Just Call Me Cinderella

Chapter Ten

"I must say you do great work!" Rin spun around and took one last look at herself in the mirror. She was wearing a floor length gown that was black satin that hugged every curve. Sakura had pulled Rin's hair back in an elegant bun. She looked stunning and Sakura could only hope she would be that beautiful someday.

"You look great Mrs. Uchiha. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"I think that's it. We'll head down to the dinner now. I will ring for you if there is anything else."

Sakura nodded as Rin stepped out of the bathroom into the bedroom to the gasps and approving voices of Obito, Itachi, and Sasuke. Sasuke and Itachi had finally let Sakura out of the room to fetch their clothing for the evening and that was it. They had decided to hide out until they were needed at the dinner at the last possible moment.

Sakura cleaned up the bathroom of all the makeup, hair products, and clothes that were scattered everywhere. She heard the voices die down as the door shut and she was left alone. She would finish up here and then head downstairs. Since she had been up here for the last few hours she was not assigned to serve the guests.

A frown marred her face. She was looking forward to getting to wear something besides her maids outfit and mingle a bit. She knew that Naruto, Ino, and Hinata were all going to be downstairs with their parents. She was hoping to see them but stupid Sasuke and Itachi had to get in the way.

None of that really mattered though. What was bumming her out the most was that she wasn't going to to see Tsunade Senju. Tsunade was the woman Sakura looked up to the most. She had met her a few times at Naruto's house and at the hospital when her dad was sick but she was never able to really talk to her. Naruto had told Sakura on more than one occasion that she was really similar to Tsunade and she could not help but smile. She wanted to work in the medical field just like Tsunade.

Sakura opened the bathroom door with her arms full of items to put away and was startled to see Sasuke sitting on the bed in front of her. His phone was out and he was staring at it. Sakura tiptoed not to bother him. She wasn't sure why he was still here but she didn't really want to talk to him. Her feelings for him were fragile at the moment and she was afraid of what might happen if they were alone. She knew what she thought but he wasn't sure she could withstand any interactions with Sasuke.

"You did a great job on Rin's hair."

Sakura froze where she was slowly putting clothes into the hamper. Had Sasuke really said that? Slowly, she turned around to see him still staring at his phone. Maybe she had made it up that he had said anything. Sakura shook her head and resumed her task.

"I'm impressed that it looked so good."

Sakura frowned. Was that supposed to be a compliment because it was kind of insulting. Like he was unsure that she would be able to accomplish something like that. She spun around quickly to tell him exactly what she was thinking and was surprised he was standing right in front of her. Sakura's voice stuck in her throat and her plan to tell him what she thought faltered.

Sasuke stared down at her for half a second before reaching ever so slowly over her shoulder. He barely brushed her with his fingertips but she took in a breath. He drew his hand back with his suit coat in it. She hadn't even realized that he was not wearing it when she walked passed. He put the coat on while staring at her. Somehow she found her voice and averted her eyes.

"Thank you. That is a very nice compliment."

Sasuke didn't say anything but adjusted his coat one more time then headed out the door. Sakura fell back against the door of the closet and took a deep breath. Her pulse was erratic and she could feel small butterflies in her stomach. She violently shook her head several times. No, no, no, no! She could not have feelings for Sasuke again. She had vowed that after he broke her heart she would never fall again. Why was it so hard to stick to that?

Sakura straightened her dress and made her way out of the room and downstairs. Since she wasn't serving she could work on homework until she was summoned or Obito and Rin retired for the night. Quietly she made her way down the staircase. She could see several people chatting and drinking while waiting for the dinner to officially start.

Naruto was sporting a very loud orange shirt under his black suit so he stuck out in the crowd of basic dark colors. Sakura smiled as she watched him animatedly talk to Sasuke who looked bored like always. Hinata stood next to Naruto blushing terribly as Naruto tried to hold her hand and use his hands to talk at the same time.

Sakura scanned the crowd again as she almost reached the bottom of the stairs. Ino was looking at her and waving wildly. Sakura smiled and waved back. Ino bowed lightly to Shikamaru and Choji and made her way towards Sakura on the stairs. Sakura finally reached the bottom and waited for her best friend to approach.

