Here's the fourth chapter, mina! I hope you like it.

Excuse any errors.

R&R!!

Chapter 4: Negotiation

...

Hinata walked around the area until she found the spot where she was directed and could hardly believe this was the place. The ropes were slightly frayed and the canvass for the tents needed washing, the stakes either full of splinters or rusty. There were some ANBU there as well checking the supplies.

"Ano… ohayo," she said to a man there, although he looked somewhat familiar. "I'm looking for Sasuke Uchiha."

The blond turned around to reply but all words failed him when he looked at her as though struck dumb by Hinata's presence. She could hardly believe she caused such a reaction from anyone because she did not think she was that pretty. Hinata decided it must have been the kimono she was wearing or something because he was dressed in ANBU armor with his porcelain mask hanging on to his head. Maybe he was not accustomed to such a soft spoken person.

Hinata stepped towards him carefully. Even though she was no longer a shinobi, she still knew how to defend herself but she tried to look as collected as possible because if she had to travel with him, she would have to trust him too. But how could she when he had not answered her yet?

"Ohayo," she repeated. Maybe he couldn't understand her and was a transfer from another village of something. From the looks of his tan, maybe he was from Suna and Uchiha-san needed a guide or something. "I'm looking for Sasuke Uchiha," said Hinata slowly.

"He isn't here," he said, not sounding out of place at all except he was a bit louder than most.

"Hai! You're from Konoha, right?" she said and the man gave her an amused look.

Smiling, Hinata approached him. "Do you know where I can find him?" she asked.

"Sasuke?"

Hinata nodded. "Hai, Uchiha-san." He had not even stood up to greet her but Hinata excused his obvious lack of manners, thinking it must run through the entire ANBU and she held out her hand to him. "I'm Hinata Hyuga. I'd like to talk to him about some business."

The man blinked at her several times. "Did you say Hyuga?"

Hinata smiled and nodded even though he looked slightly wary of her now. "Damn!" He stood up and shook her hand. "Gomen for not having much manners, I'm Naruto Uzumaki, nice to meet you!"

Hinata beamed at him, faintly remembering his name. "Nice to meet you too," she said.

"Sasuke-teme isn't here, but he might be back soon if you want to wait," he said and held out his hand to probably motion for her to sit, but there was no where Hinata could bring herself to sit.

"It's okay, I'll stand," she said. It was not that she was a snob or anything, but there really was no where she could sit unless it was on the floor on the tree stump nearby.

"I know around here doesn't look too good," Naruto said, but it was not really an apology because there was some pride in his voice. "The tents and stuff are second hand and stuff but everything worked out pretty well," he told her and he clearly believed it.

Hinata tried her best not to appear as a snotty person and smiled. "Yes it seems so," she said and decided Uzumaki-san had to be very blind.

He continued packing the stakes and Hinata watched him until she heard a male voice.

"Are you done yet?" the voice asked and a pack was thrown before her to the blond.

"That was fast," said Uzumaki-san, catching the pack.

Hinata gasped when she turned around, seeing the owner the familiar voice.

"Fatty had already packed it, even though I had to stop him from eating some of it."

That's good… or is it?" Uzumaki-san said sheepishly.

"You!" Hinata exclaimed, recognizing the man and he looked her way.

"You," he said with a smirk.

Looking back and forth between the two, Uzumaki-san had an amused expression on his face. "Have you two met before or something?"

Hinata wished she could wipe that smirk off the man's face. "What are you doing here?" she asked side-stepping towards Uzumaki-san unconsciously.

He did not even bother to answer her question, but answered the other man instead. "Hai, I had the pleasure or meeting her."

"I'm not quite sure it was a pleasure meeting you," Hinata said indignantly. "I see you haven't even bothered to put on some clothes."

The man looked her up and down with boredom. "And I see you're still acting like a prissy little rich girl. At least you still have that thing you dropped earlier."

"Which is of no concern to you," said Hinata, turning to Uzumaki-san. "I don't think you want someone like him as a friend, he could have stolen my money."

Uzumaki-san laughed and looked at the man. "You tried to steal her money?"

"What do you think?" the man asked.

"I'd watch myself around him if I were you," Hinata warned Uzumaki-san, but he just laughed some more as though the situation was quite hilarious.

"You're not the first to complain about his manners," he said through a grin, but Hinata really could not grasp what he found so funny and felt her cheeks burn.

She was going to leave. Hinata couldn't stay there if it meant even looking at that man. He had zipped up the armor but had not bothered to zip it all the way and her eyes could not help but dart downwards every few seconds. His smug smirk and dark pools for eyes were far too knowing for Hinata's liking, as though she knew him from somewhere.

"I'll just wait for Uchiha-san somewhere else," said Hinata and she lifted her kimono to go when Uzumaki-san burst out laughing. She was sure that these two men were the rudest kind of people she ever met.

