#i even said the word naruto in that interview. and they hired me on the spot. somehow. incredible.

[demynom]

new art teaching job obtained lets fucking go

[ssa25]

Naruhina - Save My Soul -NH2020

For Naruhina2020 March (Bodyguard AU) and April (Celebrity AU)

A/n: Re-posting this long oneshot after major edits. I’d blundered previously when I posted this with huge chunks of old drafts attached at the end, smh. If you have read this story before, please ignore this post.

Rating: Mature

Warning: Modern AU with RTN Hinata and RTN Naruto

-

Hinata knew how some people have fetishes. She never thought she had one. Until that moment.

Wait. Would it still count as a fetish if she found that particular body part extremely sexy and distracting on only one specific person?

Sitting in the back seat of her chauffeur driven customised Maybach, Hyuuga Hinata could not take her eyes off of the large manly hands of her bodyguard who was sitting in the front passenger seat. Her nipples puckered and rubbed against the lace of her bra under the short black dress, as flashes of those very same hands skimming over her body, played through her mind. Especially how his long fingers had pinched and thrust into parts of her anatomy that had made her scream and tremble in toe curling pleasure. Involuntarily, her thighs clenched together at the reminder. 

She had to force herself to look away from the man who was absolutely unaware of how his mere presence was wreaking havoc on her mind and body. Not even the constant chatter of her relatively new, chirpy assistant Matsuri, who was sitting right beside her, could pull her thoughts away from the self destructing path she was seemingly on.

Get over it, get over him, she told herself.

Uzumaki Naruto did not want her. He had made it clear. That one particular night, exactly nine days back, had been etched, engraved and embossed into her brain, was supposedly a slip-up on his part. A rare moment of weakness, was how he’d labelled it.

He was her bodyguard. Nothing more, nothing less.

So why did her body yearn for him? Had she imagined the explosive chemistry they had shared in bed? Was she not his type?

The whole world assumed that being a young famous singer-songwriter, she had more men in her life than she could handle. But little did they know that all through her existence, she had been left sorely disappointed by the men who truly meant something to her.

-

As soon as she entered her suite at the hotel, she flung her crystal studded killer heels to the side and made a beeline for the well stocked mini bar. 

She had only had a few cocktails at the lavish and exclusive birthday bash of a world renowned, award winning artist, at his sprawling mansion in the outskirts of the city. Usually, she preferred to be in control of her senses at these events. She absolutely hated the idea of other people witnessing her in a weak moment.

It was probably one of the very few traits she had inherited from her now-estranged father. Her already precarious relationship with her only living conservative parent blew into smithereens when she decided to pursue her dreams. 

But that topic was a terribly sore spot for her, and she did not even want to think about it. The only thing she wanted was to drink herself to numbness, now that she was back in the security of her room. Just so that, she could stop feeling unwanted and unrequited emotions and just drift off to sleep.

She could hear Naruto stepping inside the suite, but she willed herself to not glance back at him. He would sleep on the sofa bed in the living room like he had done the night before.

He had been hired by her label’s President to protect her. After she had, apparently, irked quite a few psychopathic, batshit crazy fangirls of the famous rockstar Sabaku Gaara. Just because they had casually dated for a few months last winter. They went especially haywire when the man had written an entire song about her and had openly admitted to it in an interview.

Their relationship ended prematurely, but the threats became progressively scarier and outrightly morbid. That’s when Naruto was taken on board from an elite security organization. He was to protect her, accompany her everywhere for the foreseeable future and always stay within reach. 

Lucky her.

Hinata picked out a small bottle of red wine on impulse and carried it to her room. She shed down to her lacy underthings and poured out a generous amount of the merlot into a bulbous glass.

Taking it to her ensuite bathroom, she began wiping off her makeup in preparation for bed. The process had become so common for her, she was lost in her musings while doing a perfect job of stripping her face bare. 

Refilling her glass again, she lifted it to her lips, when it was snatched away. The harsh tug of Naruto’s fingers made her gasp and spill some wine on her chest. She had not seen him enter her private bathroom.

“What the fuck are you doing?!”, she snapped at him. “You spilled wine on me!”

His gaze flickered to her wet cleavage before he looked away. With his jaws clenched, he poured the drink into the sink and looked at her with a less than pleasant expression.

“You should know better than to drink irresponsibly. Matsuri has already reminded you that you have an early morning meeting with Mr. Senju. The last thing you need is a hangover.”, he uttered those words with a straight face. He tried his best to seem unaffected.

She forced a smile on her face. “I can’t sleep without getting myself drunk. Unless you can think of another way to tire me out. That might just help.”

She was shamelessly coming on to him, but at this point she could care less. Or it was probably just plain ol’ liquid courage.

“Go to bed, and count sheep, for all I care.”, his voice was steady but she could see the inkling of desire in his azure eyes.

She wanted to egg him on, and brought her hands to the front clasp of her bra. “Oh, come on, help me out a bit. Just one more time.”, she was almost playfully begging him now. And she knew she would take whatever he would throw at her. It probably went against feminist ideals, but she was never this weak for another man. She needed him like no one else. Why did he not get that?

“Don’t you want me again?”, she propositioned him and unhooked the wet lace bra to tempt him further.

But before he could get an eyeful for her naked heaving chest, he turned around to walk out of her bathroom. She could only laugh, while her heart squeezed painfully inside at his outright rejection.

“You’re such a pussy!”, she commented mockingly to goade him further.

And lo, behold, it made him stall at the door. His fists were clenched at his sides, but he did not retaliate with words. Just when she felt a sliver of doubt that he would walk away, he swung around and marched over to her, capturing her burgundy stained lips under his hungry ones. 

She moaned audibly at the surge of passion in their liplock, it positively made her giddy. His hands pulled and pressed her body against his, before cupping her perky round bottom and lifting her up against him.

Hinata squealed into the kiss at the sudden change of altitude, but she did not dare break away from him. She needed him so badly that she grasped at his short hair desperately to gain leverage and rub her core against his hardening length.

She heard him groan out loudly and then he pulled away from her lightly bruised, swollen lips, as he joined their foreheads and continued what she had started. Holding her from her bottom, he pushed her against the nearest wall and started thrusting upwards for some desperately needed friction. The silk of her panty was really thin and flimsy, and the ridges of his jeans gliding over her most sensitive point was delicious.

“Yes!”, she cried out. “Naruto… Please!! Don’t stop…!!”

Her hoarse pleading made him curse out loud. Abruptly, he her away from the wall. But instead of taking her to the bedroom like she had expected, he stepped into the large glass walled shower.

Unceremoniously, Naruto pulled the tap handle and the shower sprayed them with really cold water. She screamed as the icy water fell on her skin, instantly cutting off the heat of their encounter.

“F*ck! What the hell?!”, she scrambled out of his grip and out from the chill of the water. “What was that for?”

The cold spray had drenched Naruto, by the time he turned the supply off.

“That was me trying to act on the shred of rationality left in me.”, Naruto said seriously while rubbing a hand across his hair. She shivered and wrapped her arm around her naked chest.

“Oh, for f*ck’s sake, do you have to be so rational all the dam* time?!!”, her voice echoed against the walls. “What’s wrong with you??!!”

He slipped out of the shower cubicle and threw the nearest dry bathrobe at her. She quickly pushed her arms through it to cover herself. Doing what he did was humiliating enough, especially after she had literally begged him to take her.

“Call me old fashioned, but I prefer my women sober in bed…”, he replied with a snort.

“Oh just stop with that holier than thou attitude… I’m barely tipsy… You’re the one who’s got his panties in a wad for no reason.”, she let her frustration speak through with zero filter. “Seriously, have you ever let yourself get carried away by your instincts? Instead of being so dam* uptight 24/7?...”

“Oh, I’ve tried it… Look where that got us…”

“You say it as if it was bad for you…”, she followed after him into the bedroom.

“That is beside the point… You, Miss Hinata Hyuuga, are my employer… It is inappropriate for us to sleep together...”

“It’s a little late for worrying about appropriateness, don’t you think?!...”, her voice was laced with sarcasm. “Surely you realise that or have you lost your memories while perched on your moral high horse?”

