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SASUKE
Just as I thought, ever since that conversation with Sakura this morning, I was insecure and didn't look forward to going to bed at night because I knew this matter wouldn't let me sleep tonight.
I didn't know what to do with myself. Her words kept echoing in my head, making me question the truths I had clung to for years. I felt exhausted and needed to get rid of the weighty thoughts, so I changed my clothes and rushed into the gym.
I gave myself a good workout, then took a shower and went straight to my room to my desk, where my unfinished work was waiting for me.I thought Sakura would come over and want to talk about it some more, but she didn't. And I was glad, in a way, that we had it over with.
It was around lunchtime that I got hungry and went down to the kitchen. She even avoided my gaze as I walked past her. But I didn't feel any negative energy from her or anything like that. She seemed thoughtful and had a thick catalog in her hand.
A plate of sandwiches and a thermos of coffee were waiting for me on the table. I stared at it for a moment, then took the plate back upstairs with me and got back to work, immersing myself in the documents I'd brought home with me. I didn't see her again until later that evening.
"Dinner's ready if you're hungry, Sasuke-kun." I looked up from my papers and turned my head towards the door where Sakura was leaning against the door frame. I couldn't see much of her in the dimness, so I squinted at her and she shook her head in displeasure. "You need more light." She walked over to me and turned on my desk lamp. "And maybe some reading glasses. I've noticed how low you stoop when you want to read."
I looked in front of me and realized that she was actually right. "I'm going to make an eye appointment for you." She offered, a smile appearing on her lips. "I guess that doesn't fit your assistant's job description either, does it?" I had to smile, even though I rolled my eyes at the same time. When I met with Hinata on Friday and gave her the list of things I expected her to do, she surprised me with her own version.
The personal assistants at Namikaze Group were a completely different breed than ROOT Inc. ever. Hinata was there to support me with work tasks, keep me on schedule, and occasionally make me a snack, but she wasn't there to make coffee, cook for me, run to the cleaners, move my stuff, or anything personal like that.
To say she put me in my place was an understatement. She was kind enough to show me the large employee break room, how to use the coffee maker, and where to find pastries and other various treats that Minato provided for his employees.
When I told Sakura about it, she had to leave the room to hide the laughter that was coming out of her throat. "That was not funny..." I blurted out after her through my strongly gritted teeth. "Yes, it totally was!" Came the reply from the hall from a very mischievously amused girl who was enjoying the fact that here was coming a completely different working relationship than the two of us had.
Come to think of it, even before, it certainly wouldn't have killed me to get up and make my own coffee. At least I'd stretch my legs. But now, I suspected Hinata would be for example afraid to serve me a large portions anyway, and I'd be hungry then. So I learned where everything was so I could serve myself. But Sakura always brought me a thick, filling meal that would keep me full for a couple of hours, just the way I liked it. I'm gonna miss that.
"Hn... I guess I'm getting old if I need reading glasses." I huffed with a sigh, and Sakura giggled over my reaction. "Don't worry, Sasuke-kun. I'm sure they'll look good on you." She paused and thought for a moment. "Although I can't imagine there's anything that wouldn't suit you..." She muttered to herself, not even realizing she'd just complimented me.
I raised my eyebrows and was about to say something to her, but her soft voice cut me off. "Oh! I almost forgot! Dinner's in the kitchen if you want." She announced and also went downstairs to eat.
"Thank you, Sakura."
I turned off the lamp and followed her slowly into the kitchen. I was worried that Sakura would want to continue with our conversation earlier, but she didn't say anything. Instead, we sat down at the bar counter in the kitchen, across from each other and ate in a comfortable silence.
As we ate, she pushed some cards, the paint samples, towards me. "What do you think?" She pointed her finger at one card and I eyed the greenish color. "Green, huh?" She snorted at my answer, even though I didn't mean anything by it, the color was beautiful.
"It's for my room." She looked at me nervously, waiting to see if I was going to approve this color, though I didn't know why. I'd already told her she could change whatever she wanted here. "If you like it, go for it." A satisfied and excited expression graced her face and she responded with a silent nod.
Then she showed me another sample. I picked it up and examined it. The dark burgundy colour was vivid and expressive. I liked it. "Where is this going?" I asked with interest, and a wry smile appeared on Sakura's lips.
