Hello everyone! It's been quite a while, hasn't it? I hope you can forgive my long absence – I've had a lot going on the past few months, and technically still have quite a bit on my plate ^^; But! This is a birthday fic for the lovely DarkCynder5 on Deviantart, whose page you'll find linked in my profile. She happens to love Uchiha and Hinata pairings as well, so I decided to go ahead and write her a little SasuHina fic in honor of her date of birth ^^

Anyway, a few details about this fic...it takes place in the US, with US culture and such. So no honorifics or anything..hopefully I manage to make it clear ^^; And let it be known, I don't have anything against Ino, or any characters for that matter (except Madara or Kabuto...but that's neither here nor there) so please don't get upset with anything negative I might say about any of them. It's just to fit into the story!

Also, I'm rating this M because there is some quite coarse language, as well as a lot of innuendos. I'm not sure if it quite warrants it, but I'd rather be safe than sorry ^^

This was originally intended to be a oneshot...but when I got to the end to what is now the first chapter, I realized that this little muse of mine was going to require a bit more room than that, which I'm sure no one will mind XD I'm going to just upload all of the chapters at once, so...I hope you enjoy!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CYNDER! 3

EDIT: BETA'D

Chapter One

Sasuke hated business meetings. To be honest, he wasn't even sure why he had to go. Sure, Uchiha Incorporated was his family's business, and in a few years he might actually get to be involved, but at the moment he was eighteen and just finishing his last year of high school. He hardly had time to think about his father's financial responsibilities when he had homework, projects, friends and (shudder) girls to worry about.

The only real reason he could think of to justify his current position in his father's building, thirteenth floor, conference room four, was because his brother had asked him to come. Damn Itachi and his "please don't leave me alone for hours with Father" look that always worked on him. He loved his older brother more than anything, and he could hardly refuse his sibling's plea for help. Itachi would soon be inheriting the family business at twenty-four years old, as Fugaku was going to retire after Sasuke's graduation and take a six-month vacation with his wife Mikoto to the Bahamas while their oldest son transitioned into his new position as CEO. And once Sasuke completed the college courses Fugaku wanted him to in business, he would replace Madara as President, right under his big brother.

That was why they were currently listening to a break down of the last quarter's earnings and expenditures. Itachi sat upright and at attention, one leg cradled over the other and a clipboard covered in notes resting on his upper knee, black eyes focused on the slides and ears perked to his father's voice. Sasuke, on the other hand, was slouched terribly, gaze caught by a specific pattern in the wood grain of the table, ankles crossed as his longs legs stretched out all the way underneath the table, forcing the lady sitting across from him to tuck her legs to the side. Gum expanded and retracted in his mouth as he chewed out of nothing more than boredom. He hated meetings, and hoped Itachi would keep them to a minimum when they took over, or at least made sure he didn't have to attend most of them.

Finally, after over two hours of monotonous droning, Fugaku cleared his throat and announced, "That concludes this quarter's overview. I'll get a plan written up within the week, and have Mina distribute copies to each of you. I'll probably schedule a followup meeting for next Tuesday so we can get everyone up to speed. Thank you all for your attentiveness."

Hearing this, Sasuke glanced up at his father to see the man giving him an irritated and exasperated look. The young raven-haired boy just blew a bubble with his gum, letting it pop loudly among the sounds of the rest of the employees making their escape.

"Sasuke, Itachi, remain here please."

Itachi glanced over at his brother, giving him a look that obviously said, "Why do you insist on acting this way and getting me in trouble?"

Sasuke just smirked, considering it partial payment for having to show up at the meeting in the first place.

Fugaku approached the boys' section of the table, hitching up his pant leg as he sat up on the surface, one leg remaining planted on the ground to steady him. His arms crossed as he leaned back, regarding his sons with a cool, thoughtful look. "Itachi, I noticed that you were paying close attention. Your notes look organized and thorough, and I wouldn't hesitate to say you could answer any question about the meeting I could throw at you."

Itachi took the praise in silence, always having been modest about his talent and success.

"Sasuke...you did nothing. You even went so far as to be rude to Mina and crowd her leg room."

Sasuke's jaw stilled as he let the gum rest.

"There are three months until your graduation. After that, a mere four years until you take your place as one of the major players in this business. Our business. You have much maturing to do before you can do that."

"Father," Itachi began, attempting to explain away his baby brother's behavior, but he stopped when Fugaku raised a hand.

