Konoha Christmas Company Party

He did not like Christmas, no, he did not like Christmas at all.

"Come on Sasuke!" Naruto said with more cheer then he though possible, "It's Christmas eve! Be happier!"

He laughed loudly and patted him on the back and Sasuke glared angrily at him out of the corner of his eye.

He was so regretting coming here. He hated parties, why should his company Christmas party be exempt? Why he even decided to come was beyond him by far. Naruto was singing karaoke in between wild drinking sessions against Kiba and Tsunade; the lights were down low and the music loud and Sasuke could hardly hear himself speak, plus everyone was making an idiot out of themselves.

Rock Lee had somehow managed to get drunk on coke and was proposing to Sakura…again. Ino was making out with everyone in sight…again, and all these random girls were trying to get it off with him…again. Plus they were sharing the venue with another company that had a bunch of rowdy, yelling men who were telling random chicks to take their clothes off.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and leaned against the wall, sipping some wine.

He hated Christmas. Why did he even come!?

A small amount of movement to his left caught his eye and a soft voice whispered in his ear, "Are…are you okay, Uchiha-san?"

Ah, that's right. She asked him to.

He turned with a raised eyebrow to the shy little Hyuuga. They had become friends (Friends? Well, maybe Sasuke was kidding himself, she didn't seem to like him much still…perhaps acquaintances was better) earlier in the year on her first night with the company. They didn't talk much – she spent most of her time with the Inuzuka and the Aburame on their team projects – but they were close enough that when he mentioned to her casually that he would not be attending the Christmas party this year, she looked horrified.

"Bu-but Uchiha-san! You will be so lonely on Christmas eve!"

"I don't care," He said, taking a sip of his coffee and moving towards his desk.

"But Christmas is such a beautiful holiday! Don't you want to spend it with friends?"

He glanced at her, "Why do you care what I do?"

She blushed, "I-I just don't want you to be sa—"

"Why does it matter to you if I'm sad?"

"It…I don't like it when you're sad." She began to play with her fingers. He resisted the urge to hit her. He hated it when she did that.

There was an awkward silence.

Bored, Sasuke turned to go.

"…So…wi-will you come?" she said softly to the floor. Sasuke put his coffee down on the bench and turned back to her, ready to say no, but met with her stooped, shy figure he was weakened into a different response. Instead he leant against the wall and gave her a smirk, "…Depends…Are you going to make out with Naruto the whole night?"

He had meant it as a joke to tease her, but instead Hinata blushed and said nothing. Sasuke quirked an eyebrow, "What? Are you?"

"…U-Uchiha-san…"

He couldn't believe this. No way. No way in hell!? "You're going to tell Naruto you have a thing for him!?"

"U-Uchiha-san! Please! Keep your v-voice down!" she raised her hands and looked around at their work colleagues (none of whom were listening, might he add).

He breathed out of his nose and picked up the coffee again, "well…ok."

"Huh?"

"I can't miss such a monumental occasion as that. I'm coming."

He turned to go – he had reached his daily quota of words spoken – but Hinata grabbed his hand with her own soft palm and squeezed it gently, "A…Arigato." She said and gave him her soft smile.

He shrugged her off, "Don't mention it."

Damn that smile, that pathetic please-don't-hurt-me-or-my-heart-will-break smile. He'd be at home, getting drunk, watching old TV shows and starting to unwrap presents (he had a lot to go through, thanks to the fangirls) but instead he was here.

She better make it worth it. He wanted major embarrassment levels.

He turned to Hinata, "So, told Naruto yet?"

She blushed and bit her lip and shook her head and he nodded, "Good. I didn't want to miss it."

They stood like that for a while and Sasuke began to relax, enjoying the lack of pressure to make conversation. You know you're close to someone when you can not talk to one another but still feel completely at ease.

"…Thankyou for coming," she said finally. He glanced at her and gave his non-committal-it's-okay shrug and took another swig.

He wanted to say 'hurry up and do it already so I can go home,' but didn't want to seem like an insensitive asshole, so instead he decided to stand up and stretch, smirking at her and saying, "Don't do anything yet, I'm going to the bathroom."

She nodded and he made his way to the other side of the room. He glanced back at her and almost felt a wave of pity – she looked so out of place surrounded by all the drinking, yelling, swearing people. Some random guys from the other company came up to talk to her and he felt his shoulder muscles tense.

He made a mental note to be quick.

He walked down the hallway and past the few empty food preparation rooms to the male toilets.

