. On the other hand, the blonde might be caught up with a certain Hyuuga, giving him the space he craved.

His onyx orbs looked up then, landing on the Hyuuga in question. She was smiling pleasantly, just a light tilt upward at the corners of her lips, with her hands folded neatly atop her menu. She wore her hand long now; Sasuke remembered the bob her hair had been cropped to in high school. She obviously grew it out since then, letting it fall past her shoulders and back where she cut it bluntly at her hip, he noticed. She was dressed nicely too, not too flashy like some other girls in her position; for an heiress she was very modest. He noticed the blue and white Ralph Lauren button down she donned as well as the simple pearl earrings and matching bracelet around her left wrist. His eyes traveled back up to her face and settled there for a while, watching her serene expression with mild interest.

Her clear eyes glanced to him casually and she caught him staring. She didn't make it known however, but it was obvious that she knew, considering the light pink that stained her cheeks when she refocused her attention on Sakura a second later. Sasuke swallowed and returned to the menu, going over the selections that had offered. What made him look at her anyway? He glanced up at her one more time as he thought of this, watching the way she smiled at Sakura. The two of them rarely ever spoke. He wasn't sure why that was.

He knew he had no reason in particular to engage her, but that's how he felt about everyone, it was nothing personal. Most people made conversation with him; he was always the unwilling participant. However, with Hyuuga Hinata that had never been the case. Somehow, she was a consistent, yet silent part of his life.

As a child in the Uchiha household, he was forced to have many dinners with the Hyuugas, all of which Hinata had attended. Even when he had been dismissed from the table along with her and her cousin, the two of them never really talked. He supposed he grew up knowing Hinata when he thought about it. They hadn't had many times to meet each other after elementary school however, and consequently he had forgotten all about her until high school. At first he thought she would be like so many other girls and cling to him and use their families as an excuse to talk to him but she never did. For a while it seemed like she was avoiding him too but Sasuke didn't think too much on it.

Now her blasé attitude toward him was even more strange. They were constantly around one another –what with Sakura dragging her along like some kind of puppy as well as her connection to Naruto – whatever that was. On holidays, she would be there either as a guest of Sakura's or Naruto's, she'd accompany them on double dates, she'd been there for most of Sakura's catwalk appearances (all of which they were forced to sit beside each other for) and she was also the one who threw Naruto's going away _and _coming home party. He couldn't avoid her if he tried, not that he wanted to. Sasuke was only briefly wondering how two people who seemed to spend a great deal of time in one another's presence could manage to barely know each other.

"Oh."

Sasuke was dragged from his thoughts by the soft gasp that sounded from Hinata's lips. He watched as she fished around in her purse, where he noticed soft music and vibrating was coming from. To confirm what he thought, she pulled out a white iPhone.

"Who is it?" Sakura asked, nosily.

"Naruto-_kun_," Hinata responded, fiddling with the device before bringing it to her ear. "Hello, Naruto-_kun_? Yes, about an hour ago. Hm? I'm not sure, I'm out right now. With Sakura."

There was a pause from her and Sasuke could hear Naruto's voice on the other end, rambling on. Hinata smiled a bit, biting lightly at her bottom lip and chewing away her lip gloss. "Hn. Yes well, Sasuke-_san_ is here too."

There was more rambling from Naruto and Hinata laughed softly, covering her mouth with her dainty hand as if ashamed of her laughter. "I'm sure she didn't mean to exclude you, Naruto-_kun. _Sakura probably forgot you were home."

Sakura laughed and shook her head. "Oh no! Is he upset with me?" she asked Hinata who shook her head 'no'. "Tell him I'm really sorry! But I've got good news! Tell him I'll fill him in later."

"Did you get all of that?" Hinata asked into the phone, smiling gently. Naruto's groaning could be heard from the other end of the phone and Hinata giggled again. "Don't be like that. I'll bring you something later."

Sasuke watched the many emotions that displayed on Hinata's face. She had always been like that with Naruto, smiling and blushing. He had first thought she was weird. Who in their right mind would be attracted to that blonde idiot? Sasuke didn't mean to be arrogant but when he thought of it something _had _to be wrong with her. In high school all the girls looked to him –he was rich and handsome, tall and lean. There wasn't a girl in the Academy that didn't find him desirable. The only one to deviate from the norm had been Hinata who had eyes only for Naruto. Sasuke clenched his jaw and sat back in his seat, watching as their call ended.

"Yes. So... I'll see you soon?" she asked into the phone expectantly.

Seeming to get the answer she wanted, the heiress smiled and pressed the end button, slipping her phone back into her purse.

"You and Naruto seem to be getting along rather well," Sakura said, beaming at her friend.

Hinata blushed, her face a deep red. "Ah w-well.. I –"

"Isn't it a bit rude to answer your phone in front of company? Especially without excusing yourself first?" Sasuke commented, ever stoic.

Hinata blinked a few times, surprised by Sasuke as her white eyes met his. "_Ano_... I'm sorry... I just -"

"Sasuke! Don't talk to Hinata like that!" Sakura exclaimed, slapping his shoulder. "I'm sorry Hinata. I don't know what his deal is, he's been grouchy like this for the past few days."

Sasuke sucked at his teeth, rolling his eyes.

Hinata smiled pleasantly, shaking her head. "No it's okay Sakura. He's right. That was very rude of me," she started, bowing her head politely at Sasuke. "Please accept my apology for my mistake."

Sasuke grunted but otherwise remained silent, frowning at his menu and ignoring the glare he was receiving from the pinkette beside him. "Don't apologize to him Hinata. He's a jerk."

Hinata laughed softly. "Maybe. However, this person is important to you, Sakura. I'll do my best not to upset him anymore."

Sasuke looked up at her, catching her smiling at him. She was so predictable. Unlike Sakura, she wouldn't fight with him, or anyone for that matter. Hinata, from what he gathered, was the type to let others have their way. For a while, he thought of her as a push over but the more time he spent around her the more he realized that she treated the disagreeable characters in her life as children who pouted and stomped their feet until they got their way. She was looking down on him, letting him have his way because it was easier than actually dealing with him. She didn't waste her time on small matters, especially not temper tantrums. That meant that now, she was treating him like a child, letting him have his way because it was not worth her time to argue with him. For that, he found himself annoyed at her.

"Tch, whatever."

"Are you sure, Hinata?" Sakura asked, sounding concerned.

"Of course. As you said, he has been in a bad mood for the past few days. I'm sure it's nothing personal," Hinata commented. "Let's order, yes?"

Little did she know, it _was _personal. Sasuke ignored her for the remainder of the meal however, if he wasn't worth her time then she wouldn't be worth his.

* * *

_Stay tuned for chapter three! _

_As a side note, I'd like to let everyone know that I have a fictionpress account, I don't know if any of you use that site, but if you do it would mean the world to me if you checked mine out! _

_ / (squiggle line) rampantt_

_Anywhore, thank you for reading. Reviews would be amazing! _

_- Rampantt_


	3. Strangers

_**So I lied. I couldn't hold out on this, especially since I had it uploaded already. I figured I might as well let you all have it. I've spoiled you all thus far but I won't be doing it anymore! This is just to make up for the year that I've been absent lol. I won't be uploading chapters 4 and 5 until next week though. I'm going to do my best to actually stick to that. Oh! And my birthday is friday if anyone cares to bake me a cake or some cookies! lol. Anyway, no one reads this part so I'll stop here. Chapter Three:**_

* * *

**Cover My Eyes**

by, _Rampantt_

Chapter Three : **_Strangers_**

* * *

Hinata arrived home around seven thirty that night, pushing open the door to the Hyuuga mansion. She was greeted by the diamond chandelier in the foyer that sparkled over her, drowning the hall in light. She closed the door behind her and removed her blazer, storing it in the closet to her right. Her heels clanked against the marbled floors as she entered the kitchen, walking around the island and opening the fridge to peer at it's contents.

Dinner had been at six o clock, as it had always been for as long as she could remember. On the first shelf were the remaining leftovers stored into tiny containers. At further inspection, Hinata concluded that the family had Western cuisine that night. She opened one of the containers and with her fingers fished out a sliced potato, popping it into her mouth.

"You know father doesn't like that," a voice sounded, startling her.

Hinata turned and found Hanabi standing in the archway, watching her eat. The heiress smiled guiltily and nodded her head at her sister. "Sorry, just wanted to taste it," she said, packing it back into the fridge.

"Mm. Where were you?" Hanabi asked.

Hinata poured herself a glance of water then leaned against the island. "I went to lunch with Sakura," she answered, leaving out the part about being at Naruto's apartment, alone, until now.

"Lunch?"

The eldest Hyuuga nodded her head briefly before sipping at her water. Hanabi could easily tell when people were lying to her, which often made her a good judge of character. It was hard to put anything past her. The way Hinata looked at it, she was _lying _to her sister, she had been in fact with Sakura for lunch. What she did after that wasn't anyone's business.

"I see," Hinata said, dropping the subject. She knew her sister wasn't telling her everything and that was fine. Hinata always ended up telling her anyway so it wasn't necessary to pry. "Anyway. Father was looking for you at dinner. Neji was here."

Hinata swallowed past the lump that had lodged itself in her throat. Neji had been coming around more and more in the past few weeks and it was starting worry her. Her father was in his late fifties now, nowhere near ready for retirement but still, Neji being there so often made her uncomfortable. "Why didn't he call me?"

Hanabi shrugged her shoulders once. "I don't know. He asked over dinner if any of us had heard from you since you hadn't been home since this morning."

Hinata nodded her head, taking a sip from her water. That was like her father. When they were younger it had been mandatory for them to join the family for dinner but after a while that rule slowly faded away. Hinata suspected that it was after Neji moved out her father began to lighten up. However, he still expected to see them around dinner, he simply didn't make it an issue if they weren't present. Part of her wondered if he had something to tell them since Neji had been there and he was looking for her.

"I'd go look for him if I were you," Hanabi said, disrupting her thoughts.

Hinata nodded her head and downed the rest of the water. "Thank you," she said, washing out her glass and placing it back in the cupboard.

The eldest sister left the kitchen then, in search of their father. She found the west wing of the mansion, traveling it's halls until she came upon her father's office. Lightly, she tapped at the mahogany door, waiting for a response. Her father's voice sounded from the opposite side and pushed at it, letting herself in.

It had been a while since she been in her father's office and for a moment, she barely recognized it. The walls were a deep chestnut, making the room feel warm but professional. The wall to her left was framed by a bookcase that stretched from floor to ceiling. She remembered when her father had the carpet installed, he had been very peculiar about which color and fabric he chose, in the end, he had picked well, flawlessly matching the carpet to the walls with a slightly darker shade.

"Father."

Hyuuga Hiashi was a stoic man. For as long as Hinata could remember, her father only had three expressions: the one he wore now, an angry one, and the one he wore when her mother died. That was it. For the most part, her father rarely ever looked any different. It took a lot to anger her father to the point of him visibly showing it and he only looked forlorn the day her mother died but never again after that. Hinata had spent a great deal of her childhood afraid of her father and trying her best to master the same stoic expression he wore, the very one Neji wore.

"Come in and sit," he said to her, sparing her a glance from his computer screen.

Hiashi had been sitting at his desk, going over the documents one of his partners had emailed to him when his daughter knocked on his door. He had expected her. He knew his youngest daughter would inform her when she arrived home. Glancing at the time on his screen, he noted that it was nearing eight.

When she was seated, Hiashi turned away from his screen to face her. She was still, he noted, as she always had been around him, even from the time she was a mere toddler. She looked to him with eyes that matched his own, pale and pupil-less. However, that wasn't the only similarity there. The two of them shared a silent bond, one that never spoke of, but there it was in her eyes, that loneliness that only he knew of. Hiashi's heart clenched for his daughter.

After her mother's death Hiashi had wondered countless times if he should remarry for her sake. Hinata needed a mother. It would do her know good to have only her father, a father who was hardly home enough, to look to. With a woman in the house he could be certain that there would be someone to tend to his child and love her as only a mother could. However, all his thinking was just that, thoughts. He had never bothered with marriage again after his wife's death and part of him regretted it now. He wondered how different his daughters would be had he not been so selfish. Would they be happier?

"How was school today, Hinata?" he asked her casually.

"It was fine, Father," she answered in as few words as possible.

Hiashi nodded his head. "Good."

Hinata did her best not to fiddle with her hands as anxiety settled in her. Her father hated that. _She _hated that. To keep herself calm, she thought of Naruto, vaguely remembering the conversation they had had when she went to visit him that evening.

"I wanted to talk to you and Neji," he started, watching as his child nodded in understanding. "It has come to me that in my old age, I should start working on my will."

Hinata's eyes widened only slightly. Her father's will had never occurred to her. Knowing that he had yet to draft one was somewhat comforting, that meant that he didn't necessarily plan to leave Neji the company. Not yet, anyway.

"I plan on leaving this house to you; you are my eldest and thus I am entrusting you to keep our home within our family when you marry," he told her simply. "As for your sister, I'll be giving her the house on the river side."

That was fine, Hinata supposed. She knew Hanabi liked that home best. It didn't matter to her really but she supposed she was grateful, this house had meant a lot to her mother. Unlike Hanabi, Hinata would never sell it, even if she didn't live in it.

"I plan to have my wealth distributed between yourself, your sister and your cousin – I think of Neji as if he were my son, you know this, and so it is only right in my mind that I assure that he be taken care of in the event of my death," Hiashi said to her.

Hinata nodded her head once more. She could understand that. After her uncle died Neji had become apart of her immediate family. He lived here his entire life after his father's death and only recently moved out. Neji was more like her brother in some ways as well. It didn't seem farfetched that he be included in her father's will.

"Now for the part that I struggle with. As you know, you are the heiress to my company since the timing of your birth, that has not changed. However, it troubles me that you may not be ready to take on such a task as running Hyuuga Enterprises and so I have begun to consider your cousin for the position," he said, his voice lowering as the conversation became more serious.

He watched as his daughter's hands balled themselves into fists in her lap. Her jaw squared too but she didn't look away from him as he would have expected her too. Instead she met him straight on, her expression never changing. Had it not been for the way her hands clenched her trousers, Hiashi would have believed she was unaffected by his words.

"Nothing is final yet of course," he continued. "You are still very much my heir as I have faith in you. Consider this to be a probational period while I make my decision. If I do not find you up to my standards then I will appoint Neji as my heir."

"Yes, Father," Hinata said, proud of herself for not letting her voice crack.

Hiashi was silent for a while, impressed by his child. Though he knew she struggled inwardly, it gave him comfort that she did not break down right there as she might have years ago. This was good. Hinata had grown since then and for that he was proud of her, however, she had a long way to go before he felt she was ready to take over his company.

"I want you to start an internship with the company next week. You will work like any other intern and given no special treatments. Neji will watch over you. After you graduate in December, if I like the reports then I will hire you, ideally as a junior vice president that way you can get first hand experience in what our company does."

Hinata nodded her head once again, understanding her father. She wasn't surprised that he would assign Neji to watch over her training and progress. While most would be worried about Neji's bias, Hiashi knew he could trust his nephew to be honest and never give an opinion unless that's what was asked of him. Neji never lied. "I understand, Father."

"Good," he said, watching her. He was silent for a moment before he spoke again. "I have great trust in you, Hinata. I know that you will not disappoint me. I do not wish to hand my company over to anyone other than you, but I will if it is better off in someone else's hands so do not misunderstand me."

"I understand you, Father," Hinata spoke. "Thank you for allowing me this opportunity. I will do my best and not let you nor Neji down."

"Good. You may retire to your room," he told her.

The heiress bowed her head politely then excused herself from her father's office.

* * *

Naruto nodded his head a bit, listening as Hinata emptied her worries onto him. It had been three days since they last spoke to one another and honestly he had been a bit antsy about it. He had tried calling her the next morning after that night but she hadn't answered, nor returned any of his calls or text messages that followed in the days after. It wasn't like her to blow him off and so he went to investigate this matter.

He caught up with her that afternoon when he went down to her school. Part of him wondered if she would avoid him when they met but he was glad to see that she didn't. In fact, she looked rather surprised to see him even. She had been leaving her last class of the day, Senior Seminar, when he caught her. From the looks of it, her mind had been elsewhere because she walked right past him without noticing him. He had to call her name twice before she snapped out of it and recognized him. From there, he brought her down to her favorite Cafe on Main Street to find out just why she had been dodging him.

"So basically this is like a trial run for you?" Naruto asked, watching as she sipped at her coffee.

"Yeah," she answered. "Father thinks that I don't have the kind of coldness that's needed for running a company."

"Of course not!" Naruto exclaimed.

She looked up at him, her eyes widened with shock. "N-Naruto-_kun... _You too? I thought you would at least.. be on my side."

"No, of course I am," he assured her, reaching over the table to grab her hands. "All I meant was that you're way too kind and nice to be 'cold' or anything like it."

She pouted her lip at him, her brows crumpling up. "That's not very helpful, Naruto-_kun_."

He laughed at her expression, noticing that she hadn't blushed when he touched her hands. She was obviously upset then. "Don't worry too much about it, I believe in you," Naruto told her. "And your father believes in you, isn't that what he said?"

"Yes but still, if he believes so much in me then why put me through this? Why make me paranoid? I already had the feeling that he wanted to give my spot to Neji... He always liked him best," Hinata complained, looking down at their hands, her index finger rubbing against his thumb.

"Hinata-_chan, _don't think that your father loves anyone more than he loves you," Naruto assured her. "You are his first born, his first real love, your mother excluded. Your father simply trusts Neji."

Hinata nodded her head slowly. The logical part of her knew that was true, but it was still hard to swallow. Ever since Neji had entered their family, her father had always made sure Neji was comfortable. She remembered all the times Neji had been called back to his office after dinner and she had not. She remembered all the business trips Neji had taken with her father and she had not. As a child, it's hard not to feel a certain way about these things. Hinata was always in the care of the nanny while Neji got to tag along with her father everywhere. As she got older, she understood that this was because her father did not know how to treat a little girl, how to care for one, Neji was a boy and easier to understand. However, that didn't make the pain any less hurtful.

She still felt her heart pang whenever Neji was near. Part of her was sorry for the way she treated Neji too. He had been mean when they first moved in together but that was only because he was hurting. However, Neji had never really ever did anything bad to her. He had been good to her and her sister, taking care of them when Hiashi was gone on business and scaring away the boys that tried anything with them. However, after a while, she had distanced herself from him. She was sure he noticed too because nothing got past Neji. Hanabi was still just as close to him as she had always been. Her sister informed her of the many lunch dates she had with their older cousin. Apparently it wasn't uncommon for Neji to stop by her high school and fetch her from class a few minutes before lunch and then return her an hour later. At least her sister had nothing to worry about in regards to Neji –he wasn't getting in the way of what was rightfully hers as the first born.

"I know," she said to Naruto, coming back from her thoughts when his thumb brushed against her fingers. "I just... I don't want to blow this."

"And you won't," he assured her. "You'll do just fine, better than fine even! The only person standing in your way is _you_, not Neji."

Hinata looked to Naruto and smiled a small, sweet smile. Having him physically there was far better than the letters he sent her. She was so glad to have them there, be able to hold his hand when she was sad and cry to him when she needed to. "I'm really glad you're home," she told him, a light blushing staining her cheeks.

Naruto smiled at her. "Hn."

He looked like he had more to say, but the buzzing of his phone interrupted him. "Just a second," he told her, pulling the device out from his pocket and putting it to his ear.

"Oy! Sasuke!"

Hinata sat back in her chair, letting go of his hand but he didn't seem to notice. "Yeah. I'm on Main Street. Cafe London."

She arched her brow at him and smiled guiltily. "Hn. Just Hinata-_chan. _Come anyway! She won't bite cha or anything like that. Yeah yeah, just come down here."

With that, the blonde hung up, not allowing Sasuke on the other end a chance to protest. "I hope you don't mind if Sasuke eats with us," Naruto said, looking guilty.

Hinata shook her head and smiled. "No, of course not." She was used to Sasuke. She hadn't seen him in the past few days but that was only because she had had been caught up in her own problems and hadn't bothered to go with Sakura to the airport the day before. The pinkette had assured her that it was fine and that Sasuke was with her so Hinata needn't worry. Normally, she saw the Uchiha one or two times a week. The heiress supposed this technically wasn't a date, even though she would have preferred to be alone with Naruto, so it wouldn't be a big deal if Sasuke came or not.

It wasn't long before the man in question joined them at the table. He looked rather tired, Hinata noted the bags beneath his eyes as he took up the seat beside Naruto.

"Afternoon, Sasuke-_san,_" Hinata said politely.

"Ah," he responded, giving her the 'sup' nod. Very 'Sasuke'.

"Boy, _teme_, you look like shit," Naruto observed, looking him up and down.

"Thanks, jerk," Sasuke commented.

It was true though. His green button down was rumbled with his tie loosened. From the looks of it, he could use a shave too. Hinata figured he had been up all night, or at least, that how he looked to her. Vaguely she wondered what was bothering him.

"Perhaps, Sasuke-_san _would like some coffee..." Hinata observed, speaking to Naruto.

"Y-Yeah...I'll order you some," Naruto said, nodding his head. Soon, he was getting up and making his way to the counter and leaving the two of them alone.

Hinata sat up straighter and chewed her bottom lip. What was she supposed to say to him now? It was always awkward whenever the two of them were put together and she couldn't really pinpoint why that was. Sasuke wasn't as horrible as some people said he was, she figured that out on her own, but she still had no clue on how to deal with him –she never had. He always looked so unhappy, even when they were kids which was why she stayed out of his way.

The heiress remembered their first play date when her mom was still alive. Sasuke had pushed her too hard on the swings and she ended up flying out of her seat and scraping her knee real bad –she still had the scar too. From that day she had always made her best effort to stay out of his way; she knew he did it on purpose. Not even Neji had been that mean to her and yet this stranger had purposely hurt her than called her 'weak' when she began to cry. She hated him as a child and even a little bit in high school but now she had gotten over that. They were just kids and that was the kind of things children did. She wouldn't mind being on friendlier terms with Sasuke, however, she just didn't know how to go about it. He was always so upset, like now.

"Must you do that?" Sasuke said, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Eh? D-do what, Sasuke-_san_?" She asked, confused.

"Stare at me," he answered. "Plus you're chewing the skin off your lips."

Hinata blushed. He was right – she _had _been staring and she _was _chewing on her lip. It was a terrible habit of hers. "Oh! S-sorry."

Sasuke grunted. This girl was so weird. Why was he always being forced to hang around her? The two constant people in his life were all but obsessed with her. It was rather annoying – Sasuke did not like to share, even as a child. Couldn't she find her own friends? He'd admit that Sakura was hers first but at least Naruto was his, why did she have to weasel up to him too?

"What's with you and Naruto anyway?" he asked, posing the question that had been on his mind for years.

"Eh?"

She seemed confused but Sasuke wasn't the type to repeat himself and so he simply waited for her to understand his question. He watched as her cheeks darkened and she bit her lip once again. She must have caught herself because she quickly let it go. "_A-ano..._" she started to say, but Naruto was there in a flash, saving her the embarrassing conversation.

"There you go, straight black coffee," he said, placing the yellow mug down in front of Sasuke.

The Uchiha made a face at the mug. "You couldn't get anything better than this?"

Naruto smiled. "It was the only one they had available."

Sasuke snorted and took a sip of his coffee.

"Hinata-_chan_? Why's your face like that?" Naruto asked, looking at her. "Oy! Sasuke! What did you do to Hinata-_chan_?!" he then demanded, snatching the mug out of his hands before he could take a second sip.

