Chapter Text
“Sakura-san, a moment please.”
Sakura straightened and closed the cupboard door behind the futon she’d just stored, brushing back an errant lock of hair, “Shimuza-sama.”
She followed the onsen’s owner through the highly polished corridors, her simple cotton yukata making quiet swishing noises. The fresh scent of spring permeated the building where the early morning housekeeping team had swept through, leaving doors and windows open in their wake. Shimuza’s office was located on the first floor in the east wing; a modest, out-of-the-way room overlooking the entrance courtyard.
Shimuza managed to maintain an unusual balance of kindness and shrewd business sense. Sakura took a seat opposite and studied him from across his desk. His bushy eyebrows twitched and she hid a smile; it was a nervous tic she’d picked up on straight away. He had something to discuss or tell her that he wasn’t comfortable doing. Sakura folded her hands in her lap and smiled encouragingly at the little man.
Shimuza cleared his throat, “I wanted to apologise for the incident yesterday. I know you haven’t been here long, but please know that we do not tolerate any kind of abuse or harassment towards our staff. The man in question was checked out this morning.”
Sakura let some of the surprise she was feeling show, “Thank you for letting me know, Shimuza-sama.”
“There is something else,” his eyebrows were twitching furiously now, “There has been a… request. For your company.”
Sakura blinked, “Who?”
“A gentleman by the name of Takao Kazuo. He said he spoke to you yesterday about the possibility,” he looked put out for a moment, “Guests are not normally so forward.” he grumbled.
Sakura plastered on a smile as she realised who Shimuza meant, though a torrent of conflicting emotions raged underneath, “Yes, he did.”
“And are you agreeable to an arrangement?” He was managing to keep an admirably neutral expression, but his eyes betrayed his doubt.
Shimuza didn’t seem to notice the minute pause before Sakura nodded her head in assent. He cleared his throat, “Takao-sama has requested your time this evening, with a view to booking you the rest of his stay.” His expression told her that this was an unusual occurrence. “He’s paid in advance.”
Had he now. She narrowed her eyes - the bastard was already planning as though she’d lost the bet.
Shimuza misinterpreted her expression for he hastened to add, “Of course, nothing needs to be decided about future evenings now. You can decide after this evening if you wish. And half is yours.” He drew out an envelope of cash and divided the notes into two piles. “This is tonight’s.“
Sakura eyed the money in astonishment. From the looks of the pile one night would earn her roughly half of her total monthly wage. One night. As much as the thought of being bought had her hackles raising, she had to admit that sticking to the rules would make things less risky for the both of them. They could hide in plain sight. And the money? Well, that always came in handy. She had to be pragmatic about it, after all.
She gestured to the piles of cash, “Is this amount normal?”
Shimuza paused before steepling his fingers, “To be honest? No. I’m guessing that the gentleman’s… unique appearance may have something to do with his offer.” He flashed her a small smile, “But don’t let the amount sway you. If you’re not happy about it at any point we can nullify the arrangement. I’d rather lose the money than have one of my staff members uncomfortable.” He paused, studying her face, “Be honest with yourself. That’s all I ask of my girls in this situation.”
Shimuza placed both piles of money into separate envelopes, sealed them and placed them inside his safe. “Come by my office in the morning to pick it up and let me know if the arrangement is to continue. I’ve already adjusted your rota to a later start tomorrow.”
Sakura stood and sketched a respectful bow, “Shimuza-sama.”
She let herself out, stepping into the morning sun. The polished wooden walkways shone, their scent released into the air by the warming rays. Birds chirped and darted between the buildings. Sakura drew in a deep breath. The more she thought about it, the more an official arrangement seemed like a good idea. It meant she would finish her normal shift early; giving her time to eat, shower and change. Because of the expensive nature of the extras provided by the onsen and thus far greater profit for the owner, the girl involved had her normal work hours reduced - finishing earlier and starting later the next day. Going the official way also eased Sakura's headache somewhat as there would be no need to rush to eat and get ready after work, sneak to Kisame's room without being seen, and then have to get up early to blunder her way through the crack-of-dawn shift. However, she was relishing the thought of her next job - waitressing over the lunch hours. It meant she'd be nice and busy with no time to think and fret about what awaited her that evening.
At least, that's what she'd thought.
