Hello everyone! Thanks for continually reading and I love reading through the reviews. Someone told me in particular there wasn't too much action in Chapter 2 so I hope Chapter 3 makes up for that. In addition, I am publishing a new chapter after only a few months :D so it's better than a 4 year wait. I've re-read Chapter 1 so I can hone in on that particular writing style once again. As many of you have noted, Chapter 1 had a few errors that went haywire and because it was brief, I haven't bothered to fix it since I've lost that document from a long time ago.

To address another reader's concerns, I don't believe I lack the understanding to discuss this subject matter. If one sentence that is obviously jumbled out of the entire chapter should throw you off (which Fanfiction had done and I hadn't bothered to review it before I published it), I would suggest you take things into context, as the rest of these chapters as well as that entire chapter contained little errors.

Also to note, you probably all have noticed that I'm not following close to their exact personalities from the manga. Though I have intended to keep Itachi's willingness to avoid conflict and listen to orders as well as Hinata's shy demeanor but strong stance on individual convictions. I don't believe it's entirely OOC.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters affiliated with Naruto.


Chapter 3

"Yang-san is from Taiwan, correct?" Hinata prodded Itachi from the back.

"Yes, I believe I said so. Are you selecting that item for him Hyuuga-san?" Itachi turned around and replied with a raised eyebrow to the item that Hinata currently held in her hand. A rather common item seen in many souvenir shops in Japan, it was the Maneki Neko, or "beckoning cat". With its near Cheshire-like smile, lined eyes and small whiskers protruding from the face, Itachi grew skeptical. "Do you really think that's appropriate?" he asked earnestly, not in any way expressing contempt in her choice.

Hinata laughed. "I b-believe so! He's expanding his b-business to Japan, so may good f-fortune and luck come his w-way" she finished as she grabbed the maneuverable left hand of the cat and tweaked it back and forth in front of Itachi, as if beckoning him. She held the cat in both hands and continued her argument with a gleam in her eyes. "Many of the business individuals that come to v-visit your home have expressed the d-desire to own something that is unique and s-symbolic of Japan. In the p-past, we always e-ended up getting something that's more a-akin to their homeland and I believe it makes m-more sense to get them something that's g-genuinely Japanese, as a m-memorabilia." Itachi glanced at the grinning cat, and then to the smiling Hinata-he wouldn't be able to say no to her in any scenario and this event was not exclusive.

Her argument was logical…but a cat? Maybe it was because he was a bird person.

"Alright Hyuuga-san, add that to our cart. Why did you ask if he was from Taiwan then?" Itachi inquired as he grabbed the cat from Hinata and placed it in their basket. He took a glimpse her way to see how she would respond. Hinata appeared to not have been listening as she gleefully looked at all the items on the shelf, almost wanting to pick up every item that her eyes had set on. She's always like this when we go shopping for gifts… Itachi held a small smile on his face with that remembrance. At his home, Hinata had always been quite reserved, soft-spoken and not as playful. Whenever they had the opportunity to prepare gifts for visiting business clienteles and partners, she'd jump at the opportunity to prepare anything to give away. She's always been so selfless-always a giver, rarely a taker. He followed behind her as she stared at everything with wonder and excitement, regardless if this wasn't their first or second time at the shopping district.

Hinata stopped at a particular gift hidden from Itachi's view. He attempted to peer over her shoulders but just as he did so, Hinata turned her head around immediately and came face to face with the handsome Uchiha. He watched as she gasped and blushed mildly at their close encounter.

"Ah sorry I-Itachi-sama, I was just noticing a particular gift over h-here, but I don't think we'll be p-purchasing it," Hinata tried ushering Itachi away from the item. He noticed she was actually tippy toeing to block his view, a rather cute attempt on her part. I'll come back later when she's not watching. "Let's just f-finish our set," Hinata placed her hand softly on Itachi's arm to lead him away from the item of interest. Itachi complied and merely followed her, not bothering to remove her hand that was currently grasping his arm. They finished with their shopping at the current establishment and Itachi moved to complete his purchases. Hinata waited idly by in case he attempted to make a dash to the item she came upon earlier. After all, anytime her eyes had linger on something for too long in the past during their outings, Itachi had the habit of returning and purchasing the item and later surprising her with the gift in the most nonchalant manner-another one of the very sweet things about him that no one else knew about. She, however, equated the act as an older brother spoiling a younger sibling.

