Disclaimer: Nah, I don't own Naruto neither the plot, this is kinda novel based.

Warning: OOCness ahead…

Vocabulary:

Shorthand - a method of writing rapidly by using symbols and abbreviations for letters, word, or phrases. Also known as stenograph.

Longhand – normal hand writing.

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Sasuke's Private Relation

junsui karen

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Thin feather like clouds hang mutely in the cosmic blue sky as a pink haired gal tread softly behind her head directress. She's carrying a shopping bag from CHANNEL and a box of half melted chocolate. Her hair heaved in every direction and a tiny lump protruding from her abnormally large forehead. (courtesy of the metal ladder she bump with in the hallway)

She recognizes that she's late… AGAIN and knowing from experienceseses that her boss had prepared an exceptionally long and incredibly boring speech about self discipline and time management, not to mention tons of paperwork, Sakura tries with all her luck and might to reach her stall without being caught.

Unfortunately, a girl with pink locks dodging from cubicle to cubicle was just hard to miss, so in short she's busted.

"Ms. Haruno, don't you think you're quite flying with the time…AGAIN?" her golden haired directress said in her ultra refined voice.

"err…"

"Haven't you learned anything from our day to day discussions... huh?"

"Uhh…b-but miss, w-well, you see…" Sakura mumbled trying to find a good excuse for her tardiness.

"well?" Tsunade questioned.

"Well, I saw this e-extremely gorgeous slippers and I-I thought you might like them." Sakura said hesitantly, handing the shopping bag to her boss.

It was actually intended for herself and not her boss but Tsunade doesn't seem to notice that the slippers were quite small and is presently exclaiming her gratitude to the heart broken Sakura… like hey, I saved my money for that slippers and who wears it? NOT ME. "God, I just hope the president's not here yet or I might kill myself. I'm not going to give him my chocolate éclairs." She mumbled as she moves to her desk.

"He's here" Tsunade said, she probably heard Sakura's muttering.

"w-who's here?" Sakura asked white-faced as she turns around to face her boss.

"The President, he's been phoning you since he arrived." She replied

"Oh God, I'm dead meat…" Sakura said. "I hope Mr. Itachi didn't move to the main branch, it's so much nicer here when he's still the president."

Uchiha Itachi was the former president of the Uchiha paper printing company but due to some circumstances his father asked him to move to the main company and sent his younger son instead, 'Uchiha Sasuke'. At first everyone was afraid of him; he's so much stricter than his elder brother. He fired whoever he thinks is useless. And he doesn't give any reaction whenever someone gives him proposals for projects. But after a few months of working with him, they all seem to like him, except for Sakura. It's not because she was afraid of him, it's because she always come late at the office and everything she does were not perfect enough. She's afraid that she's going to be fired because she's the least efficient worker in the whole company.

Mr. Itachi doesn't care about it when he's still the president. He thinks that Sakura is cute and cheerful. He doesn't reprimand her even if she's late and he doesn't deduct on her salary. But now he's gone and Uchiha Sasuke had taken his place, everyone was laying bets on how much longer Sakura could possibly last her job.

The day Sakura had decided to buy her dream slippers which were now in the feet of her boss; Sasuke had not been expected back until late in the afternoon.

"H-hello Mr. Uchiha, did you have a nice time?" she nervously began as she went into his office.

Sasuke looked at her from head to toe, taking in her cream colored sleeveless shirt and black suede skirt over her peach silky long legs. "Sit down," he said icily.

Uchiha Sasuke is a medium sized man in his middle twenties. He's tall and handsome, with raven colored hair and a pair of deep set eyes. He always carries his trademark smirk which made him even more gorgeous.

They glared at each other across the vast desk.

"Its twenty minutes after three. I thought your lunch break ran from 12:30 to 1: 30," he said.

"I'm sorry," Sakura mumbled, "but I saw these pretty slippers and—"

"I don't want any excuses," he snapped. "I've told Ms. Tsunade to dock two hours' pay from your salary this week." He picked up her folder. "You must have been busy while I'm away, these letters are beautifully typed."

"Why, thank you" Sakura said, beaming at him.

"It's a pity," he continued softly, "that they bear absolutely no relation to what I dictated."

Sakura flinched as though a lightning struck her.

"Don't you do shorthand?" he asked.

"Not a lot," she admitted, "but my longhand's terribly fast so I can get the gist of things. Mr. Itachi never complained," she added defiantly.

"That doesn't surprise me," he said.

For the next half-hour he went through each letter like an examination paper, until every shred of her self confidence was ripped to pieces. Then, he tore the letters up and dropped them into the wastepaper basket.