Naruto gritted his teeth and glared at her with icy blue eyes. “I haven’t forgotten anything… But I have more self respect and pride than repeating my mistake of being your rebound hookup.”

She felt hurt by his accusation. “Is that what you think? A rebound?... Gosh, Naruto... I have been over Gaara for months...”

“Well then, what else is it??”, he demanded.

She was tongue tied by the abruptness of his question. What was it? 

She was crazy attracted to him. She cared for him. She wanted him to do unspeakable things to her. She wanted to do similar things back to him. But that was as far as she had thought.

Seeing her speechless, he nodded curtly. “That’s what I thought.”

He moved away from her before her muddled brain could make a sense out of the deviation their conversation had taken. Naruto picked up his wallet, blazer and keycard before walking towards the main door.

“Get some sleep… Please… I will be right outside.”

Hinata could not utter the right words to stop him. Even if she desperately wanted to. 

-

By eight o’ clock next morning, Hinata was seated in an upscale rooftop restaurant that was famous for its breakfast menu. Mr. Senju was notorious for being an early riser, and he believed in using as much of the daylight as possible to conduct profitable business.

Clad in a flowy lavender maxi skirt, a white lace crop top and a pair of comfy birkenstocks, Hinata was half heartedly listening to Mr. Senju. Her mirrored sunglasses provided her the perfect ruse to hide her tired eyes and also to frequently glance over at Naruto, who stood a few feet away, where he had the perfect vantage point of the whole setting.

Matsuri sat beside her, jotting down important points that were discussed. By the end of the meal, Hinata had agreed to lend her voice to a character of a big budget animated movie that would be produced by Mr. Senju. Few remaining details would be ironed out by her label before she would sign the contract.

“Then I’ll see you back in the city in two weeks, Miss Hyuuga.”, Mr. Senju shook her hand. “It was a pleasure meeting you. Have a good day!”

Hinata smiled widely and bid him goodbye.

“Wow… That was definitely worth losing a few hours of sleep…”, Matsuri commented.

Hinata nodded listlessly, and nibbled on the poached eggs. She would have certainly liked Naruto to join her at the table, but he had maintained the cool aloof demeanour from last night. Like they only worked in a professional capacity.

Hinata could not openly make any grand gestures towards him because the restaurant was decently filled with posh clients.

From behind her shades, she had even noticed more than one woman staring in the direction of the tall figure of her bodyguard. And it lit her with jealousy. It was absurd. She had no claim over him, but she wanted to gorge the eyes out of any woman who so much as second glanced at him. Curiously, she had never felt this possessive about any of her past boyfriends. Not even Gaara, who the craziest female fandom their music industry had ever seen.

Speaking of the devil.

Gasps and murmurs filled the air, as Gaara Sabaku waltzed into the establishment like he owned the place, with his manager right behind him. Most patrons were affluent enough to not stumble out of their seats to approach celebrities for an autograph or selfies. But there were quite a few heads turned and much interest shown, when the red haired rockstar made a beeline for her.

“G-G-Gaara!”, she squeaked and flushed uncomfortably. Hinata was amused to see her so flustered. Especially, when she was quite unaffected by the famous actors and singers at last night’s bash.

Hinata got up from her seat to greet her ex-boyfriend.

“Hinata… What a pleasant surprise to see you here…”, Gaara spoke fondly as he engulfed her in his arms.

Hinata was a little taken aback by his enthusiasm, but she let it slide. There was nothing wrong with acknowledging an old friend or acquaintance with a genial hug. But she noticed the way Naruto had become stiff and alert, standing a few feet away from them.

“It’s nice to see you too Gaara… Weird running into you here… What are you doing so far off from the city?”, she asked him casually.

“Same thing as you. I made it to the party a little late last night… My flight got delayed on my way back from Seoul… By the time I got there, you had left…”, he explained.

“Ah, yeah…I was feeling a little tired…”, Hinata replied. She felt a little uncomfortable by Gaara’s attention, so she deviated from their conversation. “Gaara, this is my new assistant Matsuri… Matsuri, this is Gaara… You might know him….”

Gaara nodded at her nonchalantly before focusing back on Hinata. “How long are you here for?”

“Umm… Just for tonight.. We will be driving back to the city tomorrow morning…”

“That’s great! We must have dinner together tonight. Especially when we are both staying at the same hotel.”

Hinata was quite surprised at his invitation. She could see from the corner of her eyes, Naruto got closer to them and stood behind her protectively.

Was he jealous? Or was this a part of his job?

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea Gaara…”

“Come on, it’s just dinner… I won’t try to kiss you or anything… Unless you want to, ofcourse!”

Hinata fixed him with a mocking glare. She had separated from him on amicable terms. He was not keen on her suggestion of breaking up. But as a free spirited musician himself, he loathed the idea of binding her to him against her wishes. So he let her go. Now, even the thought of having dinner plans with him seemed to hold no attraction for her. Deep down, she realised the reason why.

“Haven’t we had enough problems because of our past? Being seen together again in public would be asking for more trouble.”, she tried to reason with him.

“Fine, if that’s your worry. How about you come over to my suite? We can have a private dinner where no one can see us.” Gaara glanced at Naruto and added, “You can even have your guard installed outside my door to keep an eye out for you.”

She really wanted to decline his invitation without seeming rude or uptight. But it seemed a little difficult now, with Gaara being insistent and the eyes of other patrons of the restaurant on the two of them.

She lowered her voice and replied, “How about I think about it and text you back?”

Gaara smirked and nodded. “Okay. Remember, I will be hoping for a yes.”

He flicked her chin lightly, like he used to do when they were back together, and moved towards his reserved table.

With that, Naruto suggested they make a move out. He trailed closer than ever before, and kept a light protective hand on her back while the few paparazzis outside clicked furiously. She wondered if Gaara’s invite had spurred this extra protective and possessive streak in him. The idea of making him even more jealous appealed to her. But she absolutely hated toying with people to play games like that. She wanted him to want her back without any underhanded tricks in play.

Once back inside the car, Matsuri asked incredulously, “You are not seriously thinking about going out with him, are you??”

Hinata rested her head back and watched Naruto for any sign. He did seem a little stiffer than usual, even as he was busily texting someone on his phone.

“Technically, it’s not ‘going out’... More like ‘dining in’... But I haven’t made a decision about it. Yet.”

A full minute later, her phone pinged and she took it out to read the new text message, thinking it might be from Gaara.

‘For your eyes only. Make sure no one is peeking into your phone.’

It was from Naruto. When she raised her head up, she saw Matsuri trying to inconspicuously peek at the text. She understood that Naruto might be trying to communicate with her without Matsuri knowing about their recent past.

“Who was that?”, she asked nonchalantly.

“Uh, no one.”, Hinata lied easily.

Seconds later, another message popped up. This time she was careful about not letting wandering eyes stray over to her phone.

‘I have to warn you about something. But what is most important is for you to NOT panic. Matsuri has a carving knife in her bag. She picked it up from the restaurant. Beware. Do not engage her in any conversation about Gaara. I have alerted the police, we will get you to safety soon. Just keep calm. You will be fine.’

Hinata grew pale as she finished reading the text. Why would Matsuri pick a knife? Slowly, the pieces fit together, and she realised that her new assistant was one of the psychopathic fans of her ex-boyfriend.

“Was that Gaara?”, Matsuri’s suspicious voice broke her trance.

“Umm… No…”, she replied faintly and looked outside the window to hide any signs of distress on her face.

“I think meeting Gaara again would not be good for either of you.”, her assistant kept talking.

If Naruto had not warned her, she would have snapped back at Matsuri and given her a piece of her mind. And that would have been disastrous. She looked to the front and found Naruto looking back at her. He gave her a small reassuring nod.

“If he thinks-“

Naruto interrupted her just as she spoke. “We’re almost here. It will be ideal for both of you to discuss this in the privacy of the suite, while I run a small errand.”

Soon the car stopped, Naruto jogged out to open Hinata’s door.

“You did good. I am here with you, don’t worry.”, he muttered close to her ears.

Hinata felt safe in his presence and she had to stop herself from leaning into him. The trio moved through the hotel lobby that seemed quieter than usual. Matsuri did not suspect a thing, but she raised an eyebrow at him when he joined them in the elevator.

