Hinata P.O.V

Hinata had been sleeping peacefully when she felt someone shake her.

"Just a few more minutes," she grumbled, but she could feel herself slowly come into consciousness.

"Hey, wake up," she heard Ten-ten say. If I can hear Ten-ten this clearly then it means my sleep is gone, Hinata thought, as her eyes cracked open slowly, adjusting to the light.

"Sleeping beauty finally awake?" Ten-ten asked with a grin.

"Mhm," Hinata hummed and then let out a short yawn, "Why is this plane ride taking so long?"

"Technically," Ten-ten replied, "we're in a jet. Also, Neji called a few hours ago to change course because of change in business plans. So instead of us going to China like we planned, we're headed for the United States of America!"

"Oh. Then why did you wake me up?"

"You need to strap in. We're about to land"

Hinata nodded, righted her chair from its slanting position and proceeded to secure her seatbelt. She leaned back against her seat thinking about how she enjoyed her sleep, a dreamless sleep at that. No Naruto or family troubles to plague her. That thought soured her mood by a fraction. Both women knew of the hassle it would be to leave the country, but they managed to do it successfully by using the private jet and boarding it at night so as not to get any attention.

"You'll be okay, Hina," Ten-ten said, holding Hinata's hand.

"I hope so," Hinata replied.

Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport

One man stood at a terminal designated for travellers on private flights. People around gave him odd looks for his long hair that he had tied in a low ponytail (A really low ponytail). But there was no denying that he was good-looking in his own right. He wore fitted dark grey suit with a white shirt and no tie, and the suede shoes he had on bore a shine to them. As he checked the time on his expensive silver watch, it was obvious that he was someone of high class despite his status as foreigner.

Neji Hyuuga, Hiashi's former right-hand in the Hyuuga Empire and now a successful man in his field as a consultant in export trade. It had been a difficult move to leave the Hyuugas, but it was worth it if it meant being with his true love. He led a difficult life, being orphaned at a young age and brought up under the tutelage of his uncle, Hiashi Hyuuga. At first he thought his life couldn't get any better, until he met Ten-ten. They were college sweethearts, and at the time he was on cloud nine (and still is whenever he's around her). But when his family started pressuring him into entering an arranged marriage for the benefit of the Hyuuga, he began to see the cracks in his oh so perfect family.

So he left and married the love of his life. Neji started his life from scratch but it didn't matter since he had Ten-ten support. Now here he was, travelling the world, loving his job and his wife. However, when he heard about what happened to Hinata, he was worried. Hinata didn't belong in that world, but was willing to in order to gain her father's affections and the clan's approval. Now that everything had collapsed around her, Neji hoped together with Ten-ten that they would support her through this rough patch in her life.

His grey-white orbs kept watch on one of the terminals, looking for his precious persons. Once he caught sight of them, he walked quickly in their direction, wrapping his arms around them once he reached them.

"Neji!"

"Nii-san"

Both women had greeted him as they returned his hug. When they let go of each other, Neji gave Ten-ten a chaste kiss on her cheek and asked, "Did you have a good flight? No problems"

"Sure did. No problems of any kind," Ten-ten replied. Neji nodded, then turned to his cousin and put his hand on her shoulder, asking,

"Are you okay with coming here?"

"Yes. Thank you for inviting me, nii-san"

"While you're here, do enjoy yourself, alright?"

"Thank you. It's good to see you"

"It's been a while hasn't it," Neji laughed.

He led the women out of the airport and into car he rented. Neji gave the driver directions and they were off.

"So where will we be staying, Neji?" Ten-ten piped up.

"I rented a beach house for us in Panama city. It's at a very private location. So we can all relax there," Neji replied.

"That is lovely!" Ten-ten squealed, "There's so much we could do. Swimming, getting tans, surfing...ooo I'm so excited. Aren't you Hinata?"

"It does sound fun," Hinata replied.

"Just think about the beach parties we could go to and all the hot men there. Of course none of them could come close to my Neji"

"Rightly said," Neji voiced.

