Hello readers. Here I am with a new multi-chapter fic. This one is a light one - something that doesn't require the heavy bullshit my on-hiatus works require. I realized, writing something new is easier than trying to recall a storyline that has been completed but was lost. Some of you are for sure pissed that I cannot finish anything but please bear with me. I have a life too.
Anyway, quick disclaimer, I only own the plot of this story - not the character or any real world references I have included. Any plot devices, fictional book titles, names, and events that appear similar in real life are completely coincidental. Don't sue me, I am broke.
Enjoy,
C.
CHAPTER ONE: The thing that makes one tick
Sometimes, when I am faced with times like this, I would often keep my head underwater, depriving myself of precious air. No, I am not a suicidal person, but I do this to remind me that there are always bigger things than what I was facing. Just like now.
"Sakura! Where have you been?! Dr. Hayama had just paged you several times!"
Yep, it's times like this when I just want to be underwater - or at least in the karate dojo. Being the newest resident surgeon in the most prestigious hospital in the country is no joke- especially if the Head Director happens to be your overbearing, casino-loving, big boobied, aunt. Senju Tsunade was not someone to be messed with. Technically, she's my godmother but I have always called her my aunt since she and my mother we're sorority sisters in university. Aunt Tsuna is one of those women who radiate that bad-ass rich Asian auntie who always comes home for the holidays after spending the summer on the French or Italian Riviera; but in her case, it's doing business in Germany, America, or Scotland to expand her big pharma and hospital Forbes-worthy company AND THEN going home dressed in Balenciaga, Gucci, Prada, or whatever rich people like her wear. Now, that may sound superficial but I wouldn't know anyone who works harder than Aunt Tsuna. It always seemed to me that she has 2 modes- the I-Am-Only-Running-On-Caffeine-For-The-Week mode and the I-Can-Buy-You-Your-Friends-And-Your-Family mode.
"Hello to you too, Auntie Tsuna." I answered, handing her one of the triple-espresso iced lattes I was holding as I sipped on the other. In case nobody has noticed, I inherited her caffeine addiction.
"Can you tell me why Dr. Hayama has been paging you for the past ten minutes? And thank you for the coffee. Your mother raised you well enough to know a triple-shot is the most basic kind of coffee."
"It's because I have been avoiding Dr Creepazoid for the last ten minutes. He's been pestering me about 'getting coffee' ever since he found out I was single."
The glint on Aunt Tsuna's eyes told me what she was gonna say next. "AH! I know that look."
"You can't stay single all your life because you're pining over a fictional character in a book! I can't believe I have a resident who is crushing on a book character." She put her hand over my head and messed up my hair. "Seriously, Sakura, you should go out there. Mingle, sow your oats or whatever. You're young, smart, beautiful, AND living in the real world. It doesn't have to be a boy either. I think Nurse Aoi had been eyeing you."
Aunt Tsuna has always been proud of me for pursuing medicine. She had been a huge influence in my ambitions to be a successful doctor like he, especially when my father passed away of leukemia. The both of them have been my inspiration for where I am now. Actually, looking back, I realize medicine was not my original ambition. I wanted to be like my mother who was a police officer. I would often see her take down men twice her size with her martial arts prowess and bring bad guys to justice. But it was all replaced when I saw her deteriorate because of what happened to papa. I mean, I love my mama and I can't blame her for what happened because, as I have learned with psychology, people handle tragedy differently. For her, it was to deteriorate in my grandparent's house and let me continue high school and university under Aunt Tsuna, and for me, it was to be a world-renowned surgeon (and maybe even find the cure to leukemia, but who am I kidding?). Ok, I know I sound bitter, but I do love my mama and like I said, I can't blame her. But children can have bitter feelings that transcend to adulthood too.
Despite medicine overtaking my dreams of being a police officer, I still love martial arts - I practice at the dojo Aunt Tsuna's late husband Uncle Dan owned. I remember her kicking his ass in the dojo while they taught little me the basics of karate. My love for martial arts, along with my pursuit in medicine has made Aunt Tsuna very proud of me. Her only disappointment was that I am as single as Tom Hanks in the movie Castaway.
