--- Chapter Four: Suspended ---
-Sasu/Saku/Gaa-
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Chapter Dedicated To: adicted2naruto
She averted her eyes; she wouldn't dare look the Uchiha in the eye. Why did the bad things always have to happen to her? She didn't even know what to say- or if she should say anything at all. She regained her composure. She would not let him get the better of her. She didn't let Hana get the better of her and she wouldn't let him, especially not him.
"Well, I have some projects to finish-" she turned to look at Gaara and smiled slightly. "See ya around."
With that said she quickly walked out of the room. There was no way she was going to stay in there, with Gaara and Sasuke. Not unless she wanted to die! She knew that it wasn't smart to smile and say bye to Gaara and ignore Sasuke. But, she was just showing her new boss that he held no power over her, just because he was her boss it didn't mean anything. She felt her heart pounding fast against her chest as she walked down the quiet hallways- what she did took a lot out of her.
--
Sasuke was looking at Gaara with a fierce glare. Gaara knew that Sasuke was mad at him; he also knew why Sasuke was so mad. That all just seemed to bring him amusement as he smirked.
"How's your day, Mr. Uchiha?" asked Gaara raising his head a bit, as his eyes made contact with Sasuke's.
"What's your relationship with her," Sasuke demanded more than asked. His hands clenched- Sasuke had forgotten all about the can of coke in his hands and he made a dent in it. Gaara looked down and noticed this, but Sasuke didn't seem to notice what he was doing to the can-or he just didn't care.
'Hmmm... He gets jealous very easily,' realized Gaara. There was a glint in his eyes as he thought up of many ways to annoy and anger his new boss.
"What do you care?" questioned Gaara- pretending as if he didn't know. It was quite obvious that his boss had feelings for Sakura. Sasuke wanted her for himself. There was just one problem with that- Gaara wanted her too and he wasn't going to let anyone take her from him. Especially not his new boss.
"Stay away from her," said Sasuke coldly. "And that's a demand, as your boss. Otherwise, you can expect to get fired."
"See if I care," said Gaara as he walked out of the room- leaving his boss alone and angry in the room.
'Who does he think he is?' thought Sasuke angrily, running a hand through his raven locks. 'I'm his boss! I can fire him whenever I feel like it! Yet he acts like he doesn't care and defies me! He's going to stay away from her. I'll make sure of it.'
--
Sakura sat at her desk, typing up all the work that was due. About two to three hours had passed since her little incident with Gaara. She was relieved that Sasuke hadn't come to her office to ask her questions. She really didn't feel like explaining herself to him. She looked at the round clock that hung on the wall and realized it was time for her lunch break. She saved the document that she was working on and grabbed her purse as she got up off the chair. After turning off the lights she closed and locked the door.
She suddenly tensed when she turned around and saw Sasuke. He looked like he was going to murder someone. He scowled. You could see the intent to kill in his eyes. She could almost feel the anger radiating off of his body. She had never seen anyone so angry before and quite frankly, she was frightened.
"Hello Mr. Uchiha," greeted Sakura calmly, trying to hide the fact that she was scared.
"What is your relationship with Gaara," demanded Sasuke bitterly.
'Well he sure gets straight to the point, though there is no need to be so demanding,' Sakura resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
"We're just friends," answered Sakura. "You have no right to be getting into my personal business anyway. You may be my boss, but I don't have to tell you everything or actually anything about my life. So back off a bit. My business doesn't concern you."
"It does concern me," replied Sasuke. "Just you wait Sakura, you'll be mine. I promise you that."
"Ugh, what makes you so sure that I'll be yours?" asked Sakura hotly. Her fists clenched tightly and she glared at Sasuke- she was angry and fed up with him.
He smirked slightly as he pushed Sakura gently against the wall. He no longer had that angry aura coming off from his body. She was surprised to see his anger dissipate so quickly. Nonetheless, his actions caused Sakura to slightly blush, but she tried hard to fight it as she continuously glared at him and tried to push him off of her.
Once again, Sasuke found himself being smothered by her aroma of sweet cherries. He was having a hard time ignoring her ambrosial scent.