Scarlet in the face, Sakura stood up to go.

"And another thing," he added, "next time you make reservations at a hotel, book single rooms. I don't like arriving in the middle of the night to find I'm expected to share a double bed with Mr. Flyswatter."

Sakura went off into a chuckle, which she quickly stifled when she saw the expression of disapproval on his face.

"And one last thing," he added, as she went out of the door. "Comb your hair when you come in here."

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"Was he terribly angry?" her boss asked.

"He wasn't pleased," Sakura sighed.

Ino from the typing pool had just arrived with the tea. She took a cup into Mr. Uchiha's office, and returned a few seconds later with heart shaped eyes.

"Isn't he gorgeous," she said to Sakura. "The way he looks at you. Not that I stand a chance with all the sophisticated women who come and pick him up for the parties. That girl last week looks just like a film star. Still there's no harm in hoping, is there?"

"You need to get your head examined," Sakura said disgustedly.

Ino bristled and glance at the photograph over Sakura's desk of a young man who has fiery red hair.

"Oh well, since you fancy those red haired freaks, I don't suppose you would go for Sasuke." Ino said sarcastically.

"Gaara is not a freak," Sakura snapped, "and don't you dare mention him in the same breath as Mr. Uchiha. Gaara is so gentle and sweet and unaggressive. (?)"

"He wasn't so unaggressive when he broke that placard over the policeman's head in Konoha Square during that rally last month," observed Tsunade. That rally lasted for weeks and was shown on televisions.

"That's different," Sakura said defensively. "He was just showing how deeply he feels about non- violence."

"Funny way of showing it," Tsunade commented, who disapproved of Gaara not so much for his so called unaggressiveness(?) nor his red hair but the way he treated Sakura.

At that moment the telephone rang and Sakura rushed to answer it. "Hello…I mean Mr. Uchiha's office, what ca— Gaara! Oh, I'm so happy you called." She made a triumphant face at Ino and Tsunade.

Half an hour later, she reluctantly put down the receiver. "He rang" Sakura said cheerfully.

"So I noticed," Tsunade said. "Mr. Uchiha did too. He came in twice"

"Oh, who cares about him" Sakura said "Gaara asked me to go out with him. I haven't seen him in months because of that rally and I-I thought he's going to break up with me... but he called"

Thrilled by this evidence of Gaara's continuing interest in her, she wandered off to the typing pool to give Ino her box of chocolate as a peace offering. It was melted anyway.

During the next days, Sakura tried to be more efficient, but she was so excited about her date that everything she does create disasters. She booked tables at the wrong restaurant, arranged meeting for wrong days and spilled a cup of tea over Tsunade's computer. She also got more and more depressed when Gaara hadn't rung her, her only comfort was that he promised to take her out to the theater on Thursday.

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Thursday dawned. And having to make an extra effort to look beautiful, Sakura arrived later than usual at the office. Sasuke sent for her in his office immediately after she arrived. "Sakura," he said unenthusiastically.

"What have I done now?" she asked.

"Remember last week I wrote two letters, one to my father saying Hyuuga's were playing hard to get, but I thought we'd settle the deal with them by the end of the month; and the other to the Hyuuga's playing it very, very cool?"

"Hai," Sakura replied. "You signed them both"

"And you put them in wrong envelopes. Now get out, just get out. And I don't want to talk to Tsuchi if she calls"

Toward the end of the morning Sakura's phone rang.

"Can I speak to Sasuke?" said a charismatic voice.

'Oh goodness,' Sakura thought, 'which one did he says he didn't want to talk too?'

"Who's that speaking?" she asked cautiously.

"It's a personal call," murmured the voice.

Sakura had an idea," How's your little dog?" she asked.

"He's fine Sakura"

It must be Temari who has a shitzu. "Well, Ms Sabaku, Mr. Uchiha said he didn't want to talk to someone but I forgot who it was; you or Kin Tsuchi or it might have been Tenten. I would like to ask him but he's so mad this morning. You didn't have a fight with him lately, haven't you?"

"No, but I'm just about to." The charismatic voice became stiff. "I think you better let me talk to him."

Two minutes later, Sasuke came out of his office. It was the first time he'd really lost his temper with Sakura and it was the most terrifying thing that happened to her.

"And take that photograph of your boyfriend down," he finally shouted. "This is an office not a film studio."

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"Well I never," Tsunade said as he slammed the door behind him. "I never have known him to get angry like that before."

