How do you handle an impossible situation? When you have one man convinced your one person - Gaara Sabaku, number cruncher extraordinaire - and everyone else knows who you really are - Gaara Sabaku, CEO of Suna International - it's almost too good to be true. Now they're coming together at a party where you're being honored, and therefore exposed.

So basically you're screwed.

Problem: this impossible situation. Solution: pull a maneuver worthy of Houdini. As for the how, well he had no fucking clue. He frowned and checked his watch. Shikamaru would be arriving with Sasuke in ten minutes. So he had ten minutes to come up with a plan. He smiled to himself, or 5 minutes to get his siblings involved.

Smooth as scotch he turned and hid behind a pillar to avoid the drunken women, flashing a smile at the barista that poorly hid her chuckles at his movements. He shrugged and mouthed to her, "When you're popular..." She laughed and he disappeared back into the crowd.

He reappeared at his sister's side with two drinks pilfered from a passing waiter. "Excuse me Temari here's your drink." He passed the drink and smiled warmly. Temari studied him for a split-second before returning to her conversation. He sighed his older sister was very worried about him.

Ever since she'd picked him up at the house earlier she'd been worried about him. She'd never say it out loud, but she was doing all the usual signs. Taking his arm as they walked, keeping nearby, asking if he was okay, to everyone around them it was just typical elder sibling behavior. He and his brother knew better. Temari was not the mother hen type towards her brothers she knew they could handle themselves, so for her to stay so nearby meant she was worried. Absently she reached to him and adjusted his tie, with a small murmur of praise for his outfit tonight. He sighed and smiled back. "You look beautiful too, wait until Shikamaru sees you."

Temari was a vision in teal, the halter-top dress leaving her back bare. Usually he'd think such a dress too revealing for this type of party but Temari could pull anything off elegantly. Shikamaru would definitely approve, the slit up her right leg revealing just enough to be alluring but not enough to be trashy. She'd straightened her hair for this occasion and it made her eyes sparkle when they were framed by the blond. He refrained from sighing. His sister was model pretty, his brother was ruggedly handsome, and then there's him. Red hair and azure eyes - clashing enough to freak people out. Add on top that his eyes were outlined in insomnia markings from his childhood that he'd never get rid of, plus he had a tattoo on his forehead. He certainly stood out in the family picture.

He listened to and kept up with the flow of conversation for another thirty seconds, being certain to look focused when he was checked on. Then he pressed a hand against Temari's back to alert her before he began tracing letters. A code they'd developed after enough parties together, writing on each other's back or hand.

G.o.t T.o T.a.l.k T.o Y.o.u

Temari nodded, as if in agreement with something the man said, before ending the discussion with a vague and non-committal response. They walked away pretending to be engrossed in their own companies workings, the moment they were a suitable distance away Temari rounded on him. "What's happening?"

"I've got a bit of a problem. Remember that file I asked for?"

.

.

Really he couldn't believe Shikamaru had managed to drag him out to this thing. Shika always knew what was smarter for him, but he still couldn't believe it. Left a funeral and now he's on his way to a black-tie party. Shika was probably right this was probably just what he needed to move away from the darkness of that little boy's death.

Now, as he sat in a car that probably cost more than he made in a year, wearing a suit that had been lent to him by a man he'd known for years, he thought that the universe was playing a trick on him. That something terrible would happen to him tonight. He closed his eyes for a second to ward off such thoughts before going into this.

"Stay close to me, smile and do what I do." Shika opened the door and got out, letting out Sasuke before closing and putting on a smile before beginning to slowly make his way into the party.

"Shikamaru! Shikamaru! Where does Suna International stand on..." Reporters began spouting questions and the Nara ignored them fluidly, turning and smiling like an angel. It was eerie, Shika was normally so withdrawn and casual, but as he stood in front of these cameras he almost seemed to be opening up to them. The Uchiha knew it was bull though Shika was acting and doing it well. He turned when Shika did and began walking in, laughing at Shikamaru's whispered joke.

"And tomorrow you'll be on the cover of a magazine with the title 'Who was that handsome man in the suit?'" They laughed and walked in. Immediately upon entering Sasuke felt suddenly out of his league, all these people either ran a company or were dating someone who ran a company. And here he was a normal hospital doctor and researcher.

Well at least he worked for a big name company. The thought brought a smile to his face. Shikamaru brought him around and introduced him to legal representation of some other companies. It was odd how normal all these people looked, most of them made millions, and they just looked so plain.

Sasuke found himself at the bar ordering drinks for he and Shikamaru. He turned around and frowned at a flash of red hair before shrugging it off. No chance was Gaara here, Sasuke thought to himself, not a snowball's chance in hell would Gaara ever be caught dead here. In the moments he'd known Gaara, the man seemed to definitely be a no nonsense type, this party was exactly that.

He found Shikamaru having a heated conversation with another man, "Kankuro this is ridiculous, what your brother does is his business-"

"It was his business. Until you made it mine by bringing-"They both clammed up when Sasuke arrived. Shikamaru smiled and took the drink with a murmur of thanks. Sasuke smiled at the other man and offered his hand.

"Sasuke Uchiha pleased to meet you." He glanced over the man; brown eyes, brown hair and a smile that belayed his clipped tone.

"Kankuro. I'm one of Shikamaru's friends." Sasuke noticed the tense aura and nodded.

