Chance Encounters
It was dark outside by the time Hinata returned to her small yet cozy one bedroom apartment located on the east side of the city.
"Hey kitty, I'm home" Hinata she called out to her mischievous black cat while dropping her keys on the kitchen counter.
"I met the most charming man while out and about today!" She said enthusiastically as she walked over to the cabinet to get some cat food out.
He walked out from his hiding space under the couch and purred eagerly at her feet as he watched her fill his bowl.
"He helped me carry those books back to the library for old lady Gema."
Hinata always has a kind heart, so when an elderly woman in the apartment below her needed some help, Hinata just couldn't refuse.
"I'll have to go visit her from time to time to make sure she's okay." Hinata thought as she undressed from the day and headed to her bathroom to cut on the shower.
Once she got out of the shower, she dressed in her favorite pair of pajamas and walked out to her living room with her phone in hand.
Another blush crept across her face as she thought of the dark eyed man she met. "He was so bold and the way he looked at me as so..intense" she trailed off, sitting on her plush lilac loveseat, her knees pulled to her chest.
It made her feel warm all over when she thought of how he looked at her. As if she was the prey and he the predator.
"I should call him."
She rose to her feet and walked over to her bag. She fished around but couldn't find his card.
She searched her bag once more, dumping its contents on the counter. Then a startling realization waved over her.
"I must have dropped it!" She said, slacking the palm of her hand to her forehead.
She sat on the chair nearest her as she watched the vision unfold in her mind. The damn thing must have happened when she dropped her books at the coffee shop eriler.
"Oh no!" Tears welled up in her big purple tinted eyes. 'This really sucks!"' she thought regretfully. "I should have made sure I checked I had everything before I left!"
Hinata wanted to kick herself.
She looked at the clock it read half past 10. There was no way they were open this time of night.
Feeling the bitter taste of defeated, she turned out the lights and walked to her room. She sat on her bed and continued to fume about the missing card.
As she got into bed, she could feel her cat jump upon her bed in the silence.
She smiled as she stroked his well groomed coat. "Well, everything happens for a reason. Maybe, I'll meet him again someday."
And with that, Hinata got under her covers and laid her head down upon a fluffy euphoria of her day started to fade as she smiled and welcomed sleeps inevitable embrace.
Sasuke woke up in the worst mood. Not only did Hinata not call him but his children kept him up half the night they're their constant bickering amongst themselves.
His wife was no help. She spent what little time that he had together a drunken mess. Fawning over him as if they were ever truly in love. If her father wasn't the man he was, Sasuke would have no use for her. The woman's advances disgusted him.
Although, it wasn't always like this however, they use to be friends. But after the children. She wasn;t the same person to him anymore. No longer did she just let him come and go as he pleased. She began to worry and lose vision of the life he really lived.
He hadn't known a moments peace since entering his abode and couldn't wait to get back to his apartment on the other side of town.
'It's a wonder why I never go home'' The exhausted Uchiha thought to himself as he finished dressing and made his way to the door, keys in hand to get into his sleek blacked out vehicle.
'Won't be doing that again anytime soon.' He said aloud as he went skidded out the luxury housing development.
Due to Sasukes haste he didn't notice his wife's attempt to get his attention in efforts to give him a homemade lunch filled with all his favorite lunch.
Sakura could only sign and shook her head in disappointment. As she walked to the fridge she dropped his homemade lunch inside while absentmindedly reaching for the unopened bottle of wine.
It was only 7:30 in the morning so the kids were still asleep.
'Perfect' She thought as she made her way to the living room. She contemplated on how she was going to tell the children their father had left again.
At least they didn't have to physically see him leave like usual.
She made little work of the seam of the bottle and popped the cork effortlessly with wine screw she kept handy.
Sakura drank from the head of the bottle and downed a third of its contents within a single gulp.
Sakura laid back and began to reminisce about the past. As of late, it had become her favorite pastime.
When they got married, Sasuke was just becoming established. They didn't have the fine home that they did now, but it was theirs and it was filled with warmth and love. She's remember fondly about how they could only afford the rent of their very first apartment together so they slept on a mattress on the floor.
Their diet consisted of the leftovers from Sakura's full time waitressing job and and ate dry noodles and half priced day old bread from the bakery across the street from their home.
They lived that way for about less than a year. So finally, she swallowed her pride once she found out she was pregnant and groveled to her parents to help them. Being that her father has a multi million dollar industry, he could make things happen as easily as snapping his fingers.
As if it has fallen out of the sky,the day after Sakura got into contact with her father, Sasuke got a phone call giving him a job offer to flip and sell social lounges.
