Hinata woke the next morning with a slight headache. Sakura had insisted that she have just one drink...but then 'one' had turned into four. Hinata wasn't know for being able to hold her drink. It wasn't that bad, she guessed, she had seen others with worse symptoms from 'the night before'. She smiled, remembering last night. At first she had felt bad about lying to her friends, but it was over now and none of them need ever find out. At least they would give her a rest about finding a boyfriend when she didn't want one now. And because Sasuke had left early, there had been less chance of anyone finding out that they weren't actually an item. Next time she saw any of them, she would tell them that she and Sasuke had broken up. She considered it quite the success.

Smiling, she rolled over and looked at the clock. 10:37? She gasped as the content feeling vanished. How had that happened? She was late for work! Cursing, she almost fell out of bed in her rush to get ready. In no less than 6 minutes she was locking her door and running down the stairs out of the building. She ran down the street and arrived at her workplace in around four minutes. She burst through the back door, into the kitchen, only to be greeted by her manager. She cringed.

"Your shift started at 10:30, Hinata," she snapped, tapping her foot angrily. "This is the third time this month."

"I know, I'm so sorry, it won't happen again," Hinata said quickly, trying to get her breath back.

"You're right. It won't. I do not tolerate lateness, Hinata, you know this." Hinata's eyes widened as she realised where this was going. "I'm sorry to do this, but go home, Hinata. Don't bother coming back."

Hinata could only stand there, motionless as her manager walked away. Her eyes were wide as she stared at the floor. She had just...lost her job? Why? Because she was fourteen minutes late? No, this couldn't be happening. She needed this job to pay for her rent! She would try and beg her manager to change her mind, but she knew it would be useless. As she turned to leave, the chef, Asagi, spoke to her.

"Hey, Hinata, I'm sorry." His face was sincere. "I hope you find another job quickly. I can put a good word in for you at some other restaurants if you want?"

"Thanks, Asagi," Hinata replied, but her voice sounded hollow, her mind on other things. She should have enough money to make this month's rent, but then what? It wasn't like she could move back home, her father had made it quite clear that he didn't want her there a year ago. The fact that he hadn't tried to contact her to find out if she was even alive spoke volumes about his feelings for her. Maybe she could stay with Naruto and Sakura...but she really didn't want to ask them for help or inconvenience them.

She stepped out onto the street again, fighting back tears. She couldn't believe what had just happened. Where would she find another job this close to Christmas? Even all the temporary positions would have been taken up weeks ago.

Before she knew it she was back at her small apartment, where she flopped down on the bed. What the hell was she going to do? Maybe she could look for a job in central Tokyo, she would probably stand a better chance there. She could have something to eat and then go there straight away, as now the shock of losing her job had sunk in, rational thought was coming back to her. She wouldn't get anywhere moping about feeling sorry for herself. The only way to solve this would be to get out there as soon as possible and get looking for a job.

Determined to get out and find another job, she made some breakfast and headed out into Ginza to look before trying Tokyo and other neighbouring districts.

Sasuke wandered down to the host club to start work. He found himself wondering vaguely if he had fooled Hinata's friends into thinking he was her boyfriend. Guess he'd never find out. He went through the back door and put his belongings in his locker, before hanging his coat up on a stand. Walking through to the main club, he made Mari jump by tapping her on the shoulder.

"Sasuke, I didn't hear you come in! You're with Miss Yukino tonight, she called a couple of weeks ago to reserve you. She'll be here at around eight."

Sasuke nodded, smiling inwardly. He liked Miss Yukino, or Kazumi as she liked him to call her. She had a nice ass. They had an 'arrangement'.

Hinata flopped down on her bed, her legs aching from doing so much walking. Deflated from an afternoon of rejection, she let out an exasperated sigh. Nowhere she had tried in Ginza had been looking for staff, and she had looked everywhere she could think of, so she had decided to give up and carry on tomorrow.

After lying down for a while, she got up to make something to eat. Once she had eaten, she lay back down, exhausted. Before she knew it she felt herself drifting off to sleep...

Sasuke lay on his back, black sheets covering his legs as his heart still pounded in his chest. Kazumi rested her head in the crook of his shoulder and draped an arm across his body. She sighed contentedly.

"That was incredible," she said dreamily. "But then you always are." She smiled and wriggled closer to him. He grimaced as she rubbed against a spot on his ribcage that was still sore from last night after he left Hinata.

Hinata.

He thought back to the pale-eyed beauty, even as he held a brown-eyed one in his arms. Wondering what she was doing right now, he gently pushed Kazumi off him and stood up to put some pants back on.

