In Which Kushina Accepts the Offer
"So he offered you a job?" Fuka asked as she drowned another cup of sake. Kushina nodded as she twirled the porcelain cup in her hand, her cheek resting on her hand which was propped up by her elbow. Next to her was Mikoto, dressed in her work attire and her hair pulled back in a neat bun. Out of the three of them, Mikoto looked the most sober.
"Yeah," Kushina grumbled, "his student or something needs a secretary."
Fuka snorted and poured herself another cup of sake, "Sounds a little kooky to me."
Mikoto giggled at that. Kushina wasn't amused. In fact, since she talked to Jiraiya she's been seriously considering accepting his offer. She needed more money to pay all her bills and working with Utatane was starting to get on her nerves. The woman was strict, poised and punctual and it was hard for the carefree red head to keep up.
"Let's change the subject," Kushina groaned, she shifted her attention to Fuka, who was slurping on her booze, "how's Fugu-face doing?"
Fuka slammed her cup on the table and burst out laughing, "'Fuka, do this, Fuka, do that'. He's driving me insane, but I'll live."
"That's a first," Mikoto stated, "you're always complaining how he's going to murder you."
Fuka chuckled and raised her hand in the air to motion the waitress over. The pub they were visiting was busy, but they liked the crowd and music to let out some steam. Fuka refilled her cup as soon a fresh bottle of sake arrived, but Kushina turned down the offer. She already felt tipsy.
"There's this new recruit," Fuka whispered. Mikoto and Kushina glanced at each other.
"Here we go again," Kushina sighed.
Fuka scoffed, "I'm serious! His name is Kazuma...and fuck, is he hot!"
"You say that until you get him in bed," Kushina stated, "then you'll be bored."
"Nah," Fuka grinned, "I think this one's a keeper. Sorry, but I'm going to have to ditch our weekly Ichiraku date – I have a man to catch."
"Traitor!" Kushina growled. Fuka smiled like an angel. Mikoto rolled her eyes.
Fuka lifted her porcelain cup into the air, "To our fucked up lives!"
"You're drunk, aren't you?" Kushina asked. Fuka merely shrugged.
Kushina awoke to the shrilling echo of her alarm clock. Mumbling incoherent words under her breath, Kushina slammed her hand on her bedside table to eliminate the sound. She rolled over and dug herself deep under the covers. Her head was pounding.
"I'm leaving for work now," Mikoto called from the living area. Kushina merely groaned in response. The front door opened and then shut. Kushina sighed. Peace and quiet. Perfect.A few minutes ticked by and then Kushina bolt up. She glanced at her alarm clock and then sighed in relief.
'I have the day off,' she reminded herself. Satisfied, Kushina crawled back into bed. She has to sleep this hangover off. Kushina made a mental note to never go drinking with Fuka again when a new man is involved. All Fuka did was talk about this guy Kazuma and with it she drowned at least ten bottles of booze. It was terrible.
Kushina rolled over on her back and sighed as she stared at the ceiling. She should probably contact Jiraiya and let him know that she wanted to take up on his offer. A change of scenery might do her good. Kushina was a care free spirit who liked change. Being committed to one thing for a long time eventually became old news.
Distinctively remembering spotting a misplaced card in her wallet, Kushina grabbed her wallet and opened it. She pulled out the foreign looking card and blinked. It was Jiraiya's business card. The little sneak! Kushina scrunched her nose as she read the details.
Jiraiya of the Sannin
Information Broker
Kushina quirked an eyebrow. Information broker? No wonder he knew so much about her! It was his job to snoop around in others' lives and private matters! He got paid to do it! Kushina snickered. Somehow the job suited him perfectly. Kushina flipped the card over, expecting a plain background only to be bombarded with large pink bubble letters and a very perverted picture.
Icha Icha Series by the legendary Jiraiya! On sale now!
Kushina felt her eyebrow twitch. She knew about the Icha Icha series...Jiraiya was the author? She snickered again. Yet another job that suits the old man. Kushina grabbed her cell phone and quickly slipped the phone open and dialed Jiraiya's number.
After several rings, the answering machine came through, 'All cute girls please leave your phone number and name and I will get back to you as soon as possible!'
Kushina's eyebrow twitched again. Did this guy breathe women or something? He was probably the most outrageous pervert she has encountered in her life – and she has encountered many. Annoyed that the old man wasn't answering, Kushina tossed her phone on her bed and slumped to the kitchen to find something decent to eat. While she threw a few ingredients into a frying pan, she quickly searched for the aspirin to relieve her aching head.
Kushina was washing the dishes after her breakfast when her phone rang. She dashed to her room, her hands wet and covered in soap. She quickly flipped her phone open.
"Hello?" she breathed.
"Uzumaki," came Koharu's voice from the other side of the line. Kushina felt like slumping into a bundle on the floor. She was hoping Jiraiya was calling her back so that she can discuss business, but no, the person who called her had to be her employer. Kushina quickly straightened.