"I think I'd better look for another job," Sakura said, removing Gaara's picture from her desk and into the dark spaces of her drawer.

"I advice, you have a look at the newspaper" Tsunade said as she wave a toothbrush. "Well, I'm off to the dentist. I shall not be back."

"Bye. Hope it doesn't hurt much," Sakura said and began browsing on the ads.

Nothing really caught her attention, until she read:

"Managing Director requires highly intelligent, hardworking secretary/Personal assistant. Detailed shorthand and typing essential. Salary \80, 000 upwards for the right person. Apply box 1433."

The salary was almost twice what she was getting at the moment, and Sakura thought about all the new dresses and shoes she could buy. Her two cats could have cat food everyday.

The letter of application took her only a few minutes. She saw her boss as a younger version of Itachi, kind and appreciative, just waiting for someone to bring sunshine into his life. (Sounds like…) She told him all about her troubles with Sasuke, and gave a much embellished version of her career. Very pleased with herself, she sealed the letter and delivered it to the newspaper office by hand during lunch hour.

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Later that afternoon, Sasuke is facing one of the toughest battles in his career. He reclined, outwardly relax at the end of the Board Room table. On either side of him sat the Board, all distinguished Japanese businessmen, many years his senior. He was discussing the projects he intended to make; projects which he must make them see desirable in themselves, and not just because he is his father's son.

Progressively as the meeting goes on, he felt he was winning the battle, antagonism was deteriorating, and he was even getting a few laughs. He had just move on the subject of liberation, when Maito Gai, the Sales Director, suddenly wondered if he was seeing things. For through the thickening cigar smoke, from the direction of the door, loped a rabbit. Hastily he put on his spectacles. Yes, it was a rabbit.

"Look," Gai nudged the Director of Public Relations Hatake Kakashi.

"Good God," Kakashi said clapping his hand over his eyes and resolving to give up reading Icha Icha Paradise. He never thought it would make him see things, but there is really a rabbit.

Sasuke looked in their direction. "Have you anything to add, Mr. Hatake?"

Asuma laughed and pointed to the rabbit which had reached Sasuke's chair.

Pandemonium broke out.

"It's a rabbit"

"After it boys"

"Perhaps it wants a seat on the Board"

"They are like crowd of school boys," Sasuke thought, trying hard to keep his temper. "Haven't they seen a rabbit before?"

"How did it get in here?" Kakashi asked.

"I think I know," Sasuke replied, picking up the panic stricken animal. "If you'll excuse me a minute gentlemen."

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He found Sakura on her knees by the filing cabinet.

She looked up, cheeks red, a large smudge of dust on her nose. "Oh," she said, a happy smile breaking over her face "you've found him. I was terrified he might have escaped into the streets."

Words failed him, as Sakura took the rabbit from him, crooning. "There, there, poor little rabbit, were you frightened then?"

"Sakura," he said, "where did you get it from?"

Tears formed at Sakura's pretty green eyes. "From the market. He was the last one. The man said he'll be seen in the dining table if no one bought him."

A faint smile flickered across his face. "Well, you'd better buy him a cage, hadn't you?"

"It's Thursday," Sakura said. "I haven't got any money left."

Sasuke took out his wallet and handed her \500. "Go round the pet shop now. And I want all those letters finished by the time I come out of the meeting," he added.

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Half an hour later, the rabbit was happily installed in a cute baby blue hutch, nibbling at some lettuce, and Sakura was busily typing when the telephone rang. It was Gaara.

"Gaara," Sakura cried. "What a delight. I'm going to see you later, aren't I?"

Gaara's voice was resentful. "I can't make it after all," he said.

"Oh why not, you promised"

He explained that he's on over time…

"Well, I'll go there with you," she said.

"No, no" Gaara replied too quickly. "I'll be staying in the office for hours, you'll get bored."

"I don't believe you. You've found someone else. It's that horrible brunette," she choked. "Oh Gaara, I can't bear it."

"Well, you'll just have to knob it," said Gaara. "I'll give you a call sometime." The receiver clicked.

Sakura's world seemed to be crumbling around her. In one day, she'd virtually lost her job, and had certainly lost her boyfriend. "No one loves me," she murmured. "No one wants me, and I've got a bed-sitter, two cats and now a rabbit to support. Oh Gaara!"

She ripped the letter she was typing out of her machine and put in a new sheet.

"Oh Gaara," she typed desperately. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to disbelieve you; I was just so disappointed—"

A shadow fell across the page. Sakura leant quickly forward to hide what she was typing.