Hinata giggled at Ten-ten's enthusiasm. This was quite the getaway she needed. However, she was unaware of the events the night had in store for her.

"Actually," Neji spoke, "I've been informed of an event at a club that's on the other side of the beach"

"Perfect timing," Ten-ten's eyes sparkled, "The perfect opportunity to let loose and find Hinata a man!"

"What!?" two voices shouted.

Sasuke Uchiha

"Yes...Thank you for your co-operation," Sasuke spoke into his phone, cutting the call soon after.

He rubbed the creases on his forehead and leaned back against the wooden wall. It didn't matter where he was or the time of day, there was always someone who wanted something from him. Not that he hated his job, he enjoyed his position as CEO of his family's security company, but he really needed this break before returning to the demands of the business world.

Sasuke dialled a number on his phone and waited for the person on the other end to pick up the line.

"Sasuke?"

"I thought you said I wouldn't have to worry about any office matters this week," Sasuke spoke into the receiver in an annoyed tone.

"You also said to inform you if anything important comes up"

"Exactly, Shisui. I meant if it's an emergency kind of important and that you should let me know. I never implied that clients should start calling my private line. Now I'll have to get a new phone number. I'm here on pleasure, not business"

"Okay, I may have slightly screwed up. But you were informed that the client who called you had an agent in the same city as you. You just have to read the contract and sign"

Sasuke sighed and continued, "Fine. I'll meet with the agent. Just email me the details"

"Great. Thanks, boss"

"And this is the last time I should hear anything that doesn't qualify as an emergency. Got it? You're second in command for a reason. Do your job"

"Geez, I got it already. By the way, the Hyuuga finally announced their heir"

"It's about time. Guess we should send our congratulations. I'm sure Miss Hyuuga must be overjoyed"

"She sure looked like it. They'll be hosting a party for her to meet the public in a few days; for now it's still a family affair"

"While your story holds some interest, I have to go. We'll talk later"

"Alright, later then"

Sasuke cut the call and walked back inside the dojo. He found his friends chatting, all seated comfortably on the wooden floors. Purple eyes noticed him and the owner of those eyes called out, "Oi, Sasuke! I thought you said no business while we're out here"

"I know," Sasuke replied, sitting down, "but this one was an emergency"

"But you promised that there would be no interruptions," Suigetsu whined.

"I never made such a promise"

"You're no fun"

"Anyway," the only female in the group –Karin- intervened, "Jugo was telling us about a club that's a totally lit spot. Isn't that great?"

"I figured we could unwind there after all the sparring we did today," Jugo added.

"Can't we just go to a local bar?" Sasuke asked, leaning back on his two hands.

"Oh come on, Sasuke, where's your sense of fun? There'll be booze, you could take a woman home and finally get laid. What more could you possibly ask for?"

"What kind of lame convincing is that?" Karin scoffed, smacking Suigetsu's head. Turning to Sasuke, she said,

"Look at it this way, Sasuke. This is one time you can let loose. No overbearing work to worry about. It's just good drink, great music and time with your friends. We haven't had a get together like this since college. Please, Sasuke?"

Eyes closed, Sasuke sighed deeply and opened them again. This was his vacation and these were his friends. The idea of going clubbing did sound somewhat appealing. He just had to make sure that under no circumstances would he play the part of Suigetsu's wing-man. Definitely not.

"So where's this place?"

*Time Skip*

Sasuke definitely regretted his decision to come to the club. Sure some would consider it enjoyable to some point. A popular DJ was rocking up tunes that kept the crowd hyped, and the bar was stocked with decent alcohol. What did bother him though was the large number of people around. It was just too crowded for his taste. He loathed being shoved around. Sitting by the bar didn't help much either, it was just as crowded with people cramming closer for a drink and he was not looking forward to be sandwiched by them.

