AN: Hinata is a little OOC, but you should hopefully understand why. If you want a completely canon character, look somewhere else. (^_^)! Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Step 1 - Return To Konoha

Sasuke moved through the crowded Ichiraku bar, scowling playfully at Naruto as the blonde flung his arm over his shoulders. Sasuke generally hated crowds, but he hadn't been in Ichiraku's for years so it was worth it. Naruto grinned over the loud music, blue eyes sparkling happily.

"Hehe, I can't wait for you to meet everyone! They're gonna love you!"

"Hn, like I'm worried about that dobe," Sasuke smirked, he really couldn't care less about anyone else's opinion of him...well apart from a certain Hyuuga female, she was the reason why he had moved back to Konoha in the first place.

"Yeah, yeah whatever," Naruto grinned good naturedly and dragged Sasuke over to a table at the back of the bar. "Oi! This is my best friend Uchiha Sasuke! We went to highschool together in Otogakure, he used to live in Konoha actually but he moved and he's back now!"

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, nodding his head slightly to the others seated around the table. He could hardly concentrate on Naruto's introductions as he searched the table for a familiar short haired Hyuuga. He didn't see her; had she decided not to attend because he was coming? Did she even remember him? Sasuke was pulled out of his frantic musings when Naruto shook him by the shoulder slightly.

"Oi teme! I was talking to you! This here is Nara Shikamaru," Naruto gestured to a sleepy looking make at the end of the right side of the table.

"Mendokusai," Shikamaru drawled, raising two fingers in greeting and pointing them in Sasuke's direction.

"Hn," Sasuke offered, his eyes still scanning the crowd of young adults for his the familiar face of his childhood friend. He'd come back here just for her. He was old enough, skilled enough, good looking enough now to catch her attention. He had nothing to fear this time around; not like when he was nine... or ten... or eleven. He'd gone away, seen the world, matured, and now he was sure he could get her to return his feelings. He'd kept them for so long, only experimenting with other females so that he wouldn't be a bumbling idiot in front of her. Sasuke blinked as Naruto nudged his shoulder, reluctantly tuning back into whatever it was that the blonde was saying.

"- and this is Haruno Sakura, Ino Yamanaka, Akimichi Chouji, Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba, Hyuuga Neji-" Naruto continued and Sasuke's head whipped around at the mention of a Hyuuga but unfortunately it wasn't Hinata but her cousin Neji.

He hated Neji.

The bastard had always been extremely overprotective of Hinata, she had been quiet when they were kids but she would stand up for herself if the situation required her to do so. After everyone gave the customary 'Hello's and 'Nice to meet you's, along with a few appreciative glances from Ino and Sakura, Naruto plopped down in an empty seat and was about to say something when his gaze switched to somewhere behind Sasuke, who was still standing with a slight scowl on his face.

"Oi Hinata-chan! You came back just in time to meet my friend," Naruto grinned, waving his hand across the table in Sasuke direction. "This is Uchiha Sasuke."

Sasuke felt his breath catch in his throat as he turned to look at Hinata.

She was nothing like he remembered and far from anything he could have dreamed of.

Her hair was no longer short like he'd remembered. She'd grown it out, the long dark strands now reaching the small of her back. As she approached, she slid one slim elegant hand to the back of her neck, gathered her hair in one, and then sent the strands sliding like a glossy black curtain over her shoulder.

Sasuke's mouth went dry.

She seemed oblivious to his presence, and Sasuke took the opportunity to scan her. Her hair was not the only thing about her that was different. Her chest was different too, and Sasuke felt heat warm the back of his neck as his eyes dropped to the cleavage her white bandage dress exposed.

Damn.

As his eyes drifted lower, Sasuke took in the curve of her hips and the way the dress hugged her thighs. He hoped that his calm facade was secure, because right now he had no idea whether it was on his face or at his ankles. And then his gaze slid to her legs.

Oh, holy mother of-

Sasuke had seen a lot of legs. He was a bit of a leg man, if he was to be honest. Hinata's legs were arguably the best legs he'd seen in a long time. Her calves were perfectly curved, and her skin was creamy, smooth - she'd obviously waxed them - and had a healthy, moisturized sheen to them. Sasuke was incredibly tempted to touch.

He could just imagine stroking those legs and-

"S-Sasuke-san is that really you?" Hinata gasped out, covering her mouth with a delicate and well manicured hand.

"In the flesh," Sasuke said, sounding shorter than he meant to from the effort of trying to hide how Hinata's new appearance made him feel. The Uchiha swallowed harshly and forced himself to focus on the chatter of the others around him. He felt slightly dizzy, his mind still reeling from the sight of Hinata.

Her voice was different too, but in a good way. It was quiet, like he remembered but held a slightly sensuous something that definitely had not been there before. Sasuke felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up when she moved closer and her delicious flowery scent wafted across his nostrils. He forced himself to focus on her words but ended up staring at her plump pink lips.

She wasn't supposed to have so acute an effect on him. He didn't know what he had been expecting but it certainly was far from the reality. He quickly noticed the way the other males in the bar eyed her, nudging one another as they conversed among themselves. Sasuke clenched his fists, wishing he could just... knock them out or something. It was juvenile, but Hinata was his. He settled for sending them one of his darkest glares and smirked to himself when they quickly turned away.

