A/N: Ridiculously short chapter, but I'll make up for it in the next one. I just wanted to get this little thing out.
Without further ado,
"Mao?" Gaara walked out of his office and leaned on the desk of his faithful assistant. Mao Tenshi looked up at took the papers in his hands automatically. He smiled and leaned over the back of her chair so they could consult quickly. "See these figures, they have to be wrong..." He scowled and she nodded, turning and quickly punching something up on the computer, she laughed. He raised an eyebrow and made a noise of question.
"Someone forgot a zero." She added the zero and he laughed too. Clerical errors, what a bitch. He took the papers and paused at his door. "When is your vacation starting? Friday right?"
"I'm off for a week, Friday then Monday-Thurs. Alright?"
"You know my office will be a mess when you get back?" He smiled when she laughed out loud. Mao was so easy to please and she loved knowing that she was an essential person in his life. Mao was an extremely bright woman but she had a nurturing aspect to her where she wanted to be needed. Perfect for him because he did need her. He went to go back into the office when the phone rang and Mao answered. He turned around to face her, just in case the call was vital.
"Suna International, Mao Tenshi speaking." She put a smile in her voice with ease then it brightened. "Oh Sakura-san hold on. Gaara do you mind if I kinda-"
"Space out? Feel free, you deserve it." He shut the door to his office at the sound of Mao's laughter. He sat back at the desk and continued with the papers on his desk. He took up his pen again and continued on the report that had just been troubling him. Now that that damn zero was there, it made a lot more sense. He signed at the bottom and put into a envelope before putting it into his box of to be sent stuff.
He frowned when his cell phone started ringing and he fished it out, answering it. "Gaara Sabaku." The voice on the other end of the phone was the one he had not expected to hear for a good long time, especially as he left about 3 hours ago. Shikamaru Nara's voice, miserable and quiet, came in through the phone.
"Hey, it's me. I need a favor."
.
.
Sasuke walked out of the hospital a bit mechanically. He'd not lost a patient since he started working in the children's ward. And it only hurt twice as much as it did when you lost an adult. Losing someone so young, and Sasuke had been the one to have to call the parents to the hospital and explain personally just how he died.
He sat with the parents for 3 hours.
And he never wanted to do it again. It was hell. The two people in there had just lost their son and now here was this young guy telling them that he was sorry. The first instinct is denial. Then anger. So they got angry at Sasuke and for a moment he wasn't sure which was worse. When they were in denial he had to tell them he was dead about 16 times, when they were mad Sasuke almost had to call security on the father.
For the first time in his life, he really wanted something strong to drink. But he had no time. The grandparents had, no heart apparently, already planned for Joshua's death and had a entire funeral set up and waiting for their call. 'When he goes, we want to be ready,' they say. What bullshit. How callous do you have to be to set up a funeral for a living boy. Sasuke had found himself swinging a fist into the wall before long. The funeral was in 3 days.
He was going to attend. He'd call both his jobs and booked the day and night off. There wasn't a snowball's chance in hell that he was going to miss it. Every kid in the ward wanted to go, but the director said he could take one. Deromi was the child he decided to take. He needed it, needed the closure. They'd get him fitted for a suit tomorrow so it was ready in time for the funeral.
But goddamn did he want an adult to lean on. Three days from now, he thought fearfully, I'll be everything to that little boy. I'll be his grounder, his parent, his guardian. Everything. Sasuke found himself justifiably horrified at the prospect. His cell phone was in his hand dialed and ringing before it was really even a thought.
Shikamaru picked up on the third ring. "Hey Sasuke, give me thirty seconds." Shika put him on hold, and Sasuke leaned back further into the wall. He must have emitted some seriously gloomy waves because several doctors coming in for their shift stopped and asked if he was okay. He nodded briefly and they went away. Shika returned to this phone with a sigh of, "Lemme guess, you forgot-"
"I lost a patient today. He was seven years old." He cut off the Nara. He heard the sharp intake of breath. "The funeral is in three days. Come with me." It sounded like a demand, when it was a lot closer to a plea. Shika was silent for a moment before he could practically feel the nod.
"I'll come. Though I might have a guest. I was supposed to be getting lunch with this Gaara character-"
"Why the hell are you getting lunch with him?" Sasuke frowned deeply, Shika better not be scoping this guy out. He'd wanted an opinion not a inquisition.
"Because I'm curious. Now shut up." Shika paused and said something rapidly to a third party, the raven could hear a pen scratching against a paper on a clipboard. Shika was great at multi-tasking even if he wouldn't admit it, or anybody else saw it. The Uchiha scrubbed a hand against his face but said nothing, if Shika wanted to interrogate this guy then he could feel free. Who was he to intervene if Shika wanted to study every new friend he ever made.
Oh yea, he was the guy who's friends were getting questioned all to hell.
Great.
"But you'll come right?" Regardless of Shika's unique ability to annoy the crap out of him, there was no one he wanted more to stand beside him at this funeral.
"I'll even let you borrow a suit from me." Shikamaru hung up and sighed. He'd cancel his lunch with Gaara, Sasuke needed a friend. He groaned as he dialed Gaara's cell phone. He had to admit that the idea of a child dying hurt him. Despite the fact that he was certain he'd be a horrible father, he thought about maybe someday having kids. Temari wanted kids but not right now and 'certainly not this early into our marriage' so he was fine with that.
When Gaara picked up with his customary greeting Shika sighed and spoke.
"Hey, it's me, I need a favor." Shika paused a second, but he could hear Gaara moving about quickly and knew he was getting ready to leave the office in a hurry. Gaara was good like that, if you called him with a problem he would drop whatever he was doing then come get you. Luckily Shikamaru didn't need this treatment today.
"You know how we supposed to have lunch this Friday? We have to cancel it, I'll still be meeting you at the hotel with Sasuke in tow. There's been a death and he wants me to go to the funeral with him."
"I understand completely. Whatever you need Shika." It was only after he hung up that he realized he'd invited Shika to bring Sasuke to a hotel banquet where the red head was being named the guest of honor. No, Gaara Sabaku the CEO was being named the guest of honor, Gaara Sabaku the number-cruncher was about to be outed as the CEO.
Aw crap.