I sometimes have trouble staying focused.
I saw a post on tumblr that said to listen to video game soundtracks while you work because they're designed to keep you focused on the tasks in the games. It's weird because one second I'll be listening to a calming background song for a traveling scene and the next I'm listening to battle music.
Instrumental music is good to listen to when writing. If I listen to something with lyrics I sometimes just write whatever the singer is saying and lose my place. It's awful.
Sakura was poor. Dirt poor.
That's what happens when you decide to go to an out of state college in a giant city.
Everything cost money. Everything was expensive. Sakura had no one to depend on, no one to help her. All her family and friends were back in her hometown, she only had herself to count on.
Every month she had rent to pay, every other week she had groceries to buy, every third Monday she had internet and heating bills to pay. Being a student, Sakura needed money for school supplies and tuition. Being a Medical Science major, Sakura needed tools and countless textbooks. Being human, Sakura needed food and shelter. Having a life? Ha. It was already expensive just to survive. To have a life would literally cost her an arm and a leg.
What Sakura desperately needed, more than anything in the world, was a job.
"I don't know if we can help you, Miss. Haruno." The temp agent said.
"Why not? What's wrong? Am I missing some documents?" Sakura asked, panicking. "I can get more letters of recommendation. What do I need?"
"What you need is time." The agent said, putting Sakura's impressive resume down. "You have amazing credentials, lots of experience and strong references. I would love to give you a job, dear, but you just don't have the time. Your availability is hard to work with."
"I'm a medical student. It's a time sucking major." Sakura tried to explain. "I have a full class schedule and long study hours and labs. School is important to me."
"I understand but I can't find a suitable job for you that will allow the hours you've requested. I'm sorry."
Sakura clutched her hands together, biting her lip. If she waited any longer to get a job, she'd fall deep into debt.
"I don't need a suitable job." She knew she sounded desperate. "I'll take anything I can get. Don't hold back, give me whatever you can. Please, I can't leave without something. I won't make it in this city without a job."
The agent sighed, looking on her computer again. She tapped a pen on her desk and ever tip-tap of the pen and click-clack of the keyboard put Sakura on edge. Her throat was dry. This was it. She was done for. This city was going to swallow her up and puke her out into bankruptcy. To say she needed money now was an understatement. She needed money yesterday, last week and even last month. Sakura was already thinking of begging on the street if this didn't work out. God, what if she had to become a prostitute?! She was too fragile for that. Customers would tear her apart and her pimp would probably walk all over her…
"Ah, here's something." The agent said, pursing her lips. "A night job, as an assistant."
"Assistant?" That sounded much better than prostitution and begging on the street.
"For a corporation downtown. Late night hours, weekly pay, very simple requirements."
"I'll take it. It's perfect." She could go to school during the day, study in the evening and work at night.
When would she sleep? Sleep was for people who could afford it. Sakura had been skipping out on sleep for a while now. "I'd be more than happy to work there."
The agent printed out some papers and handed them to Sakura. "Here's the ad and business card, a map to the building and application. I'll mail them a letter and tell them you're coming in around noon tomorrow for an interview. Don't be late."
"Thank you, thank you so much." Sakura thanked the agent and left, feeling much more optimistic.
Going into her apartment, Sakura made some food and sat at the table with the paperwork. She filled out the application and signed all the dots, attaching a fresh resume to the paper. Looking at the map, she routed how to get there and when to leave tomorrow. It wasn't too far away, she could probably make it there without taking the subway.
Sakura picked up the job ad and frowned. It was so small. Usually job ads were long and winded, explaining every detail about the job and sketching an image of who they were looking for. This ad was simple, clean and vague.
Assistant Needed
Weekly compensation for an assistant position. Work hours are from 12am-5am. Pay rate to be discussed upon hiring.
Requirements: Someone who doesn't scare easily and can keep a secret.
That was it. There was nothing else required, not even a driver's license. Sakura put the paper down and wondered how easy the job must be to have such simple requirements. She picked up the business card. It was just as simple as the job ad.
Akatsuki Inc.
Work done in the Dark of night and Under the red clouds.
There wasn't even a number or an address. The card was black with red lettering, sleek against her fingertips. Sakura put it in a pile with her other papers.
Like any good interviewee, Sakura tried to research her future employers. She wanted to know anything and everything about the company so she could answer all the questions in tomorrow's interview appropriately. She wanted to seem enthusiastic about whatever work Akatsuki did. She wanted to be interesting and intelligent, someone who could fit in with their company. Yes, she would research them and walk into that interview as if she already worked there.
Except she couldn't find anything.
