Spotlight

The idol shouldered the door gently, pushing through while a trail of water dripped in his wake.

Shikamaru looked up from his spot in the foyer where he was adjusting a vase, “Sasuke? Is that Sakura on your back?" His eyes narrowed into tiny slits trying to make out the pop of pink slung over the man’s shoulder like a scarf. The head butler stepped closer to find Sakura's sleeping face hidden under the jacket's hood. "What happened?"

“Sakura collapsed at the photocopy shop. I think she caught a fever walking through the rain." He hiked the maid’s sleeping body further up his back for more security. "Can you call the dobe-"

"I'm already here, Teme!” Naruto announced as he approached the men. His eyes flickered to Sakura whose head cradled into the crook of the idol’s neck. ”Sasuke, you should've brought her an extra jacket!" He made an attempt to kick him in the shin to which Sasuke dodged with precision.

“Hey!" His voice raised and immediately shrank a few octaves, “She’s sleeping.”

“Well don’t just stand there; We need to get her into new clothes and get her some medicine.”

The three men sat in brief silence. Naruto and Shikamaru stared at Sasuke. Sasuke stared at Naruto, who looked towards Shikamaru, who looked back at Naruto, and then again to Sasuke, a small blush appearing on the raven and blonde's faces. Shikamaru only sighed.

“Get your mind out of the gutters. I’ll get some of the maids to come down and help.” The man reached for the walkie on his hip as Naruto led Sasuke down the hallway, requesting the assistance of Temari, Hinata and Karin.

The men entered Sakura’s room, still in disarray from her frantic searching. Naruto found a towel on the floor and sprawled it out over the bed sheets for her damp body to lay on. Sasuke sat the woman on the edge of the mattress and gathered Sakura into his arms, laying her down carefully.

"Wow, Teme, I'm impressed." Naruto made his way to Sakura’s desk and sat with his long leg crossed over the other.

Sasuke pried his eyes away from Sakura’s face for only a second to glare at his friend, ”What're you saying?” His voice was low with warning.

"I'm saying that something has changed ever since Sakura told you off. ” The blonde stated matter-of-factly. “It’s not every day you become a good person.”

A sock flew by his head, yet he ventured further.

“Could it be-"

“Don’t.”

“-you have feelings for her?"

Temari and Hinata entered the room carrying a basket of medicine in hand when Naruto uttered this, Sasuke’s flustered expression causing them to giggle knowingly.

The idol stood abruptly from the bedside ready to defend himself when Naruto interjected.

"Ah, thank you girls so much. Go through Sakura's drawers for pajamas and get her out of those clothes while I escort Sasuke out. Alright?" The maids nodded in response.

Temari beelined for the wardrobe while Hinata propped Sakura to sitting position as she felt for the zipper of the dress. Simultaneously, Naruto gripped Sasuke's arm and dragged him out by his soaking sleeve though his steps were resistant.

“Come on, Teme. I know you want to see her naked but you should ask her when she’s conscious.”

“Naruto, I will not hesitate to end your life right now.”

Laughter erupted from the women inside the room.

Sasuke and Naruto posted themselves up against either sides of the door frame waiting for the women to finish. Naruto attempted small talk which fell deaf on the idol’s ears who appeared to be lost in thought. For a while, the bedroom was quiet save for the direction between Temari and Hinata maneuvering Sakura’s limp body. Through Naruto’s blabbering, Sasuke’s ears perked with sudden interest in the conversation inside the bedroom.

"What I heard earlier, do you think it’s true?” Sasuke tried to match the voice to it's owner and assumed that it was Hinata’s.

“I think so! I mean, he's been giving us all less work lately." The other voice said, most likely
Temari’s. "It seems like it, right? Either way, I'm happy that Sakura came to straighten him out. It's better for him like this."

“They look good together.”

Temari agreed to this statement with an “mhm.”

Not enough work, huh? Is that what I have to do to prove to them I’m not interested? Sasuke tipped his head backward, resting it against the wall. A part of him wondered who he was trying to convince- Other people or himself?

The idol shut his eyes, honing in on the women’s words who were still chatting.

It was a bit choppy, but he thought he was able to make out Hinata complaining about her assigned duties to complete tomorrow.

”I really don't want to fertilize the garden. I wish someone would switch with me. It's so much hard work I feel like I broke my back last time!" Hinata whined.

"But you know that you can't change your schedule unless Shikamaru, Sasuke, or Naruto assign your job to somebody else.” Temari replied, her voice sounding a bit louder.