Got that right, the bastards. They had no place looking at her like that.

Sasuke's attention jerked back to Hinata when he noticed her looking up at him expectantly and cleared her throat softly. Well at least some things never changed - she was still shorter than him, even with those heels on. Those heels that made her calves look so much more-

"You were saying?" Sasuke said, the words coming out shorter than he'd intended as he attempted to cut off his train of thoughts.

She was about to answer when Naruto, apparently already bored by the reunion, stood and slid an arm over Hinata's shoulders. It was a blatantly friendly gesture... but Hinata flushed deep red and her words seemed to die somewhere in her throat... and that in turn made Sasuke tense.

What was going on?

"Ne, Hinata-chan... what d'you want to drink?" Naruto asked, his face close to hers since she was tucked under his arm. Sasuke struggled to tamp down the urge to... to just push Naruto off her.

"I'll take her to the bar," he found himself saying before he grabbed her wrist and tugged her through the throngs of people. About halfway across the distance, Sasuke pulled Hinata in front him with the intention of keeping her in his sight.

And that was when he saw the back of her dress.

Damn.

From the nape of her neck to the small of her back was exposed, showing off the creamy, smooth skin there and framed at the sides by the white of her dress. At the centre of the dress, a zipper held the two sides together, and trailed right down, hugging her round ass and ending midway down the skirt of the dress.

Sasuke wasn't sure what he wanted to touch more - her back, or her rear end, which looked so perfect under the tight white material. The infuriating thing was that she didn't even have the decency to look skanky so he could find something to complain about in his mind. No, the dress was sheer class... it was just that her body was ridiculously sexy.

And Sasuke was having a hard time refraining from pulling down that tease of a zipper and seeing-

He pushed her almost roughly to the bar, scowling at how easily his thoughts had gone there.

"Sasuke-san... what..?" Hinata stumbled, looking up at him in confusion.

"What was that back there?" Sasuke snapped. "You were flailing around like an idiot," he said, knowing he sounded rude but too being too annoyed to care.

"What? Sasuke what are you-"

"Since when are you two best friends?" Sasuke interrupted, waving the bartender over with an impatient wave of his hand. "One Strawberry Daiquiri and a Bloody Mary," Sasuke ordered blandly when the man approached.

"What? We aren't..." Hinata attempted.

"And you speak to me fine, but the moment he approaches you're all..." Sasuke stopped speaking when he noticed her eyes darkening with annoyance. Well.

"What the hell, Sasuke-san? You just come back and expect me to-"

"Hn. So I'm Sasuke-san now, and not Sasuke-kun?" he murmured, interrupting her again. He watched her face go red with... something.

"Well, what do you expect? You've been gone for so long it's like I don't even know you!"

One of Sasuke's eyebrows rose. Incredibly slowly.

Hinata felt her cheeks flush with annoyance. What was with Sasuke? Yes he had been away for a long time and she had expected him to change but this...this was...she didn't even know what it was! Did expect to just march back into Konoha and have her talking to him like she'd just seen him yesterday? He even went as far as to accuse her of being best friends with Naruto...the blonde wasn't even looking at her more often than not.

Hinata gritted her teeth when she noticed Sasuke raising one brow skeptically, he was managing to do what almost no one else could. He was getting under skin. Where had the sweet tomato loving boy gone? Sure he was now a man...she couldn't deny that but even so...

"I didn't have a choice. My parents died," Sasuke snapped testily, drawing closer to Hinata.

"That was not what I was referring to!" Hinata hissed, her face flushing with a rush of emotion.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, but carried the air of expectancy, like he wanted her to explain herself. The mere fact that he didn't find it necessary to voice his desires just... just pissed Hinata off.

What was it about this man that got under her skin so?

What was even more annoying that the man himself, was that Hinata actually found herself compelled to attempt to explain herself! She would have done it normally, to any other person, but she didn't want to explain herself to him... and yet she couldn't help herself.

"I meant..." What had she meant? "Ugh!" Hinata snapped, grabbing her drink off the counter of the bar and stalking off towards the group.

"What? So you're pissed off at me because my parents died?" Sasuke muttered behind her, his body so close to hers that she could feel his warmth at her back. She wished she hadn't worn this stupid dress... this stupid dress that exposed so much of her back.

"What? No, of course not! How could you...I am not even angry!" Hinata snapped, her voice raising several pitches. He hadn't even been back for two days and he was already getting reactions out of her that she didn't even know she had. Hinata knew that she was a mostly docile person so for her to feel so frustrated was rather new.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted but didn't attempt to distance the space between his body and her back.

"What are you trying to get at, Sasuke?" Hinata asked suspiciously and the Uchiha shrugged nonchalantly.

"What do you mean? Can I not greet an old friend?" he asked, a small smirk tugging on his lips. Hinata felt like smashing her head against the nearest table. Why was he re-directing all of her questions? What had happened to him in the last ten years to turn him so...so insufferable!

