Thank you everyone for sticking with me so far. You have been patient and now your reward is here in the form of this chapter. Listen to the song. It is awesome. It reminds me of Hinata a lot.

Dedicated to everyone who liked the story, gave me their views. To everyone who voted and commented. I love you guys. 
__________

"Okay, everything ready?" asked Itachi as he sat in the backseat. There was no response from Sasuke, who was leaning against the window, asleep. Itachi smiled. Sasuke looked like a young kid when he slept.

"Drive please." He said to the driver. They were driving to the airport. Unfortunately, their father had booked them an early flight so Sasuke was still grumpy about it (he would never admit it). It was currently 4:30 a.m. and their flight was scheduled for 5:15 a.m.

Itachi looked out of the window, his phone in his hand. He leaned back and closed his eyes. He rechecked his list in his mind.

He had collected, arranged and read the necessary documents for everything three times. What else? He had remembered to bring his bento, which his mother had made. Was his suitcase there? Oh yeah. Perhaps he had better taken another look at the...

Izumi. He had told her he would text her in the morning before leaving. She would kill him if he forgot and he would surely forget so he took out his phone.

Hey. You're probably asleep. We're driving to the airport. I'll text you when we're in the states. Take care.

He smiled softly. That text seemed appropriate. He pocketed his phone, no longer in the mood for reading files. He had time to think. About himself. Izumi. Life.

But then again, they were all the same. Izumi was his life. No, it was not like he was obsessed with her (maybe a little) or his world revolved around her (slightly guilty) or he was eerily possessive. But she was the main focus of his life.

He had known it since he had first activated his inherited Sharingan eyes because of her. He had always thought she was beautiful and kind to everyone. But she was also more.

She was his first friend aside from Shisui. She was not an obsessed fangirl. She was smart enough to make it to the AP classes Itachi was in. She was a business wiz. She was funny. She was perfect.

He had realized he loved her. He still did. He loved her, adored her and cherished her. And he knew he always would. He had known he wanted to spend his life with her since they were 17, and he had seen her laugh so easily with him when no one else could.

He had seen her put him into his place when no one else dared. He had seen her sense his despair when no one else did. He had seen her smile at his notions about life when no one else understood. He had realized he loved her. Truly and deeply.

And he knew the feeling was mutual. He smiled as he thought of what he had been planning for a few months. He sighed and closed his eyes with his mind whirling around a single name. Izumi.
__________

"Fuck." Said Sasuke as he tripped over his shoe lace as he walked like a brain dead zombie, being very sleep deprived.

"Sasuke, watch out." Itachi scolded lightly. Sasuke sighed. As if he didn't know that. He nodded anyway and tried to pay more attention to his surroundings.

What the hell? Was this the airport? Oh...right. They had a flight. Was that the plane? Finally...he could sleep there, right?

Damn...he knew he should not have watched that movie late night knowing he had an early flight. But it was his try at a rebellion. So far, his summer was the worst he had ever had.

He had been going to the office with his dad and brother for a whole week, as an intern, as they called him. He had a dress code, had to make coffee for a smug Itachi and also had to learn everything from scratch.

He had to have a proper tour (from a crazy girl who was slightly obsessed with him) and Izumi was teaching him all the necessary stuff. Izumi! It was outrageous. But then again, he could have gotten the obsessed freak-o. He was better off with Itachi's fiancé.

Now, he was going to the states with his older brother, helping him in managing the staff. He was a fast learner and he thought he was ready. He had studied the files, knowing who their allies and competitors were.

He was not surprised to find the Hyuga on top of their allies' list. He scoffed as he imagined himself working with Hinata sometime in the future. No going to happen, he thought.

As he sat down, he realized he was already sitting in the plane. "Thank Kami." He thought, leaning back. He closed his eyes and sighed. Before he realized it, the darkness engulfed him and he was asleep.
________

Hinata stepped out of her bathroom, clad in a tank top and shorts and walked to her bed. She opened her hair and sat down on her bed. She put the hair band on her side table. The wooden frame caught her attention.