"Forehead! Where the heck have you been? Are you serving tonight?" Ino didn't jump on Sakura like she normally would. She knew that her parents and other people at the dinner would not appreciate the daughter of a major investor hugging the help.

"I was kidnapped upstairs for the last several hours." Sakua grumbled. "And I am not serving because I wasn't able to come down earlier. I'll just be doing homework in the maid's quarters."

Ino's face turned grumpy but she softened as soon as she realized. She didn't want to be upset at a major party. "Well that's a bummer. What do you mean you got kidnapped forehead?"

Sakura looked around the room to see if anyone was listening and met Sasuke's eyes. He nodded at her and she gave a small smile. Ino turned to look at who she was looking at but Sakura grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the kitchen.

"Sasuke and Itachi."

"Sasuke and Itachi kidnapped you? What for?"

"Apparently they don't like being around their great uncle because he's either really grumpy or trying to hit on every girl that breathes."

Ino thought for a few minutes. "Oh! You mean Madara? Yeah, he's been on one all night. Naruto almost punched him in the face for the look he gave Hinata."

Ino laughed and Sakura followed suit. She could just imagine someone having to hold Naruto back as he angrily clawed at the man.

"I don't understand why they seem so upset and nervous about it. He's super old right?"

Ino raised a brow. "Forehead have you never seen him? He's an Uchiha. Do you know any of them that aren't good looking?"

Sakura slowly shook her head. Ino sighed. "Come here." She grabbed Sakura's arm and the two of them peered out of the hallway they were talking in. "He's right there. He's the one wearing the red suit talking to Obito."

Sakura's mouth dropped open. He was incredibly good looking. He was muscular and his hair was long and luscious. "Okay, I get why they are so nervous. They have competition with their great uncle."

Ino snorted and the two of them moved back to were they were. "No kidding. That hair alone does something to me."

Sakura smacked Ino and the two of them burst into laughter.

"So, how exactly did the sexy Uchihas kidnap you?" Ino crossed her arms across her chest and leaned back against the wall. She looked out at the party for a second but then focused on Sakura.

"I was cleaning Obito and Rin's room and they barged in. They refused to let me out until they need their clothing for tonight. I was up there for hours. It was so awkward since I haven't really talked to them all week."

"Why haven't you really talked to them all week? I thought you and Itachi were close. Something happened didn't it?" Ino stood straight and got closer to Sakura with fire in her eyes. Sakura couldn't bring herself to tell Ino what she had overheard last week.

"Ino, nothing happened. I just felt like I was getting a little too close to them and I needed to be professional. Plus, Itachi's been super busy."

Ino looked like she didn't believe a word Sakura was saying but shrugged. "Whatever. Well, it looks like my mom is getting frantic looking for me. I'll see you later? You're staying here all week right? What about your mom?"

"She works until the day before Thanksgiving and then she'll be at my grandmother's."

"Okay, see you Forehead." Ino gave her a quick hug and then bolted back into the party, pretending that she hadn't just slipped away for several minutes. Sakura turned and headed to the maid's quarters. It was going to be a long night of studying.

Sakura shot awake from the loud thunk of her own head on the table. She rubbed her forehead and looked groggily at the books she had been resting on. The party was still underway but she had fallen asleep studying. She was currently sitting at the counter in the kitchen. All the food was served and the dishwashers were hard at work around her. There was a small counter off to the side where she wouldn't be in the way.

She had been staring at formula after formula and had suddenly fallen asleep. Maybe she should stop for the night and make her way to her bed. She began closing her books and putting them back into her bag when she heard voices getting closer and closer. Kimiko and Dasiy were laughing as they came through the door. Sakura didn't want them to see her so she hid behind the pantry door.

"What a slob. Leaving her stuff everywhere." Sakura heard her bag hit the floor after Kimiko's sneer.

"No kidding. But at least she doesn't get to party like we do. Shisui was definitely flirting with you tonight."

"And what about you? I saw Madara's hand linger a little too long on your back." The two girls broke out into giggles. "You know what else I saw tonight?"

