This is a multichapter, maybe not more than 5 hopefully. Reviews please :D

Disclaimer : the characters belongs to Kishi M.

Warning : Gender switch, Fem Sasuke and male Naruto

Win My Heart

I had just finished showering and was wrapping my body with a towel when I heard the hotel door buzz. I peered through the peep hole to see Karin outside with a paper bag. I unlocked the door and let her in. Then I walked to the bed, parked my butt on the soft thick folded blanket and fished for the folded towel to dry my hair. I decided to stay at this hotel since last night because the preparation for my birthday party at my house was disturbing my sleep. Mikoto, my dearest mom rejoiced my decision as she can whip surprise for me later tonight.

The door opened and Karin entered. She shook the paper bag at me and locked the door back.

"He said this necklace matches your dress." She placed the bag on the dresser and proceeded to lay on the bed while kicking her heels aside.

I looked at the bag but made no apparent movement towards wanting to see it nor did I show Karin any apparent excitement which usually comes with receiving a gift. Covering my hair with the towel, I began patting excess water to be absorbed into the towel. After a moment Karin jerked up from the bed. I guess she was raising an auburn eyebrow like she always do when I pull out a stoic facade.

She jumped to her feet and walked towards the dresser and pulled out a black box from the paper bag. Opening the box, she shoved it in front of face.

"Mr Namikaze co-designed this with Naruto, I was told that your father bought the ruby during his trip to Myanmar years ago."

"Hnnn."

My father often buys gemstones for Minato, on his business trips. Minato owns Namikaze Hearts a jewellery company, which he co-owns with Kushina, Naruto's mom. I think half of Konoha owns something designed by Namikaze Hearts as they were very fond of him for being the former mayor's son. Me and my mom have received earrings, pin or brooches, for our past birthday and also for my graduation. I received it a week later because we were too caught up with my father's illness that time, I'll get to this later. So far this necklace is the highlight of all the jewelleries I ever receive. In return my father gifts Naruto's father all kinds of artistic souveniers, like local paintings from Bali, Istanbul carpets, sculptures from wood from Malaysia and various local fabrics for my mom.

I remembered that Naruto had shown me some sketches last year saying he was stressed out and needed my fresh perspective. He emailed saying since I graduated with first class honours with a degree in design, I should know my stuff. For my help he said he'd give me credit, but I didn't care for credits, I was extremely giddy just thinking about doing some design and stuff. As I reminisced I realized that he was sneakily wooing me. Inside, I smirked.

"Uchiha? Are you speechless?"

For disrupting my inner monologue I glared at her.

"Across the savannah of Soerabaia, with your hand in mine, unknown territory of the whispering sands, winds carrying the ashes of Bromo, only here..." her ringtone, ripped from an Indie Band CD she picked up from Surabaya Indonesia, when she went there some years ago. Karin had showed me the cover when we were in her car earlier, but I was busy watching Naruto from afar. He didn't notice us as he was pulling away in his car in his rush to go somewhere. I admit that my mind have started to wander into unknown territory this past year.

"Yes Naruto, I am ready. Ok bye." Karin spoke to her phone.

"Babe" she turned to me. "I have to go now to get the cake. You can't have a birthday party without a cake. Naruto should sack Juugo for forgetting the cake, luckily Suigetsu likes to bake on his free time. Thanks for suggesting him to Naruto... and though me and suigetsu's sexy time was interrupted last night a nice cheque for several dinners at the new restaurant downtown is a nice way to compensate for my loss last night. Ok, adieu. See you later. I am borrowing your flip flops ok."

She picked up her heels, grabbed my sandals and unlocked my hotel room door. As she exited, she paused, stepped back in and turned to me. Her last words "Be sure to kiss him on the cheeks when you greet him tonight, after this the both of you are going to be more than best friends."

She shut the door behind her and her footsteps faded away. I, being alone with no mention of Naruto, broke out of my stoic appearance and ran my fingers through my jet black shoulder length hair, towel falling off. I scrunched my nose and bit my lips. For a moment I was lost in thought, is tonight the beginning of an end, or an end to a beginning?

