Sasuke was angry. Angry at Naruto for putting him down like that in front of their whole firm, for being forced to work with his mistress! For accommodating her in the office right across from his, where he couldn't help but to stare at her all throughout the day; He was also angry at himself for choosing glass panels when decorating the firm, making said visibility possible, and perhaps at his own inability (or reluctance) to close his curtains to stop it.
He was exhausted, he barely had any sleep the night before. Her teary face came to him every time he attempted to close his eyes, saying please don't leave over and over. Images of the nights they spent together in their youth, fumbling around each other, full of inexperience and desire came to him, causing him bodily reactions he didn't really want to have, and making the couch where he slept incredibly uncomfortable. Other images started to fill his mind after, images of his friend fisting a handful of pink locks from behind while be grunted against her. It was nauseating really.
He remembered Sakura as a pure little thing, who didn't even dare to make excuses to her parents to be able to spend more time with her boyfriend because it was dishonest, and liars were the worst kind of people. And now there she was, having an affair, ruining a marriage between two of the best people Sasuke had ever met.
And really what other explanation could there be for all the special treatment? Naruto was that kind of person, he knew. Overly friendly and generous, but he'd never seen him been so extremely affectionate with anyone other than his wife.
He would have to go speak to her soon enough, if there were going to be working on the case. It was almost 5pm and there she was seated on top of her desk, her short dressed rising even higher showing up her creamy long legs, gossiping away with Yamanaka as she had done the entire day. Sasuke decided he couldn't waste more time in other people's indiscretions, he had work to do, so he walked to her office, briefcase in hand and said "Sakura with me now, Yamanaka I need the prosecutors list of witness for the case before you leave for the day" and continued walking toward the elevator without looking back to see if she'd followed.
Sakura grabbed her purse and hurried to him. "Where are we going, boss?" She asked squeezing in between the closing elevator doors he hadn't bothered to hold for her.
"Coffee" he answered coldly.
Once the doors closed, she leaned her back against the wall, crossing her arms in front of her chest and said "Listen Sasuke... I ... I don't know if you remember, but... back in high school I was..."
"Why wouldn't I remember?" He interrupted. Of course, anyone would be perfectly able to remember their teenage sweetheart of 4 years, even if it was a whole decade later, barring an aneurysm or something.
"I just... thought... you didn't seem to recognize..."
"Do you always stutter this much now? It's annoying" Sasuke said rudely. Looking to his phone to avoid looking at what he knew would be a blushed, indignant, Sakura. He stepped outside right as the doors opened.
Instead of taking a place in line to order, Sasuke sat down at a table, pulling out documents from his briefcase and organizing them into piles. I thought we came for coffee... Sakura thought, standing in front of him, fidgeting with her bag.
"I'm going to get a latte; would you like anything?" She asked.
The raven-haired man didn't even look up as he said. "Coffee, black"
Okay Mr Arrogant. She thought, dragging herself to the task on hand.
Sakura returned quickly with two coffee cups, and a cupcake in a small paper bag, which for lack additional hands, she had to carry with her teeth.
The table was completely covered in piles of documents by then, no space so that she could set down the cups.
Ignoring her predicament, he started. "Court starts tomorrow at 8am sharp, be there early, judge Hatake is presiding, he has a hatred for impunctuality that rivals my own, so don't be trying to pull things like this morning" which was a lie, of course, judge Hatake was notorious for his constant tardiness.
And just how did he know I was late? She thought. He wasn't there was he? The small paper bag was starting to slip past her teeth by then, still not able to put the cups down.
"I need 4 chronologically organized sets of copies of every document in this table, bound in different folders with cover sheets" He could've easily have asked his assistant to do the work, maybe if he'd been able to concentrate at all that day he would have, but he was forced to take a second chair and he wasn't going to give her an important task just because she was hooking up with his friend. If anything, he'd do the opposite. Give her the most menial task he can think of, to keep her occupied enough to stay out of his case.