"I know you want me as much as I want you," answered Sasuke. "I mean c'mon, what girl doesn't dream to be with me?"
Sakura groaned as she finally found the power to push him off of her.
"You are such an egotistical jerk, I will never be yours!" Sakura snarled angrily, poking his chest as hard as she could with every word she said. Sakura stormed away from him. He was left there standing in surprise.
'Damn that girl has quite some strength,' thought Sasuke as he rubbed his chest. 'She's feisty, just like I like them.'
He walked to his office, in a much better mood than before.
--
"I can't believe that you're going on a date with Gaara!" Temari exclaimed in excitement and surprise.
Sakura blushed, "It is not a date!"
Temari rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips, "Oh yeah? Then what is it?"
Sakura had followed Gaara's directions and walked to the bakery that Temari worked at. Once she arrived she started telling Temari about the events that happened at her new job.
"It's two friends going out to eat..." replied Sakura after a brief moment of silence.
Temari shook her head and grinned.
"I told ya that he likes you!" said Temari.
"He does not," retorted Sakura.
"Oh come on," said Temari. "Don't even try to lie. You know he does! Since when did Gaara ask a girl, or rather anyone to go out and eat with him? Think about it. He so likes you. If Ino-chan were here, she'd agree with me."
Sakura rubbed her temples and sighed, Temari was delusional.
'It's a good thing I didn't tell her that we nearly kissed,' thought Sakura. Oh, that would have been an earful.
"Oh and I went around looking for a new apartment," said Sakura. "It was surprisingly really easy to find apartments around here. There are two that really got my interest and don't cost much. But first I need to get the money and then depending on how much I get- I'll decide and buy one of the apartments."
"Oh, that's good!" Temari smiled. "You'll probably be getting a lot of money since you're working for the biggest and richest business in the nation."
"Yeah, probably," Sakura shrugged.
"Anyways, tell me what else happened! Do you like your new boss?" asked Temari as she cleaned the tables.
"Oh, I love him," Sakura replied sarcastically.
"Ha, how old is he?" asked Temari.
"Your age," answered Sakura.
Temari's eyes lit up and she quickly raised her head to look at Sakura, "Is he hot?"
'Is that all she cares about? Really?' thought Sakura. 'I swear- she's just like Ino.'
"That depends, do you think Sasuke is hot?" asked Sakura, rolling her eyes as she sat down on a chair.
Temari froze as she looked at Sakura in pure shock. Sakura just stared blankly at Temari.
"No way!" said Temari when she finally got over the surprise. "He's your boss? That's not fair! I want a sexy boss! Damn and you danced with him at a club. Whoa, that must be awkward. What a coincidence, don't ya think?"
"Ugh, I prefer to have Hana as a boss!" frowned Sakura.
"What? Why?" Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"I don't want to be near him," replied Sakura. "I try to avoid him, but he's always following after me. He wants me to be his girlfriend or whatever, but I don't want to go out with him. Especially now that he's my boss! But he won't back off and it's irritating me."
"Why don't you just give him a chance?" questioned Temari as she went back to cleaning the tables. "I mean we all know that you sort of like him. You know that you're never going to forget about that amazing night at the club."
"It's just ugh," Sakura sighed. "Other than me not wanting to be in a relationship and seeing that he is an egotistical bastard- I just, well, I-"
"You what?" asked Temari. "And how is he an egotistical bastard?"
"Well, he doesn't even know anything about me," Sakura sighed. "I feel like he only likes me for my looks and because of that day at the club." She stared down at the table with a frown on her face. "I'm not going to be with a guy like that. I want a guy to like me for me, for who I am." Sakura poked her chest repeatedly with the very last three words that she said. She then had a look of anger on her face, "He's an egotistical bastard because he said and I quote, 'I know you want me as much as I want you, I mean c'mon, what girl doesn't dream to be with me?' and he said that I'm going to be his, he promised me that. Can you believe that? As if! But ugh, he knows nothing. I will never be with a guy like him!"
