Prompt # 28

Museum

The Edo period

1603-1868

Treasures of the Shogunate

Sasuke Uchiha stared blankly at the sign before him, well and truly tired of seeing the words. Working as a security guard at Tokyo National Museum required a high degree of attentiveness. Unfortunately for said museum, Sasuke had become bored of watching over the special exhibition in the Heiseikan gallery for the past month, and, as a result, his work ethic was suffering.

The exhibit was due to move on from the museum the next day and the flow of people through the gallery was rather thin as closing time drew nearer. A tall, silver-haired man stood observing the collection of ukiyo-e paintings on display, his gaze lazy yet intrigued. At the far end of the gallery a blonde man was bent over a case of coins, the gold glinting under the soft lighting of the gallery.

The only other person in the section was a young woman. She was well-dressed, her pencil dress tailored perfectly and a pair of, no doubt, designer heels added several inches of height to her small stature.

She was stood in front of a display of weaponry, her head turning minutely as she took in the swords and daggers mounted on the wall.

Sasuke glanced at his watch and saw that the museum would be closing in ten minutes. Just as the relief spread through him that his day was almost over, a low curse caught his attention. The woman across the room was crouched on the floor, scrambling to pick up items that had fallen from her handbag.

Sasuke may have been a grump, but he was raised as a gentleman, and so he moved over to aid the girl.

Stooping down, Sasuke picked up random cosmetics and a small notepad, holding them out for the woman to take. She looked at Sasuke with bright green eyes, thanking him shyly as she placed the items back in her bag. Sasuke thought her eyes were pretty, but that her black hair looked oddly harsh against her pale skin.

The pair straightened up and, looking around, Sasuke saw that the other two men had left the gallery while he was helping the lady. Turning back to the mystery woman, Sasuke saw that her eyes were fixed on the swords once more.

"It's a beautiful piece, don't you think?"

Sasuke followed her line of sight and observed the katana that had caught her attention. It was an ornate item, not suited to practical use. The tsuka and saya were intricately carved jade, beautiful designs etched throughout the length.

"I'm a collector of such things and I've never seen anything quite so lovely."

Sasuke wasn't sure what drove his normally stubborn tongue to move, maybe it was the wistful look on the woman's face, but he found himself speaking.

"There's a story to go with that blade." Those intense green were suddenly fixed on him and so he continued. "A young boy was found almost dead near the home of a daiymo. The daiymo ordered that the boy be cared for and nursed back to health. When the boy was back on his feet he offered his life to the daiymo. He would serve the man in any way asked of him.

"And so the man became a warrior for the daiymo and served him for years, growing stronger as both a fighter and a man. As a young man, he often visited the nearby town for the daiymo, ensuring peace was kept. On one of these trips he saw a young woman. She was no one of consequence in the town, just the child of a local merchant, for the warrior however, it was love at first sight. On his trips to town he would seek her out and slowly they began to form a relationship.

"When everything seemed to be going perfectly, the girl's father was found to be plotting against the daiymo. The family was imprisoned and death looked likely for them all. The warrior went to the daiymo, who had been like a father to him for years and begged for the girl's life. When the daiymo refused, the warrior offered his life in exchange.

"The daiymo was shocked by this as he saw the warrior akin to a son. He was also touched by his willingness to sacrifice himself. It reminded him of the selfless boy he had first met. Instead of taking his life, the daiymo took back the sword that the warrior had used to protect him and his land and gave him this jade sword instead. The warrior was free to leave and start a new life with the girl he loved."

The woman smiled widely as he finished his story. "That's beautiful. You seem to know a lot for a security guard."

"Well once you've listened to a dozen tours every day for a month, you pick up on these things."

The woman laughed. "I think you could do so much more with a passion like that." She smiled at him some more before thrusting her hand out. "I'm Sakura."

"Sasuke." He returned.

"I know," she tapped the badge on his chest and blushed. "I had better be leaving, the museum will be closing soon, right?"

Sasuke nodded, seeing that it was a couple of minutes until eight.

Sakura bade him a brief goodbye before turning and heading towards the exit. Sasuke's eyes followed her closely and therefore saw, perhaps before she noticed herself, how her right ankle seemed to shake in her precarious heels. Before he could shout out a warning, Sakura tumbled towards the smooth tiles of the gallery floor.

Sasuke heard her gasp of pain as he rushed towards the fallen woman's side. "Are you okay?"

Sakura shook her head. "My ankle. I'm not really having the best day am I?" She muttered.

"Come on," Sasuke scooped her up in his arms and ignored her squeak of surprise. "Let me take you to the office. I'll go lock up then take you to A and E to get you checked out."

"You don't have to do this, really."

"I know. Now hush."

Sakura huffed in protest but remained silent.

The security office was a small room containing two desks and a small bank of security monitors for the special exhibitions section. There should have been another security guard back here observing things but Sasuke knew that as soon as eight o'clock rolled around, Suigetsu was out of the door and in the bar.

Placing Sakura on one of the office chairs, Sasuke unclipped his keys from his belt and glanced at her. "I have to go and lock down the gallery. I'll be back in a moment."

Sakura nodded and Sasuke felt her eyes follow him out of the room.

His evening seemed to be turning in to a mixed bag. The last thing he wanted on a Friday evening was to be in the hospital with a stranger, but he couldn't deny that Sakura intrigued him.

When the doors were locked, the lights were down and the pressure alarms were checked, Sasuke made his way back to the office. Sakura was still on the chair and had kicked off her ridiculously high heels. She was using her uninjured foot to spin the chair round, her dark hair whipping out behind her. She spotted Sasuke on one of her revolutions and smiled.

"Finally! I was beginning to think that you'd left me here." She looked at her lap, her rouged lips curving at the corners. "I appreciate your concern, but I think my ankle is fine. No swelling at all, look."

She raised her right leg up, and Sasuke was suddenly struck by the fact that her dress was much shorter when she was sitting down.

Approaching warily, Sasuke did look. Her ankle was narrow and delicate, no sign of injury present.

"You can touch." Sasuke's eyebrows almost disappeared into his hair as Sakura bit her lip coyly. "I'm sorry. I'm never nearly this bold."

At a loss, being as socially inept as ever, Sasuke stood frozen as Sakura stood up, pressing herself against him. His hands, as though on their own volition, wandered up to her hair, his fingers tangling in the ebony locks. He froze as the hair moved with his fingers, the hairline slipping backwards and revealing a scalp full of pink hair.

His shocked eyes flew to Sakura's grinning face. The pinkette pressed a quick kiss to his lips and Sasuke felt a sharp pain at the base of his skull.

Then darkness.

The room was blurry as Sasuke came to, his head throbbing and his wrists aching in their position tied behind his back.

The events of the evening came back to him and he panicked. Looking around for Sakura, and yet knowing it was a hopeless cause, he saw that her shoes and bag were gone and that he was tied to the leg of his desk.

One of the sticky notes from his desk had been stuck to the edge of the desk and he could make out the feminine handwriting quite clearly.

Thanks for the story.

xxx

Lips covered in bright red lipstick had left a kiss print on the note and Sasuke felt his stomach drop as he realised that his keys were missing from his belt.

His eyes swung towards the security monitors. Even from his seated position he could see all six screens. His eyes sought out screen four and then he swore aloud at what his eyes didn't see.

The jade katana was missing and in its place was a familiar black wig.

Why is it so gratifying to mess with Sasuke?

Hope you enjoyed this shorter one-shot. A big thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter.

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(And no, I haven't forgot about echoes. Chapter 8 is well underway.)