Then I remembered the necklace and noticed that Karin had put it on the dresser with the box opened. I approached the table and I could see the necklace glimmering against blue velvet. The necklace looked exactly like the one specific design I told him was my favourite. It was a tear shaped pendant set in the chest of an eagle made from white and gold. I am a rabid fan of oddball jewellery and my favourite forever beast is the eagle.

"Eagle.." I mouthed

I smiled thinking how he basically tried to woo me without me knowing, heh. He knew I was a sucker when it comes to mere mention of my background being a design student. I was all set to become a designer upon graduation but a plan is a plan after all, and plans are sometimes made to be executed later. Even if that later is something as real as a unicorn.

Eight years ago, my father's business plans for expansion beyond Konoha started bearing results, then the government offered him to expand his business in ASEAN. At the time I finished secondary school and was entering university and Itachi starting his Masters. Instead of telling us to take study leave to help him, he just went and work himself to death.

I was finally out of the house, doing something I liked, rather than studying business like I knew Dad wanted me to. So when I went to university I embraced my studies like moth to fire. I wanted him to be proud of me. He was often away but we had dinner over Skype and I hardly notice his exhaustion when we met face to face. I was more excited to tell him about the exhibitions I was participating in, all the classes I took, and all the interesting designers and design I met and discovered along the way.

I knew his business was doing greater than great with all the local news and sometime International news about Konoha Electronics. He turned into a local hero for bringing Konoha Electronics to an almost international level. See Fugaku loved Konoha so much that instead of naming his company Uchiha something, he named it Konoha, the town he made his home since 17 years ago.

The day I graduated was the day my dad collapsed from exhaustion and high blood pressure, and he was hospitalized. I accepted my scroll from the dean with hidden tears, and thankfully my classmates told me that they will gladly photoshop me later onto the graduation group photo. Naruto was there too, he gave me a huge bouquet of flower, and came in my mother's place. I told my mom, dad was more important than my graduation so she reluctantly ditched my convocation and waited with my dad. Me and Itachi left with Naruto and his parents to visit Fugaku and Mikoto right after I came down the stage.

I scolded my father for his selflessness, and then I made a vow to be there like how he was throughout my years in university. So after graduation, I became his apprentice. My dream of being a designer never perished, it burned constantly at the back of my mind, the fire feeding on my continuing determination. I swore that I will help my father's business thrive and grow but I made a promise to myself to one day open my design firm. Yes, in my own sweet time.

Unfortunately I couldn't find the focus to do two things at the same time so five years after graduating, I was now Dad's second in command after our cousin Shisui Uchiha. Dad knew me and Itachi weren't really into business and he saw the prodigal talent in his cousin's son and hauled him into the business. Itachi had wanted to help but he had 7 years tenure with Konoha University upon his PhD graduation, which he took right after his Masters. I told him to stay where he is, then when he is finished with his contract, he can take over my job so I can return to chase my dreams of opening a design firm.

My love story with design also further enhanced my friendship with Naruto. He studied journalism in a local college and worked as a freelance writer. He learned about design and business along the way from his dad, and when he knew I decided to take up designing he was a permanent fix in my house during my semester break. He would pester me day and night to teach me the elements of design. When I am away, he would talk to me online while we pinned some wonderful designs on our shared pinterest account.

After graduation, my father took a year off from work while I worked my ass off from 9 am to 8 pm everyday, but at night I had discussions with Naruto over design. He provided me with escapism from the world of corporate and from wannabes who only wanted me because of my money and looks. Naruto was an honest and a true friend despite cracking some benign pranks here and there, appropriate to situations of course. He knew me too well to crack jokes during serious moments. We talked about design, about our childhood, share some gossip about our mutual friend and gossip about Itachi's secret love. Naruto often meets Itachi for lunches as he took some job with the university, writing their press releases.

One evening out of the blue over dinner, Naruto took me to our parent's favourite seafood restaurant. After dessert he told me that he had been keeping something from me since we were in our late teens. He said that he hoped we could be more than friends. I was stunned, being in love was not on any of my short term nor on any of my long term plans yet. Yes, I was ready to grow old with someone but him, as comrades, as friends since our families are inseparable, or maybe as business partner in design somewhere before I reach 30, but never as a romantic partner.

