A/N: Here's the dinner party, thanx for the reviews! Oh, and the description was in the previous chapter, so I didn't see the point of repeating it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

0—Mistaken Gender/Seven—0

"Wow." He breathed as the bashful female tucked a stray lock of indigo hair behind her ears. "You look amazing Hinata-chan." Haku hastily exited his apartment, ignoring the catcalls from Zaku and leering of Kin, focusing all attention on the female before him. He watched in fascination as her face failed to explode into crimson but slowly rise instead. Well, this was new!

Lavender hues skated over his form. "Y-you look handsome tonight, Haku-kun." She returned the compliment with a small shy smile, eyeing him. He wore a simple pinstriped suit of crimson and ebony, the look doing wonders for his manly image. Indeed, this was as masculine as the male had ever appeared before her.

"What, only tonight?" He teased with a pout, feeling a rush of giddiness when she immediately paled and sputtered out her usual apologies.

"I-I didn't mean i-it like that, H-Haku-kun! You always l-look your best! I-I'm sure that if e-everyone a-at school didn't think t-that you were a girl t-they'd all be after you—more s-so than even Sasuke-kun!"

He lifted a brow at the honorific that she used for the Uchiha but didn't voice any of his thoughts; content that she thought that he'd be quite the catch for the females. Instead he merely held out a hand and wiggled his fingers so that she would catch the meaning. They locked gazes for a mere second before her cool hand was in his, the male squeezing ever so slightly when he noticed that she was quivering. It was then that he remembered that it was cold outside and that she was wearing a strapless dress.

Chocolate orbs widened and he hastily ushered her downstairs to where an ivory Buick lay in wait. "Gomen, Hinata-chan, I can't believe that I didn't notice sooner!" He opened the door for her and all but shoved her in before slamming it shut behind her and making his way to the other side and getting in as well.

Almost immediately he was accosted with angry eyes nearly identical to Hinata's, though they resembled her father's a great deal more, through the rearview mirror. "Why is it that Hinata-sama had to go get you and wait in the cold?"

He was struck speechless. What to say to someone who obviously didn't like you before they were formally introduced? "…Well…Uh…"

"Speak up, boy!" He snapped rather rudely.

"Oh, Neji-niisan; please let him alone. He hasn't done anything to warrant your fury."

He was surprised to hear Hinata scolding anyone but Kiba, his eyes flicking from his date—friend to the back of the male's head. Just what on earth was going on here?

"Hmph. You called him just a few minutes before we left Hyuuga Manor, Hinata-sama. Couldn't you have just called him again to meet us down here instead of you waiting for him out in the cold?"

She placed a finger on her chin as if speculating, but grinned a moment later, the look causing all breath to cease from the long-haired male at her side. "It is true, I-I could have…But I decided n-not to." When the male at the driver's seat opened his mouth to respond, she instantly cut him off, something that Haku thought was impossible of the beautifully kind and timid female. "The dinner party starts in half an hour, Neji-nii. We should get going, ne?"

The male's cold eyes slowly began to melt under hers, before the teen presumably named Neji sighed. "Hai…But we aren't just dropping this discussion, Hinata-sama. We will talk of this again when we return to Hyuuga Manor tonight."

"Of course Neji-niisan." She smiled before glancing over to Haku, managing a small wink.

Unbelievable. He smirked in turn and angled himself towards his window, watching as the apartments surrounding them slowly began to melt into a blur as the elder teen shifted the car into gear and pressed on the accelerator.

0—Break—0

"Wow…I didn't expect it to be anything like this. I just figured that it would be at some snazzy restaurant." Haku forced his jaw to remain hinged, his attempt at remaining cool under the extreme scrutiny he felt upon himself. The walls towered high, the ceiling practically the sky, and the beautiful chandeliers were illuminating the grand hall with its beautiful rays. Chocolate orbs rolled back to the ground floor where there was a small gathering of people standing and sitting alike in the center of the room, their soft murmurs carrying high up into the impressive rafters. "So… What now?" He whispered; leaning over a bit towards the female he was there to escort. "I have a feeling that I have to be extremely careful in this company that you keep yourself in."

"You're right; you must be very c-careful of what you say and do. Everyone is going to base their opinions for the duration of the dinner on your first impression." Hinata responded with a nervous but encouraging smile. "I-It won't be that bad. No one is e-expecting much from anyone I'd bring."

He lifted a brow but didn't comment. She was talking from experience, it seemed. He extended his arm and hooked it at the elbow, holding it awkwardly so that she'd take the sign to slide her own through the space he provided. She didn't hesitate. Before either of them noticed, they were already making their way over to the crowd, their heads unconsciously held high.

"Hello Hinata-chan." Uchiha Mikoto was the first party member to step forward, a welcoming smile lit up her pretty features. "Who is this?" She asked almost immediately after, her coal hues inching over so that they rested solely on Haku.

