Chapter 7 : Surprise Surprise.
"Sakura-chaaan!"
If it wasn't for the use of the occasional endearment of her name, it would be the unhealthily loud voice of Naruto that told Sakura that the blonde was extremely happy or excited about something, and she had to move the cellphone a couple of inches away from her ear as it nearly burst from the impact.
"Naruto!" she hissed, "Are you trying to make people deaf?"
Her obnoxious friend only laughed at the remark, "Nope! Just trying to say GOOOD MORNIING!"
"Well I work in a hospital, remember?" She snapped, "And a patient in COMA just woke up asking what's WRONG with you?"
Naruto's voice lowered a notch at this reprimand, but he was always too high spirited to be put off with a little insult. So he tried again, "Oh . . by any chance. . does that patient happen to be a hot single girl? I'd be happy to drop by and let her thank me for bringing her back to life..!" He finished dramatically.
"Naruto." Sakura's warning voice brought the blonde back from his cloud 9 phase. "Sorry, Sakura-chan."
Sakura could just imagine Naruto grinning stupidly, scratching the back of his head. It was never easy to be angry with him for too long.
"What's up?", she asked while adjusting the phone between her shoulder and ear, both hands busy with a huge stack of files.
"Finally you asked!" he replied just as excitedly and Sakura could tell he was trying hard to keep his voice down. "Somethingf big is up! And by big, I mean HUGE!"
"Naruto," Sakura said for the third time, exasperated with the blonde's theatrics. "Would you please just cut to the chase now? I really gotta get back to work. You know? The little doctor thing I do?"
"I'm not gonna say anything now. You'll find out when you come to the Ramen stand at 7. Treat!"
"Treat? Who's giving a treat on a Wednesday? There's so much work…" Sakura was puzzled.
"We'll see. Be there on time!" and he hung up.
"Sakura clicked the phone shut, still wondering about the treat. It had to be Naruto or Sasuke, 'cause they were the only people she knew outside the medical school in Sound. Naruto NEVER gave treats. Then . . was it Sasuke? And suddenly it hit Sakura.
The Job! Sasuke must have accepted Kakashi's offer!
It seemed the only plausible solution to the puzzle right now, and Sakura smiled. He listened. Then she picked up the files she'd arranged and headed for the East wing of the hospital.
That little smile on her face turned into a broad one as Sakura entered the pediatrics department and took a look around. This was definitely the best part of her job.
Kids were, according to Sakura, a wonder of nature. No matter how sick they were, or how devoid of energy, they always, always found enough incentive to laugh, have fun, and suck out the life from the ones taking care of them, as well as pump them with some of their own happiness.
As Sakura walked to through the general ward, looking for the designated nurse superviser for the ward, she saw a 6 year old girl braiding her doll's hair with such care and tenderness that it made her smile. She was recovering from a severe case of pneumonia. Another little guy, with heavy glasses, was lying on the bed beside her and watching her with obvious interest. Although, Sakura decided, the boy was probably more interested in the box of candies beside her than her beautiful curls or cute chubby cheeks.
As Sakura spotted the nurse she was looking for at the west corner of the large room and headed towards her, she heard someone say her name and turned around to see a 5 year old waving at her from her bed. "Sakura!"
Sakura smiled widely as she made her way to the little girl, and reaching her bedside, spoke warmly, "Yes, Sakura?"
The little girl was actually her namesake, although her name had little to do with her hair, which was not pink like Sakura's, but jet black, with curls at the end.
"Good Morning, Sakura!" the young girl said enthusiastically. The probes and needles sticking to her hand had done little to waver her sunshine smile.
"A very good morning to you too, sweety." Sakura said as she gently moved the black tresses from the small cute face.
"I have something very important to ask you today." The seriousness on the little face almost made Sakura laugh. But instead she asked just as seriously, "What is it, honey?"
