First impressions
Rating: T (or PG-13)
Genre: Romance/Humor
Pairings: SasuHina
AN: Happy reading
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Chapter 1
With each tick of the clock her heart was racing faster. "Calm down Hinata there's nothing to fear," she rubbed her temples. It's only an interview and it sure wasn't her first. Besides, if they didn't hire her, it wouldn't even matter. She thought whimsically.
The doorknob rotated and a blonde-haired teen with a shocking pink clutch stormed past her. Hinata gulped. From the frown to the throbbing temples, she could tell her interview results were not in the least ideal. She was too afraid to ask and only smiled encouragingly at the her before walking into the dim-lit room.
Phew. She sighed. More chance for her right? There was really nothing Hyuga Hinata couldn't handle. She's been through the toughest front-lines of the Shinobi war, even to the point of sacrificing her life for the boy she loved. What could be worse than those things combined? Unless the interviewer was...
UCHIHA SASUKE. The name plate carved into the the elegant marble desk glared back at her. Before she could look up, she heard her name echo through the wall. "Hyuga Hinata is it?" It was so familiar, so distinct, so heart-wrenching, so...beautiful. She snapped up straight meeting a pair of handsome charcoal eyes. It was unmistakable.
She had never spoken more than ten syllables to the guy during their academy, training and chuunin years combines despite having been under his indirect influence for so many years. It was impossible to completely avoid his prescence and she presumed it was partly the fact she was a girl. There were three things a kunoichi's life could not be deprived of, no matter how hard she tries to avoid it. The first was multitasking; Hinata was an expert. The second is deception. The third was Uchiha Sasuke. No matter where the man traveled, woman trailed him from kilometers away, tracking his every movement, breath and expression. He was at the heart of all the attention, yet here he was in front of her staring fixedly at her.
Before she could open her mouth, the saliva had gone down the wrong canal and she coughed twice before forcing out, "y-es". Making incredible first impressions was definitely her forte.
"Are you alright?" He tilted his head with concern. When she nodded, he resumed to his paperwork, tracing his finger down colomns and rows.
"I see you have a fairly strong resume," he acknoledged. "You've been working at the konoha hospital for over three years and have volunteered at the konoha senior home. Quite frankly I'm impressed."
Hinata beamed. She felt her confidence level rising, for there was a sense of optimism in his voice she had never heard before. From what she have heard and experienced, his tone was always bitter, intimidating enough to scare a grown man. Whatever the past contained, he was no longer. She couldn't bring herself to believe this was the same man that had betrayed Konoha years ago.
"Thank you," she replied. She was finally going to get a job. Don't worry father, I'll make you proud.
"Now that this is done," he briefed over her resume before him, and folded his hands gazing intently back at the pearly-eyed girl.
"Will you go out with me?"
A long silence followed his question. She heard the summer breeze swoosh past the bay windows of the office. Outside, she could see some elderly couple holding hands.
Was she hallucinating? What did she just hear?
"Hinata...will you go out with me?" He said his voice more pronounced through the loudest, longest silence anyone might have experienced.
"WHATT?" Her voice pulsated through the room until she gained control of herself, and realized her hands were almost clawing the sides of the interview chair. So this was real afterall.
"Tuesday evenings I'm free. We can grab a drink at the bar." He smirked back at her, hands folded in the classic-Uchiha style. "Should I see you then?"
For half a minute, reality was ebbing away from her. A chances of getting a date with the prince was almost as rare as witnessing a solar flare or a comet. She could for a moment picture the idea, sharing a gin and tonic over the counter. Dazzling. Blinding. Her heart was pounding against her chest. But what about her job? Was this the way she was going to be hired? Using everything she's ever learned to gain a date with Sasuke? The thought was absurd enough. She was so ready for step forward in life, with this job.
She glared back at his smug, pretentious face. He knew the answer would be yes. He knew this was as rare as an earthquake in the middle of the Sahara. Privileges always rested in the hands of the Uchiha, there was simply no room for denial. But Hyuga Hinata was not about to let him slide.
"You're dispicable," she sneered. "If this is the job you meant, then I sincerely reject your offer. Taking advantage of people around you is your specialty isn't it Uchiha Sasuke? You disgust me." Standing up to her full height, she gave her opponent one last bitter glare before making a beeline for the exit. But before her fingers could even rest upon the knob, a larger, more slender hand covered hers. Before she could even detect a shadow, Sasuke Uchiha was breathing down her spine, fingers wrapped around hers. Sometimes, she forgot how agile he was really was. Pervert or not, he was a Shinobi.
She thought of elbowing her foe and successfully fracturing the left rib cage, but was refrained from doing so by another hand that secured her elbow to her waist.
"SASUKE UCHIHA LET-" she felt her knees weaken. How dare he lay a finger on her. She had every right to reject his offer. What he was doing to her was beyond her toleration. Hinata even contemplated reporting this to Hokage.
"Hinata," his voice lowered masking her own. "You passed."
She struggled to free herself, but his iron-clad arms restrained her from all sides.
"Good. Now let me pass the door so I can report you."
He closed his eyes briefly wondering why she was so defiant. "No, Hinata, listen to me. If you still want to report me after this, I won't stop you."
"You passed the interview."
All muscles in her body froze. So this wasn't a joke? Then...why in the world? Her mind drew a blank.
"I'm sorry I offended you," he replied calmly. "This was the only way of knowing that I can trust a girl." With that, he lifted his arms off hers and straighted himself before leaving the office and the girl to fend for herself.
She had got the job. It was hers.
AN: I know it's been a while since I last updated any of my stories, but exams (ironically) have brought me closer to fanfic than ever before. I will hopefully be updating and finishing the longer fic "If" before the summer. I'd love to hear your input, what do you think? Should I continue this fic?