Chapter 2 – The Secretary
Sakura couldn't stop smiling as the memory from the night before kept playing in her mind over and over again. She still couldn't believe that Gaara had gone so out of his way for her. He had even pushed aside how he felt about public displays of affection and proposed to her in front of everyone! What would he have done if she had said no? Not that Sakura would have said no, but still.
Honestly, whenever Sakura had imagined him proposing to her (there was no point in pretending like she had never done it), she had always thought of it being just the two of them. It would have been romantic, yet still pretty simple at the same time. However, now, Sakura couldn't imagine a more perfect way than last night. Gaara knew her so well.
Although he tried not to, Gaara had woken her up this morning when leaving for work. It wasn't his fault. If she had been anyone else, she never would have woken up. Since it was her, however, Sakura had woken up the moment she felt him get out of bed. It hadn't always been that way. Before everything that had happened, Sakura had slept like the dead and it had been close to impossible waking her up.
It was the weekend, so she thankfully didn't have to be up and out so early. In a way Sakura felt sorry for Gaara. Being the president of a company was stressful and he only got one day a week off and spent most of that day sleeping. Both Temari and Kankuro helped out as much as they could and were there almost as much as Gaara, but they still couldn't do half of the things he had to do.
Grabbing her laptop, Sakura leaned back against the sofa and sighed, switching it on as she did. There was a gentle breeze coming through the opened doors of the balcony, making her feel relaxed and allowing Ao to come in and out as he pleased. Right now, he was settling for sleeping out on the balcony. She and Gaara only ever opened those doors – or unlocked them – when either one or both of them was in the living room, which was where the balcony doors were. Yes, it would be extremely difficult for somebody to climb up to their balcony, especially since they were so high up, but it wasn't impossible and it was better to be safe than to be sorry.
Her fingers tapped the keys of her laptop impatiently, trying to remember what her password was to her email account. It was like this almost every single time she tried to log in when it had been a while and it never failed to annoy her. Gaara knew her password just in case she could never remember it, but it was embarrassing having to ask him for it. She growled with annoyance, setting the laptop down onto the coffee table and moving over to the entertainment unit, turning on the docking station. It was silent for a few moments before music started to play and she surprised for a moment that it wasn't one of her CDs playing, but one of Gaara's. He rarely ever had time to just sit around listening to music anymore.
Now it seems I'm fading
All my dreams are not worth saving
I've done my share of waiting
And I've still got nowhere else to go
So I wait for you to
Take me all the way
Take me all the way
Sakura had grown to love Three Days Grace, whereas previously she only liked a few of their songs. Her favourite song by them was definitely 'Never Too Late' or 'Wake Up', but she liked this song too.
Seems you're wanting me to stay
But my dreams would surely waste away
And I still have nowhere else to go
So I wait for you to
Take me all the way
Take me all the way…
Looking through their large collection of music, Sakura bit her lip, her finger running along the cases. After a moment, however, she sighed and stood up straight, placing her hands on her hips as she frowned at the CD cases. Ever get that feeling that something blatantly obvious was staring right at you, yet you can't see it? Sakura had that feeling.
Push me under
Pull me further
Take me all the way
Take me all the way
Push me under
Pull me further
Take me all the way
Take me all the way
Her eyes narrowed further, trying to think until suddenly, her eyes widened as they fell on a certain CD case. God she was so ditzy sometimes! Running over to her laptop, she sat down and typed in her password, grinning to herself as she was immediately allowed access to her email account. It was so obvious that it would have had something to do with her favourite band, Thirty Seconds To Mars. It was probably why she had set it in the first place.
Now it seems you're leaving
But we've only just begun
And you've still got nowhere else to go
So I wait for you to
Take me all the way
Take me all the way
There wasn't anything too special in her inbox, but then again, this wasn't her email account for her column in Ino's magazine. This was her private account, that only her friends and family knew about. There were also a few subscriptions, though Sakura couldn't recall a time when she had actually read any of them. Well, except from when she was ordering from online stores, that was.
Push me under
Pull me further
Take me all the way
Take me all the way
Push me under
Pull me further
Take me all the way
Take me all the way
Once again standing, Sakura made her way over to the kitchen and grabbed a drink, quickly running back into the living room and back to her laptop. From the balcony, she saw Ao raise his head and regard her with what Sakura presumed as confusion, but she ignored him and logged into her other email account. That password was always easy to remember as it was pretty simple. Not only that, but it was connected to her personal account thanks to Sai.
And I've been waiting so long
And I've been waiting so long
And I've been waiting so long
So I wait for you to
Take me all the way
Unlike her other account, there were hundreds of emails. This was the part Sakura disliked the most. She hated that she could only choose six to reply to. Yes, she could reply via email, but Ino had been pretty strict when she told her not to, saying that it would take too much of her time and quite possibly stress her out.
