It's a day late, I know!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

-thoughts-

THE INTRODUCTION PARTY

Hinata stood at the front of the café with her arms wrapped around her waist, and a jacket folded over them as she waited for Naruto.

It was the very first time that she had managed to finish work on time since becoming the new owner of the business, something that she had to thank Sasuke for. If he hadn't stopped by last night and helped her out, she feared she would never get a chance to close up shop any earlier than 9 o'clock at night.

It was only 4:30 in the afternoon, so she knew there was still some time to wait until Naruto came by to collect her and walk with her back to his place. Having only been there once before, and during the middle of the night… Hinata wasn't too certain she would be able to find her way back there too easily on her own.

As a way to make time pass quicker, Hinata let her thoughts distract her - but no matter how hard she tried, she continued to find Sasuke in her head. She couldn't help it, and she couldn't make it stop. Every thought that she had today somehow lead her to think of Sasuke.

There was nothing that Hinata could do to forget the deepness of his dark eyes, and the liquid velvet of his voice. She could understand why so many women seemed to have an interest in him.

This was different for her though, as they weren't the standout things that Hinata was drawn to. Of course she couldn't deny that they filled her with wonder, but more over she was drawn into him by the kindness that he had shown her and the look in his eyes that always without a doubt seemed to ground her when she felt the world was beginning to crumble beneath her feet.

Yes… Hinata was drawn in by so much more than a few overwhelming physical aspects of him. In her mind, anyone could easy be charmed and dazzled by ones appearance, but finding someone with a good soul was all the more worth.

If Hinata was asked what word she would associate best with Sasuke, it wouldn't be 'charming' or 'gorgeous' – it would be 'deep' or 'focused'.

There was definitely much more to Sasuke than met the eye, and Hinata was grateful just to even have a glance at some of other sides to him. So far, finding out a small piece of the mystery that surrounded him was a great feeling, one she wanted to continue to feel.

It will be good to see him again tonight a smile spread across Hinata's face at the thought as she clutched her jacket closer to her chest and closed her eyes.

When she re opened her eyes, she was surprised to be met with a bright and mesmerizing cerulean ocean right in front of her.

Blinking a few times as to try and recollect her thoughts, Hinata came to the realization that it was not in fact an ocean, but another pair of eyes only centimeters away from her own.

"Eh?" Hinata eeped as she stumbled backwards onto her heels, her arms unfolding and moving behind her to press against the glass door as to not fall. "N-Naruto!" she breathed out quickly, her heart thumping from the sudden fright. Hinata hadn't even heard him approach her at all. "You scared me! What are you doing?"

Naruto took a step back and chuckled, looking down at Hinata who was biting on her lower lip and staring up at him with her bright big eyes. "I didn't mean to scare you. I called out, but you didn't hear me."

Hinata stood up straight and looked down at her feet, "I'm sorry… My mind was elsewhere."

Naruto waved a dismissing hand at her, "Nervous to meet some new people are you?"

Not wanting to let Naruto know where her thoughts truly were, she nodded sheepishly and offered him a smile.

"Come on, let's get a move on!" Naruto said happily, his arm gesturing for them to turn around and head off down the street. "Everyone should already be there by the time we make it back!"

-o-o-o-

"I'm sooo hungry!" A large broad man groaned, his hands clutching on to his stomach, "How long is Naruto going to be? Sasuke! Why don't you cook some barbecue for us?"

"Hn" Sasuke scoffed as he casually leaned back against the brick wall with his arms crossed "Because Choji, Naruto's the one that wanted to have this, not me. He can cook."

"Ohh Shikamaru!" the big burly man groaned, turning to look at his best friend with dark hair pulled back into a spiky ponytail, his eyes pleading that he needed food.

Shikamaru let out a sigh "How troublesome…" he looked at the barbecue before back at Choji, "You can help then." He said as he grabbed a pair of tongs and turned the barbecue on. He looked at Sasuke through the corner of his eye with a small glare before focusing on placing the meat on the grill in front of him.

