Chapter 08

Sakura sighed for the umpteenth time in the private washroom of Tobirama's office quarters. She examined her reflection again and frowned. This morning had been a close shave, so to speak.

She had not been expecting any of the Senju brothers to knock on her boss's door. And apparently this was a common occurrence. Not surprising though, given that only Hashirama out of the bunch was married, the other three single. And handsome.

She sighed again.

They also enjoyed her cooking. She was relieved the breakfast she set up was to their taste. Clearly, Senju men preferred traditional breakfasts opposed to Western-style. Or maybe it was just Tobirama. He had even asked for second helpings of rice and soup. He even looked like he wanted another grilled fish. That look on his face as he savoured the fish... ugh, Sakura would never be able to erase that image from her mind.

The man looked like he was in Heaven.

She wasn't sure if it was her cooking or the fish, but she was happy either way. She slapped her cheeks and watched her reflection procure a decent, professional smile before she exited the bathroom.

She had taken the liberty of pushing back all of his appointments for the morning and rescheduling the afternoon ones for later this week. Which earned her some approval from the stoic man. She pulled out her handy pocket watch and checked the time. It was almost time for Tobirama's last appointment of the day.

She knocked on her boss's door before entering, storing her pocket watch and pulling out the tablet. "Tobirama-sama, we need to leave in five minutes to get to the warehouse on time. I've already sent instructions to have the car ready, is there anything you need before we head out?" she waited patiently as he finished his task.

Tobirama looked up from the screen at his assistant, "A coffee and sandwich to go from the cafeteria on the 15th floor, please."

Sakura opened the order screen on her tablet and for the heck of it asked, "Black, no sugar. Fried cod burger, less tartar sauce, sir?" Tobirama looked mildly impressed before agreeing. Sakura placed the order and bowed politely, "I will pick up your lunch order and meet you downstairs in five minutes sir." He made a small noise of acknowledgment which Sakura took as a dismissal.

She packed away the necessary files in her briefcase and made her way downstairs to pick up his order. Chouji smiled and waved at her from the kitchen window. Sakura grinned and waved back, thanking Ayame at the counter for the order.

Yeah, basically everybody she knew worked in Konoha. It was almost ridiculous.

She made it to the parking lot before her boss did and had the door open and ready for him to slide in when he arrived. They belted themselves in and the driver took off to their last appointment.

Tobirama was scheduled to check out a new warehouse facility on the east side of town before it officially opened. A minor job to be done on Hashirama's behalf. While Tobirama quietly ate his lunch, Sakura continued to reply to all the emails in both their inboxes, occasionally interrupting his meal to ask for his final decision on certain matters.

They were just pulling up to the warehouse as she finished and sent off the last email. Tobirama glanced at her screen, he was impressed. Very few could accomplish emptying the entire inbox in one car ride halfway across the city.

When the car rolled to a stop, they exited, and Sakura thanked the driver who merely nodded back. They walked up to the giant building, and Tobirama looked pleased by its outward appearance at the very least. They entered through one of the side doors and began to quietly walk through the ground floor. Tobirama took his time examining the equipment and layout of the facility.

She followed quietly behind him, taking the chance to look around as well before her gaze landed on his back. She had to remain professional and in her Sakuya persona, but she couldn't help but stare at the man's back profile. His broad shoulders was what held her interest. She had learned a lot in the past when she worked at her friend's gym. She could tell what people's bodies were capable of just by looking at them.

They arrived at the end of their little tour in one of the large rooms, still void of equipment and furnishings. Perhaps the storage area for inventory. She peered around the room and up noting the exits and the mezzanine in one corner.

"Everything looks good. Sakuya, notify Hashirama and the Warehouse co-ordinator of my approval of the location so that they can finish setting up," Tobirama instructed as he turned to leave. "Yes sir," she responded as she pulled out her tablet. She unlocked the screen to access the mail application when her tablet flickered and died. "W-what the?" she stuttered as she poked at the screen, then the main button before trying to reboot the tablet.

"Is something wrong?" Tobirama looked back at his assistant. "Nothing to worry about," Sakura responded as she gave up on the tablet and pulled out her company smart phone instead. It was dead as well. "How can this be? They were fully charged minutes ago!" she was really confused before she calmed herself. It's not like this couldn't wait until they got back to the office. But it was weird that none of her tech was working.

Suddenly the door behind them slammed shut and multiple bolt locks could be heard clicking into place. Growing increasing alarmed, she stored all her tech and rushed to Tobirama's side, preparing herself for the worst case scenario. Apparently her boss had a similar idea in mind. They stilled themselves and listened, letting their eyes adjust to the darkness.

They heard multiple sets of feet move across the floor and the mezzanine. Tobirama and Sakura turned their backs to each other, arms up and ready. "I trust you can look after yourself?" he asked, already knowing the slimmer man was capable of doing so. Sakura muttered a confirmation before telling her boss to be careful.

And without any warning whatsoever, the culprits rushed as one.

x

Author's Note:

Dun dun dun. Why do these two keep landing themselves in sticky situations? Because my self-indulgence desires it so. Thought I'd get this in. Sorry for the long wait.