Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any aspect of it, it all belongs to Masashi Kishimoto

A Scarlet Exchange

Hinata searched for her key endlessly that night after Sasuke dropped her off from Sakura and Ino's party. She dumped all the contents of her purse out on the ground, panic settling in as her search proved to be no avail and then she began to contemplate where it could have fallen out at. Her eyes widened in shock and her face turned ten shades of red in embarrassment. It fell out in Sasuke's car! A part of her was excited in a way to meet him again, her lungs were still filled with the fresh smell of cologne that permeated his car. She bit her lower lip, contemplating how she could get in contact with him, there was no way she would go to a strip club. The very thought of her going to a strip club made her want to faint.

Maybe, she could get a phonebook and call around at the local ones. Maybe, he will pick. Hinata made it up in her mind that that was what she was going to do. Hopefully, he will answer and things will work out.

Luckily, her neighbor was up when she was home and allowed her to spend the night in her home till the maintenance man arrived at the office of the apartments. Her neighbor, Ms. Yamamoto was a rather elderly lady, Hinata had helped her a couple times with tending and watering to her plants.

Hinata was thankful that she didn't have to sleep outside of her apartment in the coldness of that night.

The next day, Hinata woke up on the couch, she lifted up and the smell of tea filled the apartment. She rubbed her eyes, yawing and thought about all of the things she had to do. She needed to go to the office and grab the spare key from the maintenance man. She had to get to work early, she had to get the phone book and try to find the handsome stripper, Sasuke. The very thought of everything she had to do made her uneasy and she got up. She folded the Japanese quilt that Ms. Yamamoto gave her to sleep with and she was surprised to see her come from around the corner. Ms. Yamamoto had a cup of green tea on a small plate and smiled at her.

"Good morning." She greeted. "I hope you slept well, here is a cup of tea to start off your day." Hinata gave her a warm smile and took it.

"T-thank you for l-letting me stay." Hinata thanked. "And for the t-tea."

"No problem." She said waving her hand dismissively. "It has been long time since I have had company." Hinata finished the tea and then she headed down to the office. The office was closed much to her dismay and she chewed on her bottom lip, nervously. However, she saw the maintenance man through the window and she tapped on it. He stopped in his tracks and walked up to the door.

"We're closed." He said, opening the door.

"I-I know. I-I lost the key t-to my apartment and please, I-I need the spare one." The maintenance man rolled his eyes and grumbled to himself. Hinata grimaced and pursed her lips.

"What is the apartment number?" The maintenance man said in a bothered tone.

"Apartment 203."

"Stay right there then." The maintenance man said, closing the door back and he locked it. Hinata tucked her hair behind her ear, waiting patiently and he came back in a matter of minutes.

"T-thank you. I-I will return it back as soon as I get in my apartment."

"Whatever." He waved his hand and pointed towards the drop box on the side of the building. "Put it in that box when you're finished." He slammed the door back and disappeared. Hinata didn't like how rude he was but she generally tried to avoid any form of confrontation. She could still not like it though.

Hinata held the spare key tight in her hands and she ran towards her apartment building. Kobo was waiting by the door, he meowed at the sight of her and she bent down, petting his head. She opened up her apartment and looked at the clock. She had to be at work in an hour.

Hinata grabbed the bag of cat food, pouring Kobo his food and then headed for the shower. It had to be the fastest shower she had ever taken in a long time. She slipped on a pair of capris that were ruffled at the bottom, a pink sweater like top and a pair of flats.

Thank kami, she didn't have to model today.

Hinata grabbed a light jacket from her closet, returned the key and then headed out the door to work.

XXXX

Sasuke woke up the sound of his phone vibrating on top of his dresser, he lifted up his head and eyed the exasperating electronic device. The covers of his bed settled low on his waist, his raven spikey pocks were in a disarray and he ponder as to whether or not he wanted to answer the phone.

He figured that whoever it was would leave a message. He buried his face back in the pillow and the phone desisted in its vibrations… he smirked to himself but it so fell when the phone started back up again.

Cursing, he lifted up and slid over the key. "What?" He seethed.

"The strip club is opening up early today." His boss explained on the other end of the line. "I need you to come in."

"Who the hell wants a stripper in the morning?" A chuckle came from his boss.

"Well, you know Konoha has an unabated desire for you."

"Fine, I better be getting paid extra for this."

"Yeah, you are." His boss's voice came out a little bitterly. "But, you'll be getting off early. Be here in an hour." Sasuke hung up the phone before his boss could and he tossed his phone off to the side. He rolled over in bed, rubbing his temples and he caught sight of Hinata's key on his nightstand. Sasuke picked it up, it was a golden heart shaped key and he scrutinized it. A part of him wondered when she was going to call.

