Sakura quickly walked across the room with her head down. She gingerly pulled the chair out and sat down across from Sasuke.
"So today's my first day as your Public Relations officer," she said.
Of course he knows that! God I sound dumb.
"Glad to meet you," Sasuke half-heartedly greeted.
"Yeah, you too–me too! Me too, glad to meet you too," Sakura blurted out the last part.
Fuck me!
"Nervous?" Sasuke asked.
"Yeah a little," Sakura answered.
"Don't worry your job's impossible to screw up."
"Oh, ok," Sakura said with a confused gulp.
"So, what do you do?" he asked.
"I'm here to help you get a better public image, and to write any press conferences, and coach you in interviews–" Sakura began listing everything she's been studying before being cut off by her boss.
"No, I meant what you do outside the office."
"Um, what would you like to know, Mr. Uchiha?" Sakura asked.
"Call me Sasuke, and, I don't know, what are your hobbies? What do you do for fun?"
"I, I go to college most of the time, and I watch TV and go out with my friends…"
I sound so BORING! Damn this isn't going well.
Sasuke broke the silence after Sakura trailed off, "Ok, well I'm going to be honest: I didn't want to hire a PR assistant, or officer, whatever you are. It was my lawyers and shareholder's decision."
"Oh…so should I go then?" Sakura asked.
Sasuke wanted to say "Yes! Get outta here and let me do whatever I want to do!" but he didn't. He really wanted to say that, but that wasn't how he acted. He was quiet, but he wasn't cruel.
Instead Sasuke said, "No, you should stay. What's the first order of business?"
"Well, your assistant told me I was hired because of the rumors circulating that you hate charity, so I think we should donate some money to charity."
"No I don't want to do that," Sasuke said casually.
"Do, do you hate charity?"
"Not at all," Sasuke chuckled, "it's just a waste of money."
"All right that's your decision, but we have to do something," Sakura said with a smile.
Good job Sakura, you're sounding so professional!
Sasuke inquired, "What'd you have in mind?"
Sakura was about to answer, but she heard a door to her left slam open and an unfamiliar voice yell: "Hey some fucker keeps calling about a press conference!"
Sakura craned her head to the side and looked at a man roughly her and Sasuke's age with blonde hair, blue eyes and was dressed similarly to Sasuke but in orange.
Naruto stammered, "Oh! I didn't know we had a guest."
"Naruto this is the new PR officer, Sakura. Sakura, this is my Vice President Naruto."
"Teme! 'Vice President'? That's no way to introduce your life partner! You said you weren't ashamed of me!" Naruto yelled.
Sakura mumbled out quickly. "Ah! I-I didn't realize—but that's cool, I'm fine—"
"No no he's joking! We're not gay!" Sasuke interrupted as Naruto giggled in the background.
What the fuck is going on!
Sakura tried to change the subject, "What were you saying about a press conference?"
Naruto mumbled, "Oh just some news people asking to interview Sasuke again."
"Absolutely not," the center of attention calmly stated.
"Well this could be what we need," Sakura told them both, "if you just explain how it's not financially responsible to donate money, maybe people won't think of you in such a negative light."
"That's not the reason, though. The company's doing great."
"But, but uh w-we," Sakura started before Sasuke interrupted her again.
"You know what, we should clear the air." Sasuke pointed at Sakura, "You write something up that makes me look good," now he pointed at Naruto, "You set up a conference for as soon as possible."
Sakura repeated, "As soon as possible?" then gulped, "It might take some time to write up your talking points."
"Don't worry about it, I'll adlib most of it anyway," Sasuke declared.
"Ok…where should I work?"
Naruto cut in, "I have a spare computer in my office."
"Perfect," Sasuke answered for her.
XxXxXx
9:39 am
Sakura sat at a desk with a company computer. She was typing away as fast as she could. If it were up to her she would work on this for a day or two to make the speech just perfect. That's just how Sakura was; a perfectionist.
Naruto was quietly reading some files when he spoke up for the first time since they got to their office, "Hey, I just got a message: the press conference will be held at 11:30."
Sakura mashed half of the keyboard in shock, "Two hours?!"
"It was going to be at 12:30 but Sasuke didn't want it to affect his lunch."
"I don't think I can get this done in time," Sakura confessed.
"It's fine, Sasuke wasn't joking when he said he'd ignore it."
"He said that?"
"Well, 'adlib' is his nice way of saying it," Naruto said, then mumbled, "he isn't usually nice like that…"
"All right I'll keep working then," Sakura declared with fake confidence.
"Actually, what do you think of Sasuke?"
"What?"
"We've been friends for 10 years; it'd be funny to see a new perspective."
"Oh, well, I guess he's not exactly what I expected."
"How so?"
"He's more…casual? Yeah that's the word."
"Yeah he's unconventional, that's why so many people hate him."
"Hate?"
"Oh very much! Pretty much everyone in this building hopes the shareholders will kick him out."
"Why? I thought the company was going well."
"The company's great, and Sasuke's a great boss, but he has a habit of rubbing people the wrong way."
"Like he–"
"He says whatever he wants. He has no filter. I guess that's why you were hired."
"No pressure," Sakura whispered to herself.
"That's how he's always been. He was in an orphanage until he was 13, and then he went to boarding school where we met."
"Orphanage?"
"Yeah his parents died when he was pretty young."
"Oh my God, how?" Sakura asked with genuine concern.
"I don't know, I don't think he's told anyone."
Sakura swallowed hard, "I should get back to work."