"Oy! What kind of idiot are you? Why would you assume I did something? Her face always looks like that," Sasuke argued, reaching for his mug once again.

"No it doesn't! Whatever you did to her you better apologize!" Naruto demanded, keeping the mug away from his best friend.

"Tch! Apologize for what? I said I didn't do anything to her now stop playing and give me the coffee!"

"You don't deserve it!"

"N-Naruto-_kun... _I... It's got nothing to do with Sasuke-_san," _Hinata said to him, trying to calm him down after noticing the stares their table was getting from others.

"You sure Hinata-_chan_? I could beat this jerk up for you if you want," Naruto told her.

"You wish!"

"I-it really is alright, give Sasuke-_san _back his coffee," Hinata assured him.

Naruto looked from her to Sasuke with narrowed eyes. "I know you did something to her, jerk. You're just lucky my Hinata-_chan _is nice or else you'd be done for."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Sasuke said, snatching the mug back at last.

Hinata smiled at the two of them, glad to see that they were settling down at last.

"Say, _teme_, what's with you anyway?" Naruto asked, obviously over their little fight.

Sasuke took a few more sips from his coffee before setting it back down. "I was up all night," he started, resting his elbow on the table as well. "I've got this project I'm working on. It's gotta be good too or I might lose my funding."

"Ah, Ah," Naruto said in understanding. "What's it for?"

"The new atrium in the Hot Springs Country," Sasuke told them.

Hinata arched her brow. "The one for Hyuuga Enterprises?"

"The very one," Sasuke answered with as much snark as possible. "If all goes well I might be able to sign another contract with H.E. as well for another project they want put up in Sky Country."

Hinata and Naruto both nodded their heads. "That's impressive," Naruto commented.

Sasuke didn't anything however. Nothing was guaranteed however. They would still have to approve his design. Sasuke didn't own a huge firm, as of now there were only two people working for him –they were a small team – and it was hard enough for him to pay them as it was. He was using his own money lately, dipping into his trust fund on some occasions. If things didn't go well he was going to have to get rid of one of them and he didn't want that.

"I didn't know Sasuke-_san _was in architecture," Hinata commented, looking at him.

"What did you think I did all these years?" Sasuke asked pointedly, half way glaring at her.

"I... never thought of it," she said honestly, blushing a bit.

Sasuke arched his brow at that. Either Sakura had never mentioned it to her, which he doubted, or she never cared enough to remember. That bugged him. Was he really that small on her radar that it never even occurred to him what he might do for a living? What was worse, did she think he just lived off the money his family made? Did she think he was one of those guys? Sasuke didn't know why but the thought made him more than mad. He found himself pissed off.

"Sasuke..." Naruto said warningly. "Don't make Hinata-_chan _uncomfortable with your bad attitude."

He quickly downed the rest of his coffee. "Yeah, well, I only came for the coffee. I got to get back to work. Good looking out," He said to Naruto, patting him on his back and standing up. "I'll catch you later."

Naruto watched as his friend left, sinking his hands into his pockets as he exited the cafe. "That Sasuke...I'm gonna kill him one day."

Hinata only smiled at him as she took a sip from her own coffee.

Sasuke on the other hand was making his way to his car, a black Infiniti QX56, huffing as he opened the car door and sat behind the steering wheel. The thoughts and feelings of Hyuuga Hinata were not important to him. Who was she why he should care if she didn't know what he did? She was no one to him. He kept telling himself this as he pulled out of the parking garage, making his way back to his office.

* * *

_Thank you for reading. As always reviews are heavenly and I much appreciate them!_

_As a side note, I also have a fictionpress account. I don't know if you guys visit that site, but if you do, it would mean the world to me if you checked out my work!_

_ / (squiggle line) rampantt_

_Much love,_

_- Rampantt _


	4. Opportunity

_**I know everyone must hate me or be plain sick of me. I know, I know, I'm awful. I really have no excuse for not uploading anything in so long. Well, the semester is over and I'm back from vacation so I'm hoping to have more time to work on my fanfictions and complete all my outstanding ones as well as post new ones. Anyway, the way I've planned it, this fic should have no more than 18 chapters. Sounds like a lot, I know, but there's just so much I want to say. **_

_**To everyone who's stuck by this story since it's first draft, thank you so much. I got a lot of angry messages last time I updated from people who are upset with me for changing everything around. I'm sorry to you all. I hope that this version isn't too shitty. **_

_**Thank you for reading**_

_**- Rampantt.**_

* * *

**Cover My Eyes**

by, _Rampantt_

Chapter Four: _**Opportunity**_

* * *

Sasuke rolled his shoulders back, studying himself in the restroom mirror of Hyuuga Enterprises. Today was his interview with the corporation for the project in the Hot Springs Country. He had been running around for weeks trying to prepare himself and his team for the possible job. This needed to be perfect; the future of his firm depended on this.

"Ready?" a voice asked by his ear.

His onyx hues shifted to peer at his employee, Suigetsu Hozuki. He was standing there with an expression that matched his own; hardened eyes and tensed lips with creased brows that only barely concealed how nervous he felt on the inside. Silently, Sasuke took a deep breath and nodded his head.

"Ah."

Suigetsu nodded in return and existed the restroom first. Sasuke hung back a while longer and studied himself one last time. He donned a pair of pressed black slacks and a white button down with a black sweater and thin black tie tucked beneath it. After a week of going without, the youngest Uchiha shaved at last, his cheeks smooth and clean –he even spoiled his raven locks that morning by running a comb through it to settle the otherwise dark disaster. Sasuke, glancing at the gold Rolex snapped around his wrist, took another deep breath and excused himself from the restroom –he could only stall for so long.

He let himself out into the foyer where he met with his team, Suigetsu and Karin.

"Are we good?" Sasuke asked, eying the scale model of the atrium Karin wheeled in.

She nodded her head, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Yeah."

A nervous tick started in his jaw as he looked down at his watch once again –they were scheduled to make their presentation in six minutes. Sasuke found himself taking another deep breath as they waited to be called. It was 11:54am and two groups had gone before them. Sasuke had checked out their projects and he had to admit, he was impressed; the competition was stiff it seemed.

"Uchiha & Company?" a voice sounded.

The three of them turned to find the door to the conference room slightly ajar with a brown haired woman smiling them politely. "The board will see you now."

Sasuke bobbed his head and then signaled for his group to follow behind him.

The room was bright with nine men and women dressed in plain black suits seated around a mahogany desk. They all varied in age, some with greying hair at their temples and others with full heads of white silk, one however was different from them all, Sasuke noticed. A dark haired male with familiar white eyes sat at what he assumed to be the head of the table, an even expression masking his face.

"Welcome," the apparent head spoke.

"Thank you for having us," Sasuke spoke for his team, bowing his head a bit followed by Karin and Suigetsu.

After a few minutes of setting up, the lights were cut and the gang was ready to begin.

"For the past four decades, Hyuuga Enterprises had been ahead of its competitors on every level –including entertainment and luxury," Sasuke started out as the power point behind him started up, featuring clips of Hyuuga Enterprises' past endeavors.

"But as time goes on, its hard to stay relevant without branching out into new territory," he continued, watching as the power point moved on. "And I've got to be honest, my associates and I are were glad to hear that your company was ready to branch out into the hotel industry because we were ready to give the world a brand new kind of vacationing experience."

The boardmembers bobbed their heads, few making audible sounds as the power point moved on and an image of a 17 story, sleek building with white stained windows appeared on the screen. Sasuke was proud of himself at their visible interest but he knew the one he really needed to impress was the younger man at the end of the table. He was watching them with an expression that was hard to read; in fact, Sasuke wasn't even sure if the man was paying him any attention at all. He could feel his nerves worrying him but he suppressed those feelings and continued on with the presentation.

"We at Uchiha & Company, are glad to bring you, the newest trend in the hotel industry," he continued on as Karin wheeled in the model.

A few of them leaned closer, observing with various shades of eyes the scale model of what he hoped to be the Hyuuga's new hotel.

"This hotel not only has the advantage of being in the Hot Springs country, but it offers a multitude in advantages for families," Sasuke offered. "Each suite is outfitted to accommodate a family of four with enough space it'll seem as though they're all on their own private vacations."

The slide switched to show what inside one of the many suites would look like. Karin followed up by pulling from the bottom of the cart, a scale model of a suite and passed it to one of the board members. The group of nine all studied the model with more than mild interest, a few of them stared with raised eyebrows – Sasuke took that as a good sign.

"Then again, if the family should wish to have some quality time together, each suite is equipped with a spacious living area," he continued to speak as the slides changed. "Now I know I said each suite was family orientated, but that was a lie; each wing of each floor is designated for either family or personal suites with combos such as 'singles', 'doubles' and 'triples', all of which with a-joining doors."

The board members seemed impressed, Sasuke noted, as the scale models of each room type were passed around. His focus, however, was still on the man who sat at the head of the table. He studied each prototype with less than mild interest, which was giving Sasuke a sinking feeling in his gut. He knew they would have an equal vote, but Sasuke was sure this man's vote was the most important; he was clearly the more influential board member.

The conference continued on with Sasuke and his team showcasing the many different levels there was to the hotel experience they offered Hyuuga Enterprises; the three ballrooms, the beach, the restaurant port, the cruise dock, the seven different gyms, the two auditoriums, the four pools and finally, the main attraction, the casino.

Sasuke was honestly proud of himself and of his team. Whether they got it or not, Sasuke made a mental note to tell them both that. They had worked hard for countless hours and many sleepless nights. He remembered how difficult it was at first and how they couldn't seem to agree on anything. He remembered the first draft, the second draft, the eight draft and the twelfth draft. It had been a long journey for them. He took pleasure in the fact that it was over now, however. Finally, tonight he could sleep for the first time in weeks. If he weren't so tired he'd take his team out for drinks.

When it was over, the board members clapped politely and Sasuke offered the most friendly smile he could muster up –advice from Sakura he didn't think he would take. He only hoped he didn't look like he was forcing it or some kind of creep. The board didn't seem to notice. Quietly, he thanked them for expressing their interest, himself and his team bowing respectfully –truly it was just an honor that they even considered his small team. There was no doubt in his mind that they only got this interview because of his last name. While he was grateful, he couldn't help but resent it slightly.

"Thank you for your time today," the head of the table spoke at last. He hadn't asked any questions when the time came for that, Sasuke had noticed. The head of the table merely listened to the answers they gave the other board members as they berated them with question after question. Sasuke wondered what the man was thinking the entire time. He had been so silent that Sasuke was surprised he said anything at all now. "We'll be in contact with you."

Sasuke bobbed his head in a slight bow before quietly excusing himself and his team, leaving behind them the scale models at the request of one of the board members. As they emptied out into the hall way, Sasuke felt a weight he hadn't noticed melt away from his shoulders.

"Thank _God _that's over with," Karin exclaimed, rubbing her hands together nervously.

"Ah," Sasuke agreed.

A sudden wave of nerves rumbled about his stomach. It was going to eat him up until he found out whether they liked his designs or not. Maybe he wouldn't be having such a good night's rest after all.

* * *

Hinata chewed at her bottom lip, essentially eating the lip balm she had smeared there earlier in the afternoon. It was Monday, her first day as an intern at Hyuuga Enterprises. It seemed a little funny that she would be an intern at a company her father owned – a company she would own one day too if all went well with this internship. She was seated in a chair against a wall among seven other individuals equally as nervous as she was. Hinata felt a little guilty to be amongst them; they had all probably worked really hard to get where they were, it wasn't easy to get an internship here and she knew it. Hinata wondered vaguely how they would feel if they knew she had been handed a spot they killed for simply because her dad was the CEO. She doubted they'd like it, Hinata barely liked it. She supposed it would be in her best interest not to let anyone who didn't already know, know her connection to the company.

The door at the end of the carpeted hall opened and they all turned their heads to peer in the direction of the noise. There stood a tall, tanned woman with thick, dark hair and black eyes. She smiled pleasantly at them. "Good afternoon to you all," the woman said. "My name is Anko Mitarashi; I work for Human Resources and as such you should consider me your boss."

The eight of them stood immediately, earning themselves a slight smile from the older woman. "Today should be simple enough," she told the group. "You'll be divided up into groups of two, making four teams, and will work closely in various departments within our company based on your skills as displayed in your applications and resumes."

Hinata already knew which department she would be in, she even knew who her immediate boss would be. The heiress swallowed past the growing lump that had lodged itself in her throat at the very thought of working closely with her cousin for the next eight weeks.

"Team A, Logistics and Planning – "

Hinata listened vaguely for her name, breathing out a soft breath when she heard it. "Team C, Franchise Development, Choji Akimichi and Hinata Hyuuga."

Hinata noticed the stares as she stood to her feet. She supposed it was impossible after all to keep her identity secret from her peers. She told herself to remain calm and that it wasn't like high school or anything – it's not like she had to worry about being bullied; right?

The heiress stood beside her teammate, offering him a kind smile to which he did not return. Hinata decided not to take it personally and stood quietly beside him, awaiting further information. When the teams were all split up they were seated once again and told to wait for their mentors to arrive then Anko disappeared. That's when the murmuring began. Hinata decided it was in her best interest to ignore the petty gossip happening around her. She had been subject to gossip before and it wasn't really as big of a deal as it once was to her. She learned that for as long as she was alive, and even in death, people would talk about her whether it be good or bad. The heiress had gotten used to early.

Ever punctual, Neji arrived right on time, with the other mentors behind him by several seconds. That was Neji for you. Hinata was mentally rolling her eyes. This would be a long day and an even longer 8 weeks.

"Good afternoon, my name is Neji Hyuuga and I'll be your mentor during this eight week process, I look forward to working with each of you. Welcome to Hyuuga Enterprises."

There were several hisses behind them and Hinata figured it was at the introduction of Neji. She supposed by now they were slowly putting the pieces together –she had connections to the higher ups there; clearly her last name had helped her get to where she was. Hinata tried not to let her thoughts get the best of her. Sure, she had an advantage over many others when it came to her position but that didn't mean she was any less deserving. She worked hard just like the rest of them; she wasn't given anything really.

"Before we get started do any of you have any questions for me?" Neji asked both her and her teammate.

She remained silent but her partner expressed far more interest than she did. "What exactly is expected of us?" Choji asked.

"Hm. Not much really, not yet anyway. The first week will be spent mostly observing so expect you to be taking notes, literally or figuratively, which ever you prefer," he explained. "Today is all introduction and what have you. At most you'll be doing some filing and maybe even a few spread sheets by the end of the day."

That didn't really seem like franchising to Hinata but she didn't complain; anyone could do filing and spread sheets. She was glad there wasn't any sort of orientation; she supposed that was because they were a small group.

"Shall we then?" Neji suggested politely as he began leading them to a row of elevators.

Already there were the other interns and their mentors, waiting by the many elevators to go to various floors. Hinata could hear the whispering but kept her head held high. So what if her mentor was her cousin? Had they known anything they were whispering about, they'd know that Neji didn't play favoritism. He was the most professional person there was, only second to her father. Her cousin would have zero problems firing her ass if she did anything to screw up. If anything, things were harder for her _because _her cousin was her mentor. Neji was not easily impressed. Hinata was envious of her peers that they didn't have to be paired up with him. What was her father thinking anyway?

When the doors slid open, the three of them stepped inside and Neji pushed the button for the 18th floor. The ride was slow and the room quiet as both Hyuugas stood beside Shino. Their matching clear eyes stared blandly at their reflection in the stainless steel doors before them. Hinata could practically feel the tension. Being Hyuugas, the both of them ignored it. The doors slid open once again and Neji lead the way, steering them around the corner to his office.

The walls were white and clean, his desk neat with a stack of papers on one side and a Mac desktop on the other. On one side of the room were two smaller desks, each with a white Mac laptop and few pens and pencils as well; didn't take a genius to guess where they would be sitting. At his instruction, the two took their seats at the desks, Hinata opting for the one closest to the door and furthest away from her cousin.

"Here are a few documents I want you all to sort out," Neji said, separating a stack of folders in half and handing them each their own stacks. "Start by typing up the spread sheets, when you're done, print them out, stable them to their documents and file them away in the cabinets over there," he continued, pointing to the filing cabinets on the other side of the room. "In your desks you'll find flash drives, please save everything to those as well. When you're done you can get started on your next task."

Hinata and Choji both nodded their heads and quietly began their work. The heiress stared at her reflection in the black screen as she booted up the computer before her. It was hard just being in the same room as her cousin, Hinata realized. She was far too aware of him sitting behind his desk and honestly she felt like she were suffocating. The nerves in the pit of her belly began rising up her throat, forming a large rock there. Hinata swallowed past the lump and tried to focus on her task. With a resolved sigh she set to work. She separated the folders by alphabetical order first then began to work through them, cranking out spreadsheet after spreadsheet; it wasn't long before the quiet calm of the office was disrupted by the sound of her finger nails clacking against the keyboard, followed by the printer every few minutes or so.

The heiress worked quietly as she could for about an hour or so before she came across a document that greatly interested her. _The Lily Hotel_ in Hot Springs Country. She opened the folder, her clear eyes scanning over the documents inside. There were various reports from several contractors and architect agencies with proposals for the future hotel. Hinata read over each of them carefully before she came across one that stood out amongst them all. She read the report, impressed with the detail and thought that was put into the proposal. The heiress turned the pages, silently reading over the rest of the document before her opal gaze slid over images of what the hotel would look like and was even more impressed. She studied the sleek exterior design before moving onto the interior; she was impressed by the high ceilings each suite had as well as the massive skylight in the lobby, already she could envision the hotel in real life. The others had been good, but if she had a say she would definitely be pushing for their money to go towards this design. She flipped to the last page and her eyes widened at the name printed there: _Uchiha & Company. _Hinata blinked a few times as her mind brought her back to a conversation she had with a certain Uchiha a while ago; he _did _mention designing for Hyuuga Enterprises, the heiress had been under the assumption it was just an atrium.

Her teeth caught her bottom lip as she flipped back to the front page, rereading the proposal again. She had recently learned that her acquaintance was an architect but she hadn't imagined he'd be this good. He _had _finished school much earlier than she did; she remembered Sakura going on and on about how proud she was of her boyfriend. Hinata supposed she should have known he was good at whatever it was he did for a living but she still hadn't imagined this. She was honestly impressed; if she got the chance, she told herself, she would definitely commend him for his work. She knew she had zero pull in the decision making process but she wished for his project to be chosen. Compared to his, the others were mediocre and forced; Sasuke's design was innovative. There weren't any hotels that looked like this one.

Hinata had been rereading the proposal for the third time when she felt someone staring at the side of her face. Discretely, she looked from the corner of her white eyes to find her colleague studying her with a slight frown. Heat bubbled beneath the skin of her cheeks and she quickly looked away, concentrating on her work once again, she didn't want anyone to think she was a slacker, especially on her first day. Quickly and with determination, she typed up the spreadsheets for the hotel projects and printed them all out, stabling them together. It wasn't long before she worked through the two remaining folders and set to work on filing them neatly into the cabinets behind her, finishing well ahead of her colleague. The heiress smiled a little to herself, proud of this small victory.

Her smile faded quickly however as she took her seat at her desk. It would take more than small victories to win her father's favor. She was frustrated by his lack of faith in her, how was she supposed to prove her worth in eight weeks when she had been trying for the past twenty-one years? Hinata didn't let it show however, she couldn't afford to let her emotions get the best of her, especially not in front of Neji. She tossed a quick glance his way, noting how his opal eyes that matched her own squinted behind a pair of glasses as he stared at his computer screen, seemingly unaware of her gaze. Her heart clenched. She knew it wasn't necessarily his fault and he wasn't trying to steal from her, but she couldn't help but feel resentment towards him. He had always been her father's favorite. No matter how she tried to gloss it over for others when she talked about their relationship she didn't believe any of it. Yes, her father didn't know how to raise a girl, but that didn't matter – he didn't _try_.

Years ago she might have cried but now she felt almost nothing. The heiress had done as best as she could to harden her heart in matters where her father and Neji were involved. Instead of pity and self loathing, all she felt was anger and determination. She was _determined _to prove the both of them wrong if it killed her.

"Hyuuga-_san_," she said suddenly, breaking the silence in the room.

Neji looked up from the screen, surprised to hear his cousin's voice. He hadn't expected her to refer to him so formally but he supposed it was more appropriate than "nii_san_" given their current company.

"Yes?" he answered her, sitting up a little straighter.

"Are there anymore files that need sorting?" she asked.

"Hm, just a second," he said to her, pulling open one of his desk drawers and pulling out another stack of folders. "You can work on these until lunch."

Hinata stood and took the folders from where they were on his desk. Neji watched as she sat down with them, alphabetizing them into need piles. He sighed. She might have appeared fine but Neji knew that his cousin was suffering and he hated to be the cause of such turmoil. Growing up, it hadn't taken him long to figure out how she felt towards him from her small crush to her resentment. Honestly, Neji had no clue what he needed to do to fix things between them. She had to know none of this was his fault, right?

He turned his gaze away from her, redirecting his attention to the reports glaring at him from behind his computer's screen. Honestly, he'd do anything to help his cousin but her pride rivaled her father's; he knew perfectly well she would not accept any assistance he might offer. Neji wondered continuously why Hiashi had assigned her to work beneath him. The man was not an idiot, he knew how his daughter felt about him and the company as a whole, so why then would he push her into being around him? After a while he figured he was testing his eldest child. Neji looked to his cousin again. She was flipping through the documents, sorting them out and retyping reports. She could pretend to be fine, but Neji would always see through his cousin's facade. He turned his focus to his work again, the situation between his cousin, his uncle and himself picking at the back of his mind.

* * *

Sasuke had been a wreck in the days since his proposition to Hyuuga Enterprises. He thought he'd be able to finally rest but he was terribly mistaken – he might have slept worse since the interview than any time before. His nerves were so bad that he had nearly chewed his nails down to their beds. Just when he was ready to announce himself a failure, he received a phone call from Neji Hyuuga's assistant inquiring about a meeting.

He had been seated in his office, sketching idly in a notebook when the call came in. When they had finished setting up the meeting time he sat back in his chair and stared up at his ceiling fan. Sasuke felt a breath he didn't know he was holding escape from him. Finally, he felt that everything was working out for him, things were finally looking up. All the hard work he and his team had put in was finally paying off. He could relax now, he could afford to pay his team properly now. He could look his family in the face now without feeling like he was a failure, he had proved himself when none of them believed in him. The feeling in his chest was incredible and he was certain he would never feel like this again. He closed his eyes and let it sink in. After a few moments of silent meditation, he called his team in a broke the news to them, their excitement was nearly tangible. He smiled. That night they celebrated over drinks, getting themselves drunk to the point where they each had to leave their cars at the bar and take cabs home.

Now today was the day and the three of them walked through the doors of Hyuuga Enterprises, feeling more confident than when they first walked in days before. Of course they were, this time there were no uncertainties.

The team traveled to the fourth floor as instructed by the front desk and made their way down the long expanse of the hallway until they came across the conference room. Sasuke pushed opened the door, his onyx orbs scanning the room briefly before allowing his team inside with him. They sat around the table beside each other, waiting for the second party to arrive.

"This is so exciting," Karin exclaimed, drumming her fingers against the mahogany surface of the table.

Suigetsu grinned wildly, nodding his head in agreement. "I can't believe we're here..."

"Me either," Karin continued, her tapping growing faster.

Sasuke remained silent, he could hardly believe it himself. He knew he and his team were good, hell, he knew they were the best, but there was still that little bit of doubt at the back of his head, nagging him until he could no longer stand it. It was such a relief to have his faith in his team confirmed. They were really here and they were really in the midst of an opportunity of a life time. Sasuke could only imagine what this would mean for him and his team.