Push me under
Pull me further
Take me all the way
Take me all the way
Push me under
Pull me further
Take me all the way
Take me all the way
Ever since the blonde had agreed to try and be friends once again, they had become much better friends than they ever were before. Sure, there were times when Sakura knew for a fact that Ino hadn't forgiven her completely and there were possibly even times when she questioned Ino's trust in her, but there was nothing Sakura could about it. It was her own fault, after all.
And I've been waiting so long
And I've been waiting so long
And I've been waiting so long
So I wait for you to
Take me all the way
Take me all the way
Switching off her music, Sakura got to opening emails and choosing which six to reply to. It wasn't via email that she replied to the person. No, she copied their questions, pasted them into a word document and then underneath, she typed up her reply before sending the document to the editor, who then did whatever she did to make it look pretty.
Dear Sakura,
I was just recently diagnosed with a mental illness – schizophrenia. None of my friends know yet and I'm not sure how to tell them. How can I explain it to them without gaining their pity?
Akane, aged sixteen.
Sakura sighed, her fingers once again dancing over the keys before typing out her reply.
Dear Akane,
There is no easy way to tell people about being mentally ill, so until you feel more comfortable, stick to telling those who you can truly trust to be there for you when times get rough. As for not gaining their pity, I'm afraid there's always going to be pity, even if it is only just the smallest amount of it. Don't feel upset or angry with them, though. They're concerned for you and don't want anything bad to happen to you. If it helps any, I never regret my decision to tell my loved ones about my mental illness.
Good luck,
Sakura.
She got a lot of those kinds of emails, asking how they should tell their friends, when would be the most appropriate time to do so and where.
Dear Sakura,
My partner has recently been undergoing tests and examinations to see whether he is mentally unstable or not. Lately there has been a bit of a struggle and I was worried as to whether or not he was possibly suffering from a mental disorder. I want to be there for him, but I'm not sure how to go about that. Sometimes I feel like if I say the wrong thing, I'm going to lose him and that's the last thing I want.
Anonymous.
For a moment, she bit her lip unsurely before finally replying.
Dear Anonymous,
There will always be that uncertainty. I'm not entirely sure on how you're feeling, but I know that sometimes, my partner often feels the same way. What we do is we sit down and he asks me how I'm feeling. My reactions often vary depending on how stressed or down I'm feeling. Sometimes I get defensive and moody and other times, I open up to him without a problem. However, he understands me well enough by now to somewhat know what to expect when he receives certain reactions.
All I can say is watch your partner closely and observe them – although not too closely, as I can tell you from experience that it is not a welcome feeling – and if you feel like he is having a calm day, a good day, sit down and talk to him. Open up to him and tell him you want to help him, but make sure you make him understand that he needs to open up to you in return and that you're not going to leave him when times get tough. That's what he will need right now. Even if he's coming across as defensive and angry, or downright hostile, just speak calmly (yet not patronizingly) and help him calm down. I find that music helps soothe me when I'm feeling especially agitated. Make him see that no matter what, you're there for him. You're not going to let the fact that he is – or may be – mentally unstable destroy your relationship or cause you to drift apart.
I hope it all goes well for you both!
Sakura.
It didn't take her long to finish her emails and when she had, Sakura glanced up at the clock, her eyebrows raising as she saw the time. It was almost half eleven! Gaara would be having his lunch break in about an hour. Should she bring him lunch? Sakura smiled to herself. Yes, that sounded quite nice, actually.
Switching off her laptop and putting it away, Sakura got up and whistled for Ao to come back inside. Once he had, she closed and locked the balcony doors before going into her bedroom, getting changed into a plain black dress. It reached mid–thigh and had long sleeves as well as a high neckline. Because of how tired she looked from the night before, Sakura put on a little bit of makeup, evening out her complexion with foundation before applying mascara and a little eyeliner. There was no harm in making an effort, right? After she had put on a little lipstick, Sakura got to straightening her hair before running her fingers through it a couple of times, giving it more volume.
Once she was dressed, she glanced at the clock, her eyes widening in surprise as she saw it was already five minutes past twelve. Damn, she had better hurry up! Quickly slipping on a pair of nude, four inch heels, Sakura darted out of the room, only pausing to grab her phone, car keys and purse to shove them all in a bag.
"I'll be back in about an hour, Ao!" she told the dog on her way out. "Be a good boy and I'll take you out for a walk when I get back."
She'd take him out for a walk anyway, but still.