"I'm sorry, Aunt Tsuna but you know I'm a career woman like you. I'm not the only single person in this conversation." I teased, making her grin.
"Nasty child. You know I've sworn off dating. My heart is for your Uncle Dan only."
"Then my heart is for S.U. Raiju only!" I quipped back, elbowing her slightly.
"Your heart?! You've never even met them! They could be a computer A.I. for all you know!" she laughed.
S.U. Raiju is the author of the books I have loved since it was first released in the last years of my medical school. The Gods of Wind and Thunder was something like J.R.R. Tolkein's Lord of the Rings or like The Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin; but with more focus on Asian cultures and mythology. I was so mesmerized with Raiju's command of the written word that I kept rereading each volume again and again. Admittedly, I have worn off 2 sets of the volumes from reading too much, until I got a kindle. There was just this magic with the way they used words to express the conflicts of the characters. I couldn't help but fall-in love with the words, to be completely taken by the pages. Unfortunately, nobody knows who S.U. Raiju is. They never show up in meet-up events apart from representatives, and they only only distribute already signed books. Nobody, apart from Raiju's team, knows who the author of the books are. And to me, it adds to the mystery that makes Raiju so attractive. Is he this scholarly middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair typing in his vintage typewriter in a sunlit baroque library? Is she a young vibrant adult like me typing away in a coffee shop nook drowning in multiple cups of caffeine? Are they this warm snuggly senior citizen cuddled up in a scruffy cardigan scribbling away in sheets of paper? Whoever they are, I am completely, and irrevocably, in-love with their works.
"Anyways, thanks for the coffee and the laugh, sweetheart. Kami knows I need it. It was either caffeine or alcohol."
Aunt Tsuna, like my mama, struggles with loss. When Uncle Dan passed away due to a horrible accident, she turned to alcohol for solace. It wasn't until she was helped by a good friend of hers did she become sober. Her mention of alcohol perked my ears, something she noticed.
"No, its not like that. I'm just saying, being a doctor isn't always about saving lives, Sakura. Soon enough, you'll learn that life is yin and yang."
Uchiha Sasuke rose lazily from the silken sheets of his king-sized bed. The curtains drawn against the great glass windows of his penthouse suite did almost nothing as the rays of the midday sun streamed through the gaps. His topless figure, well-toned and impressively chiseled, sulked as he rubbed sleep from his tired eyes. He was never the late riser. Always opting to be up just as the moon was about to set, Sasuke believed it was that moment between midnight and dawn that the mind was at its peak of creativity. Unfortunately for today, he had missed his creative prime. A soft ping from his bedside table urged his tired eyes to awaken quicker.
11:30 KH: They want to meet you.
Grunting, the young heir to half of the Uchiha Empire placed his phone back to the table, this time, upside down. Another ping ringed from the phone. Rolling his eyes, Sasuke picks up the phone.
11:39 KH: Don't ignore me, Sasuke. They won't push the project if they don't meet you.
11:40 SU: Then send the idiot. He does all my press bullshit.
Sasuke replaces his phone before grabbing the shirt haphazardly hanging from a nearby desk chair. His phone gives another ping as he's buttoning up. He doesn't view the message, opting to head to his suite's kitchen to brew a pot of tea. The gentle rustle of the pu'er tea leaves as they fell into a well-used earthenware pot was the calming tune that usually began his daily ritual. Followed by the whistle of the kettle, and the aroma of fine tea, Sasuke can slowly feel his senses waking up. Halfway through his ritual, his phone gives two consecutive pings. "Oh for fuck's sake, Kakashi." he muttered, looking at the phone.
11:41 KH: That "idiot" has met with them already and they don't buy it. They have assured me AND Obito that it's going to be a private event in a place of Chidori Publishing's choosing.
12:04 OU: Yo, Kashi won't stop calling me. Just say yes, will you cuz? I promise your old man won't freak if you go. 'Tachi even gave the green.