"Hm?"

"The little slut was alone in Obito's room with Sasuke and Itachi and Itachi and her were holding hands!"

Something fell to the floor and Sakura tried not to roll her eyes at how over-dramatic that was.

"That little whore! She sure moves fast for only working here for the last few months. We need to teach her a lesson or two. We've paid our dues for the last two years and she is not going to ruin our chances." Daisy fumed and Sakura retreated farther into the pantry.

"Of course. We'll all be here all week. I'm sure we can come up with something."

Sakura could hear the smirk in her voice and jumped when both Daisy and Kimiko burst into laughter. The two of them left the kitchen and slowly she peered out of the pantry. The cook was plating some dessert plates and was totally oblivious to the gossiping maids that had just left. Sakura's bag was on the floor and there was a very noticeable black footprint on the front. It was going to take her a while to wipe that off.

Her notebooks had spilled out and she noticed that some of the pages were ripped. There was purple liquid soaking into the pages and she realized that Daisy had dropped a platter of wine glasses that were not empty all over her stuff. Sakura fought back angry tears once again as she grabbed her bag and stomped off down the hall. She hated them and she hated that she was forced to be in here while all her friends and everyone else was out there having fun.

Sakura angrily dropped her bag next to the bed that was assigned to her for the week and laid back. She looked up out the window that was right in front of her. There were a few snow flurries but not much. Thankfully they had only the one small snow storm. Feeling very much alone Sakura curled into her blanket and fell asleep.

"Sakura. Sakura!"

Sakura blinked tiredly as she was nudged in the side. Mei was leaning over her and Sakura could barely see her in the moonlight. Instantly she was on alert. Did Obito and Rin need something? How long was she asleep?

"What's the matter?"

"Mikoto is requesting you in the ballroom immediately." Sakura's eyes bugged as she jumped from her bed and smoothed out her dress. Her ponytail was sticking every which way and Sakura hastily grabbed a brush and fixed her tangled locks.

"What for?"

"No idea. She just asked for you to meet there."

Sakura nodded and made her way as quickly as she could towards the ballroom. There were two butlers at the doors that nodded at her. "She's near the front." Sakura nodded to them then they opened the doors to reveal the room filled with important people in every seat. Itachi played the piano with every eye glued to him.

Sakura's eyes widened. Why had she been summoned in the middle of all this? Surely Mikoto did not expect her to sing in front of all of these people and in her maid's uniform no less. Sakura waited for Itachi's piece to finish before moving quickly down the side of the room to where Mikoto was perched on a chair on the front row.

"You wanted to see me Mrs. Uchiha?" Sakura bowed in respect and kept her voice low as Itachi was talking to someone instead of playing at the moment.

"Ah, Sakura dear, come, sit." Mikoto patted to the empty chair to her left. Cautiously Sakura took a seat and looked around the room to all the people. She met eyes with Ino who raised a brow in question. Sakura shrugged and shook her head and Ino nodded. Next she met the intrigued gaze of Madara who Sakura promptly moved on from. Lastly was the smirk of Tsunade. Sakura was beyond confused.

"And I told you to call me Mikoto dear."

"Sorry, Mikoto. What do you need?"

"Oh nothing really. I just thought that you would enjoy seeing the musical performances tonight. That's all. My son mentioned something to me and I agreed. You should be here."

"With all due respect to you and Itachi I feel like I really shouldn't be here. After all, I'm still in my uniform. It's hardly appropriate."

"Oh, that's just a small thing dear. Anyone here who feels like you don't belong will have to deal with me and this is my house. What I say goes. And it was Sasuke dear, not Itachi."

A bright blush lit Sakura's cheeks at being slightly reprimanded by her employer and the fact that Sasuke had been thinking about her and mentioned something to his mother. Sakura leaned forward to look past Mikoto. Sasuke was sitting a few chairs down and next to Naruto. Like always Naruto was chatting happily while Sasuke listened.

"Hey Sakura! I'm glad you could come." Naruto's face split into a giant grin that Sakura returned. Sasuke turned to look at her and smirked in her direction she smiled slightly and sat back.