She noodled quickly in response, forgetting for a second about the bag she was biting down on. It only took that one second, the cupcake bag slipped past her lips, she instinctively tried to stop, swinging her entire arm to the side to prevent it from hitting the table, she didn't want the original documents covered in frosting, but of course, her hand was already occupied, the sudden movement causing the cup to spill piping hot coffee right on Sasuke's chest.
"What the F... arrrg " he gritted his teeth as the scalding liquid hurt like hell. He stood up quickly trying to separate his drenched shirt from making contact with his skin.
"I'm so sorry Sasuke-kun!" Pulling out a handkerchief from her purse and pressing it to his chest and stomach, trying to at least soak up some of the offending liquid. "I was just trying to..."
He glared at her, taking the handkerchief from her hand abruptly. "Save it" Sasuke said between his gritted teeth. He grabbed his suitcase and walked away, leaving a mortified Sakura behind.
He didn't return. After an hour passed it became evident, he wasn't coming back, so she went back to offices to complete the work he had ordered her to do. The lights were out and the offices completely empty. Sakura couldn't help but to cuss at herself internally for what a terrible first day she just had.
X
Sasuke walked into his apartment to his wife and Suigetsu, one of the paralegals of the office, sharing a drink on the kitchen table. A common event at the residence.
"Hey Sasuke, looking terrible today, what happened to ya?" Said the white-haired man, grinning like an idiot at the sight of the usually immaculate Sasuke, stained in coffee.
"Spilled coffee" he offered no more explanations in return. He simply walked into the bedroom grabbed a fresh shirt and went toward his home office.
He paid no attention to his wife, who did not acknowledge his entry either. She was dress in boxers and a thin white tank top, and Suigetsu thought that any other man would be angered at the scene of his wife scantily dressed in such company, no matter what the state of the relationship.
He couldn't even begin to feel guilty for ogling at his friends wife.
It should be pointed out that Karin was an attractive woman, red fiery hair, voluptuous, he noted how thin the material of her shirt was, leaving nothing to the imagination. It was no secret Suigetsu had a thing for her, and the fact that she only had eyes for Sasuke, at least in the past, only made him want her more.
Karin said nothing as she prepared some tea and offered Suigetsu a cup with a gentle smile on her face. He knew her very well, from before and after Sasuke, and gentle smiles where not exactly Karin's thing. And from her attitude towards him, the way she carried herself, and the blankets and pillows in the couch inside Sasuke's office, he determined with certainty that Karin hadn't had sex in a very long time. That thought definitely made him smile.
X
Sasuke walked confidently inside court room number 10, exactly 30 minutes before the scheduled trial, which meant he should still have about an hour before Judge Kakashi deigned to show up, he was expecting to find it empty. He almost twisted his neck when a light shade of pink caught his eye.
She was seated on what was supposed to be his chair, leaned back as fair as the chair would go with her legs rested on the table. She smiled enthusiastically at him upon seeing him, said. "Morning boss" and handed him a cup.
"I'm not your boss" he said taking the offered cup with distrust and standing next her and waiting for her to move.
"Sure... listen Sasuke, I'm sorry about yesterday" she said lowering her legs at the same time and moving to the adjacent chair.
"Hn" he sat next to her. "Where are folders I requested"
"Here" Sakura answered, handing him one folder instead of the four he'd requested. "I did you one better and figured you were asking for them to submit to the plaintiff, the judge and records, so I sent them this morning, this is your copy, please note the index and numbered pages I created for accessibility"
"Hn... how obsequious of you" He answered unimpressed.
Sakura knew what he was trying to pull. She figured he would try to give her tasks, that one would consider to be beneath her, until she decided to give up being second chair to his case. He wasn't happy about her presence, and made no secret of it at the meeting, and she wasn't exactly thrilled to be working with him. But she'd be damned if she walked away from a case because of a man.
"Also... I was studying up on your strategy, and I think it's very good, but I think we should focus I but more on the ..."
He didn't allow her to finish. "I don't need advice from beginners"
Jerk. She thought but she held her tongue. She didn't know how long Sasuke had been working on this case, but he must know what he is doing, he was always the most competent person she knew.
