Spotlight

It was only a few days since she put a name to it and Sakura grew increasingly aware of how heavy it felt to be watched, observed. To feel a fleeting moment of scrutiny and turn around to pin it to the source only for it to vanish, or perhaps never be there in the first place. She couldn’t really tell which it was and that was what drove her mad. The only place she felt safe was in his arms. And while she never brought it up again, he knew it bothered her. He thought as long as he could provide her comfort she would eventually adjust.

After having finished her final chores of the afternoon, she made her way down the stairs with a satisfied sigh expressing her happiness to be done. Today’s main chore was to dust the bedrooms and library upstairs, a seemingly easy task except for when each room is hundreds of square feet. To make the task even more arduous, she also had to fend off Sasuke’s advances. Whenever Shikamaru questioned her working speed, she never knew what to say except to apologize and say it wouldn’t happen again. Of course, it always happened again. But what was he to say to his boss’s girlfriend? So instead, he sighed.

Recently, Sasuke had been busy preparing the early stages of his comeback and today happened to be his rest day. Yes, she was flattered he wanted to spend his one day off with her, but he just couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that if he stopped bothering her she could finish her work faster and therefore have more time dedicated to him. His definition of a “rest day” wasn’t necessarily all about resting, she learned.

“I still don’t understand why you insist on working in this house. We’re dating.”

“Just because we are dating doesn’t mean I want to live for free,” It felt like she had said this a thousand times over and her answer had never changed.

He sighed dramatically. “Well, I guess the upside is I get to see you wearing this outfit. How about you wear the other one I got you?” A grin widened across his face, referencing the skimpy uniform (if she could even call small bits of cloth a uniform) from the first day.

“I’m about to report you for workplace harassment.” She said flatly.

He came up behind her kissing her neck as she dusted a shelf lined with books. He pressed himself against her from behind, his erection hard against her ass.

“Oh yeah? Make sure you tell your boss all of the details of what we are about to do.”

As her mind replayed earlier events, her fingers mindlessly pulled down the bottom hem of her dress as if her modest appearance would transform in coordination with her lewd thoughts. She made her way down the staircase and skipped over the last step before nearly bumping into Naruto who unexpectedly rounded the adjacent wall.

Naruto flinched at Sakura’s presence, “Ah!”

“Oh, sorry Narut-“

“Sakura-chan! What were you doing? I radioed for you like- like a hundred times!” His voice was laced with an urgency she didn’t know he had and now it was her turn to be caught off guard.

That’s right… Where was her walkie anyway? Her hands patted down her apron pockets and behind her back where she sometimes had it clipped when it got in her way. But then she remembered removing it when it got in his way. She could feel her face getting hot. “I-uh, I think I put it down when I was cleaning the library.” It was only a half-lie, but she still found it hard to say it convincingly.

His eyes squinted accusingly but before he could piece together an assumption, the maid interjected and asked him what he needed from her. You would’ve thought she slapped him across the face by the way he jolted back into his previous urgency. A switch in him flipped and Naruto took her by the arm and led her down the hall towards her bedroom where he deposited her in front of the door.

“Put on a fresh apron; You have dust on it. Meet me in the foyer in five, no, three minutes.”

His hands nudged Sakura inside the bedroom to which he promptly shut the door behind her. Sakura’s head had an unpleasant buzz from the anxious energy Naruto transferred to her from their brief interaction. She had a feeling something was about to happen and there was nothing more she hated than being left in the dark with nothing but the buzz of ambivalence surrounding her.

“Naruto, what’s happening?!” She pleaded out of frustration.

His voice trailed as he took on a brisk pace headed away from her door, “Mrs. Uchiha is coming home!”

...

Her name was ever present yet somehow meaningless because of its fleeting nature. Her name meant so much in theory but not in practice. She was practically a ghost, everywhere and nowhere all at once.

"Mrs. Uchiha?" Sakura repeated quietly and almost absentmindedly.