She's certainly following me close. She must really not want me to see what she saw earlier. Itachi let out a brief and small sigh as he signed the receipt. Just as he was grabbing for the bags, Hinata had already moved near him to pick up the wrapped items. Hinata attempted grabbing almost all the purchases before Itachi swiftly and fluidly grabbed the remaining as well as snatching some of the heavier items that Hinata already held in her arms. He noticed her give a small pout in return and instead of pinching her cheeks like he wanted to, he gave her a wry smirk.

"I-Itachi-sama…you're carrying more t-than me," Hinata said, still pouting as they walked out the store. Itachi quirked his head slightly toward her.

"Well Hyuuga-san, I believe I am the stronger of us two so I should carry more," he responded jokingly. He heard her giggle for an instant and noticed she tried grabbing for an item on top of the ones he held. His quick reflexes kicked in and snatched her hand with his free one and held it. "And apparently faster as well," he ended giving her another one of his smile attempted smirk. Hinata blushed at the contact, as Itachi wasn't letting go immediately. He's going to get married. He's going to get married. She slowly slid her dainty, pale hands from his and stammered her response.

"I t-think that's a-arguable, I-Itachi-sama," Hinata looked up to face dark, onyx eyes with a tint of crimson red, her own lavender opal eyes wide and reflecting in his own. Was she blushing? "I'll i-invite you to come r-running with me s-sometimes…" Hinata blushed trailing her sentence. I just invited my boss to come work out with me. This must be really weird for him. Itachi thought for a moment. Did she just challenge me? Hinata had NEVER, ever invited him to do anything…physical with her. But he wouldn't mind, he'd always work out in the gym alone and he did enjoy a good run.

Before Hinata could take back her offer, Itachi had already accepted. "I'll take you on that challenge Hyuuga-san. Tomorrow morning, 8 am sharp." He turned to see her expression and noticed she blushed, maybe she was already regretting it since he certainly was faster than her. At least to his knowledge he was…

As they ambled their way through the noisy shopping district, Itachi's keen eyes caught onto something bubbly, bright, and menacing. Terror almost, almost filled him thinking that his outing with Hinata could be ruined due to a run-in with his potential wives, he grinded the last part out. He glanced quickly to Hinata and noticed she hadn't realized they were in the vicinity of her one day tormentors so he quickly grabbed her hand and led her to a different path. "I-Itachi-sama?" Hinata blushed noticing that Itachi had briskly grabbed her hand and increased his pace toward a different direction. Did he see someone? She narrowed her option as she saw irritation on his face from the narrowing of his eyes. She decided to stay quiet until Itachi spoke up.

"Sorry for the abruptness," Itachi slowed his pace and let go of her hand. "It was…the suitors from yesterday." Hinata's eyes widened. He was trying to escape Sakura-san and Ino-san? "If you hadn't realized yet, which I'm sure you already have Hyuuga-san, I don't prefer their presence." Itachi looked behind him to check if the two were still around. Hinata's eyes were now downcast, she had already deducted that, but it was still unsettling knowing that those two girls had better chances of marrying him than she did.

"I-Itachi-sama…I don't mean to p-pry but are you a-alright with the w-whole marriage agreement?" Hinata looked up at him and immediately regretted asking him. "I'm s-sorry, I didn't i-intend to-"

"It's fine Hyuuga-san. You were there to witness the entire exchange so your curiosity is understandable," Itachi looked for a nearby seat. He found a bench just a few steps ahead with negligible people present and led Hinata to sit down next to him. "To be honest Hyuuga-san, I thought it was disconcerting to have that exchange occur without my knowledge. But in regards to your concerns, it's conventional for the eldest of the family to carry on this burden of ensuring success for the company. Though I do not particularly enjoy being paraded in front of strangers, it is my filial piety to continue my parent's ambitions," Itachi ended much more quietly than when he started. He noticed that Hinata held her face down, with a sadden expression no longer carrying the gleeful look that she held earlier. His heart yearned to tell her that he'd rather much pursue her, if only business allowed him to. Itachi hadn't had much of a track record in breaking traditions; he just made things more efficient and got things done.

Itachi held so many responsibilities, so many burdens that she had originally carried and abandoned. He is a strong person for being able to set aside his own desires and dreams to do what must be done for his family. Hinata turned to look at him and noticed that he had already been observing her. She didn't want to make him worry and instead wanted to become his support. "I-Itachi-sama…" Hinata placed her hand on the shoulder closest to her and gave him the most warming smiles she could muster up. "I t-think you should be s-selfish sometimes, people will a-accept it. You're great at e-everything you set your m-mind on, and I know your f-family will trust your d-decision." Itachi gripped his pant leggings tightly, trying to stop himself from running his palm along her cheek and pulling her into a bone-crushing hug. If he were to be truly selfish, he'd have abandoned his parent's willful intrusion and opted to court Hinata instead. Itachi slowly placated one of his hands warmly over hers, allowing it to linger before bringing her soft, delicate fingers to his lips and giving them a small peck as his long bangs cascaded to cover her hand.

