Sakura was having a bad day.
First, her car had broken down in the middle of a highway in a rather unpleasant display that included dark smoke, unexplainable sounds coming from the engine and a large number of drivers screaming at her at the top of their lungs to 'get her f***ing wreck out of the way.' She was going to throttle Naruto for messing her car up and then proceed to bang her head on the wall since-let's face it, it was her fault for believing him when he told her that he could fix that small problem she had with the brakes.
And if that wasn't enough, Karma had decided to be extra sadistic that day and guess what? It had started to rain! And it wasn't just a simple autumn drizzle. No, of course not! Why would it be? It just had to be a freaking downpour! What a great day to be wearing a white blouse…..And on top of that, she was running late for work! Oh, Tsunade was so going to kill her!
The world of Health Care Industries was a jungle. One had to fight tooth and nail in order to survive. And Tsunade had made it. Not only had she survived, but she had made it to the top, taking her grandfather's company to a whole new level. 'Senju Medical Services' was the biggest brand when it came to anything medical related; from vaccines and medicine to medical equipment and training medics, Tsunade was the leading authority in the field in every sense of the word. For young aspiring doctor and medical analyzer, Haruno Sakura, the fact that Tsunade Senju herself had taken an interest in her and had offered her an apprenticeship at her side was the chance of a lifetime. Due to her young age and lack of practical experience, Sakura had had to work extra hard in order to prove herself worthy of Tsunade's faith in her and she could recall a number of incidents where some of Tsunade's associates had doubted her openly, even in the presence of her mentor. But she had proved all of them wrong. Through hard work, sheer power of determination and her own personal skills, she had silenced all those who had underestimated her, even surpassing some of them in rank. Needless to say that she was her mentor's pride and Tsunade had high expectations of her. That's why she couldn't fail her!
'But how can I do that when the universe is out to get me?' she screamed in her mind as she continued to walk on the sidewalk, cold and shivering and drenched. Her hair resembled a rat's nest, her clothes stuck to her skin unpleasantly and she was pretty sure that her make-up was a mess. She had already ditched one cab. That leech of a driver wouldn't stop staring at her wet white blouse through the mirror and Sakura could only take so much before snapping. She had thrown a couple of bucks in his face and stormed out of the cab, slamming the door behind her.
'He's lucky I didn't slam his head on the wheel instead of his door.' she though with distaste as she brought her arms around herself in order to keep warm and keep the wandering eyes of some not-so-discreet pedestrians off her body. She glanced at her watch and cursed. 'Damn it! Only fifteen minutes until the meeting starts! Oh God, Tsunade is so going to fire me…' Things just had to go downhill on the one day that she absolutely didn't want them to. 'Senju Medical Services' was on the verge of securing a very important deal with a very powerful and influential company. Needless to say that the sighing of that contract was the talk of the year and every medical magazine dedicated at least half a dozen pages to it. And she….she was probably going to ruin it. Tsunade and the CEO of the other company had arranged a meeting to officially confirm their partnership. Of course, every official meeting of that kind involved presentations of each company's achievements and their plans and goals for the future. Imagine Sakura's joy when Tsunade had told her that she would be the one to do the presentation on behalf of 'Senju Medical Services.' But as luck (or rather, lack of it) would have it, she was running late for the aforementioned meeting and what was probably one of the greatest chances she would ever get in her life.
'I can kiss my career goodbye…' she thought miserably and her shoulders slummed as she continued to drag her feet across the pavement. Seriously, she couldn't have looked any more miserable even if she threw her possessions in a bag and started dragging it behind her. She sighed deeply and forced herself to calm down-as much as she could, given the situation. Having a break down in the middle of a street would do her no good and would inevitably eliminate that small chance she still had of making it at the meeting in time.
'With all this shivering and the cold wind, it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain my resolve…' she though as another shiver racked her spine. She sneezed loudly, scaring a stray cat that was passing by at that time. She was so going to be sick the next day. 'What I wouldn't give for a cup of hot chocolate and a blanket…'
It was at that moment that someone pulled up beside her.
The car was black and sleek, like the ones you saw at those annual car exhibitions that car maniacs swarmed in from all over the world to watch. The soft buzz of the engine indicated great horse power and the windows were tinted, the autumn rain not in the least dulling the shine of the stunning vehicle. It would be a lie to say that she wasn't impressed. Especially when the driver rolled down the window.
To say that the man was handsome would be an understatement. His face was sculpted to perfection with high cheekbones, a straight nose and sinful lips pulled back in a smirk that would have probably made most women melt. His surprisingly long purple hair was pulled back in a ponytail and his eyes…..Oh, those eyes! Golden and scintillating and promising…
"Need a lift, cupcake?"