Temari laughed and shook her head, "You say that now. But watch- you're going to end up marrying him. But hey, what about Gaara? Ha, something tells me those two guys are going to hate each other. Knowing Gaara and from what you said about Sasuke- those two definitely won't like each other. I'm sure that by now they both know that they both like you."
"Gaara doesn't even like me!" said Sakura defensively.
"Yes he does," said Temari. "Now tell me, do you like him?"
"Of course not," answered Sakura. She glared at Temari. Why would she even bother asking that? Of course she doesn't like him! He always made her life hell while at work.
Temari just shook her head, "You're going to break my little brother's heart." She wiped an imaginary tear from her eye.
Sakura rolled her eyes and then they both just laughed.
'Damn, if only I worked at the Uchiha Incorporation,' thought Temari. 'I would just love to see all the drama that's going to be happening over there.'
"Well, thanks for the free muffin and coffee," said Sakura as she got up from the chair. "It was nice talking to ya. I got to go, it takes about 20 minutes to walk back and I have only half an hour left of lunch break. I can't be late; otherwise I'm going to get into a lot of trouble."
"Your boss is in love with you, I'm sure you won't get into any trouble," Temari joked.
Sakura glared at her, "He isn't in love with me. He just likes me. Once he gets to know me better- he'll get over me. When that happens, I'll be happy."
"I was just kidding," said Temari. "Anyways, I'll talk to you later. Bye."
"Bye," said Sakura, giving Temari a hug before she left.
--
Once Sakura entered the building she showed the security her ID and went into the elevator. She thought she had gotten lost but then her surroundings started to seem familiar to her. On her way to her office, she saw Sasuke talking to one of the workers. He was much older than Sasuke.
'Doesn't it seem weird for them to be working for a guy much younger than them?' thought Sakura. 'I still can't believe how young the owner of the Uchiha Incorporation is.'
As she walked passed them… Sasuke quickly turned to look at her and winked. Sakura groaned and shook her head, but kept on walking. Sasuke just smirked and then turned his attention back to the worker in front of him.
She got straight to work once she entered her office. Her head turned towards the door when she heard someone knock on the door. She immediately grew frustrated.
'Ugh, what does Sasuke want now?!' thought Sakura in annoyance. But then she remembered something. 'He doesn't have the decency to knock!'
"Come in," Sakura said aloud.
The door opened and in came a girl that Sakura did not know. She was dressed nicely and had on an ID. Sakura came to the conclusion that she was one of the workers. She stood up from her chair and walked around the desk.
"Hello," greeted Sakura, stretching out her hand and smiling at the young girl in front of her.
She had short brown hair and dark brown eyes. She couldn't be more than a year or two older than her. The girl shook her hand.
"Hey, I'm Matsuri."
"I'm Sakura, is there something I can help you with?"
"Are you done with the form?"
"Huh?" asked Sakura in confusion. "What form?"
"Each worker was given a sheet with questions that you had to answer, didn't you get it?" asked Matsuri.
Sakura walked over to her desk and looked through all the papers, one paper said Form about Yourself, right on the top.
'Couldn't they be a little more specific?' Sakura thought sarcastically as she inwardly rolled her eyes.
She turned to Matsuri and gave her an apologetic smile, "Sorry, I didn't fill it out yet. I didn't know about it. Can you come back in about half an hour or so?"
"No problem," smiled Matsuri. "I'll be back later, bye."
She walked out of the office, closing the door behind her.
'There are some really nice people around here,' thought Sakura happily. She looked at the clock and her eyes widened. 'I have to finish this and everything else in an hour!'
She quickly started answering the questions on the form, 'Damn, these questions are a waste of time! They should schedule an interview instead. I don't have time to be doing this- I have to finish one more document and send it to the bastard.'
--
"Temari?"
Temari lifted her head up from the cash register and smiled.
"Shikamaru, right?" said Temari. He nodded his head. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm on my lunch break," was his response. "You work here?"
"Yeah," answered Temari as she nodded her head.
"Temari," said a stern voice. She turned around to face her boss. "It's time for your break, be back no later than an hour."
Temari nodded her head and took off her smock, hanging it on a hook. She grabbed her purse before walking over to Shikamaru.