As the gravity of the situation finally befell her, fumbling hands reached to undo her apron and rushed to replace it with a new one. Through the motions her mind was preoccupied by the thought of who Mrs. Uchiha might be. What was she really like? Was she stuck-up? Serious? Laid-back? First hand accounts have varied but the constant in all of the stories was her kindness.

From inside of her door, she could hear the clicking of the maids' heels against the marble floor along with their hushed chit-chat as they filed into the lobby. The energy in the air was charged with nervous anticipation and as Sakura moved closer she felt her adrenaline fueled confidence depleting, each step rattled by what-ifs. When she realized how important this interaction was, her pace slowed to a tentative stop only feet away from the disorganized frenzy of maids and butlers in the foyer. This is Sasuke’s, her boyfriend’s, mother. Her boss. Surely, Sasuke or Naruto would have to tell her about their relationship at some point- What would she think? Her son dating an employee? Could she already know?

A shadow of uncertainty befell the maid’s features and Shikamaru was the first to notice her unusual stillness in the background of a chaotic scene. After trying to calm his team members long enough to brief them on Mrs. Uchiha’s arrival, he grunted and threw his hands up in defeat before making towards Sakura. Her green eyes weren’t fixated on anything in particular, giving her a sort of hazy, distant look which concerned him. It was only when he get closer his presence seemed to bring her back.

“You doin’ okay?”

“Mhm!” Sakura nodded and straightened her posture as if pulling herself back together. “It’s just a bit…” She raised her hand to her peers but was unable to put a word to it, hoping the picture would convey what she meant. In that moment, Neji, irritated, was straightening Rock Lee’s tie while Sai made an off-hand comment about his long hair looking too feminine, all the while the girls gossiped and giggled while Karin glared from afar. Somewhere in the background Naruto was pulling his hair out begging for everyone’s undivided attention.

Shikamaru smirked and nodded in understanding. “Crazy. It’s a bit crazy right now.”

“Yeah, that. It’s just a bit much.” To tell the truth, that was the very least of her potential problems, but it was as much as she was willing to share at the moment without adding more chaos to the mix. She just needed to push it down, deep down, for now until she could deal with it.

"Are you both really just chatting it up right now? At a time like this?” Naruto pumped a careless fist in the air and nearly landed an uppercut on Sai who dodged it cooly as if it were second nature.

Shikamaru’s hand rubbed the back of his neck as he sighed. It was a mystery how he got anything done when he had the drive of a sedated sloth. Even in this situation he was levelheaded which Sakura has learned to most likely reflect disinterest. She wasn’t sure how it was possible to be so detached when circumstances related to the lady of the house arose. You know, the person who made decisions about job security?

“Shikama- Oh, there’s the car!” The blonde pointed at the front door where a dark blob could be seen through the glass. “Get into your positions!"

At his words, the crew maneuvered each other with practiced movement like worker ants in a colony until they formed two lines facing one another; Maids aligned to one side while butlers stood opposite.

Then, he returned his attention back to Sakura and Shikamaru who were still staring back at him, “Sakura, your spot is here," He pointed to the end of the row of women, next to Karin (who seemed absolutely thrilled) and across from Rock Lee (who was actually thrilled). As Sakura settled in her position, Naruto leaned in and spoke in a low, reassuring voice, “We are going to greet Mrs. Uchiha when she comes in. When she comes down the line I’ll introduce you. All you have to do is greet her and say your name again, got it?”

He spoke fast, the words a whirlwind with the capacity to sweep her up and away if the importance of the situation wasn’t there to ground her to this moment. Sakura made a confirmatory noise in her throat.

“Good," the man stated as he planted a firm hand on Sakura's shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze before he pulled away, scanning the room to account for a certain someone’s presence. It wasn’t a surprise to find his absence but for god’s sake they talked about this!

“Damn it, where is he?! She's almost- she's here!" The manager exclaimed as a distorted silhouette appeared through the patterned glass in the door.

Sakura gulped as the front door swung open at Shikamaru’s pull who greeted the woman in a sophisticated manner, only formally used when the mistress is around. She wasn’t sure how she expected the mistress to sound, but judging by her lavish estate, she would be lying if a part of her didn’t expect a prissy, entitled royal. What she heard was far from it.