Naruto peeked at Sasuke, recognizing the cogs in his head turning.

If they think I'm going too easy on everybody because of her, I'll just have to remind them who’s in charge.

The raven haired man tapped his knuckles on the wood of the door behind him, calling for Hinata’s attention.

“Hinata,” Sasuke called out. A familiar voice replied to him. "Don't worry about the garden- I'll get Sakura on that, first thing tomorrow."

Through the door he heard a gasp of relief, followed by droning groan after Sasuke announced that, instead of the garden, she would clean every bathroom in the house. ”In fact, expect an extended schedule for everyone. I think people have gotten comfortable slacking off.” He smiled with satisfaction at the sound of the maid’s whining.

With that, Sasuke fished the picture out of his pocket, unfolded it, slid it under the door. He looked to Naruto, asking him standby as he changed out of his wet clothes and made his way upstairs.

The blonde watched as Karin who was summoned to mop the foyer, glared at Sasuke as he sauntered by, dripping over the spots she had just dried. When the idol was gone, Naruto slipped into Sakura’s room just as the maids tucked her beneath the plush comforter.

”Looks like your girls' plan just backfired on you a bit." Naruto bent down to pick up the picture of Sakura’s mother, Tsunade, and set it on the nightstand next to the bed. He smiled softly at the picture and looked to Hinata who stroked pink strands of hair out of Sakura’s face.

"We expected it, but at least we did it." Temari said almost absent mindedly, reading the different labels of fever medication and choosing one in a red bottle.

"I seriously hope our plan goes accordingly, or else we were granted ourselves more work than we already have." Hinata moved to the foot of the bed, slipping a pair of socks over Sakura's feet.

"Sakura," Temari cooed in a soft voice, “Sakura?"

She stirred in her sleep slightly and soon parted her eyes, smiling happily up at the familiar faces. Without a hitch, she drowsily accepted the medicine and fell back asleep in a matter of minutes, the feeling of relief engulfing her senses.
_____________

He’s warm. So warm.

Her body embraced the heat, gravitating toward its source and drawing nearer to it in pure selfish indulgence. She nuzzled her perfectly shaped nose close to the object and took in a deep breath, inhaling an aroma- sandalwood perhaps. Her head, already dizzied by slumber, reeled at the pleasant scent. While her eyes remained closed, she listened. She listened closely, and she could hear a crackle, something like static.

Her eyelids twitched when the static broke again and a voice transmitted.

“Wake up, Sakura.”

Sakura shook her head back and forth in denial as if she could shake the words from her head.

Lazily the woman lifted her heavy eyelids to find her radio sitting on the side table in between a bottle of what looked like fever medication and a glass of water she doesn’t recall filling. She extended her arm from the confines of her blanket and took purchase of the device. Sakura yawned and raised her arms over her head, a sigh of pleasure escaping her pink lips.

“What do you want?"

An annoyed ‘tch’ came from the receiver. ”That's no way to be talking to the person who carried you through town last night.” Sasuke retorted.

The pinkette shot up from bed with wide eyes, trying to recollect what happened the night before. She remembers walking through the rain with Sasuke, feeling feverish…. And in the blink of an eye, she is here in bed. Her mind concluded she must have been exhausted from the search that she literally lost a period of time in between, but no matter how hard she fought to remember the outcome of their search her confidence wavered. Did they find the photo?

Was her dream really a dream?

”W-Who told you to carry me home? I was fine!” The pieces fit snugly together now; the medicine, the lost time- She must have fainted, and she knew she must have not been fine. Her dream was not a dream and at this realization, Sakura drew the comforter up to her face, ashamed at how her heart quickened and heat fanned her cheeks.

“Well, what else could I do? I couldn’t leave you,” Sakura picked up a hint of concern colored his voice and her heart skipped a beat.

“As much as I wanted to. If someone saw it would be bad for the tabloids.”

Sakura scoffed with a roll of her eyes knowing that Naruto would have never allowed that.

“Hurry and get up. It's already lunch time and you need to recover your energy for the job you’re assigned.”

The maid pinched the bridge of her nose and wondered if she had the energy for banter today. “If you really wanted me to recover, you would let me have a day off.” She feigned a frail weakness in her voice.

While he figured the maid no experience in acting, he had to admit she was good. Sasuke chuckled. “We only keep the strongest and highest quality medications in this house. Don’t make me come drag you out of bed, sweetheart.”

With a sigh, she switched the radio completely off in an effort to preserve her last remaining moments of silence before beginning her day. She swung her legs over the edge of the mattress when her eyes connected with brown ones and fresh tears welled in her water line, a smile of relief tugged at the corners of her lips.