"My mom says, since you're older than me, I should not call you by name. I told her, you have the same name as I do, and it'd be really weird to call my name with a 'nee-chan' at the end, but she wouldn't listen. She has told me to call you Sakura nee-chan. But I still think it's creepy. Do you think it's bad that I call you by your name? I mean, do you not like your name? But you should. It's a nice name. I'm not saying so 'cause it's mine too, but I really think it totally goes with your look. So why can't I just call you Sakura?" She finished in one breath and exhaled loudly at last.
Sakura found the whole babbling so pretty that she wanted to hug the little smart kid, but she refrained, knowing that her namesake hated to be treated like a child. So she put her index finger under her chin and pretended to think deeply, "Hmm. That really is a valid question. Now what would be the solution. .?" The kid looked at her hopefully, expecting an answer. Then Sakura clapped dramatically. "A-ha! Why don't you tell your mom that I'm a friend of yours, and then you can call me Sakura, 'cause friends are allowed to call each other by name?"
The mini Sakura seemed to be taken aback by that simple solution, but after a while her little face lit up with a smile that made Sakura want to smother her with kisses.
"So you"re saying. . You and I are friends?" she asked rather hopefully.
"Only if you want to be, honey!" Sakura replied, extending a hand towards the little girl.
Mini Sakura grasped the offered hand at once, wrapping her tiny fingers around it, smiling broadly.
Sakura had just enough time to chuck her newfound friend under the chin before she heard the nurse superviser call out to her, and had to say goodbye. As she turned around and walked up to the old nurse, her smile wavered, shadowed by a sudden sadness. The little girl she'd just befriended, no matter how cheerful or strong she looked, was suffering from leukemia, and there was quite a chance that . .
Sakura stopped herself. No. She couldn't think that way. As a doctor, she knew better than to believe that the little girl wouldn't lose her life. But as long as there was hope of surviving, Sakura refused to think negatively- a view she could hardly make her fellow doctors understand. Yes, she would sort through the worst of the possibilities, but never consider them as fate. One had to fight with all they have, when it came to life and death.
Putting the grim thoughts aside, Sakura started taking reports from the nurse, a little smile back on her face.
It was almost 7 when Sakura finally finished the last of the paperwork Tsunade had dumped on her, and headed off to the direction of the Ramen bar Naruto had invited her to.
As she walked past the entrance of the park, a small sigh escaped Sakura. She had not gotten off work early enough in the last week, since the day she and Sasuke had that serious conversation, to spend any time at the park. She missed it terribly, the little quiet, serene alone time with herself and Sasuke.
Sakura stopped short. Since when did Sasuke become a part of my alone time?
She shook her head a bit before resuming her walk. It was probably just the long hours of shifts she'd been working, Sakura thought to herself. Her mind wasn't right.
For the rest of the way, Sakura tried, though very unsuccessfully, to not think of the times she and Sasuke had spent together so far, how silent he always seemed, how he sometimes surprised her with a reply, how her heart sort of jumped at the sight of that sideways smirk on his angelic face.
Sakura sighed again. It was definitely the long hours.
"TEME!"
"I'm right beside you Dobe, do NOT shout." The hissed reprimand, along with the hard smack that Sasuke bestowed upon his obnoxious company, did little to alleviate Naruto's high enthusiasm.
"But look at this place!" he said grinning, "It's AWESOME!"
Although Sasuke winced at the yelled compliment, he couldn't but agree with Naruto (in his mind, ofcourse) that it was a nice place indeed. It was definitely a lot fancier than the other places they usually ate at. The interior was tastefully artistic, the table settings were elegant but homely, and unlike all the other dingy places that Naruto preferred, it was actually quite clean.
As they entered the restaurant, a young waitress came forward to greet them. Naruto hadn't made any reservations, but since the place was quite empty, she sat them at a nice spot near the corner and asked them if they wanted to place an order just then.
"We have another guest coming!" Naruto told her before Sasuke could open his mouth.