His smooth voice broke her out of her thoughts and her emerald eyes clashed with his. 'Did he just call me cupcake?' A barely noticeable scowl appeared on her face and she looked away from him. "No, thank you." she said and chose to continue walking on the sidewalk.
"Are you sure? A pretty girl like you all alone in the rain? Doesn't sit very well with me…." he continued, following her closely with his car.
"Too bad. It sits perfectly well with me."
He chuckled and Sakura berated herself for almost sighing at the sound. "What kind of gentleman would I be if I just left you here?"
Sakura rolled her eyes in annoyance at his persistence. "An unnecessary one."
"I insist. Just let me give you a lift. Don't you want to get out of this terrible weather?" he asked innocently and glanced at the raindrops hitting the windshield of his car.
Abruptly, Sakura ceased her walking, a notion that he was quick to follow. She pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath before turning to face him. "Look, I really don't have the time for this. Just drive off to where you were heading and leave me be. I can manage on my own." she finished and resumed heading towards 'Senju Medical Services'. Fortunately, the building wasn't that far from where she was.
The purple-haired man sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "Suit yourself, princess." he said and turned on his engine. Sakura sighed in relief when he hit the accelerator and put some distance between but immediately tensed when she noticed him coming back. She watched his car carefully as he pulled up beside her once more and focused his golden eyes on her.
"By the way…" he started and the pink-haired woman raised an eyebrow in question. "Nice choice of underwear!" he said with a smirk and winked at her before driving off, his tires screeching on the asphalt as his sleek, black car disappeared around a corner.
Momentarily stunned, it took Sakura a few seconds to realize what exactly he meant. Looking down, she gasped and covered her lacy bra showing through her wet white blouse with her arms, her whole face burning with embarrassment.
Oh how she wanted to kill him. Or die. Or both. Probably both…
XxxOxOxOxxX
"Wow, Forehead. I know I told you to change your style but this isn't exactly what I meant. You look like road kill." observed the young blonde as she glanced at her distressed friend.
Sakura glared heatedly at her long-time best friend and colleague, Yamanaka Ino. "Good morning to you too, Pig."
"Seriously, Sakura, I cannot fathom what possessed you to walk all the way here in that terrible rain."
The pink-haired woman rolled her eyes. "I really don't have time for this, Ino. I've had a terrible day so please tell me that you have a change of clothes with you."
"You know me, Forehead. I never go outside unprepared." The blonde winked at her friend and grabbed a bag from under her desk before throwing it at her colleague. "I also have a make-up set in there. Make yourself presentable and please fix that bird's nest you have for hair." she said with a smirk as Sakura's face lit up, ignoring her blonde friend's last remark.
"Thanks, Pig! You are a life saver!" responded Sakura and quickly made her way to the women's restroom.
A few minutes later, a noticeably-in-better-mood Sakura emerged from the bathroom wearing a tight black office skirt that reached mid-thigh and a fitting red V-neck that hugged her curves nicely. It was nice and simple, just the way she liked it. There wasn't much she could do about her dripping hair but she had at least towel-dried it as best as she could and smoothed out the knots before throwing half of it up in a ponytail, leaving the rest to fall down her back. She had reapplied the meager amount of make-up she usually wore and she could honestly say that she was starting to push her unfortunate morning experience at the back of her mind.
"Thanks again, Ino. I owe you big time for this one." she said as she handed the bag back to her friend.
"Yeah, yeah. Buy me a drink at that new bar on Friday and we are even. Seriously, the bartender there is hot!"
Sakura laughed as she slipped on her white lab coat and clipped on her ID Pass. "We have a deal, Porky." She pulled a stack of papers out of her briefcase (thank God for waterproof materials) and handed them to Ino. "These are the results from the tests we ran on that new formula last week. Send them to the lab for inspection, will you? Oh! And please send this to the toxicologist for testing." she said as she handed the blond woman a small vial filled with a light blue liquid. "Tell that lazy-ass Shikamaru that I need those results as soon as possible."
"Geez, Forehead. I'm not your slave." said Ino jokingly.
"No you are not but I do recall being your superior."
"Alright, alright. You win this one."
Sakura winked at her. "I always do, Ino. Have the CEO and his accomplices arrived yet?"
At those words, Ino's eyes lit up and she placed a hand over her heart, making Sakura glance at her curiously. "They have! Oh Sakura….It is almost unfair how hot the guy is!"
Sakura snorted in amusement. "Every guy looks hot in your eyes, Ino."
"I'm serious, Forehead! I swear, the guy has the looks to put a Greek God to shame!"
Sakura, knowing her friend's tendency to exaggerate-especially as far as the opposite sex was concerned-simply shook her head. "Yeah, yeah. I have a presentation to make and Tsunade is going to burn me at the stake if I don't appear in her office in the next minute. See you later, Pig!"
"Good luck, Forehead!"
