The Life and Times of the Kazekage's Assistant
Disclaimer:I don't own Naruto. This story is inspired by a novel by Lauren Weisberger. I do own Tsubasa Imamura, any other OCs in the story, the designer labels and names of the magazines/newspapers, and the plot.
Author's Note: For all of you who like watching interviews with your favorite celebrities and talk show hosts. You'll like this one.
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Not Quite Ready for My Close-up
I nervously peered out from backstage and watched as Gaara gave a charismatic smile toward the cheering audience. The talk show hostess, Cho, thanked Gaara for coming onto the show to discuss his life as Kazekage. It was the perfect way for him to announce we were back together instead of going before the council. If we had gone before the council, we'd be trying too hard, and it would appear fake. However, going on Cho's popular television show, Cho Lately, would make our relationship seem real again, at least before the eyes of Suna's people.
"How's Kazekage life been?" asked Cho. She was a small woman with a huge mouth and waved curls which framed all those wide teeth. "You must have so little free time. Does it ever feel like too much?"
"Though being Kazekage of Suna can perhaps be demanding and complicated, I have never regretted my decision to become the leader of my people," he replied admirably. "When I committed myself to the position, I committed myself full-heartedly."
The audience hollered with glee. They really loved him, and I could see how confident that made him because it had taken so much for him to become accepted by this village. When Gaara had first become Kazekage, Suna wasn't pleased. Assassins were sent after Gaara, citizens and important officials were outraged by his candidacy. After he sacrificed himself and was abducted by the Akatsuki, everything had changed. He was loved now.
I almost felt a tear or pride roll down my cheek. I glanced to my right where Temari had situated herself. The tough-looking blonde seemed to brim with pride as well. I hadn't seen a genuine smile from Temari's lips unless she was looking to her brothers. The softened expression almost made her look vulnerable.
"What are you looking at?" she hissed when she noticed me staring at her. "Don't make a nuisance of yourself."
Like I said, almost.
I turned my attention back to Gaara and Cho on the main stage to listen to their conversation. I had to keep myself from leaning in too closely so that the audience wouldn't spot my pink head of hair and smiling face poking out from backstage.
"So, Gaara," Cho grinned, "let's hear what we've all been dying to hear. What's going on with you and your assistant and on-and-off girlfriend Imamura Tsubasa?"
"Currently, we are dating again," Gaara replied. If I wasn't mistaken, he seemed a little pink. He looked so handsome where he sat too, dressed in a black leather jacket situated upon a black v-neck with dark grey jeans. Black boots, like the combat kind, covered his feet, giving him some edginess, some badboyness. He was edgy, fashionable, and just so beautiful. Like a work of steamy hunky art.
Cho's jaw dropped. Her eyes became injected with excitement and uncontainable curiosity. "Get out," she squealed, pushing herself up in her seat and leaning more closely to him as if she couldn't believe it. "At the news conference, you said you two wouldn't be getting back together! What changed that?"
Gaara shrugged and smirked a little. He wore the smug expression well. "I suppose we decided that we couldn't stay away from one another."
The entire crowd gasped in alarm. They couldn't believe their ears. I hardly could myself. Kazekage-sama was such a good actor.
"That's sooo juicy!" Cho was ecstatic. Her red lips peeled back to reveal an almost frightening smile of anticipation. I could see the wheels behind her brown eyes turning as she sat up in her seat again. "We all want to hear the story from the beginning though, the very beginning. When did you first notice your girlfriend and begin liking her? Were you already dating when you hired her as your assistant?"
"I didn't meet Imamura-san until she came into apply for the position of my assistant. I suspect that's when I took an interest in her," he said.
Was it wrong that I was nearly on the edge of my seat? I couldn't help but to scoot closer to the main stage. Temari shot me a warning glance to not inch any further. I heeded the warning because I knew if I did get closer, I'd practically be on the stage with Gaara and with Cho.
"Suspect?" Cho pressed.
Gaara's face formed a funny facial expression. He looked confused for a moment, or maybe indecisive was more accurate. "Yes, she was interesting to me. She was confident in her abilities and wasn't intimidated by me. Once I got to know her further, the interest grew. We began spending time together outside of work until I asked her to be my girlfriend on Hearts Grow."
Such a smooth liar that Gaara. However, ninjas needed to be good at lying that way they could keep their cool when being interrogated if caught by the enemy.
This was so juicy, as Cho stated earlier. It was like watching a soap opera unfold before my eyes (who am I kidding?—my whole life has been a soap opera).
"That's amazing," Cho chattered enthusiastically. "And your first kiss? When did you two have your first kiss?"
"That's a bit personal," Gaara smiled charismatically. "I have to keep some things a mystery." I was going to faint. He had me practically swooning from where I sat, but I maintained myself as best I could because I knew if I passed out Temari sure-as-hell would not catch me.