"So... Are you going to take me out for lunch or what?" she asked him, with a hand placed on her hip.
Shikamaru sighed, "Troublesome..."
Temari grinned as she followed him out of the bakery.
"Can you believe that Sakura and Sasuke have to see each other every day at work?" laughed Temari. She found Sakura's predicament funny. 'I just hope that he can get Sakura to be her old self again.'
"What?" asked Shikamaru in surprise. "Is she one of his new workers?"
"Yupp," replied Temari. "Oh, you didn't know?"
He shook his head, 'Damn. Well he's most likely happy. At least he won't end up killing himself.'
They walked into a fast food restaurant.
"McDonald's?" questioned Temari with a raised eye brow. Shikamaru shrugged, he didn't know what she was getting at. "This is definitely romantic." Each word was laced with sarcasm, which Shikamaru didn't fail to notice.
He narrowed his eyes, "Why would I try to be romantic?"
"Cuz now I don't think I'll ever go out on a date with you," said Temari as she walked over to the counter.
'Pfft, as if I want to go on a date with her,' thought Shikamaru. 'What's going on through her head? I don't like her or anything, if that's what she's thinking. Women… they're all so troublesome.'
Shikamaru finally decided to walk over to the counter too. He seemed to be deep in thought.
--
"Haha, you look bummed out. Had a rough first day?"
Sakura threw herself on the couch, "It was terrible."
"Temari-chan told us what happened," said Tenten. She picked up two glasses filled with lemonade and walked over to the living room. She set the two glass cups on the coffee table before sitting down on her other couch, next to Ino. It was late in the afternoon. Ino had come over to Tenten's house to talk to Sakura.
"I don't get what's so bad about having a hot guy as your boss. But what I really don't get is what's so bad about having your hot boss like you!" exclaimed Ino. "For me, it would be a dream come true." She clasped her hands together and sighed dreamily.
Sakura sat up and glared at the blond who was currently in dream land, "Exactly, for you. We're talking about me here, a completely different person with a completely different perspective and brain."
Ino rolled her eyes, "Whatever. But, ahh I can't believe you're going on a date with Gaara tomorrow! That's so cute. Aww, tell me if you guys kiss!"
"We are not going to kiss and it's not a date!" retorted Sakura. She tried to suppress the blush that was suddenly forming on her cheeks.
"Right and I'm not beautiful," said Ino sarcastically as she rolled her eyes. She failed to notice Sakura's flushed cheeks.
"Con-cei-ted," said Tenten in a sing-song way.
"Am not," humphed Ino, crossing her arms over her chest while pouting.
Sakura laughed at Ino's childish actions. Tenten just grinned and turned to look at Sakura.
"So... The egotistical bastard isn't anything like you thought he was?" asked Tenten.
Sakura's pink brows furrowed in confusion.
"Egotist-" Sakura stopped herself and sighed as she realized what Tenten was talking about. "Did Temari-chan tell you everything that I told her?"
"I think so," smiled Tenten.
Sakura shook her head she couldn't help but smile, "He is extremely hot. But if you just saw the way he acted and heard all the things he said, ugh!" Her face went back to that of anger and disgust. "He has such a huge ego and you know guys like that piss me off."
"Well, I understand that..." started off Ino, "But don't you think that unlike every other guy- he actually has a good reason to have such a huge ego? I mean really, he's sexy, rich, runs the most powerful business in the nation, knows how to dance, is sexy, um hello? He's the perfect guy!"
"You mentioned being sexy twice…" said Tenten, more to herself than to anyone else. Ino and Sakura just ignored that comment.
"I don't care about any of that!" exclaimed Sakura. Ino and Tenten looked at Sakura with a raised eye brow. "Okay, I do. Well not really... Eh, whatever. The point is that a guy also needs to be sweet and kind. Not that it matters anyway, I'm not looking for a relationship. Especially not with my boss! Do you know how gross that sounds?"
"He's your hot boss, there's a huge difference!" Ino grinned when she saw the annoyance on Sakura's face.
"I agree with Ino-chan," laughed Tenten. "That guy sure is a hot. So what if he's your boss? Your situation is different. He's only one year older than you, he's sexy and he has the hots for you!"