"Shika, I think I'm going to go talk with - what was her name - Martina." He excused himself hurriedly and walked away. No way was he getting between a lawyer and whatever poor sucker he happened to be tearing apart at that precise second. He strolled past the terrace doors and paused, didn't he know that voice? He shook his head; no way he couldn't know it. He continued walking, and found Martina talking with a few other women. "Martina, comment ça va?"

Martina smiled broadly and greeted him in English, probably for the benefit of the girl beside her, who clearly didn't speak French. Sasuke chuckled when Martina kissed his cheeks then began to speak to the other woman. "Should I introduce myself-"

"Oh! No, no, Samantha this is Sasuke. He's one of Shikamaru's friends. Sasuke this is Samantha, she planned this party." Sasuke's eyes widened and Samantha laughed.

"Did you really? Wow," he took a second look at the room around him, "this is amazing. You're really good." Samantha blushed now Martina tapped his arm and tutted affectionately at him.

"Mon Dieu Sasuke, you're making the girl blush. She's had enough of that from the guest of honor."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Who's the guest of honor?" His own curiosity got to him. There was a guest of honor? Shika hadn't said anything about anyone being honored for anything, he sighed, typical Shikamaru behavior though. He was never interested enough on his own to tell anyone else about it. How his wife manages it, he thought, I'll never know.

"You don't know?" Both women seemed startled.

"No, like you said I'm Shika's guest and he's not a very good source of information. Who is it?" Both women laughed.

"He's only been on paper after paper-"

"I don't read the paper." He deadpanned. It was true he didn't, he didn't have time to read the paper. Both women gave him a look that almost made him think he'd confessed to murder and not a lack of information. "I barely have time for my books, the paper just doesn't fit in my schedule."

"Okay, Sasuke what do you do?"

"I'm a children's doctor in the hospital, and a doctor on staff in the Suna International company." Samantha looked appreciative of his profession while Martina looked almost appalled.

"You work for the guy who is being honored tonight and you've got no idea who he is?" For the first time in his life, Sasuke felt an immediate sense of shame at not taking the time to google the guy who paid him. Samantha patted his arm.

"Go get me a drink Sasuke, please." He shot a grateful smile at Samantha and smiled when he heard her cursing as soon as he turned his back. "Jesus Martina, could you be just a little meaner? So what if he's not one of us, he's nice and polite. If he comes back, which I doubt, you better apologize for being such a bitch."

Sasuke leaned on the bar and waited for the bartender to get a free second, one of his friends had tended bar before and she'd bitched a lot about people flagging her down when she was obviously in the middle of someone else's order. He turned to watch the crowds, people-watching he called it, and found himself smiling at some of the more ridiculous outfits.

He paused at another flash of red hair, but before he could investigate further Shikamaru appeared on his left with a bright smile. "So how's Martina, thrilled to see you I imagine. She loved that you spoke French as fluently as you did." He waved to a woman as she passed without ever breaking the sentence.

"She introduced me to Samantha, she planned the party." He gestured around them vaguely, before turning to look over his shoulder. I know I saw red, he frowned when the man from earlier appeared. Kankuro was his name if he remembered right. "Hello again Kankuro, how goes it?"

"Fabulous." He shifted to stand beside Shika and Sasuke immediately turned to face them.

"Hey Shika, Sam and Martina mentioned that someone was being honored, do you know what that's about?" He'd barely finished his sentence when both men smiled. "Jeez guys, you both are smiling like I just swore and the principal's behind me." He jested lightly. Kankuro slipped an arm around his shoulders and began walking away from the bar. "What's going on?"

"Nothing Sasuke, absolutely nothing." The two discreetly clapped hands behind the Uchiha's back.

Neither of them were surprised when Shikamaru's text message alert went off. Vibrate, so the only sign was that Shika's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden vibrations. He checked his phone behind Kankuro then turned to Sasuke with a raised eyebrow. "So have you called Gaara yet?"

"Gaara? Oh no I haven't. I wasn't sure if I should, I mean he only drove me to work once-"

"Exactly. You two should get drinks, you liked him didn't you, your psycho alarm didn't go off?" When Sasuke shook his head, Shika grinned. "See, no alarm bells, call him."

Sasuke gave an apprehensive grin before shrugging, "Eh, what the hell? Might as well." He slipped out his cell and dialed the number as Shika read it. "Hey Gaara, it's Sasuke Uchiha, you drove me to work a while back?...Yea, I was wondering if you maybe wanted to go out and get a drink…Tyra's is this jazz bar off of…You know it? Do you want to meet me there in say a half hour?...Great, I'll see you there."

He closed the phone and smiled at Shika, "So I'm on my way out, I'll grab a cab." He hugged his friend and shook Kankuro's hand before turning around to walk out.

"Sasuke? I just wanted to apologize for earlier," Martina materialized in front of him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Sasuke shrugged.

"It's fine." And really she was right, he should probably figure this stuff out before he came to any kind of party again, it just made sense.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we'd like to take a few moments of your time to say thank you to the man who made this entire endeavor possible," Sasuke turned, Martina still holding onto his arm. Shikamaru appeared, saying something and attempting to guide Sasuke to the door.

But Sasuke's gaze was locked on the stage, where the same red head who picked him up in the rain and drove him to work was walking across the stage and shaking hands with the MC.

"Gaara?"