She picked it up and gazed at the picture it held. It was a picture of her and Ken, standing in Central Park with their friends, her grinning widely while he smiled arrogantly. His dark brown hair was sticking out and his green eyes shone brightly. Robin and Joe looked happy while Anne was smiling softly.

He had always been taller of the group. Not always friendly though. When she met him, she hated him. She smiled as she remembered how she met him. It was her first day in middle school. She had been admitted into the elite school, naturally.

While she had been a shy wall flower, who stuttered and got nervous easily, Ken was an arrogant, handsome and confident boy. He was talking to his new class mates when she had entered and their gazes had met.

He had made it his personal mission to torture her since that day. He would tease her about her stuttering, her hair, her eyes or her Japanese background. Hinata would normally not put up with bullying or tell her older cousin Neji but she had decided that she would begin to solve her problems herself.

She made friends with Robin; a good natured curly haired boy with average height, Joe; a hot headed tomboy and Anne; a pretty and nice girl crushing on 'someone'. Joe was easily her best friend out of the group.

It was a normal day when Ken decided to tease Hinata again, as usual. But this time he made fun of her friends. As Joe was about to speak up as usual, Hinata did something unusual. She slapped Ken.

He had not believed it at first but Hinata then proceeded to yell at him and walk away with angry tears in her eyes. Her friends and class mates stood dumbfounded but most of all Ken.

He had apologized later and soon he became a part of their group. He became best friends with Robin and Hinata while he was on good terms with Joe and Anne.

Hinata put down the frame and picked up another picture frame from the side table. It was a picture of Ken and her at the school dance in their first year at high school. She smiled softly. She still remembered it quite clearly when Ken had started to like her.
________
"Hinata..."

"Yeah?" she asked, balancing her books on her arm as she tried to pull another notebook out of her locker.

"I....oh give me that." Ken said, snatching away her books from her arms.

"Thanks. So what is it?" she asked, looking at him after pulling her notebook out.

"I-um..."

"Ken? Are you nervous? Around me?" Hinata asked, disbelievingly. Ken was never, ever nervous. Period.

His brushed his bangs out of his eyes before looking into her eyes intently. Hinata wondered what was wrong. He was never serious.

"Will you go to the annual dance with me?" he asked, not shying away this time.

Was that it? Hinata found herself smiling like an idiot. "Of course I will you dummy." She said, taking the books from him. He grinned.

"Great. Lemme drive you home." He suggested. Ken was also rich like half of the population of the school. His father was famous producer.

"Sure. Come on." She said, unaware of his gaze lingering on the back of her head as she walked before him.
________

"Hinata! My baby looks so adorable!" Hana said, snapping pictures of Hinata.

"Yeah sis, you look nice for a change." Hanabi chimed in.

Hinata was dressed in an off white linen dress which skimmed her knees. Her hair was pulled into a delicate knot behind her head and she was wearing delicate pencil heals with her beloved fan pendant locket (A/N: OH THE IRONY).

"Hanabi!" Hinata said, scolding her sister half heartedly. She was smiling though.

The bell rang. "Oh! Looks like Ken is here!" Hana said excitedly.

Hinata looked slightly worried. "She's going to embarrass me, isn't she?"

"Totally." Hanabi replied, looking smug. Hinata walked out of her room slowly. She peeked into the living room where her mother was standing, chatting with Ken.

"Hinata! Come here." She said as she spotted Hinata. Hinata sighed before smiling and walking into the living room.

Ken's smile faded and he looked still as death. Hinata was pretty sure he was not breathing. "Hi." She tried. Ken looked stunning in a dark tuxedo which brought out his green eyes.

"Hi." He breathed out. She walked over to him and smile. He did not return the gesture. He just looked dazed.

"Let me take a picture of you guys before you leave!" Hana insisted.

Hinata stood next to Ken who tried to smile despite his breathless state after seeing his childhood friend look so....stunning.