"Nani?!" she asked with a slightly raised voice. "I don't see what's so funny. I'm going to tell Uchiha-san about the kind of people he has on his team as soon as I meet him."

As soon as Hinata said that, Uzumaki-san dropped to the ground on his knees, bending over with laughter and Hinata felt her face flush at his antics. "Oh Kami!" he breathed. "Gomen… demo gomen! It's too funny!"

Hinata could only look down at him and wonder why he had suddenly turned into quite the fool, down on his knees laughing like a lunatic.

"Nani? I don't see what is so amusing," Hinata said glaring down at him.

"Gomen, you just did," Uzumaki-san said through more raucous laughing.

Hinata really did not understand what he was trying to say. "What do you mean I just did? What did I do?"

But there was no response from the weakened ticklish Uzumaki-san.

"What he means is that you should look behind you, Hyuga-sama," said the voice at her back. "I'm Sasuke Uchiha."

She froze at the introduction and turned slowly. "You? You're Sasuke Uchiha?" She looked at him in disbelief and Sasuke nearly rolled his eyes. Who else was she expecting? Maybe she was just a spoiled girl after all since she was obviously the part of the Hyuga clan. She did not even recognize any of them and he thought she had a crush on Naruto back at the academy years ago. Then, again, Naruto did not seem to recognize her either.

Whatever, she clearly wanted to see him for a reason and he did not care what it was, she was not getting it. Even if she was the cutest girl he had seen in awhile and the rosiest lips he ever got into an argument and trade insults with.

"Hai, I'm the person you're looking for," he said and saw all the emotions take flight across her face. The disbelief, uncertainty, loathe and then the smugness. He was curious why she would be that way but decided to wait for her to speak first.

She sighed. "I see."

Naruto settled down but he still had his usual grin painted on his face as if taunting Sasuke. He knew him too well.

"I suppose since we have not met under the best circumstances," she started. "I should just get to the point."

'Really now?'

"I'm Hinata Hyuga," she stated and stepped forward, extending her hand. Sasuke looked over her shoulder to see Naruto with a raised eyebrow and he shrugged his shoulders as well, clearly not knowing what was going on.

"Hinata Hyuga you say?" he asked after a moment, looking at the hand that she still had outstretched.

"Hai," she confirmed. "My father is Hiashi Hyuga." And her lavender eyes sparkled with challenge.

Sasuke wanted to turn his back to her and walk away after saying a few chosen words to her cute face or maybe pick her up and drop her gate on her pert little behind. He never thought he would see a girl to grab his interests as she had as she walked away earlier, swaying her hips unintentionally as she stormed away with all the confidence he was sure she did not have when she was at the academy.

He almost burst out laughing when he saw the look on her face when she realized she had dropped the purse or whatever it was she was holding on to for dear life. 'Spunky one, isn't she?'

Sasuke took her hand in a handshake, hesitantly. "What a pleasure," he said lacing his words with sarcasm. It was then that he felt his body stir at the feeling of her soft hands that clutched that thing that was so precious to her.

A slightly revised vision came to mind of what else she could be grasping at and pulled his hand away. He was not sure what was going on with his control, but he did not like it one bit. He preferred to choose who he was attracted to and he did not like the idea of it being her.

'Arrogant little-'

"I would like to pay to travel with you on your…," she looked around at the second hand supplies and equipment. "… mission."

The look on her face said it all. After he had spent most of what money he had left, the she was, looking down her nose at all his efforts. "Would you now?" he asked with narrowed eyes.

He did not need any distractions on his missions, especially not a woman. He'd been leaping for joy in his mind when his other teammate decided to stay at the hospital sometime before he joined ANBU.

"Yes I would and I can pay you a solid sum of money if you let me accompany you," she replied, cradling the purse carefully.

"Can you?" Sasuke asked again. "What the hell for? Me and my team are not bodyguards and we're not going on a scenic tour."

"Uchiha-san," she said. "There's no need to be so rude and the way you look, I surely would not have made such a mistake."

"Iie, you can't come with me," Sasuke said, dismissively without even waiting to hear anything else and turned and walked away, leaving her with Naruto who had not said a word yet.

He did not want her anywhere near him and that was that. Sasuke could tell that she was going to be trouble and if he wanted to complete his mission, she would have to stay very far away from him.

"Nani?! You can't say no," she told him and he could tell she was trying not to raise her voice. "You haven't heard my offer yet."

"Oh I've heard it and I can say no," he told her and walked away once more to sit on the tree stump.

He heard Naruto laughing again and tried his hardest not to curse when the scorching sun was blot out by her shadow and glanced up at her but regretted it the second after the sight of her chest heaving above his face.