"Shouldn't you be getting back to your husband?"

"Yeah, but I'd rather stay here with you," she replied playfully. Sasuke gave a short hollow laugh.

"Yeah, but I'm not the one who thinks you're on a night out with the girls," he replied, handing her the dress as he picked it up from the floor. She took it from him and put it on. Getting up off the bed to stand in front of him, she put a hand near the bruise on his ribs.

"How did this happen?" she asked, concerned.

"It's nothing."

She laughed. "Always so mysterious, Sasuke! But I like that," she giggled. He handed her the pair of high heels at the end of his bed. She sat back down to put them on.

"Will I see you again soon?" Kazumi asked him, standing and wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders. He laughed shortly and picked her up, pressing her against the door, her legs around his hips. He really did love the feel of a woman in his arms. It made him feel alive. He nipped at her neck, making her sigh with pleasure.

"I'll talk to Mari, see if she can move around a couple of things," he said, kissing her lightly on the lips. She laughed as he set her down on the floor. Opening the door, they stepped outside to the living room and walked across to the elevator doors that led out of his penthouse apartment, Kazumi grabbing her coat and handbag as she passed them.

"I'll see you soon then," Kazumi said, kissing him one last time before the elevator doors closed, separating them. His slight smile vanished the moment the doors closed. He exhaled deeply and decided to get something to eat. On his way to the kitchen, he picked his mobile phone up off the floor, where it had landed as it fell out of his jacket pocket when it was discarded. There was a message from Takahashi.

-Battle Royale in four weeks. You in?

Sasuke smiled to himself as he typed a reply.

-Wouldn't be a Battle Royale without me would it?

Hinata sat at a small table in a cafe the next day. It was lunchtime, and busy office workers were milling around her, doing important things on their laptops and phones. A few school kids entered the shop, laughing loudly. Hinata stared at her hot chocolate. She had set off early this morning to Tokyo to look for jobs. It was already approaching one thirty and so far everywhere she had been had rejected her. She sighed. Maybe she could just give up and become a stripper, they could apparently make good money. She laughed weakly at the thought. Yeah right, she'd rather swim bleeding with a serious flesh wound in a tank full of hungry sharks than take her clothes off on stage.

She jumped as her phone started ringing. It was her landlord. How strange, usually she was the one to ring him when something was wrong.

"Hello?" Hinata said, intrigued as to why he would be calling her.

"Hyuuga, there's a problem with your rent," he said, his voice harsh.

"W-what?" she replied, stunned. What did he mean?

"Your payment was supposed to come through this morning and it didn't. Any idea why?"

Hinata thought about it for a moment. There should be enough in the account she used for rent and bills to pay for this month; she hadn't bought anything out of the ordina...wait. Gasping, she suddenly realised why there wasn't enough money in that account. The account she used for food and any other things she may need had not had enough to pay for her date with Sasuke, so she had used her other account instead...

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I can get the money to you soon, it's just I lost my job yesterday and I could move some money around to pay you but I wouldn't have anything to buy food with so-"

"-I don't care about your job, Miss Hyuuga. You had a contract to uphold and you failed. I want you out of the apartment in two days." He hung up the phone.

Hinata didn't move for a full minute, the phone still held against her ear. She felt a tear run down her cheek and she wiped it away angrily. Refusing to cry in public, she tried to breathe normally. What the hell was she going to do now? Could this week get any worse?

She took a sip of her drink to try and appear normal but nearly spat it all out again when someone tapped her on the shoulder. She looked behind her to see the last person she expected to run into.

Sasuke looked around the shop while he waited for his coffee to be made. His eyes skimmed around the room, until they snapped back to someone at a table. He smirked. Even with her back to him, that black hair held an unforgettable hue. He paid for his coffee and squeezed his way through the crowd of people that had formed at the till, before tapping her on the shoulder. The confused and shocked expression on her face as she nearly choked on her drink and turned to look at him almost made him laugh.

"Sasuke?"

"Hey," he said, sitting down with her. He asked the question that had been burning at the back of his mind since yesterday. "So did I fool your friends the other night?"

"Oh...um...yeah, I think you did," she replied softly. He could probably leave now but for some reason he found himself still sitting next to her. She remained looking at her drink as she spoke, her brow furrowed. Was it just him or were her eyes exceptionally shiny, like she was about to cry? She bit her lip as it started to quiver. When she didn't speak for another couple of minutes, Sasuke decided it was best to leave her, as her mind was clearly on other things. He wasn't good with emotional outbursts. As he stood, she spoke again.

"Do you...um...know anywhere that is looking for staff?" His gaze narrowed on her.