Making a resolve to leave the club for some fresh air, Sasuke searched the area for his friends who he somehow managed to get separated from. With his sharp eyesight, he only found Suigetsu who happened to be flirting with a blonde at a nearby booth. Sasuke was about to text Jugo to find out where he was when he got a text from said person instructing him to get to the first floor. It took him a while, but Sasuke found a spiral staircase that lead to the first floor where Jugo was waiting. As it would seem, the music was still loud in that area, but not compared to the rest of the club.

"Good," Jugo exclaimed, "You're here"

"What is this place?" Sasuke asked.

"This is the VIP section," Jugo replied, "It took a while, but Karin managed to secure us a private booth with a view up here. Sorry we kept you waiting"

"It's fine with me as long as I'm not down there. Though Suigetsu seems to be enjoying himself down there," spoke Sasuke

"That's Suigetsu for you," Jugo laughed nodding in the direction of a door. They found a bouncer stationed there, but on recognising Jugo, the bouncer let them through. With Jugo leading, Sasuke took his time to observe the various booths filled with people drinking and chatting (with a few hidden ones where he saw a couple making out). There seemed to be another bar where he noticed a shelf lined with interesting choices of drink he would have liked to try. On the other side of the room was a dance floor (though admittedly smaller than the one on the ground floor), and next to it a wall where the top half section had been taken down to allow music to flow in and for the clubbers to have a view of the ground floor. Jugo and Sasuke reached a door, where upon entering, found Karin seated inside.

"It's about time you got here. The drinks I ordered should be here soon," Karin said.

"Take a look at the dance floor," Sasuke answered as he took a seat. As Karin rushed to the room's sound proof glass window, the door opened and in came a waiter with their choice drinks. When the waiter left, Sasuke and Jugo started off with downing their refreshments. Both heard Karin mutter a few curses and guessed that she found Suigetsu. She returned to her seat and said, "Hmph, that moron. I'd like to see the look on his face once he realises that we're no longer down there. Good thing we didn't tell him we were up here"

Jugo looked away nervously hiding behind his beer mug. But his actions were not missed by Karin's eyes (despite the fact she wore glasses).

"Jugo," Karin purred, "you wouldn't happen to have told Suigetsu where we are?"

"When you look at it, it's unreasonable to leave him out of it," Jugo spoke in a nervous voice

"Leave it, Karin," Sasuke intervened, "It's not like Suigetsu can get through the bouncer"

"Why didn't I realise it sooner. No wonder you're so smart, Sasuke," Karin smiled, with an evil glint in her eye.

"Hn"

The trio got around to talking about other matters; that was until Suigetsu starting flooding their phones with text messages to get him from the entrance of the VIP section. After some discussion, Sasuke decided to get the fourth member of their little group. As he walked through the booths Sasuke looked though his emails at the same time from his phone. Not paying attention to what was in front of him, Sasuke bumped into a person, dropping his phone. The person he bumped into had fallen and he heard a soft 'itaii...' from the woman (he assumed).

Bending down to pick up his phone, it clicked in Sasuke's mind that the woman before him had spoke in his first language, Japanese. Sasuke stretched out his hand (something he rarely did for anyone), and said in Japanese, "Sorry for bumping into you. I wasn't paying attention"

The dark-haired woman dressed in a red summer dress looked up in surprise. Sasuke as well froze when he noticed the woman's pearl eyes. He took the time to properly observe her, inky blue-black hair, heart shaped face, trembling plump lips, a button nose, rosy cheeks and a perfectly curvaceous body. Most importantly the eyes, almond shaped pearl eyes that had that unforgettable shade of lavender he knew. There was no denying that this was Hinata Hyuuga.

"Hinata?" Sasuke said with uncertainty laced in his voice.

A look of fear graced her face before she quickly scrambled to her feet and fled. Sasuke broke into a sprint, chasing after her, thoughts swirling in his mind. Why was she running? Why was he chasing after her? More importantly, what was she doing in Panama City?

He didn't even register Suigetsu's voice shouting after him as he followed Hinata. All that mattered to him at that moment was that he get to her.

Hinata P.O.V

Hinata had never run so hard in her life.