Sasuke shook his head and pushed himself off of the wall, deciding that now would be the best time to head back inside and away from the group of people in his backyard all bickering and being loud.

As he made his way through the back door and into the dining room, he felt a hand wrap around his wrist and tug him backwards.

"Sasuke, come back out… Don't lock yourself inside, please?" came Sakura's soft pleading voice, her eyes staring up at the back of his head and her grip tightening on his wrist.

"Why should I? All it's doing is giving me a headache." Sasuke pulled his wrist out of her grip and walked over into the kitchen, grabbing a glass and a bottle of scotch to pour himself a drink.

Following him into the kitchen, Sakura reached over and grabbed another glass, placing it besides the one Sasuke had set down for himself. "You don't have to exclude yourself either. This is for Hinata."

Sasuke held back a scoff and poured a drink into her glass after pouring his own. Turning to look at her and lean across the bench, he shook his head and took a sip of his drink. Using Hinata as an excuse to get what you want, how typical Sakura.

Sakura frowned for a moment's time before picking up her glass and staring down into the amber liquid. She wondered if Sasuke would ever be able to return her feelings. She had spent so many years chasing after Sasuke, wanting to be the person who changed his ways and made him smile… And for a time, she was… Of course Naruto was as well, but her name was still up there and that counted for something.

"We're here!" Naruto's loud voice came booming before the front door had even managed to swing wide open.

Sakura noticed that Sasuke stood a little taller and his eyes eagerly turned towards the direction that Naruto's voice came from. It crushed her inside to know he was interested so much in someone other than herself.

Coming into the sight of Sakura and Sasuke, Naruto grinned and made his way over to Sasuke, slapping him on the back and leading him in the direction of the backyard "Come on Sasuke, get your butt outside!"

Hinata watched the way Naruto approached Sasuke and pulled him along, her eyes locking with his for less than a second as Naruto pulled him out of her sight. She turned to look at Sakura who was still standing in the kitchen with a drink in her hand and staring at Hinata with sad eyes. "Sakura?" she questioned, moving closer to her, "What's wrong?"

Sakura pulled herself up onto the bench, her legs hanging over the cupboards beneath. "Are you interested in Sasuke, Hinata?" She mumbled sadly, her grip on the glass tightening a fraction, because it's clear to me that he's interested in you...

Hinata felt her chest tense up and her breathing catch in her throat.

"I thought so." Sakura said after the silence remained, taking a mouthful of her drink and reaching out to grab Hinata's hand softly. "Please Hinata…" she looked up at her, her emerald green eyes searching Hinata's face with a look of insecurity. "I love him... I love him so much." She whispered.

Hinata frowned as she looked into Sakura's sad eyes and felt the grip on her hand tightening. She could easily tell that Sakura was being very serious, and that she was putting her own heart out on the line. The pain within them made her ache inside for feeling the way she had been.

Opening her mouth to speak, Hinata found herself lost for words and closed her mouth, biting on her lower lip as she done so. She nodded slowly at Sakura, understanding what she wanted from her. Sakura had been kind to her, and had helped her out at work when she was confused or lost. Hinata didn't want to lose the potential friend she had in Sakura.

If Sakura wanted her to take a step back from perusing the answers to her curiosity and what exactly it was that intrigued her about Sasuke than she would, because that's what friends do.

"Thank you, Hinata." Sakura let out a deep breath that she had been unknowingly holding in, offering a small smile up at Hinata. She was thankful that Hinata was so kind, unlike her best friend Ino who hadn't been so kind to back off back in the day before she met her boyfriend Sai.

"Let's go introduce you to some people then." Sakura squeezed Hinata's hand, shaking her head and finishing of the drink in one shot before placing the glass upside down in the sink. Taking a moment to recollect herself and force the smile on her face to grow before pulling Hinata along behind her and outside.