"What the hell are you doing?" Sasuke's voice was like a riffle shot. Sakura burst into tears. She laid her head among the papers on her desk and sobbed. Sasuke did nothing; he just sat on Tsunade's desk and waited for her to stop.

"I'm so sorry" she said eventually.

"What's the matter?" he asked. "Is it the boyfriend?"

Sakura nodded woefully. "He's not going to take me out after all. I think he found another girl, an awful brunette with a forty inch placard." (probably one of the rally ppl… lolz)

Sasuke examined his fingernails (weird). "Well, as we both appear to have been stood up this evening…"

"Oh no," Sakura said in horror. "Not you too—not Ms. Sabaku. Was she furious about that telephone call?"

"She wasn't accommodating"

Sakura began to giggle.

"And as I was saying," he went on, "as we've both got nothing better to do, I suggest we sort out this mess." He pointed to the chaos which spread in a twelve foot radius around her desk. "Now which is your table?"

"Well, those two over there," Sakura said, wondering what terrible skeletons were going to come tumbling out of the cupboard.

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In the end, she rather enjoyed herself. Uchiha Sasuke had obviously decided to be nice, and she found lots of things she thought shed lost: her passport, several cleaning tickets and a bar of chocolate.

Two hours later, the tables, desks and surrounding filing cabinets were cleared and Sakura was shoving paper into a sack.

"Miss Tsunade will have a shock in the morning," she said happily.

"Just try and keep it like this," he said. "Now I think we both deserve some dinner."

"I've got stacks of food at home," she said.

"I know half a packet of fish fingers in the icebox. Stop being silly and go fix your face."

Sakura was appalled when she took a look at herself in the mirror. Crying had ruined her makeup and there was a large smudge of dust on her nose. She quickly repaired her makeup.

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Sasuke took her at a very luxurious restaurant.

"Your usual table, Mr. Uchiha," said the waiter leading them to a discreet corner. Sakura wondered how often Sasuke had sat there, lavishing wine and compliments on the lovely Ms. Sabaku.

He ordered drinks, and with them the waiter brought a dish of radishes, which Sakura longed to pocket for the rabbit.

"It's so lovely being here for a change," she said. "I'm so overwhelmed by Gaara that I can never eat a thing when he's around. I'm afraid he has definitely gone off me. I should have realized it when he started putting second class stamps on his letter instead of first class ones."

The waiter arrived with Tempura for Sakura and Umani for Sasuke. For a few minutes they ate in silence, and then Sakura noticed that a beautiful woman at the next table was staring at Sasuke. How odd, she thought, and had a good look at Sasuke herself, taking in the span of the shoulders, the strong, well shaped hands, the raven colored hair. Suddenly he glanced up and caught her staring at him.

"Well?" he demanded, just like he did in the office.

Sakura blushed. "I was just thinking that you're…umhh… very cute."

"You shouldn't say so in such a surprised tone, it isn't very flattering."

"Well—I mean—all the typing pool are besotted with you, but, of course, I'm immune because I'm in love with Gaara. And I'm never attracted to people who bully me." She added.

"That's blackmail," Sasuke said, "from now on; I have to put up with your crumby typing just so you'll like me?"

"oh no," she said, "I've decided I like you anyway, after this evening—in fact I like you very much."

He looks at her for a long time, his eyes moving over her face. "That makes me feel as though I've just won the Nobel Peace Prize," he said slowly.

Sakura stared back at him, unable to tear her eyes away, the color mounting in her cheeks. The waiter arriving with their second course brought them back to earth.

"Goodness, it looks delicious," Sakura exclaimed as she pick up her fork.

"Mr. Uchiha," she said in a small voice five minutes later, looking down at her untouched plate. "I'm terribly sorry, but I don't think I can eat this. I can't think what has happened… I was so hungry, and now I'm not, and it was so expensive…"

"It's alright," he said gently. "It doesn't matter." And as he smiles at her she noticed how really, really, handsome he was. Suddenly she felt shy of him, and in the car going home, she sat as far away as possible with the rabbit between them.

He didn't attempt to kiss her, as he delivered her to the door. "Go to bed early," he said. "It might get you on time in the morning."

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"Hello, Miss Tsunade," Sakura greeted dreamily next morning. "How was the dentist?"

"Frightful" Tsunade replied. "he was drilling in my mouth for hours. Mr. Uchiha wants to see you."

"I thought he might," Sakura replied.

Sasuke's face was expressionless when she entered the room. She beamed at him. "the rabbit is very well," she said "he ate a lot of—"

"sit down" Sasuke snapped. "You'd better explain this letter" he held two pieces of letter between finger and thumb.