The door on the other end of the room opened slowly and a figure appeared. Sasuke recognized him instantly. His long black hair hung down his back between his shoulder blades and his clear eyes seemed void of pupils – Neji Hyuuga. At their first meeting the man seemed stoic and calm, much like how he appeared now, making it damn near impossible to figure what he was thinking. Given his place at the table now, Sasuke assumed the man had been impressed with his work. The young Uchiha felt pride swelling in his chest.

"Good morning," Neji spoke to them, forcing them all to their feet. "Did you wait long?"

Their meeting had been scheduled for 10:35am but Sasuke and his team had been so excited that they didn't dare chance being late and had arrived twenty minutes early instead. "Not at all, we just got here ourselves," Karin spoke for the team.

Neji nodded his head. "Please, take your seats," he said to them, extending his arm in welcome before taking his own seat at the head of the desk.

Uchiha & Company seated themselves once again, the nerves they assumed to have disappeared resurfacing in the pits of their bellies.

"My team and I were thoroughly impressed with your presentation last week," Neji said, starting them off. "It wasn't a hard choice in all honesty."

Karin and Suigetsu both smiled proudly, their egos swelling no doubt, Sasuke imagined. However, he himself remained stoic, mirroring the man across from them. "We're glad you decided to go in our direction."

Neji nodded his head, opening his mouth to speak but was cut off by the sound of the door behind him opening. A brow arched, he turned to find his cousin there, white paged, black rimmed spiral notebook in hand.

She bowed her head politely, her curtain of black hair falling over her shoulder slightly. "Excuse me for interrupting," she said softly, stepping inside, followed by Choji who closed the door behind them.

Neji left a message for them with his assistant that morning, informing them to come to this room when they finished their assignment but he never imagined they'd be done so quickly. In the past week his cousin had worked hard, he had noticed it and reported as much in a small log he kept to record hers and her colleague's progress. The boy hadn't been bad, but slightly mediocre when compared to Neji's cousin. It might have been unfair to compare him to Hinata, Neji figured. However, the two were paired to work beneath him based on their skills and resumes. Neji supposed their quiet, serious nature made them more suitable for this line of work but when compared side-by-side, Hinata outshone him by far. There was no doubt in his mind that Hinata had finished most of the work herself, leaving two or three files for her peer to do on his own.

Hinata and Shino seated themselves beside Neji, with Choji on his left and Hinata to Choji's.

"We were just beginning our discussion," Neji told the interns who both nodded their heads before turning their attention to their guests.

Hinata's eyes widened only slightly when she noticed Sasuke there. He wore a similar expression; one brow cocked slightly but his face otherwise void of emotion. Hinata supposed she shouldn't have been surprised to see him there, she said herself that his designs had been the best of the bunch – it didn't take a genius to see that he and his team were the obvious candidates.

"We'd like to begin production in the Hot Springs Country as soon as possible," Neji informed the group, pulling from the folder he had with him a calendar with notes scribbled all over it. He flipped through a few pages before settling on December. "We'd like to begin the first week of December, somewhere around the 3rd and the 5th," Neji told the team of three.

Karin nodded her head, taking notes on her iPhone.

"Of course we'd have to do a few more examinations of the site and make corrections or additions to the designs before anything is cemented," Neji continued, flipping back a few pages. "Next week, October 16th, we'd like to schedule a meeting at the site with the contractors and secure proper zoning."

Sasuke nodded his head. "Alright," he responded, making note of it in his own phone.

Hinata looked across the table to him, her clear orbs studying his expression. She was happy for him, honestly. They weren't very close but she knew it wasn't easy to get this kind of job; it took real talent. The young Hyuuga reminded herself to congratulate him at their next encounter.

Clearly noticing her, Sasuke looked up from his phone, his onyx gaze settling on her face. They both had taken turns staring at each other since she entered the room, Sasuke only assumed his gaze had gone unnoticed since she never looked up once. It surprised him a little to catch her gaze now. She looked away quickly, turning her attention to her relative on her side, her black hair obscuring his view of her face.

Vaguely he wondered why she was there. He didn't claim to know much about her but he didn't think she worked for this department of her father's company. Surely she would have mentioned it before when she learned of his interview? Not that it mattered anyway; she hadn't been in attendance at the board meeting last week so it was safe to assume that whatever position she held wasn't a very important one. By the looks of it, Sasuke could only assume she was an intern. It was a bit odd that she would intern at a company she would undoubtedly own in the future. Sasuke decided not to concern himself with it, he had more important things to set his mind to.

"Has the budget been set yet?" he inquired.

Neji looked up from his calender and spoke; "Not yet; we can probably discuss that next week in the Hot Springs country, or rather after the second or third drafts have been approved. As of now, the accountants and marketing teams have already approved the project for one hundred million, however, we're confident the budget will increase after everything is settled with the contractors."

Sasuke nodded his head at that. He didn't like the idea of such a low budget, especially for his first project. He wanted everything to go as he had planned for it; he had put a lot of thought into each an every tiny detail, to take away from his art, is masterpiece would be criminal. He didn't voice said opinion however. "I see, alright then, that's understandable."

Hinata listened carefully to the discussion that unfolded around her. At first she had her doubts about being assigned to the same department as Neji but on the other hand she was glad she was. Her father never did anything without a reason or purpose and now finally she could see what that was. Hiashi wanted to test her management skills. If she were to be the heir to his company then he would need to be confident in her ability to oversea future projects for the expansion and development of Hyuuga Enterprises. He already had confidence in his nephew which is why he had been assigned as head of Hot Springs project. Hinata supposed her father wanted her to see first hand what the job entailed.

Her opal hues glanced to her cousin. She felt it in her chest then, that determination to beat him. No matter what it took or how hard she had to push herself, she _would _show her father that she could do this. There was not a chance in hell she was going to let her cousin steal the one thing she had ever really wanted from her. Not a chance in hell.

"Alright Uchiha-_san_, that seems to be about it for today," Neji said to team of three. "Thank you for coming; I look forward to working with you all in the future."

The six of them stood to their feet, exchanging polite bows and handshakes. "We'll be in contact withing the next few days, I'll see you next week in the Hot Springs," Neji said to them, shaking hands with Sasuke.

The team bowed politely once again as Neji and his interns excused themselves. Karin could hardly contain herself, smiling wildly. Suigetsu wore a similar expression, the two of them giggling and chatting excitedly to one another.

Sasuke only smirked, proud of himself and his accomplishments. Things were definitely looking up.

* * *

_It is my honest opinion that this chapter was unnecessarily long and sort of boring, however, it's necessary in order to set up a few things for future chapters. I figured this chapter might help explaining both Neji and Hinata's views on what's happening to them. _

_There weren't many SasuHina moments if at all, but don't worry, the next three or four chapters will be more focused on their romance, I promise. _

_Reviews would be lovely._

- **Rampantt**


	5. House Sitting

_**Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter. I hope you all enjoy this one too. **_

* * *

**Cover My Eyes**

By, _Rampantt_

Chapter Five: **_House Sitting_**

* * *

Hinata laughed softly, her opal hues shinning with amusement. She was seated in a trendy boutique in uptown that bore an interesting name; "Oliver". It was one of her favorite places to shop and had recently introduced a men's line so when Naruto came to her seeking her opinion on what to wear for a job interview, she knew exactly where to take him.

The blonde stood before her now in the dressing room wearing an expression that looked less than pleased. Hinata had told him she didn't think his choice in attire was a good one but Naruto had to see it with his own eyes to believe it.

"I'm an absolute failure at this, Hinata," Naruto said, frowning at his reflection.

The Hyuuga heiress laughed again, hiding her smile behind her hand and shaking her head. "No, no, Naruto-_kun_, it's not that _bad_... it's just not _good._"

His five foot ten frame stood in a orange and black, slim fitted pair of slacks and matching blazer with copper buttons going down one side. The fit was good but the colors were an absolute mistake on the designer's part. Hinata had to wonder what kind of person would be seen in such a monstrosity. She was relieved to know that even Naruto knew it was off, however, at first he was confident that it was the one.

"Come on, _Hinata_," the blonde whined. "That's not funny. I didn't bring you here to laugh at me."

Hinata couldn't help but laugh again. His knotted brows, slightly wrinkled forehead and pouted lips were cute. He looked like an upset puppy, hardly intimidating.

"You're right, I'm sorry, Naruto-_kun_," Hinata said softly to him, finally relaxing from her laughter. "Why don't you go for something a little less formal?"

"You sure that will work?" he asked hesitantly, cocking a brow of suspicion at her.

She almost made the mistake of telling him that anything she picked would be better than the orange clown suit he wore then. Instead, she decided to be a bit more gentle on him, it wasn't his fault he was a bit inept in the world of clothes.

"Of course," she assured him, rising to her heeled feet.

She wore a black black cardigan over a white button down blouse with black slacks and designer black sling-backs with fancy red bottoms. Her long black hair hung down her back between her shoulders blades, the ends trimmed neatly and ending abruptly at her waist. Hinata had just ended her work day when she got a call from the blonde, requesting her assistance. The two had met for a late lunch before heading uptown to do some shopping.

Hinata was grateful for his call. She was feeling a bit stressed since her responsibilities had increased in past few weeks at Hyuuga Enterprises. No longer did she type up spreadsheets or run petting errands for her cousin and his colleagues, now she and her teammate were getting a taste of what their department was really like. She accompanied not only Neji but other junior vice presidents to meetings and business trips as well in the past three weeks or so. She hadn't gotten the opportunity to attend the meeting in the Hot Springs but Shino had; she was busy with another junior VP at a conference here at home. She was slightly disappointed but she understood that she couldn't very well pick and choose which assignments she was given. However, she _did _do her best at each and every one of them; making herself available and reliable in every instance she got. It was only a matter of time before she burned herself out. Honestly, she needed these few laughs with Naruto more than he knew.

She looked to him, studied the worried expression on his face as he looked himself over in the mirror again, shaking his head at his poor judgment. Hinata smiled. Naruto meant more to her than he probably realized. The heiress was so glad to have him back home; his letters had been special and meaningful but nothing was better than being with him in person.

"Wait right here, I'll bring some stuff back," she told him.

He turned his gaze to her and offered her a guilty smile. "Thanks so much, Hinata."

She blushed a little before walking away. He had begun using just her first name in the months he had been home. Hinata noticed it but pretended not to. Perhaps this meant that they were getting even closer and moving in the direction she wanted them to? She wondered if it were okay to tell people now that they were more than just friends. Hinata decided not to. Next to her position at Hyuuga Enterprises, her relationship with Naruto was the most important thing to her; she didn't want to risk anything with him and felt perfectly fine with their slow pace. Slow and steady, slowly but surely, she told herself.

The heiress found herself in the men's section, picking through racks of designer button downs and polo shirts before she heard the distinctive voice of her best friend.

"Hinata?"

The heiress looked up and into the shimmering emerald gaze of Sakura Haruno. The pinkette stood tall and lean, dressed in a pair of dark brown corduroy's that clung to her thin hips and athletic thighs, a beige sweater worn over a crisp white button down with the sleeves rolled around the sleeves of the sweater and dark chocolate ankle boots. Her long pink tresses were wand curled and left to coil around her pretty face.

"What are you doing here?!" she exclaimed excitedly, throwing her arms around the much shorter girl and hugging her to her.

Hinata was startled at first but soon relaxed, patting her best friend on the back and returning her smile once she pulled away. "Just doing some shopping, what about you? Thought you wouldn't be caught dead on this side of town?"

Sakura smiled her special way of smiling, the left corner of her lips turning up and a small, devilish smirk. "Well, I heard good reviews about this place so I decided to drop by; I was certain it would be some kind of thrift store but I'm glad I came. I found the cutest dress," she mentioned, holding up a green lace frock.

Hinata nodded her head in approval. "Gorgeous," she commented. "That would probably look good with a brown blazer..."

Sakura looked to the dress then to her best friend. "Look at you, so stylish I see," she joked.

Hinata blushed, looking down at the shirts she draped over her arm. She had a secret obsession with fashion but Sakura always seemed to shine a little bit more than she did.

"Who are those for?" Sakura inquired, pointing with her chin to the garments Hinata carried.

"Ah? Oh. Naruto-_kun_...," Hinata answered, feeling slightly shy about it.

"Ohhh? Shopping for your boyfriend already? How romantic," Sakura teased.

Hinata's face turned several shades of red at the idea of Naruto being her boyfriend. Obviously, she liked the idea very much, but no one, not even herself, had ever called him that before. Her heart was racing and her hands felt a little sweaty. "N-No... we-we're not like that, S-Sakura..." Hinata protested, looking away from the pinkette.

Sakura grinned. "Oh don't be so shy, you can tell me, you know."

Hinata shook her head, meeting Sakura's ivy gaze. "There's nothing to t-tell, we're really just..." she said softly, "...friends."

Sakura nodded her head, feeling a little bad for making her best friend so uncomfortable. The pinkette had always known how her dear friend felt in regards to the blonde that tagged along with Sasuke. Sakura had always thought it would be great if the two of them got together, then all four of them could go on double dates and vacation together. However, Hinata had always been too shy to say anything and Naruto too oblivious to notice. Sakura was beginning to wonder if things would ever change between them but then a few years ago before his deployment, Naruto and Hinata had grown closer. She had noticed the shift in her best friend's behavior too; she knew she was starting to trust the blonde more than she trusted her and at first that bugged her, but Sakura supposed Naruto could give Hinata things Sakura couldn't. With that thought in mind she decided to be happy for her friend, everyone deserved love and Hinata didn't get enough of it at home. Having just herself to love Hinata clearly wasn't enough and Naruto could offer her a different kind of love. Sakura made a silent promise to her friend to support her and her romance. Hinata deserved to have that same feeling she got whenever she was around Sasuke and if Hinata wanted that feeling with Naruto, Sakura would do whatever she could to help her get it.

"Ah... I believe you, don't worry," Sakura said softly, smiling gently at her most important friend in the world.

"Hinata, what's taking so long?" a voice sounded.

Hinata turned her gaze to find Naruto standing behind her still in the orange clown suit.

"Oh my god," Sakura gasped, her gaze falling on the blonde. "What the fuck are you wearing, Naruto?"

The blonde turned beat red. "Hinata, you didn't tell me anyone we know was here," he hissed softly.

Hinata laughed a little. "I'm sorry Naruto-_kun_; Sakura really just got here, I didn't know she'd be coming this way."

Naruto frowned and walked back into the dressing room, mumbling to himself about not being able to trust anyone anymore. Hinata smiled in his direction.

"He's definitely a weirdo," Sakura commented once he was out of earshot.

Hinata shrugged her shoulders a bit before returning to the racks of clothes before her. "I guess so."

"Anyway," Sakura started. "I'm glad I ran into you actually. I need a favor."

"Hm?" Hinata looked up at her friend. Whenever Sakura needed a favor, in her experience, it never lead to anything good. She opened her mouth to express as much but the pinkette stopped her.

"Before you even say no, I swear to god it's not anything major, swear," Sakura assured her.

Hinata wasn't sure she believed her however, believing Sakura always, _always_, ended horribly for her. At this point Hinata considered herself a fool for even going along with Sakura's shenanigans. "Well, what is it?" she asked suspiciously.

Sakura smiled, feeling victorious already. "Okay. Well, Juicy wants me to shoot another ad, a mini movie for the website and I'll be gone on location for two weeks so I was wondering if you could house sit for me? You know, just kind of hang out at my place and feed my dog, hold my mail for me, small stuff like that."

Hinata shot her best friend a look. It seemed simple enough but nothing was ever really simple with the pinkette.

"Didn't you just get home from another trip like last week or something?" Hinata asked.

Sakura flipped her long pink tresses over her shoulders and smiled. "Well, I'm in demand now, a lot more jobs are going to becoming my way – "

"Well, I don't know..." Hinata cut in, stopping her before she could go on a rant about how successful she was now.

"Hinata, I promise, no tricks this time. I really just need you to keep an eye on my things and make sure my dog doesn't shit all over the place," Sakura promised.

The heiress cocked a brow at her best friend. Sakura sucked at her teeth, getting a little annoyed. "Come on Hinata. Who else can I ask? I don't trust anyone but you around my things."

"What about Sasuke-_san_?" Hinata inquired.

"I already asked him, that jerk claims to be too busy to stop by once a day to change the water for the dog and feed it, but whatever," Sakura responded, trying not to get angry all over again. Hinata could tell by the way she said it the two of them must have already fought about it.

Hinata picked up a dark blue blazer and eyed it for a while before placing it over the growing pile in her arm. "Alright..." Hinata agreed. "But only because you have no one else..."

Sakura grinned. "You're the best, babe," Sakura exclaimed, hugging her best friend closely.

"Well now that I'm here, I guess I could help you pick out something fantastic for Naruto," Sakura suggested. "That is unless...you want to do it by yourself."

Hinata blushed nervously. She wished Sakura would stop teasing her already. "Sh-shut up, Sakura..."

The pinkette laughed until her eyes water, causing a group of people to stare at them and her best friend to flush red at the attention. "_Sakura..." _Hinata hissed.

The model straightened herself out and licked her lips, trying to keep from bursting into another giggle fit. "Okay, I'm sorry. No more jokes."

"_Hinataaaa... _Seriously, what are you doing out here?"

It was Naruto again. He was back in his same spot as before, in his same orange suit and frowning at her. He looked so goofy that she couldn't hold it in and apparently neither could Sakura because the both of them burst into laughter together.

* * *

Sasuke had been unbelievably busy in the past few weeks. Ever since he had gotten back from the Hot Springs Country he and his team had been busy planning for new additions to _The_ _Lily_ – the marketing team decided to even change the name of the project. Sasuke was relieved to know that not too many of his ideas had been compromised or even scrapped. He had to bite his tongue during a few meetings and let Hyuuga Enterprises make their own decisions – after all, it might have been his baby, but it was _their _hotel and _their _money. Of course they should have it their way.

Sasuke supposed it was because _The Lily _was his first successful design as an architect that made him so attached to it – any changes made him uneasy. He had to force his emotions out of it however since this was business. He joked with himself that telling an artist not to feel was like telling them not to breathe; cruel.

He had just been leaving his office when he got a call from Sakura. At first he thought to ignore it; the two of them hadn't spoken in close to a week since the argument they had before she left again to shoot another ad. He stared down at his cellular device, watching as her name flashed against the screen before answering it.

"Yeah?"

"Oh, good, Sasuke, I was worried I wouldn't be able to get you," Sakura's voice sounded on the other line, she seemed rushed.

"Mm. What's up?" he asked her, resting the device between his ear and shoulder as he began locking up his office for the day.

"I need you to do me a quick favor," she replied.

"I told you I'm not feeding the dog, I don't understand why you didn't just bring the damn thing with you – "

"Will you shut up? That's not it," Sakura said exasperated. "I need you to go to the post office and pick up a package for me and drop it off at my house. I already asked Hinata to do it but she's working until late all week."

Sasuke sighed. It couldn't be helped then. "Alright."

"_Thank you_," she said, her voice laced with annoyance. "You're always so quick to say no to me Sasuke, I – "

"Sakura I already said yes, okay?" Sasuke said into the phone as he began walking to his vehicle parked on the other side of the street.

There was silence on her end then he heard her sigh. "Alright. Thank you," she said softly this time. Sasuke could tell she had more to say but didn't press it, he wasn't in the mood for a fight. He would pick up her package, drop it off then be on his way.

"I love you," he heard her say.

He was silent for a moment or so but each one seemed to drag on to Sakura and she began to panic, feeling as though he might not say it back. She opened her mouth to save herself from the humiliation by ending the call but he beat her.

"I love you too, Sakura."

Sasuke could tell she was struggling on the other end of the line. He climbed into his car and inserted the key in the ignition, starting it up. "Okay," he heard her say. "Good night, drive safely."

"I will," he said before ending the call and sliding the thin machine into his pocket. To say that things were strained between them was more than an understatement. Sasuke knew very well what their problem was too. Neither one of them was willing to apologize. While he recognized his own part in their fight and how much easier things would be if he just made up with her but he didn't want to do that – not this time. Sakura was always getting her way it and was his fault for spoiling her so much, now she was just rotten. However, Sasuke wouldn't be putting up with it any long. She was going to learn to compromise if it killed him or that would be it.

Sasuke pulled out of his parking space and in a matter of seconds he was driving down main street with his sights set on the post office. It was four in the afternoon so he had exactly one half hour to get down there before they closed for the night. He pressed on the gas and was there in no time at all. Just as quickly as it took him to get there was he walking back out with a medium sized box propped against his hip and tucked under one arm. He stored it in the backseat of his car before taking off again, heading south west to his girlfriend's penthouse.

He greeted the doorman on his way inside, making his way towards the elevators where he rode one to the top floor. From his back pocket, he pulled out a set of keys, one of them for the elevator that took him to Sakura's penthouse. The double doors opened twice and he found himself in her foyer.

It had been a while since he'd been to her place but he recognized everything immediately. Her white stained walls, soft yellow floor to ceiling curtains that draped over the massive windows that took up an entire wall. The plush white rugs placed about the place and white leather seats with gold iron accessories. The glass tables and various white vases perched on each one, some with tulips placed inside and other with lilies and baby's breath.

He noticed a few things that were different however, small subtle changes that would have went unnoticed by someone who didn't know Sakura as well as he did. At first the changes surprised him. He noted the temperature had been lowered. Sakura liked the keep the place warm and cozy at all times. Now, the place was a little chilly, but he didn't mind it, actually, he preferred it that way. Also, the smell was different. Usually, the place reminded him of the various perfumes Sakura wore or even the ginger and honey scented soaps she used to wash her hair and body. He wasn't sure what this particular smell was but he didn't mind it either.

He placed the package down on the counter and walked further into the penthouse, inspected it now. There were several pairs of shoes by the couched that he realized immediately did not belong to the pinkette. For one, they were much too small to fit her and he knew his girlfriend didn't wear anything less than five inches in height. These were all different pumps and sandals, flats and wedges, things that Sakura just didn't wear.

He turned slowly and noticed the dishes in the sink, a sight he had never seen before. Sakura had never been known for her cooking prowess, really the kitchen and all it's many trinkets were just decorations. He never really minded nor thought it odd that she didn't cook, but it definitely amazed him in some ways that she never fed herself. Sasuke wondered vaguely what these dishes were doing in the sink. Sakura might not have been a chef but she definitely wasn't a slob, she wouldn't have left for two weeks with dirty pots and plates in the sink...

Sasuke turned his gaze away from the sink and looked around the apartment once more. Someone had obviously been here. At first this realization startled him. Had someone been living in Sakura's home while the model was off on location? Sasuke had heard stories of people mooching off of the rich; crazy people living in their homes when they knew the residents were away. He cocked a brow, studying the various shoes in the living room.

The first thought he had was to leave and call the police, that would have been the smart idea. However, a stronger, more curious part of him thought to investigate himself, who ever was in Sakura's house couldn't have been _too _dangerous, right?

He stepped around the living room, entering the dining room and noting the burning candles set around the table and dresser for the first time since entering. Perhaps that's where that new smell was coming from. He eyed them for a moment or two before walking deeper into the apartment, the soft, muffled sound of music could be heard from behind the closed door of Sakura's bedroom. Sasuke paused, standing behind it for a while, staring at the white wood door and listening to the soft humming of music on the other side. Who in the hell was in there?

Clasping his hand around the crystal door knob, he turned it and pushed into the door, revealing Sakura's white and pink queen sized bed, the crystal lamps with pink lamp shades, pink curtains and white carpets. He stepped further into the room to find one particular Hyuuga staring at him with confusion. He returned her stare, tilting his head just slightly, he hadn't expected to see her there. His eyes skated innocently over her, noticing now her attire or lack thereof. She stood awkwardly in a black t-shirt, hunching over just slightly with her hands at her calves, pulling up what Sasuke realized was a pair of panties.