“I thought you had an errand to run.”

Hinata understood that she was trying to get rid of Naruto to confront her in the suite.

“I do. I just need to grab some papers from my suitcase.”, he lied easily.

As soon as  they entered the suite, they were confronted by the police who were waiting for them. Matsuri turned vicious when her plan was foiled. She tried attacking Hinata even with so many officials around, but she was easily tackled by Naruto.

“Stay right where you are!!”

Soon, she was handcuffed and dragged away, but she kept hissing and cursing at Hinata.

“B*tches like you don’t deserve any love!! You f*cking wh*re!!!”

Hinata was aghast watching the complete switch in her personality. It was chilling to realise that someone who harboured ill intentions for her was kept close.

Her sight turned blurry as she stood rooted to her spot. Whether they were tears of relief or shock or exasperation, was anyone’s guess.

Naruto dealt with the police officials quickly before he went up to her. Wordlessly, he gathered her in his arms and hugged her tight.

“I don’t know why I am crying… I am not a crybaby…”, her words were muffled by his suit jacket.

“It’s okay… It’s okay to feel the way you do...I’m right here for you.”

But she shook her head and looked up at him. “How did you realise…”

Naruto explained his observation of Matsuri’s expression when Gaara came into the restaurant.

“It was somewhere between shock, awe and fanatical lunacy… And when he kept his attention solely on you, she looked vengeful… Both of you were too busy chatting to notice the stark change in her demeanour…”

“Oh…”, she pondered over the events. “So, that was why you stood close to me… Because of Matsuri… Not because you were jealous?”

Naruto sighed and lifted her face up to him. “I was jealous. Extremely so. But even in that moment your safety was my priority.”

Hinata looped both her arms around his neck. “Oh Naruto….About yesterday-“

“Don’t worry about it.”

��No… Let me say it… When you asked me about what you meant to me… I was unsure of how I could put my feelings into words… It might not be love yet, but you are so much more than a rebound… No, actually let me rephrase that… You are nothing like a rebound… I feel very very strongly for you…Honestly, I always keep thinking of you, my eyes keep looking for you... So much so that I’m afraid it might turn into an obsession.”

He smirked and leaned his forehead towards her. “Are you sure that’s not the after effects of the traumatic event talking?”

She grabbed him by his lapels and mockingly glared at him. “Don’t make fun of my feelings for you. I know what I want. Besides, I would hardly call this encounter traumatic. It was shocking and a little scary, but I can get past it. I’m stronger than you think.”

Naruto nodded and looked away from her gaze. “And you are sure you don’t mind that we have almost nothing in common… I mean, you could do much better than me.”

Hinata rolled her eyes at him, “You sure like doubting yourself for someone with so much pride and self respect.”

He just shrugged, “Just putting it out there… Fair warning… I am not easy to get rid off… So I just want to cover my bases…”

“That’s strange…”, she replied with a frown. “I was going to give you the same warning.”

“There’s one thing common between us then.”, he commented before asking. “Shall we seal the deal with a kiss?”

“Only a kiss??”

-

Over the next few days, Naruto and Hinata received several phone calls informing him about the development of the case against Matsuri. She had confessed to all accounts of threats and intention to harm but pleaded not guilty citing mental instability.

x

Note: Apologies for the very late entry. And also I would like to apologise to fans of Matsuri, she was portrayed negatively in this story, but I assure I have nothing against her! If anything, I like to feature her as Hinata’s friend in a lot of ny other stories.

[queentargary3n]

unfaithful

Summary: Sakura is surprised to see Sasuke is the senior associate of the firm she is supposed to start working for. All of her feelings start to come back 10 years after he abandoned her. Sasuke finds out somethings are truly never behind you, and when he starts falling back in love with her, his past comes to hunt him. Her biggest issue? He is already married.

Sasusaku Fanfic AU Lawyers. M

FF.net

"So, why should we hire you, Haruno-san?"

"As you can see on my resume, I just graduated summa cum laude of my class from Konoha University, I did extensive work at the university's legal clinic, including the notorious case Yamato v. Root, for which I was acting attorney, and here you can see the legal column I was writing for the Fire Nation Times, in summary, I think I'd be a great addition to this law firm" The pink headed girl smiled as she explained to the Human Resources manager interviewing her, she still had to have another interview with the other Senior associate of the firm, but considering she already had someone on the inside, she was as good as in, this was just a formality.

Or so she thought as a tall man in a dark suit entered the office she was in, interrupting her flow.

She stared in disbelief. Utterly in shock as Sasuke Uchiha walked into her job interview, and never even glanced at her. "I'll take it from here Kabuto" he said, motioning to dismiss the man, who instead took a seat on a chair in the back of the office. HR was his job after all. Sasuke scoffed at his action.

She hadn't seen this man since their high school graduation. She analyzed his face, he was always handsome as a teenager, but he looked like a model now. Strong chiseled jaw, roman nose, deep midnight eyes, with the longest eyelashes, millions of girls would kill to have. His dark hair covered part of his face, and fell in on the back, reaching his strong neck, as opposed to the spiky hair he bore back in the day. He looked like he worked out a lot despite the obvious lack of a left arm. I wonder what happened to him. She thought.

His black jacket was well fitted and expensive, his gray shirt and thin black tie emphasized how well toned his chest was underneath, she then saw placed on his right hand, what she assumed was a wedding ring. Wrong hand of course, but it's not like he'd have a choice.

He didn't seemed to recognize her. So she moved to say "I know y..." but was interrupted.

"Not now." He said sternly. "What would you say is your biggest weakness, Haruno"

She had practiced for this question many times before. It was a textbook job interview question for gods sake! So then why couldn't she think of an appropriate answer? "My weakness?" She asked nervously. "My biggest weakness is that I... I..."

By this point he had already dismissed her as ordinary. And his law firm definitely did not hire ordinary attorneys. 28 and just recently graduated? And a nervous wreck too, that wouldn't do in court. He grabbed his pen and made a note on her resume.

"I just..." she started, but was interrupted once more, by a loud blond barging in the office.

"Sakura-Chan!"

"Naruto!" She was glad to have been distracted. She stood up to greet the man. The only guy in the history of court, that could pull off wearing an orange blazer, she decided. She moved to shake his hand, but was pulled instead for back cracking bear-hug.

"I've missed you!" Naruto said, without releasing her.

How inappropriate. And old flame perhaps? Sasuke thought. Looking at Kabuto who simply shrugged.

"When I saw that you'd graduated from law school I just thought we gotta have you in the firm, ya know?!"

"Well you just interrupted my interview" She said embarrassed, as she gave Sasuke an apologetic look.

"Nonsense! Let's do this over coffee! You come too Teme". Naruto said as he wrapped his around around the petit woman's shoulders.

Things like this shouldn't really happen in law firms. But Kabuto wouldn't say anything. Naruto and Sasuke might both be the Senior associates of the place, but it was Naruto who made all this possible.

As the three of them walked down to the building's coffee shop, Sakura couldn't help but to marvel at the impressiveness of their practice. With impeccable white marble floors, glass separating each of the small office spaces, metallic silver decorating all the small surfaces. Only one office had black curtains covering it from view. She guessed even without looking at the name plate just who it belonged to.

x

Sasuke sat down at a table for three and tried to concentrate on his phone, looking at his unread emails, while the two others ordered their drinks. He knew coffee wasn't excellent for the body, he did indulged in it every now and then, but then, even if he wanted, his stomach wouldn't let him have any caffeine right now, his stomach had been doing somersaults all morning.

Of course he recognized her name. As soon as Naruto handed him her file. Who else had that annoyingly obvious but well suited name? He walked in on her interview on a whim. But his heart felt like it fell to the bottom of his stomach when he saw her strawberry blonde-pink locks. Her face hadn't changed at all since the last time he saw it, even thought it was ten years ago.

He was annoyed at himself for the still harbored feelings of guilt he felt by looking at her. It reminded him of the Last day. The day he left the city of Konoha to join a motorcycle gang. Left his family home, friends, and, a crying begging girlfriend behind. It all seemed so stupid of him now. It was all before his accident and Naruto brought him back to his senses.