"There is no difference, a boss is a boss and I am not hooking up with my boss!" retorted Sakura stubbornly, folding her arms over her chest.
"There is a difference!" continued Ino. Sakura rolled her eyes; the girl just never gave up! "Just like Tenten-chan said. The whole thing with a boss going out with one of his workers does sound disturbing... but this is completely different!"
"It doesn't change the fact that he's my boss!" Sakura was glaring dangerously at Ino. She just didn't get it! She was tired of arguing. She would never under any circumstances date her boss. That idea was just absurd!
"So what if he's your fuc-"
"Just shut up," cut off Tenten, rubbing her temples. "You and your loud mouth… always giving me a damn headache."
"Stop complaining," was all Ino said before turning her attention back to Sakura. "Anyways, back to our conversation. When are you going to stop with all this crap about not dating anyone?"
"We discussed this already," whined Sakura. "Not until after I get enough money to start going back to college!"
"Ugh," groaned Ino. Then a grin spread onto her face. "Wait, you're going on a date with Gaara tomorrow! Oh my gosh, you're dating again! Yay!"
"Holy crap," said an exasperated Sakura as she clenched her fists. "It is not a date! It's simply two friends going out to eat somewhere!"
"Note the 'going out' part!" said Ino, laughing at how angry her best friend looked. "Calm down, I'm just kidding. But honestly, do you like him?"
"I- of course not!" replied Sakura defensively.
--
"She's one of your new workers?!" questioned Naruto in complete shock.
Sasuke nodded his head. When Sasuke arrived home from work, Naruto was already in his house eating dinner. He simply greeted him and took a seat to eat dinner as well. After all, this was a usual occurrence. They were practically brothers.
After they finished eating dinner, Sasuke told him about Sakura being one of his new workers.
"No way!" exclaimed Naruto as a huge grin appeared on his face. "You are so lucky. You're going to see her nearly every day. Damn, I still can't believe that. I mean really, what are the odds o-"
"Shut up, dobe." demanded Sasuke.
Naruto pouted and folded his arms over his chest, "Stupid teme."
--
"Hey," greeted Sakura brightly.
The brunette turned around. A surprised expression appeared on her face, "Hey Sakura-chan, why are you here so early?"
Sakura walked over to Matsuri. When she has just walked in she saw Matsuri sitting on a couch, looking deep in thought. At first she was hesitant about disturbing Matsuri and taking her out of her thoughts. But then thought, 'Why not?'.
Sakura shrugged, "I should be asking you the same thing."
Matsuri let out a laugh, "I come here early every day. It's quite relaxing to be here when the building is nearly empty. What about you?"
"I wanted to get a head-start on the documents today," answered Sakura.
Yesterday she had been really stressed over getting everything in on time. So she decided to come to work earlier so that she wouldn't have to worry about anything. She wanted today to be a nice and relaxing day.
"Oh," Matsuri smiled. "There really was no need. Today you only have one document and some paperwork to do. But the paperwork you have to do is easy and isn't much- I'm sure you'll be able to finish it in less than 40 minutes."
"How do you know about my assignments for the day?" questioned Sakura as she raised a thin eye brow. 'Don't tell me I came early for nothing!'
"My job here is to assign the tasks for the high-ranked workers," answered Matsuri. "Though, sometimes Mr. Uchiha asks me to give certain people a certain task to do."
Sakura looked deep in thought, "If that's all you do... then why do you have to stay here for such a long time?"
"I have to collect any paperwork that was given," replied Matsuri. Sakura mouthed an 'oh' and nodded her head in understanding. After a few moments of silence, Matsuri spoke up again, "Also, I have to organize all of Mr. Uchiha's papers and I have some assignments that I have to do as well. Another thing I have to do is check up on all of the high-ranked workers' status to see how well they're doing and if they meet the qualifications. If they don't, then we will have to demote that worker."
Sakura was speechless. It took her a few seconds to find out what to say, "Wow... You have a lot of work to do around here."