"Put your arm around her." Hana instructed. Ken nodded and put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. They had done this a million times but Hinata blushed slightly, her heart beat increasing.

Hana snapped a picture before letting them relax. "Have fun." She winked before they walked out the door.

Outside the house stood a limo with a chauffeur. "After you." Ken smirked, opening a door for her. She slid and he followed.

The car started and Ken turned to look at her. "Hinata...you look...beautiful."

"Thank you. You also look very handsome." She saw him blush before he started talking about random things and it was just like before.
____________

Ken had kissed her that night, Hinata remembered. She had been shocked at first but he had confessed to her then.

"Hinata....I like you. So much. I've been feeling so strange around you for a long time, not knowing what the problem was. But I know now, I like you. Will you go out with me?"

She had. That had changed some things but things had gone back to usual. Their relationship was based on friendship and trust. They had spent sophomore year together as well and they had even thought about going to college together.

But then Hinata's father decided to send her to Japan while informing her of her engagement and all that went to hell. She was actually happy, about knowing her history, her place of birth. Her fiance. Konoha.

Ken had felt betrayed by her enthusiasm. They had fought about it. In the end, she had decided it would be better to break up in person then some time in Japan by text because a long distance relationship was not working out.

Ken had nodded. He just hugged her good bye and kissed her for the last time before going away. He had not come to see her off. Turns out, he had moved, huh.

She checked her phone. No more text messages from him after the one he had sent a while ago. She sighed.

A text message appeared from Gaara. She smiled. He was in Sand country and he was telling her about his time there. She decided to call him instead. So she did.
________

"I can work with this." Sasuke said out loud as he entered the apartment he and Itachi were supposed to be staying in.

"You like it then." Itachi mused, his smile charismatic.

Sasuke nodded. "Good. I chose it myself. I'm going to live here in a few months."

Oh right...Itachi was going to manage the American branch of Uchiha Co from hence forth.

"So when are we going to the office?" Sasuke asked, sitting on the couch. Itachi put down his bag before turning to Sasuke.

"Tomorrow. Today...we unpack."

Sasuke groaned. He hated packing and unpacking. "Besides, we have a pretty busy schedule from tomorrow."

And the office was indeed busy. Sasuke texted his mom before his first day in the office. He ate his breakfast in monotone and followed Itachi into the car.

"So Sasuke, you're going to supervise the job interviews I'm holding today to learn. Then, you're going to your cubicle in the office. You're going to sort the files and check the officers' files for me. You're going to report to me as your boss and that's basically it until I give you further orders."

"That does not seem too hard." Sasuke said. Izumi had given him hell the previous week. This all seemed tame compared to what Izumi had made him do.

"And seeing that I will be busy I setting up the administration system here for a while, you will be my representative wherever you go." Itachi informed him.

"Do I get the weekends off?" he asked, arching his eyebrow.

"I will think about it." Itachi winked. Sasuke rolled his eyes. Maybe the day would go well.

The first thing Itachi did was the interviews. Sasuke overlooked the records and learnt a lot about how things worked. The vacation might not be fun but it sure as hell was informative.
__________

Sasuke had been working in his cubicle, studying the files and the statistics and popularity of the Uchiha Co. in America vs. the other companies when he got a summon for Itachi's office.

He knocked before entering. Itachi was talking to someone on the phone and he signaled for Sasuke to wait a sec by holding up a finger.

Sasuke looked out of the big window in Itachi's office. It was really beautiful and looked over the whole city. Sasuke scowled remembering his own small cubicle. Itachi was so sadistic sometimes.

"Yes. Yes thank you."

Itachi put the receiver down. "Hey Sasuke."

"Hey. What is it?" Sasuke asked. Itachi brushed his hair back before looking at him.

"I have a meeting in Hyuga Co. You're coming with me."

"Why do I have to go?"

"Because Hiashi wants to see you and dad told me to take you to meetings as an experience to learn." Itachi said, standing up.

