Hinata's fingers trembled as she dialed a number on her phone. Her nerves were getting the better of her, but for good reason. She was planning a get-together between her estranged school friends. The last time she saw them was at a party she hosted to celebrate their graduation from high school, which ended in disaster. In the months following, all of them had moved away. Whether it was because of the tension after the fiasco, or because they just finished college, nobody would ever know. Hinata inwardly shuddered as she recollected the catastrophe.
Crackers and spilled drinks were littered all across the floor, and the mahogany table lay askew, where the girls and Akamaru had taken shelter from the chaos. Two dining chairs had been reduced to splinters from being thrown, and Hinata's precious lavender candles were carelessly thrown to the floor. The screams coming from the next room over were making the windows rattle. An intricate web of cracks decorated the walls; many of the frames on the walls had shattered and pictures were lying in shreds. If one looked closely, they could see the tiny specks of blood that dotted the carpet or the tiny molar that had been knocked out of Kiba's mouth. Tears were threatening to spill from Sakura and Ino's eyes; however, Hinata hadn't been as successful at remaining calm. Sobs racked her body, and all of her efforts to not break down had failed. Instead of being focused on the resentment and anger boiling, they did their best to tidy the room. Hinata then shook her head. Now was not the time to lose herself in traumatic memories.
The boys were brawling over something trivial; Hinata wasn't entirely sure of what had happened. The fact that they would all be going to different schools might have also been a cause. Like water frozen in a rock, it slowly eroded their close bond into dust, blown away by the harsh winds of reality. Tension was hanging about and the group of friends drifted apart, now scattered to the four winds. Far enough that none of them had talked to each other in at least a couple of years. However, her father wanted to offer them jobs; Hyuuga Co. just relocated their headquarters to Konoha and happened to be needing new employees. Just the stroke of luck of luck Hinata needed.
Getting everyone's new details had been particularly challenging; they were scattered all across Japan, and looking through the records was its own special form of torture reserved only for the weak-minded. There was this one particular instance that Hinata and Hanabi swore would never be spoken of. Rather than wasting her precious time, Hinata decided to hire a private investigator. Shizune, an employee of Hyuuga Co., had been kind enough to help (particularly after being promised bonus and a raise). Her cousin Neji had also decided to pitch in, purely because he had nothing better to do. The fact that he would get to see Tenten again had absolutely nothing to do with his sudden desire to help.
Hinata pressed the call phone. The phone kept ringing; perhaps Shizune was busy. Just as Hinata was about to give up and hang up, she heard a very groggy "Hello?" from the other line. Good.
"Hinata!" Shizune sounded like she had just gotten out of bed, which was pretty odd considering it was noon. "I have your information, ready!"
"That's great," Hinata responded. "Considering I'm already near your place, I can just get the file now!" She opened the door to Shizune's apartment building, and cursed as she recalled that Shizune lived on the fourth floor. The elevator was temporarily out of service, so up the stairs Hinata went.
Thump, thump. Pain slowly creeped up on Hinata's legs as she rushed up the stairs. How did Shizune put up with this? Hinata was irritated by the amount of work required, but she wasn't the one who had to do on a daily basis. No wonder Shizune was always tuckered out whenever she came to the office. By the time she reached the fourth floor, her knees were buckling and sweat was dripping onto her face.
She rummaged through her purse, hoping to find the little slip of paper with Shizune's address written upon it. Hinata then proceeded to repeatedly bang on the door, forming small breaks on it and causing the wall around the door to crack, only stopping whenever she heard a faint reply.
The door creaked open, and Shizune appeared, dressed in only an oversized bathrobe and slippers. Hinata noticed the blush burning on Shizune's cheeks and the panic on her face. Her eyes were focusing on the floor, and her fingers were twitching. Sweat plastered her hair to her forehead. She looked like a mess. Perhaps it wasn't the best time to visit.
"If you want me to come back later, that'll be fine. " Hinata murmured. She wasn't anxious to scale the stairs again, but it was her fault for coming so suddenly. As she started to turn around and walk away, Shizune grabbed her shoulder.
"No, it's fine," Shizune responded rather hesitantly. "Just come in, and I'll get myself properly dressed." Hinata stepped inside the apartment, and Shizune ran to her closet.
Hinata sat herself on Shizune's couch, and began to observe. The place was pleasant, albeit a bit small. The room was absolutely spotless; not even a speck of dust was visible and every one of her belongings were neatly categorized. A framed portrait of Shizune and her family was displayed on the wall opposite of Hinata. Other than the couch, the coffee table, chairs, and the TV, the living room was sparsely decorated.
Her thoughts were interrupted when a man stumbled out of Shizune's bedroom, also only wearing a bathrobe. He was picking at his teeth, and grunting with every step he took. It finally registered in Hinata's mind why Shizune had been so flustered. It also explained why she couldn't stop blushing. Next time she came over, she would at least need to ask if she was ready for company.
"Yo," the man turned around and greeted Hinata with a grin on his face, until he realized exactly who he was talking to. His grin slowly melted into an expression of horror. "Oh, hey, boss lady. Didn't expect you to come at this early in the morning." He weakly chuckled, and took off for the bathroom.
Shiranui Genma, Hinata's financial analyst, was one of the best and most loyal employees of Hyuga Co, having worked for Hiashi for the past 10 years. He had started working under Hinata about a year ago, and she respected his work ethic and his ability to stay calm and collected, and he respected the fact that she occasionally took him out for lunch and paid him a decent salary. However, it was unnerving to see one of her top-ranked employees barely dressed and red in the face.
Thankfully for both Genma and Hinata, Shizune came in the room fully dressed, papers in hand, and sat down next to Hinata.
"Yesterday, I was able to complete the whole list," Shizune explained. "These papers have everybody's last known addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses. Last I checked, all of this information is accurate and up-to-date, but you might have to check first."
Hinata gleefully wrapped her arms around the startled accountant. Now she could contact everyone and start making plans. Oh, how excited she was! The thought of seeing all of her good friends together again nearly made her faint with excitement. The next month or two would be extremely busy, since she would need to secure living arrangements, transportation, and positions in the company. However, she couldn't help but smile.