"I was imagining this color at the wall in the living room where the television is. To balance out the room." She pointed her hand to that area and we both looked around the living room. "Just one wall?" I looked at her puzzled, and she nodded. "I thought the others might be dark cream." She explained how she would like it and I imagined what it would look like.
I could probably live with that. "All right..."
Next, she took out a scrap of cloth. It was tweed with threads of the same burgundy colour woven into the dark brown fabric of the sofas. "What's this for?" I took the piece of cloth in my hand and mulled it over between my fingers.
"For a couple of chairs in the living room." She replied and I looked up at her, uncomprehending. "What's wrong with my furnishings?" Her cheeks grew hot and she quickly blurted out with a hand gestures: "Nothing! I like it very much! Of course there's nothing wrong with it!"
"But?"
"But... I thought of a way to elevate it, to change it a little bit." She began to explain carefully. "The chairs would look revived right away." I wasn't happy with such s big changes, but my house felt a bit uninhabited, so maybe a little innovation wouldn't hurt.
I just need to get used to it I guess.
"What else do you want to change?"
"Nothing else, just a few pillows and some small things." She wondered if she could think of anything else and after a moment she looked at me sweetly and added: "Nothing big, I promise, Sasuke-kun." I didn't say anything back to her, but I had faith in her to furnish this place tastefully, homely and delicately. Just like her personality.
"Who's gonna paint it?"
Sakura paused as if I'd asked God knows what. "What?" She blurted out in confusion.
"What company are you going to hire for this?" I wondered if we knew anyone who could come and paint the place as soon as possible. I'm sure there's some express company if Sakura hasn't already hired someone. "I'll paint the place myself. No worry, Sasuke-kun." Her answer didn't thrill me. "No."
"Why not?" She looked at me in disappointment and I could see the excitement of this whole renovation slowly slipping from her happy expression. I turned around in my chair and gestured to the vast space. "These walls are almost four meters high. I don't want to see you at that height on a ladder." I explained and continued to eat my dinner in front of me.
"The ceiling in my room is a normal height, it's only here where it's higher." Her eyes blazed with determination to paint everywhere herself. I tapped one of the color swatches on the kitchen countertop. How do I explain to her that she doesn't have to do these things alone? I tried again in a patient tone. "You don't have to do this. I'll pay for it."
"But I love painting and I know I can do it, shannaro!" Seeing how serious she was, I knew I wouldn't be able to argue any further. "So how about this?" I finally suggested a compromise that would please her and I wouldn't have to worry about her. "Paint your room then, and we'll talk about the living room when you get here with your brush."
"Deal!" She agreed enthusiastically, examining a few more paint samples in her hand. My gaze fell on another piece of cloth she had laid out in front of us. I reached out and picked it up, running it through my fingers like the previous one. The thick material had a deep blue background with a hint of purple undertone. I picked it up closer and examined it.
"Do you like this one, Sasuke-kun?"
"Yeah... Where do you want to put it?" She looked down at the table and her cheeks flooded with blood. My gaze stayed on her face until she found the courage to continue. "I thought maybe you'd want to redecorate your room too, once the other rooms are done. When I saw the fabric, I immediately thought of you."
"Am I reminding you of a fabric?" I jokingly uttered with a smirk, making her look away from the table for a moment. Her gaze flew up to my eyes. "Of course not!" She replied with a chuckle. "The colors remind me of you though. Dark blue, deep purple and with dark grey to black furnishings? All mixed together, it's an incredible combination."
I didn't know what to say to her, but who knows why I felt myself blushing. Maybe it was because her gaze was drowning in mine. I pushed the sample away from me back onto the table and I got up from my chair. "Let's wait to see how the main rooms turn out first. Anything else?" I took my plate and went to wash it in the sink.
"Well, I..." She started shyly, but when I looked back at her, no more words were needed. She already knew what this look of mine meant, and that she was supposed to say clearly what she was thinking. "The truth is, I need somewhere to put my clothes. I don't want to mess them up with paint while I'm painting."
It is true that her entire walk in closet in her room had to be cleared out so that she could paint it as well. I thought about how many new clothes Sakura had now, and I couldn't think of any closet in the house big enough to fit everything. Except for one.
"The closet in my room is quite big and I don't even use half of it. So put your clothes in there." I replied simply, and the pink color returned to Sakura's cheeks again. Her slight shyness seemed like something normal to me now, but every time blush graced her face, I felt like if my body mirrored hers.