"Why? Is something wrong with your job?" He sat back down as she nodded.

His heart clenched as a tear rolled down her cheek. The sensation was strange, and caught him off guard. It was like he didn't want to see her upset, which was strange, as usually seeing people upset didn't bother him.

"I lost my job yesterday and I've just been kicked out of my apartment," she whispered, so quietly he wasn't sure if he heard her correctly. "I don't know what to do."

Her head was down, her hair obscuring her face, but when her shoulders started shaking, he knew she was crying. Great. If there was one thing he hated more than angry women, it was crying women. But even so, he felt a strange ache in his chest at her misfortune. It wasn't fair for something like this to happen to someone who didn't deserve it. He put his arm around her shoulder even though he wasn't aware of his mind telling his body to do so.

Hinata froze as she felt his arm around her. She tried to stop crying, hating herself for looking so weak in front of him. Wiping her eyes, she looked up at him.

"Do you know anywhere cheap I can stay? I can't go back to my family..." She looked back down at the table. What he said next stunned her so much she could hardly move.

"Why don't you stay with me?" She remained silent for a few moments, just sitting there staring at him.

"W-what?" Did he really just say that?

"Stay with me. I'm never really at the place anyway, I'm not sure why I rent it out," he said, shrugging. How could he say something like that so nonchalantly? She didn't even know his second name! And to think she had thought him rude and self-centred when she met him. She was right, there was much more to him than met the eye.

"Why?" she asked, still bewildered as to why he would offer such a thing.

"What kind of scum would I be if I let you become homeless?" There was a strange note in his voice that told her maybe he knew more about that situation than she could ever guess.

Hinata stared at him still stunned while what he was offering sunk in.

Sasuke regarded her as she thought about his proposal. He seemed to come to his senses in that second and wondered what the hell he had just done. What was so special about her? He shouldn't care about any of this. So why did he? Then before he knew what was happening she had flung her arms around his neck, pressing her body against him. His body instantly reacted to her soft curves, her delicate, feminine scent. Squeezing his eyes shut, he placed hand around her and tried not to imagine her naked in his arms.

"Thank you," Hinata whispered, her voice cracking.

She pulled away from him far too soon for his liking, and her scent clung to him. There weren't even words for how much he would have liked to take her back to his place, strip them both naked and do some unspeakable things to her.

"I haven't even paid you back for the clothes the other night," she said, rummaging in her purse. He let out a short laugh, her comment distracting him from his thoughts.

"Really, you shouldn't worry about that," he said, drinking some of his coffee. Hinata stared at him again. He wondered vaguely how she would react if he told her how much he had spent on the coat, shoes and dress. She'd probably have a heart attack. Forty seven thousand yen was a lot to spend on someone, and he somehow doubted she could pay him back when she couldn't even afford her rent. But then he never had to worry about money anyway.

"Go home and get your things together. Meet me back here in two hours."

He stood up and left. Hinata was still shell-shocked by what had just happened. After a couple of minutes, she stood up, more determined than ever. She would find a job no matter what, and once she had repayed Sasuke for letting her stay with him, she would find a place of her own again. She hated depending on anyone else, and wanted to stop being a burden to him as soon as possible.

Leaving the café, she headed back to her apartment to gather her things together.

Sasuke stood outside the café where he had met Hinata at twenty to four. He glanced around to look for her but didn't see her. Now he'd had time to think about it, it had been rather rash and impulsive of him to just offer her a place to live. The decision to live with someone usually took a lot of thought to reach a conclusion. And yet he had offered it to her in a second. He had thought it strange, but when he considered it further, it was really not that big a deal. He really was hardly ever at his apartment, and she would be out looking for a job and working most of the time. Having been homeless once, apparently he couldn't just sit by and watch as it happened to someone else, no matter how well he knew them. Maybe he still had a heart after all.

He felt a slight tug on his sleeve. Looking down, he saw Hinata, her cheeks red from the cold. She smiled up at him, making his chest tight.

"Are you really sure about this? I still can't thank you enough, don't you worry, I can give you some money to cover my food for a week or so right away and you won't even know I'm there, I-"

"-Like I said, I'm hardly at the place anyway," he said, cutting her off before she could ramble anymore. He looked at what she was carrying. She had fit everything into one suitcase and an overnight bag? He raised a brow. She definitely wasn't like the kind of women he was used to.

"Is that everything?" he asked, just to make sure she hadn't ordered a van to transport the rest of her things.

"Yes, is it ok?" she answered, a confused look crossing her face.

"Fine." He took the suitcase from her and started walking.