"How may I help Mrs Utatane?" Kushina asked.
The old woman snorted, "There are two men here who have requested your presence. I advise that you come here at once. Do not keep us waiting!"
Then the line went dead. Kushina quirked an eyebrow as she stared at her phone. Right...
Kushina cursed under her breath, then jumped for the shower.
Kushina arrived at the office at least half an hour later. She scurried past the receptionist, who quickly grabbed her things and instructed that Koharu was waiting for her in her office. It was strange to be treated like she was an important guest by the receptionist, but then again it was her day off.
"You better hurry," the receptionist mumbled as she helped Kushina out of her coat, "the man who came in looked really...strange."
Kushina furrowed her brows. Just what kind of man was this person who was supposedly looking for her? The receptionist quickly ushered Kushina to Koharu's office, opened the door and allowed Kushina to step inside.
"Ms Uzumaki has arrived," the receptionist announced.
"Finally!" Koharu barked. Kushina rolled her eyes. The old woman will never change. The receptionist bowed and then closed the door. Kushina shifted her gaze to the desk, where Koharu sat proudly with two men sitting before her desk. The one had spiky white hair which Kushina recognized instantly.
"Jiraiya!" Kushina growled as she stomped towards him, "I called you, you sick old man! Did you answer? No!"
Jiraiya laughed while rubbing the back of his head, "I forgot my phone at home today."
Kushina rolled her eyes. Of course he did.
Koharu cleared her throat, "Ms Uzumaki, your manners!"
Kushina was about to protest that Jiraiya doesn't deserve manners until she spotted the other man who was now behind her. That spiky blonde hair...those blue eyes that watched her with an amused tingle. Kushina froze and felt her blood run cold.
"Well shit," Kushina muttered, causing Koharu to gasp.
"Uzumaki!" Koharu scolded, "I apologize for her rashness, Minato."
The blonde laughed, "Ms Shoes-Have-Feelings, right? I was surprised when Sensei told me he found a replacement for my secretary...who would have thought it was you!"
Kushina stared horrified at the Prime Minister. Did she see correctly? Did she hear right? What was he doing here? After what happened the other night with their little 'meeting' Kushina had decided that she never wanted to see the man again. Ever. Not even on TV. But, as usual karma hated her.
Silence enveloped the room until Jiraiya cleared his throat. Koharu snapped out of her daze and nodded, "Have a seat Uzumaki."
Kushina complied without a word.
"You are probably wondering why Minato is here, right?" Koharu asked. Kushina nodded, her eyes still wide. She glanced at Minato from the corner of her eye. He was smiling pleasantly. Kushina scrunched her nose.
'Stupid flake,' she thought to herself.
"Well," Koharu continued, "Jiraiya here was explaining to me that he offered you a job! Girl, I never knew you had such fine resources in the political world! You should have told me earlier, I would have promoted you on the spot! Anyway, enough of that, from next week you will be Minato's personal secretary."
Kushina snapped from her daze, "Whoa whoa whoa, back up! Your favorite student is him?" Kushina pointed at Minato while shooting a very dirty look in Jiraiya's direction.
"I thought you knew?" Jiraiya stated, "he was the one who picked up your wallet."
Kushina's eyebrow twitched. How could she have been so foolish? Why didn't she realize sooner? Stupid karma.
"So," Kushina whipped her head to face Minato, "you're the shy student?"
When a blush crept to the Prime Minister's cheeks, Kushina felt her insides dance in victory. Kushina – 1 Minato – 0.
Koharu cleared her throat, "Enough, Uzumaki! Do you accept the offer?"
"Huh?" Kushina gaped, then she remembered why she was here and she quickly gathered her bearings, "I wouldn't say I like this arrangement, considering that the old man hid the factor of who my employer would be, but I accept the offer."
"Excellent!" Koharu exclaimed.
Jiraiya snorted, "Just wait Kushina, you'll see what a great man Minato is!"
This time Minato spoke, "Sensei, stop it. You're just going to regret-" Minato was unable to finish his sentence for Kushina's fist had already collided with Jiraiya's jaw.
Jiraiya groaned and rubbed his jaw, "Damn, you have strength that rivals Tsunade."
"Alright, Uzumaki," Koharu warned, "that's enough. You can beat up the pervert later."
Kushina had to hold back the urge to giggle at Koharu's statement. The Utatane Koharu just called someone a pervert! Kushina grinned. Looks like karma loved her again. Kushina turned to face Minato again.
"Well, I guess I look forward to working with you," Kushina muttered, "I'm Uzumaki Kushina."
"I know," Minato stated, which caused the red head to glare at him, "er, I look forward to working with you too, I'm Namikaze Minato."
"I know," Kushina mocked. This time it was Minato's turn to glare. Kushina snickered. Kushina – 2 Minato – 0.