After finishing his business he walked down the hallway. Voices emerged from the rooms and Sasuke rolled his eyes. He knew someone would have sex before the end of the night.

Walking out into the room where everyone was assembled, Sasuke peered around the room trying to find Hinata.

Not there.

He looked around for Naruto and saw he also was not in attendance.

Sasuke's eyebrows involuntarily raised themselves. She must have gone off with him to tell him when Sasuke wasn't looking. He shook his head in surprise.

That sneaky bitch.

He stood there awkwardly, wondering who the hell he was going to talk to now, when a firm hand was on his shoulder and he felt himself being spun around. Sasuke's fighting instincts kicked in and he tensed his hand muscles, ready to punch the guy in the gut. Instead of a fight, however, he met the eyes of one Aburame Shino…well, at least, he met the sunglasses of one Aburame Shino.

"Have you seen Hinata?" He asked.

"No." Sasuke replied, still tense, ready to hit.

"…The last time I saw her she was surrounded by a group of rowdy men."

Their eyes connect and Sasuke knows they're both thinking the same thing.

Shit.

She was a strong girl, but not that strong…not strong enough to…

He grabs Shino's arm roughly and pulls him over to the side of the room.

"Why didn't you keep an eye on her?" He hisses hard and fast and he is aware of his heart pumping faster.

"I assumed you would be doing so, you were watching her all evening," the man hisses back just as sharply.

"What are you talking about?"

"I notice more then I let on, Uchiha."

Sasuke opened his mouth angrily to ask the Aburame what the hell he meant by that before he remembered what they were arguing about.

"Have you told anyone else?"

"Kiba and Neji. I didn't want to make a scene."

Sasuke snorted. Four people searching for the same girl looked like a scene to him, especially when one of those people was making up the main part of the screeching, drunk morons.

"Look." Shino said, "I was just wondering if you had any ide—"

Sasuke decided to leave. He didn't have time on chitchat. Especially if…no, no, he wouldn't think of it.

His blood began to quicken and he felt the Sake start to affect his brain, making him very angry very quickly. He didn't know if this was a good or bad thing.

He walked through the dancefloor, trying to think of places to look. Then he remembered – the empty rooms he passed when he was going to the bathroom! There were voices…of course!

His pace quickened and he avoided several women who flung themselves at him. Sakura called from where she sat with Ino, "Sasuke-kuuun! Come keep me cooomp-hic-any!" He gave her an icy look and she recoiled as he marched towards the rooms.

If he found anyone hurting her he would fucking kill the bastards.

He made his way into the hall and strained his ears. Sure enough from the second room were voices. There was muttering and a soft voice talking and some loud laughing. He clenched his fists and felt anger fill his stomach in a hard, red ball.

They were dead.

They were fucking dead.

He slammed the door open and stormed in, chest heaving, and stopped where he stood.

"C…can I help you sir?" Asked a waiter who was pulling himself off a chef, who looked away flustered, covered in powder.

"Oh…no, it's fine," Sasuke mumbled angrily, walking backwards fast out of the room and closing the door as he went.

Okay. Not in that one. He closed his eyes and breathed in deep to calm himself and voices from further down the hall caught his ear.

"P-please!"

He froze.

Hinata.

"Do it." said a male voice and Sasuke stiffened. He turned towards the voices and stormed down the hall. He saw a glass door up ahead which opened onto a balcony, silhouettes of bodies outlined through it.

"No…No, please, I don't want-"

"There isn't a choice."

"Bu-but!"

"Listen, just do it already!"

Sasuke saw red and was fuelled with unstoppable anger. He broke into a run and pelted down the hall.

Sasuke crashed through the glass door, shattering it everywhere. There was a scream and someone swore and when the red had faded from Sasuke's eyes he saw Hinata standing, hand clasped to her heart, a red-headed man in front of her holding a bottle of Sake.

"U-Uchiha-sa—?"

"What are you doing here?" His voice came out rough and angry though he didn't mean it to.

"I…I was just getting some ai—"

"Do you have any idea how many people are looking for you?"

She bowed her head, ashamed, and Sasuke turned to yell at the man who had taken her away.

The red-headed man turned to face him and Sasuke met with a familiar face. Gaara no Sabaku. Head of the rival company to Konoha Enterprises.

Gaara didn't smile, "We were just getting some air and I was offering her a drink."

Sasuke continued to glower, "Well, in any case, it would have been nice if you to tell her friends. We were concerned."