The trail started, and Sasuke seemed to be dominating, exuding confidence as he walked in front of the jury. Everything about him screamed I know what I'm doing. From his exemplary posture, to his perfectly tailored dark suit, to his eloquence in questioning the witness. He ended his questioning and gave a little smile to the jury, half of which was already smitten with the handsome raven-haired attorney.
Taking full advantage of his looks huh. He never used to do that when younger, he always seemed to consider the attention his looks attracted unwanted and annoying. I guess whatever helps you win the case, right?
Even the plaintiff's attorney seemed to be infatuated with the dark-haired man, she blushed when he looked at her on the way back to his seat.
"No more questions for this witness your honor" Sasuke said as he sat down. Fully confident that his line of questioning went exactly on the direction he planned for the case.
"Ammm actually I have a couple of questions for the witness, if I may..." Sakura announced for the judge.
"You May... Miss?" Judge Hakate said, eying the pinkette attorney, who stood up nervously.
Sasuke's eyes were wide. He looked at her menacingly and said. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" His voice almost a whisper, his arm moved to stop her.
"Trust me okay?" Sakura answered to him.
"No!" he whispered. But she roughly shook off his hand that had grabbed her by her blazer. And then to the judge, "Haruno Sakura, your honor"
Sasuke was pissed, she looked back at him after walking passed him and towards the podium, his eyes almost had a tint of red, he was so angry.
"Doctor... please explain one more time, why is it that Doctor Senju's procedure to restart the patient's heart once it had stopped is out of the norm" Sakura asked, addressing the Hospital Board director that Sasuke had questioned mere seconds before.
"Well the standard procedure is to use a defibrillator, continuing CPR and oxygen intubation, until either the patient is either stable or irreversible cessation of the heartbeat is determined. Senju ceased CPR after less than 2 minutes, and proceeded use a scalpel to open the patient's chest cavity, inserting her entire hand, and pumped the patient's heart by hand"
The jury and the crowd gasped at his crude explanation.
"But it saved the patient's life did it not?"
Sakura said, eyeing the plaintiff seated next to her attorney.
"Technically yes, but it's a highly risky technique, less than 5% survival rate, and in this case unnecessary, as I covered at length with your colleague just a few seconds ago, I think it was Tsunade's ego wanting to prove herself a better doctor"
"Yes, thank you I heard" She gave him a kind smile, and looked over to Sasuke, who was still scowling at her. Obviously working as a team was something new to him.
"So, let's go back to the beginning, Ms. Terumi wanted the surgery to enhance her breasts, something went wrong with the anesthesia, and she entered into cardiac arrest" Sakura said addressing the jury in a light tone, and then turned to the witness one more time. "Of course, any procedure that requires general anesthesia comes with its risks, it's common knowledge and disclosed in advance with the patient before the surgery. And rather than let her patient, and may I say friend, die, Doctor Tsunade determined it would be best to save her life even if it left Ms. Tekumi with an unsightly scar, I mean, if this is not a frivolous lawsuit I don't know what is, wouldn't you agree doctor?"
Sasuke was impressed, even if he tried to push the thought to the back of his head, she had deviated from his strategy, taken over his case! but the regality to which she seemed to be handling the questioning was... hot.
"I would not. Doctor Senju knew the proper procedures and chose to ignore them! She knew how important her appearance was to Mis Terumi! As an underwear model, the scar could seriously hinder her career, she derailed her whole life, and for what, for her ego or perhaps envy?" The expert witness said, he was vicious, he knew just how to surprise the jury with scandalous accusations.
"Doctor do you know why doctors' advice not to use illicit drugs before a surgery, in fact they require that a patient needs to been "clean" for a least 6 months before preparing for any surgery? of course you do, but I'm going to tell our jury, the risk, in this case for cocaine abuse and undergoing general anesthesia is that it can cause tissue compression, compartment syndrome, and neuropraxia. Did Ms. Terumi mentioned that she used to have a big cocaine problem?"