He looked forward to seeing her again. She had such kissable peach colored lips, the most beautiful skin he had ever seen and he could stare at those eyes all day not to mention, she had a pretty hot body.

He hadn't really been attracted to any woman because he saw no interest until now hell, he was virgin despite the fact that he was a stripper.

He needed to know her name, he wanted her number.

Sasuke sat down her key on his nightstand and got up. He cursed to himself, thinking about how he didn't sleep last night and needed to put in a call to the doctor about upping the dosage of his sleeping medication.

His body ached from the lack of sleep. The phone rang again and his eyes narrowed.

Who the hell could that be? He grabbed the phone and the caller ID read Naruto, the dobe. He answered the phone.

"Now, you of all people know better than to call me in the mornings."

"Stop being a grouch." Naruto said, snickering on the other end of the line. "Dude, today is my birthday!" Sasuke's eyes widened in shock and he bit back another curse. How could he forget the dobe's birthday, his still need to get his old childhood friend a birthday cake? He was generally not the sentimental kind of man but Naruto had been with him through some hard times (like the death of his parents).

"Happy Birthday." Sasuke congratulated.

"Man, I fell so old." The blond-haired Uzumaki whined.

"Your only twenty-two, dobe." Sasuke flatly.

"Man you are really pissy this morning. Dude what happened?"

"Nothing. I just have to go into work."

"If I had your job. I wouldn't complain, woman begging for me to lay it on them. Hell that sounds like one hell of a job." Naruto chuckled.

"To you. So, what are you going to do for your birthday?"

"Well, Kiba is out of town with his parents, Gaara is meeting up with some business partners for his company and I can't get Shino to pick up his phone. Plus, my girlfriend is hung over." Naruto said. Sasuke could hear the disappointment and could imagine it was accompanied with that stupid pouty face of his.

"Come over my house at seven o'clock today." Sasuke said, running his hands through his hair.

"Sur- wait, why?"

"Just fucking to do it." Sasuke commanded.

"Fine, fine. What you have planned for me?" Naruto said now excited.

"Nothing, dammit. Now stop asking."

"Whoa, dude I didn't know you had a soft side."

"Naruto."

"Okay, see you at seven." Naruto hung up the phone and Sasuke rubbed his temples. He now had a lot of shit to do today. He would need to stop by Konoha Bakery after work, have Naruto a cake made and make sure it was done by the time he got back. He would also need to buy a bottle of plum sake and on top of it all, he had the key to give back to the indigo-haired girl.

"Fuck me." He murmured. He sauntered to his bathroom and turned on the shower, getting ready for the day. He could just go by the girl's house and see if she was ther but that would make him look like some stalker.

XXXX

Hinata arrived at work before the last minute she would normally be considered late. She had not anticipated traffic to be backed up, Mayumi looked at her concerned.

"Ms. Hinata, are you okay?"

"I-I'm sorry. I would have been here earlier but traffic." Hinata said a little frazzled.

"It's okay." Mayumi assured. "Are you sure that is all that is wrong?" Hinata nodded at her and smiled. She prayed that the rest of the day would go smoother than her morning.

And it did, Mayumi made a coconut cake for the day and Hinata decorated it with bows. On her lunch break, she pulled out a phone book the bakery had laying around and she went down the list of strip clubs. She usually hung up as soon as someone said hello and she fumbled with her fingers nervously. There was about five different strip clubs in Konoha and she vowed that she would not hang up for the last one, the phone rang a couple of times and then someone picked up.

"Hello?" The sounds of women hollering for more rang in the background causing her to turn red.

"Ano… d-does a Sasuke Uchiha w-work there?"

"Who is calling?"

"Hinata… Hinata Hyuuga. The girl who lost her key."

"Okay." The man said in a confused tone. "I will get him. Hold on." Hinata felt her heart speed up in her chest and each passing moment made her more and more anxious.

"Hello?" Sasuke finally answered in a velvety tone. She felt her throat go dry, unable to formulate any words.

"Hi." She squeaked. And before he could say anything else, she hung up. Hinata let out a shaky breath, mentally kicking herself for hanging up on him like that but she would try him back a couple of hours later and apologize.

XXXX

Sasuke had to admit he was not happy when he found out someone had called him at his job, he didn't know who Hinata Hyuuga was.

But when he heard her sweet voice on the phone, it dissipated rather quickly and he knew it was her. Sasuke was also a little taken aback. She didn't strike him as the type of girl to be calling a strip club. But, he never anticipated her just hanging up on him, he pulled the phone away from his ear and cocked an eyebrow.