The two stared at each other in silence, neither one quiet sure what was happening – Hinata figured it out first and let out a mortified scream, her face the darkest shade of red imaginable.

Sasuke watched helplessly, now equally embarrassed but unable to look away as the heiress stumbled about, yanking up her panties as quickly as she could. She made a dash from where she stood by the en suite bathroom, for the bed, her clear objective being the throw blankets splayed atop it to cover herself with. However, her feet didn't seem to agree with the idea and crossed with one another, sending the heiress stumbling, her hands seeking desperately anything to save her from her fall. Her right hand snatched the blanket from the bed while her left one latched onto lamp, pulling them both down with her in a loud crash, the crystal shattering once it hit the ground.

Hinata laid there on the floor, too stunned to really think of anything else. Could this be real? Surely she was dreaming. There was no way this could be happening to her. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, telling herself that she wasn't at Sakura's but back home in her bed, sleeping and this was all just an awkward nightmare. She kept squeezing and squeezing but then she heard him laughing and she knew it was real.

"S-stop l-l-laughing..." she stuttered out, her face still buried in Sakura's rug.

The laughing didn't stop however, instead it persisted, echoing off the white walls and shaking her bones. How could he think this was funny? Hinata was far too mortified to even look up and confront him, for now she was much safer with her head buried in the fabric of the carpet. "At l-least...don't l-laugh s-so...hard..." she groaned, a few stray tears slipping down her cheeks.

Sasuke laughed even harder then, harder than even he had suspected was possible for him. This was the most absurd thing he had experienced in a while. Hyuuga Hinata was laid on the ground, her t-shirt risen up her back and her "Hello Kitty" panties exposed to the world. How could a grown woman wear such a thing? Sakura would never be caught dead in something like that. Sasuke was sure there were teenagers that wouldn't be caught dead in something like that.

"Stop!" Hinata shouted, sitting up abruptly now, her black brows knotted together.

Sasuke stopped as she said, staring at her blood flushed face, teary eyes and angry expression. He had never seen her look that way. In the years he had known her, she had always looked annoyingly pleasant, serene and calm, never once breaking this facade, even in tough or difficult situations. To see her like this was a surprise. Sasuke looked over her and smiled, chuckling a bit an earning himself another mortified groan from the heiress. She tugged at the blanket again, wrapping it around her half naked body, tucking it beneath her underarms.

"Wh-what are you d-doing here?" Hinata demanded, still looking frazzled.

"I could ask you the same thing; any reason why you're walking around half naked in someone else's house?"

Hinata bit her bottom lip, looking away from him with an indignant pout. _So it seems the heiress has a variety of expressions_, Sasuke thought to himself.

Hinata struggled to find her voice as she sat there on the floor, still too embarrassed to move. "Sakura asked me to house sit..."

Which would explain all the little trinkets and dishes she left around the place, Sasuke figured. "Alright."

"B-but what about y-you?" she stuttered out, meeting him in the eye, accusation in her clear gaze. "You normally just b-barge into Sakura's place?"

Sasuke stared at her. If anything, it made more since that he would barge into his girlfriend's house rather than her best friend prancing around naked in her bedroom. "I was...dropping off a package Sakura asked me to pick up," Sasuke explained. "Apparently, you would be working late all week and unable to do it for her?"

Hinata stared at him a bit longer then looked away, nodding her head. That _was _what she told Sakura and it _was _true, however, she could see how it seemed like a lie now. Hinata had every intention of staying late at work but she had been sent home early after a meeting with her father and Neji. The heiress was so upset that she didn't think she could handle sleeping at home that night. The heiress told her father that she would be staying the night at Sakura's, leaving out the part about Sakura' not exactly being there. Hinata didn't feel that was Sasuke's business to know and said nothing more about it.

"Okay," Sasuke said getting her subtle hints. She was not going to be saying anything more than that and he honestly didn't care enough to pry. Sasuke had has fun and supposed now was a good enough time to leave. "I'll lock up."

He just about ready to do so before he noticed the growing puddle of blood pooling beside her as well as her bloodied hand. "You're bleeding," he said, stepping closer.

"Hm?" Hinata looked up at him, noting the worried expression he wore before looking down at her left hand. He was right, she _was _bleeding and there was traces of it everywhere; her hand print on the carpet around her and on the blanket she wrapped around her body. "Yeah..." she said softly, studying her palm and broken shards of glass there.

Strong, pale fingers, yet tanner than her own, were closing gently around her wrist, tugging at it with care. When she looked up, Sasuke was kneeling beside her, studying her hand with black eyes and knotted brows. "You probably don't have to go to the hospital," he told her, slowly opening her palm wider. Hinata hissed at the sudden pain.

"Yeah, you should be fine," He said, standing up. "Don't move."

Where else was she going? Hinata wondered bitterly. She was still embarrassed by what transpired between them just minutes ago and the pain in her hand didn't make her mood any less sour. Hinata was aware of him leaving and coming back, but didn't bother to look up. Instead, her mind was still on the predicament she was in. How she would be able to look at Sasuke with a straight face she'd never know.

"Lets move to the kitchen," he said to her, reaching down and taking her good arm and placing his hand at the small of her back, helping her to her feet.

Hinata could feel her heart racing at the contact, but chalked it up to her embarrassment of the entire situation. He led her into the kitchen, never once letting her go. Hinata was surprised at his kindness and his gentleness. She might not have known him well, but given their past conversations, he didn't seem like a very nurturing person. He led her into the kitchen and to the sink, pulling her hand into the basin while being mindful of her blanket. He ran cool water over her palm and Hinata hissed, fighting the urge to pull away from him. Sasuke remained silent however, running he water until all the blood was washed away.

He turned off the facet and opened the first aid kit he had found in Sakura's bathroom. "It's going to hurt," he told her, taking out a pair of tweezers.

Hinata nodded her head and prepared herself for the pain. Sasuke squeezed at her hand, rubbing his fingers over her palm in search of the broken pieces of glass. Hinata ignored the thumping of her heart, biting into her bottom lip gently but otherwise keeping her face calm. Sasuke tugged at one shard of glass with the tweezers, pulling it from her palm. Hinata hissed louder than she would have liked, instinctively closing her hand against the pain. Sasuke frowned, shooting her a look. "Calm down."

Hinata nodded her head and opened her palm again. Sasuke reached for the same shard once more, pulling at it with the tweezers until her flesh relaxed around the glass. Hinata gasped as he pulled the glass out, her hand shaking a little. Sasuke looked at her again, his expression annoyed. So much for his gentleness.

"I can't do this with you squirming and whimpering," he told her.

Hinata frowned, sucking at her teeth. "I am _not _wh-whimpering," she insisted. "This is your fault anyway."

Sasuke cocked a brow, staring openly at her. "_My _fault?" he asked. "It's my fault you don't know how your feet work by now?"

Hinata shoved at his shoulder, her face flushing dark red as she remembered why she had fallen in the first place. "If you h-hadn't surprised m-me, maybe even kn-knocked f-first...I wouldn't have f-fallen," she reasoned, her brows crumpled.

"You're acting like I did it on purpose," Sasuke said. "I thought you were an intruder."

Hinata rolled her eyes. "You sh-should have called the p-police then."

It was Sasuke's turn to suck at his teeth now. "Will you just shut up and relax so I can pull the glass from your hand? Or would you rather me leave and you do this yourself?"

The heiress had half a mind to tell him she _could _do it without him but the smarter side of her knew that it would be easier with his help. She clenched her teeth to keep from opening her mouth and looked away from her hand and him, staring at the clear cabinets on the wall.

"Thank you," Sasuke said, finally turning her attention to her hand again.

He tried a little more carefully this time, squeezing at her palm and pulling out several more pieces of glass from her hand. Every now and then her fingers would twitch at the pain but otherwise she ignored it. Sasuke was grateful for the silence now, less distractions made the job easier and quicker. When the last of the glass was gone he turned the facet on and ran her hand under it for a while. He he dried it with a sanitary cloth from the kit and pulled out a bottle of hydrogen peroxide, pouring some of it over her hand. He knew she wanted to protest since she clenched her fingers shut but she opened it again, enduring the pain after all. He cleaned her hand one more time before wrapping it with gauze.

"Alright, you should be fine" he said, packing everything back into the kit.

Hinata nodded her head, studying her newly bandaged hand. "Thank you."

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders and walked back into Sakura's bedroom. Hinata swallowed past the lump that had been lodged in her throat for the past few minutes. She wrapped the blanket tighter around herself,walking around the island in the kitchen and perching herself atop one of the stools. Her mind took her back to when Sasuke first arrived there. She honestly hadn't expected to see him there, he had startled her out her mind. Hinata was surprised she could sit there so comfortably now knowing he had seen her most valuable parts. Her face flushed dark red at the thought. Maybe she wasn't as comfortable as she thought she was.

Sasuke returned, carrying with him a plastic bag of what Hinata could only assume was the broken glass and the remains of the lamp. "I put the sheets in the washer, throw that blanket in there when you're ready," he told her, referring to the one she had wrapped around her small frame. "The carpet needs to be hand washed, I'll leave that to you."

Hinata blushed more and nodded her head. "Okay..."

Sasuke eyed her briefly for a few moments before making his way towards the front door. She had proven herself to be just as annoying as he had suspected but he didn't really mind too much; he supposed between herself, Sakura and Naruto, she was the more tolerable annoyance, at least she wasn't as open about it as those two were. "Try not to break anything else,"he quipped, smirking just a bit as he opened the door and let himself out, taking the trash with him.

Hinata flushed, letting out a mortified groan. Why did it have to be Sasuke? Anyone but Sasuke would have been great. Couldn't Sakura have asked Naruto to run the errand for her? Then again, Hinata would have died if Naruto saw her like that. She never would have been able to face him again. The heiress licked her lips. At least she wouldn't have to see Sasuke for a while and even when she _did _see him, it wasn't like she'd have to engage him in conversation. Hinata just wished she hadn't made such a fool of herself in front of him. She considered herself, Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke a group and out of that group Sasuke was the least agreeable and definitely didn't seem to like her.

"I should have stayed home..." she said softly to herself, hopping down from the stool and walking back to Sakura's room, the blanket dragging on the ground behind her.

Then she noticed, she had been practically naked in front of Sasuke the entire time he was there. Why in god's name hadn't she thought to put her pants on _before _he pulled the glass from her hand? She stopped and pressed her head against the wall, her red face frowning her opal eyes squeezed shut. The pitter pattering of small feet sounded against the wooden flooring of Sakura's apartment. Misty, the dog, had finally made her appearance from her hiding place in the the living room. She appeared by Hinata's side, licking at her feet and whimpering to be fed probably. In all the commotion, she had forgotten to feed the dog on time.

If Hinata wasn't sure of it before, she was now – she was a complete moron.

* * *

_I don't know if you all enjoyed reading it but I definitely enjoyed writing it. I giggled a few times actually, I hope you all were equally amused as I was. Anyway, reviews make me smile._

- Rampantt


	6. Strange Desires

_**I'm a little late with the update this week, sorry guys. **_

_**Thanks for sticking around! I enjoyed reading everyone's comments on the last chapter. Hope you all enjoy this one.**_

* * *

**Cover My Eyes**

by_, Rampantt_

Chapter Six:_ **Strange**** Desires**_

* * *

"I was against it at first you know," Naruto was saying. "That bastard _hates _parties but they dragged me into it."

Hinata nodded her head, walking around her bedroom with her cell phone nuzzled between her shoulder and ear. Naruto had called a few moments ago inviting her to Sasuke's surprise party. Apparently his team had asked Naruto to help them set up at Sasuke's house since they didn't exactly have access to it. Hinata had asked him why they didn't just have his party at his office and it seemed as though Naruto had posed the same question –apparently parties were only good a night because day drinking was a sad thing. Hinata wasn't sure if she agreed or not. When you lived the kind of life she and Sasuke were accustomed to, day drinking was a social norm. Hinata didn't bother to make that point however, after all, this was not her party to plan.

"You could have said no," Hinata told him, sitting down on her bed and pushing her shoes off. She had just gotten back from Sakura's place. The heiress had stopped by to feed and walk the dog, making sure the mutt was still alive when her best friend returned from her trip.

"Nah," he answered. "When I thought about it, Sasuke deserves to celebrate. All that jerk does is work and frown. Maybe this party will help him relax, y'know?"

Hinata was silent for a moment, pulling off the stockings from beneath her skirt. "Maybe," she said. Sasuke did seem a bit wound up, but she wasn't one to judge. Seldom did she ever let her hair down either, especially since starting her internship a few weeks ago. She could understand perfectly why Sasuke was so wound up – he was a busy man. Hinata could also see where his friends were coming from as well; it was all out of love. While she didn't doubt that Sasuke would be upset at first, she knew this party might help him relax some, not that she cared or anything.

Hinata frowned as a thought crossed her mind. "Do you _really_ need me to come too?" she asked into the phone.

Naruto sighed. "_Yes_, I know you and Sasuke aren't the best of friends but you should still come. Besides, it'll be harder for him to yell at me with you there."

The heiress ran her dainty hand through her raven locks; she didn't see why Sasuke would censor himself in front of her. She chewed on her bottom lip a little as the thought of Sasuke hanging around them all night crossed her mind. From what she knew of him, Sasuke wasn't the most social person in the world, she didn't see him laughing it up with anyone or enjoying his party at all. Maybe if she were lucky, Sasuke would be so pissed about the party that he'd kick everyone out of his home and she wouldn't even have to face him at all. The heiress was not looking forward to hanging around him at all, not after what happened last week. Hinata blushed as the memory crossed her mind.

"Okay, I'll be there..." she told him.

"No, I'll pick you up," Naruto interjected. "I can't afford you bailing on me so to ensure that you really do come, I'll pick you up at your house."

Hinata sighed. Perhaps Naruto knew her too well. Hinata probably _would_ have found a reason to cancel just so she wouldn't have to deal with the awkward tension between her and Sasuke. If she could have it her way, she wouldn't have to see Sasuke again until his and Sakura's inevitable wedding. So maybe not for another year or two, by that time Hinata was certain she would have long since gotten over her embarrassment – it would have been a vague memory by then.

"You caught me," she laughed softly into the phone.

She could hear Naruto chuckling on the other end. She smiled too. When she thought of it, Hinata was glad Naruto had asked her to join him at the party, it was kind of like a date. Kind of. Hinata didn't allow herself to dwell on the technicalities, instead, she focused on how happy she felt.

A soft rapping on her door sounded and Hinata turned her attention there. The door cracked open slightly at first but then soon a pair of clear eyes that matched her own appeared in the doorway. Her sister stood there, her raven hair cropped at her chin and her white eyes staring at her hopefully.

"So, I'll see you Friday then," Hinata said into the phone, watching as her sister let herself in, closing the door behind her, caring with her a few bags.

"Hn. Goodnight, Hinata," Naruto said.

"Goodnight, Naruto-_kun_," Hinata said softly into the phone before ending the call and placing the silver device by her side on the bed.

Hanabi wiggled her brows at her sister, smiling knowingly.

"Shut up," Hinata said, laughing softly at her sister's expression, a light pink dusting her cheeks.

"I wasn't going to say anything," Hanabi insisted, setting the bags down on the ottoman against the foot of Hinata's bed.

"I'm so sure," she said, sliding down from her bed and walking into her bathroom to clean the make up from her face.

When she returned, towel in hand, dabbing at her wet skin, Hanabi had laid out of a few articles of clothing across Hinata's bed. "What's all this stuff?" the heiress asked, setting the towel down.

Hanabi smiled. "Neji-_nii_ brought these for us."

Hinata's brow corked. "Neji is here?"

"Hm. He's in father's office now," Hanabi said, rummaging through the bags and pulling out boxes of jewelery.

Hinata bit at her bottom lip briefly then released it just as soon. They were having another one of their meetings without her, of course. Hinata was beginning to get frustrated. Neji was the clear favorite, why wouldn't her father just give the company to him and be done with everything? Why make her suffer like this? Why make her go through the motions –hiring her as an intern an promising her a position if she did her part. Why do all that when it was obvious, no matter what he said, that he was going to give Hyuuga Enterprises to Neji? At times she thought to just give up and be done with it all but another, more spiteful part of her wanted to rip the company out of Neji's greedy hands. A tick started in her jaw.

Hanabi was too busy "ooing" and "awing" over the trinkets in the bag to notice Hinata's turmoil. Hinata was jealous of her sister at times. Hanabi would never understand the pain in her sister's chest. Never would she have to endure what Hinata did. No one was trying to take what was rightfully Hanabi's. Hanabi could even become whatever she wanted, do what she wanted with her life. Hanabi could be a photographer, a nurse, an interior designer, hell, a stay-at-home-mom if she wanted to. Her life was clean and shinny, the way Hinata saw it. Hanabi didn't know how good she head. Hinata wished she could experience life as Hanabi did, carefree, always smiling, never having a reason to so much as roll her eyes.

Hinata patted her sister's head before walking back into her bathroom to shower.

"Hinata? Where are you going? Come pick out what you want!" Hanabi called from the bedroom.

Hinata turned the knobs in the shower wall, ignoring her sister. Hanabi appeared in the door once again, looking curiously to her sister. "Hey. You alright?" Hanabi asked.

"Yeah," Hinata told her, unbuttoning her blouse. "I'm gonna shower. Do you mind?"

Hanabi stood there for a moment or so, studying her sister's face as she pulled her blouse off and set to work on her skirt. "Y-yeah... I'll leave the stuff on the bed. You can have first pick this time."

Hinata shook her head. "No, you can have it all. I don't need anything." What she meant was she didn't need anything from _Neji. _What was his deal anyway? Why was he always showering them with gifts as if they didn't have the money to get the same things for themselves? Hinata bit into her bottom lip, cursing her cousin to hell. "I'm really okay, Hanabi," she told her sister, offering her a kind and what she hoped as a _sincere _smile.

Hanabi nodded her head wordlessly, stepping out and closing the door behind her.

The heiress stood there for a while, the hot water fogging up the mirrors and shower glass. She knew Neji was trying to make peace and she knew that she was being unreasonably bitter but she couldn't fight her feelings. Why did Neji deserve everything she didn't? She never even had a fair chance. Hinata was only five with her uncle died, Neji had been with them since then. From the first week of his arrival Hinata sensed the shift in her house. She had gotten used to sharing the attention and love from her father and the nanny's with Hanabi, but Neji was a _boy_, the young _lord _of the manor. Everyone was falling all over themselves to please him. Hanabi didn't experience anything differently since she was the baby, everyone _had _to pay attention to her. With Neji being new and shinny and Hanabi being the demanding baby, everyone seemed to over look Hinata.

Thinking back, the only person she ever really had to care about her was the one nanny her father hired when she was seven. The heiress tried her best not to think about her, the memory of her leaving her far too much for her to bare. Licking her lips, Hinata

pealed off the rest of her clothing and stepped into her shower, letting the water spray over her. Tomorrow was Thursday, another day for her prove herself at work. This one thing was hers, she told herself. No one, not even perfect Neji, was going to take this from her. Hinata remembered one thing her nanny had taught her; the best things in life where the ones you had to cry over and fight for. Hinata was done with crying so now it was time to fight.

* * *

Sasuke sat in his car, waiting outside Naruto's place. The blonde had called him shortly after work, insisting that the two of them watched the big game on Sasuke's big screen television. Sasuke argued with him at first, pushing Naruto into watching it at his own house but the blonde retorted that he simply didn't have the money to pay for the pay-per-view fight. Sasuke sat back in his seat and sighed. Didn't the military pay their soldiers well enough for them to afford such small things? The raven didn't feel much like arguing any further and drove over to the blonde's place after he had gotten off work. He had called when he arrived to alert his friend to his arrival but that was fifteen minutes ago. Now he sat outside in the dark, pissed at his best friend for having him outside waiting. What the hell was he doing in there?

Sasuke had half a mind to storm out and bang on his door, demanding explanations, but just as the thought crossed his mind did the front door open and Naruto walked out. Sasuke sat up, frowning at his friend as he made his way over to the car.

"What the hell is your problem?" Sasuke demanded as the blonde opened the door, sitting himself inside.

Naruto flashed him a guilty smile. "I was on the phone."

Sasuke was pissed. He had him out here for fifteen minutes because he was on the phone? "Get out of my car."

"_T-teme!_ What about the fight?" Naruto asked, looking disappointed.

"Go ask Hinata to watch the fight with you," Sasuke suggested.

"_Hinata_? Why?" Naruto asked him, looking confused.

Sasuke looked at his friend, sighing and running his hand through his messy black hair. "Isn't that who you were on the phone with? Making me sit out here for so long," Sasuke accused. "Since whatever she had to say was interesting, go continue it at her place."

Naruto smiled guiltily. "It wasn't Hinata," he admitted.

Sasuke opened his mouth to ask who it was if not her since the blonde didn't have many other friends, but then he remembered that he didn't care. "Whatever. Just get out of my car."

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted. "Look man I'm sorry, whatever. Let's just get to your house and watch the fight. It's starting in twenty minutes."

Sasuke stared at his friend, fighting the urge to force him out himself. If there was anything Sasuke hated most in this world, it was waiting. He should have driven off without the idiot long ago. Why on earth had he even staid as along as he had? "You're a lucky bastard," Sasuke said to him, starting up the engine.

Naruto grinned as the car pulled off. He had almost fucked up. He was sure Karin and Suigetsu would never let him forget it if he ruined the surprise party for them. Then again, if Sasuke _had _left without him he still would have went home and found them there. The party could have went on. However, he remembered a certain girl would be there waiting for him as well and who knows how mad Hinata would have been with him had she been there and he hadn't shown up. Sasuke was right, Naruto _was _a lucky bastard. An angry Hinata was not something he hoped to see ever in life.

"Just know that I'm not rushing, I don't care how much of the fight you miss," Sasuke told him, pulling onto the highway towards his home.

Naruto nodded his head. "The first few minutes aren't where the real action is anyway," he told his friend.

Sasuke didn't say anything and the car was silent the entire forty minutes it took for them to get to Sasuke's house. When they were a few blocks away, Naruto took out his phone and sent Karin a text message, alerting her of their arrival. She texted back quickly enough to tell him that everyone was hiding. Satisfied, Naruto slid his phone back into his pocket as the car pulled into the drive way in front of his house.

When the car was parked and turned off, Naruto slid out of the car and followed behind his friend as they reached the front door, chattering on about how amazing the fight was going to be. Sasuke didn't bother humoring his friend. All he wanted to do was get into his house and get the fight over with so he could sleep.

Sasuke pushed open the front door to his house, greeted by the dark and silent interior. He tossed his keys onto the side table by the front door and was shrugging out of his coat when the lights flickered on suddenly.

"SURPRISE!"

Sasuke took a step back, startled by all the people that suddenly appeared in his house, shouting and throwing confetti in his face. Music started in the back ground and he realized everyone was now laughing at his probably shocked expression. He schooled his features quickly and looked around for the culprit in charge of this fiasco. Naruto.

Sasuke turned his glare onto the blonde who was smiling at him guilty. "I promise this was not my idea," Naruto assured him, stepping around his best friend and into the house.

"Congratulations, Sasuke-_kun_," a woman who he recognized to be a colleague from his old firm said.

"Ah. Thanks," he responded, not really paying her much attention, instead looking around his house at all the familiar and smiling faces.