There was no company website. There wasn't even a single Wikipedia page about it. Sakura found absolutely nothing about the Akatsuki or the work they did. She couldn't even find a review from any customer/buyer/seller/whatever that had ever interacted with the company. There was literally nothing.
With nothing to do but hope, Sakura went to bed and prayed to every god she could think of to just give her a job. She prayed for a chance.
Preparing for an interview is very important, especially when you're dirt poor and can't afford to feed yourself for another week.
Getting up early, Sakura tried to eat something but she was too nervous to keep anything down. She brushed her teeth twice and took an extra-long shower. Taking more than an hour for hair and makeup, Sakura pulled on the most professional outfit she could and left on her quest. She didn't want to pay for a bus ride and she didn't have a card for the subway yet and taxis were way too expensive, so she settled for walking. The company wasn't too far from her apartment, which was nice, and it wasn't too cold out either. She followed the map for a little over half an hour before reaching her destination.
Akatsuki Inc.
It was a tall building with clean windows and big double doors in the front. No one was walking in or out though, which was odd. Most people were at work during this time and all the surrounding buildings had people coming and going from them. Akatsuki Inc. looked clean enough to be new and unused, like no one had put the building to work yet. Sakura parted from the busy street walkers and went up to one of the tall double doors, heading inside.
The lobby was wide and empty, save for one black desk against the back wall. To the right and left of the desk were glass elevators. The carpet was a shocking shade of red and the walls were completely white. There was only one other person in the room, a man sitting behind the black desk.
"Hello." He said in a deep voice. "Can we help you?"
Sakura walked up and tried not to stare. The man was very...odd looking.
He had half of his body painted white and the other half black, green hair moped on top of his head. Despite his shocking bodily appearance, the man was dressed quite smartly in a black suit with a blood red tie, a small name tag on his chest displayed his name – Zetsu.
"My name is Sakura Haruno and I'm here for-"
"Go up to the top floor." Zetsu gestured to the glass elevators on his right. "Don't you dare stop to look at anything."
He stared at her expectantly.
Well, that was kind of rude. Still, Sakura didn't complain. She did as she was told. Zetsu stared at her the whole time it took her to wait for the elevator and get in, leaving him. Creep.
The glass let her peek into each floor she passed. Most had long hallways with doors, a few were completely empty, one lead to a single door at the end of a long hallway. On the ninth floor, the elevator stopped and someone got on. It was another man but this one was really good looking.
"Excuse me." He stepped in and looked at the elevator buttons, giving a calm hum. "Seems we're going to the same place."
He stood next to her and she tried with all her might not to stare. The long black hair, the sharp black suit, the deep black eyes. He seemed to come from a different world from her. After two floors of riding together, he caught her staring and narrowed his dark eyes at her. She flushed with embarrassment and looked away.
"I have never seen you here before." He said. "I am Itachi Uchiha."
"My name is Sakura." She said quickly, smiling too widely. "I'm here for an interview."
"Oh?" Itachi's stare was too intense to return. She looked away. "Interesting. We haven't had someone new in quite a while."
They reached the top floor and the elevator opened to a hallway with exactly nine doors, each one painted in red. Each door had a single word painted on them in sharp black lettering. Sakura stepped out and looked at all of them, wondering which one she was meant to go through.
"That one." Itachi said, pointing at the door with the word 'Rei' painted on it. *
Sakura turned to thank him but he was already walking away. He went into the door with the word 'Shu' on it. She watched him leave and waited. It was so quiet up here, even her breathing sounded too loud. Hesitating only a second more, Sakura went up to the Rei door and knocked gently before opening it. ^
"Hello?" She peeked in carefully.
"Come in."
There was a man behind another black desk and he looked just as strange as Zetsu had, but much more intimidating. There were thick metal piercings all over his face and he had wild orange hair sticking in every direction. Beside him stood a woman with blue hair and thick black eyeliner who looked as equally fierce as the man.
"Leave us Konan." The man said to the woman.
Konan placed some files down on the desk then left, staring straight ahead as she passed Sakura. The second the door closed Sakura felt twice as nervous. For some reason she felt like she was in a dangerous situation, like she shouldn't be left alone with this man.
"Sakura is it?" The man waved her to one of the black chairs in front of his desk. "Sit."
She slowly moved to the seat, keeping her eyes on the man. Everything came back to her once she sat down. This was a job interview. This man was probably a boss. She needed to make a good impression, her livelihood was at stake.
"Hello, thank you for meeting me." Sakura held out her hand, putting on her firmest smile.
The man shook her hand carefully, his grip strong. "I am Pein."