XxXxXx
11:22 am
Sakura finished the speech wrote for Sasuke to say at the press conference 15 minutes ago, but she couldn't find her boss anywhere. He wasn't in his office, Naruto and Temari didn't know where he was and he wasn't answering his phone. Reporters gathered in a conference room several floor under them. Sakura peered in and saw their cameras and microphones eagerly waiting to interview Sasuke.
Sakura walked past the room as fast as she could with her head down. She was afraid if she made eye contact with any of them they'd ask her questions. She rounded a corner and smacked into someone's chest.
"Oh! I'm so sorry," Sakura apologized. She looked up and saw she smacked into an older man with a shaved head.
"Watch it!" he spat then stormed off.
Sakura looked back to the ground and stood paralyzed.
"Don't worry about him," a soothing voice cooed behind her.
She turned around and looked up at none other than Sasuke Uchiha.
"Oh thanks Mr. Uchiha."
"Sasuke, and Ibiki's always like that."
"Oh, ok Sasuke. I've been looking for you, I-I have your talking points," Sakura said, her spirits now lifted a bit, as she handed him a piece of paper.
He took it and scanned it over and mumbled, "Haven't found the right…thinking of the future…financially stable….ok Sakura this looks great."
"Thank you."
"Hn, it's starting. Let's go."
Sasuke walked past Sakura towards the conference room.
"I'm coming with you?" she called out.
"Yup."
XxXxX
11:31 am
Sasuke was sitting at the head of the table with microphones set up for him. He was typing something on his phone nonchalantly. Behind him were various lawyers and other high level business executives, including Ibiki and Sakura, who felt very uncomfortable.
Sasuke put his phone in his pocket and addressed the reporters, "Ok we're ready to get started."
Everyone in the room tensed up and some camera's flashes went off.
Sasuke began, "Our profits are up by 0.4%, we've hired 12 new employees, 7 of which are in our accounting department alone because of all the money we have. That's all. Business is good."
Sasuke stood and was about to leave.
That's it? Well, short and sweet is never wrong, and I knew what I wrote was crap anyway. I'm sure the charity blunder will be forgotten soon.
There was a murmur in the crowd until one man with a notepad and pencil spoke up, "Why won't you donate anything to charity?"
Sasuke leaned over into a microphone and flatly said, "I don't wanna."
What!?
The reporters exploded in questions, cameras flashed and the company executives began talking amongst themselves in hushed tones. Sakura stood wide-eyed and Sasuke left like nothing happened.
Sakura followed him out a minute later, but couldn't see him anywhere. She looked left and there was nobody, she looked right and nobody was there, she looked back to the left came eye-to-eye with Ibiki.
"What was that!" he yelled at her, not in a question, but in a redundant scream,
"I-I wrote him—"
"I don't want to hear your excuses! I want to know why you were hired if you don't do anything!"
"I'm sorry! I didn't think—"
Sakura closed her eyes out of fear and she felt tears well up behind her eyes.
"Well we pay you to think! But not anymore, because you, are,— "
Before Ibiki could finish his rant, she heard the soothing voice of Sasuke ask:
"Hey guys what are we talking about?"
Sakura opened her eyes and thought: Thank God!
Ibiki redirected his focus on the Uchiha, "What the hell was that!? Sasuke—"
"I'm the CEO," Sasuke interrupted.
Ibiki swallowed and darted his eyes to the side, "Mr. Uchiha we—"
"Mr. Uchiha was my father."
"Well, Sasuke—"
"You didn't know my father."
Ibiki looked noticeably irritated. He looked back at Sakura and stuck a finger in her face, "This is what you were hired to fix!" He turned around and stormed off.
Sakura turned to face Sasuke gingerly, "He really is like that all the time, huh?"
Sasuke smirked, "Hn, let's go back up."
Sasuke turned around and Sakura was glad to follow him. They were almost to the already waiting elevator, he must have called it down but came back when he heard Sakura being berated, when reporters flooded the hallway. They were recording them, taking pictures and yelling questions.
Sasuke and Sakura ran to the elevator and closed the door just before the news people swarmed them.
They began going back up in silence until Sakura gathered the courage to ask, "Why didn't you use what I wrote?"
"It was good; you're great at your job, but it wasn't the truth. The truth is I just don't want to."
"Oh, am I really needed here then?"
"Half the people in this building aren't needed."
He's nice, but he didn't really answer me.
Sasuke changed the subject: "That's a very nice jacket."
"Oh! This? Thanks," Sakura stammered out, not ready for a compliment.
"You should keep it."
"Hm?" Sakura hummed.
He pointed down at her sleeve. She followed his finger and saw that the price tag she tucked in her sleeve had fallen out when they ran from the reporters.
Sakura lied, "Oh yeah, that, I uh, was thinking of getting it a different color later."
The elevator doors opened and Sasuke shrugged and said, "Ok, but if you want your salary in advance just ask."
Sasuke walked into the hallway.
Sakura waited and fidgeted in the elevator. She spoke up, "Hey Sasuke."
He turned around, "Yeah?"
"I think Ibiki is going to fire me," she confessed.
"Oh, then I'll hire you back," Sasuke assured with a half-smile.
Sakura blushed.
Best job I've ever had.
Next Time: A surprise visitor shows up to work. Sakura finishes her first day with a big surprise. Ino gives some unusual advice.
Woo! Two down. I hope you like the story so far. What other Naruto characters should I add? Follow and Review and I'll think of you. Wink.