Everyone looked so happy, happy for him and Sasuke wasn't quite sure how to react to it all. All of his acquaintances were here, not anyone he'd really call a close friend but all assumed him to be their friend. People he had graduated with, colleagues from his old firm, people he knew growing up, a few neighbors were even in attendance. Who the fuck let them all into his house?

Sasuke felt his brows knotting together. Naruto claimed to have not been the mastermind behind this but when he found out who _was _he was going to kill them.

"Oy! Sasuke, congrats," a voice sounded beside him.

He turned to find a man about his age and height smirked just a bit at him. "Shikamaru, where in the hell did they find you of all people?"

"Ha. Crazy, I know," he said, taking a sip of whatever brown liquor was in his glass.

Sasuke eyed it for a moment. They had been in his shit, taking out glasses and whatnot. He turned to see who else had put their mouths on his crystal glasses. Sensing his discomfort Shikamaru chuckled. "Relax, I'm the only one using one, everyone else is using the standard red cup."

Sasuke cocked his brow. "So what? You're special or something?"

"Or something," he responded, taking another sip from his glass. "Anyway, when I heard you landed such a huge deal I had to drop by and congratulate you."

"Hn," Sasuke grunt, still ticked off about there being so many, uninvited guests, in his home.

"Hinata was telling me more about the project and I'm really impressed," Shikamaru said to Sasuke, distracting him from all thoughts of killing Naruto.

Sasuke's brow quirked at the mention of his acquaintance. How would she know – ? Then his eyes landed on her. She was wore a hot pink blazer with gold buttons, a white flowing blouse and a pair of dark blue jeans, a pair of strappy nude sandals clasped around her feet and making her just a few inches taller. Sasuke noticed the wavy dark tresses of her hair which was odd to him considering how she normally wore it straight... Funny, he hadn't noticed her there before... "What are you doing here?"

The look on her face seemed to be a mixture of surprise and hurt and instantly Sasuke realized his mistake. He merely meant, what was she doing with Shikamaru; he didn't know the two were acquainted – he didn't mean to insinuate that she shouldn't have been in his house. He opened his mouth to explain but her facial expression changed quicker than he would have suspected. She smiled that annoyingly pleasant smile of hers and Sasuke knew she was ready to feed him some bullshit that he didn't want to hear.

"Naruto invited me actually," she started off, appearing unfazed by his rude comment. "I ran into Shikamaru here and we began catching up; I was just telling him about _The Lily _project."

"Ah..." Sasuke responded, studying her face for some sort of hint towards what she was really thinking. She was like a blank wall, blocking anyone from seeing what was behind it, not that Sasuke was one to complain. It just pissed him off that she took shit from everyone, not bothering to get mad when it was appropriate. Sasuke knew it was "unladylike" for an heiress like herself to blow up on people but fuck, wasn't she tired of being so fucking nice all the time? Sasuke was no glutton for punishment but damn it he wanted to know he at least affected her in some way. The raven decided instantly to ignore any thoughts on why that might be.

He watched as she sipped something out of the red cup she held in her hand. Really, when _had_ she even gotten there? One minute he was talking to Shikamaru and the next she was standing beside him looking even more annoying than usually. A memory of her invaded his mind and Sasuke couldn't help but to envision her hunched over, pulling up Hello Kitty panties and staring at him with wide opal eyes. She must have known what he was thinking because a shade of pink dusted across her cheeks. Sasuke smirked in satisfaction.

"I'm gonna refill my glass," Shikamaru announced, breaking the silence between the three of them and making his way towards Sasuke's bar.

Sasuke and Hinata were left alone in the sea of people that crowded his home but to Hinata they were truly _alone. _The heiress took a large gulp from her red-cup, the alcohol burning the back of her throat but she didn't seem to mind.

"I should go find Naruto," she said, licking her lips and looking nervously about the crowd of people.

"Why?"

Hinata shot him a quick glance before taking another nervous sip from her cup. "I'm here with him," she responded, her voice soft.

"Doesn't seem like he's too concerned," Sasuke said, jerking his chin in the blonde's direction across the room.

Hinata followed his lead and turned her gaze to Naruto who was busy yapping on the phone, one hand over his ear to block out the loud noise of the party. Her opal eyes watched as he walked towards the kitchen and let himself out the sliding doors and onto the patio. The heiress took another sip. She would kill Naruto. Because of him she was placed in the exact situation she wanted to avoid; being trapped in awkward conversation with Sasuke.

"Excuse me," Hinata said, walking away with her cup in hand.

_Good_, Sasuke thought. Perhaps she was going to give Naruto the verbal lashing he deserved. Sasuke didn't really care too much but he knew his friend wasn't giving the heiress the kind of attention she deserved. However, when he thought of it, he wasn't quite sure what their relationship was. Clearly, they were more than just friends and if Naruto wasn't such an ass he'd do something about it.

Sasuke watched her walk away, forgetting for a moment his anger at his friends for inviting all these people into his home. He watched as she paused by the kitchen, staring out into the sliding door and at the patio were Naruto stood. She hesitated a while longer before giving up all together and disappearing down the hallway.

"So, tell me more about the hotel, when does production start?" a voice asked by his ear.

Sasuke figured it was Shikamaru but currently his mind was else where and he couldn't be bothered to entertain any of his questions. "Excuse me for a moment," Sasuke said as he began walking the same path Hinata had taken.

He found himself walking down the dark hallway where Hinata had entered. There were a few doors, one leading to the den, another to his office and the final one to the main floor powder room. The door was slightly ajar with light spilling out onto the dark floor of the hall. Sasuke tapped his knuckles against the door a few times awaiting a response.

"Just a minute..." a soft voice called from the other side.

Deciding he didn't care to wait, Sasuke let himself in, closing the door behind him and trapping the heiress inside with him.

Hinata's eyes widened as she stared at Sasuke's reflection in the mirror, a soft gasp escaping her lips.

"Wh-what are you doing in here?!" she demanded, her cheeks turning dark pink as she spun around to face him. "I could have been on the toilet!"

"But you weren't," Sasuke reasoned, leaning back against the wall behind him.

Hinata hissed. "But I could have been!"

"It's not like I'd be seeing anything I hadn't before."

Hinata paused, her face a dark red as the memory of him walking in on her in Sakura's bedroom crossed her mind for the millionth time since it happened. Embarrassed and angry, the heiress did something she never done before to anyone; she raised her hand and slapped him across his face, his cheek burning red where her hand had been.

Sasuke flinched at the contact, not expecting her hit him at all. He stared down at the heiress, marveling in the way her white eyes clouded and her brows knotted together in anger. She might have been more threatening had it not been for the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks.

"You're such a jerk," she hissed at him, unable to stop herself now, wiping the corners of her eyes carefully with the back of her knuckles.

"Hn. I'm a jerk, but at least I'm not a pussy," he quipped earning himself a another gasp from the princess.

"What did you call m-me?" she demanded, staring up at him with hard as diamond eyes.

"A pussy."

"I am _not _a p-pussy..." she countered, struggling to even say the word.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," she answered, sticking her chin out in defiance.

"Then why are you so afraid to confront Naruto, you're obviously not happy," Sasuke challenged her.

Hinata's face flamed once again, her heart pounding in her chest. "Wh-what are you even talking about?"

Sasuke scoffed, shaking his head and looking away a moment. "Cut the shit, Hyuuga."

Hinata frowned. Her name never sounded so filthy in anyone's mouth before. "You cut the _sh-shit_," she challenged back. "Get out of my way."

"Are you going to talk to Naruto?"

Hinata gaped at him. "How is this any of your business?"

She had a good question, Sasuke supposed, but they weren't talking about him. He shrugged his shoulders. "Answer my question."

"You answer mine."

Sasuke smirked. If she could stand up to him like this then why couldn't she stand up to Naruto? It was getting annoying watching the two of them skate around one another, neither one pushing the other to establish anything. He knew Naruto was clueless and would never make anything official unless Hinata said something and just by looking at her tonight it was clear Hinata would never say anything either. She would more than likely just let it eat her up all the while denying anything was wrong, even to herself. Sasuke didn't know why it bothered him so much but it did.

"Not if you don't answer mine first."

Hinata sucked at her teeth and rolled her eyes, looking away from him. "No wonder Sakura – "

"No wonder Sakura _what_?" Sasuke demanded, inching closer to her.

Hinata shook her head, swallowing past the lump that lodged itself in her throat. "Nothing."

Sasuke stared down at her hard, a tick starting in his jaw. "Pussy."

Hinata snapped her head in his direction, white eyes narrowed into slits at this point. "I _said_ no wonder Sakura can't stand you half the time! You're the most frustrating person I've ever had the displeasure of being acquainted with!"

"What?"

"Y-you heard me," she responded, turning her gaze away from him.

Sasuke inched closer, placing his hands on either side of her and on top of the sink, trapping her between his arms.

"I want to hear you say it again," Sasuke urged, her voice deeper than Hinata had remembered it being.

She kept her mouth shut, refusing to give him what he wanted. She heard a rumbling in his throat which sounded vaguely similar to laughter. She turned her opal gaze to him and was immediately trapped by his onyx one, unable to look away. The heiress studied the handsome planes of his face, his straight nose and full pink lips. She noticed the dark slants of hair above even darker eyes which were framed with matching dark lashes. Her clear gaze slid over his face once more before settling on his lips, her cheeks pinking as she realized where her thoughts were headed.

"Say it..." he insisted, his voice softer now.

Hinata felt her heart beating wildly in her chest, threatening to rip out of her ribcage if she didn't somehow calm herself down. She blinked a few times, forcing herself to look away from his lips and his eyes. She breathed out slowly from her mouth, funny how she hadn't noticed when her lips parted slightly or even when his hand weaved it's way into her wavy black locks.

"You're the most frustrating person I've e-ever had the displeasure –"

Sasuke dipped his head down and swallowed her words with his mouth. Their lips meshed together and silence fell between them. For a while neither moved and Hinata certainly didn't breathe. Her mind was blank, all she could think of were the warm, soft lips against hers. It was nice, more than nice even. She breathed through her nose and allowed her eyes to drift shut, pressing her lips to his firmly, a silent demand for more. Satisfied with her reaction, Sasuke tightened his grip on her hair, holding her face to his and testing her lips with his own, feeling her out. She was tentative at first but eventually relaxed, pressing herself up against him and parting her lips just slightly, inviting him for more. Sasuke accepted, wrapping his other arm around her waist and holding her close as his tongue slipped past her lips to find her own and when it did he was pleased by the tiny sound that emitted from her throat and into his.

The two were wrapped up in each other for longer than any of them really knew. Hinata's heart was pounding in her chest but she didn't allow it to stop her. She was kissing Sasuke and she – her thoughts drifted. She was _kissing Sasuke. _Her eyes fluttered open and she pushed at his chest with a start, effectively separating their lips from one another. Hinata stared up at him, swallowing past the lump that found it's way back into her throat.

He stared back at her, neither one of them really sure of what to say to the other. Sasuke released her, stepping away and pressing his back into the wall behind her. Her opal eyes were wide and unsure, slender fingers touching brushing against her red lips. "Sasuke-_san..._" she breathed.

It was his turn to swallow. He wanted to kiss her again, he realized. Her blazer was rumpled just slightly and her wavy hair looked wild; her cheeks were flushed and her lips were parted. Sasuke told himself he ought to wait for her to say something before he tried kissing her again.

She looked down at her feet then back up at him, running her dainty hands through her hair and settling her dark tresses until they were presentable again.

"I – " she started off, shaking her head a little.

Sasuke watched her struggle with herself for a few moments, shaking her head a few more times before stepping tentatively around him and leaving him alone in his powder room with nothing to look at but his reflection in the mirror. He swallowed and cursed himself.

* * *

Hinata spilled out into the hallway, her heart racing at impressive speeds. She kept shaking her head, forcing herself not to think of Sasuke and the kiss they shared in his cramped powder room. Why would he kiss her? Hinata stomped her way back to the party, relieved to hear the loud music and cheers – perhaps that could drown out her thoughts.

She found herself by the bar, pouring herself yet another drink and taking large gulps out of the red-cup. She would drink herself so drunk that she would forget the entire night – perfect. The heiress steadied herself and walked around, opal eyes searching for Naruto to take her home or anywhere. She needed to get out of Sasuke's house.

It wasn't long before she spotted him, it was hard to miss his blonde moppy hair. Hinata pushed her way through the sea of people, careful not to spill her drink as she sipped hastily.

"N-Naruto-_kun _!" she exclaimed when his figured came into view. "Please, I want to go – "

"Hinata!"

The heiress blinked as long, lean arms threw themselves around her neck, pulling her flush against a solid frame. The smell of ginger and honey invaded her nostrils. "Sakura?" she whispered.

The pinkette released her smiled happily at her best friend, not noticing the distress in her eyes. Her pink tresses were cropped at her shoulders, no longer did the magenta locks spill down her back; Hinata noticed immediately. Her green eyes were shimmering thanks to the brown and gold eyes shadow that decorated her lids. A nude gloss was smeared over the model's full lips that stretched into a heavenly smile. She wore a nude mini dress that hugged her athletic figure and gold sandals and matching bracelets and earrings.

"Hinata you look amazing!" the model announced, standing back to admire her friend's appearance. "I love what you did to your hair."

The heiress still wasn't sure how she felt about the pinkette's short do. "You hacked your hair off, Sakura," Hinata said instead, oogling her.

Sakura wiggled her brows. "Isn't it amazing? It's a lot more freeing I think, liberating."

Hinata bobbed her head. "Yeah."

Then she remembered why she was there. "Naruto – "

The blonde groaned, looking over Hinata's head at someone behind her. "Fuck. He found me," he swore, his blonde eyes dodging about for a quick exit.

"Let's leave then," Hinata insisted, turning her head to find Sasuke stalking towards them.

"Why? I just got here," Sakura pouted.

Hinata looked to her best friend. Sakura wasn't supposed to be home until Sunday afternoon, she had plans to pick her up at the airport even. What was she doing home so early? The pinkette must have heard her thoughts because she answered; "The shoot ended early. I got an email announcing the party and there was no way I could miss this."

Hinata bobbed her head in understanding. "There he is," Sakura said under her breath, preparing herself to see Sasuke.

The raven on the other hand looked less pleased to see her, especially surrounded by the two people he suspected wanted to see him least of all. Walking towards them, he allowed Sakura to pull him into an embrace, pressing her lips to his in a familiar kiss. It was strange, Sasuke realized as she pulled back from him, her green eyes smiling.

"Congratulations, Sasuke," she said to him, smiling a little.

Something was odd in her expression, she wasn't nearly as good at hiding her feelings as she might have thought she was. Sasuke really wasn't in the mood to deal with whatever it was that was bothering her, he was already in a bad mood, he didn't need Sakura's problems to add to his stress. He thought to leave her alone but he knew he'd be in for a fight at some point if he didn't ask her now. He opened his mouth to do so but then it hit him.

"Shit..." he mumbled.

"Yeah..." she said softly.

"I meant to tell you, Sakura," he started, looking for a way out the mess he had made for himself. "It just slipped my mind."

"Something like this slipped your mind? Something this big?" she accused him.

She wasn't wrong for it either. Of course she deserved to be pissed at him.

Hinata swallowed hard as she watched the two bicker. It became clear to her that the kiss she and Sasuke shared moments ago was something she would have to keep to herself. There was no way she could tell the pinkette what happened. Judging by the look of them now, they were already on the outs and telling her this would only make things worse. Sasuke made Sakura happy and even though they were struggling now didn't mean that they wouldn't be able to pick up the pieces later. Sakura was her greatest friend in the entire world and she didn't want anything to get in the way of her happiness, not even herself.

The heiress downed the rest of her drink in one gulp, allowing her thoughts to haze over. "Naruto-_kun_," she said softly, tugging at the blonde's sleeve. He looked down at her, almost surprised to see her there. Hinata's fogging brain couldn't quite process his reaction and left it alone all together. "Take me home now?"

Naruto nodded, taking her by her elbow and stirring her through the crowd, leaving their friends to fight. The blonde snatched up his best friend's car keys in order to drop her home.

That night, Hinata emptied her stomach in the passenger seat of Sasuke's car.

* * *

_I would love reviews. Next chapter coming soon._

_Much love,_

**_Rampantt_**


	7. Breath

**_Hey everyone! I'm late with this chapter, I apologize. I had a lot going on last week. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys it, I look forward to reading your thoughts._**

* * *

**Cover My Eyes**

by, _Rampantt_

Chapter Seven: _**Breath**_

* * *

Dark gray clouds rolled over the horizon, the sun sinking behind the trees as night spilled onto the streets. Hinata sat behind the stirring wheel of her Range Rover, chewing at her bottom lip as the red light glared at her from behind the windshield. She narrowed her pale eyes at in return, wondering how long it planned to remain red for, she had been sitting there for more than a few minutes now. She began drumming at the stirring wheel, silently cursing the angry red light.

"Can you stop?"

Hinata tossed a glance to her younger sister who sat in the passenger seat. She was tucking a lock of cropped black hair behind her ear and rolling her eyes. Hinata decided to ignore her for the time being – she honestly didn't feel like dealing with her at the moment. The heiress was far too busy worrying over her position in her father's company, Neji and the incident with Sasuke to even _care _to fight with Hanabi.

"Just be quiet until we get home..." Hinata told her, sucking at her teeth.

The youngest of the two let out a huff and folded her arms across her chest, murmuring a few indecent words beneath her breath. Hinata didn't even know why she was upset, if someone else had come to get her things would have been a lot worse. Hanabi should have been grateful Hinata had even come for her in the first place.

"What the fuck..." Hanabi grumbled. "Is it going to be red forever?"

"Language..." Hinata reminded her sister.

Hanabi only continued to grumble and pressed her feet up against the glove compartment, turning her back to her sister. After what seemed like an eternity, the light shifted and the vehicle pushed forward quickly. Hinata sighed as they traveled away from the police station where she had just picked her younger sister up from. Apparently, she had been fighting with a girl over a guy she claimed she didn't care about last time Hinata checked. The heiress still couldn't believe her sister had resorted to violence, the police had informed her that Hanabi had nearly broken the girl's neck, yanking her head about by her hair. The fuss had been so bad that the school had to call the police.

"You could have gotten yourself expelled, Hanabi," Hinata said to her sister as she turned a corner.

Hanabi sucked at her teeth loudly. "It would have been worth it..."

"How exactly would getting expelled have been worth anything?" Hinata asked, shooting her sister a glance.

"Because at least I would have taught that bitch not to fuck with me."

Hinata opened her mouth to remind her of her language again but decided against it. She licked her lips and breathed out through her nose trying to think. Had her sister always been this violent? She knew Hanabi was a bit of a "mean girl" and a boarder line bully, but she never thought she would have actually beaten someone up.

"It's really not that serious, Hanabi...," Hinata said, stopping at another red light.

"You don't even know what happened..."

Hinata shrugged her shoulders. "Nothing is ever serious enough for you to _hit _someone," she explained. "Especially when you are who you are. Do you know how angry father is going to be with you? You know he hates for his children to embarrass him."

Hanabi didn't say anything this time, probably because she hadn't even thought of their father.

"See what I mean?" Hinata said.

Hinata could only imagine the sort of punishment Hiashi would hand her sister. Something this serious was not going to be taken lightly, especially by _their _father. "What if that girl presses charges? Do you know how _bad_ that would look to everyone? Colleges and employers are not going to want to hear any of your silly excuses –"

"It's not silly, Hinata!" Hanabi shouted.

Hinata looked to her sister. Her pale eyes were glassy and her cheeks and forehead red. The heiress watched as tears slipped down her sister's eyes and cheeks, clinging to her chin before finally puddling on her clean uniform shirt. "Moegi is my _best _friend..." Hanabi sobbed.

The heiress widened her opal eyes, staring at her sister as more she shed more tears. "Your...best friend?"

"Yes! How could she do that to me, Hinata?!" Hanabi shrieked, tears streaming down her pretty face, black brows crumpled. "She _knows _how I feel about Konohamaru... yet she... didn't even care..."

Hinata was at a lost for words, stunned by her sisters outburst and revelation. Her best friend had betrayed her... no wonder. Hinata could only imagine the pain her sister must have been feeling. To have someone you trust enough to call your best friend do something like that to you must be unbearable. "Hanabi..."

"I just... don't understand how she could do that to me," Hanabi said through clenched teeth, drying her eyes with the backs of her hands. "God, she's lucky they pulled me off of her."

Hinata remained silently, turning her car into the parking lot of the grocery store. Turning the engine off, she sat back in her seat and chewed her lip. What was she going to do with her sister? Her opal eyes glanced to the Hyuuga in question. She was still crying but her eyes were closed. Hinata's heart clenched to see her sister like that.

"Come on..." she said softly, unbuckling her seat belt and climbing out of the car.

Hanabi reluctantly followed suit, joining her sister by the carts. "Why are we here?"

It was a decent question to ask considering the fact that the housekeeper did all of the grocery shopping.

"Comfort food," Hinata reasoned, pulling the cart out and pushing it towards the automatic doors.

Hanabi sucked at her teeth but otherwise remained silent. She watched as Hinata dumped all sorts of goodies into the cart; chocolates and pretzels, cookies and tastie-cakes. "This will make you fat," Hanabi told her sister, eying the chocolate cupcakes her sister stored in the cart.

Hinata shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe in the long run," she said. "But for now it'll make us feel better."

Hanabi cocked a brow. "What do you have to be upset over?"

_A lot more than you'd ever know._

The eldest sister smiled and shrugged her shoulders, adding a box of crackers to the growing pile of junk. "Life I guess.."

Hanabi was silent for a while, watching as her sister added more and more junk to their cart. Her heart was still hammering in her chest, the adrenaline not quite worn off yet. The silence between them stretched on as the two wandered through the grocery store together. Hinata couldn't stop herself from thinking how similar her predicament with Sakura was to the one her sister was in with Moegi. Hinata told herself that she wasn't like Moegi exactly, she didn't do anything to intentionally hurt Sakura. She hadn't meant to kiss Sasuke, in fact, he kissed her first. A familiar headache pounded at her skull and the heiress found herself dumping more snacks into the cart. To her surprise, Hanabi had began to join in with her, adding a bag of potato chips and onion dip to the cart. Hinata studied her sister for a bit, watching the way her features calmed.

"Do you think you can forgive Moegi?" Hinata heard herself ask.

Hanabi cast a look to her sister then shook her head, turning her gaze back to the box of cereal she had been studying. "Fuck no," she answered, sucking at her teeth and putting the box on the shelf. "She'll be lucky if I never see her again."

Hinata felt her heart speed up, pounding against her ribcage in defiance. She shook her head, pushing the cart out of the isle. If Hanabi couldn't forgive Moegi then Sakura might not ever forgive her either – of course she didn't know the whole story between Moegi and Konohamaru but it was close enough to hers and Sasuke's.

How could she ever look Sakura in the face again knowing that she had willingly kissed Sasuke? Never mind how reluctant she had been in the beginning, the fact that she returned his kiss after little to no urging by him was enough to make her guilty. Her heart sank to the pit of her stomach. Hinata didn't suspect that Sakura would ever resort to such violence if she learned of what happened between her and Sasuke but she wasn't naïve enough to think she'd be forgiven either. This would surely be the end of their friendship. Hinata felt the tears stinging the back of her eyes but refused to let them surface.

"You okay?"

Hinata turned her head to find Hanabi looking to her curiously, her white eyes slightly widened. Hinata nodded her head and smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine."

