For several years now I have enjoyed all the art and fics that the fandom provides every sasuhina month and this year I decided to contribute a piece of my own. I'm happy to play at least a small role in keeping the fandom alive. I plan on writing one chapter per day for the rest of this month. Wish me luck!

Since the moment she picked up weapons training with solemn dedication, Tenten's perception of the world changed little by little. Balance was the key to handling anything, be it a kunai, senbon, katana, or even the most irritating of coworkers— anything, really.

That was why she picked out two yellow cushions with clusters of tiny suns, one on each end, for the tan leather couch Hinata insisted would absolutely match with the soft blue Tenten picked for the walls. That was why the spices in the kitchen were divided in rows of three and the plants rested in perfect harmony on the hanging garden. Even Hinata's personal areas in their flat, such as her office, held a semblance of Tenten's influence in the midst of a mild case of organized chaos.

Hinata was no slob.

The fact made the massive disarray Tenten found herself in all the more incredible. The two yellow cushions were piled on the coffee table that was pushed back against the wall where a TV hanged. Orderly arrangements in the kitchen were spread across different counters in a disturbingly jumbled fashion. On another counter and on the floor, the contents of Hinata's purse and briefcase were scattered.

Oh— the lamp was knocked over as well.

At the epicenter of chaos, Hinata laid on the floor with one arm stretched under the couch.

Tenten set her keys in a bowl by the entrance as she inched forward. "You alright, Hinata?"

A pause. "Yeah, I just— can you pass me my phone please?"

"Sure."

"Tenten?"

"Are you sure you're alright?"

Hinata laughed, running a hand through unkempt hair and dragged herself to rest her back on the bottom of the couch. If she sounded slightly unhinged neither said a word about it. "I promise I'll clean everything up, I'm just looking for something," she murmured. Whether she was looking at her or lost in her mind remained unclear.

"Who cares about cleaning up?" Tenten took a seat beside her on the floor. Hinata only sighed and rested her forehead against her knees. "You look… agitated." Understatement. "What's up?"

"They gave me a USB," she said with a huff. "The wifi has been acting up in our building, so the team felt it would be safer to use a USB instead of relying on the system. Others have lost manuscripts and— and notes due to this wifi issue… I messed up, Tenten."

"Lost the USB?"

Hinata only hummed in what Tenten assumed was a yes. She did not add anything else and instead closed her eyes and started breathing exercises. Ones that Tenten had taught her, she realized with a half-hearted smile.

Tenten raised herself to the couch with a heavy sigh and patted the cushion beside her. Hinata unsuccessfully scanned the room for clues. Nothing but her own uproar in sight. Perfect. She plopped herself beside Tenten, forgoing any semblance of elegance. "You think I'll get fired?"

Hinata was a sweet woman.

Hinata also had… choice words about her boss' demanding tendencies. A person that could make her lose her composure in a manner so unlike her was probably a very unpleasant one, to put it lightly. There was a chance that she could get fired.

Tenten shook her head. Hinata was overwhelmed long before she arrived, she needed time to regain some semblance of equilibrium and peace. "You're going to take a break— no don't stand up, you're going to take an actual break and I'll look for the USB." A slow nod. "If I don't find it in the next half hour, you can pull an all-nighter and work on the previous draft. You have at least that in the drive, right?" Another nod.

"Thank you, Tenten."

Almost thirty minutes into the search, she was starting to understand how Hinata reached the level of panic she found her in. None of the USBs in either of her bags were the one they were looking for.

Maybe it fell under the couch when Hinata poured her bags over? No.

In Hinata's office? No.

In the kitchen? No.

In the fridge? Still no.

When all reasonable options were out the window, Tenten threw open the balcony doors and turned on the phone flashlight. Nothing but dust greeted her under the table and chairs out there. Curiously, she turned her light under the balcony. Even with the weak light the phone provided, it was clear that the USB hadn't fallen from the rail.

Not that Hinata would even be careless enough to risk that. Dumb idea.

Maybe if they checked under the couch again— what was I expecting?

When Tenten collapsed on the couch beside Hinata she seemed more stable. After a moment she absently talked. "This project was his pitch for a contract with this— this famous author. You know that really erotic book series, the one that got a movie last year? That one."

Tenten slapped a hand to her forehead. If even sweet Hinata knew about those books, then it was probably a massive deal that the Uchiha wanted to strike with the perverted author. Hinata was screwed without the final presentation. There was not much to be said when most things that came to mind were… unhelpful to Hinata's mental state.

With a heavy sigh Hinata rested her head against the back of the couch. It wasn't as if she had her mother to nitpick about her posture anymore. It had to be lying around somewhere in their flat; she was sure she placed it in the pocket of her briefcase, so why were none of the USBs in the pocket the one she needed? There was no way she could have misplaced such an important item.

Uchiha would kill her.

Slowly and painfully; he had a spiteful and vengeful streak that she feared and rightfully so. After years of working under him, Hinata herself had played a part in many of those schemes. Things would get messy.

If it were any other situation he might be inclined to be slightly more merciful. If it were a presentation belonging to Kabuto he might even reward her carelessness. Unfortunately, the presentation put together by Uchiha with some help from the rest of the team belonged to him, and the universe, in all its cruelty, decided to play a miserable joke on her and had Uchiha trust her with the final touches of the presentation.

Hinata broke the silence with another sigh. "I will go ahead and get started on this. Do you mind if I order takeout?"

"Be my guest." Tenten waved a hand. "And make sure to get coffee for both of us."

"Both?"

"I don't really know how I could help, but I'll stick around for moral support," she said with a smile. "You can bounce ideas with me."

Hinata laughed and the manic edge to it didn't disappear. There would be no rest until the work was done and perfected. Nine hours of work and eleven hours until Uchiha's arrival at the office. "Let's get started."

I promise we'll get to the actual sasuhina tomorrow!