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Chance Meetings

#10: Diner

The hot air swirled all around her and for the umpteenth time that day she wanted to kick something in frustration. She had never watched Thelma & Louise but she had a feeling that the ending wasn't like this.

She wasn't in a desert, like how it always is in the movies. She was in a well populated, sandless street. She wasn't driving a red convertible, like how it always is in the movies. She was driving a not-at-all boring Volvo. She was, however, very much so lost. To be honest, the scenery was beautiful. Old fashion lamps littered the street. Ma and Pop stores lined up all along in a row, and Hinata would have been ecstatic but…

She was lost.

She hated being without direction. Hinata wasn't completely map impaired but she wasn't a freaking GPS device either. Or, if she was, she was a really cheap, crappy one.

For the umpteenth time that day, Hinata turned her map into a full 360 degree. Maybe she'd finally see what everyone else claimed to see…you know, "directions". Whoever invented maps is freaking stupid.

Hinata fell back onto her leather seat, playing with the radio dials for a moment. She had been holding this off the whole day…but she might as well get over her fear of unknown places, people, feelings, etc.

Time to dive into the unknown

Hinata stepped out of her car, lightly closing the door. She sighed, swung her messenger bag behind her, and pulled her baseball cap down. Go Red Sox. Hinata adjusted her bug eyed sunglasses and began walking down the street.

She passed venders, playgrounds, school, dentistry offices, and thousands of "vintage" clothing, antique and everything else stores. How "vintage" can you be when there is a store just down the street that sells the same things you do?

Hinata froze when she heard a large rumble.

Apparently, she was due for lunch.

So she strolled down the street looking for restaurants, or at least a McDonalds.

What she found was a diner.

So she entered.

--

"How can I help you beautiful?" the blond asked, waving his eyebrows up and down suggestively. Hinata blinked.

"…Are you talking to me?" Hinata asked, confused. A snort came from behind the counter but the blond showed no signs of embarrassment.

"Who else, lovely?" He bowed, very gentleman like, and kissed her hand. Hinata flushed despite her efforts.

"A-ah…"

"Just ask for her order, idiot." A wolfish man came out from behind the counter, wearing a stained black apron and a chef's hat. The words Get the Hell out of my Kitchen was crudely scribbled on the hat with an Expo marker.

Hinata slipped into a stool at the counter, still a little red, but it was because of the weather.

The blond jumped over the counter to show his manly strength only to bang his knee on said counter and flip over. The wolfish man kicked him while he was down. Hinata politely ignored this and flipped through the menu that was left at the counter.

Surprisingly, the food on the menu was very…high class. Éclairs in a diner…that's the first.

"I'll just have a seafood salad," she told the wolfish man when he came with a pad and pen.

"Dieting? You don't need it."

Once again she could not control her cheek cells.

"Oh, and you call me a flirt," a voice drifted from the floor. The man turned around and kicked the blond again. She could see a nametag pinned to the back of the man's hat…

Kiba.

"It'll be done in a couple minutes."

When the wolfish man, or Kiba, went back through the swinging door, the blond magically appeared beside her.

"So, what brings you to this little village?" Hinata raised an eyebrow at the word "village".

"Just visiting my cousin…"

"Oh, really? Well, here, everybody knows everybody else. What's your cousin's name?" Hinata felt herself relax a bit. The man seemed so harmless, it was impossible not to.

"Hyuuga Neji."

The blond furrowed his eyebrows in thought. "Sounds familiar." Without warning he hollered in the general direction of the kitchen. "Yo, KIBA! Do we know a Hyuuga Neji?"

No was the faint reply.

Hinata didn't know why she felt disappointed.

"Well, maybe he lives in the big city. You're probably just passing through, right?"

Hinata nodded.

"That explains it. Now…speaking of phone numbers…"

Kiba placed the plate in front of Hinata and calmly smacked the blond across the head.

"You were never talking about phone numbers dimwit."

The natural reply was a string of curses and an accusation that Kiba was eavesdropping.

Hinata smiled and munched on her salad, surprised by her hunger and how good the salad was. Who knew shrimp can fill you up? Kiba and the blonde's bickering voices eased Hinata's nerves and now she didn't really care that she was lost.

Oh, crap. She was lost.

"A-ano…do you guys know how to get to Warner?" she asked shyly. Kiba blinked, freeing the blond from the headlock.

The blond scratched his nose.

"Uh…I think you take a right on Bolsa…then go straight for two lights then--,"

"Idiot, it's a left on Bolsa and go straight for three lights!"

"Psh, I'm pretty sure it's a right. Besides, go straight for three whole lights and you'll be out of town completely!"

"Do you know anything, dead last?"

"Hey!"

Hinata watched on fearfully until she saw a hand reach over and take a napkin from the dispenser. She heard a click of a pen. She turned around to see a dark haired man bent over, scribbling something onto the napkin.

When he was done, he handed her the napkin, the directions to Warner written in perfect, fluid characters. He narrowed his eyes at the two other men who weren't aware of his presence. Yet.

"They're trying to impress you, you know."

Hinata's eyes furrows in confusion.

Then he was gone.

--

Two weeks later, Neji-niisan decided to introduce her to some of his law firm partners.

So she thanked him for the directions.

Meeting #10: End.

Thank you for reading!