Normally, he would have been upset with anyone hanging up on him but he found himself oddly amused. He chuckled to himself and his coworker looked at him, shocked.

"You chuckle. I didn't know you had a sense of humor."

"Shut up." Sasuke hissed. And with that, he returned back to work. At least now, he knew her name.

Hinata.

Sasuke got off work about two o'clock, he decided that he would go to Konoha Bakery to get them to make Naruto a cake. He had never really been there before because he didn't like sweets but he had some talk around town about how it was the best.

Sasuke figured he would pick up the bottle of plum sake on his way to the bakery.

XXXX

Hinata heard the doorbell to the bakery open, she perked up and saw him standing in the doorway. Her lips parted and her eyes widened in shock. She couldn't believe he was here!

Their eyes met and a smirk came across Sasuke's face. She tore her gaze away, hiding her face behind her bangs and Mayumi looked at her, grinning.

"Oh, he is handsome. Mrs. Hinata is he your boyfriend."

"N-no, n-no, he's…."

"A friend." Sasuke finished for her. She looked back up and he leaned against the window. "So you work here huh, Hinata?"

"Y-yeah, I-I'm a cake decorator." Hinata informed. She watched Sasuke look at the display of cakes and he shrugged.

"Looks nice. Can I talk to you in private?"

"S-sure. I will be right b-back, Mayumi." Mayumi winked at her.

"Take all the time you need." Hinata came out from around the back and Sasuke led her off to the side.

"So, you hung up on me." He said with a bit of contempt.

"I…." Hinata began. "I'm really s-sorry."

"So where did you sleep last night?" Sasuke asked coolly.

"A-a neighbor took me in her h-house." Hinata explained.

"Hmph." Sasuke snorted. "I see."

"Why are y-you here?" Hinata asked curiously.

"You owe me." He informed. "I drove you home and then you hung up on me." Hinata opened her mouth to object but he had her in a rock in a hard place.

"W-what do you w-want?"

"Well, an old friend of mine's birthday is today and I need you to make him a cake shaped and made to look like ramen." He said rubbing the back of his neck. "He has an unnatural obsession with it."

Hinata couldn't help but giggle. "Okay."

"But, I need it in a least two hours." Hinata stared at him baffled.

"A-a cake like that would take longer t-than that, at least a day."

"Not my problem." He was despicable! Hinata huffed, puffing out her cheeks in frustration.

"w-what would you like on the cake?"

"Just his name, its Naruto and happy twenty-second birthday with a nine-tailed fox on the front." Sasuke informed. Her eyes widened in shock.

Naruto… surely, it couldn't be…

"You mean N-Naruto Uzumaki?" Hinata asked.

"You know him?"

"Yes. I-I didn't know t-that today was his birthday, we haven't talked i-in a long time."

XXXX

Sasuke couldn't believe what he was hearing, she knew Naruto! How did she know him, from where? Why hadn't he seen her before?

XXXX

Hinata was shocked to see that Sasuke knew her ex-boyfriend and she wanted to know more but she was at work.

"y-you have to talk to Mayumi about w-what kind of cake you want for Naruto." Hinata explained. She saw Sasuke blink a couple of times and then clear his throat. She could tell he wanted to know more but was pushing it to the side.

"Hn."

"W-what about your second thing?" Hinata asked cautiously.

"Well, I don't have you key and being it is at my house. Why don't you come to my house and celebrate with Naruto and me. I think you would be pleasant company, plus you could catch up with him." Hinata felt flattered by his statement. She hadn't seen or talked to Naruto in years after they broke up, it was a bad break up for the both of them. She just heard it about Naruto through Sakura.

"I-I don't e-even know where your house is."

"I'll give you the address and I would like the cake to be delivered… by you." Hinata's cheeks turned a deeper shade of red. She really needed to get her key back and he was giving her only one way to obtain it.

"Okay." Hinata sauntered over to the counter and pulled out a pen and pad. The Uchiha gave her his address and he told Mayumi he wanted a yellow cake for Naruto.

"See you later." Hinata watched him walk out of the bakery and she looked at the address on the paper.

She had never been invited to a party quite like this before.

Hinata worked on the cake as fast as she could to fit it in two hours, he was so mean for having her work like this and Mayumi glanced at Hinata as she drew the nine-tailed fox.

"This make seems to be really special." She giggled.