I told him I would have to think about it first, but he was persuasive. He told me we were designed for each other. I am the yin to his yang, the sun to my moon, the land to his water or something like that. My logical side told me it was not a bad idea since I never really had any other people beside him. People in school were too afraid to gossip about us but Naruto's friend often referred to me as his girlfriend, though Sakura thought I was just acting like Naruto was my personal slave when we were younger. Nahh, he just loved doing errands for me. My big brother, Itachi had been doing a great job of scaring any guy who had wanted to take advantage of me and his fangirls help keep gossips at bay. So since I was 12 the only guy able to reach me was Naruto, and I would gladly bite off any male's head like a freaking praying mantis should someone ever invite me out. I bit off his head a long long time ago but the head has a nasty habit of regrowing each time, sigh.

So that night he confessed gradually turned into a few dates - we talked about design of course, he hinted about his feelings for me but he often changed the subject when he noticed my demeanour changing from listening intently, to lost in thoughts. It wasn't that I wasn't interested but every time he mentioned about his feelings for me, I spaced out and my inner rants started debating whether this was a good proposition or not. Naruto thinks I overthink, but a decision this big especially when it involves two very close family is worth being spaced out. Love for love's sake is not an option.

Despite my inability to express things emotionally, he pursued me relentlessly. Maybe something about if I had rejected him, I would have done it already but here I am sitting down with him for dinner every week without fail, which he deemed that some part of me do agree with this.

After three months of watching me space out over his proposal he decided to use an age old tactic which resulted in me meeting with Uchiha Senior in his home office.

"He asked me for your hand in marriage. That boy is still an old fashioned boy like Minato."

"What was your answer daddy?"

"I told him that the decision is yours."

I knew it would come to this. Since the best way to get to me is via my dad, he used the old age permission from the dad for the daughter's hand. I knew he was doing this to elicit an answer from me. But the problem is I don't know what I want. I see him in my future but not really like this. I know I make a great business woman even when my heart weren't in it initially. I even wonder if I am wife material, the cooking, the pampering, the soothing and then the child bearing things most wives does. We had been best friends for 14, some semblance of a couple for months, maybe we can be so much more if we could stand each other for a decade and a half so far. Should I think of this like a business transaction?

"I will accept his proposal, but I need two years of engagement to plan my marriage life. I need... I need to startegize." I stated my answer.

After a few moments of silence Fugaku spoke again, "You are treating this like a business transaction aren't you?"

"I realize that daddy, but I don't know any other way. Help me learn to crawl, I am too afraid to jump straight into it."

Fugaku smiled at me "your mom is already at Kushina's discussing the engagement party."

I smirked. "What if I have decided to reject him?"

"Those women will just turn it into one surprise birthday party."

That's how I knew that my engagement party was to be on my birthday. I had only a month to ready myself and accept Naruto in my life as a potential husband material, no more the silly, benign, jokester of a best friend.

"You look beautiful, Sass,"

"You look dapper, Naruto," I praised, rolling his name off my tongue. I smirked while brushing off invisible dust from his white tux. He wore a pair of white suit with a red tie, while I wore a simple red knee length dress. On my neck, the red eagle ruby necklace. Yes, the red ruby eclectic necklace matched the red dress.

I nodded and he bent down and reached for my waist and kissed my left cheek, in return I kissed his right one. Just before he let go of my cheek, I grabbed his back combed blond hair at the nape of his neck and pulled him to me like I was about to whisper to him. Instead I ghosted a breath on his right ear and nipped his lobe. He instantly blushed but since he was red raw from his trip to Hawaii, only someone near enough could see it. Tonight I was almost his height with my added 6 inch maroon platform, usually I could only look at his face at eye level if we are seated down.

The kiss and the nip was our first contact since we 'dated'. He never touched me like a boyfriend would, well he did not have the chance since we were not a normal couple. I also never touched him like how a girlfriend would. My future in laws knew this, so a week ago Kushina sat down with me over brunch to demonstrate how small touches can greatly enhance a relationship. For someone ice cold like me especially. Thus I decided to do my own research and came up with nipping as one of my intros. If I have to get touchy feely, I should do this my way.