"I realize that this process may seem tedious and uninteresting to you, Sasuke. But every detail, every penny involved in this company has made your life what it is. It's the reason we live in the beautiful home we do. The reason you have a Mercedes to drive to school every morning. The reason you have a job and a comfortable life just waiting for you to seize. And yet you continue to act uninterested and ungrateful. And if it continues for much longer, I may reconsider taking you into the company."

Oh. This was new. Sure, Sasuke had been a bit...unexcited about his future role in the business, but that certainly didn't mean he wanted to lose his upcoming job and everything that would come with it. He just didn't see the point in doing this now, when he still had four years to get through before he could even think of sitting in Madara's chair. But now, it seemed his "bad" behavior had finally filled his father's patience gauge, and it was dangerously close to breaking and, with it, Sasuke's promised, pampered future.

"I'm sorry, Father," Sasuke murmured, unable to meet the man's gaze. "I'll try to be more involved from now on."

"You better be," Fugaku said gruffly. "Any more slip ups, and things just very well may change for you, Son."

The brothers excused themselves, both wanting to escape their father's sour mood as quickly as possible. And, due to paranoia of being overheard by another Uchiha, it wasn't until they were both seated in Itachi's Lamborghini that the older brother broke the silence.

"You know, Sasuke, Father is serious." Itachi's brow furrowed as he regarded the younger man with a reprimanding expression. "He won't tolerate you acting the way you do much longer."

"I know, I know...I just..." Sasuke tried to find the right words, running a hand through his messy hair. "I just don't see why I have to do this now. I still have four years of schooling left, Itachi. Why can't I start all this crap then?"

"Because the more familiar you are with the running of this corporation now, the better off you'll be later, and the easier it will be for you to settle into your position," the older boy said logically.

"But I actually have a life to live right now. It can wait until I have nothing else to do with myself."

Sighing at his brother's stubbornness, Itachi shifted the car into reverse and began making his way out of the parking garage, knowing that saying anything else on the matter now was going to fall on deaf ears.

Sasuke watched the lights of his home city sparkle in the early Spring evening, a slightly-pouting expression on his face. Why couldn't his family understand that he wanted to live a little before getting buckled down into the Uchiha business? There were parties to go to, people to meet and beat...and even though most every female he had met thus far had been...well...unfavorable, he still wanted to try his luck and see what he could do with a lady...or twelve. He had plenty of time reserved in his life for working. He thought he at least deserved a little time to have fun first.

So deep was he in thought and self-pitying, Sasuke didn't notice that their destination was not home until Itachi turned off the car. Snapping back to reality, he looked around and said dumbly, "Where are we?"

Chuckling, Itachi got out of the car before turning back and hanging on the top of the car, looking back at his brother and replying, "This is a new restaurant that just opened. I've heard good things about it, so I thought I'd reward your...willingness to accompany me with some good food before we head home."

Perking an eyebrow, Sasuke nearly asked why Itachi was still treating him after their father's disappointment with his behavior, but he decided that reminding him would probably result in him changing his mind, so he kept his trap shut. Instead, he slid out of the car and smoothed the business outfit his father had insisted he buy. He had to admit, he looked damn sharp wearing it, but it still irked him that he had to have it.

There was a long line up the steps to the door, but Itachi walked smoothly to the entrance, ignoring the irritated looks he got from the rest of the line. Flashing his ID, he murmured in his silky voice, "Uchiha, Itachi, reservation for two."

The blonde at the hostess station looked up from her seating map, staring at the card for a moment with a blank face. But once she realized just who was standing in front of her, her eyes went wide and her face went red as her lipstick. "Oh! M-Mr. Uchiha! My apologies! Here, I'll...I'll get you to your table immediately!"

Snickering lightly behind his brother, Sasuke managed to see the girl's nametag that read "Ino" in curly writing. Idiot, he thought, though he eyed her hips and chest openly, still appreciating that she was nice to look at. Too thin, he concluded, watching her long ponytail sway in time with her hips as she led them through the crowded restaurant to their seats.

The brothers were seated at a table by a huge window overlooking the bay their city was nestled against, lights from skyscrapers reflected in the water. It was a lovely view, and Sasuke expected no less given who they were.

Ino placed their menus before them, hands shaking. "Your server should be with you momentarily. I hope you enjoy your meal!" Flashing them a blindingly-white smile that looked like it was covering a huge bundle of nerves, she disappeared back into the crowd as a random waitress poured them water into crystal glasses, and left the Uchiha alone.