"That was unnecessary."

"I'm not so sure."

Gaara put the bottle down and cocked his head, eyes slitting, "What do you mean by that?"

The air was thick with testosterone and both men were sizing each other up. A polite cough came from behind Gaara and they both turned to look at her.

She was standing, hands fidgeting and a blush across your cheeks, "Th-thankyou very much, Gaara-sama,"Sasuke flinched. She never called him by his first name, and here she was calling a stranger by his!? "demo…I should join Sasuke and my friends again. It is v-very late and…"

The man waved his hand, "Ah, ah, I understand."

She bowed low to him and he returned it. She walked forward and as she did so Gaara clasped her hand. Sasuke stepped forward defensively but Gaara fixed him with a deadly gaze, "Relax. I am simply helping her over the glass."

Hinata looked at him oddly and looked like she was about to speak but a look her way quickly silenced her. She was soon at Sasuke's side and he had her arm in his grip.

"Come on, Hyuuga." He says, pulling her. She gives a final wave to Gaara before turning and walking down the hallway with him. For some reason, even though the hallway was not that long, the walk seemed to take forever.

She tried to start a conversation, "U-Uchiha-sa—"

"Don't"

"But I want to apolo—"

"Apologise to Kiba, Shino, Neji and Naruto. They're the ones who gave up their entire night looking for you."

She looked at him in horror, "Looking for me?! But, but I didn't want to cause any trou—"

"Well, you did."

They stopped just outside the main room and he fixed her with a sideways look, "It seems trouble is all you ever cause."

She flinched and looked down and he saw her lip quiver. Almost immediately he felt remorse.

Damn her. He never felt remorse before he met her, and now look at him! He was practically a sap.

"Look," He began, "I didn't mean it like that, it's just…" he trailed off as she looked up at him with eyes that she was desperately trying to keep clear of tears. Sasuke sighed, "Just…take care of yourself, okay?"

She looked as though she was going to say something but thought better of it and nodded instead, "Hai, Uchiha-san, sorry…"

They stood like that for a while, silence engulfing them. Sasuke shifted uncomfortabley, "So…do you want to go in no—"

Her face went red and she bowed low, "Thankyou, Uchiha-san!"

"What?" He looked at her perplexed.

"Thankyou for…for finding me."

He raised an eyebrow. She really was the weirdest girl he had ever met. He shrugged, "Don't mention it."

The air was soft and relaxing and in the background a lovesong came on. She looked down then looked up and their eyes met and suddenly Sasuke was filled with her and her light. She smiled at him warmly and his heartbeat began to quicken again and she raised herself to her tiptoes and placed her soft lips on his cheek.

His head froze.

What had just happened?

He took a quick step back. He had hoped his face was guarded but apparently it showed all the horror he was feeling.

He didn't want her to like him. He liked her just being a friend…well, acquaintance.

She looked up at him and raised a hand, her eyes scared, "N-no, Uchiha-san, its not that, it's…" she pointed above him and mistletoe hung above the doorway.

Sasuke breathed out slowly from his nose. Thankgod.

She remained there, poised and ready for apology, but there was no opportunity for it as a loud, obnoxious, "HINATA-CHAN!" rang through the room and a blonde bounded up to her, "I'm glad I found you! You're the only girl I haven't danced with yet and it's the last song of the night!"

Her face went from white with fear to red with embarrassment and Sasuke looked at her with amusement.

God, she was such a freak.

But hey, that was why he liked her.

"You two love-birds have fun," he said with a cocked eyebrow and Hinata gasped at him and Naruto laughed loudly and began to pull her toward the dancefloor. She smiled at him and said something in his ear and he nodded and ran off.

He looked at her, "What, aren't you going to tell him anymore—"

"Merry Christmas, Uchiha-san!" She cried and gave him a short, quick hug. When she pulled away her face was red and she dashed quickly to the dancefloor.

He stood there, surprised and dumbfounded.

Well that was…weird.

He looked as Naruto spun her around and even smiled a little when he saw her laugh. He leaned against the wall, "Merry Christmas," he muttered to himself. With a stretch he pulled himself up and began to walk around the room.

Now…to find Shino, Kiba and Neji and tell them to stop worrying…or he could just leave now and make them waste their whole Christmas Eve.

Sasuke smirked. Yup. That seemed like a much better plan.

Owari. This is coupled with my story Kill Marry or Screw but is also standalone. MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL!!!