12:05 KH: Raiju, Netflix won't sign if you don't show.
Suddenly, the tea he had been drinking was not as calming as it was. "Goddammit, Kakashi. You should have been able to handle this without me." Sasuke muttered as he replied in silent fury.
12:07 SU: Fine. Have it your goddamn way. Just let me know when and where. I'll drive there myself.
Uchiha Sasuke, known in the literary world by his pseudonym S.U. Raiju, was a very busy man as it was. When he started this secondary career as a mystery writer, he never expected his first books to become the hit they are now. Writing was his way of escaping the life of a finance and business company heir. It was his way of temporarily detaching himself from reality, to be able to live in a world of his choosing, not of those around him. Unfortunately, it has not been like that lately. Not since he received an offer from Netflix to serialize his books.
"I always believed your writing should have stayed as your past time, son." he remembers his father say, as they discussed the offer during dinner. His mother insisted that despite their busy schedules, dinners are reserved for family - unless the alternative was dining with a world leader, closing a billion-dollar deal, or a date. She was particularly adamant with the 'date' part.
"However, with its best-seller status and this offer from Hollywood to set in film, I will say that this was a good business venture." Fugaku Uchiha was a man of status. His strong face, seemingly frozen in a scowl, he looked like all he cared about was securing the Uchiha Empire and making sure his sons would exceed his legacy. "You must push this project, Sasuke. But let me remind you of the deal we made when you first published."
"Nobody must know I am the author." Sasuke answered.
"Correct. This is to detach the Uchiha name from folklore and fantasy. Our rivals can use this against us."
Sasuke quietly forked the tomato salad his mother made especially for him, slightly losing his appetite. His father, after all, would have wanted him to focus all his energy for the company. But encouraged by his brother, Sasuke was able to make his childhood dreams of being published a reality. It was not without a price, however, as his father had graciously reminded him. It was a bargain, yes; but it was better than nothing. His published works were his own. It was not something that can be compared with anyone in his family. His big brother's shadow was huge and despite his unconditional love for the man, Sasuke couldn't help but want for something that was irrevocably his. Something that he can say he achieved on his own, without his aunts and uncles recalling the time Itachi did it too.
As the wheels began to turn with his Netflix deal, Sasuke can feel the pressure beginning to pile up as expectations rose higher and higher. Which actor would play who, who will direct, who will write the script, who, what, when, where, why, how… So many questions, so many expectations, so many things piling up on top of each other. He didn't know how he managed this, along with his responsibilities with the company. As his pu'er tea continues to grow stale, Sasuke can only stand by his kitchen counter, taking deep breaths before starting his day.
It was not unusual for me to just process papers and blood work when I am not on surgery duty. Days like this usually just run by smoothly as since KMC have a team of excellent medical experts. My job might look fancy in paper, but in reality, I'm just double-checking what these amazing people have already double-checked themselves. After my talk with Aunt Tsuna, she retreated to whatever place she was supposed to be in when I bumped into a tall man sporting a ponytail and a gentle smile.
"Sorry about that." he said, in a tone that was so gentlemanly. "I seem to have found myself lost."
"Oh," I said, "Well, you're in luck! I happen to work here." I said, pointing at my I.D. in a comical way. He chuckled, getting my joke.
"I guess I am." he said. I swear, with the way this guy talks, he must be royalty or something. "Could you please tell me where Senju Tsunade's office is? She is expecting me."
Hearing my aunt's name mentioned by someone who is clearly not a patient sent a smile on my face - something the handsome stranger noticed. He smiled back, as if he read my mind.
"I am here on business Miss…?" he looked at my badge "Ms. Haruno. Ah, a new addition to the great repertoire of KMU's physicians."
I blushed at his charming use of words. Not only is he handsome, but seemingly smart too. Damn, I wish Aunt Tsuna could just find me a guy like this one. "Nice to meet you!" I replied. "And how about you, good sir? I don't see a name tag so the playing field is not so even."
"Itachi."