Matsuri shrugged, "I enjoy working here and it pays very well. So it isn't much of a problem for me. Well, why don't you take a seat?" She gestured towards the couch next to her. "Let's just talk a bit, before it's time to work. We can converse and get to know each other better." She smiled.
"Okay," agreed Sakura as she sat on the couch.
They were both in a room where workers usually went to sit in peace to read a book during their break. It was a nice place to just sit back and relax.
"So... do you like working here?" asked Matsuri.
Sakura sighed, "I like working here and the way things are done. I just can't stand the boss. He is enough to make me hate working here."
Matsuri tilted her head slightly and narrowed her eyes, "You can't stand Mr. Uchiha?"
Sakura shook her head, "Not at all."
Matsuri looked surprised. She was not used to women saying that they couldn't stand the Uchiha. If anything, they all loved their job because they got to see him nearly every day.
"Really?" asked Matsuri, still not believing Sakura. Sakura nodded her head. "Wow... You're the first female to ever say that."
"Why is that?" questioned Sakura. She was sure that tons of other women found him as annoying as she did. With an ego like his- she was almost positive that many other women disliked him.
"They all like him," replied Matsuri.
"What?"
"They all like him," repeated Matsuri. "I'm surprised that you don't."
"How can anyone like him?!" asked Sakura disbelievingly. She had a look of disgust on her face.
"Well..." started off Matsuri, "He is the perfect guy," said Matsuri as she shrugged her shoulders. "He has everything that a girl wants."
Sakura let out an irritated sigh and rubbed her temples. She then looked at Matsuri with a serious face, "Do you like him?"
Matsuri shook her head quickly, "No, no, of course not. Liking your own boss is kind of... gross. Besides, he's not my type."
'Finally! Someone who has a brain!' smiled Sakura. 'She gets why liking or dating your boss is just gross! If only I could knock some sense into Ino...'
"Well, do you like any guy in this building, enough to date them?" asked Sakura curiously.
Matsuri shook her head, "No... Well, not now anyway. What about you?"
"Nope," answered Sakura cheerfully. "And I won't ever."
"What makes you say that?" asked Matsuri, the curiosity was evident in her eyes. She suddenly seemed more interested in the conversation.
Sakura sighed, "I am not going to get into a relationship anytime soon."
"B-but why not?" Matsuri continued to question. She looked confused and her face was much more serious than how she looked a few minutes ago. "You're pretty, kind, s- I just don't get it. I don't understand... why?"
Sakura averted her eyes and sighed, "I need to get enough money to start going back to college. Having a boyfriend will only bring distractions. I'm only here to work- not to get into a relationship. I'll focus on getting a boyfriend once I get enough money to start going back to college."
"Having a boyfriend won't give you distractions!" Matsuri disagreed. At this point she had raised her voice, which surprised Sakura greatly. "I don't mean to be rude or anything, but you're being ludicrous. You can have a boyfriend and a job at the same time. I'm sure you're responsible enough to keep up with work. I've read your reports and they're amazing. There is no doubt in my mind that you can have a boyfriend. You're just being ignorant about the fact that you should be dating and that having to earn money for college is no excuse."
Sakura quickly got up to her feet and clenched her hands into fists as she glared at Matsuri.
"You don't know anything about me," hissed Sakura. Matsuri winced at Sakura's tone. "So don't act like you do. You know nothing of what I've had to go through." Sakura's anger soon seemed to be turning into sadness. "You don't know why I choose to focus more on work than on my social life. You don't know anything."
"Well..." started of Matsuri, "Then let me know something about you. Why are you saving up money to go back to college? Shouldn't your parents pay for you... or at least help you pay for it? If they're making you pay it all on your own... well, they aren't such great parents. Even if they're mad at you for something- they should still help you pay for college. It's just not fair. You've got a lot of pressure now. You aren't even willing to date anyone. No offense, but your parents are stupid."
She instantly striked Matsuri across the face, "I already told you- you don't know anything. How dare you insult my parents like that! They helped me in everything I ever needed. They loved me... they're the best." Sakura looked at Matsuri with all the hate she could muster. Her eyes were now a very dark green. "Don't talk to me ever again." Matsuri held her cheek in pain as she looked up at Sakura in disbelief. Angry tears slid down Sakura's face as she grabbed her purse and quickly left the room.