Exchanging a look, both brothers let out a laugh: Sasuke actually laughed out loud while Itachi chuckled deeply, too polite to truly mock the girl. "I've heard," he explained, "that this place has hired mostly young women to make up their serving staff. Most are probably inexperienced in this field, or any field for that matter."

Sasuke came down from his mirth and smirked. "I dunno...that girl looked like the type that has plenty of experience."

Itachi gave his brother a disapproving look, but appeared to be suppressing a grin as he brought his water to his lips.

It wasn't long before another woman approached their table. Sasuke actually didn't acknowledge her presence for a few moments, gaze caught out the window as she introduced herself.

"H-hello," she said softly. "My name is Hinata, and I will b-be your waitress this evening."

Sasuke turned his head, leaning on his hand, as he took the girl in. She had dark hair with a slight purple sheen to it in the candlelight, which hung all the way down to her low back. Bangs covered her whole forehead, barely allowing her eyebrows to peek out from under her hair. Light-colored eyes were set into a soft, rounded face that was pale with a dusting of a blush. She wore the same waitress outfit as all the other girls buzzing around the floor, which was black and white, and black pantyhose. Both hugged to the girl's ample curves of both her chest and hips, the dress barely covering enough to call her "dressed". Her hands were clasped in front of her, her arms – probably not to her knowledge – even further accentuating her cleavage.

Sasuke immediately found himself staring.

"Um...is there anything I can get you to drink before you order?"

"White wine, please," Itachi murmured in his female-melting voice. "Whatever make you would most recommend."

Hinata took note on her notepad before looking at Sasuke. She finally noticed him staring, and immediately turned cherry red. "U-u-um...and...y-you?"

"Just water, please," Sasuke replied, still eyeing the girl openly.

Looking as though she wanted to sink through the floor, Hinata bobbed in a little curtsy before saying, "I'll...I'll, um, be right back...with that..." and disappearing.

Sasuke watched as she walked away, seeing that the outfit barely covered the girl's backside. "Hn..."

"Someone likes what he sees."

Sasuke gave his brother a look, feeling irritated at his smug and teasing expression. "What's it to you?"

"Oh come on, Sasuke. I've seen you give girls the once over more times than I can count. And I can tell you with absolute certainty that your gaze has never lingered anywhere close to that long on a single female. To be honest, I never thought I'd see the day you'd actually be that enamored with one."

"She's hot," Sasuke said breezily, shifting his stance. "That's it."

"Hn." Itachi looked back through the crowd as if to search for the girl, his face suddenly serious. "You know...I was very surprised to see her here."

"What, you know her?"

The older man gave his brother a look. "Of course I do. You do know who owns this place, don't you?"

"Nope."

Itachi sighed. His brother really had no real knowledge on the business aspect of this city. "The Hyuuga family owns nearly ninety-five percent of the high-end restaurants in this city. They rival us, if not surpass us, when it comes to sheer money and influence here. That girl, if I'm not mistaken – and I rarely am – is the oldest daughter of the main family, Hinata. Which has me wondering...why she is working in such a position when she should be close to running her family's corporation. She's the same age as you; a few months younger, I think I recall. She doesn't seem to recognize us. Or if she does, she's doing a very good job at hiding it."

The name suddenly clicked in Sasuke's brain. "Oh...Hinata Hyuuga...now I remember. She was always real shy, real short?"

"That's the one."

Sasuke sipped his water thoughtfully. "She should be heiress...and yet she's probably on the smallest pay scale – and the bottom of the totem pole – in her entire family. I wonder what the hell she did to end up like that."

"No idea – I haven't head anything. I may have to look into it."

Sasuke had seen the Hyuuga girl in the private school they both attended. In fact, the more he thought, the more he remembered about her. The Uchiha boy was taking all the honors classes, and could remember seeing her in all of them. He couldn't, however, remember her having any friends or sticking out in any way besides excellent grades and social standing with her family. She seemed to be quiet, polite, and smart, so he really could think of no way she could have lost her position.

Great. Now his curiosity would bug him until he found out just what was going on. Not to mention that her body would likely be invading his dreams...not that he would really mind. He had never noticed her figure until now, mostly because of the horrid uniforms at the school that made any girl look highly unattractive.

"Here is your wine." Hinata's voice suddenly snapped both men to attention. She placed it gently on its coaster, reaching down and providing an even better view of her chest than simply standing. Sasuke coughed lightly, turning his head slightly as a blush took over his face. Across the table, Itachi smirked at his brother's discomfort, saying, "Thank you, Hinata."

