Voila! Another chapter done and dusted. Inspiration hit, for how long no one knows. I wrote two new one-shots, so go check those out too. But enough of my gibber-gabbing, enjoy!

Chapitre Trois: Le Terrible Incident

Friday passed pretty much the same as it always did, with the added bonus of Temari's brothers company. Gaara came with sister each time as they worked in the same building, which I just found out. It was a family business and Gaara had been working away at another site, as was their0 other brother, but the office in Japan was their main branch which is why Gaara returned to lead the company from here instead. We, meaning Temari and I chatted and gossiped as we sipped away at out coffees and munched on my new lemon and mango cupcakes. Then it was time for her to leave and it was time for the lunchbreak workers to rush in for their croissants and coffee's.

It was practised and repetitive to some people but to me it was a perfect life. No surprised and a quiet life filled with the love of people you cared about. What could be better?

But my quiet perfect life was disrupted when two men in suits came barging into my café at mid-afternoon. They had suitcases and very expensive looking shoes. Those two things added together equalled the worst kind of trouble; lawyers.

Putting down the coffee jug in my hand and pulling off my apron with other I made my way over to them, ignoring the curious glances from my friends and the other customers in my shop.

"Can I help you?" I asked, giving them my no-nonsense tone. The last thing I wanted to do was help these people, maybe kick them out the door, sure, but help them? I think not.

"We are looking for the owner of this establishment." The tall one looked his hook nose down at me, making me want to break it off, but instead I smiled and said,

"You're looking at her." The short one looked me up and down, making me want to shiver, but instead I stood tall in my 3 inch pumps and waited for the shoe to drop.

"This is an official eviction notice. You have two weeks to evacuate the premises after which you will be escorted off the premises and convicted of interference with a government matter." My jaw dropped and my legs grew unsteady as the tall one handed me a large envelope before they both tipped their hats at me and walked out the door.

The loud bang of the door hitting the frame had me coming back to reality as I slowly looked down at the yellow envelope in my hand, unaware of the 20 or so sets of eyes focused on my face for my reaction having heard everything those two men said.

Slowly, as if this were all a dream, I slit open the envelope, letting it flutter to the ground as I gripped what was inside it in white straining hands. There written across the top in red was the word; EVICTION.

I covered my mouth as I began to hyperventilate. This couldn't be happening to me. My café was perfect, and had been for months. It was a good business, the money was paying my University bills. Not to mention the added bonus of doing what I loved to do; making people smile with the taste of homemade pastries. No one complained and everyone benefited. How could God do this to me? I was the perfect citizen, I paid my dues and helped others at every chance I could. I donated money annually to various charities and visited the gravesites of my parents once a month. What did I do to deserve this injustice?

I didn't notice I was shaking until someone came up behind me and placed their hands on mine. I looked up with tear-filled eyes and saw that it was Naruto at my side. He whispered comforting words to me as he walked me passed everyone and into the kitchen where he sat me down and took the paper from my hands.

While he read it for himself I pulled myself out of my semi-comatose state long enough to get up and grab one of the vodka bottles I kept for times just like this and a shot glass from the same cupboard.

I poured myself shot after shot and soon Naruto joined me, shaking his head as he tried to decide what to say to me. In the end we just sat side by side sharing my grief in a bottle of numbness. I think Hinata came in to check up on me, but Naruto waved her away, asking her to take care of thing out there while I pulled myself together. I don't know why he told her that, how was I meant to pull myself together when my entire life was falling apart in front of me.

We must have been sitting there for hours because the next thing I knew, the double doors connecting the kitchen to the café floor were pushed open with a bang.

"Where is she!" A familiar shriek coupled with four blonde piggy tails had me slumping even further into my seat, pouring myself the umpteenth glass of spirits.

"Haruno Sakura, you have been brought up better than that! Get your self-pitying ass off that chair and fight for your café!" That plus her taking the practically empty bottle of vodka away from me hit my last nerve.

"You have no right to speak to me like that Temari! This is my HOME! They are taking away my HOME. Can you spell that? Do you know what that means? H-O-M-E! This is my dream. So excuse me if I want to consume a few drinks before I begin to pack my bags!" After my little rant was over I snatched the bottle back from Temari and sculled the last few swallows. If there was anything I was totally epic at it was being able to hold my drinks.

"So that's it? You're just going to give up? Just like that?" Temari's voice was full of disbelief, which was understandable, but still pissed me off nonetheless.

"It has no loophole. I checked. I read it multiple times Temari, they are going to bulldoze my beautiful café so they can build an apartment building. Apparently they have the right to throw people on the streets as long as they give them 'notice'". I made quotation marks in the air as I got up, slightly unsteady on my feet, and picked up another bottle of vodka from the cupboard. I had barely made it back to my seat when the bottle was taken from me and a strong hand pushed me gently into my seat.

"Let me see it." A deep baritone spoke from above me as the documents were given to him, probably by Naruto.

"And what makes you think you will be able to find something when I couldn't, Mr Bigshot," my words slightly slurred together as I blinked up at him with a drunken gaze.

"I own a lawfirm, whilst you Ms Haruno, are training to be a doctor. Leave it with me and I'll be able to find you a loophole. For now, you should probably sleep off your drunken stupor." And with that he simply took the document and walked out, without even a simple goodbye. Well, that didn't stand with me, and in my drunken state I did something I wouldn't normally d – Oh, who am I kidding, I would have done that even if I was sober.

"Now you listen here, tall dark and handsome, I don't need your pity or your sympathy. And I most definitely don't need your help. So you give me back those documents and go on your merry way back to wherever the hell you came from!" I was panting by the end as I stood in the middle of my café, everyone's eyes trained on me and the mysterious redhead.

"I am giving you neither my sympathy nor my pity, but my help is something you need. Now turn around and go sleep of the drink, boozy." His matter-of-fact tone brought me to a halt before steam began to erupt from my ears.

"How dare you! You – you – you pigheaded Neanderthal! I am no helpless damsel in need of rescue. I have handled myself for years! BY MYSELF. And I will handle this! Give them back!" As I made a grab for them, I was clumsy, allowing Gaara to easily push me away, but instead of pushing he pulled me closer, pressing us flush to flush.

"Do you want to lose your home?" One single sentence was all it took for the waterworks to start and for my anger to subside.

"No..." I trailed off, suddenly ashamed of my childish antics. Here he was, offering to help me probono and I act like spoilt brat.

"Then do I have your permission to find you a loophole?" He said it almost mockingly as if he didn't give a damn about my answer cause it was going to do it anyway, but I didn't bite back. I just stood there, slumped against him.

"Why? Why are you doing this?" It was the answer that needed to be asked all along. I had only known him for a day, and in that only a few hours. Why would he go out of his way to help me, when he obviously had more important things to do, like running a lawfirm.

I didn't get my answer instead I felt a hand in my hair tilting my head back until I felt a pair of lips slant against mine and give me the hottest and most thorough kiss I had ever experienced in my life. It was over in moments, but felt like forever before he pulled away and allowed me to breathe.

My eyes opened to find me already walking away from me. I stood there in shocked confusion as he turned when he made it to the door and spoke over his shoulder at me before leaving, "I find you fascinating." And then he was gone. Just like that.