"It is." Hinata said thoughtfully. He couldn't be that bad if he was willing to go to such lengths for Naruto. They finished the cake at the very end and she climbed into her car, heading to his apartment. His apartment was a rather elaborate one, she found herself staring at it in awe and she took a deep breath, stepping out of the car.

XXXX

Sasuke heard a knock at his door and he opened it. Hinata handed the cake to him, shyly.

"I-I finished it." He opened the top, peeking inside. He had to admit she had some skills.

"Looks good." The Uchiha reached into his pocket and he pulled out her key.

"Here." He watched Hinata take it and give him a warm smile as she stuffed it in her purse. "Well, don't just stand out here. You can come in." He beckoned for her to enter, she nodded and walked in the house. Hinata looked around his house and Sasuke shoved his hands in his pockets.

"I bought plumb sake for Naruto and I, you are welcome to some if you want." Hinata shook her head.

"I-I don't drink." He smirked at her, teasingly.

"I didn't think so. You can sit down you know. Nothing will bite you."

"I-I know." She squeaked. Hinata walked over to his couch and sat down. Sasuke grabbed a bottle of water from his fridge and he handed it to her. "T-thank you."

He collapsed on the couch. "So, how long have you been working at the bakery?"

"A-a while." Hinata admitted.

"Do you like cake decorating?"

"I love it." There was a silence exchanged between the two. "Do you like s-stripping?" She felt a sort of bond with him, they were both involved in the dark world of sex, her with her lingerie modeling (which she loved also) and his stripping. And despite residing in the dark world of sex, she had never had sex, she was still a virgin.

"I do." He affirmed. He wouldn't mind seeing her at the club. Sasuke heard another knock at the door and Hinata and Sasuke stood up at the same time.

"I'll get it."

XXXX

Hinata saw Sasuke open the door and the blond-haired Uzumaki walk in. She smiled at him, feeling her chest tighten.

"So why you call me over here?"

"Go in the kitchen." He instructed. Naruto walked in the kitchen and Hinata watched his eyes light up as Sasuke unveiled the cake. "Dude that is amazing. Man, I love you bro!"

Hinata giggled as he wrapped his arm around his neck and Sasuke let out an exasperated sigh. Naruto looked at her and his mouth almost hit the ground.

"Hinata, is that you, my kami. You look awesome!" Naruto ran up to her and gave her the biggest hug.

"It's nice to s-see you again too."

"She decorated your cake so you owe her." Sasuke said, knocking Naruto in the head. Naruto stared at her shocked.

"Dude, you decorated that, oh my kami. That is amazing!" Naruto grabbed her by the shoulders. "You are awesome." Hinata giggled at the compliment.

"Wait…" Naruto pulled away and Sasuke saw his eyes dart between him and Hinata. "How do you know each other?"

"We met at a party." Sasuke said vaguely. "We're friends. I invited her here to celebrate your birthday with us. How do you know her?"

"We have been friends ever since college, Sasuke. You probably don't know her considering you went only to our college for a week and then left."

"I see."

"Oh." Hinata mouthed. That explained everything. They sang happy birthday to Naruto and Naruto blew out the candles. Hinata munched on the cake and scrutinized Naruto and Sasuke as they drank the sake with their own pieces. She found the sight rather heartwarming and could see the brotherly bond between the two. Once in a while, Sasuke would look at her and she would look back at him from underneath her eyelashes.

The small party lasted for three hours. It was nice to see Naruto again and was awkward at first but after the first hour, the awkwardness went away. The party was one of the nice ones she had been to in a long time, simple and intimate. Sasuke walked Hinata out to her car.

"I-it was a nice party." Hinata said, tucking her hair behind her ear. "And it was nice seeing Naruto a-again. I see he has not lost his h-humor."

"Don't encourage it." Sasuke warned. Hinata opened up her car door. "Well, I-I had an r-really good time."

"Yeah. thanks for coming." Sasuke stated. He pursed his lips, deciding to act on what had been nagging him the whole night. "I should probably give you my number. You can't just keep calling me at my job otherwise, you will have to pay me the money I'm losing."

Hinata looked at him shocked and then she nodded. She handed him her phone and he programmed it in.

"Thanks."

"Just text me."

"O-okay." And with that, she climbed in her car and drove away.

When she got back to her apartment, Hinata turned off her car and she went through her phone. She looked at his number in her phone and biting her lower lip, texted him her number.

She received a text back in a matter of minutes and knew she would not be able to sleep a once that night because of what the message read. It read,

Let's meet up again. Maybe, dinner tomorrow night? –Sasuke.

And Hinata said yes.

If you would please review the chapter, it would greatly be appreciated as there will be more to come- TheValkyrieGladiator