One minute she had been looking around for her cousin and his wife, and the next thing she knew she was on her on the ground nursing her bottom. Mumbling in pain, she didn't notice the person before her stretch out their hand and speak to her in Japanese. Hinata noticed that he had on black vans and a pair of black jeans on, but looked no higher than that. However, something about this man's voice had clicked a familiar chord on her memory. And when it clicked, Hinata looked up in surprise. Raven duck-butt hair, pale skin, and obsidian eyes. She knew who he was right away and bolted from the spot.

She ran out of the bar and into the streets, made her way towards the sandy plains of the beach, away from the club (or more specifically, Sasuke Uchiha). What was he doing there? Had Naruto sent him to track her down? Was he there to humiliate her? Her speed gradually reduced as the adrenaline rush she had began to wane. She stopped and gulped for air, put one hand on her knee, using the other to fan her face. Please don't follow me, Hinata prayed, please don't...

"Hinata!"

Hinata froze; she stood slowly with fear gripping her heart. She heard deep breaths of air, followed by the crunching sound of footsteps against the sand. A figure came into her line of vision, stopping until he was face-to face with Hinata. Hinata took a hesitant step backwards. Don't panic, she breathed, find out what he wants and leave.

"I was worried I had mistaken someone else for you," Sasuke began.

"It's been a while, Uchiha-san," Hinata replied, avoiding making eye contact with Sasuke, "What brings you to this side of town?"

"Just here with a few friends"

"Oh"

"You know, its common courtesy to ask the other person how they've been"

"I'm sorry. How have you been, Uchiha-san?"

"I've been alright, though business keeps me busy more often than not. And you don't have to necessarily call me Uchiha-san. We're not being watched by our elders. It's just you and me. How have you been? And how's the idiot? You must be excited about being official heiress to be celebrating here in the US"

Hinata fell silent. She shivered slightly, unsure whether it was the breeze that picked up or something else entirely.

"Hinata?" Sasuke spoke.

"Are you trying to mock me?"

"What?"

"Spare me the charade. Goodnight, Uchiha-san,"

Hinata gave a curt bow and walked away. She felt her large hand latch onto her arm and spin her to face Sasuke, who's usually stoic face had displayed confusion. This had somewhat caught Hinata off-guard. Why was he looking at her like that?

"Look, Hyuuga, I'm at a loss here. What reason should I have to mock you? Last I checked we are not on bad terms or anything. Admittedly our families have an unspoken rivalry that goes back generations, but we never let that bother us. So why don't you explain to me why you're acting like this?"

"You have no idea what has been happening in Konoha do you?"

"An explanation would shed some light"

Hinata studied Sasuke's face, looking for any falsehood or hidden agenda. Before continuing, she asked, "Naruto didn't send you here?"

"Why would he send me here? I'm here on vacation"

Hinata pursed her lips and sighed softly. She poked her forefingers together, something she hadn't done since she was a teenager. She inhaled and exhaled, saying, "I have nothing to say to you"

"Hinata," Sasuke spoke softly, drawing near to her, "what's going on?"

Hinata squeezed her eyes shut, fighting the familiar sting of tears. Memories flashed in her mind, of her family and Naruto and their betrayal. She allowed her tears to fall as her shoulders slumped in defeat.

"I guess there's no running away from this, is there?" Hinata said in a sad tone, "I left the Hyuuga. I'm not the heiress, my sister is"
"Hinata...," Sasuke whispered, but was cut off by Hinata.

"You know what's worse? On the very day I left, when I wanted the security of the one person I thought I loved, I found out that he had been in a relationship with another woman behind my back. I felt that even as a woman, I had no worth because I wasn't enough for my boyfriend! My life (*insert choke*) fell apart that very day. All I want is to forget it okay. I just want to forget it all!"

Sasuke

Sasuke watched Hinata sob with her face buried in her palms. He had never imagined that this had happened to her, or the major effect it had taken on her. It was no secret, that since her childhood, Hinata's goal was to earn her father's love and recognition that she wasn't weak. But she was satisfied with earning his respect by showing she was worthy of being a Hyuuga in order to get it. That's where they had a mutual understanding since he was going through the same thing.