"Are you sure you won't mind, Sasuke?" She asked for reassurance and I shook my head as thought I wouldn't mind. "Thank you very much!" She squealed in delight and I nodded briefly, going back upstairs to my room and back to my work once I was done with the dishes.
However, my concentration was completely out of focus. I reflected on our conversation and a smile forced its way between my lips as I realized how domestic the whole thing felt. Discussing with my own wife room redecorating, paints and fabric samples over dinner... I should be annoyed by that. But strangely, it wasn't. I enjoyed it.
...
Two weeks passed and it was Monday again. However, this Monday was dragging strangely at work, and the clock on the wall kept telling the same time after 3 hours of me, hypnotizing them. And yet only 30 minutes had passed.
The thunder rumbled outside, heavy clouds hung low. I turned in my chair and looked out of the window at the darkening sky. I grinned and rubbed the back of my head, recognizing the signs of an impending migraine. I didn't have it often, but I knew the beginnings. The main cause used to be unexpected thunderstorms.
It was quiet at work that day, lacking the usual flurry of activities from the employees. Kiba was busy with a new campaign for the city's shelter, Tenten was urgently called away somewhere, Choji was sprawled out in the kitchen, overfed... and even Naruto, who'd been usually bugging me on the phone during the day, had left for a last-minute business trip of sorts. Minato took Kushina on a surprise trip and the rest of the employees did their work in their offices.
During my time at Namikaze Group, I discovered that even in the world of this business, advertising campaigns, there can be a completely different atmosphere. It was still full of energy. The whole place was just buzzing with voices, planning strategies, and creative ideas in the air, but it was a different kind of energy than I knew from ROOT Inc.
The energy here was positive, literally inspiring. As Minato told me, everyone worked as a team: the administrative people, the personal assistants, the creatives, the managers... everyone contributed equally and everyone was treated equally. For example, Hinata Hyuga, my new personal assistant, was as responsible for the company's results as I was. It took a while, but I was getting used to it.
With a sigh, I realized that I was getting used to it in other ways as well. Before Sakura, I worked late into the night, going out to various work dinners and sitting in restaurants with Naruto and his friends over ramen, which rather exhausted me most of the time.
When I happened to be at home, I worked out at the gym, watched a random TV show, and only went to the kitchen when I wanted to make coffee or get a plate of takeout because I was taking work home and didn't have time to cook.
I just spent my day in my room working or reading. I rarely had the company of anyone else, as work dinners were hardly ever at anyone's house at ROOT Inc. It was always in expensive restaurants and hotels, where all the people and noise just gave me a massive headache.
When I was at a business dinner last week, Sakura accompanied me and my colleagues were also sitting around the table with their wives. During dinner, I suddenly looked up and met the icy gaze of Danzo Shimura, sitting on the other side of the restaurant where Minato had made the reservation for us.
It was clear to me that Danzo already knew about our wedding and I assumed that in the sacred grounds of ROOT Inc., my name was not to be uttered. I found his anger amusing. I squeezed Sakura around the shoulders until she looked up and whispered: "What's wrong, Sasuke-kun?"
"Danzo." I muttered, and that one name was all it took for her to cast a furtive glance in the direction I was looking and turn to me. " I guess it would be a good idea to kiss now, Sasuke-kun..." She blurted out this one so suddenly that even she herself was as surprised as I was. But she was right, we had to show him that we were happy together and even happier without him.
"You read my mind." With a sneaky smirk, I lowered my head and I was about to kiss her on the lips. But Sakura beat me to it this time, and with obviously held breath and heated cheeks, she slowly threaded her fingers into my hair, pulling me closer behind my neck and pressing her lips to mine with her eyes tightly closed.
It was a brief and tender kiss, but long enough to anger Danzo even more. Not so long, however, to get the attention of anyone else at the table and embarrass us both. Of course, we were both embarrassed and I still wasn't over the physical bonding in public, but for the pissed off look on Danzo's face, I was willing to endure a little shame.
When Sakura and I broke away from each other, Kushina was giggling amusedly across the table and Danzo was on his way to the restaurant exit, muttering some curses under his breath. I leaned over to Sakura again and this time I whispered to her: "Good job."