Hinata followed him in silence, focusing all her effort on staying level with him. How did he walk so fast? Well, he was a lot taller than her…

Soon they reached a huge apartment building, right in the middle of the city. Sasuke entered the code on the door and held it open for her. She stepped inside, grateful they were out of the cold. Sasuke headed automatically for the elevator.

As soon as they were inside, he was painfully aware of her presence. He looked down at her. She really was beautiful. Thick, full lashes framed pale eyes perfectly, her skin fair with rosy cheeks. His gaze flickered to her slightly parted, full lips. He had to stop himself leaning down and finding out if they were as soft as they looked.

Several other people got into the elevator behind them, forcing Hinata right up to Sasuke so everyone could fit in. Normally this would be an elevator straight up to his apartment but one of the normal elevators was out of order so his building had opened up this on to the public, much to his annoyance.

Her heart hammered in her chest; he was so close that his masculine, alluring scent invaded her senses, making her dizzy. She looked away from his muscled chest before her eyes and up at his face. He was looking straight ahead of him, at the elevator doors. Was it just her or did his eyes seem to hold a red gleam in some lights?

Someone pushed Hinata, forcing her body right up against his. His hand automatically went to her waist to steady her, pressing her against him. She looked at his hand on her waist for a second before looking back at his face, her eyes wide with surprise. Sasuke's heart beat faster at the sensation of her soft curves under his fingers. His chest felt tight, and he realised he was holding his breath. He released her from his hold and glanced away from her, wanting to stop the feeling in his chest.

As the elevator went higher, the other people got out until just the two of them remained. The silence between them was deafening, but he couldn't think of anything to say as all his focus was on restraining himself from pushing her up against a wall and ravishing her mouth, among other things. The elevator seemed to take an eternity getting to his apartment, it was almost painful. Finally it reached the top floor, and he pulled a key from his coat pocket, the doors opening as he put it in a keyhole in the wall, and he stepped out immediately. He didn't even bother to show Hinata the apartment. He needed a shower. A very cold shower. Yeah, maybe you should make it a hot shower and ask if Hinata wants to join you he thought. He scowled at his own thoughts. God, what was she doing to him?

"I'm going to take a shower," he said, disappearing into what Hinata assumed must be his room at the far right end of the apartment.

She looked around the apartment, gaping. Could it even be called an apartment? How could he afford a place like this? It was huge, with a large living area joining on to a kitchen and dining area to her left. Hell, she could even see a mini-bar in the kitchen. There were three doors, one leading to Sasuke's room on the right and the other two leading to the room he had pointed at and probably a bathroom, next to the kitchen. The walls were white, as was the carpet, which must have been difficult to keep clean. A large black sofa and chair were placed around a glass coffee table. There was a large television in the corner, also on a glass stand. The kitchen had white cupboards and walls, the work top a black marble and the sink silver. It was modern and there weren't many ornaments or decorations, making it feel very minimalist. No, not minimalist, just not very lived in, as if it were a catalogue showroom, not somewhere some lived.

The thing that impressed her most, however, was the wall in front of her. It wasn't a wall as such. The entire wall was made from glass, giving the most amazing view of the city. She could even see the ocean past the tall buildings. It was breathtaking.

She looked towards Sasuke's room as she heard the shower turn on. She decided to find her room. She opened one of the doors, to find a bathroom as she suspected. It was decorated with the same colours as the living room and kitchen, and was again, huge. She opened the other door.

The room was quite actually quite big, and was nicer than the other rooms in her opinion. The walls were white again, but the sofa was red, and she assumed it must turn in to a bed. The curtains were red too, and a wooden desk was against the opposite wall to the bed, with a computer on it. There was a small cabinet with drawers, also wooden. It felt cosier, more welcoming that the rest of the apartment. She put her bag on the sofa-bed before sitting down. She took a deep breath. So this was where she would be living from now on...

She still couldn't believe this was happening, moving in with someone like this, especially a man. But it wasn't like there was anything going on between them, so it would be like staying with a friend...

Opening the wardrobe she started to unpack some of her clothes. She pulled out her alarm clock and placed it on the bedside table next to a lamp and noticed it had somehow reached five thirty in the evening. Her stomach suddenly rumbling, she went out in to the living area. She stepped out to see Sasuke in the kitchen.

He had his back to her, and was in different coloured shirt. Was he always immaculately dressed? She guessed she would find out now that she would be living with him.

"Do you want me to make you something to eat?" she asked, wanting an excuse to make some food. He glanced round at her before looking back at whatever he was doing.

"I'm going to work in a few minutes," he said simply.