"I'll give you three hundred thousand yen," she said. "Three hundred thousand yen!"

"Iie."

He was not taking her and that thought reeled through his mind. She had some nerve to ask him for help when her fiancé got all the permission he wanted and her father paid for his every whim. He wanted nothing to do with any of them.

"Five hundred thousand yen then?"

Sasuke looked away. "I don't need your money, Hyuga-sama."

He got up and walked away from her once again and heard a fumbling and figured she had nearly tripped over a root. "Itai!"

"Watch your step," he warned her, knowing it was too late anyway and kept walking. He couldn't help but let a small grin grace his face when he heard her mutter a curse he knew she was not supposed to know.

"Demo… you need the money," she countered determinedly. "Wait, please!"

Why the hell should he? She was insulting him every time she opened those lips of hers. Her father was apart of the council now and he nor the council had listened to what he had to say and he did not give a damn what his daughter had to say. But his curiosity was getting the best of him.

"I really need to go with you, I'm desperate!"

He stopped and looked back at her. "Desperate?" he asked. He was sure he would never her that word come from someone like her.

"Hai," she said and Sasuke turned fully to see her rosy cheeks and piercing eyes and found that he liked the sight and she rubbed her forehead as though he had hit her head somewhere.

"You have a bump on you forehead," he said.

Her hand that was rubbing the area flattened out on her forehead covering it. "I bumped my head this morning," she said. "Thanks so much for pointing that out."

Why did she want to go with him anyway? She was so flustered trying to get him to let her join him- desperate as she had put it. Why had she chosen to go with him when there were probably other teams going to Suna?

"I think that bump is going to bruise, it seems you hit your head pretty hard," he taunted, thinking she surely must have been vain if she was so beautiful and the lips she bit only made him wonder what they tasted like. "A nice purple bruise maybe."

"That's really uncalled for, Uchiha-san!" she said blushing even more than she was and Sasuke was sure that she probably wanted to tell him some of the worst things that came to her mind at the moment from the glare she had, but she held it in trying to keep herself calm. She couldn't hide the iciness in her eyes though and he was sure if he was not icy himself, he would have faltered just a bit. She really was desperate though.

"Why?" he asked her. "Why my team, Hyuga-sama?"

"Why?" she echoed confusedly.

"Hai, that's what I'm asking you… why?"

She faltered. "A-ano," she stammered. "Why n-not?"

He had heard enough. Sasuke turned and started to walk away once more.

"Because you're going to Suna, aren't you?" she asked his back and sounded more desperate than she might not have liked.

Sasuke had a slight inkling that maybe Kiba had sent her to spy on him and he would not put it past him either. Someone had been checking up on him and he was sure it was Kiba since he trailed him to get all the missions he went on and stole all of his reports as he did with almost everyone else.

He stopped again, looking back. "It's no secret that I'm going to Suna, Hyuga-sama."

"I know that, demo… you don't understand," she pleaded, looking pitiful with her hand still on her forehead. "I have to go with you!"

"You have to?"

"Hai! Y-you see, I miss Kiba so much and I really want t-to see him. I don't know what I'd do if I don't see him."

Irritation welled up in Sasuke and his stomach churned. The last thing he needed was a little rich princess with him just because she was love sick, especially when the person she was pining over was not one of Sasuke's favorite people- if he had any.

Kiba was a part of his team when he first joined ANBU and was in on everything he did and all of his mission reports and research. Sasuke was working towards being an ANBU captain since they were working under a higher ANBU and was just about to get it with all the completed missions and information he had. But Kiba got to them first and with the aid of Hiashi Hyuga, he got the grants whenever he wanted and used Sasuke's information, twisting the reports in his own word and turning everything against Sasuke and for his own gain.

Before Kiba interfered, Sasuke's reports were said to be 'bold and well set out, very interesting' and the council thought he was quite good with words. After Kiba came around, he was considered the traitor once more and looked upon as though he blasphemed in the worst way and they said he just wanted attention. Obviously, Kiba had said something to turn the council against him like that. Son of a bitch. The funny was that Sasuke did not know if he meant that literally or not.

He took out tidbits of Sasuke's information from his missions and used them against him and used everything else as his own, claiming to have found it out.

"I'll give you eight hundred thousand yen," she exclaimed and pushed the purse at him. "I have three hundred thousand yen right here!"

He could see now why she was so protective of the thing; it was filled with money… bribe money.

"I've even opened an account in your name already with two hundred thousand yen," she continued. "And I can deposit the rest anytime you want, even right now."

'Damn her.'

It seemed everyone knew except this little doll standing in front of him, that Kiba was a trickster and was using his missions as a mere convenience. He did not really take his missions as seriously as he should have the same way as he looked at his fiancé. Sasuke went on many missions with Kiba and he was quite the player, finding some woman to bring back to his tent whenever he could and when he was not doing that, he was goofing around with his dog, Akamaru.