"oh my, have I put my foot on something again?" Sakura sighed.

"I think I'll read it to you," he said silkily.

"Dear Sir, it begins. In answer to your advertisement for a secretary/personal assistant, I feel I have the ideal qualifications for the job."

"Oh," Sakura said, interested. "Are you getting a new secretary? It will be a terrible squash with me and miss Tsunade and her."

"It goes on," he said. "I relish hard work, and my aim in life is to find a job that I can really get my teeth into!"

"I should hire her, "Sakura commented. "She sounds jolly keen."

"you would? Well listen to this then. I am meticulously accurate in every way and used to acting on my own initiative."

Horror crept into Sakura's face. "Oh no" she whispered, "it can't be"

"Now it really begins to get interesting," he said softly. "my reason for leaving my present job is that the President (a wonderful man) was recently replaced by a director from the parent company in America. To be quite frank, this director is one of the most tyrannical individuals you could care to meet. He has already fired a dozen of my colleagues—dear people who have given many years of service in the firm. I live in dread that I may be the next to go, as he bullies me unmercifully and makes my life a misery."

Sakura buried her face in her hands.

He looked at her sternly. "You could be prosecuted for writing that letter," he said. "It's complete libel from start to finish. A good thing I got in early and no one else saw it.'

"I'm sorry," Sakura muttered. "I truly am."

"So you should be." Then to her amazement he threw back his head and roared with laughter (Sasuke laughed, Is the world crushing down already?). "used to acting on your own initiative, meticulously accurate…"

Tears of mortification welled up in Sakura's eyes. "how was I to know it was you lurking behind a box number? And being so sweet to me last night, when all the time you were looking for someone else to fill my job. Of all mean, cruel…"

"tyrannical things to do," Sasuke continued still laughing his head off.

"I'm going" Sakura sobbed. "I'm walking out of you hateful firm right now."

She leapt to her feet, but before she reached the door, he caught her arm. "Easy now, before you go charging out of my life, just read this memo. It came from the Public Relations this morning."

Sakura look at it suspiciously.

"Dear Sasuke," she read. "Thanks for your letter. Just to confirm that we can fit in your leggy pink head any time you choose to release her—particularly if she's as ravishing as you say. There's a vacancy on the copy side now, and she can do occasional shift in reception. Best Wishes, Shikamaru Nara."

Sakura put down the memo down on his desk. "You arranged to have me transferred," she said slowly.

He nodded. "so I can get some work done during the day, and some sleep at night. I thought you might rather do well in Public Relations with that fertile imagination."

Sakura was still staring at him in bewilderment. "Ravishing and distracting," she said quietly. "You are not trying to get rid of me?"

He shook his head ruefully. "I spent most of last night thinking about you; seeing you cuddling that rabbit, I realized you were wasted as a secretary. You ought to be living in a country looking after a houseful animals and babies and one very lucky man."

"I only wrote that letter because I was mad at you," Sakura said. "I thought you loathed me."

"loathed you! I've been captivated ever since I walked into Itachi's office for the first time. It was in the middle of the afternoon, and you were painting your nails with the radio on, and the sun was streaming through your hair."

He was coming towards her, and the expression on his face made Sakura back away from him until she was trapped against his desk. He took her into his arms.

"oh, we can't," she said in uncertainty." Not here"

"why not?" Sasuke questioned. "I'm the boss around here." And then he kissed her real hard, his tongue wandering around in her mouth.

"Oh my goodness," Sakura mumbled, very pink and glowing. "I don't think I want to marry Gaara after all"

"and I don't think I can afford to have you sabotaging my public relations company either; you'd be much better going into private relation with me. We'll discuss it over lunch."

Still with his arms around her, he leant across and pressed the intercom switch. "Miss Tsunade, I'm going to lunch, and I won't be back this afternoon. You're in sole charge of the office. Hire and fire at will."

"But Mr. Uchiha," Tsunade's anguished voice echoed inter-communally over the room. "You've got a meeting."

"cancel it, I've got a meeting of my own lined up."

He released the switch and turned his attention to Sakura.

"but Mr. Uchiha," Tsunade said, charging into the room like a herd of buffaloes. "I don't think I can contact the people coming to the meeting in time"

She broke of suddenly as she saw Sakura in Sasuke's arm and closed the door.

Fin

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Finish… this is one shot so I wont be updating anyways thanks to all the ppl who read and reviewed on this story and for those who invited me in their C2's. I very much appreciate your support. o

Hey, how do you put dividers in a fic?