"Very well. Whenever you're ready, sir." She smiled politely and turned away, her long black hair dancing over her hips as she went back behind the counter.
"Who's coming?" Sasuke asked as he hung his jacket over the chair and sat down. He was wearing a black sweat shirt underneath.
Naruto, too busy ogling the hot waitress, said absently, "Dude I love this place." And that earned him another smack on the head from his sulky best friend.
"What the hell Teme you frea-" the indignant blonde didn't get to finish the curse as the answer to Sasuke's question walked in the door.
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto got on his feet to engulf Sakura in a bear hug which seemed to both surprise and please her.
"Boy, don't you look happy today." She said as Naruto released her. She smiled briefly at Sasuke, a bit bummed at the way her heart skipped a beat at the sight of his face.
Sasuke nodded curtly. Boy, don't you look friendly. Sakura grimaced inwardly.
"You said you had some surprise, Naruto?" she asked, rubbing her arms. It was getting colder. She should've dropped in at the hostel to get a sweater.
"Hell yeah I do!" it was clearly taking a lot for Naruto to hold in the big news. "And you're both gonna be surprised, trust me!"
Sakura stole a glance at Sasuke, inwardly disappointed. Clearly, it wasn't the news she had expected.
Which struck her with the obvious question.
"Stop being a dramaqueen and just tell us the news, Dobe." Sasuke said in a bored voice.
"I've been offered a job at the Rasengan Group of Industries!"
There was a moment of silence before Sakura registered what Naruto had just said and her face lit up in a smile.
"Wow. . . Naruto. . Congratulations!" she reached over to pat his shoulder. "I'm so proud of you!"
Naruto grinned at her and then turned to Sasuke, who hadn't so much as raised an eyebrow to his best friend's big news.
"What, teme? Too surprised to talk?" Naruto asked him, still grinning.
"No. I knew it." Sasuke replied in the same lazy voice as before.
"Aww. . . you always knew I'd make it, didn't ya? You're such a great friend!" the beaming blonde reached over to pat his friend but got his hand smacked away halfway.
"I'm just a light sleeper who happened to hear your excited whispers when you were telling your father about the offer last night." Sasuke said, now a bit smug.
But to his confusion, Naruto seemed smug too.
"You only heard the offer then, not the 'details', teme! The newscast isn't over yet! I got an even better surprise."
Sasuke merely shrugged before muttering, "Anything's better than this drama."
"What's greater than a job offer at the biggest farm in Konoha?" Sakura was, once again, befuddled.
"Well. . the person owning it. Or in other words, the person I'm gonna be an assistant to." Naruto's arrogant smirk would have done Sasuke proud, hadn't he been so busy comprehending what the dobe had just said.
This time also, Sakura was the one to break the silence.
"Wait a minute. . . do you mean. .?" she looked questioningly at Naruto, who only nodded.
Sakura shrieked loud enough for Sasuke to wince, and the next thing he saw was Sakura reaching over the table to give Naruto a hug, both their faces gleaming with joy.
"Naruto! You're gonna be working under Jiraiya!" she finally said as he released her.
"Hell Yeah! I'm gonna be assistant to the biggest business tycoon in the country!" Naruto exclaimed, then turned yet again to his best friend.
Sasuke smirked at the beaming blonde before punching him on the arm, which Naruto returned, the trademark grin on back his whiskered face.
A little jealous by the simple, wordless exchange between the two men, Sakura asked the questions bubbling up inside her.
"But how did this happen? I thought your finals were still on the run? And don't they need your result to appoint you?"
Naruto waved a hand at her, "Oh screw the finals. They're gonna be over next week. The main thing important is the report I had to make last month, you know, about how we can take business to a more social level? Well my Professor Ebizu-san told me he liked my ideas a lot, so I took a chance and sent them to a couple of companies. You know, a little head start on the job hunt we'd all have to launch right after the results. I hadn't really expected any response, but guess what! Jiraiya's secretary called me to say that his boss really enjoyed my paper and that he would like to see me! So I go over there, to find out that Jiraiya's assistant had suddenly decided to take an early retirement, and he wants someone completely new to fill in for the post, aka, ME!"