With the signing bonus as well as the advanced he received, Sasuke had purchased them their dream home. It was furnished with nothing but top of the line furnishing, draps, all the way down to the carpets.
Sakura giggled at the thought of the first time he unveiled their master bedroom. She could remember the wood under the soles of her feet as she ran up to the master bedroom. She could remember feeling faint at the site of the size of the closet and how it was filled with nothing but designer dresses and handbags and in her size and style.
She was so blinded by the expensive material items she didn't dare ask him where he got the money from because technically, she knew where his start up money come from. Now, she had no idea how he spent his nights and days.
It was sad really. She never believed she would ever let a man change her from the quick tempered hellon to such a meek and soft spoken wife who lived for her booze and kids.
As she thought back in a haze about her life, she asked herself was the heartache she was experiencing now was all worth it?
Should she have asked him more questions about where the money was coming from? No, she liked to blame her ignorance on the children.
Once she became pregnant with the twins, she threw herself into being a mother. As long as they had what they needed, she was content.
If she was being honest with herself, she didn't know what to think for her relationship with her husband. Him staying out of weeks at a time and rarely calling was something she had grown used to.
However, like all things, Sasuke had his redeeming qualities too, such as never missing a birthday or an anniversary. He'd always reminded his secretary to send flowers periodically throughout the week with cards that said always had the same inscription.
"You're always on my mind. Sasuke."
She chuckled bitterly at the thought now. At one point in time she really believed he meant those words. She looked at the clock on her phone and it read just after 8.
Sakura slowly got up and got herself together to wake the children. As she walked to their bedroom she thought of an excuse to tell them for their fathers absent yet again.
"Damn Sasuke, what the fuck did you get into late night?"
Naruto said as he placed a steaming cup of freshly brewed coffee on his spotless desk.
Sasuke's office was spacious and very simple. He only had the necessities in his space such as an I Pac Desktop accompanied by a few file cabinets and bookshelves. It looked like a typical stylish businessman's office. The only thing he was missing was pictures of his family.
Sasuke groaned a thank you grabbing the coffee in front of him. He took a little sip of his dark roast, he gave Naruto a recap of his last 24 hours.
"You probably scared her off with that bad attitude of yours." Naruto teased as he watched his friend slump in his chair. After all of the years he's know Sasuke, it wasn't like him to get bent out of shape over anything, especially not a girl.
"Ah, quit crying man, it's pathetic." Naruto said with a chuckle. "Come on, it's Friday night! How about we go and get some drinks! Just us boys!"
"I'm not going out tonight." Sasuke groaned. "I'll be busy" and by Busy he means catching up on some much needed sleep.
"Oh no! You aren't weaseling your way out of this one!" Naruto said refusing to take no for an answer. "Just go take the day and get out of here. You're no use like this."
"I can't you idiot. Don't you remember we have a meeting with the Inuzuka clan over zoning."
TheInuzuka Clan is the #2 boss only second to Naruto and Sasuke when it comes down to respect and power. It has been 10 long years since they have signed their treaty. Sasuke and Naruto were 25 years old, the youngest yet most ruthless bosses the city has ever known.
Everything was peaceful after a year and a half of bloodshed on both of their sides. Only after the former leader of the Inuzuka clan was assassinated did peace come to the city streets.
Ultimately, the son rose to power and as long as everyone held up their end of the bargain, no one had to get hurt.
The Inuzuka clan supplied the street with high quality drugs of all kinds. Whatever you need they had. The deal was that they were allowed to distribute their weight on Sasuke and Naruto's turf as long as a certain percentage was given over to them.
However, local merchants get upset when drugs flood the streets. Strung out patrons were the worst type of customers. He'd have to put a cap on which drug would be allowed to be sold and how much of it was allowed to hit the streets.
These were legitimate things he had to think carefully about and currently he was in no shape to do so.
"Man fuck that meeting, we'll postpone it!" With that, Naruto was out the door and on his way to tell Karen, their boisterous red haired secretary the change in plans.
Sasuke knew there was no refusing him when he got like that so he packed up his stuff and headed to his eastside apartment.
Hinata was awoken by loud shuffling noises below her. She laid blissfully dreaming before a loud bang against the wall of old Lady Gema's apartment shook the place with such force, it knocked her right out of bed onto the floor.
She sprang to her feet immediately and rushed to her bathroom to get herself together before rushing out her apartment and down the stairs to Lady Gema's flat, absentmindedly forgetting to grab a robe as she took off down her hallway and out her front door.
She almost tripped down the steps as she hustled to her elderly neighbors door.