"Okay, okay," agreed Cho. "But you two did have a first kiss, right?"
I've never seen anyone's eyes so big, so injected, so wide and thrilled—or so frightening. Not like the way Cho's were now. She was practically hanging off of her seat, nails digging into the armchairs, as she loomed over Gaara and awaited an answer.
The entire audience was silent, also waiting. Every single person in the audience seemed to hang forward, leaning in toward the main stage. I, myself, was leaning slightly too. I could feel my foot nervously shake against the leg of my chair.
"Yes, we have," he replied, almost smugly I noticed—probably for dramatic effect. Who knew Gaara was this good of an actor? I wanted to nominate him for an Asuka Award.
The audience cheered loudly. There were many whistles and applause from the members. Inside me, my heart danced and I nearly fell out of my chair. Cho, unfortunately, heard my clamor above the shouts and clapping hands of the audience members. She turned her attention toward me and grinned, totally delighted.
"Kazekage-sama, you rascal," chirped Cho, "you didn't tell me that your girlfriend was backstage."
All of a sudden, one of the cameras angled toward me. I looked like a deer in the headlights. Temari sidled up beside me with her hand on her hip, looking sassy and intimidating. The camera returned to its original angle, and I could feel relief.
"What a treat," the host squealed. "Both your sister and your girlfriend are here backstage supporting you." She turned to face the crowd. "Live audience, how would you like to meet the Kazekage's mysterious girlfriend, Tsubasa?"
They were as loud as ever, cheering, standing up and clapping, all waiting for me to come on stage. For a moment, I was grateful that I had taken more time in selecting my outfit that morning. I had almost made the mistake of wearing the mundane slacks and dress shirt. However, that day I had settled on wearing a lace black dress with red heels. The dress put the focus on my backside, my good side as I preferred to call it, while showing off my long waist. I looked elegant, like a timeless beauty.
Frantically, I turned to Temari. She seemed slightly amused and annoyed at once. "Don't look at me. You're the one who drew attention to yourself."
"What do I do?" I begged.
She rolled her eyes and approached me. Fingers brushed through my hair, styling it. She unsheathed a tube of lip gloss and brushed the red glaze over my lips. "There."
She smiled, looking so genuine and sincere for a moment, as if I had an older sister. The moment flashed and passed in an instant as she donned an annoyed expression. "Now you look somewhat presentable—just get out there," she barked and then shoved me forward onto the main stage.
"Everyone," Cho beamed as I stumbled on stage, "please welcome Imamura Tsubasa-san. And what a little fashionista she is! No wonder Kazekage-sama is so enamored. She's absolutely breathtaking."
Rather than the booing I expected, I heard applause and cheers. In awe, I stared at to them, completely surprised that they weren't just receiving me, but were receiving me well. I forced myself to smile at them and politely wave, but I knew it had come off very shy. So many cameras and their flashes went off to capture the moment.
Many of them waved back and smiled. They began to chant, "Tsugaara! Tsugaara! Tsugaara!" Some even held up signs as if expecting my presence there or at least expecting the opportunity to show them off.
"Yes, folks, as you know, our favorite celebrity power couple has been fondly dubbed Tsugaara," quieted Cho as she motioned for me to take a seat on Gaara's armchair since there were no extra chairs available for me. The crowd really enjoyed that because the girls seemed to be swooning as they cooed delightedly.
I bowed my head at Cho and she bowed her curly haired one back. Nothing could remove the wide smile that was plastered on her face.
"Such a pleasure to have you here," the hostess said.
"Thank you for having me," I replied, knowing that this wasn't scheduled onto her itinerary for today's show, but seeing what a great opportunity it was, of course she'd squeeze me in.
"So Tsubie-chan—it's okay if I call you that, right?" I nodded. "What's it like dating the Kazekage? It must be a lot of pressure. Wasn't that the reason you broke up with him in the first place?"
I made sure not to flinch or to react negatively. I expected hard-hitting questions like those, and I was prepared for them. "I was going through a stressful time, and I had to distance myself from everyone I loved and cared about. It was one of those things that I felt like I needed to face alone, and when I had overcome it, I knew it was time to make amends with Gaara-sama."
"Was it difficult to persuade him to get back with you?" Cho asked. She seemed so into the story, she could hardly sit still.
I smiled the most charming smile I could and made my eyes look as shy as possible. "Not at all."
There were so many ohs and ahs from the audience members. I spotted some with tissue boxes, holding each other as they relished the fabricated tale.
Cho brushed her curly black hair behind her ears and turned her attention back to Gaara. "Sounds like she's got you sprung, Kazekage-sama!"
"Sprung?" he asked, unaware of the slang term.
"Are there wedding bells in your future, Kazekage-sama?" I almost passed out. I had expected questions regarding our break-up and our past, but not our future. Gaara and I hadn't even discussed what to say if a wedding between us was brought up. We had no fake story for it. I was just grateful she asked him instead of me. I would have had no idea what to say and if I had said the wrong thing, Temari would have waited for me to go backstage and then she would have slit my throat with her kunai.