Naruto stopped to take a sip of water and started again, "well obviously, it's temporary, they're gonna try me out for the next three monthes. But MAN this is HUGE!"
Sakura took a moment to gather all the information Naruto had deliverd in one breath, and then smiled encouragingly at him, "Well ofcourse it's huge. It's Jiraiya! And I'm sure you're gonna be fantastic, Naruto."
"If he doesn't give Jiraiya a heart attack with the noise and trash, that is." Sasuke put in lazily.
"Oh you're just jealous, teme. Cause you've been bested by the awesomeness of the great Uzumaki Naruto!" that earned the blonde another smack on the head, which he dodged not so successfully.
"Man all this excitement is making me so hungry. . where's the hot waitress? Oh I'm just gonna go order us some food. . " babbling to himself, Naruto got up and asked his two friends, "The usual for you guys?" and walked ahead to the counter without waiting for a reply from either. Not that he needed to. No matter where they went, Sasuke always got the Miso ramen and Sakura preferred the Tonkotsu.
"So. You been to the park the last few days?" Sakura asked, fidgeting with the napkin.
Sasuke nodded, "You been busy?"
"A lot. It's been hectic, actually." Sakura said, massaging her temples. "I haven't been able to rest much these days."
His observing eyes had surely sensed that already, but he said nothing. So Sakura spoke up again.
"So. . you haven't taken a decision yet?"
She half expected him to ignore her completely, but he nodded, almost invisibly though.
Sakura looked up at his face, trying to decipher the expression. "And it is . .?"
He looked at her, and this time the nod was obvious, accompanied by a sideways smirk, which suddenly made Sakura's stomach quiver with an uneasiness that had nothing to do with hunger.
So he actually had listened.
"Wow. Congrats, Sasuke." She knew she was smiling like an idiot, but she couldn't help it.
"Hn."
Sakura rolled her eyes. "So when do you plan to tell this to Naruto?"
"Not before he recovers from the sugar high." Sasuke snorted.
Sakura laughed. "Well. Tonight seems to be goo enough. He gave you a big news. Maybe you should give him yours." She suggested, rubbing her arms yet again. She really shouldn't have come without a sweater.
Sasuke didn't reply right away. He had taken the decision long before, but somehow. . he hadn't gotten around to tell Naruto about it. Firstly, the dobe would make a big deal out of his staying back in Sound, while they were actually supposed to go back to Konoha together, at the end of their terms. Secondly, and more importantly, Naruto would spread the news to each and every people they knew, and Sasuke wasn't yet ready for the publicity.
Although, he'd never admit, that he actually wanted to tell someone else first, someone who had helped him take the decision; just like he'd never ackknowledge the sudden sense of relief that washed over him as he told Sakura about his decision. He did, however, admit that it was a good idea to tell Naruto now.
But as Sasuke saw Naruto coming back from the counter, a bottle of shampaign in his hand and the huge grin on his face, he said absently, "I guess I should let the dobe have the moment for himself only."
Sakura was startled. She'd always known that Sasuke and Naruto were rivals, just as much as they were friends. So it was a bit of a shock to see Sasuke be so. . considerate on his friend's big night.
But it was nothing compared to the surprise she felt when Sasuke suddenly shoved his jacket towards her and said curtly, "Just put it on."
Sasuke would have noticed the sudden warmth invading a pair of green eyes, hadn't Naruto reached the table just then and yelled "Celebration time!"
And Sakura could have ignored the affection that flooded her heart, had she been able to look away from the strangely kind, beautiful young man sitting before her.
A/N: I'm a horrible, HORRIBLE writer.