Finally, a sense of peace cleansed her mind.

As she approached her wardrobe where she would once again don the Uchiha crest on the breast of her apron, she thought about the man represented in this symbol. It was fair to say his presence carried a charge, the change in the air you felt when a summer storm formed. Unpredictable yet inevitable. Just when she thought she could predict the forecast, his skies darkened with clouds one moment and the sun shone brightly the next. It was working her towards exhaustion one day, and aiding her to health the next.

And maybe Sakura was being unfair.

She stole a glance at her mother, something she did often when she was unsure. Memories filled Sakura’s head, a young version of herself watching her mother dance and flailing her limbs in an attempt to follow her movements. She remembers her mother’s face light up in joy and ruffled her hair, telling her dance was the best medicine. And so, she danced. She danced to feel better. She danced to numb the pain. She danced to feel and to gain some sort of clarity.

It had been too long since she was able to feel the music flowing through her toes to her finger tips. She swore to make time for herself, to try and understand these volatile emotions, or at the very least process them through and out of her body- her mind.

Getting ready was routine- A dance recital in its own rights. She glided through the steps of her morning- or afternoon rather- dress change, freshen up and it was show-time.

Sakura made her way to the dining room, taking a moment to glance at the time on her wrist which read 12:20pm. Her favorite times of the day always had to do with food, and noontime sought to it lunch was served.

Just like a perfectly choreographed recital everyone had parts to play. The long banquet table was set with plates, cutlery, and napkins, ten of them exactly for each member of the hospitality team (their fancy way of saying the “help”). Except only today there was eleven, the extra placed at the head of the table reserved for the Uchihas. Bless the poor soul that had to sit there, Sakura thought. She had heard her colleagues mention the lady of the house often dining with her workers, but never Sasuke. Mrs. Uchiha must have arrived home in the early morning while Sakura was sleeping.

In small groups they filtered through the doors and sat at their usual seats, including Sakura. On a typical day, the boys sat near the head of the table, while the girls filled in next to them. To her right was Rock Lee, stammering as he tried to make small talk with her. Across from them was Naruto making a fool of himself and earning a shy giggle from Hinata. At the other end, Karin scowled as she always did in Sakura’s presence for some reason, and the other maids shot knowing glances at one another.

The intoxicating scent of food drifted up their nostrils as the chefs placed dishes in empty spaces along the linen dining cloth. A full minute passed and the food had not been touched. Her stomach rumbled angrily and Sakura was close to speaking up when the door swung open and in walked Uchiha Sasuke.

The room died to silence as Sasuke scooted himself closer to the table and placed a cloth napkin on his lap.

"Go ahead everybody- eat." He forked himself a slab of steak and set off a ravenous frenzy of hands and forks and knives, leaving barely enough for Sakura to scoop onto her own plate.

This is worse than “sharing” appetizers with Ino-Pig. The young maid thought as she shoveled a scoop of vegetable and rice into her mouth. She noticed her colleagues scarfing down each morsel with vigor as if they were eating their last meal. What did they know that she didn’t?

Fifteen minutes had probably passed by then, but Sakura wasn't counting. Just before everyone’s appetites slowed towards a full stop, Sasuke gathered attention and announced his leave. Well, their leave.

"Wonderful food. It was great dining with you all, but we will be leaving now. Come on, Sakura." Sasuke used a napkin to wipe his mouth with finality as he pushed back his chair and headed for the door.

Sakura paused, a green bean in process of being chewed stuck out of her mouth. She met the idol’s eyes with her eyebrows up in confusion as if to ask “who, me?”

He answered, ”Yes, you. It’s time for you to work- You slept in.”

"You said you let me sleep in!" The worker argued, about ready to fling her bowl of rice.

Sasuke towered over her now as she sat in the chair. “And I’m saying now, it’s time to work.” He tugged gently at Sakura's collar, pulling her away from the table and other workers.

As soon as they exited the dining hall, Sakura shook herself from Sasuke's hold, insisting she could walk on her own.

She was annoyed. ”What's the big idea?” The maid bombarded him with questions and half-assed insults to no reaction as Sasuke silently guided them out to the backyard and towards the paved garden pathway.

Defeatedly, Sakura looked up to the sky with a sigh. She first noticed the weather when the sun warmed over her face- It was the complete and total opposite of what it had been the day before with humidity and heat on full blast. Once again a reminder of how chaotic the spring to summer transition could be.