Anyway, my days now ended with an evening meal in the kitchen with Sakura, talking about my day, telling her about my projects and asking for her opinions. She knew me better than anyone in the company and she often came up with an idea or concept that I hadn't thought of.
Instead of sitting in my room at my desk, I would often bring my laptop into the living room and work there while she watched the television or while she was reading. I discovered that I enjoyed her quiet company very much.
Twice Naruto and Hinata came over for dinner, so we took advantage of the newly purchased table that now occupied the once empty space in the kitchen. The bar area wasn't as used anymore.
Sakura assured me that this was how normal couples did it, they socialized with other couples as well. I wasn't doubly happy about it, but I didn't mind either. I also discovered a very competitive side to Sakura's nature. Hinata declared that she had brought some board games and that we could play after dinner. I rolled my eyes at the idea, but then I realized that I was actually enjoying playing together.
Naruto and I beat them at poker, but then they beat us at quiz game and scrabble. After a few glasses of wine, Sakura then started talking a lot, which I found amusing. This slightly drunk and at board games, she reminded me of Tsunade.
I've already had two "dates" with Tsunade in the form of game nights on Tuesday, back when Sakura was attending a beginner's yoga class. When Tsunade saw me that first Tuesday, she was surprised and almost didn't get out of her bed due to laughter, but when I pulled out the cherry liqueur, I was warmly welcomed.
Tsunade was an incredibly bad games player and we didn't win a single game played in the nursing home, even though I tried my best, but surprisingly Tsunade and I had a good time. Then we went back to her room for tea and a bit of a chat. I loved listening to her talk about her experiences, romances and I enjoyed the memories she shared about Sakura.
At our next meeting, we made it back to tea early because Tsunade accused our teammates, ninety-year-old men with canes, of cheating, and the nurses had to escort us out of the room for safety reasons. That day Tsunade was unfocused, distracted and also much more forgetful. It was impossible not to notice.
I was hoping she'd calm down in the familiar surroundings of her room. It helped a little, but she still seemed quite nervous. When I reached head nurse Mei one floor down, she told me that it happened a lot more often and that Sakura always put her at ease the best. So I called her and she left the yoga class and went straight to the nursing home. When she arrived, Tsunade was asleep in her bed, but woke up as soon as she heard her voice.
"Oh look, Sakura. I've been looking for you, you know?" She asked in the annoyed voice of her adopted daughter. "I'm right here with you, aunty. Sasuke-kun called me." She furrowed her brow suspiciously. "Who?" Sakura smiled sadly and repeated my name. "Sasuke."
I peeked over Sakura's shoulder so Tsunade could see me properly. An irritated look appeared on her face. "Should I know you, little brat?" I felt a small twinge near my heart, but I held my hand out to her, "I'm with Sakura." She rejected my hand and snorted. "I don't have time for you right now, kid. I have my daughter here, so if you'll excuse us..." I stood up and agreed. "Sure." Sakura gave me a somber look and whispered, "I'll see you in a bit."
Although I understood that it was her illness, I was so worried that I went to see Tsunade the very next day. I brought a bouquet of her favorite flowers and her favorite food, chicken breast and sake, and presented them to her with a bow. Pleased eyes sparkled in her youthful cheeks and she allowed me to pour her a drink. "I can see why that girl is smitten with you, you little brat."
I had to smile a little at her comment, as relief washed over me. She pursed her lips and added with a wink, "You're not a bad guy at the core, but you've got a lot to learn, kid." She was right, and I had nothing to object to. I stayed with her for a while until she fell asleep again. I walked out of there a little calmer. I realized that if it unsettled me that she didn't recognize my face, how much it must hurt Sakura? I asked myself, over and over again.
I thought it was weird that I was worried about it. But I was, nonetheless. I decided that I needed to schedule more visits to Tsunade together with Sakura, but also that I would continue to go there regularly on Tuesdays.
I returned to the folder of papers lying on the table in front of me, the clock on the wall still in the same position. The shoe campaign for Fūma company, which I had proposed to Minato back then, was received with great appreciation by the client, so I continued to work on various concepts.
I rubbed my temples and wished I could concentrate better. When I'd spoken to Minato on the phone a while ago, he'd told me to finish early, so I closed the file and turned off my laptop. I'll probably take Minato at his word and go home. I'll see what changes came up there today and see what my wife has come up with this time. My wife.
-XXX-
End of Chapter 23