Chapter one – Everybody has got to start somewhere

"A-Anou. Karin-san, here are the copies of Uchiha-san's schedule you wanted."

A flash of red rimmed glasses was enough warning for Hinata to recoil backwards to narrowly avoid being hit in the face by strands of pink hair as Karin flicked her hair over her shoulder and skimmed over the sheet of paper she had been handed.

"Good work Hyuuga. Now, I need to know what Sakura Haruno will be doing at noon tomorrow and I need you to go see the department head and ask her what she wants us to do about Kakashi-san. He still hasn't turned up and his interview is in ten minutes. And after that go get coffee. A large Chai Latte for me and a Skinny latte for Suigestu when he returns."

Hinata faltered as she jotted all this down. "K-Karin-san, doesn't Suigestu normally just get water?"

Hinata received a glare for her question as Karin coolly answered, "I'm trying to teach him the value of a hot beverage."

"R-right away." Hinata bowed her head formally and tucked the notepad with her instructions into the pocket of her favorite purple coat as she slunk away to go buy the coffees.

It's been two months. I thought things would get better by now.

Hinata shifted from foot to foot impatiently and peered around the person in front of her to see what the hold up in the line was. The coffee house may be right next to the agency but she certainly didn't have all day.

But I'm still running the errands for Karin-san. And every time ask about a debut I got laughed at.

Hinata cringed at the very memory.

Maybe it's about time I went to see the department head and told her face to face that I want a chance. Yeah, I won't back down! I'll tell her that I'm sick of all this errand girl stuff!

"Hey Hinata! Fancy seeing you here. Normally you come in later."

Hinata smiled at the cheerful blond serving at the counter. "Karin-san's got a hangover today and she wants her coffee."

"Oh?" Naruto cocked an eyebrow at that. "As Sasuke-teme's assistant, should she really be up all night drinking?"

Hinata frowned at this as Naruto set about making the coffees.

"I n-never said she was up all night drinking. Just that she was hung over. And don't call him that!"
"What is it now, a form of blasphemy?" Naruto mocked as he set the first coffee in its cardboard tray.

"That's not it. But well… Uchiha-san is my sempai at the agency. And for god sakes Naruto, He's famous; you can't just go around bad mouthing him! He's your sempai too, may I remind you? And you haven't even met him!"

"Alright, alright." Naruto said placating as Hinata huffed for breath. He handed her the tray and Hinata took it; feeling a little embarrassed about her uncharacteristic outburst.

"T-thank you Naruto."

He gave her a wry smile that clearly said It's okay, I understand. Forget it.

Naruto was nice like that and Hinata smiled remembering the small crush she used to harbor towards him in earlier years before they both went into the acting business.

She had at first thought that working in the same industry would bring them closer from a romantic perspective but by the time she noticed they were in fact drifting further away from any chance of that, it was to late. They had their own lives to live and rivals to chase. There was simply no point straining their comfortable relationship by throwing in romance.

"I better get these back to Karin before she notices how long I've been gone." Hinata said in way of parting as Naruto added the coffee prices to her tab. He gave her a grin and a wave.

What was I thinking before… There's no way I can approach Tsunade and ask her straight out for a debut. I'm an idiot for even thinking that. I should just be grateful I'm here at all…

Hinata let out a little sigh as she pushed the door open to the building, to preoccupied mopping and juggling coffee to pay attention to where she was going.

Crash!

"Itai…" Hinata winced as she rubbed her throbbing rear, feeling the sharp ache from where it had collided with the hard tiled floor. It took her a moment to realize that while she was hunched on her knees just clear of any real injury somebody else was sprawled on the floor in front of her wearing the coffee.

"Gyaa! I'm s-sorry are you alright?" Hinata shot to her feet and looked down at the pink haired figure slowly pulling herself up.

"I wasn't looking where I was going! I'm so, so, sorry. It's all my fault! Ah! Your shirt!"

Pink hair darkened by the brown of the coffee hung in her victims face but what had Hinata really panicked was the cherry colored shirt she had been wearing which appeared to have been made with some gauzy material. It was darkened now – and nearly see through. It clearly flaunted the black bra beneath it and judging by the small flower crest on the corner of both, they belonged to the expensive Yamanaka brand name.

Hinata felt her breath hitch as she mentally sort through her memory in search of the price of both. The figured didn't look good. As in the-rest-of-her-annual-salary not good.

The front hall was strangely devoid of people, an occurrence that Hinata was more than grateful for; although she did wish the reception desk was occupied so she could receive a helping hand.

With nothing better to do Hinata slipped out of her jacket and draped it around the girls shoulder before fishing a napkin from the pocket of her cargo pants and dabbing at the dark splotches on her face.

" – I wasn't looking where I was going and I didn't see you and I'm so terribly sorry and I hope I didn't ruin you clothes but if I did I'll gladly pay for them because it was my fault after all and – Haruno Sakura?"

Hinata felt her pounding heart freeze in shock and horror as she stared blankly into surprised emerald eyes.

One part of her mind reasoned that it wasn't unnatural to meet Haruno Sakura here; it was the agency she belonged to after all. The other part of her mind was saying that although she had wanted to run into Japan's fastest rising female star with millions of fans all over the globe, she hadn't wanted to do it literally.

So here she found herself, standing jacketless in only her black singlet top in front of Japan's biggest female star whom she had just drenched in coffee, with several places she needed to have been already and many thing she was supposed to do and the only thought that crossed her aching, numb mind was if her day could get any worse.