Itachi offered his hand to help her out of the car. Hinata took it. He waved a hand to their destination. Hinata looked around. They were on a university campus.
Itachi waved off the car to leave, and she followed him up the walkway.
"What are we doing here?" Hinata wondered, looking around as students rushed to class.
"You don't know this place?" Itachi asked, putting his hand in his jacket pockets and turning around to face her while walking backward.
"The only campus I was ever on was the one I graduated from," Hinata explained, watching his footing, walking like that. She expected him to fall over at any moment.
"This is the university our parents went to," Itachi explained. "And I have these." He took an envelope out of his pocket.
Hinata took it as he offered it. Inside were a set of photos, including some of the ones that he had shown her before.
"I think we should find where they were taken and take the same picture with you," Itachi explained with a smile.
Hinata thumbed through the pictures, slowing her pace as she found some she hadn't seen before.
"I think the sets would make a great picture book." Itachi skipped back and stumbled before finally walking normally.
"Your father had long hair in this one." Hinata pulled one out of her mother sitting in the grass with his father.
"Yeah, I thought we could try to take that one together. We'll have to get a student to take it for us. I couldn't convince Sasuke to come with us." Hinata wasn't sure she wanted to know how that conversation went.
"Where do we start?" Hinata asked. Itachi grinned, lifting his hand to point out a rock that looked familiar.
How much planning had he done for this?
Hinata flipped through the final printed photos. Itachi looked over her shoulder from the side. "You're too tall to be your father," Hinata commented as she held the two up to each other.
"You're cuter than your mother." Itachi countered, pointing at her in the new picture.
Hinata gave him a look.
"Why don't you ever believe me?" Itachi made a played-up pout with a hand on his heart, faking his hurt.
"Because it's you," Hinata told him.
"Sasuke would have been a better fit height-wise. Once he heard your name, I couldn't get him to come. He's too afraid I would leave you two alone." Itachi hummed. "He's got a crush on you, you know."
Hinata shook his head. "No, he doesn't."
"Now, how would you know?" Itachi asked, raising an eyebrow.
Hinata gave him a direct look. "I don't think he likes me one bit, and he's allowed."
"No, who wouldn't like you?" Itachi asked with a smile. "What do you think of him?"
"Driven and passionate, but he's got a chip on his shoulder," Hinata admitted. "I don't know why and I don't intend to. Can you stop?"
"You know dad's birthday is coming up." Itachi hummed, reaching over her to flick through the pictures.
Hinata made a face and side-eyed him. "Is that what this is about?"
"I thought it would be fun." Itachi defended.
Hinata smiled as she paired the pictures. The director would love it.
Hinata filtered through folders on her way up the elevator. She didn't understand why the production department couldn't figure out how to give them to her in order. Surely it wasn't that hard.
Hinata heard the ding and stepped out into the hall and, to her surprise, nearly ran right into Sasuke going in. She blinked at him for a few moments as they both paused.
Sasuke's eyebrows came down as he glared at her harshly in a flash. She quickly stepped out of his way, but she was confused why he was on this floor. She knew his schedule and nothing but him in the sales department.
Hinata shook it off and headed down the hall to Itachi's office. She knocked lightly before letting herself in. "Ready?"
Itachi looked up from his desk and put on a smile as he saw her. "Yup." He grabbed his coat and bag and headed back to the elevator. "You know I am popular today. Even Sasuke wanted to have lunch with me." He told her as he pushed the call button.
"Oh, I just passed him. You should have invited him to come." Hinata pointed at the elevator where she just saw him.
"I did." Itachi shrugged.
Hinata had her suspicion that that was not all that was said.
"What's dad doing today?" Itachi changed the subject as they stepped into the elevator.
"He's having a lunch meeting with a director from one of our suppliers," Hinata explained.
"He doesn't have you sit in on those?" Itachi wondered.
"Not usually when it's another director. I think it's more relationship building than anything else." Hinata shrugged. "He will either send me a message or update me after the fact."
"You didn't tell me where we were going." Itachi reminded her as they stepped out of the elevator.
"My apartment," Hinata told him as she waved at the receptionist.
"Oh, are you going to show me around your new kitchen?" He asked as they headed through the main doors.
Hinata smiled. "You should get some use out of it. You did design it."
Sasuke sat back in his chair, looking out the window of the expensive bistro his mother picked out. It was just as overpriced as the date his mother picked out. Unfortunately, he couldn't use his brother as an excuse like he had hoped to get out of this blind date.
Her hair was colored brightly, her outfit was outrageous and expensive, and she looked like her hobby was shopping from the branded bags she had hooked in her arm when she came in.
Another one of his mother's friend's heiress daughters.
She sipped her drink and talked about herself. She seemed to ignore the fact he wasn't talking back to her.
"How about we set up another lunch?" She finally tried.
"Yeah, I don't know. I get busy." Sasuke countered.
"I don't mind." She giggled. "Your mother gave me your office location. I can bring you lunch sometime."
Sasuke internally flinched. Of course, she did.
"By the way, since you didn't ask, my name is Sakura." She told him, sipping her drink.
He didn't like the way she smiled.
Fugaku took the folder Hinata held out to him and listened as she explained the next meeting to him. The door opening made them both pause to look up at a startled-looking Lee.
"Sir, your ex-wife, is here," Lee told him.
They both looked out the glass to his ex-wife's manicured finger waving at him.
"Hinata, can we move this meeting up to now." He gathered his things, and Hinata nodded, pulling out her phone.
They both started leaving the office, but his ex-wife scuffled up to them and caught his arm. "Fugaku, how are my boys doing?" She positioned herself with her arm linked with his as she followed him into the elevator.
"Mikoto, you can ask them. If you have no problem interrupting my day, I am sure you have no problem inputting theirs." He replied.
Mikoto pouted her lips. "But they work so hard. How could I distract them?"
"You're distracting me," Fugaku grumbled.
Mikoto ignored his comment and waved her hand. "Oh, you and the boys have to come to this dinner I am having with the Haruno's. Mebuki has this wonderful dessert she wants us to try."
"And you already told the boys, and they turned you down?" Fugaku concluded.
Mikoto continued to ignore his comment. "I told her you would come. She was so excited."
Fugaku sighed as they walked down the hall. She always did this when she wanted something. Set it up and make you look rude if you didn't show up.
"You know what, bring the Hyuga servant girl. I am sure she would enjoy it," Mikoto told him, knowing full well Hinata was only a step behind them. "I'll have my girl send it to yours." She grinned at him.
"Mikoto, take your husband." Fugaku tried.
"Oh, he's in Paris this week, and I can't go alone." She whined. "And you remember how helpful the Mebuki was when I was pregnant with Sasuke."
Fugue closed his eyes as they came to a stop at the conference room. "Mikoto, I have to work."
"Well, I will see you on Saturday then." She told him, giving his arm a squeeze before she scampered off with her heels clicking down the hall.
"Sir?" Hinata asked from behind him. She opened the conference room door for him.
He passed her and sat down, rubbing his temples. "Set it up. She does this a few times a year. If you don't give in a little, it just gets worse."
Hinata pressed her lips together but nodded.
"You're going too." He told her.
Hinata looked hesitant, but she nodded again.