The smell of cooking meat hit Hinata's nose, her ears perking up to the loudness of people talking and the sizzling of meat on the barbecue. Hinata's eyes travelled across the unknown faces as Sakura came to a stop.

"Everyone! This is Hinata!" Sakura let go of Hinata's hand, and gestured towards her for everyone to take in.

"Hinata?" came two surprised male voices in unison.

Looking through the crowd of people, Hinata spotted two men who seemed rather familiar to her. It was only when a large white dog came running at her that it all clicked in her mind. "Akamaru? Kiba? Shino?" he voice raised in happiness, her hands catching two big white paws on her chest of the dog that had just jumped up on her.

Hinata couldn't believe it! Her old friends from the school she went to many years ago before her move were friends with Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura? She definitely must be one very lucky lady! If it wasn't for Sasuke and Naruto, she probably never would have seen the two of them again.

Her smile continued to grow larger across her face as the two men wrapped their arms around her with the big white dog Akumaru between them.

Kiba was tall and had messy brown hair, his face easily recognizable with over-sized canine teeth and red fang shaped markings on his cheeks.

Even taller stood Shino, he had dark bushy brown hair, round black sunglasses and wore a dark greenish-grey hoodie.

"It's been so long! Hina!" Kiba said as he placed his hands on either side of her shoulders and took in the sight of her. "Look at your hair!"

Hinata blushed and laughed nervously, her hands moving to touch her long midnight blue locks that reached down to her hips. It was true, her hair had certainly grown. The last time she would have seen the two of them, her hair would have been a boy cut… Something her father had seen as practicable.

"Me? Look at Akamaru! I bet he can't fit in your jacket now." She laughed, her hand reaching up to cover her mouth as memories of him sneaking the small pup into school flooded her memory.

Overlooking all the commotion was Sasuke, listening to Kiba who was now laughing and touching Hinata so tenderly, he felt himself grow tense. Really? He thought to himself, his eyes staring over Naruto's shoulder and at Hinata. She's friends with dog boy and the weirdo?

"Oh wow!" Naruto said as he began making his way over to the small group that had formed. "You guys know each other?"

"Know each other?" Kiba grinned, nudging Hinata, "Hina used to be my best friend back in the day, isn't that right Hina?"

Hinata nodded enthusiastically and looked at Naruto, "and Shino as well."

"Small world it seems." Shino added in.

"Well that's just awesome!" Naruto beamed, Kiba was a good friend of his so he was more than happy that Hinata was a mutual friend, it also meant that she would fit in much better with everyone. "We better introduce her to the rest of the group then!"

Hinata was feeling somewhat overwhelmed, but a lot less nervous than she was previously to coming here. She was worried earlier that she would be too shy or too quiet for the liking of their friends, or that she wouldn't fit in. Now however, she felt security being around Kiba and Shino. It also helped to keep her distracted from the dark charcoal eyes that she could sense on her the entire time she had been there. Hinata did want to speak to Sasuke, but she also wanted to make sure she had met everyone else first; it was the polite way to go about things. Especially since this was a day organized for her to meet new people.

Kiba and Naruto took Hinata around the group, introducing her to Choji and Shikamaru who were manning the barbecue, and over to the table where Sakura, Sasuke, Ino (a gorgeous girl who had long blond hair tied up into a ponytail) and Ino's pale-skinned, dark haired boyfriend Sai (who was drawing in a book of his) sat together.

Hinata found it extremely easy to socialize with the group of people; they were all so warm, open and welcoming to her.

As everyone gathered around the table, Hinata placed on the opposite side of Sasuke with Kiba and Shino on either side of her, and Sasuke with Naruto and Sakura on either side of himself. Also separating them was Shikamaru besides Naruto with Choji besides him on Kiba's other side, and Ino besides Sakura with Sai next to Shino.

Placed in the center of it all was food that was cooked to perfection, cutlery, plates and a variety of sauces and salads. Everyone began to dig in, with Kiba throwing a few pieces of steak in Akamaru's direction.