"Thank you Hyuuga-san. It's a bit remarkable I still don't know much about you after these two years, but I…" he was getting a bit lost for words. Has he ever told her how grateful he was? There were those small 'thank you's' and such but not something like this. He had never told anyone something like this. "I appreciate your insights and your patient ears for listening to me," Itachi finished still holding her hand. Hinata had been in a trance the entire time he held her hand. When he placed his soft, warm lips on her fingers, her heart nearly melted. The experience and feeling was entirely different from when Sasuke had done it the previous day. Itachi made it unforgettable and took her breath away.

"I-Itachi-sama. I-I " was all Hinata was able to stammer out. Her face must have been as red as the beet salad she had with Kiba earlier. Noticing her nervousness increasing in four-folds, Hinata did the only thing she knew to stop Itachi from looking at her flushed face. She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face into his neck from the side. Itachi's eyes widened at the onslaught of a hug from Hinata. He hadn't expected this, and he normally liked to be calculative with people's actions. The scent radiating from her hair, her clothes, her skin…her entire being was now wafting across his nostrils, numbing his body and making him forget they were in public; not that he minded. Thoughts about her and Kiba as well as the marriage agreement did not resurface as he was extremely satisfied she had hugged him on her own free will. Itachi moved to place his arms around her petite frame as he realized she had been shaking slightly while embracing him. Her nerves must be up. Just as his arms got around her shoulder, she let her hold of him go after realizing he hadn't responded.

Oh no, I molested my boss! "I-I'm, s-so sorry I-Itachi-sama! I didn't m-mean to do that so u-unexpectedly," Hinata squealed holding her face with both hands, refusing to look at Itachi. Itachi let out a small laugh, did she hear right? She turned to look at him and noticed he was smiling at her.

"It's ok Hyuuga-san," Itachi leaned toward Hinata, his eyes never leaving hers. "I-" at that very instant, Itachi's phone rang. He looked at the caller and immediately pressed the talk button. "What do you want?" Itachi growled.

"Dear brother, you certainly are testy today… more so than usual," Sasuke scoffed.

"What is it?" Itachi repeated glancing over to Hinata and noticing that she scooted slightly away to allow him some privacy.

"Am I bothering you?" Sasuke asked smoothly, knowing that Itachi was up to something. Itachi only showed this much animosity when he gets interrupted doing something very important.

"Yes."

"I'll make this quick then."

"You have less than a minute."

"I found out something interesting and I would like to know if I may have the chance to visit Hinata-chan later today?" Sasuke finished, smirking at the thought of irritating his older brother further.

"Why? What does your 'interesting' findings have anything to do with Hyu—" Itachi glanced over to Hinata who turned to look up at him. He noticed she had been mildly paying attention to the exchange and didn't want to bring her name into the conversation. "What do you want with her?" Itachi grounded out with his eyes slightly narrowed.

"I'll tell you another time, but I just wanted to know if you would give me permission to see her later today," Sasuke pushed.

"No."

"Are you really serious brother?" Sasuke couldn't believe Itachi was being so impertinent. Most people at their age would be able to retain their jealousy and share their wonderful comrades with other people.

"Yes, are we done here?" Itachi had been listening to Hinata earlier and he decided he was going to be selfish, for a bit at least. And that involved him enjoying the rest of his day with her alone.

"Knowing Hinata-chan, she'll kindly let me in without you being there," Sasuke threatened.

"Fine, but not today." Sasuke could roughly approximate that as a plea from his older brother.

"Deal, I'll see her soon then." With the click of a button, and a swift exertion of the cellular device into his pants pocket, Itachi turned to look at Hinata.

"Is everything a-alright Itachi-sama?" Hinata asked showing concern in her eyes. Itachi sounded irritated throughout the conversation. She tried her best to not eaves drop but the attempt proved formidable as she sat nearly a few inches away from him. Itachi placed his hand on her shoulder in an act to calm her worries.

"Everything is fine Hyuuga-san. I believe we should be on our way though. I'd like to get all this merchandise back home soon," Itachi pointed toward their mounting luggage. Hinata complied and followed suit as Itachi led the way to the parking garage with urgency and alertness for any blondes or pink-headed females.