Sakura followed at his heels before he came to an abrupt stop, her face meeting his back with an “oof.” He looked over his shoulder to catch Sakura rubbing the bridge of her nose, and the maid swore she caught a glimpse of what might have been a smile.

”You’re going to need a head start if you want to make it for dinner tonight. It's hard work.” He stepped out of her way to reveal nearly twenty rows of planter boxes sprouting variety of vegetables and fruit.

“Wow,” she dragged the syllable out, “You are really something else, Uchiha Sasuke.”

The garden. She knew she was in for a difficult day.

She expected him to reprimand her for not using an honorific but the two of them stood there in silence, Sakura’s disbelieving and Sasuke’s satisfied.

With her hands on her hips, Sakura examined the surrounding areas of the garden. Trees were scarce, a dismal discovery which meant less shade from the scorching sun but a healthier growing season for the plants. While Sakura was organic matter, she absolutely was not as much of a fan to the sun than that plants were. To her left she found a lawnchair- the same used by Sasuke the day the two first met, and an umbrella which shrouded the chair in shade. Lastly, she noticed bags of manure stacked atop each other, a pair of gloves, a trowel and other tools.

Her pink hair swung dramatically as she turned her head to lock eyes with her master’s.

”You bastard.”

In reply, he held a hand out to the fertilizer and walked away with a smirk across his face.

The maid pouted. Gardening was a hobby she tried to pick up with Ino, but the blonde had a natural green thumb while hers, on the other hand, made everything brown. Sakura muttered something to herself as she fit the gloves over her hands.

By the time Sakura got to the fifth box, the sun beat down over her, pooling beads of sweat dripping down her forehead and back of her neck.

Yesterday it was pouring, and today it's as hot as hell. She glanced through her hair that fell to the side of her face to spot Sasuke sitting comfortably in the shade of the umbrella.

He was reading a book and sipping on a cup of something light brown; most likely iced tea. The familiarity of the items flooded her with thoughts of their first meeting, the details replaying in 4K definition as she dumped the rest of the manure out into the sixth box containing tomatoes. Sakura crumpled up the bag threw it over to a messy pile of other discarded bags. She looked up to the sun with squinted eyes.

"Sasuke, I need to take a break." Sakura panted and sat on an unused, tightly packed package of soil.

He didn’t look up from the book. "Keep going until you reach halfway; maybe I'll let you rest then."

A part of her wondered how it would feel to take that ice tea and shove it-

She had to be strategic.

After all, this was war. A battle here and there, Sakura could afford to lose. If she did something rash, he would only come back ten times harder.

Sakura patted her forehead with a rag that she found next to a gardening hoe. “Hey,” she paused to catch her breath, “why do you have to keep following me around and watch me do my work? Leave me alone to do it in peace.”

Sasuke shut his book and laid it in his lap, "To make sure you don't slack off, of course. Why, don't like me here?" He asked sarcastically.

"No, your presence agitates me. And because of you, I might faint of dehydration or exhaustion."

Sakura got up from her spot and managed to haul the bag over her shoulder and made way to the next planter box. The woman lifted a leg carefully and propped it up on the edge of the square and rested the fertilizer on her knee as she ripped off the top. All of this in a dress without flashing Sasuke her panties.

"Agitate you?" Sasuke scoffed and said quietly to himself, "I'll show you how annoying I can get."

He set aside his book and refreshment on the softened grass. As he stepped out into the sun, the taut shirt he had chosen to wore was already moistened by the humidity. The idol began to flap the bottom hem of his shirt- up down, up down, up down- in an attempt to cool himself. His flat, chiseled stomach, peeked through with each fan of the fabric, attracting attention from Sakura who was only a few feet away. Sasuke watched through his sunglasses as Sakura's mouth parted slightly and eyes widened as she looked his way and then tried to occupy herself again with the task at hand.

Sakura, get ahold of yourself! Stay calm. It's not like he's taking his shirt off.

“Damn, it's really hot. What’s wrong with this weather lately?" Sasuke asked out loud as he pulled the bottom hem of his shirt above his head.

Sakura took in every detail and crevice as he stared down the idol’s perfect body. Six bumps of muscle expanded and deflated and rippled under his skin with every breath he took. His stomach was just a tad bit lighter than his arms- His shoulders were broad, connected to the large, toned muscle of his biceps. She noticed a network of blueish-purple veins snaking different directions down his forearm. The quickly forming sweat moistened the man's skin and made it glisten under the sun's rays, creating a sort of ethereal look to him.

He looked better than the pictures. Much better than the pictures. She realized how creepy she felt staring at him like this and tore her eyes away with force.