The meal continued on with loud conversation, with fun and laughter mixed between the stories that were being told and the new connections that were being made.

Everyone was seemingly enjoying themselves except for Sasuke who remained quiet, ate, and then stood up to head inside.

Sakura's eyes followed Sasuke. Sakura went to stand and follow but was stopped by Naruto's hand that placed on top of hers.

"I've got it." He reassured her, pulling himself up from his chair and following Sasuke.

Once making it inside, Naruto found Sasuke on the lounge pouring himself a drink.

"What're you doing Sasuke? Don't you want to join in?" he asked concerned, noting that Sasuke obviously seemed troubled about something.

Sasuke shook his head, looking up at Naruto.

Naruto took a seat in the armchair across from Sasuke, "is it Hinata? She told me that you stopped by last night and helped her with her work stuff on the way over here."

"Did she just?" Sasuke said sarcastically, taking a drink.

Naruto furrowed his brows, "Hinata's a nice girl Sasuke."

"I know." Sasuke said simply.

Naruto narrowed his eyes in Sasuke's direction; he wasn't expecting Sasuke to agree with him. A typical 'hn', a sarcastic remark or a 'she's annoying' statement was more of what he was expecting. "You like her, don't you?"

Sasuke looked at Naruto with an annoyed look, feeling himself tense up slightly. He didn't want to admit anything to this idiot. "No." he lied with a stern tone.

A cheeky smirk crossed over Naruto's face, he could tell by the way Sasuke tensed and the tone that he used that he was annoyed about something, and Naruto's guess was that Sasuke was annoyed he had guessed it correctly. "Ohh," his smirk turned into a large grin, "so you wouldn't mind if I go for her then? She's really pretty and nice." Naruto said in a teasing manner.

Sasuke slammed his glass down onto the coffee table unexpectedly, a crack forming in the glass and Naruto jumping in his seat from being startled. "No." Sasuke said more firmly this time, his eyes almost glaring daggers into Naruto "Don't even think about it."

"But you said you weren't interested?" Naruto pushed, wanting the stubborn jerk he called a best friend to suck up his pride and admit it.

Sasuke, not one to be defeated in a challenge stood his ground. His eyes remained cold and dark as they stayed positioned in Naruto's direction. He kept silent. He knew what Naruto wanted from him, and he would be damned if he gave him the satisfaction of answering.

Finally letting out a laugh and shaking his head, Naruto stood up from the arm chair and grabbed the now cracked glass out of Sasuke's death grip hand. "Fine then, you can stay in here and mope." He made his way to the kitchen, stopping to look over his shoulder and at Sasuke on the lounge who was still watching him with killer intent in his eyes. "I'm going to spend some more time with Hina outside!"

Sasuke watched as Naruto disappeared out of his sight, his chest twisted from the way he had called Hinata 'Hina' and in such tone that he had as well. He knew Naruto was doing it to get at him, and he knew that Naruto could tell despite Sasuke saying otherwise.

It was something Sasuke both liked and hated about his best friend, he was always able to know and understand how Sasuke was feeling and what he was thinking, as well as guide him in the right direction. He found it his mission to try and do the opposite of what Naruto tried to have him do. Naruto knew all too well what Sasuke wanted though, so it was hard to defy him.

He sat there and groaned angrily for a few moments longer, deciding to act now before he let Naruto's words persuade him to get back up and join the group outside. Damn you Naruto He thought as he pushed himself off the lounge and made his way to his bedroom.

Even though he wanted to spend some time with Hinata, he didn't want to feel angry and challenged by that blonde idiot in front of their friends and make a scene.

He decided it would be best to drown out all the loud noise and take a nap, at least when he wakes up there'd be a good chance that there won't be anyone in his house anymore. If I'm lucky he thought as he dropped onto his bed and closed his eyes, they'll all be gone.

-o-o-o-

By the time everyone had left, it was very late at night. Hinata had decided that she would be the last to leave due to it being an occasion set up for her. It would be rude for her to leave any sooner than anyone else.