Sasuke actually felt sorry for her. Kiba never spoke about her when he was on missions with him which led Sasuke to believe he was probably only after her money. That was no surprise to him after seeing the way she tossed it at him and it really bugged Sasuke when he had just about hit rock bottom just to go to Suna. He had to scrounge every spare cent he had to get everything he needed and most of the other ANBU that were going with him, had volunteered because they wanted to shut up the council as well.

"Let me get this straight," said Sasuke. "You want to pay me to take you to Suna just because you miss your boyfriend?"

Sasuke was not sure if it was really resentment and anger he saw in her eyes but it passed so quickly, he could not tell.

"Hai."

"Iie! That's ridiculous," Sasuke deadpanned. "Ask your father to hire someone to take you." And with that being said, he dismissed the whole thing once and for all while muttering about people throwing money away.

"You don't understand!" she cried. "My father wouldn't let me go."

Sasuke turned around again for the umpteenth time and donned her with a glare, hoping to scare her away. In all honesty, he could not take it anymore and would soon just tell her yes, drag her to a nearby tent and seduce all of that arrogance she had straight from her mind.

He would not mind either, even though he told himself it would be to get back at her dog-minded fiancé. Sasuke quickly wiped the notion from his head before he walked up to her and kissed her right there, because he was not one to hesitate and he was not a gentleman. He was raised by a respectable clan until he was eight and he had forgotten all about manners and proper words after becoming a ninja. Sasuke and Naruto were the same when it came to being rude and taking what they wanted without caring.

"Maybe your father isn't just hiding behind his title after all," said Sasuke with a smirk.

"Nani!"

"Prissy, pampered little princess, you should listen to what your father tells you," he continued as he walked into one of the tents that were set up.

She paused for a moment. "That wasn't a very nice thing to say," she reproached and Sasuke stood there just staring at her in disbelief and had to stop himself from grabbing her and kissing her senseless to teach a lesson about following strangers in secluded areas.

She stood there facing him without backing down and without fear and Sasuke had to admit that she was either really dumb or really desperate… the kind of desperate that made you extremely stupid. She then touched his arm in a silent plea before speaking. "Uchiha-san, you don't understand how much this means to me. I really must go to Suna."

Sasuke's heart almost stopped when he saw the look in her eyes and damned Kiba to hell because he did not deserve such a girl.

"I w-will give you ten hundred thousand yen," she offered and Sasuke knew that was her final offer when he saw the desperation and the fear of him saying no again. "I must go to Suna, Uchiha-san. This is really important and I don't think I've ever begged for anything in my life except for right now. I swear I'll do anything if you just let me come with you."

'No dammit!'

But if she wanted to rough it out for two weeks in the deep dark forest and the scorching hot sun and sand to get to Suna, who was he to stop her? Sasuke was strong-headed and stubborn but he was not foolish. He knew he could use the money and the other ANBU could use some kind of pay for going with him other than the money they would get for the mission…

'No.'

"Alright, I'll let you come with me and my team," grumbled Sasuke and muttered a curse for not listening to his mind.

Her eyes shined and sparkled with glee and with the sun, they looked much warmer than the usual icy orbs. "Oh Kami! Did you really say yes?" she exclaimed and beamed at him.

Sasuke knew he was going to regret this but he'd be damned to hell if he would let her cheerfulness dampen his sour mood. "Be here at four-thirty P.M and be ready and packed or we will leave you behind."

She shrieked loudly, rivaling his past teammate and Sasuke winced at the noise, and then she launched herself at him with a hug.

The feel of her so close to him sent an electric jolt through him. Sasuke just stood still and let her hold him, not daring to touch her in fear he would do something his mind would not be able to keep up with.

"I'm already packed and ready to go when you are!" she said, still hugging him and was doing some kind of victory dance against him and nearly choked him in the process. She was definitely bolder than she was a long time ago. "Arigatou, Uchiha-san! I swear you won't regret this, I promise!"

He already regretted it.

With every little movement, he could feel her nipples through the kimono and the sensation was almost too much to bear to know that she was not wearing any bandages. Sasuke looked away, trying his hardest to think about anything else other than the torture he was going through and held his breath to perhaps stop his mind from thinking about how she smelled so delicious and the warmth of her breath. But most of all, he was trying not to think about the burst of life in his pants and looked through the tent's crevice to see Naruto looking back at him, grinning devilishly.

It was going to be a long trip to Suna.

And there is the fourth chapter people! I really like this and I hope you liked it too. As you can see, this fic's rating has officially gone up to M and I'm sure you know why.

If you have not read Princess Hina or Hinata the Vamp, try them I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Until next week…

Ja ne!

Please review, I love it when you do!