A Day in the Life

October 15th

Turns out he didn't know about the Deidara thing, but had his suspicions.

He sat me down in front of his intimidatingly large desk and poured me a cup of green tea (that was a good sign - green tea is his good mood tea). He then asked me whether I was enjoying my time here at Otogakure Enterprises.

Trying not to let the fear show, I let him know that I was enjoying my time here (which is true, actually) and that my colleagues, for the most part, had been very welcoming.

Orochimaru is far too sharp, and he instantly picked up on my careless slip: "for the most part". He asked if there was anyone I wasn't getting along with. I denied it, but he kept staring at me with scepticism in his eyes until I caved. I don't know whether I've mentioned this before, but Orochimaru has intensely creepy eyes. They're yellow and look distinctly snakelike. I think he wears contacts. I told him about Kabuto and said that I thought he was jealous of me because I got the job he wanted.

Orochimaru smiled wryly and said that that was about right. He admitted that he would have given Kabuto the PA position, if he weren't such a valuable asset in the R&D department, which is, of course, pretty much the heart of the company. However, he also admitted that he was very glad he had made the decision to hire me because I am a very efficient, hardworking, intelligent and ambitious young man with a good head on my shoulders who will undoubtedly go far. He also said - and get this - that he believes I have more potential than Itachi!!

Seems like he's got the measure of me.

He also said that, because of my quality, he would be very disappointed to have to let me go.

My heart leapt into my mouth for a moment and I seriously thought he was going to sack me and send me packing back to Konoha. I started stuttering and asking him what the problem was, and whether I could do anything to fix it because I loved this job and would do anything to keep it (which is sort of true - the pay and accommodation is good enough to balance out the drama).

Orochimaru then appeared to look surprised and said that he was NOT going to fire me, but that he thought I was ready to hand in my notice. Trying not to show that I was shaking with relief, I asked him why he thought that. He leaned back in his big chair and started ticking off reasons on his fingers, saying that that ever since Goldie's funeral, I had been off with him, trying to avoid him, cutting conversations short, finding excuses not to be around him.

This was quite true. He had caught me hiding behind the cheese plant near the photocopiers earlier in the week. I'd pretended I was looking for a lost contact lens and he looked at me funny and said he didn't realise I wore contacts because he didn't remember sight being a problem when he had Kabuto run medical background checks on me. Shamefaced, I said nothing and trailed after him to his morning meeting with Karin and Sales & Marketing.

There was a ponderous, excruciating silence in which Orochimaru looked pensive and I no doubt looked as though I was ready to top myself out of embarrassment. Then he leaned forward a bit and looked me right in the eye and asked outright if it was because I had seen him with Deidara.

I didn't know where to look and I sort of spluttered out that, yes, I had seen him with Deidara and that I felt a bit uncomfortable about it afterwards. He fell silent again for a moment before explaining to me calmly that he and Deidara had had a brief liaison while he was working for the Akatsuki Group. He told me that it was just sex - and irregular sex at that - nothing more, and that if it was bothering me, he would call a halt to the whole arrangement.

I said that it wasn't bothering me, and that he could have sex with whomever he liked, it was just that I felt it quite awkward speaking to him afterwards (I wisely neglected to mention that I also considered it unprofessional conduct). He looked oddly disappointed at that and said that he understood. It was, after all, "part of my innocent charm".

I didn't tell him about Kagero, but I took the compliment and indicated that I wanted to leave via the excuse that I had lots of work to do. He nodded and waved me out, but before I left, he said that he was throwing a surprise party next week at his town house in Konoha for his friend Jiraiya's 50th, and that if I wanted to come, I was more than welcome.

Strangely, the thought of seeing Naruto and everyone again was quite appealing, so I said I would go. He seemed to cheer up at that.

And that was the highlight of my day. No more avoiding the boss from now on.

We're about to have a drunken DDR tournament. I think Suigetsu and Amachi have become addicted to it. Karin is here and so is Gen'yumaru (he brought homemade brownies). They invited the twins Sakon and Ukon from accounts and Tayuya, Jirobou and Kidomaru from Purchasing. They seem like pretty cool people. I just hope it doesn't get out of hand...

October 16th

It got out of hand. Way out of hand. I'm just glad it wasn't in my apartment, is all I can say.

Amachi is scrubbing red wine sick off the walls. Suigetsu was sick and he somehow managed to spray it up the walls, so much so that a stepladder was required to get every last bit. If it wasn't so disgusting, I'd say that it was quite a spectacular achievement.

Tayuya is not what I expected. She's a fiery, foul-mouthed, hard-drinking, hard-smoking, hard-living girl with far too much attitude. At about half four in the morning (why do sordid things always happen to me at half four in the morning?) she cornered me squarely and asked "if I wanted a fuck." I was really quite drunk at this point and was therefore open to suggestion. I said that I wouldn't mind and so she dragged me off to bed and had her way with me.

I couldn't remember much of it, to be honest, but somewhere along the line we must've been joined by the twins because I woke up with them on either side of me.

This place has corrupted me, I swear...

Now I have a terrible hangover, offset by terrible guilt, and I'm trying not to catch Orochimaru's eye because if I do, he'll somehow scan the contents of my alcohol-soaked mind with his creepy, intense eyes and then sack me for being such a filth-monger.

LATER: I think I'll be okay about the Tayuya and the twins thing. Suigetsu told me she sleeps with anything that moves and that she's not the clingy type. She even went for Karin a few months back. It's just par for the course.

I saw Tayuya passing in the corridor and she just grinned at me and winked. I felt dirty, yes, but no longer guilty.

I am now convinced that this place has corrupted me.