When she approached the woman's apartment she noticed the door open. Fueled by impulse she ran into the apartment.
" ! Are you in here? I heard a loud no-" She was startled by the massive man holding what seemed to be a heavy box.
poked her head out from behind the man broad arm.
"Oh Hinata my dear! You're such a sweetheart! Checking up on an old lady like me!" made her way past the young man and embraced Hinata.
"My great-grandson came by to help clean out my place."
Referring to the handsome tanned skinned man standing behind her.
He had brown soft eyes to match his scruffy brown hair. He smiled at her while as he put down and walked over to her, bending down slightly only inches from her face.
"No way." Kiba said with astonishment. "Is it really you Hime?"
Hinata took a closer look at the man, as she stared, his manly features slowly melted away into the young boy she once knew as her best friend.
"Kiba kun!" Hinata squealed as he gathered her into his arms and swung her around.
"Let me take a look at you!" Kiba said as he gently placed her back firmly on the ground. His hands never leaving hers.
She hasn't changed one bit. She was just as beautiful as she was when they were kids. He still remembered the day they met. Back then, she kept her hair long and didn't smile that often.
Kiba was 10, Hinata was 9 and her older "brother" was 14.
Kiba would always watch them walk by every morning and every afternoon to their ornate level of a school just 2 blocks from his father's mechanic shop. Every time she would walk by she would wave to him, while her brother would walk past as if he wasn't even there.
One afternoon, while fixing a broken chain on his bike, Kiba and waited as he worked for his neighbor to come down the streets with her brother. Except, today was different. The clouds above started rumbling and a heavy rain began to wash the city street.
He was about to pack it up and go inside when her heard a pitter patter of footsteps sprinting down the street. Kiba ran outside to see who could running in this hazardous weather.
Turned out it was his neighbor. Hinata Hyugga, soaked from head to toe. Her uniform was torn from the shoulder and blood seamed on the collar. Her hair was a tangled mess and she refused to say anything above a whisper.
Usually Kiba hated when he had the house to himself whenever his father was away on "business," but tonight, he couldn't have been more thankful. There is no telling what his father would do if he bore witness to such a criminal act.
After he got her cleaned up, he placed her in an oversized t shirt and some shorts and placed her in his full sized bed. He didn't ask her about that night and she never told him specifically what happened but he knew Neji was involved.
From that day on, he was sure to take her to and from school. Since he was homeschooled by the clan elders, he had a flexible schedule for a 10 year old.
As they grew older into there pre-teens, it was no surprise to find Hinata at the Inuzuka auto body shop. She didn't mind sitting and watching Kiba work for hours on his fathers most recent client.
By 15, Kiba knew how to uninstall an entire engine and put one back together. The community knew him as some sort of miracle worker under the hood and Hinata came over every day. It wasn't unusual that she didn't venture back home until late. She rarely talked about her home life, but when she did, it sounded like nothing but pure sorrow.
Her mother wasn't happy in the relationship and her father was too busy to notice. Her younger sister got shipped off to boarding school and won't return until she competes university, and her brother. Well, the families pride and joy. Neji, the prodigal son started studying Pre Law since middle school. By the age of 17, he was the youngest in the state to pass the bar exam.
Kiba found out later that Neji wasn't actually her brother but a cousin who her father brought into the home after a mysterious house fire left both his mother and father burnt to a crisp.
Hinata rarely talked about him and often shuttred at the sound of his name. Instead, she liked to focus her attention on books and her art. Sometimes she'd even prepare a meal for him and the crew at the shop.
They had eased into a steady rhythm for about 7 blissfield years and they were in their mid teens, Kiba no longer as the little sister that always trailed behind him. She literally blossomed into a woman in front of his eyes. No more long ponytails or overalls that were always too big for her, she grew into a shapely young woman.
Kiba was going to tell her on her 17th birthday how he felt about her but was heartbroken when he went to her house the night of her party only to find out that she had packed up only her essentials and he had never heard from her again.
"Where have you been on this time? I tried to find you! I even when by your house but security kicked me out." Kiba held onto her shoulders while gently shaking her.
Hinata couldn't believe the flood of emotions that she was feeling. How could she have forgotten about her best friend?
"Kiba I.." Hinata started with her head down, tears were pooled in her eye.
Kiba brought her into his chest and brought his massive hand up to stroke her head lightly.
"Oh hime, I didn't mean to upset you. I just..I miss you so much and I was so worried. You just left."
There was a long silence. Lady Gema had long retired to her bedroom to move around more of her things to giving the youngins their privacy.