Sakura waved at her friend over her shoulder before turning around and hitting a button to call the elevator. A familiar 'cling' informed her of its arrival and she walked in, the twin metal doors closing behind her. It took her no more than a couple of seconds to reach the top floor where the meeting room was. She walked out of the lift and walked towards the only door on that floor. She fixed her clothes and made sure that she had everything she would need in her briefcase before taking a deep breath and knocking on the door twice.
Her mentor's "Come in." reached her ears and she turned the doorknob, walking inside the room with her head held high in determination. Her eyes immediately fell on the two men sitting closer to the door. The first had snow-white hair and kind dark eyes, offering her a polite smile the moment she walked in. The second one was tall with an incredible build. His hair was an unruly red and his matching eyes rested on her briefly before focusing on the window on his right once more.
"Forgive me for the delay, Tsunade-sama. I am ready to begin the presentation, if that would be convenient for you."
Tsunade nodded at her apprentice. "We will proceed to the presentation shortly. But first, there is someone I would like you to meet. Allow me to introduce Sinbad, founder and CEO of 'Sindria Med'." she said, motioning to the person sitting across from her.
When Sakura's gaze landed on the individual, her eyes grew wide and she was sure that she made for a rather comical sight with her mouth hanging open like that. For there, sitting with a wide smirk on his handsome face, was none other than the man who had offered her a lift not half an hour ago.
"Hey there, princess!" he greeted her cheerfully. "I see that you changed clothes. Such a shame…" he said, his smirk never faltering, making Sakura's eye twitch.
Tsunade raised an eyebrow, glancing curiously between the two. "Sinbad? Sakura? Are you two familiar with each other?"
"Not really." answered the pink-haired woman quickly. "We just happened to-"
"Sakura, huh? Quite fitting, I must say!"
"-have an unfortunate encounter not too long ago. Shall we proceed to the presentation now?" she added quickly, hoping to change the subject. Remembering that embarrassing experience was the last thing she needed. It was already bad enough that the purple-haired man smirking at her was a live reminder of that…..
"Yes. Please Sakura, go on."
Sighing in relief, Sakura averted her gaze from the man who was following her every move with his golden eyes and focused her attention on her briefcase, pulling out manila folders and charts before handing them out to the other occupants of the room. She fought down a shiver when Sinbad intentionally brushed his fingers against hers. Taking deep breaths to calm herself, she turned to her mentor and their future partners with a professional smile, choosing to ignore Sinbad's eyes on her. She could feel him watching her and even though it made her a bit uncomfortable, she refrained from glancing at him. Instead, she focused her attention on the folders in her hands.
"Please, turn to page one. The statistics… "
XxxOxOxOxxX
"Congratulations, Sakura-san. That was an excellent presentation."
Sakura smiled at the white-haired man as she shook his hand. "Thank you, Jafar-san and allow me to congratulate you as well. Your charts were some of the most detailed I've ever had the fortune of studying."
"Thank you. I'm sure that our partnership will be flawless and rather profitable."
Sakura's smile widened. "I have no doubt." she answered and turned to the red-haired man standing beside Jafar. "Masrur-san. It was a pleasure meeting you."
"Likewise, Haruno-san."
She was about to pick-up her briefcase and walk out of the room-the meeting was over, the contracts were signed and she still had other things to do-when a strong arm was swung over her shoulders, stopping her. She looked up in surprise to see Sinbad smirking down at her.
"Hey there, honey-bun! Have you been avoiding me?"
'Yes!' She smiled at him, though it was a bit strained. "Of course not. What gave you that idea?"
He flashed her a lopsided grin. "Good! Because your lovely Director over there" he said, motioning to Tsunade, who rolled her eyes at the male. "told me that you'd be more than happy to give me a tour around the company."
Sakura momentarily froze, turning to glance at her mentor, who winked at her. "She did, didn't she?" The pink-haired woman sighed deeply. "Alright, follow me." she said and shook his arm off her shoulders before making her way out the room with Sinbad following close behind her.
"So, tell me." started Sinbad as they made their way out of the elevator. "What made you walk in the rain?"
"I don't see how is that relevant to what we are doing, Sinbad-san."
"Oh come on! I'm making friendly conversation here! And please, just Sinbad is fine. No need to be formal, hon!"
'Seriously, what's with this guy and all those names?' Sakura sighed. "My car broke down in the middle of the road. I took a cab but….Let's just say that I had no luck with that either. Long story short, I ended up walking here."
"It's your fault for turning down my offer."
The woman raised an eyebrow in question. "What?"
"Well, yeah. I asked you if you needed a lift and you refused. It's not my fault that you don't know what's good for you, princess." he said with a smirk.
Her emerald eyes flashed and she huffed, crossing her arms across her chest. "I wasn't going to get in a stranger's car just because he asked me to. For all I know, you could have been a serial killer or a rapist."