"Ah, hello Uchiha-sama. T-This is Aihara Haku, my d-date." She half turned to the male and gave him an encouraging nod.

Haku blinked at the female blankly for a fraction of a second before bowing low, his head tilting up so that he could address the elder female. "Good evening Uchiha-sama." He gave her a wide smile that seemed to light the room, releasing a light chuckle. "I'm afraid that I was a bit taken aback from your beauty for a moment there. To think that the Uchiha head's wife would be so young looking."

The elder female flushed lightly and giggled like a girl half her age. "Oh my, Hinata-chan, you sure have picked a charming young man here." She winked to the stunned teen before giving her a light pat on her shoulder as she took her leave.

When Haku turned to his date, he felt his face go blank at her astonished expression. He felt his head tilt to the side. "Is something the matter, Hina-chan?"

He was met with an open mouth before she quickly snapped it shut and allowed her arm to wrap into his once more. "I-It just surprised me how well you managed to mask your initial confusion when I motioned for you to bow." She stated, her fingers running through her short bangs, straightening where it was already straight. "It was amazing."

The male straightened at the compliment but managed to beat the blush threatening to splash his cheeks down. "Ah."

"Hinata-chan?"

Both party members half turned in time to see a couple of males approaching, Haku immediately recognizing one of them as Uchiha Sasuke. Momentarily forgetting, he stiffened in Hinata's arms trying his best to angle himself away.

"It's alright Haku-kun. Sasuke-san already knows of our genders." Hinata didn't wait for the feminine male to relax before turning to the two Uchiha males, a pleasant smile lighting her features. "Hello Sasuke-kun, Itachi-kun."

"Hinata-chan, you are looking quite lovely this evening."

Haku turned just in time to see the taller of the two lean forward and gently grab the female's hand, placing a soft kiss on it before straightening. A strange feeling crept over him and he couldn't help but feel a bit confused as his hand tightened around the Hyuuga's arm.

The male who straightened turned to address him with a dark brow raised in question, as if he could tell exactly what the teen was feeling. He looked a bit like the Uchiha in their class but a bit older, having two scar-like marks marring his face just beneath his eyes. The look didn't change the male's aristocratic appearance, however, if anything, he was assured that the male probably got more attention for them. The male blinked. "Hello there." He extended a pale hand, "Uchiha Itachi. What is your name?"

"Aihara Haku." He clasped hands with the male opposite of him and squeezed back after a moment of shock when the male initially did it to him. His chocolate orbs flicked away once the elder Uchiha turned away—back to Hinata—and acknowledged the younger one. "Hello Sasuke-san." He greeted with a smile.

He got a slight nod. "Haku…So who asked who? Did you ask Hinata-san or did she ask you?" He waved down a waiter and plucked off a sparkling glass of what he could only assume was champagne.

"She asked me," He answered the male, eyes slowly rolling over to the female who was engaging in conversation with the tall man. "I actually didn't know of this event prior to this. She just said that she had to take someone this year or she would continue to be looked upon as a child."

Sasuke snorted. "Hai. But everyone here," He waved his glass towards the mass of people who were mingling, "they all know each other quite well and consider everyone here family. So when she said that they'll tread her as a child, it was true, but it makes no difference that you're here." He raised the glass to his lips and paused, glancing over to the couple who Haku just noticed was starting to stray away. "They'll treat you like a kid until you either become the owner of a company or get married." He smirked. "They've been trying to get Itachi married for the longest time now."

The long haired teen's brows rose. "Really? How old is he, and who are they trying to get him married to?"

"My aniki is only twenty-one, and the person that they've been trying to get him married to is Hinata-san." Sasuke chugged the bitter drink and placed it on a table nearby, blinking when he saw that Haku was gone and that his brother and the Hyuuga were nowhere in sight. For a moment, he considered seeking out the company of others, but after a couple of seconds of deliberation, he shrugged it off and instead flagged down the waiter once more, ignoring the speculating—no calculating looks that all the adults were sending him. Damn…I really have to get married soon.

0—Break—0

She didn't even notice that she was pulled away from Haku until they were outside sitting in the garden, watching as the koi fish leapt out of the water to catch passing mosquitoes. She wanted to go and find her friend and apologize for being so rude, but that would mean that she would have to be rude to Itachi as well, leaving right in the middle of his explanation of some family business.

She couldn't use the excuse of being cold to leave either, for the intelligent Uchiha had given her his own jacket as they exited the mansion, the kind act enough to cause the female to feel indebted.

"…So what do you think Hinata-chan?" He asked, grabbing hold of her cold hands with his own surprisingly warm ones.

Lavender eyes widened and she immediately regretted not listening as well as she should have. More than half of that conversation was filled with her thoughts of Haku and how she wasn't a good friend to have left him like that. An apology rested at the tip of her tongue, and just as she opened her mouth, the sound of the door opening cut her off.