Ino and Sai had been the first to leave, followed shortly by Choji, Shino and Sakura (who was no longer interested in staying too long with Sasuke asleep). Shikamaru stayed long enough to help carry Naruto (who had passed out into a food coma from eating more than he could handle) into his room and into bed with Kiba. After they had done that, Kiba passed Hinata his contact details with the promise of catching up and Shikamaru and himself were on their way out.

Finally, it was just Hinata left, but she wouldn't be able to leave unless she knew the place was clean and stress free for the two men when they woke up in the morning.

Remembering from the time she grabbed the first aid kit for Sasuke, Hinata made her way over to the kitchen cupboard underneath the sink, pulling out a bin bag, dishwashing liquid, cleaning spray and a cloth.

Placing the dishwashing liquid on the sink, she made her way out the back door with the rest of the products in hand, cleaning up the rubbish from their feast and wiping down the table with the spray and cloth… She would clean the barbecue too if she knew how, but she wasn't sure and didn't want to risk ruining it, so just shut the lid and went back inside with the dishes that were left on the table out the back.

Turning on the hot water tap and squirting in the dish soap, she watched as the sink began to fill up, making some of the cups in the hot water float to the top and fill with suds.

She smiled as she washed the dishes for the guys, placing them on the drying rack besides the sink. Hinata always enjoyed cleaning up, she found it rather therapeutic, but it was also tiring.

By the time Hinata had finally finished, she found herself yawning as she dried her hands on a blue tea towel.

I don't think I can walk all the way to the hotel this tired Hinata found herself thinking as she walked into the lounge room and sat on the lounge, easing into the comfort of it quickly, her eye lids and her body feeling heavy and weak. I'm sure they won't mind if I just take a quick power nap… And with that, Hinata quickly fell asleep, not realizing that someone was watching her.

Sasuke had been woken up by the sound of a draining sink. He always hated the way that they seemed to slurp and squeal as the water rushed down the drain.

He hadn't bothered to look at the time as he pulled himself out of bed and towards the kitchen. Sasuke would be very surprised if he found Naruto in there cleaning the dishes for once in his lifetime.

Upon realizing that it was very dark and very quiet, Sasuke was grateful that obviously everyone had managed to leave in the time he had slept, everyone but one person.

The tinge of midnight blue caught his eyes in the dark, and he watched as she stumbled her way through the doorway and into the lounge room. Hinata hadn't seemed to notice his presence.

Sasuke was about to speak up, thinking she was going to leave the house and head home, but found himself surprised as she dropped onto the lounge and fell asleep very quickly.

She must be pretty tired - no surprise if she cleaned up Sasuke thought as he moved further into the lounge room and looked down at her. He took in the sight of her dark blue hair sprawled out on the lounge, and her thick black lashes standing out against her pale skin.

He thought about draping a blanket over her so she would be warm, but ultimately decided to one up it instead, "Hinata?" He whispered, trying to find out how deeply she was asleep.

Upon noticing that she didn't even stir, Sasuke carefully moved to scoop her up in his arms. Hinata was a lot lighter than he had expected her to be, especially being a dead weight whilst asleep.

He moved slowly, and quietly, carrying the slumbering girl into his room and onto his bed.

Sasuke pulled his covers up and over her, and watched as a smile crossed her gentle face and her arms embraced the warmth of his blankets, pulling them in close to her and burying her head into his feathered pillows.

Sasuke looked down at her, and caught himself with a smile on his own face. He gingerly moved his hand closer to her face to push her hair back and behind her ear.

"Sleep well, Hinata." Sasuke whispered before leaving the room. He could continue his sleep on the lounge. He wouldn't want to sleep in his own room with her in there… It would freak her out if she woke up beside him in the morning. Especially in his bed.

No, there was no way he was going to risk freaking her out any more than she already would be.

more to come in due time!

In fact, being a long weekend it might be sooner than you think!