Sakura was so angry that she stalked right passed Sasuke and didn't even realize it. He was going to say something to her, but he decided not to when he saw how angry she was. Her red, puffy eyes and wet cheeks were enough for him to know that had been crying. He turned around and looked at her walk away. He wondered what the feeling was that had suddenly formed inside of him when he saw her in that state. There was a pang in his chest. He didn't like to see her that way... so angry, so upset. He dismissed the feeling and went towards the room that Sakura had just walked out of. The sight that met his eyes shocked him. Though his face didn't change, it held no apparent emotion.
He recognized the brunette. She had been working for him for about three years or so. No one knew it, but he was quite fond of her. He liked her, as a sister. She was always so kind and obedient. She never gave him any sort of trouble and she was one of the best workers in the whole building. Not only that, but she was one of those few people that he could actually talk to about his life and such.
He saw Matsuri sitting on the couch, holding her bruised cheek in pain as she let a few tears escape from her eyes. He was instantly angered. He considered her his sister- part of his family. Seeing her in so much pain... it angered him.
"Matsuri, what happened?" questioned Sasuke as he walked closer to her. Matsuri quickly stood up and wiped her tears- surprised to see her boss.
"N-n-nothing Mr. Uchiha," answered Matsuri.
"Who did this to you?" asked Sasuke sternly. Although he didn't have to ask- he already knew who had done it. He just wanted to be sure that it was her. Even though he wouldn't admit it... he was just hoping that it wasn't Sakura who had done it. He didn't believe that she was capable of such violence.
'I can't get Sakura in trouble...' thought Matsuri. 'After all, it was my fault. Though I don't know why she was so upset. I don't understand... She's right- I don't know anything. I really shouldn't have come up with my own conclusions and insulted her parents.'
"Oh this?" asked Matsuri, gesturing towards her cheek. She laughed nervously. "Ah, this is nothing. Don't worry about it Mr. Uchiha."
"Was it Sakura?"
Matsuri averted her eyes from Sasuke's gaze to the floor and stayed silent. She didn't want to rat Sakura out, but apparently Sasuke already knew that she had been the one who hit her. Her silence gave him the answer and he gritted his teeth.
'Why the hell would she do this?' thought Sasuke. 'It's only her second day at work... but I have no choice- I have to suspend her for a few days.'
"You have the day off," was all Sasuke said as he left the room.
--
Sakura had regained her composure by now. She had wiped away the tears and was currently working on a document.
'I probably shouldn't have hit her...' thought Sakura, suddenly feeling regret. 'But still... she doesn't know the story. She shouldn't have come up with her own conclusions and then insult my parents. She had no right! Pfft, it's her own fault. She got me angry so I slapped her. Whatever, I don't care. I had every right to do it.'
Her mood went back to being that of anger. She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard someone knock on her door.
"Come in," said Sakura. She found herself looking at an unfamiliar man. "Can I help you, sir?"
"Mr. Uchiha wants you to report to his office immediately," was all the man said. He slightly bowed before walking out of the room.
Sakura sighed in annoyance as she saved her work before walking to Sasuke's office. 'Ugh, what the hell could he want now? I'm not in the mood.'
She hesitantly lifted her hand to knock on the door to his office. She heard his deep voice say, 'Come in' and she opened the door. She couldn't help but notice how alluring his deep voice was. His office was much bigger than her own, which didn't surprise her. He gestured towards the chairs facing his desk. Sakura took a seat and noticed the serious look on his face.
'I've never seen this side of him...' thought Sakura. She was taken back by his seriousness.
"Go home and don't come back 'til Sunday," said Sasuke sternly as he handed Sakura a piece of paper. "You are not to be within 200 feet range of this building until Sunday. If you come anywhere near here before that day- you'll be having problems with the police. That is all, you're dismissed."
Sakura stared down at the paper in shock. She quickly stood up, "You're not even going to ask what happened? What the hell?! You don't know the story. I had every right to hit her. You can't do this. I need to work this whole week! I need the money. You- you can't do this!"