“Oh! My Shikamaru! Hi, sweetie!” She let out a hearty laugh as if she weren’t expecting him, but judging by the way her peers’ faces lightened, this seemed routine. Sakura glanced sideways behind a curtain of her hair to catch a glimpse of them in an embrace where Mrs. Uchiha’s face was hidden away. So, the rumors were true: she is a hugger. She suppressed a smile and amusement bloomed warm in her chest. Her eyes returned to the ground as the mistress slowly walked up the column of workers giving out compliments like they were free samples.

“Oh, Temari, stop getting so pretty! You do that every time I come back from trips!" She stopped in her tracks to observe the maid's face.

“Neji, your hair has grown so long and thick! That hair treatment works wonders doesn’t it?”

Each person she passed she made an effort to greet them by name and initiate small talk. This was far different from her previous gigs where bosses only saw employees as a warm body to take a sale at best and an expensive liability at worst. But this felt humanistic, straining the importance of having good relationships with others even in the face of power dynamics. It was truly admirable and relieving but this didn’t stop Sakura’s heart from racing as the mistress progressed closer and closer to her. Sakura didn’t dare look up, not yet. Just as Mrs. Uchiha finished with Karin, Naruto stepped up with arms wide open.

“Auntie!” He beamed from ear to ear a pearly white smile. "How was the rest of your trip?"

“Ah, Naruto!” She cupped his cheeks in her hands tenderly and looped them around his neck for a hug. As she pulled away she answered him, “It was good, thanks. Has Sasuke been giving you a hard time? Do you think I should hire a full-time babysitter for him?" She winked and giggled along with all of the workers. "Speaking of, where is he?"

The man put a finger to his chin, feigning thought to buy Sasuke a last opportunity to show face. ”I think I heard the shower running earlier; maybe he isn't out yet?" Naruto blurted, hoping his uncertainty wouldn’t betray his lie. Hopefully he has enough brains to get the hell down here, he thought to himself before shifting the topic strategically.

“And don’t bother with the baby sitter- We already have one in our midst.” He and the crew, save for Karin, snickered.

Her eyebrows raised with interest in the same way someone would if presented with a gossip piece. ”Oh really? You may need to introduce me,” Her elbow nudged his arm, a signal to expedite this introduction.

Naruto smiled and backed away to allow the mistress access to the two newest members of the team, first turning towards Rock Lee. “First, this is Rock Lee. He began a few months ago." He said and held a hand out to the wide eyed man who gave a very polite and overly passionate greeting. Although she was turned away from her, Sakura could tell Mrs. Uchiha was delighted by her airy laugh.

“And-“ The blonde continued, gently guiding her shoulder to turn around.

Sakura drew in a final, shaking breath before stabilizing her nerves. This was it.

“This is the ‘babysitter.’”

The maid raised her gaze as Mrs. Uchiha turned simultaneously. Remember to smile and introduce yourself, Sakura. You got this! She reminded herself quietly, bringing her sweetest smile to her lips and eyes.

“Hi Mrs. Uchiha, I’m-"

She gasped audibly, her features frozen with shock. Sakura’s mouth hung open incredulously while she watched Mrs. Uchiha’s expression go through similar motions; Recognition, confusion, then diverging to elation, her grin reflecting genuine joy. The maid tore her gaze away in a desperate attempt to find a shred of understanding in Naruto who stood baffled by their interaction, made apparent by the dumb look on his face. She turned back toward Mrs. Uchiha.

"You.... The woman from the plane? You're Mrs. Uchiha?!”

"Sakura!" She exclaimed excitedly and folded her hands in front of her chest as if she were physically holding onto this moment.

Suddenly, Sasuke appeared at the top of the stairs initially undetected until he made himself known.

”Mom?”

"Sasuke!" Mrs. Uchiha and Sakura called in unison.