In order to gain his father's approval, he had to overcome the one block that stood high in his path, his brother Itachi. And that was being better than Itachi ever was, excelling academically and every other area just so his father could notice him. But while Hinata continued down that path, Sasuke had come to a point where he accepted that he could never be his brother. He loved his brother, was fed up in drowning in his brother's shadow by trying to keep up with him in every way possible. He decided to be his own person, and his change made him the man he was today.

Sasuke placed a hand on Hinata's shoulder, squeezing it gently. Granted he didn't comfort people often (more like never), but he felt a connection Hinata. Her current state made him wonder if this would be him if he did the same thing she did, living a life planned by someone else and not by her own standards. He heard Hinata's sobs reduce to sniffles and he released his hold on her.

"You must think I'm weak," Hinata sniffled.

"I don't. In fact, you didn't deserve any of this, Hinata," Sasuke spoke.

"Then why did it happen to me?"

"Is that even a question you should be asking?"

"What?"

Sasuke sighed, "If we're looking at the facts, you wanted to live your own life and have your family's recognition, but you were born to family that lives by unrealistic expectations for someone like you. Your family runs like a business, and to them, you an asset not worth keeping. If you stayed with them any longer, you would probably be a sold off to some family to strengthen their connections"

"They wouldn't"

"Do you really want to debate about that?"

Hinata kept silent, looking down at her feet. She then looked up and asked, "Not everything is so black and white, Uchiha-san"

"It is in our line of business," Sasuke stated.

"Then what do you suppose I do about it then?"

"Get revenge"

The two stared at each other before bursting out laughing. Once they calmed down, they gave each other genuine smiles.

"It's nice to see you again, Sasuke," Hinata grinned, wiping away all her excess tears.

"Hn," Sasuke smirked, but decided to give a more genuine small smile.

"Are you really on vacation?"

"I am, but I'll have to meet with a potential client at some point this week. Same for you I presume? With a vacation, I mean"

"Yeah. With all that happened, I suppose I needed a change of pace. My sister in-law is actually the one who convinced me to come here. If it wasn't for her, I'd be in my room moping"

Something seemed to flicker in Hinata's eyes as she gasped, "Oh no"

"What's the matter?" Sasuke asked.

"In all the hurry, I forgot to let Ten-ten know that I left. I'll have to go back"

"Don't you have her phone number?"

"No. What am I going to ...," Hinata paused and checked the pocket of her dress. Sasuke watched her as she pulled out a folded piece of paper. She sighed in relief.

"I still have it. I just need to find a phone," Hinata exclaimed, mostly to herself. Sasuke found himself shaking his head, a smirk evident on his face.

"What's with that look?" Hinata asked.

"I was worried you'd have a hard time with getting over what happened. Guess the trick is to make sure you're distracted"

Hinata chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully; looking up to Sasuke, she replied, "I guess I never thought about it that way"

"Here," Sasuke said, handing Hinata his phone He watched as she punched in the phone number and dial. She then started speaking into the phone, engaged in conversation with whoever was on the other line.

Sasuke's train of thought broke when he heard Hinata call out his name.

"Sorry could you repeat that," Sasuke said.

"I was saying thank you for letting me use your phone," Hinata responded, "I told Neji I would be going back to the club"

"I'll accompany you"

"You don't have to. You've helped me enough by letting me use your phone"

"We're going the same way. It makes sense that walk there together"

Sasuke inwardly grinned at the look of submission Hinata gave as they trailed their way back to the club. As they neared the main road, Sasuke felt a hand on his arm. He turned to Hinata just as she began to speak, "Will revenge really help me, Sasuke?"

A moment passed before Sasuke replied, "That depends. Do you think you can do it?"

"I don't know. I just want them to see that I'm better off without them. That they don't have power over me anymore"

"Then you can do it"

"Then, if it's not too much to ask, can you help me?"