"Geez, when did Itachi get so possessive?" Sasuke asked in disbelief to no one in particular as he ended the conversation with his older brother. Since the unpleasant meeting yesterday with his parents at Itachi's abode, Sasuke had added 'Research of Company Heiresses' to his list of responsibilities. He began with companies that were in close proximity to his own families' and then companies that specialized in electronic development such as his. Many companies ended up not having "heirs" and "heiresses" as conventional family-run businesses on large scales were attenuating in recent decades. A lot of the children from big businesses that he came across found their careers in something else and opted from continuing their families' dynasty. He would, however, not give up as the conception that he may have to marry one of the females that he met yesterday became a driving force to finding a better spouse.

Sasuke looked down at the list he'd compiled with the company names, addresses, heiresses backgrounds, and just about everything he thought he needed to know including their social networks. He might as well help his stressed out brother by at least doing him this favor. Earlier that day, Sasuke had decided to venture further across the country to seek more potential suitors. He called his old friend Uzumaki Naruto for help. The conversation between him and Naruto was in short, embarrassing but it was good to hear from his 'best friend' again.

"Sasuke-teme! It's been so long. It's nice to hear from you again," Naruto answered on the other end of the phone and Sasuke was certain he was gleaming in real life.

"Hey dobe, I need some help," Sasuke pursed his lips. Naruto didn't know about his current situation and would certainly get on his case especially if his 'best friend' was getting 'hitched'.

"Oh that's nice of you, the only time you call is when you need help huh?" Naruto replied gruffly, sitting back in his office chair. A lone orphan from a large company had a lot of work to do, and friends who needed small favors without ever returning his billions of invitations to hang out were certainly not going to get an easy pass.

Ignoring Naruto's snide remark, Sasuke continued. "Believe me dobe, you'll WANT to help me with this task," Sasuke could imagine Naruto's interest piquing right about now. "I'll get straight to it, my parents want me and Itachi hitched and were going shackle us to half of the Fantanas team. Now I need your help to find more suitable wives for Itachi and myself." Sasuke heard nothing but silence; he knew what this meant.

"BWAHAHA Are you serious teme? I guess this makes up for all the time we haven't seen each other and you always bailing on me. I was going to say that Shikamaru getting stuck with the razor queen had to be the funniest thing one of our friends had been subjected to, but this takes it!" Naruto continued his boisterous laughter, raising eyebrows from his colleagues outside of his office. "No seriously Sasuke, are you serious?"

Sasuke gritted his teeth, damn that Naruto. He didn't have parents so he could do whatever the hell he wanted to succeed, without any obligations. "Yes. Now are you going to help me?" Sasuke didn't want to stoop to this level but he was having a surprisingly difficult time finding more available heiresses. Naruto lived quite a ways from him and most certainly would know the companies in his region better than he did. "I've searched nearby companies and now I'm expanding my search to broader areas. I need your help in that realm." Sasuke sighed, rubbing his temples for the arrival of a headache.

He waited for a response and heard Naruto humming. The dobe was probably scratching his chin with his pointer finger accompanied with closed eyes, an act Sasuke was used to seeing back when they were in high school together. "I have a few off the top of my head that I can think of, but yea SURE! I'll help you out old buddy. But you have to show me the other potential suitors your parents had you cordially meet." Naruto snickered, this was just PERFECT. Sasuke always made fun of him back when they were younger, now his stuck up self was met with such a hysterical situation. "Then I suppose I'll be visiting you soon?"

Sasuke paused, "Send me a list accompanied with the following information…"

A few hours after their conversation ended, Naruto had faxed Sasuke a list of potential heiresses including all the information he requested. Naruto had set a date to visit Sasuke a week and half from the present time. After reviewing a good number of candidates, Sasuke came upon a particular heiress that lingered on him for a while. When he finished reading through the files of all the heiresses, he went back to that particular one and noticed the similarities.

Name: Hyuuga Hanabi

Age: 15

Company: Hyuuga Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices

He wasn't interested in the child per se, but there were striking similarities between her and Itachi's maid that he met yesterday from just the photo alone. In addition, the background of Hyuuga Hiashi, the current company CEO indicated that he had two daughters, not one and that the other daughter was older than the current heiress. Odd indeed… Hence Sasuke decided to pay a little visit to the attractive woman he met yesterday at Itachi's home.


"Would you like something to eat Hyuuga-san?" Itachi asked as Hinata helped him set the wrapped merchandises on the counter in the kitchen. Hinata turned towards him and immediately widened her eyes.