Sasuke's face remained impassive as he leaned back in his cushion chair, "Okay then… tell me. What happened? Better yet, what makes you think you had every right to hit her?" His voice was suddenly filled with anger.
She shifted her eyes from Sasuke's intense gaze, "I can't believe that bitch ratted me out."
Sasuke instantly got up from his seat and slammed his fist on his desk. He glared at her. "She didn't tell on you- I saw you walk out of that room. She didn't have to tell me anything, I knew it was you. And she's not a bitch, don't you dare call her that."
Sakura faced him and gave him a glare that matched his own, "You still don't know what happened. She's not all that innocent! Why are you taking her side anyways? What, you like her or something?" Sakura didn't know why but the mere thought of him liking Matsuri angered her. Didn't he like her? 'Whatever, it's not like I care if he likes someone else. If anything- I'm glad. I want him to get over me... to forget that night at the club. It's for the better.'
Sasuke closed his eyes and rubbed his temples in attempt to calm down, "What happened between you and Matsuri?"
"It's none of your damn business," hissed Sakura angrily. "Whatever, I'm leaving. Bye."
Sakura made her way to leave the office but was stopped by a strong hand wrapped around her wrist. She turned around and found herself looking into the dark eyes of the Uchiha. There faces were only centimeters away from each other. Sakura forgot about her anger completely as her face flushed. Sasuke noticed the small blush on Sakura's cheeks and he smirked. He had a brilliant idea.
"How about we make a deal?" questioned Sasuke.
Sakura raised a fine eyebrow, looking at Sasuke curiously, "A deal?"
He nodded his head, "I will suspend you for only one day... Friday," started off Sasuke. Sakura's eyes lit up and a smile was about to form on her face. "If you agree to go out with me on Saturday." Sakura's face dropped.
She shook her head side to side, "That doesn't work out for me. I will not go out with you on Saturday… or ever! Can't you ask for something else?"
"No," answered Sasuke as he let go of her wrist. He stood there waiting patiently for her response.
He raised an eye brow when Sakura hit her own forehead. "I can't believe I'm doing this," she muttered to herself. She sighed and looked up at him.
She hesitated before answering, "Fine, but if you try anything I'm going to kick your ass." He smirked; he had expected that to be her answer.
'I can't believe I'm doing this...' thought Sakura. 'Ugh, but I need this. Otherwise I won't be able to pay Sara back and that will be a catastrophe! Ah, I really didn't want to agree to this. I guess we'll just have to see what happens...'
Sakura shoved the piece of paper into Sasuke's hands, "So change what this shit says and send someone to bring it back to me."
"I don't think that's necessary," said Sasuke, Sakura eyed him curiously. "I am fully capable of bringing it back to you personally."
Sakura narrowed her eyes, "No! I've had enough of you. Don't you dare come to my office! Goodbye, Mr. Uchiha."
"No," said Sasuke right when Sakura twisted the door knob. Sakura clenched her hand into a fist and slowly turned around. Sasuke noticed the annoyed look on her face. "It's Sasuke, to you."
"Oh brother," said Sakura as she rolled her eyes and got out of his office, slamming the door behind her.
'I know she wants me,' Sasuke smirked.
A/N: First, I'm back...obviously. I missed everyone very much. I'm sorry for leaving and nearly quitting. Really, I am VERY VERY VERY sorry. Please forgive me. There was just a lot going on... Well, the important thing is that I'm back and I'm not planning on leaving you guys anytime soon... hopefully never! But, I'm sure that there will be times that I need a short break. Another thing... don't expect frequent updates. I still have quite a busy life. Though, you can expect an update sometime this month. My other stories won't be updated anytime soon- they're still on hold. Anyways, I'm very happy and excited to be back.
Secondly, I want to thank "adicted2naruto". If it weren't for her, I probably would have come back sometime next year. But, thanks to her- I came back much sooner. Which is why this chapter is dedicated to her. Thank you!
Lastly, I hope you guys liked the chapter. Please leave a review. Can't wait to hear from you guys again. =]
With love & care,
-XEmerald Goddess of The NightX-