Sinbad almost chocked on his own saliva and Sakura had to hide an involuntary smile that touched her lips at his expression. "W-Well, I've been called many things but rapist was never one of them." he said with a sheepish smile while scratching the back of his head and the young woman couldn't help but find it endearing.
"What about you?" asked Sakura curiously. "Do you offer help to every 'damsel in distress' you see on the road?"
Sinbad flashed her a charming smile. "Only to the very cute ones, sweetie-pie! And to the ones that I'm going to be working with, of course."
The young medic looked up at him in surprise. "What? You mean, you already knew who I was? How?"
"I am the CEO of a huge company, Sakura. I am very careful about who I sign contracts with. Since we are going to be spending quite some time with each other, I asked Tsunade to send me your profile. I like to know at least who I'm going to be working with."
"And Tsunade-sama gave you my profile? Just like that? No questions asked?" she asked dumbfounded.
Sinbad chuckled and Sakura fought down the urge to sigh at the velvety sound. "I've known Tsunade for a while. She trusts me enough to give me the profile of her prized apprentice." he said and held open a door for her. "After you, my lady!"
Sakura rolled her emerald eyes but smiled nonetheless. Really, it was becoming increasingly difficult to stay annoyed at him. "Just follow me down that corridor."
Sinbad swung his arm over her shoulders once more, leaning closer to her face and offering her a charming grin. "You know, if you're going to boss me around, at least buy me dinner first."
This time, Sakura couldn't help but laugh. "You gotta improve your game, romeo. That line is so overused." she said, bending under his arm and effectively getting it off her shoulders.
"How about a date then?"
Sakura looked up at him in surprise. Seriously, what was with this man and his ability to catch her off guard? She opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted before she could offer an answer.
"Sin, Sakura-san."
They both turned around to see Jafar and Masrur walking up to them and the young woman immediately put some distance between herself and the golden-eyed man. She certainly didn't want to give the wrong impression.
"Damn, Jafar! You have the worst timing ever. I was having such a great time with cutie over here!"
"Well, I'm sorry for that but we still have other appointments. You must be at Ren Kouen's office within the hour." He turned to Sakura and offered her a pleasant smile. "Sakura-san. It was a pleasure meeting you. I hope to see you soon."
The young woman grinned. "Likewise, Jafar-san, Masrur-san. I'm sure that we'll see each other very soon."
Sinbad ran a hand through his long hair and it was almost unfair how good he looked just by doing that simple gesture. "Another appointment with that uptight, boring ginger…" He smirked. "Well, at least I have something to look forward to!"
Sakura raised an eyebrow. "And what would that be?"
"Our date of course! I'll pick you up on Friday at 7, after your shift ends."
"What? How do you even know when my shift ends?"
"Asked Tsunade to show me your schedule." he said, sending her a charming lopsided grin as he walked away before she had the chance to respond. "See you on Friday, princess!" He winked at her and waved with a wide smile playing on his lips before disappearing down the hallway that led to the exit.
Sakura stared after him with a dumbfounded look on her face long after his form had disappeared, making a few of her colleagues stare at her strangely. 'Who exactly is that man?' How could someone be so naturally charming? It was incredibly easy to forget that he was the founder and CEO of one of the leading companies in the world of Health Care Industries. That easy smile, sunny personality and annoyingly handsome face were completely unlike someone who had so many responsibilities resting on his shoulders. She had to admit that he was quite an interesting character, not to mention pretty damn hot in that suit. The young woman groaned inwardly. She was starting to sound a bit too much like her best friend...
Sakura smiled to herself. What do you know! She would have to cancel with Ino, after all….
THE END
Heh! Guess who's back? Not that I was absent for long for that matter…..XD I guess I just can't stay away from my keyboard when it comes to NarutoXMagi Crossovers. Also, I'm sick and I'm not allowed to go anywhere outside the house. I tried to sneak out just for a while yesterday. I didn't even make it to the door…..My mom was in another room but she still got wind of me! And to think that I was being stealthy! I swear, my mom's a psychic! I have A LOT of free time and very little to do with it so I spend most of my time writing. It's called "Alternative Cure", people… I thought I'd try something a bit different this time, so I placed the characters in an Alternate Universe and I must admit that I quite like the idea of it. If Sinbad and Sakura were to find themselves in a similar situation, I can definitely see their encounter playing out this way. I mean, 'Magi-Universe' Sinbad is already a big flirt, just imagine how he would be in our Modern World where flirting is as common as saying 'good morning'! I hope you enjoyed the one-shot! Tell me if you have any more requests. As I've already said, priority will be given to the pairing that was asked for by the majority. I hope to hear from you soon! Your reviews make me happy and give me even more drive to write so…..READN AND REVIEW!
Lots of love!