"Hinata-chan, How have you been? How is your family? How is your Father? I saw in the news that your family's company is doing really well. Record profits! Such an exciting time, do you think your father will be passing the company to you soon?"
Hinata struggled to look politely interested as Aiko Ishikawa prattled on, barely stopping to breathe let alone allow Hinata answer her questions. "Oh where are my manners? I completely forgot to introduce you to my son." Aiko dragged a tall, gangly young man out from behind her and shoved him towards Hinata with so much force that he almost collided into her. He managed to catch himself and slouched in his plaid suit with his hands in his pockets, looking everywhere except at Hinata. "Introduce yourself," Aiko hissed, "and stand up straight."
The son's spine stiffened at his mother's words. He stuck out a hand and mumbled, "Akira Ishikawa." Hinata shook his sweaty, sticky hand, resisting the urge to wipe it on her dress afterwards. If there was one thing Hinata was a master at, it was being civil no matter how much it sucked.
"Akira just got his master's degree in chemistry this past week. And he's a very accomplished pianist. You play piano, don't you Hinata-chan? I just know the two of you have so much in common," Aiko gushed, glancing between the two as if she expected them to fall into each other's arms.
Hinata wanted to scream. Once again she was reminded of why she hated these business parties, hated being forced to smile and make pointless conversation with people who would love nothing more than to see her fail. Everyone was either trying to boost their own image, mine her for gossip and corporate secrets, or use her as a stepping stool for their own ambitions. Please dear god someone get me out of here, she begged. Maybe Hanabi and Neji would come over demanding Hinata settle another one of their endless disagreements. Maybe a bat would accidentally get into the ballroom and wreak havoc and Hinata could escape in the confusion. Maybe-
"Miss Hyuga, I'm glad I found you." Hinata turned to see Sasuke Uchiha standing behind her, tall and imposing in a pressed black suit. With the golden light of the chandelier softening the edges of his spiky hair and highlighting his high cheekbones, Sasuke looked like he could have walked off the cover of a male fashion magazine. "I wanted to follow up on Tuesday's conversation, can we speak in private?"
"Excuse me, we were in the middle of a conversation," Aiko spluttered, her skin turning a blotchy shade of red. She looked ready to throw a tantrum in the middle of the dining room. Hinata took an unconscious step forward to comfort her but was stopped by Sasuke's hand on her arm.
"I'm very sorry, Ishikawa-san, but I'm afraid it's urgent," Sasuke said, flashing Aiko a smile so bright that Hinata swore she could see sparkles in the air. She hadn't seen him turn on the charm like this since high school, when he seemed to make it his mission to date a different girl every week. Even after all those years, the effect was the same. Aiko stood there in stunned silence, completely dazzled.
"Let's go," Sasuke muttered in her ear. Hinata slipped her arm through his and followed him blindly into the crowd before either of the Ishikawas could kick up a fuss. They walked across the room and through the double doors and into the foyer before ducking into an alcove by the staff room.
"Did she follow us?" Hinata whispered. They were pressed against the wall as waiters and busboys bustled around them with empty glasses and plates, occasionally shooting them curious or disapproving looks.
"She was, but I think she's gone now," Sasuke said as he peered around the corner.
Hinata let out a small laugh as sweet relief flooded her veins. Her prayers had actually been answered! It was hard to believe that rescue had come in the form of Sasuke Uchiha bearing potentially bad news, but she would take whatever help she could get at this point. "Thanks for checking. What was it that you wanted to talk about? Did something happen with the deal?"
"No, that was just an excuse," Sasuke admitted a bit sheepishly. "I didn't actually have anything to talk to you about. You just looked like you needed to get out of there."
"Oh?" That was... unexpectedly nice of him. "Th-Thank you. For showing up. Ishikawa-san can be...difficult to deal with."
Sasuke snorted. "She's a menace. She's tried to pair me up with every single one of her three daughters. Thank god they're all married now."
"I don't think I've ever seen my cousin so happy to get a wedding invitation in his life," Hinata said wryly. Neji had actually smiled when he'd gotten the invitation to Aki Ishikawa's wedding, and proceeded to open his prized bottle of 30-year old whiskey in celebration.
Just then a harried waiter carrying a pile of used plates turned the corner and almost ran straight into the pair. Luckily, he managed to catch the dishes before they could fall and smash onto the floor. "Sorry, I'm sorry," the waiter squeaked, bowing multiple times before rushing into the staff room to unload the dishes into the sink.
"Let's go somewhere else," Sasuke suggested as a waitress walked out with a tray of mini sausage skewers and narrowly missed hitting Hinata's shoulder. They moved to stand in the middle of the foyer where they were out of the way of the catering staff.