His eyes flickered between his mother and girlfriend. He had made it in time to watch this scene unfold, but how could his mother know her name when she hasn’t introduced herself?

”Do you know each other?” He asked as he made his way down the staircase.

Mrs. Uchiha and Sakura stared at each other for a moment, a mental check-in to see who was going to tell the story. It was Mrs. Uchiha who took the lead.

"A couple months ago during my trip I ended up sitting next to her on the plane from Suna to Konoha. We had a nice time enjoying each other's company during the last part of the ride, didn’t we?" The older woman quirked her eyebrow for confirmation to which Sakura agreed with an overly enthusiastic nod of her head because she was utterly speechless.

“Ah, Sasuke, come here,” She waved her hand with a smile. Reluctantly, he inched forward until he was close enough for her to yank him down by the lobe of his ear. “I hope my son hasn’t caused too much trouble- This is the one I wanted to introduce you to!”

Sakura and Sasuke shared a look of despair as a string of curses spewed from him. “M-Mom, stop asking random people if they want to date me! You keep attracting weirdos like her and now she won’t leave me alone!” Sasuke teased.

“Tch, please! You’re the one constantly harassing me!” Sakura folded her arms over her chest defensively.

The mistress chuckled as they exchanged words with one another before jumping in, ”Well, it's good she's here because she was going to end up in this mansion anyway,” she said before turning her attention to Sakura, “We need to talk over some business."

"Shikamaru, please take my bags upstairs, will you?" She requested with the flick of her wrist. “Afterwards, why don't you all take the rest of the day off, you work too hard around here.”

A chorus of delighted sounds and “thank you’s” sounded as Mrs. Uchiha dismissed all but one person. Sasuke lingered behind, watchful, curious and a bit skeptical.

"Come with me, I need to talk to you about something.” Her cheery attitude evened out with an edge of seriousness as she motioned for Sakura to follow her upstairs. Sakura raised her eyebrows at her change of tone but followed after her quietly, shooting a wary backward glance at Sasuke.

“Mom, what’s this about?” He asked, stern and protective.

Mrs. Uchiha paused and turned, “Relax, Sasuke. We can talk later.”

They came to a stop at a door at the end of the hallway and Mrs. Uchiha reached into her pocket and pulled out a victorian style key and fit it into the lock with a click. Sakura recognized this door as the mistress’s personal office where only trusted, long-term employees are granted access to clean when she is away. With her short tenure she obviously wasn’t a candidate and has only snuck peeks into the room when Shikamaru or Neji make their exit.

Walking in, the maid recognized this room as an exact layout as Sasuke’s across the corridor. It was furnished with the same color palette and furniture but without any beds, dressers, or anything else of personal use which indicated a bedroom. In the middle of the office two leather couches faced each other with a coffee table between. In the very back of the room there was a desk, a computer and a large office chair. While this room appeared meant only for business, Sakura wondered how many late nights Mrs. Uchiha spent half asleep, exhausted from mourning her husband and son while raising her youngest and running her company.

"This is my office. It used to be my eldest son's room. Please, take a seat where ever you like." She invited quickly glazing over the mention of her eldest child.

Sakura planted herself in the center of one of the couches and unconsciously made herself appear small; Her knees glued together, hands folded in her lap and posture slightly slouched, which she corrected once she realized. It was amazing how the body seemed to react to situations as a separate entity from the mind. The term “body language” capturing its ability to communicate so well, and hers was saying she was uncomfortable.

"Would you like a drink? We could be talking for a while, depending on how this goes.”

What’s that supposed to mean? Sakura was a bit more on-edge than she led on to be. While the mistress has been lovely so far a part of her was wary.

“Water, tea, coffee? How about snacks- I’m starving!” Mrs. Uchiha asked as she leaned in to grab the walkie-talkie sitting on the coffee table.

"Water is fine, thank you." It was only now when she realized she was parched and was so grateful she asked.

She clicked the button on the walkie. "Karin? Can you please bring up a kettle of tea and a glass of water? Maybe some small sandwiches too.” She said into the receiver. The response was a short "yes" followed by a burst of static. Twisting the dial on top into the 'off' position, she set the apparatus to her side as she propped herself up against the backing of the sofa.