Naruto of course didn't know the history when he demanded they hire her at their firm. He was so surprised to see her become an attorney, she was always going on and on about how she was going to be a doctor. Then again he did used to say he would become a cop him self.

He couldn't take his eyes of her. Standing in line waiting to order. Her white skirt clung to the curves of her hips and backside deliciously, her matching blazer was tight around her middle, emphasizing how ridiculously small her waist was. Her red undershirt provided enough coverage for her breasts, displaying her cleavage just enough to still be considered formal.

He watched as Naruto placed a hand gently on her shoulder. "I was so excited to see you! I couldn't sleep at all last night thinking about it" they were so loud he was able to hear them all the way from where he was seated.

She laughed, and weakly punched his arm in return.

Not an old flame, but perhaps a mistress then? Sasuke thought. And he hired her to have her around the office, cheap. He blamed his irritation to the inappropriateness of it all. They couple, got their drinks and retreated back to the table.

"I told everyone at the family dinner you're a lawyer now, they were all so surprised!" Naruto said as he sat down unceremoniously.

"Oh that reminds me!" Sakura said, taking a seat next to Sasuke, and looking through the contents of her large handbag. "Here, for Hinata and the baby!" She produced a small gift box and handed it to blond.

Not a mistress then, if she knows his family and wife. Sasuke thought. Or a real shameless one. Sasuke had to ask him later just how they knew each other.

"You'll start tomorrow Sakura-chan, I have to be in court all day but Sasuke'll be there, right Teme?" Naruto said, as he elbowed Sasuke hard.

"Oh Uchiha-San I almost forgot to thank you for your time at the interview today" Sakura addressed him, bowing her head politely at him

"Sasuke" he answered with a tone as uninterested as he could muster.

"Oh no!" She waved her hands in front of her face embarrassed. "I could never call my boss by his name!"

"I'm not your boss" Sasuke replied. Suppressing his urge to mock at her widened eyes. "I'm technically your boss's boss" he smirked at her relief and blushed cheeks. He couldn't resist the urge to tease as he did all those years ago. "And if you're going to be so casual with the idiot here, you might as well call me by my name"

He is so beautiful. Sakura thought. His teasing brought her back memories. Which in turn made Sakura start to rethink accepting this job, and all of this awkward situation.

Naruto was dumbfounded and it showed on his face. He'd never heard Sasuke speak so many words to a would-be stranger.

"I have to get back to work" Sasuke said, getting up from his seat and walking away without saying anything. Leaving the two in silence to watch him walk away.

Really, working with an ex-girlfriend. Sasuke thought. What would my wife say...

__________________

Thank you so much if you are reading this. It really means a lot. Please don't forget to leave your thoughts in a review.

[syao]

It’s almost Hearts Day, so what the heck, mindless NejiTen fluff.

Pairing: Neji x Tenten | Read Time: 6 mins

“If you’re on a first date, where would you bring her?”

Hyuuga Neji briefly looked up from the mission report he had been working on, wanting to confirm that the person asking the question was really Konoha’s weapon mistress and his teammate of ten years, Tenten.

Receiving a visual confirmation, he proceeded to return to his interrupted work. “Wherever she wants to go.”

A distinct groan came from her direction, followed by slow pencil scratches on the paper. He then sensed her pause, as if she was soundlessly going over what she had written. She must have been dissatisfied, based on the furious sound of her rubber eraser that followed.

“That’s what a longtime married husband will say.”

“But doesn’t dating lead to marriage anyway?” He had taken his parents’ counsel into his heart that he would only ask a woman out if he knew she was someone he could introduce to his clan the following day.

To which the kunoichi burst out laughing. “Oh, Neji,” she sighed while wiping an imaginary tear in her eye. “You really are the purest thing in the world.”

He let her teasing go. As he has always had. “That is my answer, though— my only one. And why are you asking something like this all of a sudden anyway?”

“It’s a task from Tsunade-sama,” explained Tenten, playing nimbly with the pencil. “We seriously need more shinobi missions so she thought we’ll advertise our services with a lighthearted article on our hottest bachelors who happen to also be working as a nin.”

“Hottest… bachelors…”

“Yep. Uchiha Sasuke’s in it of course, or the village riots. Then there’s Naruto, Shikamaru, Lee, Chouji…” she rattled off, eyes dancing in mirth. He couldn’t tell if she was truly into the idea because her personal goddess and idol decreed it, or if she was just entertained at the thought of her male colleagues being paraded before thirsty audiences.

“...and of course, there’s you,” she continued, winking at him. “I’m in charge of writing yours and Lee’s profiles, and thankfully his answers aren’t as boring as yours.”

His brows furrowed. “I’m not changing my answer, Tenten.”

She looked like she expected to hear that. With a resigned smile, Tenten picked up her pencil and poised it to write. “Well, can you tell me why you answered that, at least? Just so it won’t come across in the article as too cold and uninterested… even if that’s sort of what you’re going for here, I think.”

“It’s because I want us to go to a place that makes her happy,” he explained matter-of-factly. “Her being happy makes me happy, too.”

She tapped her chin. “Well, that kinda makes sense. Not all women like candlelit dinners… I mean, I don’t.”

“I know. A weapon museum or a visit to a renowned smither might be more up your speed.”

“I feel you’re making fun of my weapon geekery, but that... actually sounds like a really cool, fun date.” Realizing her laughably sincere undertone, she coughed self-consciously. “M-Moving on. So… Neji?”

He let out a deep sigh. “It’s not just one question?”

“It’s an article, Neji, not an Instagram caption. Anyway...” She picked up her clipboard and read the next question aloud. “How would you dress up to impress the girl you like?”

“I am thoroughly confused as to how this will sell our skills as a shinobi…”

“Tsunade-sama is selling you guys as a complete package. Saving the world while looking wicked good, and all that jazz. Now, your answer, please?”

He frowned thoughtfully. “I honestly do not know. I feel that I can offer more than my understanding of what fashion is on trend, and that what I do have will better stand the test of time—” his words trailed off when he saw the growing Cheshire cat-like smile on the kunoichi’s face. “I said something boring again, didn’t I?”

“Ah no, not at all. But I think you should seriously consider part-timing as a Q&A writer in the beauty pageant circuit.”

“That is my only—”

“Yes, yes. That is your only answer and you won’t change it, that’s why— see? I’m jotting everything down, Neji!” She flashed her scribbles to his face. He couldn’t help but notice numerous smileys on some of his responses, along with her annotations like ‘too pure!’ and ‘must protect’.

“Indulge me then,” he said as he nudged the notepad away from his face. “How would you like your date to dress up for you?”

“Hmm.” She shut her eyes momentarily, busily putting together an image of her mystery date that would spark joy in her. “I always see guys in traditional attire and dirty combat clothing, so maybe something immaculately crisp, and clean, and pressed, and tailored like a suit would be nice. Something black, maybe? I don’t know much about fashion either, but I’m pretty sure black will never go out of style. Plus they hide sweat marks.”

He tapped his finger on her transcript. “Maybe you can put that in instead. Would that be something your readers will be able to relate more with?”

She waved her hand dismissively. “Nah. We have to accurately represent you, lest they’ll be disappointed that you’re actually a boring old man stuck in a beautiful eighteen-year-old man’s body.”

“Beautiful, huh?”

“That’s what everyone says,” she quickly clarified. “A-And well, they aren’t exactly wrong, you know.” She knew and had acknowledged since childhood that Neji was blessed with striking looks that men and women would both envy, so why was it so hard for her to compliment him as friends naturally would?

“Good enough.” He did look utterly satisfied by her response, in any case. She let out another cough to jolt her focus back into her interview.

Neji frowned. “You should really have that checked. You’ve been coughing quite a lot this morning.”

“I’M. FINE.”

“As you say.”

“Here’s the last question.” Tenten was relieved that her first-ever non-combat investigation/interrogation is finally coming to an end.

“Please.” He looked at her earnestly and with unadulterated attentiveness, even with the full knowledge that he was participating in something he would typically never give a modicum of his time any other day.

And there it was again— the feeling of embarrassed, even shy awkwardness welling within her once more.