"I was thinking of finding a place to pass the time, but haven't had much luck so far," Sasuke said, gesturing to some of the rooms that had been opened for guests to relax and sit. He looked at her expectantly. "You're close with the Aburames, do you know a good spot?"
"I might." Hinata had visited the Aburame estate many times in high school and later college to help Shino with his projects. It was like a second home - she knew the property as well as the Hyuga Compound. "There's a garden in the back of the house. It's not completely private, but most of the party is inside, and I'm sure the guests taking a walk outside wouldn't bother you."
"I'm sure it's better than the feeding frenzy in there," Sasuke said with a shrug. He tilted his head. "Lead the way."
Hinata shook her head. "My father wants me to mingle," she winced at the dreaded word, "tonight to find new investors and advertise the Hyuga-Uchiha product. But the garden isn't hard to find. Just follow the stone path to the back. You can't miss it."
Sasuke gave her an incredulous look. "You're just going to end up wasting the night with the Ishikawas or someone even more boring."
"Father will notice if I'm gone too long," Hinata said with a helpless shrug. Sasuke wasn't wrong; she was already dreading what the rest of the night might turn into. "But at least you won't have to share your hiding spot this time," she tried to joke.
Now Sasuke was the one shaking his head. "I didn't get you out of Ishikawa's clutches just for you to get caught in them again," he said ruefully. "I'll come with you."
Hinata stared at him like he'd grown an extra head. Actually, spontaneous head generation would be less surprising than the words that had just left his mouth. "You're not serious." But Sasuke wasn't a jokester, and this wasn't his type of humor. "You don't have to do that. You should go enjoy your evening."
"Technically, I represent one-half of the project you're advertising, so I'd look bad if you were the only one talking about it tonight," Sasuke replied as he stretched his arms and cracked his neck. He was acting like he was about to do a physical challenge rather than re-join a business party. "Can't have your family taking all the credit."
"Of course not," Hinata said, unable to fight the smile that spread across her face. She was still in disbelief that he was choosing to go back to the party, but she wasn't going to reject the backup.
They slipped back into the main party room without attracting too much attention. Hinata's heart was already beginning to pound at the thought of having to network with these people. She could feel her hands getting clammy and her shoulders tensing up. She'd put on a brave front about fulfilling her Father's demands, but truthfully she dreaded getting stuck with another persistent "matchmaker".
"Hyuga-san, Uchiha-san, it's so nice to see the both of you." Hinata suppressed a flinch as Ren Fujita, an executive for Nishi Health approached, champagne glass in hand. Behind that benign smile was a viper who spat poison the minute you took your eyes off of him, and Hinata happened to be one of his favorite targets. "So interesting to see the two of you together."
"Good evening, Fujita-san," Sasuke said blandly. "I'm not sure what you're referring to? Hyuga-san and I have been working on the recent All-Seeing Eye product, have you heard of it?"
"Ah, I did attend the press conference about that. Very impressive... if the product delivers on its promises. Though I must say I was surprised to hear that the two companies were collaborating at all."
"What makes you say that?" Hinata said, keeping her tone mild while she dug her fingernail into her thumb.
"Oh, just that the Hyuga and Uchiha haven't necessarily...gotten along in the past. If the Uchiha were interested in going into the health field, I would have thought that Nishi would have been an easier partner. Less bad blood to wade through," Fujita said nonchalantly.
Hinata couldn't believe that he was trying to steal her family's business partner right in front of her. Did he think she was so spineless that she would just roll over and let him take away everything Father and Neji had done for the past few months?
"I'm sorry you feel that way, Fujita-san," Hinata said, careful not to let her emotions show. "But I assure you, the Hyuga Company is more interested in innovating for the future than arguing about the past."
"We wanted to work with the best, and no matter what issues there might have been before, the Hyuga are the best," Sasuke stated bluntly. Hinata stared at Sasuke wide-eyed while Fujita narrowed his eyes and pressed his lips together. "The Hyuga have been very good partners and we've benefited greatly from their expertise. Hinata in particular has been a pleasure to work with," Sasuke added. He raised his champagne glass. "Here's to many more partnerships in the future."
Hinata and Fujita clinked their glasses against his, more out of habit than true agreement. Hinata still couldn't believe that he'd so openly supportive. Sasuke seemed set on surprising her at every turn tonight.
"Of course, if it is a success," Fujita said, taking a sip. His face was sullen and pinched, like he'd opened a coveted bottle of wine only to discover that it had soured while in storage.
"Development is going smoothly, I see no reason why it wouldn't be," Sasuke said dismissively. "Anyway, I promised Hinata-san here that I would introduce her to some of the newcomers at this event, since she's been out of town for some time. Please excuse us."