Pein. What an unusual name, but then this was a very unusual man.
"You've brought a resume, yes?" Pein looked at the folder in her hand.
"Yes, yes of course." She handed it to him.
He didn't open it. He placed it on his desk and returned to staring at her with his bizarre, ringed eyes. "You're here for the assistant position. The job entitles doing whatever needs doing, no matter what it is. This is not an easy job. Most wouldn't survive it."
Survive was a weird word to use for such a thing.
"I'm very capable of holding my own. I'll do anything you need me to do and I'll do it right." Sakura said positively. "I'm a very hard worker. I've never had a dissatisfied boss before."
Pein hummed, watching her closely. He was trying to read her, Sakura knew. Hopefully she had whatever he was looking for.
"Once you have this job there will be no going back. It's a commitment we won't let you out of easily. Once you're one of the Akatsuki you're one for good. One of us."
Sakura tried to remember to breathe. "I understand. I hope this job will open up opportunities for me."
"It will, but maybe not the opportunities you want." Pein leant back in his chair. "If you work here you will see things you're not prepared for. Working here isn't for the weak of heart."
Maybe Akatsuki Inc. was a law firm? Lawyers did pretty shady stuff, but she wasn't scared of legalities and rule breaking. She'd do anything for money at this point. Whatever work she'd have to do here would be better than begging on the street, which was her only other option.
"I'm not weak." She wasn't. "I'll work very hard for you."
After a moment more of analyzing her, Pein nodded and put his hands on the table. He grabbed a paper and pen. "If you work here you must swear to never speak of what goes on in this company. Never. If you even think about telling anyone the goings on of the Akatsuki, we will know and you will be sorry. Secrecy is of the utmost importance."
"I understand." That didn't sound good but she wasn't going to complain.
"If anyone asks what you do here you will tell them you're an assistant for an accounting company. If anyone out of the normal asks more than that you will run from them and come straight here to report to me, is that understood?"
"Yes. I will never talk about work outside of work. I understand."
"Good. Working here is not easy and there will be times when you wish to leave and betray us. This will be your pay rate." Pein handed her the paper. "Perhaps the money will be enough to keep your lips sealed and your mind on task."
Sakura looked at the paper and nearly choked on air. That was a lot of zeroes! It was like someone was giving her a very extravagant gift, almost too extravagant to take. Almost.
"I will work very, very hard for you. Anything you need, I'm your girl." Sakura's smile widened, her voice breaking with excitement.
Pein smirked and everything seemed much more relaxed. She was in. He pulled out a contract and had her sign her name in red ink. She hesitated only a moment before signing, clutching the red pen tightly in her fingers. The money was way, way, waaaaay too good to pass up.
"Thank you so much, you won't be disappointed." Sakura promised.
Pein pushed a button on a speaker sitting on his desk, leaning close to talk into it. "Konan, my office."
A moment later the blue haired woman returned, carrying a black folder. "Yes?"
"Escort Sakura out and give her the list. Make sure she has everything." Pein instructed. He looked at Sakura. "I look forward to working with you."
Sakura shook his hand enthusiastically then left with Konan, smiling from ear to ear. She had a job! She wasn't going to starve! Thank the job-gods!
"Take this." Konan said, handing the black folder to Sakura. "There's a list of all the coworkers you'll be assisting. A contacts list is also included, be sure to memorize every name, number and address as soon as possible."
"Yes ma'am." Sakura couldn't stop smiling.
They walked up to the elevator and Konan pressed the button. "Pay days are every other Friday. You'll come to me for your check."
The pay was so good! She was going to buy a big dinner with her first check, to celebrate!
The elevator came and they stepped-
"Hold the elevator!"
A man with white hair and big, pink eyes came running out from one of the red doors. Sakura looked up to say hello and her smile dropped instantly, the words dying on her lips.
The man was holding a giant, tall three bladed scythe. It was dripping blood.
"Shit, I'm so late." He came into the elevator with them, the scythe barely fitting inside. There was actual blood on his face. "I was supposed to be at the airport an hour ago. Fuck."
"Hidan, this is Sakura." Konan introduced. "Our new assistant."
Hidan looked at her and smiled wide, showing specks of blood on his teeth. Sakura felt a cold chill down her spine. "Finally, a new skirt! Not that I get tired of looking at yours, Konan, but it's about time we had a new lady around! The office is so boring with all these dicks."
"A new woman is very refreshing." Konan agreed, showing zero emotion. Did she not see the blood this guy was practically covered in? "Now Sakura, you'll have to wear black every day to work. You can also wear red, but black is preferred since its easier to clean if you get blood on it."