Soaking up the praise like a sponge, the shy girl blushed with pride as she replied, "You're very welcome. So, are you r-ready to order?"

"I think so. I'll have an Arugula salad with vinaigrette, to start. Then, the Garganelli pasta, and finish it off with Crème Brulèe, please."

Hinata scribbled the order down, nodding as Itachi spoke. "And...you?"

Avoiding her gaze, Sasuke said, "Romaine salad, extra tomatoes, and Filet Mignon. No dessert."

Hinata also took his order down, leaving with another curtsy and kind word. Itachi kept his silence, and Sasuke did the same.

He didn't get it. At his private school, there were females everywhere. Short, tall, skinny, curvy, loud, quiet...and none of them had ever really caught his eye. He, again, attributed most of it to the horrid dress code, but even so, he had been able to appreciate a girl's basic physical attributes. And it wasn't as if they weren't try to get him to look. Not only did they want him because he was, admittedly, extremely attractive, but also for his money and success. He couldn't begin to count the number of girls who had thrown themselves at him, begging for even just a single night. But he knew better, knowing that they only wanted a taste of Uchiha fame and money, and even the chance to trip him up and get him to end up their baby's daddy. The last thing he wanted was to be stuck paying for some kid he didn't even want. Did he ever want kids? Sure. But not in a way even remotely close to that.

Even outside school, Sasuke was constantly exposed to attractive females. Galas and parties and charity events his father dragged him to had enough members of the opposite sex to keep his eyes busy for the entirety of the night. But none held his attention for longer than it took to appreciate their looks and perhaps have a few less-than-appropriate images roll through his mind. They always talked about boring things – the party, themselves, the food, themselves, how attractive he was looking that night...themselves. It drove the boy crazy. And his father and brother wondered why he could hardly stand the presence of the same female for more than a few minutes.

Ugh, whatever...she's just another woman to look at. Nothing more. But even after telling himself firmly in his mind, Sasuke couldn't help the thoughts that pervaded his entire brain, even throughout his meal while Itachi finally began speaking again.

An hour later, both men were finished with their meal and leaning back in their chairs appreciatively, talking quietly and waiting for their check. When it finally arrived, Itachi offered his credit card, telling the girl to take a fifty dollar tip on the one hundred and fifty dollar dinner.

"Oh! Th-thank you!" Blushing for the umpteenth time, Hinata moved to turn away, but stopped with a squeak when Sasuke's hand moved like a flash and grabbed her wrist.

"U-um...Mr. Uchiha...?"

Offering his best sultry gaze, complete with smirk, Sasuke murmured, "One last thing...I'd like to order your phone number, to go, if you please."

The Hyuuga girl stared wide-eyed at the man for several long moments, apparently having no idea what to do. Itachi, shaking his head and smiling softly, offered, "That is, of course, if you don't mind...Miss Hyuuga."

If possible, Hinata's eyes widened even further. Horrified, she looked at the older brother. "I...I-I..."

"Your position and name have nothing to do with it," Sasuke added, tossing a quick glare to his brother. "But...if you'd rather refuse..."

"Oh! U-um...no, I...I can do that." Cheeks colored darkly, she offered a small smile. "But, um...you'd h-have to let me go, first."

"Hn." Sasuke complied, letting the girl walk off as he slouched back down into his seat. "Thought she was gonna say no there for a sec."

"Of course not," Itachi replied.

She returned not long after, bearing both Itachi's card and receipt, and a small note with neat, flowery writing on it. Handing each document to the corresponding brother, she said brightly, "I hope you visit us again – we appreciate your b-business, sirs."

"We'll be certain to do so," Itachi replied. "And thank you for your excellent service...and for putting up with my brother."

"It was my pleasure." Hinata let the brothers depart, waving shyly at Sasuke as he offered her a smirk.

"Thanks for the evening, Itachi," Sasuke said as they pulled out of the parking lot. "It was...rather enjoyable."

"Hn. I can only imagine why."

Sasuke said nothing in reply, just smiling out the window as the car sped toward home.

Okay! I hope you guys enjoyed the first chappy! If you were truly awesome, you'd leave me a review ;) Anyway, like I said, I'm uploading all FIVE CHAPTERS (plus an epilogue :D) right...NOW! And then I'll send Cynder a note letting her know! ^o^