It wasn’t him at fault, of course— Neji was just being the usual Neji. It was her and her ridiculous, assumptive, and overactive imagination that was making the exchange more awkwardly embarrassing than it should be.

She vigorously shook her head. “What is… your ideal girl like?”

He seemed to hesitate, which surprised her because he had always been comfortable enough with her to share his rarely-seen, most candid thoughts.

Despite herself, her body leaned in closer, breath bated in anticipation for an answer she never knew she was dying to know till that moment.

Then he finally spoke.

“You.”

Her forehead creased. “M-Me?” she asked, slowly pointing a finger at herself

He nodded.

“OH! Well, let’s see… the interview is about you, Neji, but as for me, my ideal woman is—” She paused. That doesn’t make sense, does it?

Neji looked unimpressed by her utter lack of wits.

Her heart was starting to race so fast that her mind barely registered the sound of her pad and pencil dropping to the floor. She smiled nervously, willing herself not to think of a prospect that might turn out to be nothing but a grossly embarrassing misunderstanding.

“I-I see. S-So you mean, s-someone *l-like* me, right?” she managed to ask amidst her rattled stammering. “Outdoorsy, geeky, failure of all things domestic…”

He rose from his seat and walked towards her station. “You misunderstand.”

Oh, shoot. Of course, I did. Her heart sank, willing the floor to swallow her whole right now.

Neji stopped in front of her, knelt down to collect her things, then gently returned them to her trembling hands.

“My ideal woman,” he spoke tenderly yet resolutely, “is you, Tenten. Not someone like you, but you specifically. And no one else comes close.”

Eh? 

Her mind, usually a dizzying uninterruptible hurricane of cracks and banter, froze. Then Neji’s words started to echo in her mind— over and over pounding it into her brain, which at that moment was still stuck in self-preserving, in-denial defense mode.

That was when she felt his palm rest on top of her head. He brushed her hair calmingly, almost apologetically. 

“I am not asking for a reply because this isn’t a confession,” he said gently. “You asked a question, and I simply answered it. Nothing has to change.”

“B-But Neji…”

He continued to speak. “What I feel for you is my business, not yours. Do not concern yourself over it.”

With that, he withdrew his hand and stepped back to retrieve his things. His face was mellower than usual: apparent even with the long, dark, soft curtain draping over his side profile.

“Thank you for your hard work. Take care on your way home, Tenten.” He gave her a small, courteous bow before walking past her.

Neji was long gone before the kunoichi could trust herself to speak again.

“How do you expect me to print this now, stupid Neji,” she groaned exasperatedly while looking at her teammate’s now-empty work desk.

.

.

.

In the end, Tenten did decide to run his profile. And despite not topping the list (it was the Uchiha, of course, or the village riots), the Hyuuga’s piece was truly a hit among the readers.

The man himself, though, was still questioning how exactly the piece demonstrates his competence, and more importantly, his dignity as a Jounin-ranked shinobi.

…………………………………………..

TOP 10 KONOHA’S HOTTEST SHINOBI YOU CAN HIRE RIGHT NOW

#2 Hyuuga Neji

Age: 18

Birthday: July 3

Zodiac Sign: Cancer

Height: 172 cm

Weight: 54.2 kg

Where he will take his date: Wherever she decides to go. (Ex. Weapon museums, weaponsmiths, weapon shops, weapon exhibitions)

His fashion to impress girls: Dark clothes that hide sweat marks.

His ideal girl: You. Not someone like you, but you specifically. And no one else comes close. [sic]

…………………………………………..

As the article grew more viral, a huge influx of mission requests specifying the Hyuuga flooded the Hokage’s office. The Jounin became the poster boy of “youthful fire and burning passionate love”, as Maito Gai and Rock Lee so eloquently put it on the Bachelor Neji fan shirts they were selling to the masses.

However, the benevolent Tsunade-sama tabled all these for an internal priority mission.

Accompanying a certain kunoichi to the newest weapon museum in the nearby village— wearing a crisp, dark tailored suit, of course.

THE END

[thegizka]

Shop Girl (fic)

Moments of Ino’s life spent in the Yamanaka flower shop.

Written for Ino Week 2019 Day 1:  Through the Years.

Read it on Ao3.

“Ino, honey, be careful!”

Ino’s mother swept her up in her arms and away from the bunches of carnations waiting patiently for arranging and displays, but the baby’s quick fingers managed to snag one of the white blooms in her fists.  She gurgled happily, clapping as soft petals crumpled between chubby fingers.

“Gentle,” her exasperated mother sighed, attempting to pry the ruined blossom from her grasp, but the baby’s grip was too strong.

“Let her keep it, dear,” Inoichi chuckled.  “It’s already ruined.  Besides one flower isn’t a big deal.”

“But it’s not just one flower.”  Mrs. Yamanka scanned the prep table.  Nearly a dozen carnations would have to be discarded--blooms ground under baby feet, leaves ripped from stems by curious hands.  “I don’t think I can have her in the shop until she knows how to be gentler with the flowers.”

“You would remove the prettiest bud from among your beautiful blooms?”  Inoichi took his daughter and spun her around above his head.  She squealed with happiness, spreading her arms but keeping a tight grip on her hostage carnation.  His wife couldn’t help smiling, though it was small and moderated by her concern.

“Our daughter is not for sale, but the rest of these flowers are.  I have to make some profit.”

“Is it really that important?  Now that I’m full time with the intel division, our finances should be more stable.”

“Just because you got a promotion doesn’t mean I’m going to abandon my work after all the years I’ve spent building this business!  What sort of an example would that be for our daughter?”

Inoichi chuckled sheepishly, faced by his wife’s strong pride and the truth.  “You’re right, of course, dear.”  He buried his nose in the fistful of flower his child held out to him, smelling soft baby skin and crushed petals.  “No little piggies in the shop until they have the gentleness to match their strength.”

-----

“Mom!”  Ino called, waving from across the school grounds.  “I thought Dad was walking me home today.”

“He had to go to work.  He said it was very important.”  Mrs. Yamanaka did her best to hide her frustration.  The summons had been last-minute, meaning she had to temporarily close the flower shop to pick up her daughter from school.

“Oh, okay.”  It was always amazing how quickly Ino brushed off her disappointment.  “This is Sakura,” she introduced, indicating the shy pink-haired girl hovering behind her.

“Hello,” she greeted timidly, her big green eyes nervous.

“Hello Sakura.”  Ino’s mother smiled kindly.  “You have beautiful hair.”

“Thank you!” she squeaked, cheeks blushing pink like her hair.  That seemed to put her at ease, and she took a step forward to stand shoulder to shoulder with Ino.

“I said she could come over,” the young blonde announced.

“Did you get it okayed with Sakura’s parents?”

“Mhm.  My mom said I could,” Sakura explained.

“Okay then,” Mrs. Yamanaka agreed, and they began their walk to the flower shop.

“We had a special lesson today Mom!”  Ino was already talking a mile a minute, confidence and excitement rolling off her in waves.  It wasn’t hard to see how an unsure girl like Sakura would be caught in the pull of her personality.  “It was all about flowers!  I knew everything, of course, but Sakura was good at it, too.  The Hokage was even there and we got to give him our flowers.  He looks pretty old, but he has a nice smile, even if it’s wrinkly.”

“Ino,” her mother warned.

“What?  I said he has a nice smile.  Anyway,” she continued before her mother could follow up on the correction, “I bet Sakura and I could run the shop now by ourselves.”

“Really?”  Mrs. Yamanaka raised an eyebrow.  “What do you think Sakura?”

The girl looked bewildered--at the prospect of running the shop, of having her opinion asked, or both, it was hard to tell.

“I think I’d need lots more practice first.”

“Nah, you’d be fine,” Ino declared, confidence undaunted.  “Like I said, you’re really good.”

“Well if Sakura wants to practice more, why don’t we just practice today, okay?”  She unlocked the shop and flipped the sign back to OPEN, hoping her short absence hadn’t deterred any potential customers.

They spent the afternoon in the flower shop, the girls showing her what they had learned and she sharing some of her own knowledge with them.  She let them pick the flowers, quizzed them on their meanings, watched them arrange the blooms and greens, and taught them how to tie the ribbons and select the best vases.  It was surprising how much Ino had managed to learn through observation, and Sakura was quick to pick up the skills.  Perhaps it was time to let her daughter help out in the shop.