He was sitting there, casually. Tucked away in a corner table booth, long, denim-clad legs sprawled out in front of him and sipping a cocktail for all the world like he wasn't one of the most wanted S-rank missing nins. She hadn't actually noticed him there when she first started her shift. A good ten minutes had passed before something made her glance into the far corner while she whisked an order over to another customer. She nearly dropped the tea tray she was carrying as she did a double take. The bastard even had the balls to salute with his glass as he grinned at her, then looked pointedly at the ornately carved clock on the wall. Sakura felt heat suffuse her face and she had to forcibly suppress the urge to bolt like a cornered rabbit - he would probably enjoy that far more than was healthy. Instead, she very deliberately ignored him for the next half an hour or so, and when she dared a quick glance into the corner again he was gone, a drained cocktail glass the only evidence he'd ever been there. She spotted something tucked under the glass and made her way over as soon as she got the chance, curious but wary at the same time. It looked like paper and the thought of him slapping an explosive tag down as a 'surprise' wasn't as far-fetched as she'd like it to be. But as she reached the table she saw he'd actually just left a tip. A large one. Sakura knew he'd left it specifically for her, but she wadded the notes up in her hand and went over to the small counter that served as a mini-bar, ordering area and staff hub. The only way she could defy him in this matter - aside from throwing the money back at him when she next saw him - was to stuff it in the communal tip pot instead, to be split up between all the restaurant staff at the end of the day. So she did just that. Her lips curved into a satisfied smile at the thought of his money being spread out between her civilian colleagues. The way he was throwing money at her in addition to what he'd already paid made Sakura feel like she was being bought as well as blackmailed, and that in turn made her even more uncomfortable.
Sakura continued her shift, slightly disturbed at the fact that a part of her had been disappointed Kisame got up and left; disappointed he wasn't watching her while she went about her shift. She wondered what that made her, if she felt that way about an enemy? Or perhaps it was because he was an enemy that she found it slightly thrilling. Either way, she promised herself she'd get herself booked in to the psych ward once she got home to Konoha. Bad enough feeling this way on a political mission, but if that happened on a mission when her life - and her team's - were on the line.... She shuddered to think about it. Yep, she'd definitely get herself checked out. In the meantime she decided to stop psychoanalysing herself, as the findings were somewhat unsettling.
*-*-*-*
When her shift ended, Sakura had her dinner in the kitchens, then made her way back to the staff house with just over two hours to spare. She took a dip in the hot spring, the heat helping to ease away a small amount of her nervousness. And she was nervous; who wouldn't be? She'd be spending the night with an attractive S-ranked missing-nin while she tried to save her mission by not enjoying herself. Sakura sighed and slipped out of the water to wrap a fluffy towel around her body, feet leaving small wet prints on the cool stone as she went into the changing room. As she dried off her reflection caught her eye in the mirror again and she straightened, staring the face that was her but not her in the eyes.
"No pressure," she told the brunette, "What could possibly go wrong?".
Her reflection quirked the corner of her lip up in wry amusement.
She donned a toweling robe and made her way back to her room. In addition to their staff uniform, employees were also given a reasonable selection of traditional formal wear. They were for use mainly when there were private functions on, or on public holidays, but were also good for times like this. She flicked aside a few kimonos in the wardrobe until her hand paused on a dark, royal blue one. She fingered the good quality material, pondering. It would go rather nicely with her current hair colour. Not that she was bothered about dressing up for the sake of it, but a job was a job and she'd damn well look the part. It didn’t take her long to dress and she eyed herself critically in the mirror, brushing off imagined fluff and tugging at the material until it sat to her liking.
Kisame was turning out to be an anomaly. This was the first time she’d run into him in a non-combat situation, and he’d surprised her by not immediately resorting to violence. From what she knew about him from their encounters and from the Bingo Book, she’d figured he loved fighting and the brutality associated with it. He was listed as a highly aggressive opponent that excelled in combat. She hadn’t imagined that he might actually have a more normal side to him; a side that had him staying in an onsen of all places for his R&R – a decidedly non-violent place for someone with a reputation such as his. But she didn’t want to think of him as a person. It was much easier if the enemies she was sent on missions to apprehend remained psycho killing machines. But now she was having to spend time with one of those enemies.
She decided to look at it from another angle and see if that helped. She'd done missions of a sexual nature before - as had many of her fellow kunoichis - varying in intensity levels, and all had been with men she'd had to fake attraction to. She could do that side of it; was used to it even. This would be her first experience with the total opposite; trying to act indifferent with a man she was attracted to. Sure, it wasn't a mission per-se, but it was a situation that she hadn't chosen to be in, which in her books was as good as really. It would be good practise for herself. After all, she'd been paid to do it now too, which meant she could look at it as just another job. She wondered idly for a moment if he’d done that on purpose. There was no mistaking the shrewd intelligence in the man’s eyes. There was more to him than the cold, hard facts in the Bingo Book.
As she glided down the corridor to the guest rooms in her kimono, Sakura willed her inner turmoil down to a more manageable level, though it still felt like all the world's population of butterflies had taken up residence inside her abdomen. All she had to do was meet his challenge head on and win. But even so, how could she let him lay his hands on her and remain unaffected?