Didn’t she just vow to hate Sasuke? Sever ties? Then why did she catch herself looking again? Why was her pulse racing? Why was there such an intense burning sensation inside of her stomach and between her thighs?

Sakura stuttered and began to continue her work once again but at a slower pace of pouring, "Sasuke! Put that back on or go away!" Sakura yelled without making any eye contact with the man.

He stood with his hands at his sides, his shirt now a ball in his fist, confused. The only reason he took off his shirt was because he was going to help carry the bags for her and didn’t want to dirty it. He was going to make her eat her words about how “agitating” he really was.

He craned to look at her face from a distance, flushed red with heat, and very possibly arousal. For a moment, he forgot about Sakura’s secret admiration for him. A lightbulb moment.

“That’s master Sasuke, to you,”

A smirk decorated his lips now, excited. He was going to have some fun with this.

“Ah, I need to stretch after sitting down,” The idol lifted his arms above his head, revealing his tame underarm hair and toned arm muscles that once held Sakura's body. Sakura's breath hitched as she admired the way Sasuke threw his head back in pleasure of the stretch. The idol’s neck elongated beautifully, creating a better view of his Adam’s apple.

If he was doing this on purpose, he knew what he was doing. Sakura was flustered, the beginnings of lightheadedness forming from dehydration, excitement, or both. Each stretch showed off an impressive part of his body, the rolling sweat adding an additional spike of sex appeal. She was either going to faint or die, maybe both in succession, but she knew she couldn't take it anymore.

"I said for you to go away!"

Sakura erratically grabbed for a handful of the fertilizer and chucked it all over Sasuke, the dirt sticking to sweaty parts of his body.

Strategic, Sakura! You were supposed to be strategic and this is not it! She kicked herself mentally.

She stood dumbfounded by her actions. Suddenly, a change in the air. A storm was coming marked by the irked, yet playfully competitive expression making an appearance on Sasuke's face.

Immediately, she dropped the bag and made a dash for the only way out of the area.

Sasuke brushed off most of the dirt from his body and then grabbed the abandoned bag of manure sitting on the ground.

"Get the hell back here!" Sasuke screamed as he trailed after the flash of pink. He stopped right in front of the maid and sent her crashing into his chest. Sakura's hands each landed on his pecks and trailed their way down his abdomen absentmindedly, her touch lingering a second too long.

The trail of her fingers left fire in their wake. He had never felt a touch as dangerously persuading, as pleasing as this. A sensation bubbled deep in his abdomen. He yearned for her to reach out, touch him more, and in other places.

How could somebody that made Sasuke feel so angry, also make him feel good? Sasuke's heart thumped faster and he wished to God that Sakura could not hear it. This was something to be kept to himself, and for now, he needed to pull himself together.

The two stood there shellshocked by the skin to skin contact until Sasuke cleared his voice and proceeded to dump the manure over Sakura's head.

The woman gasped and backpedaled from her attacker who stood laughing loudly.

“You. Are. Dead!” She couldn’t hide the smile growing on his face, as she swiftly ran for another bag of manure.

And here was another battle of the war.

The two chased after each other wielding playful threats and handfuls of soil as the air filled with whole hearted laughter. For once, they weren't actually trying to bite each other's heads off.

For once, they enjoyed each other.
_______

"Look at those two, Shikamaru," Naruto crossed his arms with his radio held tightly in his right hand, "I can't believe they don't see it yet."

“They’re in denial.” Shikamaru replied.

Just then, a twig snapped to their right, and both men turned simultaneously to find the Rock Lee creeping behind them.

"Hey guys, how are the- Wait," He said as he stopped next to Shikamaru and squinted at what was in Sasuke’s hands. "Is that..."

"Animal shit." The trio said together before Naruto hushed them.

"Hold on, I think they stopped. Be quiet." He ordered the other two and hid behind the tree next to them. Shikamaru and Rock Lee scrambled to find a hiding place as the unsuspecting pair began down the path towards the main backyard.

"Damn you, Sasuke. I'm filthy now. I'm going to take a shower." Sakura patted down her dress removing excess dirt.

"You started it!” He defended. “I am too." Sasuke replied and shook out his hair, a small dust cloud formed.

Upon those key words, Naruto smiled to himself and brought the walkie talkie up to his mouth. He clicked the 'talk' button on his device and said, "Commence with the next stage. You all know what to do. "

A series of "yes" came shortly later, and all three of the workers in hiding watched as the couple bickered back and forth as they made their way back to the mansion.