But she wasn't. What was she going to do? How could she keep something like this from her friend? Hinata felt fire burning in the pit of her belly, burning her up from the inside, drying out her throat and making it almost impossible to breathe. She had committed the greatest crime against their friendship and she was certain they would never recover from it. How would Sakura ever be able to look at her? It pained Hinata to know that she would be the cause of such hurt to her best friend. Worst of all, she couldn't even tell Naruto about what happened. How could she tell Naruto, the man she loved, that she kissed his best friend? Hinata knew Naruto wasn't her boyfriend but _still_. Perhaps him not being her boyfriend was another stress to the situation. What if he didn't care outside of the fact that it would hurt Sakura? What if it didn't bother him that someone else had touched her when he hadn't? Hinata's throat continued to tighten.

"Oh.. Uchiha-_kun _is here..." Hanabi said beside her sister, effectively tearing her from her thoughts.

Hinata looked up from her cart, stopping immediately when she saw him. The very man who had been the source of all her discomfort and angst stood before her now, wearing an expression that was difficult to place.

* * *

Onyx clashed with opal and both set of eyes widened. Sasuke felt an unfamiliar bit of anxiety bite at his belly, forcing him to clench the basket he carried in his hand a bit tighter. Of all the people in the world he _had _to run into her at the grocery store.

Sasuke studied her briefly; she donned a black blouse, tucked neatly into a pair of white slacks that were held up to her waist by a thin gold belt. A pair of red-bottom, gold slingback pumps made her a lot taller than he knew her to be. Her long black hair spilled down her back in loose waves, curling around her face becomingly. His chest tightened when her opal gaze cast downward.

"Come on..." he heard her mumble to her younger sister.

He watched as she pushed her cart past him, the younger Hyuuga in toe behind her, giving him one or two odd looks before catching up to her sister.

So she was ignoring him then? Sasuke didn't know what to call how he felt but he didn't like it. He spent the last week or so going over in his mind what had transpired between himself and the Hyuuga heiress. When he thought of it, it didn't make sense. From the time he was young, she had been nothing but an annoying acquaintance, someone he never gave more than a few moments thought about. He never deemed her important or noteworthy; their blue blood was the only reason the two shared the same social circles – she was just as or possibly even more elite than he was so it only made sense for the two to be around each other. It seemed like now they had been spending even more time together and it frustrated him to an extent.

However, when Sasuke thought of it, it wasn't that they were spending more time together – honestly they had been spending the same amount of time they always had together – it was that he was just noticing her more. He noticed her more than he ever did before. He noticed what she wore. He noticed how she styled her hair. He noticed when she was genuinely smiling and when she was being polite. He noticed when she was pretending to be forgiving and polite but was actually annoyed. He _noticed _when she didn't show up for Sakura's lunch party a few days ago. He noticed a lot of things about her and what was fucking with him was that he wasn't sure _why _he was noticing all these things. Sasuke wasn't sure _why _he noticed the look on her face whenever she was with Naruto –good or bad. Sasuke wasn't sure _why _he noticed her lips more often now and _why _he felt the need to see for himself just what they felt like. And it wasn't just her lips he was noticing if he were to be honest with himself. He was noticing her in a way he hadn't really been noticing Sakura lately.

It was strange.

Strange, but he still felt himself seeking her out, secretly hoping to bump into her at the grocery market. Secretly wanting her to be half as excited to see him as he was to see her. Sure, he didn't really _expect _to see her there but it wasn't an impossible encounter since this grocery mart was the closest one to her home. He'd never admit it to himself or anyone else for that matter, but he was stalking her in a sense. He hadn't been in a desperate need for groceries because he could have went to the market around the corner from him home. Instead, he opted to travel forty minutes across town to a grocery store he _hoped _she shopped it. It was confusing yet somehow Sasuke had the clarity he sought all along. He wanted to see Hinata and since it had been a week since she made herself visible to him, he came looking for her. Sasuke realized he wanted something from her but he wasn't sure what it was just yet.

"Hinata."

It was his voice but he didn't remember opening his mouth.

Sasuke turned himself in her direction. She stood still, back rigid with anxiety. Her younger sister was staring at him with white eyes that seemed familiar but different from Hinata's at the same time. Sasuke watched as the younger sibling murmured something to her sister and he swallowed. Suddenly, she was looking over her shoulder at him, her black brows knotted together and her eyes slightly narrowed.

She was scowling at him.

He smirked.

Sasuke couldn't help it. He might have been nervous but he couldn't stop himself for thinking how odd such an expression looked on her face. He might have thought Hyuuga Hinata had limited facial expressions before but Sasuke knew now she had millions of various expressions when it came to him. Sure it might have been bad, but shit, it was something.

"Hinata," he called her name again.

He saw her frown at him then glance to her sister, murmuring something he couldn't quite place. The youngest bobbed her head and disappeared, pushing the cart down the isle to her right.

Sasuke was satisfied when the heiress began to strut towards him, the heels of her platformed shoes clacking against the tiled floor beneath her. He felt his heart twinge but ignored it, he could figure out what it meant later.

"Don't call me by my name..." she whispered once she was close enough, folding her arms across her chest and looking down at his feet.

"I thought we were close enough for it now," he commented, earning himself a slap to his arm.

"Th-that's not funny," she hissed at him, her eyes narrowing to slits.

Sasuke couldn't help his smile.

Hinata cleared her throat. "Anyway..." she began, licking her suddenly dry lips. "If you're worried about...me telling Sakura what happened... I won't."

Sasuke stared openly, surprised by her sudden admission. Sakura? When he thought of what happened between him and Hinata he never even thought of Sakura. Sasuke swallowed. He might have been in deeper than he originally assumed.

"You think I'm worried about Sakura?" he heard himself asking her.

Her jaw tensed and she shifted her weight from one leg onto the other, looking rather pained. "Of course," she hissed at him. "She's your _girlfriend._"

Sasuke continued to stare down at her.

"She's my _best _friend; I'd never want to hurt her," Hinata continued, her voice shaky. "I know you d-didn't mean anything by...what you did – "

"What _I _did? Hinata, you were there too," Sasuke argued, his brows knotting together.

"You _started _it!" she hissed.

Sasuke glared. "I can't remember you being against it."

"I pushed – it doesn't matter," she began to fight back but caught herself. The heiress took a few deep breaths before continuing. "It doesn't _matter _who did what," she said now more calm. "We both know what happened didn't mean anything so there's no reason we should tell Sakura... There's no reason for us to hurt her..."

Hinata felt her heart clenching and the tears burning at the back of her eyes. She could reason all she wanted but deep down she knew she was foul. All she could do now was protect her relationship with the pinkette and hope that she never found out. If at all possible, Hinata would take this to the grave and always keep it in her, no matter how her heart clenched and ached for her to confess, this was the only way.

"We were both obviously s-stressed and...looking for something to make us f-feel better," she continued. "That d-does mean we should d-drag Sakura into it... I think it's b-best if we...don't speak to one another w-when we d-don't have to."

This was not the conversation Sasuke was expecting to have with the Hyuuga heiress. He had no clue what kind of conversation he expected to have with her honestly, but this was most certainly nowhere near his line of assumptions. Sasuke supposed he expected her to feel what he felt, whatever that was. He cursed himself for ever having been excited to see her because she clearly could have gone without seeing him. She was saying a lot but all he got out of it was that she didn't think _he _mattered. He and his kiss were not important to her.

"Whatever."

Hinata looked at him once more, searching his face for any signs that he might not really agree with her. Apparently satisfied with what she found, she bobbed her head in acceptance.

"Okay. Goodnight, Uchiha-_san_."

Sasuke didn't say anything in return, vaguely aware of her usage of his family name as he stepped around her. Hinata could have it her way. If she didn't care then why should he? If he was nothing to her then she was even less to him.

Sasuke wasn't sure if he was more upset with her for dismissing him as she had or himself for even caring about what she thought. What he did know was that his ego had taken a massive hit from the Hyuuga heiress and he didn't appreciate it. Girls just didn't ignore him; Sasuke wasn't used to that sort of thing from them. Hinata might have always been blind to him but tonight she made it clear that she would rather pretend he didn't even exist and expected him to do the same of her.

Did she really hate him then?

He dropped his basket in a stray isle, no longer caring to keep up the rouse of actually shopping. The Uchiha felt embarrassed that he had even come this far away from his home _hoping _to run into a girl who obviously wanted nothing to do with him.

As he climbed into his vehicle a short time later, the same thoughts plagued his mind. Hinata had never been concerned with him, even as children. He could remember all the times he had been forced into play dates at the Hyuuga compound and how she had always seemed more interested in reading or painting than him and leaving her sister to cling to him as all the other girls had.

Sasuke supposed he had always hated her first as a result of her constant dismissals.

He found himself pulling into the parking garage of Sakura's high rise. It wasn't long before he was riding the elevator to her penthouse and using his key to let himself in. The pinkette seemed surprised to see him, her emerald eyes widened, staring expectantly at him from her spot on her couch. She was curled up with a bag of cheetos, looking guilty when realization set in.

"Sasuke.." she breathed, placing the bags on the coffee table and standing to her feet.

She donned a nude silk pajama set, looking comfortable with her pink tresses pulled away from her face. Sasuke watched as she licked the cheese from her fingers, not bothering to mind her manners as she would in public. If he were to be honest, he liked her better this way. It was a more honest Sakura; a finger licking, cheetos eating Sakura.

"Hey..." he said, dropping his keys on the counter.

"Hey..." she almost whispered back, studying him carefully.

He hadn't been to her apartment since his encounter with Hinata, he realized. He was immediately pissed at himself for even thinking about her while he was there. He came to Sakura's to forget about the heiress but it seemed impossible now when all he could think about was how different she had looked standing before the same scenery.

"I...wasn't expecting you..." she said softly to him, looking unsure.

Sasuke nodded. He hadn't expected to come either. "Hn."

Silence fell between them.

Sakura felt her heart racing as Sasuke moved around her kitchen, digging around her fridge. Honestly, she wasn't sure how she felt having him there. Of course, she wanted to see him, but she was still rather upset with him for not telling her about his new job. How could he _forget_ to inform her? He had an entire _party _for his success and his girlfriend didn't even know about it.

"I don't want to fight anymore, Sakura," Sasuke told her, pulling from her freezer a tub of vanilla ice cream.

The pinkette licked her lips and nodded as she watched him dig around the drawer for two spoons. "Me either..."

Sasuke smiled, just a tiny lifting of the corner of his lips. He walked around the island, ice cream and spoons in hand as he crossed into her living area and took up the seat on the couch beside where she had been.

Sakura searched his face for signs. They were struggling in their relationship and it was becoming more and more difficult by the day to pretend that things were just magically going to fix themselves. Part of her knew the only reason he stuck around so long was because her father had been sponsoring his firm. When she learned of his new job with Hyuuga Enterprises, Sakura immediately became worried. What if his success was so massive he didn't need her father's money anymore? If he didn't need the money, then he didn't need her either. Sakura was worried in that moment that he was only there now to patch things up with her so that he might hold onto her father's funding until he no longer needed it. Her heart clenched.

"Sasuke, I – "

"I've missed you."

The pinkette studied his face, looking for any signs of deceit. Her heart was pounding and her brain was telling her not to trust him but the look on his face made her want to. She _wanted _to believe everything was fine with them and that she didn't need to worry over their future any longer. Sasuke was looking at her like he wanted to fix things and hell he was there with her without her begging him to spend time with her. Moments like these were hard to come by. Sakura could feel the tears stinging the backs of her eyeballs and she wanted to cry, more than anything she wanted to cry.

"I missed you too," she breathed out, taking her place beside him and curling into his side.

* * *

Hinata found herself on Naruto's couch much later that night. She had long since stuffed her face with all sorts of fatty foods with Hanabi but the junk food binge hadn't made her feel any better after all. She was relieved when Naruto called her that night just before she was laying herself down for bed. She confessed to him everything that had been bothering her, everything but what was really weighing heavily on her mind. After a few sniffles, the blonde had figured out she was crying and immediately came to get her. Hinata was more than relieved to see him. She felt suffocated in her home and getting away was exactly what she needed.

The heiress had just gotten through spilling her heart out to the blonde, going over most of her anxiety until her throat felt raw. Her eyes were swore from all the tears that had been shed in the last hour or so. She thought time spent with Naruto would ease her but she didn't feel better at all, in fact, she felt worse.

How she _longed _to tell him her secret; how she _longed _to hear him tell her everything was fine. She needed him to convince her that Sakura would be okay and that Sakura would forgive her. Hinata needed Naruto to assure her that what happened between her and Sasuke meant nothing and jeopardize nothing. How could she get that sort of comfort when she couldn't even confess to him? What would Naruto think of her? She felt so tainted and dirty from the kiss they shared. Hanabi's issues with Moegi didn't make her feel any better either; in fact, they deepened her concerns. What if she and Sakura ended up like Hanabi and Moegi?

Hinata swallowed past the lump that lodged itself in her throat.

"You're doing fine you know," Naruto said, easing onto the couch beside her and handing her a mug of what she suspected was hot coco.

The heiress sipped, pleased by the heat that slid down her throat. "I'm not..."

"You are. Don't let the pressure get to you like this."

Hinata sipped at more of the hot beverage, trying her best to calm down. Her opal eyes looked into the kind cyan one's of Naruto's. She wished more than anything in that moment that she could spill her heart to him. She needed him to know what was really plaguing her mind. Hinata never felt more guilty in her entire life. She was keeping a secret from the two most important people to her. Would they ever forgive her if they ever found out? Hinata's stomach flopped and she closed her eyes.

What would she do if they decided to leave her? There was no way she'd ever be able to replace their friendship. How would she go on without either of them? Who would be there to comfort her when she needed it badly? Who would make sure she didn't drown herself in her responsibilities? These two people kept her sane, kept her focus, she would lose herself without them. Her heart began to race as the idea of living without them sank in. Sasuke ruined her life.

She sobbed.

"You're going to be okay," Naruto hushed her, brushing his thumb against her cheek and wiping away the tear that nestled there.

Her clear orbs fluttered open, staring into his eyes for comfort. He smiled and Hinata's stomach dipped again.

"I believe in you," he whispered, cupping her cheek in his hand.

Her heart began racing faster than before and Hinata was certain it would burst from her chest at any given moment. He held her cheek in his hand, smiling that same assuring smile that she had fallen in love with so many years ago. Naruto made her feel like maybe things would be okay, like maybe he wouldn't leave her if she told him the truth. Naruto would always be there for her. Even when he was millions of miles away Hinata knew that he was with her.

She placed her hand on his, her delicate fingers tracing over his rough skin. She smiled softly, rubbing her cheek into his calloused palm – his hands were harder than she remembered them being. Hinata supposed war would do that to a person. Her heart fluttered and her stomach flopped again as she stared into his cyan eyes, neither one of them speaking. His silence was comforting – just knowing that he was there and he _believed _in her made everything seem not so bad. She leaned closer.

And closer.

He didn't seem to mind.

Her stomach dipped in as she tilted her head up. Her heart was in her throat and she could feel his breath on her lips. Had it always been this easy? Was the only thing she needed to do was lean closer and Naruto would be hers? This whole time, had this been the only thing in her way? A few centimeters?

She pressed her lips to his and breathed.

* * *

_Thanks everyone for sticking with me and this fic. I hope this chapter was satisfying! _

_It might be a little early to say this but I can't help myself! I'm planning a sequel for this fic!_

_*confetti explodes in the air*_

_I'm not gonna give out too many details just yet since it _is _rather early to be even telling you all this. This fic is nowhere done however, if everything goes as I've planned for, there should be another...11 chapters? Haha, I know, sounds super long even for me but I think it'd be worth it. Anyway! Thanks everyone for reading my fics. _

_Also! Please vote in the poles on my profile and help me find out which fics to rewrite and which new pairing I should try. _

_Ciao,_

**- Rampantt**


	8. Graduation Fiasco

**_Hello everyone! Now I knew it's been entirely too long since I've updated and for that I apologize. I've been super busy with school but since the semester is winding down I found some time to finish this (I had the first half written for months). I don't know when the next update will be but I hope it won't be too long before I post the next chapter. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. Things should start really picking up after this one. _**

* * *

**Cover My Eyes**

by_, Rampantt _

Chapter Eight: **_Graduation Fiasco _**

* * *

_Congratulations Hyuuga Hinata for masterful completion of a Bachelor of Science in Business Management, University of Konohagakure Class of 2012, Valedictorian._

The Hyuuga heiress posed proudly withher gold-faced plaque, holding it to her chest and smiling pleasantly for the camera.

After what seemed like an eternity, with many sleepless nights and long days, she had finally completed her degree. While most of her classmates were thinking about how good it would be to finally get a decent night's rest, Hinata had other things on her mind. Today she had proven to her father that she was more than capable, more than exceptional. She had proven to him, herself and everyone else that Hyuuga Hinata was the _standard _for excellence, to strive for excellence one ought to model themselves after Hyuuga Hinata.

Her heart was racing with pride. For once in her life she was actually _better _than Neji. She had beaten him. They had both graduated from the same university under the same program but she had been the one to finished in first place.

_Take that._

"You look really pretty, _Onee-chan_," Hanabi gushed, snapping a few more pictures of her sibling.

Hinata beamed.

She donned her black graduation cap, the gold tassel resting by her cheek. Her black gown had been folded neatly over her arm and she stood in a long-sleeved navy blue dress, gold bracelets snapped around her left wrist and matching pillar earrings dangling from her ears. On her feet, a graduation present from her beloved Naruto, sparkly gold pumps with infamous red bottoms. She had received them a few days prior when the two had met for dinner. He had explained that he wouldn't be able to make it to her graduation unfortunately, but he was proud of her and wanted to congratulate her hard work with the Christian Louboutin pumps. She was saddened that he wouldn't be there to share her proudest moment with her, but the shoes made it just a little bit better.

"Alright, group shot," Sakura chimed in suddenly, ushering the Hyuugas together for a picture.

Hinata looked to her best friend. The pinkette looked glamorous as always in a deep red long sleeved dress and white pumps. Her cropped bubble gum locks were forced straight and cut new and abruptly at her chin. Her emerald orbs were glittering thanks to designer mascara and the careful black lines painted onto her eyelids. Sakura was pretty but yet somehow, Hinata thought she twinkled just a little bit brighter than the pinkette that day.

She didn't feel guilty for it either.

In fact, she didn't feel guilty for anything she felt that day.

Her family crowded around her, Hiashi by her right, Hanabi to her left and Neji just beside her father.

It felt good knowing that she was outshining so many spectacular people for once. Normally, she allowed everyone else to take the lead, let them shine as brightly as they possibly could but on this day it was her turn and she was going to enjoy every last moment of it.

The pinkette snapped several photos of the family until she was satisfied, directing them to stand closer upon occasion. "Alright, now just Hyuuga-_sama _and Hinata," she said, shooing away Neji and Hanabi.

Hinata swallowed and stood closer to her father, schooling her features until she mirrored her father's neutral expression. She held her plaque tighter to her chest as if to reassure herself that she had something to be proud of herself for despite Hiashi's cool demeanor. Sakura's smiling face behind the camera gave her confidence somehow and she found herself standing taller, straightening out her back and lifting her chin until her head was held high.

"Good," Sakura cooed, looking down at the picture on the display.

"That should be enough," Hiashi said.

Hinata bobbed her head once, pushing a lock of raven hair behind her ear.

"I'm so proud of you, _Onee-chan_," Hanabi gushed, hugging Hinata tightly once again.

The eldest sister smiled a bit and cleared her throat. "Hn."

"Neji and I have work to attend to, however, I expect to see you in my office Monday morning, Hinata," Hiashi said.

"Yes, Father," the heiress said.

"Are you coming?" Neji asked Hanabi.

She shook her head. "Sakura says I'm old enough to party with them now."

Neji cast the two of them – Sakura and Hinata – a look. Sakura smiled guiltily.

"You know that's out of the question."

Hanabi pouted. "But Neji! They said I could go! Why are you being so mean!" she cried, running after him after he started walking away.

Hinata ignored them. She held her plaque tightly, watching as her father and brother walked away from them. Her heart was racing as she thought of the conversation she would be having with her father within the next few days. Her entire life had been leading up to this moment – finally she had proven to her father that was worthy. At one point it seemed impossible and she remembered countless times how badly she wanted to quit, how easy it would have been just to live off her inheritance money and live a carefree life; after all, that's what everyone else her age were doing anyway. She wouldn't have needed to work as hard as she did, Neji could easily run her father's company and she could have easily lived a life of comfort. Yet, that just wasn't nearly as satisfying. That kind of life was what she imagined many people dreamed of, but it wasn't for Hinata. She dreamed of proving her worth, of running the company that had been in her family for generations. It was her birth right to run Hyuuga Enterprises and she would rather die than watch her cousin run it instead of her.

She breathed out slowly. She was here and she wasn't going anywhere.

* * *

Sasuke would have rather to be anywhere but there and it was probably obvious too. He stood scowling in the corner, observing all of his friends and acquaintances as they mingled with one another, music playing mildly in the background. There was probably no place he wouldn't rather be than there. It had been three weeks since he last seen the Hyuuga heiress and he cursed himself for even have kept count of the days. It wasn't like he could help it however.

He had committed himself to fixing his relationship with Sakura but as he thought of it more he realized he only decided to be with Sakura out of retaliation to Hinata's snub. If she didn't need him than he definitely didn't need her and when he thought about it, he didn't even _like _her. So fuck her.

But even as he decided to move on from Hinata and spend more time with his girlfriend, all he ever did when they were together was notice that she _wasn't _Hinata. He found himself wondering how Hinata might do something Sakura did. How might Hinata make breakfast in the mornings? How might Hinata's voicemails sound on his phone? Would Hinata even leave a voicemail? He wondered what movies and TV shows Hinata would force him into watching with her, what her favorite places to shop were, how often did she shop? The more time he spent with Sakura the more he thought of Hinata.

Sasuke was going crazy and if he were being honest with himself he wasn't that upset about having to attend her graduation party, in fact, he was anxious to see her again after so long. How might she act towards him? Would she ignore him? Would she even notice him to even ignore him? Would she be with Naruto the entire night, flaunting her affection for him in his face? Would she be jealous seeing how happy he and Sakura were now? Would she wish to take Sakura's place? Would she think she made a mistake turning him down in the grocery store? Probably not. Sakura and himself weren't even that happy for anyone to be jealous of them.

Obviously, Sakura was happy however. She was so oblivious to Sasuke's real feelings that sometimes he wondered how she could even claim to love him when she didn't even know him. Sometimes he wondered if he ought to just break up with her like he wanted to since staying with her wasn't making him happy and it wasn't like Hinata even cared either. It became harder and harder to tell why he wasn't even in the relationship anyway.

Of course he loved Sakura but it was more of a love one felt for an old friend. Sakura was someone he'd never be able to replace in his life but that didn't mean he was in love with her. Of course he wanted to see her happy and he wanted the best for her and it one point he might have really been in love with her but now he needed something different. Sasuke wondered how Sakura couldn't see that and if she did, why didn't she need something different at this point? They were so different from one another and had so little in common.

Sakura had no idea what hard work looked like and was perfectly fine living off of her family's wealth. She was the true definition of an heiress and socialite. Sure, being with Sakura had it's benefits but was it worth it at this point? Sasuke was perhaps ten times more wealthy than Sakura in terms of family assets and even had more social access than she did so it wasn't like he really needed her. Sasuke was estranged from his family because he didn't _want _to get ahead using his family and their money. With the deal he closed with H.E he didn't even need her father's support either so what as holding him to her other than the feeling of comfort that came from being with someone who simply _knew _him, or rather someone that he simply knew?

Sasuke's scowl deepened.

"There she is!" he heard someone say.

He looked up immediately, to his later disgust, and there _she _was.