"Oh Itachi-sama, are you hungry? I can make something for you," Hinata said frantically tidying up the gifts that were to be presented tomorrow when Itachi's guests arrive. Itachi chuckled lightly and grabbed her shoulder to stop her pacing.

"I asked if you would like to eat something Hyuuga-san," Itachi turned Hinata toward him and looked at her directly in the eyes. He noticed the slight blush forming on her cheek as he held her in place. "I thought perhaps, I can prepare something for you."

The blush that was forming on her cheek reddened further and Hinata parted her lips slowly as if contemplating very carefully what to say; either that or she was just at a loss for words. "I-Itachi-sama…" Itachi was already guessing she would decline his invitation to cook something for her and would probably stammer something along the lines of it being inappropriate that she was the maid of his home but having him, her boss, cook for her instead.

"Hyuuga-san, it's perfec—"

"You know how to c-cook?" Hinata raised her brows and quirked her head to the side. Itachi was quite puzzled, as noted before he liked to be calculative with people and she certainly was surprising him today.

Itachi took his hand off of her shoulder and covered a forced cough. "I certainly didn't have a maid before you came into my home Hyuuga-san. And I certainly did not go out to eat every day," Itachi said feigning an insulted man. He saw that Hinata smiled widely at this.

"I apologize Itachi-sama, I've just n-never seen you c-cook before," Hinata looked at the refrigerator. "In that c-case, if you're o-offering, I'd like to be s-surprised." Hinata walked swiftly to the refrigerator and checked to see if everything was in stock. There were two separate kitchens in Itachi's home. One was a smaller personal one and the other more industrial. Both refrigerators should have been in stock since she just recently went shopping with some of the other maids a few days ago. She pulled her head from the refrigerator and looked back at Itachi who stood there giving her his signature smirk. His onyx eyes held a serene aura as he gazed back at her. She could only return a smile. "Would you l-like my h-help?"

Itachi walked briskly toward her and softly pushed the refrigerator door closed. Hinata was now backed against the door and facing upwards to her very handsome boss. Itachi leaned down to her right ear and whispered quietly and smoothly, "I'd like for you to go relax as I prepare everything." His melodic voice tickled her senses as her breathing became heavier. Hinata was hoping Itachi wouldn't notice that her heart rate increased rapidly the instant he entrapped her between the refrigerator and his body. Her breaths could be seen by the rise and fall of her chest as her face was so close to his. He's getting so much closer to me lately, and yet I cannot and will not deter him away from his duties.

Hinata finally found her ability to speak as she raised both hands up and placed them on Itachi's chest. She noticed Itachi had risen from his comfortable position next to her ear to look at her directly once more. "I-Itachi-sama…" just as she whispered his name, she heard his dress shirt ruffle as he brought up his hand and moved it up to her face. Suddenly, she felt rough but comforting fingers slowly drag themselves along her cheek. Her ability to speak just remarkably disappeared again. Itachi has never been this forward or physical before; does he realize how little control I have over myself when he's this close?

Control was also something that too was diminishing on Itachi as he had Hinata pinned to the refrigerator and was now stroking her cheek. The same cheek he had wanted to pinch earlier was now being caressed by his very own fingers. When she placed her hands on his chest, he knew she was going to push him away and so he acted fast before she had the chance to do so. It appeared to have delayed her action as she now appeared mesmerized with her lids and breathing growing heavier by the second. He watched her part her lips in an attempt to bring forth something that he assumed would stop him from doing what he wanted.

Was it safe to assume Hinata was attracted to him as much as he is to her? While there was comfort, there was also tension that followed whenever he was alone with her. It was thick, and he wasn't so foolish to not think that Hinata had no idea of his attraction to her. He knew that recent news of his marriage had put them both on the edge, cutting away at their rationale to resist their urges and indulge in their selfish needs. He wanted to believe that those blushes and heavy breathing were her reacting to his advancements, and he will gladly answer them. He moved his thumb to gently glide across the bottom of her lip and noticed she gasped just as he completed his action. Yes, control was not something he possessed that day and it was evident by him placing his hand behind her neck and pushing her lips toward his.


You know I love to leave with cliffhangers :)

And please review, I definitely take everything you all say into consideration and I try my best to incorporate those suggestions in my upcoming chapters.

Also for those who haven't ventured, I sketched this A LOONG time ago when I first started my story. Just go to my profile and find the link there. It might give you a better imagination of what I have in mind.

Enjoy!