Sasuke had told his mother that Sakura would like the concert? Why was he thinking about her? Sakura willed the butterflies in her stomach to stop fluttering.

"For our next performance Sasuke will be preforming a medley of songs."

Sasuke stood up and made his way to the piano. He unbuttoned his coat and laid it next to him on the bench. He then rolled up his sleeves a little bit and began playing. Sakura audibly gasped as he started into music from the very musical she had sung there just a few weeks ago. The notes flowed from Sasuke with such emotion that she was sucked in completely. The words of the songs echoed in Sakura's head and she did not try to keep her heart from falling.

Too soon he finished his piece and stood up to bow. He looked straight at Sakura and smirked again as a blush filled her entire face. Those stupid butterflies in her stomach erupted but Sakura didn't try to fight them. He wanted her to hear him play music from her favorite musical. He had done it for her. But why? What was he playing at? Was he still pitying her because of her father?

Sakura shook those thoughts from her head and focused as someone else took the floor to perform. The rest of the performances were a complete whirlwind for Sakura she hardly paid attention to what they were playing, except for when Kushina asked if she could perform and she dragged Minato to the piano and Naruto to the guitar. Naruto was not happy and Sakura could barely contain her laughter at his pain.

She was much too into her thoughts. What was Sasuke's deal? Why was he suddenly being so super nice to her and acting completely out of character? He was a heartless jerk who slept around with slutty girls and did not care about people as anything other than means to an end. Except for Naruto. He had always had a soft spot for the blonde idiot and Sakura couldn't blame him. She did too. Naruto was the textbook definition of a good friend and he was always there for her no matter what was going on.

The concert ended and Sakura bowed to Mikoto and moved to make her exit swiftly. She caught Madara eyeing her again but she was not in the mood to fight off his advances. She turned to leave but someone grabbed her wrist gently. Sakura turned around expecting to see Naruto or Ino and was surprised once again to see Sasuke. He pulled her closer to the wall with him and she complied.

"Did you like the performance?"

"Very much! Why didn't you tell me that you were playing selections from Jekyll and Hyde? That's my favorite musical you know?" Sakura's words came out in a rush. She couldn't help that when she got excited. She saw a flash of amusement in Sasuke's eyes.

"I'm glad you liked it. You actually inspired me when you sang a couple months ago. I had never heard of that show before and I fell in love with the music."

Sakura's heart soared as he spoke and she was acutely aware of his hand still holding her wrist. Her skin lit on fire and she tried to think of something else.

"Well you played it very well."

"Ah, Sasuke, who is this lovely flower that you have hidden over here?"

Chills ran up Sakura's spine and Sasuke's grip tightened. Slowly she turned and was met with the red eyes of Madara Uchiha. He was much more attractive up close but there was something about him that made her skin crawl.

"Madara this is Sakura. She is a maid here." Sasuke's tone was flat and Sakura could feel his anger rolling off in waves.

"I see. emSakura./em A beautiful name for a beautiful woman." He reached down and grasped Sakura's free hand and brought it to his lips. He placed a long kiss on her hand and then held her hand as he smiled at her.

"Thank you." Her voice was quiet and she was sure that he was taking it as demure.

"If you'll excuse us she needs to get back to work." Sasuke released her wrist and grabbed her hand from Madara's grasp and pulled her out of the ballroom and walked her all the way back to the kitchen. There was no one around and Sakura's heart sped up at the fact she was alone and touching Sasuke.

"Thank you for that. He gives me the creeps."

Sasuke was silent as he rubbed little circles on her hand. Sakura's arm broke out into goosebumps.

"I hate when Madara's around. But I've honestly never been that mad before." Sasuke looked up from their joined hands to her face. He drew closer to her and Sakura's heart sped up. Was he going to kiss her again? There was no way. She was reading this all wrong. Right? Sasuke moved closer and closer but footsteps sounded down the hall and he jumped away from Sakura and dropped her hand.

"Good night Sakura." Sasuke turned on his heel and practically ran down the hall back to the party. Sakura took a few minutes to catch her breath and then chugged a glass of water to calm her nerves. What even was happening?