"Blood?" Sakura's eyes widened.
"I doubt you'll get dirty often." Konan mused. "You're just an assistant after all."
"Be sure to wear black when you're with me." Hidan laughed. "I can get pretty messy. Oh shit, sorry."
A drop of blood fell off his scythe and landed on Sakura's arm. He reached over and wiped it off with his finger. His hands were so, so cold. She watched as he licked the blood off his fingers, smiling at her cheekily.
The elevator stopped on the tenth floor.
"Hey guys." A blond man sighed, climbing in with another guy who had red hair. "Busy day?"
"Could be worse." Hidan smirked. "I could be you. Heard you guys got the Scarlet assignment."
"Yeah, it sucks." The blond groaned.
"Don't complain, brat." The red head was carrying an armful of wood in one hand and a long, sharp knife in the other. His dark brown eyes looked to Sakura sharply. "We have company."
"How rude of me." Konan gestured to Sakura. "This is Sakura, the new assistant. Sakura, this is Sasori and Deidara."
"We finally have an assistant?" Deidara smiled at her, "Lucky us. No one wants this job."
"T-They don't?" Sakura felt her lip quiver. "Why n-not?"
"Can't stand the mess. Honestly, a little blood and everyone freaks." Hidan laughed. "The last one didn't make it past the first week, remember?"
"Yeah, he was a pansy." Deidara laughed too.
Sakura felt her stomach drop. She tried not to wet herself. What had she gotten into? "What…What happened to him?"
"Oh, we took care of him." Sasori smirked, looking at the blond. "Didn't we, Dei?"
"Remember how he screamed, Danna?" Deidara sighed happily. "Good times."
Oh. God. She was working with a bunch of murderers! They were all crazy, all of them! She had to get out of here, quick!
Finally, finally, they reached the ground floor.
"See ya next week!" Hidan ran out of the building at top speed, carrying his tall weapon on one shoulder and dripping a bloody path. The blood didn't stain though, because the carpet was also blood red. What a coincidence.
"It was nice meeting you." Deidara said to Sakura, smiling. "Come on Danna, let's get this mission over with."
"Brat." Sasori said to the blond. He looked at Sakura and nodded to her. "Good luck with work. Take good care of us."
The two left them and Sakura followed Konan on shaky legs. They went to the desk where Zetsu sat. Zetsu and Konan talked but Sakura wasn't listening, she couldn't hear anything but the rapid thumping of her heart and the blood rushing in her ears. She was such an idiot. They were going to kill her.
"Sakura?" Konan waved her pail, polished hand in front of Sakura's face.
"S-Sorry!" Sakura squeaked, looking at her.
"This is your name tag. Here is a pass to the building, keep it with you at all times." Konan handed her a tag that looked exactly like the ones on her own and Zetsu's chests. Then she handed her a black card on a leash. There was a red cloud on the front of the card and a red stripe down the back. Konan looked at her seriously. "Never let anyone get ahold of that pass. Ever."
Sakura swallowed. She nodded.
"Work starts tomorrow at midnight. There's a list of what to bring to work in that folder." Then Konan bowed politely to Sakura. "It will be a pleasure working with you."
"T-Thank you." Sakura's bow was rigid and shaky.
With that, Sakura left the building. She tried to walk slowly, tried to not look like she was scared or panicking. Every step she made echoed in the quiet, empty lobby and she was completely aware of Zetsu and Konan's stares as they watched her leave. She walked out and down the street cautiously.
Around the corner, Sakura turned into a clear alley and pressed her forehead against the brick wall harshly. Her hands were clutching the folder so tightly they were hot numb. Her throat was dry, her eyes were burning and she bit her lip almost to the point of bleeding.
Sakura stared at the ground, eyes wide. "What have I gotten myself into?"
(End)
*Rei – Zero. The word on Pein's Akatsuki ring in the anime.
^Shu – Scarlet. The word on Itachi's Akatsuki ring in the anime.
I'm trying to watch more anime.
I have a lot of interests now but I still want anime to be in my life. I made a list of anime I need to watch/catch up on and this is what I got: DearS, Kokoro Connect, DurararaX2, Tokyo Ghoul, Attack on Titan, Blood Lad, Anohana, Bakemonogatari, Welcome to the Nttk, Paranoia Agent, Lovely Complex, Kimi ni Todoke, Dennov Coil, Nichijou, Usagi Drop, Darker than Black, Future Diary, The Eccentric Family, Blue Spring Ride and Sabagebu.
If you have anything you want to add to my anime list, you should tell me. I want to watch a wide range of stuff.
See you in the next chapter!