"Imamura-san and I are taking things slow for now," said Gaara. He shifted—was it nervously?—in his seat. "But I think she would make an exceptional wife for me someday."
I blushed, which I should have kept in control because Cho caught it instantly. "Looks like Tsubasa is a shy one!"
Of course, my blush deepened. I looked to Cho and then to Gaara. I couldn't meet my boss's eyes and turned away back toward the audience that had gone absolutely wild. My own heart had gone wild, like horses stampeding within me, trampling against my chest.
For a moment, I wanted the interview to continue so I could see what Cho could dig up from Gaara. It was so intense, so thrilling, so revealing.
Then it stopped. I almost laughed out loud when I came to my senses.
Hello, earth to Tsubasa. This isn't real, I reminded myself. The realization didn't deter me from smiling over at Gaara and Cho though. The honest revelation was something I'd already come to accept.
"Unfortunately," Cho pouted, "that's all the time we have for today. It was such a pleasure to have the Kazekage and his girlfriend on our show to answer all the questions we've been dying to ask. Remember, this exclusive was brought to you by Cho Lately, the show that's got the hostess with the mostess and the gossip that's juiciest! Until next time, my gossipy chatterflies!"
She always ended her shows that way. I admit it was catchy to play on her name because Cho means butterfly. It was only natural for her to call her fans and followers chatterflies. In my opinion though, I think Cho was a little bit eccentric.
Gaara and I met with the hostess backstage after that. She went on and on about how this was going to catapult her into even greater stardom, to have the scoop that no one else had about the Kazekage and his girlfriend. She asked if she could schedule another interview with us in the future, have the exclusive when we were married, be invited as a guest, and so many other things. She was so excited that she barely left any room for the rest of us to speak. There wasn't too much to say on our end but to thank her for having us.
After she was done with her last cheerful rant about how her career was going to takeoff, she waved us all goodbye, and we went on our way back to Sand Castle. Temari parted ways from us the moment we entered our home, leaving Gaara and I to walk down our hallway together alone.
It made me nervous to be alone with him, and slightly awkward. I didn't know how I should behave other than to attempt to proceed as normal as possible. There were just so many questions I had stirring inside me.
"Kazekage-sama," I spoke quietly, "you did so well with your interview. You knew exactly what to say. How did you do it?"
"Thank you," he replied as he opened the door to his room. He leaned against the doorway for a moment and watched me intently. "I found it's easier when there's truth behind your words. Have a good rest of the day, Imamura-san." Then, he disappeared.
What could he have possibly meant by that? What kind of truth and behind which words?
Had he meant what he said when he told Cho that he found me interesting? Is that perhaps the reason he hired me above the many countless others that applied for the position of his assistant? And had he meant any of the other things?
There were always questions though. Sabaku no Gaara was perhaps the most mysterious person I've ever met, and I don't think that I'd ever fully understand what it was about him that kept me guessing so much. I wish I could read his mind, know his thoughts, understand his actions, but sometimes things were better left a secret. Sometimes the mystery behind something was greater and more powerful than the actual revealing. I suspected that this could be just that.
Either way, meeting him and knowing him, I was enchanted.
It all made me wonder, but tonight wasn't the night for girly crushes and infatuated day dreaming anyway. Tomorrow was a big day for me, one I had forgotten to request off work. It was okay though because I'd have the cough syrup to help me get through it, and I didn't think playing hooky for one day was going to get me fired.
I know, I know. That's definitely me taking advantage of my new pretend girlfriend status. Nevertheless, I'd be giving myself a day off because there was no way I'd make it into work the next day. Nothing could drag me there because something much more important called me elsewhere.
After shedding off my clothes and changing into my comfies, I went to the medicine cabinet in my bathroom, grabbed a new bottle of cough syrup and tore off the wrapping with my teeth. I spat it out into the small waste bin by my desk and proceeded towards my bed. I crawled deep into the burgundy covers of my bed and settled within them like a baby bird in a nest. I used my teeth to unscrew the lid from the cough syrup and spit the cap out onto my chest before I took deep gulps of the thick cherry liquid. I drank so deeply that I reminded myself to be careful not to overdose.
Though I had pledged not to keep up my routine of downing the medicine, I knew there was no way I'd sleep tonight without the cough syrup because tomorrow was the day that I lost both of my parents. Tomorrow was the day my life had been violently interrupted. It was the day everything changed and ended.
A/N: That was a fun chapter. I know I've been giving you all a hard time with the drama and tragedy. Things are going to take a fun and heart-warming turn for awhile. ;)
What do you think about what Gaara told Cho?
Do you think Tsubasa is smart to realize it's all an act, or do you think there's something more to it?