Hinata donned a sleeved, purple lace dress that did little to hide the curves of her frame. It cupped her derriere perfectly and allowed a generous amount of cleavage, just enough to make the mind wonder. On her feet were a pair of nude pumps with notorious red bottoms, making her much taller than she would have been without them. Her long black hair tumbled down her shoulders and back in large, loose waves, her bangs curled away from her face in slight wings. Silver eye-liner on her water line made her white eyes seem so much clearer.

She was smiling, _really _smiling, Sasuke noticed and he couldn't stop staring at her. He wasn't sure how long he had been staring at her before he realized what he was doing, but it was far longer than he was comfortable with. Scowling, he tore his gaze from her, only to find someone else staring at him.

Emerald eyes focused hard on him, wide with question. Catching himself, Sasuke cleared his throat and relaxed, bobbing his head to tell her he sees her too. Sakura continued to stare at him, her eyes asking him things her mouth would never dare to. She tore her gaze from his to look to her best friend who stood beside her.

Hinata was beautiful, Sakura noted, she had always been but the way Sasuke had been looking at her made the pinkette uncomfortable. When had he ever looked at _her_ that way?

"What's wrong?" she heard Hinata ask.

She must have been staring at her because the heiress was looking at her curiously. "You okay?"

Sakura bobbed her head once, offering her dear friend a small smile. "Of course. I'm just really happy for you."

Hinata, seeming to believe her, smiled gorgeously. Sakura felt her heart pang. "I'm really happy for me too."

Sakura laughed instantly and squeezed the heiress against her. She loved this girl and this girl loved her, so what if Sasuke noticed her? Hinata was beautiful and deserved to be noticed. There was nothing to worry about. Nothing at all.

Hinata on the other hand had a different thought process.

She hadn't seen him yet, but knowing Sakura, she invited him. But then, why wouldn't she? Nothing happened between them and everything was normal – or at least she needed to pretend things were that way, if she continued to avoid him like she had been then it'd become obvious that something was up. Hinata wasn't sure how many social gatherings she could skip out on before Sakura called her out on it. If it were up to her, she would have even opted out of a huge party for herself but there was no way she could do that without looking suspicious. For now she would have to suck it up.

Hinata had to admit however, Sakura had out done herself. The hall she rented for the occasion was exquisite, Hinata honestly hadn't expected Sakura to go all out. She was usually content with small house gatherings but if she were being honest with herself she liked being fussed over, it wasn't a usual occurrence.

"I'm really proud of you babe," Sakura said, pulling away from the heiress and smiling.

The heiress blushed just a bit, casting her shy glance towards her feet.

"Don't be like that," Sakura urged, stirring her raven haired best friend further into the party where she was met with smiling faces and loud cheering. "Tonight is your time to shine Hyuuga Hinata."

Hinata nodded her head, agreeing. Tonight really _was _her time to shine and she wasn't going to let someone as insignificant as Uchiha Sasuke and his staring ruin it for her. There was however, one person who _could _make the night more memorable.

Her white eyes began darting around the room in search of that familiar blonde mop. Her heart was racing at the thought of seeing him again. Truthfully, she had been so busy with school and work she hadn't gotten to see him as often as she typically did. If she were counting the days, not that she had been but if she were, it had been over a week, nine days to be exact. Their phone conversations had been shorter and fewer in between as well. Hinata was really starting to feel lonely. However, her approaching party kept her sane; she knew she would be reunited with him then, there was no way he'd miss her important day.

However, the more she searched with her eyes, the more she began to panic. _Naruto's here isn't he?_

Hinata turned to ask Sakura the same question but her opal eyes found the onyx gaze of the man she was so desperate to avoid. Her heart became lodged in her throat as she took him in. He stood there, all six plus feet of him, towering over her despite the pumps she donned. His skin looked pale as always and she noticed the tell-tale signs of bagging under his eyes. The heiress caught herself beginning to worry over him and it startled her. Hinata cleared her throat and looked away at last, realizing only too late just how long she had been staring at him for.

She composed her self quick enough for the pinkette to notice, however. Hinata fought the pounding in her chest as she watched Sakura latch onto his arm, pressing her small frame into him and leaning in for a kiss. The heiress swallowed hard, drowning out the sounds around her and turning her head from the scene before her. It was strange... she had seen Sakura and Sasuke kiss millions of times but never before did her chest burn and her throat close up like this. She breathed slowly throat her nose and waited for them to finish before she looked to them once more.

"Thank you for coming, Uchiha-_san_," she heard her voice say. Manners would not allow her to remain silent for much longer.

His gaze met hers in what she realized was a very long time. The familiar ache returned but ten times worse. Hinata was certain the wretched organ would burst from her chest at any given moment. Since when did Uchiha Sasuke have this kind of affect on her?

Hinata watched as the corners of his lips quirked just a bit; as if he knew what his presence was doing to' her.

Her belly flipped. She could throw up at the sight he and Sakura made.

"Thank you for having me," he said, his voice deep and thick, different from how she remembered it.

Hinata forced a polite smile. "Really all the thanks and admiration goes to Sakura for even throwing such a nice event for me."

Sakura smiled at her best friend again, nuzzling her face into Sasuke's bicep and making Hinata silently uncomfortable. "I told you already Hinata, you deserve this."

Hinata smiled a bit, feeling suddenly embarrassed after having had been under Sasuke's scrutiny for so long – not that it was long at all really, she just wanted to be away from him.

"Have you seen Naruto?" Hinata asked, breaking the suffocating silence.

Sasuke felt a tick starting in his jaw. Just hearing her say the blonde's name annoyed him. He felt his arm wrapping around Sakura's waist, holding her closer to him. He narrowed his eyes just a bit. Was she talking to him?

"I'm not sure," Sakura answered when he didn't. "I invited him this time so I don't want to hear any crap out of him later," she said with a huff.

Hinata bobbed her head, averting her gaze from the couple. She didn't like how...jealous seeing them together made her. She didn't like the feeling in her chest, the ache in her heart or the throbbing around her temples. She was going to be made sick if she stood around them any longer. Her opal gaze scanned the sea of smiling faces once again, in search of the only face that mattered to her at that moment.

"It's strange of him not to be here yet..." Hinata said after a few moments, still searching the crowd for the blonde.

"He's probably got more important things to take care of," Sasuke suggested.

"Sasuke!" Sakura exclaimed, swatting at his arm.

Hinata swallowed past the thick lump that lodged itself in her throat, turning her gaze back to them, or rather to Sasuke's. She smiled a familiar smile. "Probably."

The tension between the group was plausible. Sakura found herself looking between the two of them, not quite sure what was going on but she knew it was _something. _Sasuke had been acting really strange the past few weeks, she noticed. It wasn't that she didn't like the attention he was giving her, she did, but something about it just wasn't sitting right. She didn't want to say it wasn't genuine or sincere but something was missing. Something was going on with him. Standing there now, looking between him and her best friend she couldn't shake the feeling that it might have something to do with the heiress.

"I'm gonna get a drink," the heiress announced, tearing her gaze from the couple and making her way through the crowd.

Her head and her chest were both pounding. It was as if she had been holding her breath up until this point. Keeping the truth to herself was going to be a lot harder than she imagined, especially if her chest felt like this every time she saw Sasuke with Sakura. Where was Naruto when she needed him? He had been acting so differently lately, where was he?

The heiress wound up at the bar, she scooted onto the stool, holding her dress in place much like a lady ought to. She blew out a puff of air, trying to relax but to no success.

"You look like you could use a drink," a voice interrupted her thoughts. "What'll ya be having?"

Hinata looked up from her hands and found a handsome young bartender smiling encouragingly at her. The heiress bobbed her head once then forced herself to smile. "Champagne?"

He corked a brow. "Fancy."

Hinata's smile widened a bit. "Well, I _am _celebrating," she mentioned. "I just graduated."

"Ah... so this shindig is all for you," he commented, fetching the champagne from the shelves behind him.

The heiress nodded once, watching as he fished out a long crystal flute and poured champagne generously into it. "Yeah, my friend can be a bit overboard sometimes."

He offered her a smile. "At least she was thoughtful enough to give you such an extravagant party," he reasoned, offering her the flute.

A pain started in her chest, forcing the raven to clutch at her dress trying to soothe the ache there. "She is really thoughtful," she said softly as if to herself.

"Then why do you look so sad?"

Hinata looked up, opal orbs widened. "I was that obvious, huh?" she asked, schooling her features almost immediately.

He nodded his head and leaned against the bar ready for her to confess her worries to him. Hinata didn't know what it was that made her do it, but she had a sneaky suspicion about it however. It must have been the fact that he simply asked that made her so ready to tell everything to him much like she would have if Sakura bothered to noticed her feelings, she realized. The only reason Hinata hadn't confessed sooner was because no one had ever asked her directly what was troubling her.

She took a thick gulp of her champagne, letting it burn the back of her throat before speaking.

"I think I like my best friend's boyfriend."

The bartender didn't say anything at first. He seemed to just be taking everything in and considering what he might say.

"Well, that's definitely not the _worst _thing I've ever heard," he started. "But there's nothing wrong with that, honestly."

Hinata began shaking her head. "No, there is. How could I –"

"How could you not?" he interjected. "People can't control how they feel no matter how hard they may try. The fact that you're _feeling _at all means that there's nothing wrong with you. It's the situation that's fucked."

The heiress stared at him in wonder. He wasn't making her feel better but he did give her another way of thinking about the mess she was in. This entire time she had been blaming herself for everything that had been going on, but how was any of it her fault? How could she have controlled her feelings? God knew she had tried.

"What you _should _however, think about it, is what are you going to do with those feelings?"

Hinata looked down at he flute, peering at the gold liquid inside. What was she going to do? "Well... The best I can do is just...stay out of their way... out of their happiness..." she mumbled.

The bartender nodded. "Yeah, you could do that," he answered. "But what about your happiness?"

The heiress frowned into her glass. She had never really considered her happiness in terms of Sakura and Sasuke. Grabbing the flute, the downed the firey beverage and allowed it to burn the inside of her throat. "I'll be fine..." she mumbled, setting the flute down.

"More than fine, in fact," she went on to say. Because when she thought of it – "I already have someone."

"Do you?"

"Yeah..." she said hesitantly.

She had Naruto. Her whole life, the only man she had ever seriously wanted was Naruto. It was a little frightening to know that she was having these kinds of reactions to someone like Uchiha Sasuke when not too long ago, the only person who could make her feel _was _Naruto. But that didn't change anything, she told herself. Sakura had Sasuke and that was how it was supposed to be. She on the other hand, had to put more effort into Naruto. But where was he?

The bartender quirked a brow at this admission. He seemed to be considering what she said for a while before he spoke again. "Then if you have someone why worry so much over your friend's boyfriend?"

Hinata licked her lips and wondered. _Why _did she feel this way? Naruto had always been enough for her. It wasn't until she and Sasuke kissed that things changed, Hinata thought. The person she loved deep down was and would always be Naruto. So why then did Sasuke make her so nervous and why did it hurt so much to see him with Sakura now? The heiress chewed at her bottom lip.

"I don't know..." she whispered mostly to herself. "Can I have something a bit stronger?"

The bartender nodded. "What'll it be?"

Hinata shrugged. "I don't know... something to make the thoughts go away."

"You got it."

He reached down below the bar returned with a tall bottle of brown liquor; a brand the heiress had never seen before. Hinata watched with her opal eyes as he fixed her a set of shots then sliced up a few lemons. He turned away again and came back with a little salt shaker which made her curious.

"I'm gonna teach you something new," he told her.

The heiress couldn't think of any reason to say no and so nodded her head.

"Okay, this is gonna sound a little strange but trust me," he began. "Lick the back of your hand a little."

Hinata quirked her brow at him, a little hesitant to follow his instruction.

"Trust me."

Hinata blew out a breath. _Fuck it. _She licked the back of her hand like he said and watched as he sprinkled the salt onto her skin.

"Okay, so this is what you're gonna do: you're gonna lick the salt off then quickly take your shot, then I want you to bite into this lemon," he instructed her, handing her the lemon wedge.

Hinata nodded, accepting the fruit from him and watching as he licked and sprinkled salt onto the back of his hand as well.

"One, two...three."

Quickly, the heiress licked at her hand, the salt an interesting taste in her mouth. Luckily it didn't last long because she was soon throwing back her shot and biting into the lemon. She tried to pull away at first but found the sensation wasn't so bad after a while, in fact it was pretty good.

"Wow..." she sighed, pulling the lemon from her teeth.

"Mhm. You want another one?"

"Yeah," she responded a little more enthusiastic this time.

Hinata watched as he poured several more shots. Eventually she was tossing back shot after shot, having had lost count a while ago. A wide smile stretched her lips apart and she wasn't quite sure who she was talking to anymore and what they were even talking about but it was a pleasant enough conversation.

"Hinata?"

The heiress felt her back straighten at the sound of her name. She couldn't quite place the voice in her head so she swung herself around, the world spinning with her and her stomach dipping. She felt strong hands grabbing onto her back to steady her. Who was touching her?

"Hinata, get yourself together," the voice demanded.

Who was talking?

"Wait... I still have more...in my...glass," she slurred, spinning around again in an attempt to grab her drink.

Her stomach flipped again.

"Put that down!" she heard the voice again, her drink being pulled away from her slippery hands.

Was she sweating?

"God, how long have you been sitting here for? Huh? No, she's fine, thank you."

Hinata tried opening her eyes, not realizing they were even closed at first. "Who...?"

"Hinata!"

Strong hands again; she had been slipping out of her seat and they were there to rescue her. She laid her head against the strong frame the suddenly crowded her. There was something comforting about this stranger, she realized. The heiress nuzzled herself closer, practically clinging.

"Hinata..."

Her back went stiff as a familiar scent filled her nostrils. "Naruto..."

"Hn. I'm here.."

Her opal eyes fluttered and a wide smiled graced her lips. "You made it."

"Hn."

Suddenly she was being lifted from her stool, the world flopping beneath her feet. She latched on to the broad shoulders of the frame that held her, resting her head against his chest.

"You're really wrecked..."

The heiress smiled, nuzzling her face into his shirt. "It's okay...since...you're here...now..." she breathed out, carefully going over her words.

"Hn. But, you can only do that in front of me, no more getting drunk in public, okay?"

Hinata opened her eyes and stared up at him admiring the planes of his face, the straightness of his nose and the fullness of his lips. "Where have you been?"

"Does that matter?" he asked her, carrying her away from the bar.

"Yes."

Naruto was silent. Instead he adjusted her, propping her against his shoulder, one arm on her back and the other under her bottom. The heiress nuzzled her face into his neck and breathed. She could almost forget Sasuke and her best friend. With Naruto she could pretend that couple didn't exist – she didn't even know them. The only person who mattered now was Naruto. Her stomach lurched.

Where was he before however, when she needed him to save her from Sasuke? Where was he when she was looking for him?

"You're late..." she whispered against his skin.

"Ah. I'm sorry."

She was silent for a while but then her eyes fluttered open and she could almost place where she was. "I need some water," she told him.

Hinata felt him nod his head, blonde locks brushing against her cheek. In a few moments she was being placed on her feet, carefully and gently. "Don't move okay?"

The heiress bobbed her head once and immediately regretted it. Her stomach dipped again and she clenched at the fabric of her dress. Silently she prayed she wouldn't throw up like last time. Sasuke had never mentioned her accident in his car and part of her wondered why. She would have offered to pay for the cleaning but she was far too embarrassed to even bring it up.

_Sasuke..._

Hinata swallowed past the thick lump that lodged itself in her throat at the mere thought of his name. Why was she feeling like this so suddenly? She was the one who decided they should have nothing to do with one another, and yet, why was she feeling so lonely? Better yet, what was there to feel lonely for? It wasn't like Sasuke and her were the best of friends and she so suddenly had to cut him off. She didn't even _know _Sasuke when she thought of it. So why then did she miss him? Why did her chest ache when she witnessed him with Sakura? Why?

She chewed lightly at the bottom of her lip, feeling sicker than before.

"There you are!"

Hinata blinked a few times, a feminine voice pulling her from her thoughts.

Sakura.

The pinkette pushed through the crowd to find her, Sasuke in toe behind her.

The heiress swallowed again at the sight of them. Couldn't they just leave her alone? Why was Sakura always bringing Sasuke around her? Hinata had never minded before but when she thought of it, Sakura was always...showing him off. She dangled him in front of her constantly and Hinata was beginning to wonder if Sakura was doing it on purpose?

"_Oh look how happy I am, Hinata. Look at me and my perfect boyfriend and our perfect relationship" _Hinata imagined her best friend saying.

Or maybe Hinata was over-thinking things once again.

"Hn," she mumbled softly, standing up straighter.

"I went by the bar to check up on you and you were gone," Sakura explained. "Did you see Naruto yet?"

Hinata nodded her head, trying her best to avoid eye contact with the Uchiha who loomed in the background of their conversation.

Sakura grinned. "He came in with a large white box, did he show it to you yet?"

Hinata's eyes widened a bit, the sound of a gift bringing her out of her gloom, if only for a few moments. "No, he... didn't," she responded, her speech still slurred. "I w-wonder... what h-heeee got m-meeee..."

Sasuke scowled. She was pissy drunk yet again. He was beginning to wonder if she had a problem. There was no doubt in his mind that Sakura would insist on bringing the drunken mess home and Sasuke would have to deal with whatever she left in the backseat of his car this time. Part of him was still a little ticked about the last time the heiress had been in his car.

"Anyway," he interjected. "Naruto seems to have found her so we should leave them alone."

Sakura's head whirled around faster than Sasuke expected. Her emerald orbs shot him a look that told him she wasn't even close to agreeing. "We can't just _leave _her Sasuke."

"Why not? Naruto is here, he'll take care of her."

"Well, I want to see what his gift is."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Is the gift for _you_?"

"What are you getting at?" Sakura demanded, pink brows crumpling.

"Nothing."

"No, you've got something on your mind, what is it?" the pinkette pressed.

Sasuke was silent for a while, unsure of whether it was wise to tell the truth or if his best bet was to drop it all together.

"Nothing," he insisted.

"No, it's something. Right Hinata? It's something and he should tell me – or us rather – what's got his panties in such a knot."

Hinata hesitated, her drunken and foggy mind not quite sure why she was being included in whatever argument the two were having. "I d-don't –"

"Don't drag her into this."

"Whatever your problem is, it has to do with Hinata," Sakura insisted.

Sasuke swallowed hard and cursed himself immediately afterward – Sakura would not have missed it.

"I _knew _it had something to do with her. You've been acting so strange lately and not even just since we got here either; don't think I haven't noticed."

Hinata began to panic. Sakura was looking between the two of them, her and Sasuke, and she had no clue what to do.

_Oh no. _

What if she figured it out? If she noticed how strange Sasuke had been acting then what if she picked up on how Hinata had been feeling towards him? What if she realized the truth. What if she got mad and never wanted to speak to her again? What if she –

Suddenly the heiress was hunched over and emptying her stomach onto the floor before her. She couldn't stop it, it just kept coming and coming. Tears poured from her eyes and snot from her nose as her stomach heaved. She could hear gasping around her and people shuffling back.

_Uh oh..._

"Oh my God, Hinata!" the pinkette gasped, stumbling around the puke on the ground to grab her best friend's hair quickly. "Not here Hinata, no."

"I'm s-sorry..." the heiress sniffled.

Sasuke frowned watching as Sakura disappeared with Hinata, the crowd separating for them. He was pissed with the Hyuuga heiress for drinking so much yet again and making another mess. Didn't she have any better way to deal with her problems? Not that he was any better really. Sasuke might have been just as self destructive as Hinata was in his own way.

Sasuke wasn't dumb however, he knew exactly why she ended up drinking so much. He pushed her into it. Sakura didn't force him to come like so many other times, in fact, she told him he didn't have to come if he didn't want to. It was part of her plan to get them back on track with one another; no more forcing him into things she knew he'd rather not be apart of. If he were being honest with himself, he just wanted to see Hinata. Even if it was only for a few awkward minutes, at least she'd be looking at him and acknowledging him and that was better than nothing at all.

Honestly he was mad at Hinata for more than just the drinking. It was everything. He knew things were fucked and he knew it was his fault, but she was making everything harder than it had to be. Why couldn't they just... _Just what? _

He pushed a hand through his raven locks and breathed.

_Just what?_

"I told that girl not to move," a voice cut in.

Sasuke looked up from his thoughts to find Naruto standing beside him, a bottle of water in hand. "Jeez... this wasn't her, was it?" he asked, referring to the vomit on the floor.

Great. Just the person he didn't want to see. Naruto was his _best _friend. The only person would could put up with his moodiness without fighting him about it until he was really out of line. Naruto knew him best and Sasuke was sure he knew Naruto best as well. It was interesting how one girl could make him not even like his best friend. Sasuke just couldn't understand what the heiress saw in Naruto that she didn't see in him.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted.

The blonde sighed. "I should have gotten here sooner."

"No shit," Sasuke agreed.

Naruto frowned, jabbing him in the arm. "I had something to do."

"Like what?"

A sneaky grin stretched a blonde's lips apart. "A date."

Sasuke stared at his best friend, quirking a brow. "A date?"

"Ah," Naruto responded. "Blonde girl I met in town a while ago. I don't know man, this could turn into something."

"What?"

"I mean, I really like her," Naruto said to his friend, smiling from just thinking about her. "She's really cool, I don't know. Never met anyone like her."

"What about Hinata?"

It was the blonde's turn to quirk a brow. "What about her?"

Sasuke's brows crumpled and he could feel himself frowning. "You're really going to pretend you don't know what I'm talking about?"

Naruto stared at him for a long time, standing his ground before finally giving in. "I don't know... I mean, I love her, I do, but more like a sister than anything else."

"A sister?"

"Yeah. I mean, if she's having a problem then I want her to come to me. I want to take care of her, protect her, but as my sister."

Sasuke didn't even bother to fight the anger that was boiling up inside him. If that was the case then, "Why are you leading her on?" he heard himself ask.

Naruto looked surprised at first and then a wave of guilt washed over him. "I'm not," he answered. "Things just got a little out of control and then I guess I was too scared to tell her the truth."

"So playing around with her is your only choice? You know why she got so drunk Naruto? Because she thought you weren't coming to her party. You should have seen the way she was looking for you? And where were you? Out with some other girl and now you want to show up and take care of her?"

The blonde stared wide eyed at his friend, bewildered by his outburst. At first Naruto didn't know what to say but it wasn't long before he found his words. "Why do you care so much?"

"I don't," Sasuke snapped.

"You were just ripping me a new one over this. You don't even _like _Hinata, why do you care what goes on between the two of us?" Naruto questioned his best friend, his frown now matching Sasuke's.

"I don't. But I know I'll be forced to hear all about what a jerk you are once Hinata goes running to Sakura about you," he reasoned.

Naruto snorted. "Bullshit. Don't try to lie to me _teme_, I _know _you."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "If you know me so well then why don't you tell me why I care so much? Hmmm?"

"You like her."

Sasuke's back straightened and he swallowed past the lump in his throat. "What are you even talking about?"

"You can lie to yourself but you can't lie to me," Naruto responded. "You better stay away from her _teme_, the last thing Hinata needs is you fucking up her life."

"And since when do you know what Hinata needs? Since when do you _care _about what Hinata needs?" Sasuke found himself arguing.

"So you _do_ like her?" Naruto challenged.

"I don't like her."

"You're lying."

"You know what?" Sasuke started, spotting Sakura making her way towards them, supporting Hinata's arm over her shoulder, the two walking carefully. "_You _stay away from Hinata. She doesn't need _you _fucking up her life. Look what you've done so far. You think you're she's going to congratulate you and your new relationship? Get real.