Hinata was more than happy to step away from this viper pit of a conversation. Once they were a few paces away, Hianta let out a soft sigh as all of the pent up anxiety drained out of her. "Are you alright?" Sasuke asked.
"Sorry. Fujita-san is another one of those difficult people," she admitted, then turned to give him a wide smile. "I'm glad that you were there with me. He didn't have much to say after your toast."
"You didn't need to be so polite to him, he didn't deserve it," Sasuke grumbled, looking away.
"Not everyone can get away with saying exactly what they're thinking," Hinata pointed out. "But I think Fujita-san will find me less accommodating in the future."
Sasuke thankfully didn't push the issue. Instead, he gestured to where Chouza Akimichi was talking to a small cluster of restaurant critics and investors. "We can join them if you still need to network. The Akimichis just opened a new hibachi restaurant, so that will probably be the main topic of conversation." In other words, they wouldn't ask any prying questions.
"Alright."
Chouza Akimichi welcomed them into the group with characteristic friendliness, and even recognized them as Chouji's old classmates. He spoke fondly of his son's work managing their various restaurant branches throughout the Fire Country, before a critic subtly prompted him to go back to talking about his family's latest venture.
Hinata listened absentmindedly to the discussions of menu design and supply chain management, occasionally asking a question to show that she was engaged in the conversation. Mostly she enjoyed the rare opportunity to relax and not be expected to answer any questions. Unfortunately, the feeling didn't last long. After only about twenty minutes, Chouza left to talk to the other members of the Ino-Shika-Chou trio, causing the group to disperse and once again setting Hinata and Sasuke adrift.
They wandered about the party like birds looking for a friendly flock to join, and came up short every time. As they did laps around the room, they commiserated over being forced to attend these events. That led to a deeper conversation about the problems of working with family, which somehow led them sharing stories about childhood expectations and of course brought up their Academy days.
"Ah, so you do remember that I was in your class. I thought you forgot, since you had no idea who I was at that last party," Hinata teased.
"It was dark and hard to see," Sasuke said a bit defensively. "Besides, school was a long time ago. We've all changed a lot since then, or at least I like to think I have."
"You have," Hinata agreed. Sasuke had proven tonight he was no longer the sullen pre-teen turned callous playboy she'd avoided in high school. "Do you talk to anyone else from the Academy, other than Naruto-kun and Sakura-chan?"
"Not really...mostly Ino I guess."
"Really?" Sasuke never seemed fond of Ino, even when they were dating. They'd broken up after two months, and Ino had forbidden anyone from even mentioning Sasuke in front of her. "I didn't think you'd ever speak to each other again, after the break up."
"I don't know how it happened either. Though it was easier to be around her after the break up, once she stopped being obsessed with dating me." There was a brief, contemplative silence as Hinata absorbed this new information. Then Sasuke said, "Actually, Ino's entering the Konoha Flower Show next weekend. I'm helping her set up, so she gave me two guest passes, but no one I know wants the second ticket. Would you like to go?"
"I'd love to," Hinata said excitedly. She loved the Konoha Flower Show and used to go every year to buy bouquets for her family and seedlings for her garden. Unfortunately, she stopped after starting her job, and now her garden was overrun with weeds. Maybe going again would reignite old hobbies.
"Let me send you the details," Sasuke said, pulling out his phone.
They were interrupted by Itachi, who seemingly appeared out of nowhere, a plate of dango in hand. "Sasuke, Father wants to introduce you to one of our suppliers," he said before turning to give Hinata an apologetic smile. "Hello Hinata-san, I'm sorry for interrupting your date, but as you know this is technically a work event."
"Let's go, Itachi," Sasuke said through gritted teeth. "You said Father's waiting."
"Thank you for your company, Sasuke-san," Hinata said. Her face was still warm from embarrassment at Itachi's joke. Itachi never seemed to miss an opportunity to rile up his younger sibling no matter the situation, it seemed. "I'll see you next week then."
"Oh? What are you two doing next week?" Itachi asked, eyes lighting up. He looked like a weasel that had just found a very fat mouse.
Sasuke's cheeks flushed red and his scowl became even fiercer. "Let's just go," he growled. Hinata watched in bemusement as Sasuke dragged his older brother away into the crowd of partygoers. Some things didn't change, no matter how old they were or how high up the corporate ladder they climbed. Just then she spotted Hanabi guarding the chocolate fountain like a dragon defending its hoard. With a sigh, she went over to defuse the situation before it could escalate into another international incident.
A/N: this chapter killed me. Please send me praise and validation if you liked it, and criticism and bad reviews if you didn't :D