Locking the door behind her, Sakura turned around and was about to run over to the elevator, only to freeze when she spotted somebody staring at her. Her fright faded though when she saw the blond hair and single blue eye. "Deidara!" she sighed, her hand raising to her chest over her pounding heart. "You scared me! What are you doing just standing out here?"
About a month or so after she and Gaara had moved in, Deidara and his friend had moved into the condo across from them. At first, Gaara had been angry when he saw who Deidara lived with. It turned out that Deidara's friend was Gaara's distant cousin, though she never really learned why he didn't like Sasori. Honestly, she wasn't even sure that Gaara knew why he didn't like the guy. It just seemed like he disliked Sasori for the sake of it.
She and Deidara had become quite good friends, although not as close as her, Sasuke and Naruto, or her and Itachi.
Deidara shrugged one shoulder, his head resting back against the door. "I was just about to go out. What about you, yeah? Going somewhere important?"
"Yeah," she smiled brightly, "I'm going to have lunch with Gaara. He's been working so hard lately and after last night…"
"Congratulations, yeah." he told, his eyes looking down at her engagement ring. "Sasori and I didn't have a chance to say it last night. You seemed a little busy."
"Thanks." Sakura replied, though she was a little impatient now. It was quarter past twelve and it would take her at least ten minutes to get to the Sabaku Corporation, maybe even longer depending on the traffic. "Well, I've got to go now, so I'll speak to you later!"
Fortunately, traffic wasn't bad. If anything the roads were pretty empty, which surprised her. Whilst on her way to his office, Sakura had picked up Gaara's favourite takeout, smiling happily to herself as she made her way to the elevator, though thanking one of the workers for pushing the button for her, since her hands were full. He made polite conversation with her, congratulating her on her and Gaara's engagement when he spotted the ring and wishing her the best for the future. His words only made her smile grow.
Nothing could bring her mood down today.
Finally on Gaara's floor, she made her way towards his office with her head held high, her hips swaying and her heels clicking against the floor. The only reason she was acting so confident was because of that… thing… sitting at the receptionist desk.
"Matsuri."
The brunette looked up, disgust obvious in her eyes as she caught sight of Sakura. "Gaara–sama's busy right now. He doesn't have time for you."
Sakura placed the takeout bag on the desk, ignoring the look she received from Matsuri. Nobody and nothing was going to bring down her mood! It had always been this way with Matsuri, ever since she had been hired. The girl had been Temari's secretary at first (though only for a month), but when Gaara took over, she became his since it would take far too long for him to find another. Matsuri hated Sakura and Sakura couldn't even deny that the feeling was mutual.
"Oh?" Sakura raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "Is that why he called me only a few moments ago?"
He hadn't called her. In fact, he didn't even know that she was here, but Matsuri didn't need to know that, did she?
Matsuri's eyes narrowed. "Listen, Gaara–sama's very stressed with work right now and he doesn't–"
She cut herself off as Sakura nonchalantly raised her left hand, placing it down onto the desk and leaning forward, her green eyes narrowing dangerously. "No, you listen. If I want to see my fiancé, then you can't stop me."
"F–Fiancé?" Matsuri stuttered, her eyes wide. "B–But when did he… When–"
"When did he propose to me?" Sakura finished for her, not even feeling guilty for causing the girl distress. She had been trying for far too long to split her and Gaara up. "Last night, at the surprise party he threw for my birthday."
Not even bothering to wait for a reply, Sakura once again picked up the takeout and walked towards Gaara's office, failing at trying to hide her smirk of satisfaction when she entered the room. Gaara seemed surprised to see her, though his eyes narrowed at the look on her face, knowing exactly what she had just been doing to his secretary. He didn't yell at her for it, though. There was no point. Sakura would still do it the next time she came by.
"I brought you lunch." she smiled at him, walking over to him and when Gaara pushed his chair out from under the desk, Sakura sat in his lap, pressing her lips to his in a chaste kiss.
Placing his hand on her lower back to keep her there, Gaara breathed deeply, only barely hiding the fact that he was starving. "You didn't have to do that."
Sakura only shook her head, still smiling as she stood up and passed him his lunch before sitting in the chair opposite him. "If I didn't, you would be a skeleton by now. Really, Gaara, you should try to take at least one short break during the day to have something to eat. I can't marry you if you die of starvation!"
He merely smirked, tucking into the meal his fiancée had brought for him. She always fussed over his health.
It was only twenty minutes later that Sakura was once again seated on his lap and kissing him, although this time, she was straddling him, her hands were in his hair and her breathing was heavy. Gaara was no different, really. His breathing was just as heavy as he held her hips tightly, pushing her down over his growing arousal.