"When do we go?"

"Right now." Itachi said, picking up his files. Sasuke sighed and pocketed his hands in his jeans. Itachi fixed his tie and they both walked out of his office to the parking lot.
_______

"Hinata, another meeting. Your father is calling you." Akira, another intern told Hinata. Hinata sighed as she picked up her notepad and pen.

"I can't believe father has so many meetings in a day." She sighed, blowing her bangs aside. She fixed her clothes and hair before walking into the meeting room.

"Hello." She said, walking into the room. She stopped when she caught sight of Itachi and Sasuke Uchiha.

"Hinata-chan." Itachi smiled, walking forward to hug her. She smiled back widely.

"Itachi-kun!" she said, hugging him back. She caught sight of her father, smiling slightly.

"How are you?" Itachi asked.

"Busy. What are you doing here?" she asked, stepping back.

"Oh, we're just improving the States Branch of Uchiha Co." Itachi informed her. She saw Sasuke standing behind him.

Her eyes widened for a split second on seeing her fiancé standing there before she remembered she had a part to play.

"Sasuke-kun! I missed you so much." She said, looking very enthusiastic to any outsider.

She walked to him and hugged him tightly. He hesitated but played along. "Yeah me too."

Neji cleared his throat. "Uh-let's start." He said, awkwardly.

Hinata and Sasuke sat down side by side, Itachi and Hiashi smiling secretly at the sight of them. Hinata took out her notepad and Sasuke smirked.

The meeting began and the representatives of each company started the discussion. There were about 6 people from Hyuga Co and the same from Uchiha Co. in the meeting.

"You're seriously going to take notes?" Sasuke asked, leaning over to whisper to her smugly.

"As if you don't."

"I don't need to. I'm smart. Uchiha genes." He said, a smirk appearing on his handsome Uchiha face, which irked Hinata to no end.

"I....don't either. I just...felt like it today." She said, raising her chin.

"Yeah right." He smirked. She did not grace him with a reply.

"So you're saying the Otsutski agree on the alliance whole heartedly?" one of the Uchiha representatives addressed Hiashi.

"I should think so, as we had a meeting with them just a few days ago in which Daichi himself held successful negotiations with us."

"I think it is splendid if all of our companies which have a Japanese origin join together." Said Itachi, in Japanese.

"I agree with Uchiha-san." Hiashi said with an approving smile.

Hinata and Sasuke observed everything with keen eyes and mind. The meeting lasted for another hour and by that time; Sasuke observed Hinata was leaning on his shoulder, dozing off while he himself felt sleepy.

"Good. Then, this meeting is over." Announced Hiashi, the representative members taking it as their cue to leave.

Sasuke sat up straight, no longer sleepy but thankful and Hinata also awoke with a start because of him changing his position.

"So did you learn plenty children?" Hiashi asked, eyeing Hinata, Neji and Sasuke.

"Yeah, of course we did." Hinata said, slightly sheepish. Neji merely nodded while Sasuke did not even do that.

"Good. As compensation for this boring time, I propose to Uchiha-san that all of you get the rest of the day off." Hiashi said, smiling a little.

Hinata could not believe this. Her father had worked her and Neji till their bones ached. Why was he being so nice all of a sudden?

"Yes. And since Sasuke has not been to any fun places since his summer began, why don't he and Hinata go out?" Itachi said his amused smile on display.

"How about I tag along too?" Neji said, eyeing the heads suspiciously.

"Actually...Hana really wanted you to...go somewhere else." Hiashi said, his stoic demeanor cracking slightly.

"...." Neji was speechless at his uncle's unusual behavior.

"Go on now. Sasuke, you can take my car. Don't ruin it though." Itachi said, pushing Hinata and Sasuke out of the meeting room.

"But...." Hinata tried.

"Have fun." Said Itachi and closed the door.

Sasuke and Hinata looked at each other before Sasuke sighed and took her hand. "Let's just get out of here."