-----

“I can’t believe it!”  Ino shoved dirt around the petunias she was potting.

“Careful, Ino,” her mother warned, but her daughter’s mind was beyond reach of such gentle admonitions.

“Somehow Sakura and her billboard brow end up on the same team as Sasuke and I don’t!”

“But I thought you and Sakura were friends.”  Inoichi looked confused as he carefully walked a bonsai to a shelf.

“As if,” Ino growled, rough fingers packing down dirt.  Her mother just shook her head when she met her husband’s quizzical gaze.  Long hours with the intel division had made him miss most of Ino’s crush on Sasuke and the ensuing fallout with Sakura.

“Poor Sasuke has to deal with her and Naruto,” Ino continued to lament, “and I’m stuck with lazy Shikamaru and fat Chouji.”

“Ino!” her mother barked, forceful and sudden.  It snapped her daughter out of her self-pity and dragged the entire shop into stunned silence.  “That is not how you speak about others!  Especially your friends.”

She could see a glitter of shame beneath the frustration in her daughter’s eyes, but she continued to frown.

“You wanted to be a shinobi, which entails working with your teammates to protect this village, regardless of who they are.  You don’t have the luxury of choosing with whom and when you do the work.  If you can’t do that, you can’t be a shinobi.  And regardless, you never have the right to speak ill of someone else.

“Now,” she continued, voice softening a little and easing some of the tension in the air, “unless you can speak respectfully, work in silence, and unless you can be more gentle with the flowers, I think you should go home for the day.”

Ino glared at the pot of petunias.  The soil was packed too tightly, and she had snapped one of the stems without noticing.  The purple bloom hung defeatedly over the edge of the pot.  She pressed her lips together, and without a word, she left the shop, closing the door with a little more force than she usually did.

Inoichi sighed heavily, but his wife merely closed her eyes, collecting herself for a moment before continuing her work on an arrangement requested by a friend.  Inoichi gazed helplessly at the ceiling.

“How are we going to survive her teenage years?”

-----

“No.”

Ino’s eyes narrowed.  Her mother didn’t even look up from the ribbon she was measuring and cutting.

“What do you mean, ‘no’?  I’ve already arranged everything with Sakura and Lady Hokage.”

“I mean no, you can’t.”

“Excuse me?”

Mrs. Yamanaka put down the scissors and finally faced her daughter.

“You don’t have time to train as a medical ninja.  You’re already busy with regular missions and the shop.  Adding medical training on top of that would be too much.”

“No it wouldn’t,” Ino insisted.  “Sakura has managed to fit it in.”

“Sakura’s parents don’t need her help running a flower shop.”

“Then hire someone part-time.”

“Excuse me?”  It was her mother’s turn to narrow her eyes.

“It’s not like you and Dad don’t make enough money, though I can always contribute some of my mission money if that’s your concern.”

“I suppose you think it’s simply a matter of getting someone to watch the shop.  But you’re not considering how long it could take to interview and find a suitable candidate, not to mention training them.  You have years of experience already.”

“I’m not going to totally abandon the shop.  I can help out a little.  But I am going to learn medical ninjutsu, Mom.  That’s my priority.”

“You’re just like your father. Neither of you seems to care about the work I put into this business.  As soon as there’s a whiff of some sort of ninja work, you abandon the shop.”

Ino knew this was a sore spot for her mother.  As she grew up, she had noticed more and more how difficult it could be for a civilian to be married to a shinobi.  She was starting to see the years of worry and frustration written in the small wrinkles on her mother’s face.  She was too proud to talk about how hard it could be, but her daughter knew enough to sympathize.  Still, she wasn’t willing to budge on this matter.

“I am like my father because I am a shinobi.”  Ino crossed her arms and drew herself up, proud and fierce.  “Our first duty is to protect this village and its people, and that includes each other.  What would you have me do if I’m on a mission and Chouji or Shikamaru get hurt?  Or it’s me and Dad and something happens to him?  Or the village is under attack and you’re caught in the crossfire?  I will not watch helplessly as those I have sworn to protect die, not if there’s something I can do to help them.  I am becoming a medical ninja because it will make me the best shinobi I can be.  I’m sorry it’s inconvenient for you, but I have made up my mind.”

Mrs. Yamanaka watched silently as her daughter left the shop.  She continued standing there, unmoving, as her thoughts spun.  When had her confident, babbling toddler turned into this beautiful, strong young woman?  She realized now that she could no longer hold onto the hope that her daughter would choose to leave the shinobi life and its dangers.  It was clear Ino preferred her ninja work to the civilian job in the flower shop, and she had to admit that it suited her.  She was thriving.  Her mother sighed, simultaneously proud and broken-hearted, before turning back to her work.

------

“Ino.”

She turned away from the arrangement she was working on--white chrysanthemums and lilies, red tulips--to see Sakura leaning in the doorway.  Her green eyes were deep with sadness and sympathy.

“Can I help?”

“Sure.”  Her voice was soft, her throat raw.  She turned back to the flowers, and they worked in silence together, trimming stems and weaving wreaths.  The work was a balm.  Ino had cried a long time the day it happened, and she was sure she would shed many tears at the funeral.  But the flower arrangements seemed somehow separate from it all.  She had made so many sympathy wreaths and mourning baskets that it was easy to let herself feel numb, to think of it as just another order, to ignore who the funeral was for.

Asuma-sensei is dead…

It hit her at unexpected moments, the weight of this truth.  She closed her eyes, squeezing them shut against the sight of his face, a final cigarette between bloody lips.  She clenched her hands to guard her fingers against the memory of soaked fabric and wounds her medical ninjutsu wasn’t strong enough to heal.  She tried to close her heart to the feeling of him slipping away and the emptiness he left behind.

“Ino.”

Sakura’s voice was soft, her hand warm as it wrapped around her clenched fist.  Ino opened blue her eyes and met her friend’s green ones, finding in them sorrow and strength, pain and love.  Sakura wrapped her arms around her, and Ino leaned into the embrace, borrowing her friend’s strength until the helplessness and memories passed.

When they pulled apart, their eyes were clear from tears.  They returned to their work quietly, back to pretending these were just the same sort of funeral flowers as always.

“We’re going after them,” Ino said suddenly in a voice so low and fierce it seemed out of place surrounded by the fragile flowers and her gentle fingers.  “We’re going to find those Akatsuki bastards and make them pay for what they did to him.”

“Ino.”

When Ino turned to her friend there was no grief.  There was strength and power.  There was a burning will.

-----

Ino’s mother was crying.

It wasn’t the body-quaking sobs of a broken heart, not the ugly unending crying Ino had done when her friends had been faced with the truth about Sasuke.  Somehow she had known that Sasuke--brillaint, beautiful, broken Sasuke--was out of their reach, but acknowledging that truth had been more painful than she had expected.  It had been worse than the village being decimated by Pain.  Thanks to Naruto, no one had died.  They could rebuild buildings.  But accepting Sasuke couldn’t be saved--that he was their friend and, therefore, their responsibility--had a finality to it that had torn her apart.  Sakura had been suffering but wouldn’t let herself cry, so Ino had cried for the both of them.  Part of her was relieved Sasuke had escaped, but his attempt to kill his former teammates seemed to drive home his refusal to be saved.  It only prolonged the ache in her heart.

But there was more immediate pain to face.  Her mother was too proud to give herself over to emotion, even when sending her husband and daughter off to war.  Only a few tears traced paths down her cheeks.

It wasn’t as if they hadn’t known it was coming.  After Pain’s attack, they had suspected it might come to this.  The village had been chaotically busy between rebuilding and stocking up on supplies.  Ino had spent long days making food pills and brushing up on her medical ninjutsu.  She spared what time she could to help plant and cultivate flowers--peace lilies, carnations, flowers in red and white, flowers of love and loss and remembrance.  There would be more funerals than usual in the coming weeks.