They both knew that this was not the time or place to be doing such things, but they hardly cared. It was Gaara's lunch break and nobody ever came to his office during that time, knowing that there was a chance of Sakura being there. Well, nobody except for Matsuri, but Sakura had taken his mind off the little tart sitting outside. Damn she really hated that girl! Anyway, it wasn't like they had never had sex in his office before. In fact, on the day he became president of the company, Gaara had had her pinned against the wall and bent over his desk, screaming his name.
A knock on his door made Gaara sigh with annoyance whilst Sakura growled. Despite not wanting to, she pulled away and Gaara rolled his chair under his desk to hide the fact that he was turned on. Instead of moving to the other side of his desk, though, Sakura merely stayed by his side, sitting half on and half off the desk. She was facing Gaara, although if she turned her head to the side, she would have a perfect view of whoever had dared to interrupt them.
Why wasn't she surprised when Matsuri came in?
And why wasn't she surprised when she saw the brunette holding a plate of, what looked like, chocolate cake? The girl clearly didn't know Gaara at all! He wasn't a big fan of sweet things, preferring spicy food instead.
"Gaara–sama," Matsuri smiled brightly, ignoring that Sakura was sat beside him until she noticed their dishevelled appearances, making something that looked a lot like hatred flash through her eyes, although Gaara didn't see it because he was too busy trying to ignore the fact Sakura's right foot was stroking his leg sensually and by the time he met Matsuri's eyes, the hatred was gone. "I made you some cake."
He didn't know what to say and when Sakura noticed, she barely held back her snort of laughter, making Gaara shoot her a warning look. "Thank you, Matsuri."
The girl's smile brightened even further as she placed the plate onto his desk. Sakura almost pitied the girl, almost. Matsuri seemed to think that because Gaara had silently told Sakura to be nice, that he was doing it because he liked her. She was wrong. He was doing it to stop a fight from breaking out, to save himself the trouble of having to break it up. Shikamaru was a bad influence, even if he and Gaara only spoke when Temari brought him with her to visit.
When Matsuri didn't leave, Gaara looked up at her impassively. "Is there anything else?"
"Yes, Gaara–sama!" she told him, her dark eyes sparkling as she held back a victorious grin. "You're next meeting has been brought forward and you will need to be there in five minutes."
Sakura's eyes narrowed dangerously, knowing exactly what Matsuri had done. "Oi! Gaara needs a rest, even if it is only for an hour. If he doesn't rest, then he'll get stressed and–"
"Sakura, it's fine." he told her, sighing as he stood up.
When she noticed that he was no longer aroused, Sakura pouted. "Fine, fine."
Also standing, Sakura held onto his arm as she put her heels back on, using him to keep her steady. Once done, she turned towards the plate of chocolate cake, eyeing it warily for a moment before shrugging and grabbing a piece, popping it into her mouth.
Only to spit out the pieces she hadn't swallowed half a minute later.
"What the hell is in that thing?" Sakura demanded, her stomach churning as she tasted the awful after taste.
Quickly grabbing Gaara's drink that was on his desk, she gulped it down, trying to stop herself from gagging. She was only vaguely aware of Gaara's worried expression. No, right now, Sakura was more concerned with what Matsuri had tried to give her fiancé. Putting down the drink, Sakura glared at the girl, making Matsuri back up a couple of steps with wide eyes. Despite never liking one another, Sakura had never so openly showed her hatred, especially not in front of Gaara.
"Matsuri." Gaara's eyes narrowed as he turned to the brunette, knowing for a fact that Sakura wasn't playing it up, especially as he noticed she was just about holding down the contents of her stomach. Sakura had only thrown up once during the past year of living together and that was when she had eaten bad takeout. "What is in that cake?"
"Nothing, I swear!" she stammered, her eyes widening even further.
Taking a deep breath, Sakura slowly exhaled, happy that the moment of sickness seemed to have passed. "I'm fine, now." she told Gaara, who was watching her with barely concealed worry. Picking up the plate, she brought it to her nose, smelling the chocolate warily. It smelled disgusting. "Don't eat any of it, Gaara. It tastes like ass."
With that said, she dumped the plate into the bin before kissing his cheek, telling him that she'll see him at home before leaving.
A/N - Ugh. Matsuri. It's no secret that I hate her, right? Good.
I'm getting another tattoo on Saturday! So excited. It's another kanji that'll be on my right wrist and it's going to say 'passion', so when I put my wrists together, it'll say 'passion' and 'love'.
The response for last chapter was great! I was expecting like two or three reviews since it's a new story and whatnot, but I was honestly surprised when I saw that I got seven! Thank you all so much and I hope I don't disappoint any of you! :-)
Oh. Two people from college know my fanfiction username. If you're both reading this, please don't judge me! I'm perfectly normal and sane!
...I think.
HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! :-)