"It's okay Hime, you know you don't owe me an explanation. I'm just happy you're back!" Kiba beamed as he released her from his arms. "Say how about I take you to this local Jazz spot? The owners a dick but I can get us in for free!"
Kiba's eyes feasted on her as he watched her ponder his proposal. If she was a knockout then she definitely was one now. She had a more defined figure now, it was more of an hourglass shape and long gone was her long hair. She looked so different but at the same time, still the same.
Hinata couldn't help but to say yes to going out with him. It had been such a long time since she has had a friend to talk to.
"Sure! I'll come, it sounds like fine!" Hinata said with a smile.
"Perfect I'll pick you up tonight around 9." Kiba brought her in for another warm hug. He was still the same person she knew from long ago.
"Alight you two, can we please start moving some of these boxes?" Lady Gema came back into the living room with a plate of cookies and some fresh brewed tea.
Kiba and Hinata separated when they heard Lady Gema's voice, both blushing profusely.
"I uh… think it's time for me to go put some real clothes on." A heavy blush continued to stain across Hinata's delicate features as she moved to the door to make her escape.
"Before you have some tea dear? You came all this way!" Lady Gema said. "My grandson here is a very busy man! He rarely gets the time to spend with me, especially since his father's murder."
Hinata removed her hand from the door knob and reposition herself to stand in front of Kiba who's visible mood had altered considerably.
" , oh Kiba! I'm so sorry to hear about your father!" Hinata was shocked! WHo would ever want to kill ? The man was always larger than life to her. Even though he wasn't around often, when he was he was the center of the universe, just like Kiba.
Kiba kept his head down as he began to move some boxes around, then he finally flashed her a bright smile and told her not to worry about it.
"Time and place is everything around these parts nowadays. I'll pick you up tonight at 9 okay hime?" Kiba ushered her to the door and motioned for her to take the lead so he could walk her to her apartment.
As the pair walked up the steps in silence,Hinata fidgeted with her hands. Never before had she ever felt awkward in her friends presence before but she was curious about his father's untimely death.
Once they got to her door, Kiba perked up a little.
"I can't wait to see what you have been up to all these years! What has it been? 7 years?" Kiba said standing directly behind her as she put her key in the door.
"Yeah, something like that." She smiled and let herself in.
With their eyes never leaving each other, Kiba scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Well I guess I'll see you night." Leaving a peck on her forehead, he left her in her door frame as he sauntered down the hall to the steps.
Before closing the door, Hinata placed a hand overtop of the kiss Kiba just left her. She blushed and shook her head as she closed the door behind her.
"Guess who's going out tonight Kitty."
It was 10:30 by the time Naruto got to Sasuke's modern and spacious 2 story apartment.
"Come I'm in, I was just about to refill my glass." Sasuke said stepping aside to let his friend in. The men walked over to his fully stocked mini bar.
Both of the men were dressed in a chic contemporary style. Sasuke had his hair pulled back with a white short-sleeved button down with a collar and pleated button down with vintage 90's inspired grey slacks. Naruto had on a pair of fitted jeans and a black turtleneck with a gold chain dangling from his neck.
Naruto sat at the counter and Sasuke poured him a glass of Remy.
Naruto grabbed the drink and swallowed it whole. '"Looks like I'll be driving tonight' Sasuke said filling his friends glass again.
While Sasuke went to this room to find his keys, Naruto pulled out a small package of aluminum foil and laid it's contents on the bar counter. Using a pre-rolled bill, Naruto sniffed it up without leaving a trace.
"You really shouldn't be fuckin' with that shit." Sasuke said rolling his eyes as he walked over to the door keys in hand.
Not wanting to be chastised Naruto folded up the rest of his goods and put them gingerly in his breast pocket.
"Lay off it, I'm not in the mood." He said harshly, he then looked over at his best friends serious face. Naruto threw his head back and laughed boyishly.
In a softer upbeat tone he re-addressed his friend. "I didn't come over here to get lectured. Let's get goin'! I'm sure there will be a lot of foxy ladies there! Jazz is the hottest thing to hit this city since the pop."
Deciding to not press, Sasuke just shook his head and they made their way to his car. His little habit would need to be readdressed at a later time.
Sasuke was already over this night before it even started, they parked in the back of the club and slipped through the backdoor of the establishment. . As Sasuke and Naruto made their way into the sea of people, he headed towards the bar when he saw his most recent obsession throwing back a shooter with none other than Kiba Inuzuka.
"Well, this night got a little bit more interesting." Sasuke said with a smirk as he made his way to the bar.
Thank yew for tuning in the re-vamped version of the story!
Be on the lookout for chapter 3
Until next time,
Sydthekid