"Let's go Sakura. Give her to me," he said, ignoring his best friend and lifting the heiress off her feet and hoisting her over his shoulder.

The pinkette bobbed her head, allowing Hinata to be taken from her. "Goodnight Naruto," she said, patting his shoulder as Sasuke began walking away with Hinata.

"Goodnight," he responded. "Do you mind giving Hinata her gift for me?"

"Sure Naruto."

"Wait right here and I'll go get it," he said, walking off into the crowd.

Sakura stood there and watched him leave. Something wasn't right. Sasuke and Naruto must have been having a fight before she got there because she could sense the tension between the two of them immediately. Something was telling her it had to do with Hinata. She didn't know why or what was making her feel this way but she was. The pinkette was certain that whatever drama that was about to unfold had something to do with the heiress. She just hoped whatever it was didn't change anything between them.

* * *

_Thank you for reading, until next time everyone._


	9. What Love Has Done To Me Part I

_**Hello everyone! Thank you again for sticking by me and this story. Every review means so much to me and are very helpful believe it or not. However, I know I'm always saying I love any kind of review because it motivates me to write better, I have received some very nasty Guest reviews.**_

_** If you're upset about the direction I've taken with this story, I am very sorry and all I can do is suggest you read something else. **__**Writing me hateful messages won't change anything. Had you asked me nicely, I would have had no problem uploading the old version of this story. Writing fanfiction is something that I do for fun, that being said I am not paid to do this, I don't owe anyone anything; you are not entitled to anything that I write.**_

_** I do, however, appreciate how many people read and love this story as much as I do. Your support means a lot to me.**_

_**Enough of this message, lets get to the fun part =]**_

* * *

**Cover My Eyes**

by, _Rampantt_

Chapter Nine: _**"What Love Has Done To Me" Part One**_

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke's patience was wearing thin.

He sat at his desk in his home office, looking over the blue prints of his dream hotel. His left thumb was caught between his lips and he found himself trying desperately not to bite into his own flesh until he drew blood.

"So I went back to _Trish and Taylor _the other day, you know, to see if the beige finally came in," Sakura was rambling.

How Sasuke got himself into such conversations he had no clue. Then again, he supposed his first mistake was asking his girlfriend about her day, his second was actually paying attention to the first half of her nonsense. Sasuke didn't know what to do, honestly, he was trying to do the right thing. Do right by Sakura, give her more than just half-hearted attempts at romance but it was becoming more and more difficult by the day.

He didn't understand it. It hadn't been _this _difficult to be with her up until this point. There was a time when he really did enjoy her company and didn't need to pretend to be interested in their relationship; where the spark had disappeared to Sasuke wasn't sure. What he _was _sure about was that he wanted more and what he wanted Sakura could no longer offer. But how was he supposed to tell her what he was feeling?

"_Sakura... I think I want to be with Hinata."_

"_My best friend?" she'd ask, bewildered by his sudden confession._

"_Ah."_

_Then, from her Louis Vuitton pouch she'd pull out a rather menacing looking blade and with it, she'd plunge deep into the cavity of his chest, piercing the selfish organ that beat below. _

Sasuke doubted that would be her _exact _reaction however, knowing how dramatic the bubble gum princess could be, anything was possible.

"They were out, _surprise surprise_, once again so I ended up purchasing the brown one after all. You know, it's not that bad really. I think it'd look really cute with –"

"Sakura, _please_, could we talk about something else?" Sasuke nearly begged, running a pale set of fingers through his dark locks, pushing the rebel tresses away from his face.

Her emerald gaze widened just a bit, shocked by his sudden annoyance. She nodded however, pushing her slightly bruised ego aside.

There was silence between the two of them for a while, a silence Sasuke took refuge in. He sat back in his chair, focusing on the blue prints in front of him once again. Production was starting next week and nothing could stop the nerves that bubbled in his belly. He felt like he might throw up. The weight of his success was still hard for him to grasp. Sometimes he woke up in the middle of the night, wondering if the previous day had been a dream and if he was still in his bedroom on the Uchiha compound. But everyday, he got out of bed and faced himself in the mirror – faced his future. He told himself there was no reason to back away now; he finally had everything he worked hard for and he did it without _them_.

"There is something else I want to talk to you about actually," Sakura said, taking the love seat by the wall.

He looked up from the blueprints to her. "Hn."

The pinkette was hesitant for a few moments. From what Sasuke could tell, she seemed to be having an internal struggle with whatever it was she wanted to talk about. He wasn't going to push it however, he _honestly _didn't care. Before him was his future, what was more interesting to him than that?

He glanced down at the blueprints again.

Only then, when he was no longer boring into her with those onyx hues could Sakura find the courage to say what was on her mind.

"What if we got married?"

Sasuke didn't look up from his blueprints at first. For a while, he wondered if he had heard her wrong and simply waited for her to repeat herself. However, when the silence stretched on he had no other choice but to accept that she was serious. He looked up at her.

Sakura was smiling nervously, her heart beating at the speed of light and she was so certain that it would give out on her at any second. "I was...talking to my father and he seems to think it's a good idea."

Sasuke ran both hands through his hair, his fingers intertwining in the back of his head as he rested his elbows on his desk. "Marriage?" he almost whispered.

Could he marry Sakura? He looked up at her once again to find her fidgeting nervously; readjusting herself in the love seat over and over again. The action made him think of a certain woman with eyes of opal and hair of obsidian.

"You don't have to answer now, you know," she said nervously, disrupting his thoughts. "Obviously I couldn't expect you to know right away. I just... didn't want to wait...anymore..." her voice broke apart at the end.

He hated her in that moment for making him feel like such an asshole. How was he supposed to tell her how he really felt and what he really wanted when she was visibly falling apart. Sasuke wasn't a fool; he knew Sakura well enough to know she dreamed of the perfect marriage, the perfect wedding and the perfect husband. Sakura deserved all of that, despite how he felt about her. Actually, how he felt about her was reason enough for Sasuke to believe he wasn't the one who could give that sort of thing to her. So if he knew that all along then why had he wasted so much of her time? Of _his _time?

"Sakura I –"

"Don't answer now," she cut him off, standing up abruptly. "You should take some time to think about it, honestly think about it."

That was the problem, he didn't need to think about it at all. He already knew his answer. Telling Sakura the truth was another problem however.

He stood slowly from his seat, watching as she gathered up her things; sliding her arms into her forest green winter coat and sliding her Louis Vuitton wristlet into place.

"I can't marry you, Sakura," he told her gently.

She eyes widened at his rejection and her heart clenched immediately. The pinkette turned from him, giving him her back so he wouldn't see the water that bubbled up in the corners of her eyes.

Sasuke understood what the trembling of her shoulders meant and guilt like none other boiled in his chest. He had been the reason for so much of Sakura's pain before but it never fazed him like it did now. Sasuke wondered if it was because now he had someone he never wanted to see like that and he could see her in Sakura at that moment? He wondered how he'd feel if Hinata was the one crying because some jerk had broken her heart.

He walked slowly from behind the desk and Sakura counted each foot step in her head. Why hadn't she seen this coming? What had she honestly expected from him? "Don't come any closer... p-please..." she whispered, the first tear spilling down her cheek.

He obeyed, pausing mid step to allow her the space she requested. What was he supposed to say now? They were breaking up now, weren't they?

"This is it...isn't it, Sasuke?" she asked him, wiping her cheek with the back of her hand forcing her eyes not to betray her anymore. She cried enough over Sasuke over the years and she wasn't going to allow him to see her cry anymore.

Sasuke was quiet, not sure what to say. But here was his chance at last, his chance to be free of the cage he felt he was trapped in. Free to breathe after years of suffocating. Free of any more guilt. Sasuke had never felt like more of a bastard than he did in those few silent moments but he had to let her go. "Yeah."

* * *

Hinata rushed over to Sakura's place as soon as she got off work. Traffic had seemed to be more hectic than usual and Hinata found herself becoming frustrated on more than one occasion. When she reached the apartment building she took the fancy gold elevator by the end of the hall all the way to the east penthouse. She spilled out into the hall just before Sakura's door and hesitated.

What was she supposed to say to Sakura?

Hinata stared at the chestnut door for answers. The heiress felt like she shouldn't even have been the one to come see her. How could she when secretly, deep deep down in the pit of her heart, was relieved to hear that she and Sasuke had broken up?

Her opal gaze found her feet the moment the truth surfaced in her mind. She was glad they were no longer together. She was afraid of ask herself why she was so glad however. Was she glad because now there was no reason for her to run into Sasuke and she could keep her secret from Sakura much better without Sasuke around to cloud up her thoughts? Or, was it because Sasuke _could _cloud up her thoughts why she was glad? Now that they were broken up was she free to explore something with him? Is that why her heart beat so fast when she was around him now? Because _she _wanted him? Was that why her heart was beating so fast now? Hinata prayed it was the first option.

She drummed her fist lightly against the door. "Sakura, it's me," she said when she heard feet pattering towards the door.

It swung open and she was faced with the sight of a very broken pinkette.

"Sakura..." she breathed, taking in the sight of her distraught best friend.

Before she even realized it, she was wrapping herself around her, crushing her friend into her and holding her tightly. "God, I'm so sorry I didn't get here sooner."

Sakura sniffled, allowing the smaller woman to comfort her. "You're here now," she whispered, tears spilling down her cheeks unrestrained.

The two of them disappeared into the penthouse after a few moments of shared comfort. They wound up in Sakura's bed room, wrapped up in the white comforter of her bed.

"He said he couldn't marry me," Sakura said softly, snuggling into her pillow, her eyes shutting against her tears.

Hinata lay beside her, running her finger through her glossy pink locks. "Why would he say that? You two have been together for almost four years now..."

Sakura shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, Hinata, I really don't.

He's been acting so weird lately, you know?" she said, opening her eyes finally, but her gaze was lost somewhere. "At first was distant and cold and I thought it was because things were difficult for him since he was p-preparing for that hotel thingy..." she whispered. "But then, out of nowhere, he starts acting all affectionate and attentive and I really thought things were getting better; that _we _were better. I don't know, Hinata... It was like, finally I was loved again."

"And now?" Hinata asked.

"And now... nothing. We're done," she breathed. "Sasuke and I are over."

Hinata continued to toy with her rosy tresses, twirling them about her fingers. She _did _notice the switch in him actually, more than she would have liked to have noticed. There was no way Hinata could tell her best friend she thought he only changed his attitude because he was upset with her, but it was true. At least, it was the only thing that made sense to her.

"What do you want to do now?" Hinata asked. "You can't lay here in bed anymore."

"Why can't I?" Sakura asked, sucking back tears.

"It's been three days now, you've had plenty of time to feel sorry for yourself."

Sakura supposed Hinata was right but she didn't want to leave her bed just yet. She and Sasuke had broken up days ago but she couldn't bring herself to tell anyone just yet. Perhaps because in her head it wasn't _really _over. Couples fight; they break up and make up. However, as the sun rolled in that morning, she had to admit that it really was over. Sasuke hadn't so much as texted her to make up; that must have meant he was serious. So here she was, still in bed, crying her eyes out to her best friend who clearly felt it was time for her to move on as well.

"I don't know what to do, Hinata... Who am I without Sasuke?" she whispered, searching her opal eyes for an answer.

"Are you kidding? You're Haruno _Sakura. _Girls kill to be you," Hinata assured her. "Do you know how many girls have pink hair now because of you? I'm telling you, as I was picking up Hanabi from school the other day, there had to be at _least _seven girls with your infamous pink locks. Of course not quite as good as the real thing, however."

The corners of her lips turned up just slightly. "Really?"

"Hn. How do you think those girls would feel if they knew their idol was locked up in her house for three days, crying over some _boy _who wasn't even that great to begin with?" Hinata asked.

"You don't think Sasuke's that great?"

"Hell no."

Sakura laughed. "He is kind of grumpy...and pale, in a sickly kind of way."

"Yeah, gross," Hinata chimed. "I imagine him being quite slimy."

"It's his hair gel," she giggled.

Hinata smiled. "I bet."

"Thank you so much for coming to take care of me," Sakura said softly, sitting up. "I don't know what I would have done without you."

"Hmm... probably would have skipped another shower, I'm guessing," the heiress answered.

"Oh God. I don't stink do I?" Sakura asked, mortified.

"Just a little," Hinata said, smiling sympathetically.

Sakura sniffed at her pits and recoiled at what she smelled there, groaning in the process. "God, look what love's done to me."

Hinata watched as the pinkette hopped out of bed and pranced over to her en suite bathroom, the door shutting behind her.

The heiress sat up and looked around.

_Opal and onyx clashed,both sets of eyes wide with wonder, for very different reasons however. That was the first time Hinata had ever noticed how attractive Uchiha Sasuke really was. She got why other girls found him attractive, it was the obvious 'bad boy' quality to him, a quality she herself had never desired. His nose was straight and his jaw bone made her wonder what it might look like as he did other things... Like _eat_. _

_She watched as his head tilted slightly and his dark gaze skirted over her. Her body reacted in a way that surprised her. Her nipples hardened and a part of her she rarely paid attention to warmed. Uchiha Sasuke was _looking _at her as if he had never seen her before and for reasons she couldn't explain, this excited her. _

_She only realized a few moments later why he was looking at her the way he was. The heiress was bent over just slightly, pulling a pair of panties up over her calves, her black t-shirt a few sizes too small. The heat she felt before paled in comparison to the heat that rushed to her face. She screamed, startling the both of them._

_Hinata stumbled around awkwardly, pulling up her panties with the speed of light and praying that he didn't see too much of her. Why wasn't he looking away? That bastard just kept staring at her, making her even more nervous. She cleared the distance from where she stood by the en suite bathroom to the bed in record time, but things only got worse from there. Her feet betrayed her and crossed with one another, bringing her down instantly. Naturally, her arms flared, seeking anything to cling to to save her from falling but things just didn't seem to work out in her favor. _

_One hand reached for the bed and the other wrapped around a lamp, bringing them both down with her, crystal shattering the moment it hit the ground. The heiress laid there for a while, her eyes squeezed shut. Maybe if she wished hard enough, she would wake up in her bed and this would all be some awkward nightmare. Despite her efforts, she was already awake; she hadn't been, then she was sure Sasuke's laughing would have been enough to wake her._

"_At l-least... don't l-laugh s-so...hard..." she groaned, a few stray tears slipping down her cheeks. _

_Sasuke laughed even harder then, much to her dismay._

Hinata shuttered and forced the memory away. She had never been more embarrassed in her entire life. What she wouldn't have gave to never have to see him again after that day. That day changed everything...

Now she couldn't even fully feel sorry for her best friend and lost of the most important relationship she had. Hinata couldn't shake the feeling that she had more than something to do with their break up. Sure, Sakura and Sasuke had their problems, but what couple didn't? Hinata might have just been the icing on the cake that did them in. Guilt swelled in her chest.

She ruined Sakura's relationship.

The heiress laid back once again and stared up at the ceiling. If she were to go to hell, she was sure it would be for the feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Hinata was torn.

On the one hand, she was glad they broke up – for various reasons. (1) She no longer had to suffer through any more awkward exchanges with Sasuke. (2) She could finally put what happened between them behind her. (3) Sasuke was a jerk who didn't deserve someone as amazing as Sakura to begin with and (4) … She didn't even want to think about the fourth reason she was glad.

So there was that.

But how glad could she really be happy that this toxic relationship Sakura had with Sasuke was over when another more toxic relationship had formed between Sasuke and herself?

Hinata couldn't remember the last time her personal life had been so conflicted. She supposed she _did _need a distraction from the major problems in her life but this sort of distraction required a good deal of her attention as well and worst of all they were beginning to overlap. She had a business trip coming up in a few days to oversee the first few stages of developing the project in the Hot Springs Country – she would be there with the main architect to make sure nothing deviates from his blueprints.

The heiress sighed. Why was nothing ever easy?

The door to the bathroom opened and the heiress turned to spot the pinkette emerging, a devious smile stretching her lips apart. "What do you say we get out of here? Make every boy who ever rejected us wish he had a second chance?"

Hinata smiled at her best friend. Clearly she was ready to move forward. Hinata only wished it were that easy for her to do the same. "Let's do it."

* * *

The sun was late, Sasuke observed. It was well past 7 am and the star had yet to appear. The early morning air was frigid and Sasuke felt certain his fingers would have fallen off had it not been for the gloves he wore. His face however, didn't have the same protection; his cheeks were as stiff as ice.

"I'm so excited," Karin exclaimed beside him.

The Uchiha turned to find the red-head bouncing her weight from one foot to the other, a wide smile stretched across her face. "It's like nothing was real until this moment."

Sasuke knew exactly what she meant. Truthfully, everything felt like a dream – he'd never admit that to anyone of course – and he found himself waiting to wake up at any moment. Not too long ago was he struggling to even pay his staff, now they were watching as their design became one of the biggest hotels the Hot Spring Country had ever seen; plus a major company's name was on it. Sasuke was never the type to be modest but it was still hard for him to believe that he had really done it.

Just for a moment did pride swell in his chest.

"Good morning, everyone," a soft voice called from behind them.

The trio – Sasuke, Karin and Suigetsu – all turned to spy a small statured woman behind them.

Sasuke looked over her once, taking in every detail.

Her long, black hair was pulled away from her face and tied into a low pony tail, a white headband holding back her bangs. She donned a pink The North Face ski jacket and a purple scarf tucked away behind the zipper. A pair of dark blue jeans hugged her hips and thighs tightly and tucked neatly into what Sasuke assumed were UGG boots.

She looked... casual.

Sasuke had never seen her so dressed down. Sure, she by no means dressed as fancy as her pink companion did but she always held an air of regality about her. Now, she looked like one of the common folk. Sasuke had to admit, he preferred her like this.

"Good morning," Karin beamed.

Hinata returned her smile, stuffing her hands into her pockets.

"I'm Hyuuga Hinata, I'm not sure if anyone informed you all yet but I'm the VP in charge of operations for the _The Lily _project. Any questions or concerns you all have you can report to me," she said.

The group nodded in unison.

"Would you all like to get inside and get some coffee?" Hinata asked, in desperate need of caffeine herself.

"God, I would _love _that," Karin answered for the team, taking the few steps that separated them from the heiress. "It's freezing out here."

"How long have you all been here?" Hinata asked, leading them away from the construction site.

"We just got here," Suigetsu chimed, cutting Karin off before she had the chance to answer.

The red head frowned at him, sensing what he was up to. "Yeah, not too long ago," she added.

Sasuke remained silent. He was never one for small talk so his silence was not out of the ordinary. He stared at the back of her head, studying her long black hair. He found himself wondering what it might feel like between his fingers, what she might feel like. His eyes skated down, ogling at her in a way that he had not allowed himself to freely do, not ever. His onyx gaze rested on her derriere, taking pleasure in what he found there. Sasuke decided he liked the way her hips wiggled when she walked.

He felt a quick nudge at his arm, forcing his gaze to the source of the blow. There he found Suigetsu, smiling knowingly at him, one brow cocked.

"What?" he asked.

The toothy side kick grinned. "You know what."

Sasuke ignored him.

Suigetsu chuckled. "I mean... I get why..." he said, stealing more than a glance at the Hyuuga heiress. "Too bad she's the boss."

"Huh?" a confused Sasuke asked, looking to his employee.

Suigetsu shrugged a bit, his grin stretching wider. "Too bad she's the boss," he reiterated. "I wouldn't mind finding out –"

"Enough," Sasuke cut him off before he could say what was really on his mind. "You're right. _She's the boss_ so that means I don't want to see you sniffing around her."

"Well, I planned to do a bit more than sniffing..." Suigetsu suggested, ogling the heiress once again.

"As if you'd even have a chance with her," Sasuke responded, shoving his hands into his coat pockets.

Suigetsu scoffed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Whatever you want it to mean."

"You want to bet on it?"

"Don't be disgusting Suigetsu," Sasuke said, tossing the male a glance. "That'll get you nowhere with women."

"And you know everything about them?"

"Obviously more than you do," he answered, earning himself another nudge.

"I could get her if I wanted," Suigetsu argued.

"I doubt that. You're better off trying it with Karin."

"You've got to be joking," Suigetsu replied, eyes wide. "She'd kill me if I even hinted."

"Shows how much you know about women," said Sasuke, catching the door Karin was holding open for the two of them.

Suigetsu was silent for a while as the two followed behind the women, obviously thinking over what Sasuke said.

"You think I'd have a shot with Karin?" he asked, his voice hushed.

Sasuke shrugged. He honestly _didn't _know – but if throwing that bone out there would keep Suigetsu distracted and away from Hinata, then why not? "I'm just saying you ought to stay in your league."

Pausing, Suigetsu frowned. "What's _that _supposed to mean?"

"Whatever you want it to mean," was Sasuke's response once again, leaving his friend to wonder over his words.

Sasuke quickly caught up to the girls, joining them at a table in the café not to far from the construction site.

"Sasuke, Hinata-_chan_ was just telling – "

"-_chan_?" Sasuke asked, cocking a brow as he looked over the menu. "I guess not all of us were raised with manners."

Karin swatted at his arm, her cheeks flaring up. "She said it was alright. Don't be such a jerk all the time."

"Hn. It's quite alright, Uchiha-_san_," Hinata said, smiling that smile he hated so much.

_Always with the façade..._

"I guess you won't mind me calling you 'Hinata-_chan_' either..." he asked, looking up from his menu and into her airy orbs.

Hinata did her best not to frown. He was testing her again. How was she supposed to spend the next week here with _him _when he seemed determined to get under her skin every chance he got? "Of course not," she responded simply, offering him the same smile she offered Karin.

"Then I guess you'll have to call me Sasuke-_kun_..." he said, barely containing his smile.

The heiress's fist balled beneath the table. If she could have slapped him she would have. Uchiha Sasuke was the same jerk she had always remembered him to be. He broke her best friend's heart and here was, less than a week later, flirting with her so openly. "Hn.. I guess so..." she said, her gaze never leaving his.

Hinata wasn't going to let him get the best of her. If he wanted to play games that was fine, she'd let him. She only needed to tolerate him for the next few days and then she was out of there. By the time they met again, _if _they met again, whatever fascination he had with her – _and her with him _– would be long over.

"Oh. Suigetsu, over here!" Karin called, noticing the male before the two of them had.

It wasn't long before he pulled up the chair beside Hinata, a different look in his eyes. Sasuke wondered...

"Everyone ordered already?" he asked, glancing down at the menu.

"Nope, not yet," Karin said.

"Ah. You know what you want yet?" he asked the heiress.

Hinata glanced down at the menu once again. "I think I'm just gonna get a caramel macchiato and a banana muffin."

"Sounds pretty good. Guess I'll get the same thing," he said smiling and shutting his menu.

Sasuke stared at him, Suigetsu ignored him however, he seemed more interesting in whatever minor conversation he and the heiress had moved on to.

Sasuke returned his gaze to his menu. Suigetsu didn't know what kind of trouble he was getting himself into. If Suigetsu wanted to fuck with him, fine, Sasuke would let him, but that didn't mean he was going to hold back. A tiny smirk curved his lips. Hinata was his.

* * *

_I can't remember if I told you all this already or not but if I didn't, there **will **be a sequel to this story. Spoiler Alert! Lol_

_It won't be coming any time soon of course, there are at least ten more chapters left in this fic. Too many ends left untied. But don't worry, it really picks up after this chapter. I promise! ... Or after the next chapter, whatever, the point is lol, that the story is picking up its pacing and reaching its climax within the next few chapters. Yay for Hinata and Sasuke!_

_Anyway, reviews, reviews, reviews cause I love em _

_Until next time,_

_- _**Rampantt**


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