She agreed. They made their way to Itachi's handsome black Ferrari. "Here goes nothing, I guess." Hinata thought as she sat in the passenger seat while Sasuke slid into the driver's seat as they drove away from the huge building of Hyuga Co.
______________
Sasuke had taken her out for ice cream. It seemed like a normal enough thing to do without feeling weird about both their families.

"How's America for you?" she asked.

"Busy. The whole time since school was over, it's been busy."

"Now you know how it's like to be an intern." She said smugly because it was her first time as well.

"Well I am certain I am doing a much better job than you Hyuga." He said, earning himself a glare from his fiancé.

"Excuse you. You are so not."

"Am too." He said, reverting to Japanese.

"Oh tell you what? We'll go to the annual ball which is going to be soon enough and see who's more popular, me or you!" she said, poking a finger in his chest.

"Ow. And whatever Hyuga, you're on." He said, unable to resist a challenge.

"Fine." She said and he 'hn-ed' again.

He is so obnoxious. Hinata thought before returning to her ice cream, trying not to look at Sasuke's smug face. She hated him. He smirked at her face.
She's to easy to bait, he thought.
________

"Hey Itachi, what's this about an annual ball thing?" Sasuke asked his brother while they were eating pizza on the couch.

"Oh. There is a ball hosted by the alliances and the organization holding them together to bring the companies closer. I was planning to send you there, if you have an objection, we can just skip it." Itachi told him.

"No. I'll go." He said, smirking.

Itachi wondered why Sasuke looked so smug about something like that. He hated social gatherings.

"You okay?" he asked. Sasuke nodded.

"How long till the ball?" Sasuke asked.

Itachi stared at him before replying. "Two weeks." Sasuke just smirked again. This was seriously creeping Itachi out.

"So how was your date-I mean your time with Hinata?"

"It was...okay." Sasuke shrugged. Itachi observed Sasuke did not look annoyed. He merely looked neutral. Maybe things between him and Hinata could still work out.

"By the way, you have to go to the Otsutski company after two days." Itachi casually informed him.

"What?" Sasuke asked.

"The tenseigan co.? Owned by Daichi Otsutski?" Itachi asked.

"I know. The heir is Toneri Otsutski, captain of the Moon High basketball team. Question is why do I have to be there?"

"They are our allies. Our representatives will be with you. The meeting will be handled by them and Shisui. You just have to introduce yourself and have fun."

"Shisui?" Sasuke asked and Itachi smirked.

"Yeah he works here. He was gone to patch up some things in Japan which were causing trouble. He's coming back tomorrow."

Good, thought Sasuke, Shisui was good.

Maybe the stay in America would not be so bad after all.
____________
Author notes:
Okay guys, another chapter done. Bam.

Um...so i wanted to give some insight of Hinata's first relationship with her best friend Kenneth a.k.a Ken (whichever you prefer and i picked the name since its cliche). The flashbacks and Hinata's thoughts are necessary to finding out.

So Sasuke is here in the states. Brief but solid SasuHina moments. Yay! I know you guys have waited and i must have read and re-read this chapter a million times for any errors because i wanted this to be perfect for them and you.

By this time in the story, Sasuke has mostly realized his feelings. I think I've done a good job on the development (not trying to praise myself) and it's not too sudden.

This chapter as getting too long so i had to divide it into another part which i will upload as the next chapter soon. the story is finished guys, i am not the one who leaves my stories unfinished due to lack of inspiration. I'm dedicated in everything i do so you don't have to worry about me leaving it unfinished. 

I am going to re-read everything before uploading on a small pace because i want my writings to be good...not shitty? And i am also working on a couple of other SasuHina stories. I'm not sure if i will upload them because...i get unsure of my stories sometimes. I am also thinking of writing a short sequel to the story "Paper Fans and Lavenders." But we will get to that later.

Wow...I've ranted a lot. Anyways guys, the usual. Vote, comment and let me know what you think. the more the comments, the more it inspires me to upload early. 

Until next time.

Love.