"Thats not...I...you know what I mean!"

"Hn. Obviously not if I have to ask," he drawled, leaning forward slightly causing his chest to brush Hinata's back... and causing his breath to ghost over the side of her cheek. Damn him for having minty fresh breath...

Hinata shook her head slightly, trying to gather her bearings but it was hard not to be distracted by the feeling of Sasuke's breath on her bare skin, not to mention he was towering over her.

"Just...never mind," she groaned defeatedly and was saved from having to hear his reply when Naruto approached them looking slightly impatient.

"What took you guys so long?" Naruto groaned then turned to Hinata.

"Sasuke-teme wasn't bothering you was he Hina-chan?" he asked cheekily, his blue eyes sparkling mischievously.

"A-Ano...n-no he wasn't...w-we were just," Hinata stuttered, her cheeks reddening as her gaze moved to her feet.

"Hn." At the sound, she slid a glance to Sasuke, about to beg him for help with her eyes, but then her shyness switched over to annoyance once again.

He was staring at her... with zero expression in his eyes apart from a knowing little twist of his lips. Like he was just watching her fail. And enjoying it.

"Well, that's good then, ne?" Naruto moved on cheerfully, and Hinata was certain she heard Sasuke chuckle. So he thought her shyness was funny? She turned to glare at him, but instead of... whatever expression she had expected, he smirked. Damn him.

She was never like this! This angry and annoyed and... and she didn't like it!

They headed back to the table and much to Hinata's chagrin Sasuke sat right next to her, and didn't have the decency to leave a comfortable about of space in between their chairs.

No, he had to sit so close to her that his thighs were brushing against hers, and, just as she was about to move away, he spoke. And ruined it all.

"It's pleasing to be around some old friends again," Sasuke said, sliding one arm over her shoulder just as Naruto had done earlier. To Hinata's horror, everyone around the table nodded and smiled in understanding.

"I remember when she used to sit behind the big oak tree at my house and nibble on her hair while she waited for me to get outside," Sasuke said, his deep voice... totally pissing Hinata off! What the hell?

"Do you still do that, Hinata-chan?" Sasuke asked, turning his face, and the attention of everyone at the table, to her.

"Uh..." Hinata sputtered.

"Is it true Hina-chan?!" Naruto asked amusedly then erupted into fits of raucous laughter and soon everyone else joined in, although with noticeably less gusto than the blonde.

"E-Eto... I d-don't... I-I mean..." Hinata stammered, faced with Naruto's sparkling blue eyes. Kami, he was gorgeous... and now he was laughing at her, thanks so stupid Sasuke.

"Hmm, no I don't suppose you do that anymore..." Sasuke muttered, but loud enough for everyone to hear. "You've changed," he continued, his voice softening as he spoke, the potential meaning behind his words stifling the humor around the table. Everyone looked at her again, but this time in blatant appreciation. Even Naruto.

Still, Hinata couldn't let Sasuke's words just slide.

"Do you still freak out if you don't have a tomato daily?"

"No, because I always have one," he smirked in reply and took a sip of his Bloody Mary as if to prove his point.

"Right," Hinata sighed and turned away from the Uchiha, trying to ignore the feel of his arm tightening around her shoulders.

Sasuke clenched his jaw as he watched Hinata stutter pathetically in an attempt to reply to something Naruto had asked her. He hated how she was reduced to a flustered blushing mess around the blonde. No matter how he tried to get a rise out of her he couldn't get the same or even a slightly similar reaction from her. What did she see in the dobe anyway?

Aside from how affable, cheerful and outgoing Naruto was, the blonde had the attention span of a peanut and questionable mental faculties. He was the typical jock, without the douchiness.

The sound of Hinata's laughter tinkled sweetly at some joke Naruto was attempting to give and Sasuke frowned. He hadn't heard her laugh like that in years...the last time he did was when they were kids and she'd accidentally fallen on him and he had taken the opportunity to tickle her mercilessly.

Sasuke noticed, too, that she was sweet and shy around everyone else. But when she was with him, she had fire. And he fully intended to turn it into a raging inferno. He'd make her burn for him. He'd just continue to get a rise out of her until she burned the way he did. If she had treated him the same way that she did others, he would have felt a bit defeated, but no.

All he needed was to alter his original plan.

All he needed was a contingency plan.

The Uchiha's stomach suddenly felt queasy when Naruto leaned forward and placed his hand over Hinata's.

"Ya wanna go now, Hinata-chan?" the blonde asked, grinning kindly. "This whole reunion thing is kinda getting boring already."

"U-Um... I-I... I g-guess I..." Hinata stuttered. Sasuke ground his teeth together.

"Don't bother," he said to Naruto, seeing an opportunity. He tugged Hinata's hand from the blonde's by her wrist.

"She's coming with me."

AN: Just an idea that I had, read and review please! AND GIVE TAY CREDIT BECAUSE SHE IS AN AWESOME BETA OKAY?! :D

Tay: KYAAA I LOVE YOU SHIORRA, OKAY! *and you too guys.. hehe, so please review so we don't get discouraged! Even if it's just a word... but no flamessss*

(^_^)