October 18th

Kabuto has managed to get quite cosy with the boss. At the morning meeting today with R&D he was sitting next to him and kept touching him inappropriately. I sustained a passive-aggressive campaign of frowning throughout the whole proceedings in order to show my displeasure, but no one seemed to notice.

October 19th

I had the following e-mails in my inbox today, all from people from Konoha:

----

From: "Hatake Kakashi"

Subject: Shhh! It's a secret!

Hi Sasuke!

Long time no see. We've just been told about the big birthday bash Orochimaru is holding for Jiraiya. I seriously think it's going to be the biggest blowout ever! Everyone's going to be there! The guys from your end, guys from our end (obviously) and some of the Suna crowd (I know Gaara, Temari and Kankuro are coming).

Can't wait for the weekend! Hope I'll see you there, dude!

Kakashi.

----

----

From: "the best"

Subject: PARTAYYYYYYYYYYY!!! PARTY PARTYPARTY PARYT PARTEEEEEE!!!

DUDE!!! u boss is throwin a major blowout for jiriya ths weekend and its going to be the bes tparty ever, i can't tell u how much i'm looking forwar dto this i'm so excited heeeeeeeeehehehehe i think a bit of pee escaped there! lol. not really i'm just kidding but not about bbein excited because i am totally.

will u be there, dude? you can't be workin all the time thats totally boring!

see ya round like a record,

N.

----

----

From: "cherry blossom"

Subject: no subject

Hi Sasuke!

Tsunade has just told us about the big surprise party your boss is throwing for Jiraiya. That's awfully thoughtful of him, I must say. I hope you'll be coming, too. I haven't seen you for so long.

Take care, and hopefully I'll see you soon!

Sakura.

xxx

----

I replied to all of them and said I was most definitely going to be there. Orochimaru owns the only five star hotel in Konoha and he's booked out two floors for us to use, so there's no problem accommodation-wise. There are two huge penthouses on the very top floor. Orochimaru is in one and I am in the other! Kabuto has been relegated to one of the suites in the floor below! Ha ha! Guess who is the most valued employee now? I bet he's furious...

October 20th

It's the day the day we leave for the party and I have just seen a whole new side to Orochimaru.

He is absolutely terrifying.

Someone screwed up in accounts and it must've been pretty serious because he got a phone call and while the person on the other end of the line was speaking, his jaw went rigid and then he hung up. He snapped his fingers at me and told me to drop what I was doing and come with him. I didn't dare do otherwise. I think the rage had taken over by that point and to disobey would've been suicide.

He strode down to accounts and kicked the door open with a bang, making everyone jump. Then he stormed over to Sakon and Ukon (who were almost clinging to one another, terrified) and went totally ape-shit.

I swear he screamed at them for half an hour. I couldn't even make out what he was saying, but I think everyone got the gist of it. By the end, the twins were actually crying. It was quite pitiful to watch.

Then, still fuming, Orochimaru whirled round and pointed a finger at me. My heart stopped for a moment, but he just snapped "With me, Sasuke. Now." He swept off out of the room at a cracking pace and headed out of the building towards the South Base apartment complex. I was a shade terrified by this time, and I plucked up the courage to ask him where he was going. He replied in a dangerously calm tone that he was going to have a word with Juugo.

After enduring one of the most painful elevator rides I've suffered for a long time, we reached our floor and Orochimaru strode up to Juugo's door and started hammering on it.

Eventually, the door cracked upon a little and I could see a frightened pair of eyes peeking out through it. Orochimaru pushed his way in, though, and I saw Juugo for the first time. He's older than Suigetsu, Karin, Gen'yumaru and I, but younger than Amachi. He's got spiky hair and is quite tall too, taller than Orochimaru, but it didn't seem like that. Orochimaru had already backed him into a corner and was screaming obscenities at him. His snakey pupils had dilated and everything. I think at that point he was seriously unhinged. Juugo looked like he wanted to end it all. He kept saying over and over, pleading, that he'd fix everything before Orochimaru went away to the party. I just stood there and stared fixedly at the ground, trying to be inconspicuous.

Orochimaru said that, yes, he would fix it before the party because he would be going. Juugo's face went pale and he started moaning that he couldn't, he just couldn't, but Orochimaru just smiled a nasty smile and said that it would be just punishment for his incompetence.

He turned on his heel and walked out, but before he left, he called out over his shoulder, "I expect to see you promptly in the lobby at 9:20 tomorrow morning, Juugo - otherwise you will lose your job."

Then he stormed off and I was left standing there awkwardly in the hall of Juugo's apartment watching Juugo have a panic attack and having no idea what to do. I just sort of stood there, grinning inanely for a while before I decided on a plan of action. I ran across the hall to my apartment, made a cup of green tea and ran back to take it to Juugo. He was still there, hugging his knees and gently rocking back and forth. I sat down on the floor next to him and handed him the cup of tea. He stared at me for a moment and then took the tea, muttering something that sounded a bit like "thanks."

Juugo, it turns out, suffers from severe agoraphobia. Normally, this would really set him back in the job department, but he's a really good accountant - he was headhunted from Suna before they underwent the merger with Kohona - and Orochimaru was willing to pander to his disability because he could just work from home and communicate with his underlings by e-mail. Sometimes, though, he finds it difficult to keep tabs on everything when he can't talk to people - the only person he was comfortable with, apparently, was Kimimaro - and he occasionally makes the odd mistake because of it. This one was apparently a whopper.

I asked him if he wanted me to stick around for a bit, but he sniffed and said no, but thanked me for the offer. I said goodbye and told him not to worry and that we'd look after him.

What a day.

I'd better get packing. Not much time left until tomorrow.

If Orochimaru is still in a foul mood in the morning, then this party is going to be on the wrong side of hellish...

AN: Thanks for the reviews, Pentatonikk and Sakonster. They're muchly appreciated. Big hugs for you both!