Ino felt both young and old standing with her parents in the bare structure of their rebuilding shop.  She had no experience of war, just a collection of isolated missions and hours of practice honing her abilities.  She felt unprepared, but she recognized a duty to protect this shinobi world.  She would be fighting for her future and the dreams of the generations after her.  It gave strength to her will.  And she was fighting to protect those who could not, like her mother, who seemed fragile standing in the skeleton of their shop, its beams outlining their vision of the future.

“Come home, both of you.”  Though she was crying, her voice was strong, her words a command.  “Fight, win, and come home.”

Though she wasn’t a ninja, Ino could see the Will of Fire blazing within her mother.

“I will,” she promised, hugging her, letting their strength warm each other.  She felt her father’s arms encircle them both as he promised the same, smelled the sweetness of sun and flowers and her parents, the scent of home.  She knew what it was to love.

-----

The shop was cold and silent.  Ino didn’t bother turning on the light, moving quietly through the gray morning sunshine filtering through the windows.  She wasn’t sure if the earliness of the hour or the layer of dust was making everything look dull, but felt too numb to really care.

All of the cut flowers had withered.  Someone had thrown them away, leaving empty water-streaked vases standing on the shelves.  That same someone--probably Sakura--must have watered the potted plants as they, at least, were still alive, though most needed pruning.  That wasn’t much of a surprise.  The last time anyone had worked in the shop had been two months ago.

Her friends had taken charge of the funeral flowers for the village.  The prep tables still had dried leaves, dropped petals, and the edges of cut ribbons giving witness to their work.  They had dedicated their time to helping her and her mother when they couldn’t do it.  They had brought comfort to the village when they needed comfort themselves.  Her heart ached with their love.

Losing her father had been a different experience than losing Asuma.  The loss was more raw.  Where before she could distance herself from the reality, now it confronted her every day.  Echoes of Inoichi followed her around the house and through the village.  She couldn’t escape the reminders in every sympathetic gaze.  His legacy of service to Konoha and its people was evident everywhere.  His love for his family was eternal.  His loss was an aching emptiness she felt in every molecule of her being.

The aftermath of the war had shown her how diverse grief was.  Her mother moved around the house like a ghost, barely stepping outside, gently turning away visitors.  It was like she couldn’t process the loss, like she was still waiting for him to come home so their lives together could restart.  Ino had even heard her sobbing in her bedroom several nights--her strong, proud mother who never sobbed.  Ino had spent hours sobbing, too, crying until she had no more tears.  But she also couldn’t stay in the house.  She needed to be around people still bright and alive to remind her that they had won, that this shinobi world would have a future.  She needed to remember that she had a future, too.

Shikamaru was hard to find in those post-war days.  He would disappear to the woods on the Nara estate for long hours, or spend time with Kurenai and Mirai reflecting on the lessons he had learned from his sensei and his father.  He sharpened his grief to a deadly focus, burying himself in rebuilding and reforming Konoha, but never talking about what had been sacrificed.  This troubled her and Chouji, but Ino’s loss was too raw to be able to help him yet.

Hinata had accepted Neji’s death.  She would sometimes cry when talking about him, but she was happy that he was finally at peace.  Lee would wail openly and swear his friend’s sacrifice would never be forgotten.  Tenten never said anything, but Ino could see tears in her eyes and anger in the press of her lips.  She understood the frustration that Neji had been robbed of his future, and that everyone seemed okay with it.

Ino found it hard to be around Sakura for a while.  She knew her best friend felt sorrow at the loss of so many.  As a medical ninja, she had watched death take numerous ninja from her arms.  But she had managed to both accept the grief and move forward to the next task.  And she had saved Naruto and Sasuke.  Her strength was nearly too much for Ino.  Sakura wept, but she was also happy.  Ino felt like she would shatter into a million pieces at any moment, or blow away with the lightest puff of air.  She wondered if this was how Sakura had felt when Sasuke left, when he had turned away countless times before he was saved.

Seeing how this war had changed her friends was painful, but it also gave her strength.  The battles were over, but the fight to realize a better future was ongoing.  So she continued to spend time with them, to listen to their hopes and share in their dreams, wrapping them around herself as a comfort to her grief.  She had dreams, too.  Her mother had dreams.  There was work to be done to make them a reality.  She couldn’t grieve forever.  Her father wouldn’t want her to.

So here she was, stepping foot in the flower shop that had been closed for months.  It had never been high on her list of priorities, but it was her mother’s dream, one that Inoichi had supported.  It was a place where their family had spent hours working together, sharing their lives with each other and the village.  It was a part of her home, and she had fought for it, and her father had died for it, and it had been closed long enough.  It was time to open it back up.  It was time to continue living.

-----

Mrs. Yamanka’s fingers ached as she tied the ribbon around the bouquet.  Her joints were hurting more and more lately.  It was making working in the flower shop more challenging.  She had hired part-time help, but some days she felt too tired to keep up with the demand.  She was considering shortening the shop’s hours.  Ino would protest, but her daughter was so busy settling into married life, tending to clan duties, working with the intel division, and helping at the hospital that she had no time to spare for the flower shop.

Mrs. Yamanaka was proud of her daughter.  She had become a strong yet gentle woman.  Ino had helped a lot of people rebuild their lives after the war, herself included.  And she was continuing her father’s work in protecting the village against spies and traitors.  Inoichi would be proud, too.

“Mom!”

As though summoned by her thoughts, her daughter burst into the shop, dragging her husband behind her by the hand.  Sai looked a bit bewildered, but happy to be caught up in whatever excitement had gripped Ino.  His levelness was a good balance to his wife’s passion, and though it had taken a while to warm up to him, Mrs. Yamanaka felt a real fondness for her son-in-law.

“Mom, I have to tell you something!”

“What?”

Ino’s eyes were glowing.  “We’re having a baby!”

Her mother’s own eyes widened, and she glanced at Sai for confirmation.

“It’s true, Mother.”  He smiled.  “We just came from the hospital.  Shizune confirmed it.”

“You’re going to be a grandmother!” Ino squealed, hugging her mother tightly.  She returned the affection, mind still trying processing the news.

“This is wonderful!”

“Isn’t it?” Ino agreed, pulling away.  “I think it’s going to be a boy.  Shizune says it’s much too early to tell, but I can tell…”

Mrs. Yamanaka watched her daughter talking excitedly, Sai smiling and nodding as he listened to her.  It seemed like a moment ago she had been a wide-eyed baby curious about the world, and now she was having a baby of her own.  Where had those years gone?  Her pretty bud was now a beautiful bloom.

[kuriquinn]

Gal Friday [3/?]

First Page & Disclaimer

After ending the first call of the morning, Sasuke feels a little more like himself.

The pulsing headache is still there, but the caffeine has helped and he feels a little less punch drunk. Deciding he no longer intends to simply react to his day as it happens – or certain pink-haired dynamos – he logs onto his computer and begins to check his email.

It is not surprising in the least that the first one to show up in his unread messages comes from the aforementioned individual. Neither is the fact she has his email at all, despite him not being listed.

Clicking it open, he skims the – admittedly impressive – CV, barely glances at the attached cover letter and begins to open the other attachments. Letters of references, it seems. She hasn’t indicated who they are from, and it’s only by opening each one individually that he gets a clue.

With every click of the mouse, his eyebrows rise a little higher, until the last one prompts him to grab his phone and punch in a number from memory.

There are two rings – she always picks up on the second ring – and then a familiar voice answers without even a greeting, “Make it fast, I have a meeting with Kenzo in ten.”

Yamanaka Ino could make Anna Wintour seem cuddly by comparison. Having met both women before, Sasuke is only slightly more comfortable with Ino because they were once involved. That relationship was short-lived, given they both have a competitive nature and a need to be in control. In the end, they came to a mutual agreement that she would be better suited to someone of a more…malleable personality.  

They still have relationship of sorts, however, and he feels no societal pressure to be polite when speaking to her.

“Senju International I can understand,” he tells her apropos of nothing, “they’re a big name in medicine. So is Nohara Scientific. So why exactly does Haruno Sakura think I’ll be impressed that she was the personal assistant to the editor-in-chief of some fashion magazine?”

“Oh, Sasuke-kun, as if you didn’t know the answer to that,” Ino purrs.

“Don’t be so familiar.”