Hinata blushed furiously as he turned around and saw his shirt was hanging open. He walked out of the kitchen towards his room, munching on a biscuit as if being semi-naked was normal in front of someone you had only just met. Hinata tried to ignore his muscled chest, the smooth, uninterrupted skin from his throat to his hips, but the way the shirt billowed open when he walked was making it very difficult.

"Oh...okay," she said, her voice faint.

Sasuke smirked to himself as he saw the embarrassed but intrigued look on Hinata's face. She clearly wasn't aware that she was staring. He purposefully opened the shirt more as he straightened it before starting to do his buttons just to see her reaction. Her eyes widened and she looked away, cheeks red. He smirked again. Now that he had had a shower and her scent didn't cling to him he could think straight. But he still thought that blush was quite cute. I wonder how much darker I can make that blush he thought. He shook his head, pushing that thought away.

Hinata quickly looked at the floor in front of her as Sasuke straightened his shirt. He was…well…he clearly looked after himself. Hinata stayed looking at the floor until he had disappeared to his room again. Hinata was in the kitchen when he reappeared, putting on a suit jacket in one fluid, practiced motion.

"Help yourself to food," he said, messing with his shirt cuffs. "I'll be back late, I'll probably have someone with me so if you're not already asleep could you just stay in the spare room?" Hinata was baffled by his question before she realised what he meant.

"Oh…of course," she replied.

"Bye," he said, closing the door as he left.

Hinata stood in the kitchen for a few minutes contemplating what to do next. He hadn't really told her where anything was, but she was suddenly very hungry so she decided to search the kitchen for something to eat.

She found some instant ramen in one cupboard, immediately making her think of Naruto. She smiled to herself and carried on looking. He only really seemed to have ready meals, and there weren't that many of them. He probably ate a lot when he was out, it was likely he could afford it, looking at his apartment. She eventually settled for some miso soup she found in the back of a cupboard.

She spent the evening watching television and looking out on to the night city, but for some reason whatever she did or watched, she couldn't get Sasuke out of her head. She picked up the single photo frame off the coffee table. It was really the only thing she had seen that said something about the individual that lived here. Other than that one photo the place looked like one of those showrooms in a magazine. But then he did say that he wasn't here a lot. And he might now have lived here that long. She looked back at the photo, in which there was a family scene. A proud looking man held a possessive hand on a seated woman, who held a baby in her arms while a small boy stood to her side. Was it Sasuke's family? She briefly wondered where they were as she put the photo back down. Looking at the clock, she sighed. It was only 9:46 p.m. Time seemed to be dragging quite a lot. She was bored on her own, and didn't know this part of the city that well so didn't want to go out. Was she actually missing him? She shook her head as if to banish the thought. She should probably go and figure that sofa-bed thing. She wasn't tired but at least it would preoccupy her mind. By 10 o' clock she was lying on the newly converted bed, staring at the ceiling. She couldn't think of anything else to do so she closed her eyes and hoped that she would drift off to sleep.

Hinata jolted awake at the sound of the elevator beeping as the doors opened. She looked at the clock on the table. 2 o' clock in the morning. Great. She was about to go and yell at him for waking her up but then she remembered what he had said earlier.

She heard laughter on the other side of the door. A woman's laugh. Even better. She jumped as she heard a heavy thud on the other side of her door, accompanied by the door slamming against its frame once. Oh God. If she was right, Sasuke had a woman pinned to the other side of her door. She let go of the handle sharply. The woman giggled again, before moaning slightly. Hinata stepped away from the door, a look of horror on her face. She heard Sasuke's door slam shut a few moments later. Cautiously, she opened her door. Sure enough, there was no sight of Sasuke and the woman, only a woman's dress, high heels and his black shirt strewn across the floor.

She gulped, the thought of what Sasuke must be doing invading her thoughts, making a blush colour her cheeks brightly. She retreated back to her room, hoping to go back to sleep.

About an hour later, Hinata was still not asleep. And she was very frustrated. What was he doing to that woman to make her moan this loud? Well, she knew what he was doing, she wasn't naive, but was he really that good? She bit her lip and blushed as she thought about him that way. There was something about him that told her that he probably was that good. Even his walk was sleek and seductive. She shook her head furiously, wanting to stop thinking of him like that. Scowling at the ceiling, she grabbed her pillow and buried her face in it, hands pressed to the side of her head.

She just hoped every night wasn't like this. She'd have to kill him if it was. Or at the very least cut a certain part of his anatomy off.

Thank you! Please review with your thoughts, I would love to hear them :)

What an execpted twist! At least I hope it was xD how will Sasuke and Hinata handle living together?

See you next time!