"Well... it was not... in her medical record" the doctor was stuttering now.
"Well it is here, medical record from last year, hospitalization due to cocaine overdose. Of course, she didn't disclose that to our Doctor Senju, but is it unreasonable to think she would still be using and that Doctor Senju noticed the side effects of the drug abuse after going under anesthesia? And that with the risk of using a defibrillator and causing pulmonary and cardiac necrosis, she decided the best course of action was to take an unorthodox but less damaging approach?"
"I... would need to see.."
"So, isn't it a bit narcissistic of your part to project your egomaniac tendencies to a kind doctor who was trying to do her best to save her friend!?"
"Aaam objection... she is badgering the witness..." the opposite attorney interfered, trying to save a bit of face in a case she knew she'd already lost.
"I'll allow it... Answer the question doctor"
"Ahem... perhaps"
"Thank you, nothing further your honor" Sakura said, walking back to her seat practically bouncing with adrenaline. It almost didn't matter that Sasuke was still giving her his look of doom. Because from where she was seated Tsunade was giving her a proud-knowingly smirk, and Judge Kakashi was smiling at her. She was so giddy.
"The court will call for the evidence of Ms. Terumi hospitalization for drug overdose, and perhaps even a drug test to confirm accusations. We will reconvene tomorrow 9am, for closing statements and delivering of verdict if the testing is ready by then, meeting adjourned" Said Judge Kakashi, taking a stand to leave, but not before looking over his shoulder to the attractive pink haired attorney, and gave her a little smile. It wasn't very often Hatake Kakashi was surprised.
Sakura saw him, and in return offered him, what she knew to be the most dashing smile at her disposal.
Moving up to a judge I see. Sasuke thought.
Tsunade Senju, took a stand to shake Sakura's hand. "That was very impressive. I don't remember that information being on the packet I presented to your firm"
"Hehe thank you" Said Sakura, shaking her hand enthusiastically, even before college, she had heard how legendary Doctor Senju was, she deserved the best defense possible.
"I recognize your type anywhere Miss Haruno." Said the blonde woman, squinting to her as if trying to see her more clearly. "I'll be getting in touch with you, maybe we can get a drink something"
x
To say that Sasuke was annoyed would be underestimating the ordeal. He was used to getting the congratulating elations, not having to share into the spotlight with anyone else. He took special notice in the looks judge Hatake gave the tiny pink haired girl. It literally made him groan. Why am I so worked up about this whole thing? So, what if she was having an affair? Or two? What was it about that, that makes me so... angry? He thought.
With everyone waking out of the court room, he took his leave as well, gathering his paperwork into his briefcase, not even glancing over to Sakura, she was at least expecting some snarky comment or something about her bold actions.
She caught up to him in the parking lot. About to get into his luxurious but understated black car.
"Sasuke! Listen I know I might have crossed some boundaries, but I think..."
As usual, he didn't let her finish. "You think?! You derailed my case!"
"You're going to win the case thanks to my argument, what do you mean derailed!?"
"I just... I don't know who you think you are to just waltz in here and do as you please! Flirting with judge Kakashi to get an advantage! Cheap!"
She was officially offended. "Didn't I just see you flirting with the jury a few moments ago?! What the hell is your problem with me? Is because we used to..." Hypocrite
"You just think you can come here, to my firm, take my case, and I'll say nothing, just because you're Naruto's whore!"
She tensed at the insult. Looked down and tried but failed to remember her anger management techniques.
"Asshole..." she exhaled, the word almost a whisper. And then she moved, too much in close proximity to Sasuke for him to react.
Her fist made contact with his cheek. Hard. Sending him stumbling back against his car. She felt the bones of his cheek bone crack a little.
But couldn't feel concerned about his wellbeing. What kind a person says that!? She thought and simply walked away to her own car.
Sasuke heard the delicate clacking of her high heels as she walked away. And thought, for what would be only the second time in his entire life. I might have fucked up.
Thank you for reading. Please don't forget to leave your thoughts in a review. Constructive criticism is always appreciated!
Story is unbeta'd