“I’ve seen you naked. I can be as familiar as I want.”

“Your husband might take issue with that.”

“My husband would watch and take pictures.”

Sasuke shudders. That’s exactly the type of thing Sai would so.

Artistic types creep him out.

“You never write letters of reference,” he tells her. “Not unless there’s something in it for you, or unless you’re trying to sabotage a competitor. So unless she brought you in a multi-million-dollar client or single-handedly saved your business from collapse, why do you endorse her?”

“You didn’t even read her cover letter, did you?”

“I never read those. It’s a waste of time, and mostly they’re pure lip service anyhow. That’s why I’m calling you,” he tells her, rolling his eyes impatiently. “How did a woman whose interest is apparently in the field of medicine end up in the world of overpriced shoes and ridiculous hair pieces, with you willing to speak for her?”

“They’re called fascinators, you uncultured swine, and for your information, there’s no agenda here. I simply decided to hire the ugly girl for once and hope she was more confident than the usual empty-headed fashionistas that froth at the mouth whenever I offer an internship,” Ino sniffs. Sasuke shakes his head. He will never understand fashion – or women – because to his eyes, Sakura is far from ugly. “When it came time to part ways, she impressed me enough to merit a reference. Simple as that.”

 “That doesn’t answer my question.”

“You didn’t call me to answer that question, and you know it. She’s clearly impressed you already.”

“It doesn’t matter if I’m impressed or not – corporate is different from that rag of yours. It takes a certain type of person.”

“Haruno Sakura is the most stubborn, forward-thinking and competent assistant I’ve ever had, despite the mutant forehead,” Ino informs him. “And you would be a fool if you let someone else snatch her up.”

“Hm.” Sasuke nods. “That sounds a lot more like you than this bullshit letter you wrote about her.”

“Ah, so that’s the reason you called,” Ino simpers. “You just wanted to hear me say it in person? Oh, I knew you missed me.”

“I never said that.”

“Please, you call me up just to check a reference? That’s not your style, Sasuke-kun.”

“Stop being so familiar.”

“And you stop being so dishonest,” she lectures him. “Now, what else do you want? My driver is going to have to break several speeding laws as it is for me to be fashionably late…”

“Tell me why she’s no longer working for you – especially if she was such a jewel in the eye of your organization.”

“She has a plan that doesn’t involve fashion and I saw no way to convince her otherwise. It happens.”

“You never give up that easy. You’ve ruined careers for less than someone trying to strike out on their own.”

“And you used to be a man of few words, yet here you are grilling me about a woman that I bet is already sitting in the desk outside your office dealing with your paperwork,” Ino muses. “You sound…dare I say it…intrigued.”

He frowns. “You always did read into things that weren’t there.”

“And you are the king of denial,” she sighs. There’s a pause, and he can almost picture her shifting out of her waspish, fashionista exterior. “Business and personal matters need to be kept separate, darling. And at the end of the day, I decided I preferred keeping a good friend instead of entrapping the best personal assistant. The former is so rare in the world we inhabit, don’t you agree?”

Sasuke actually pulls away from the phone to glare at it.

“Now, now, don’t make that face,” he hears the distant, tinny voice say. “You know I’m right, as usual. And I really have to go now. We should catch up some time – meet for coffee. Get Forehead to schedule it for us one day – buh-bye!”

Click.

Sasuke holds the phone against his ears for several seconds, trying to parse what Ino just said. Although he’s gotten the information he wanted, he feels unsettled, as if two conversations were just happening at once and he was only party to one.

And he still hasn’t come to a concrete decision about Sakura.

On the one hand, if she’s practically hired herself – convenient, if a little presumptuous. On the other hand, if she ends up not working out, he’ll have to go through the whole interview process for another contender anyhow.

Luckily for him, fate chooses that moment to intervene.

Sasuke hears him before he sees him.

The exuberant ball of energy that is Uzumaki Naruto, loudly joking and laughing his way through the hallways. As he strides into the waiting area, Sasuke quickly grabs his phone and cradles it against his shoulder, typing nonsense onto the screen of his computer. Looking busy hasn’t been known to stop the blond man from disturbing him, but it’s all Sasuke can manage on such short notice.

Out of the corner of his eye, Sasuke watches to see how Sakura will deal with this new development. Just as discreetly, he

“Hey Tayuya, I’ve got to just duck in here and – whoa. You’re not Tayuya.”

“Keen eyesight,” Sakura says. Both their voices are somewhat dulled through the glass separating Sasuke’s office from the outside world. “I’m Haruno Sakura.”

“Nice to meet you, Sakura-chan – Listen, I won’t bother you, I’m just going to slip in here and –”

“You don’t have appointment,” Sakura tells him.

“Sure I do,” Naruto says, smiling at her with his usual charm.  

“No, you don’t. See, I spent my morning meticulously organizing this schedule for optimal efficiency instead of enjoying my soy caramel latte with whipped cream while contemplating the universe,” Sakura explains cheerfully, “and nowhere did I see the name Uzumaki Naruto. Ergo, no appointment – though, I can pencil you in two weeks from Thursday.”

“No, but you see, it’s sort of a standing appointment, and – hey, wait – you know who I am?”

Sakura sighs through her nose, her eyes flick up at him and she says, “Ramen stain on your tie, your voice could probably break the sound barrier and you’re wearing the same Ralph Lauren suit you did when you defended the company in the defamation case two years ago, I remember seeing it on TV. Obviously I know who you are.”

“Wow – you are so much smarter than the last one,” Naruto says, impressed.

“Obviously.”

“Which means you’re probably a flexible thinker and can wrap your head around unofficial rules,” Naruto points out. “And Sasuke always lets me jump the queue. Perks of being BFFs.”

Sasuke’s eye twitches and he has to hold back from getting up and shoving Naruto’s head through a wall.

That would probably expose him as an eavesdropper.

“Maybe he did before, but now that I’m here, we follow his schedule,” Sakura replies pleasantly, a smile on her face but a warning edge in her voice. “If we didn’t, chaos would ensue and possibly the end of civilization as we know it.”

“Wow, dramatic much?” Naruto teases.

Sakura raises one eyebrow at him.

And then, to Naruto’s (and Sasuke’s) shock, suddenly bursts into tears.

“It’s my first day!” she sobs. “And you’re going to get me fired…because you know how he is…and all…all I want to do is a good job, and you’re…just…you’re so hurtful –!”

Naruto turns pale and jumps back a pace.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa – hold on, don’t – Jesus, are you actually crying?” he demands, his voice going high-pitched and creaky. He looks around quickly as if to see if anyone is watching, then lowers his voice into a placating whisper. “Listen, listen – I’ll make an appointment, okay? Just…put me in the next available slot and I’ll come back, I swear – no need to go crying at me, okay? I hate it when girls cry.” He reaches over her desk to grab a tissue and hands it to her as she hiccups.  “When is it?”

Sakura’s head snaps up and her shoulders straighten. “Two weeks from Thursday.”

Her voice is utterly controlled now, and despite the single tear running down her cheeks, she beams up at Naruto.

Son of a bitch, Sasuke thinks, not sure if he is impressed or appalled.

Naruto gapes for several seconds, clearly trying to process, and then a huge grin breaks out onto his face. “Oh, you’re evil. We’re going to be friends.”

“I think so, too,” Sakura replies warmly.

“So, I’ll just…” he begins to edge toward Sasuke’s office.

“Come back during your allotted time,” Sakura finished.

“But I –”

“Are you not a man of your word?” Sakura asks, blinking up at him with those beguiling green eyes of hers.

“I…” Naruto swallows. Then he shakes his head. “Damn.”

He turns and walks away, looking more than a little shell-shocked.

Sasuke snorts.

Far be it from me to judge someone for using other people’s weaknesses against them…

His intercom beeps and he clicks the button. “Yes?”

“Size six, Louis Vuitton. No stilettos and you can never go wrong with black,” Sakura tells him.

Sasuke blinks at this. “What?”

“Nothing. Just a hint,” she replies innocently. “For when it comes around to bonus time, you know?”

“Go back to work, Sakura.”

It takes him almost an hour before he realises the ease with which her first name rolled of his tongue.

つづく

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クリ

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