Itachi's face went blank when Haku entered the little garden, his chocolate hues flicking his way briefly, finding some hidden intent in the male's gaze when he looked at him. Hm…So this Aihara guy likes Hinata-chan, ne? "Hello Haku-san." He greeted pleasantly, enjoying the way that the teen quickly made his way to the Hyuuga's side while sending him a slight glare. Heh. It seems that Sasuke was telling stories again, judging by the way that he's glaring. He too climbed to his feet and helped Hinata up to hers, brushing past the shorter male by passing in between the two of them, making sure to go as slow as possible just to rile him up even more.

"Well, though I am glad that we had a chance to speak, Hinata-chan, I'm afraid that I have to go back to greeting everyone else as well." He snatched her pale hand up to his lips and kissed it, reveling in Haku's seething, which he seemed to be doing without knowing. "I'll be seeing you later." He left the two teens to themselves in the garden, neither one of them talking until the sound of the door shutting behind him reached their ears.

"I'm so sorry, Haku-kun! I-I wasn't aware that Itachi-kun d-dragged me away from you until we got to the door and he was handing m-me his jacket." She flushed at the intense gaze that was fixated on her and averted her eyes to the pond, where yet another koi fish leapt out of the water to capture its dinner. "I would've c-come back for you b-but I didn't want to be rude and l-leave while he was in the middle of explaining something."

"…So, did he propose to you?"

Her breath came out in a small huff of air, the carbon dioxide showing up in the air as a white puff of steam while her brows threaded together. "E-Eh? What are you talking about, H-Haku-kun? Why would Itachi-kun p-propose to me?"

He reached out and grasped the female by her shoulders, drawing her closer to himself. "Haven't the families been trying to get the two of you together for a while now?"

Hinata felt heat travel over her skin at the proximity of the male and stuttered out her answer. "T-They d-did at one t-time, b-but they stopped f-five years a-ago."

He lifted a dark brow. "Really? Why?"

"H-Haku-kun…Itachi-kun is gay."

"…What?" His eyes snapped over to the door, as if looking in the deviated male's direction would help him to believe. "Sasuke-san's aniki is gay?"

The Hyuuga began to walk forward, back towards the doors in which Itachi left a few minutes before. "H-Hai. But n-no one treats him any differently." She hastily turned, cutting off the male before he could enter; a determined expression on her face. "Please do not t-treat Itachi-kun any different a-as you were before."

How did I view him before? Haku thought silently to himself, his eyes widening when he remembered the crushing anger he felt at the male's close presence with the shy teen. I don't think that I can go back to feeling like that if I tried…A pale hand lifted and grasped the front of his dress shirt, directly over his chest area. But that feeling from before…What was it?

"Haku-kun?"

The male glanced up to see Hinata waiting with the door half open, staring back at him with a worried gaze. "Hinata-chan!" He hastily moved forward so that he stood directly in front of her, his chocolate hues intense. "There's something wrong with my heart! Sometimes it beats really weirdly and my stomach feels as if it turns in on itself!"

The female's brows pulled down, worried further. "Oh my, that's h-horrible Haku-kun! You should go visit a doctor s-soon and check your health…M-Maybe you should eat lightly this evening." She rested a dainty hand on his shoulder and all too soon, the feeling returned.

He felt himself frown. He would be sure to keep himself in check if things like this continue to happen. The brunette teen stayed by her side for the rest of the evening, refusing to allow any male under the age of deceased and any kid over the age of puberty to walk off with her, and every time she would turn her face up towards his to give him a kind smile, he would feel that strange feeling in his heart and his cheeks would flush.

By the end of the night and after a heavy meal—something that he couldn't resist, having not eaten anything as exquisite or EXPENSIVE as the food presented—he was accompanied by her and her cousin Neji once more to his house, the female escorting him to his apartment despite the elder Hyuuga's complaints.

"Arigato, Hinata-chan." He smiled sweetly, "I had a very good time with you tonight."

"S-Same here, Haku-kun." She smiled up at him with her dimples once more and all of a sudden, she was all he could focus on—specifically her full pouty lips.

His breath was released in a small puff; his lids were slowly following the pull of gravity. Large hands grasped hers in a millisecond, and he gently pressed her against the wall of the apartment. He met wide lavender hues and a cherry complexioned face. The pink lips were coated with a thin layer of saliva as her tongue dabbed at it nervously and all he could see was the movement of those magnificent lips.

"H-Haku-k-kun?" She glanced up at him with a worried gaze. Was he feeling unwell?

"Gomen, Hinata-chan…Just please, indulge me just this once." And with that shaky whisper, he leaned in and meshed his lips against her own…

0—Seven/End—0

A/N: Please leave me a review and let me know what you think!

Thanx for reading!