"Thank you for the necklace" I said as he offered me his hand. I took his hand sliding my palm into his, intertwining mine with his warm digits. His big hand felt comfortable in my hold and i noticed he blushed deeper. See, as an Uchiha I was getting good at this intimate thing. All you need is hours of research and googling.

"I love the dress" he said.

"I like the red tie" I replied.

"I love how you look tonight" his smile widening.

"Thank you" I glanced at him as he led me towards our parents.

"I love you" and he looked at me.

I looked at him back

"How do you feel tonight?" he asked without missing a beat.

"You are my best friend," I whispered as we neared the podium where my father was about to make an announcement.

"As your future husband?"

I saw Karin and let out a giggle, to cover my nervousness "I can't answer that yet. Give me two years. Didn't my father tell you that?"

Naruto smiled "Yes."

"Good" I ended our dialogue full of unanswered questions.

We smiled at each other as both our family looked at us approaching. The time is now.

Upon reaching Fugaku, I let go of Naruto's hand and entered my father's open embrace. Naruto greeted Fugaku with a firm handshake and a pat on the shoulder from the older man. Itachi, my one and only older brother stood not far away with Minato, my future father in law. My future mother in law Kushina was a meter away talking animatedly with my mother, Mikoto, they knew each other since they were in college.

Itachi and Minato were laughing heartily over some story when Fugaku motioned to Itachi to get the event rolling. We all stood in a line facing the crowd, with me and my father standing in the center of the line, Naruto standing on Fugaku's other side with his family. We all stood there together readying ourselves as our guests started to notice our presence and turned to us. Itachi spun around still grinning with a glass in his hand and looked at me. He winked at me and mouthed "ready little sister?" I nodded. My brother smirked and turned back to the crowd.

"Good night and thank you my dear guests, families, friends and associates," some guests who haven't noticed us were now turning their attention from the food they were eating, or the idle chat they were having to pay attention to Itachi's voice.

"Thank you for gracing our home to celebrate our dear Sasuke Uchiha's birthday. Let us wish her a Happy Birthday." In a unison the guests wished me a Happy Birthday and clapped for me.

After the claps died down, I addressed the crowd. "Thank you for your kind wishes and presents. When my father told me that they were having a birthday party for me this year, they weren't even sure whether I was going to be here at my own birthday party or not. As you all know, I prefer to have a simple private birthday dinner than one of this scale. But this birthday is not about just me being a year older, it is also to appreciate my families, friends and associates who have stood beside me and my family since we came to this town almost two decades ago. Thank you."

The crowd were now smiling at me. Some of the guests, my former nannies when my mom was still working, were smiling at me from the crowd.

"I am beyond grateful to be able to stand here, beside my family and all of you. Tonight my father has an announcement to make. "

Fugaku grabbed Mikoto's hand, whispered something and hand in hand they stepped forward. He went on to address and thank the guests for coming, Kushina and Minato were now also hand in hand. Me and Naruto were somehow not hand in hand, when I let go of his hand to hug my parents earlier. Itachi was smiling ear to ears now.

"When Sasuke was eight, we moved into this town after years of having to travel because of my business. Our son and daughter were very happy when they realized that Konoha was to be our permanent home. They went straight to making memories here, even Mikoto started working again her Namikaze Hearts after years of being a housewife. Then I met Minato, who became my closest friend and rival, who is married to Kushina, my wife's long lost friend. Even some of our travelling relatives have set up homes here, seeing how happy we were with our lives now. The Uchiha's even managed to terrorize the lake town with our bi-annual family reunion a few times."

Fugaku looked at Minato and Kushina before looking back at the guests.

"Tonight, I would like to announce sweet news as a new connection between our family is made, tonight we celebrate the engagement of Sasuke and Naruto. I introduce to you my future son in law, Minato's and Kushina's only son, Naruto Uzumaki."

The crowd clapped and Itachi shouted "Let's start the party." My father took Naruto's hand and put it into mine. Me and Naruto smiled at each other and we consciously ignored the crowd.

My game has started, I scooted to him and lean into him.

"Time for you to win my heart Uzumaki Naruto."

As he reached for my chin, he looked at my eyes and said "Let the game begin."