As they waited for their snacks to arrive they exchanged small talk. Ms. Uchiha asked how she wound up working in her mansion and Sakura was curious about her business travels. Sakura told her about the ad in the paper and the mistress talked about how annoying men in the business world could be. Sakura genuinely laughed and agreed it was something about men’s inflated egos causing their downfall. While they talked, a knock came at the door.

"Come in," Mrs. Uchiha looked at the door and then back at Sakura, "This is why I always ask Karin to do these things for me; she's always so quick." She said with a grin to Karin who was carrying a familiar silver tray in her hands. Sakura observed the maid as she balanced the tray of glasses and petite plates with ease before setting it down on the table.

"Now that our things are here, let's get down to business, shall we?" Mrs. Uchiha scooted to the edge of her seat, ready to grab her steaming cup of tea. She watched as Karin placed the drinks and tiny plates of sandwiches gently on the table and began to talk to Sakura, "I want to offer you a deal.”

At his, Karin’s eyes flickered to her mistress and attempted to conceal her interest as she placed a sandwich onto each plate. She then glanced at Sakura whose face shone quizzical and attentive.

“What kind of deal?” Sakura asked.

Before she continued on, she waved Karin off. “Thank you, Karin. You may leave now. Sorry to bother after I’ve given you the day off!”

Karin smiled, bowed and made her way to the door, turning back only to send Sakura a fierce scowl which Sakura ignored.

“A good kind of deal." She continued. "So, you said you were going to college here, right? Where will you be going in the fall?"

Before replying, Sakura sipped on the glass of water and pinched a small sandwich between her fingers. "I'll be attending Konoha University of Performing Arts to major in dance." She said and took a nibble.

"Wonderful; The same school as Sasuke-" Mrs. Uchiha couldn't even finish her sentence when Sakura began to choke on her sandwich. Instead of helping the poor young woman, she just laughed. She wasn’t around to see what was going on over the past few months but she didn’t need that to know there was something between her and her son. A mere two minutes was enough to start putting some pieces together.

As soon as Sakura settled Mrs. Uchiha continued, "I'd like for you to consider taking singing classes as well.”

Sakura eyed her curiously, wondering why she kept insisting on these extra classes even when she said on the plane she wasn't interested in anything else.

"I barely have enough money to get me through the school year with only my dance and other basic classes, how can I afford to add more? They won't even be relevant to me anyway.” Sakura brushed off the breadcrumbs that had fallen on her dress. ”I'm sorry, I’m not interest-"

"I want to offer you a position as choreographer in my company.”

Sakura stared, quiet and wide eyed, wondering if she heard correctly.

”Are you,” she paused as her brain tried to catch up, ”being serious right now?"

Mrs. Uchiha took a tiny sip from her mug, "Do big owners, like me, joke around with business decisions as serious as this?" She countered. After taking consideration of that question, Sakura slumped back against the smooth feeling fabric of the couch in dead silence.

A minute passed, save for the occasional audible slurps of tea that Mrs. Uchiha took. By the time that she started to see the bottom of her cup, she finally spoke up again.

"If you accept, I will pay for all of your classes, plus training at our agency. Naruto sent me videos of your practice sessions with Sasuke and you are very, very talented, Sakura. You took Sasuke, who is already well versed in dancing, and made him even better in just a short time.” She leaned forward with elbows on her knees.

“I want you to take singing classes because you have a great voice too from what I heard on the plane. I want to make you a backup singer on some tracks and we will see how you progress from there.” She paused, searching Sakura’s face for an answer.

“You will be paid handsomely."

Her heart thrummed in her chest and adrenaline pumped through her veins at breakneck speed causing her to feel light headed. She had to pinch herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming, and when she knew she wasn’t, she wore a huge smile. God, she could kiss Naruto right now she was so happy. This was her chance to prove her dad wrong and make her mom proud. This was the opportunity of a lifetime and she could do it with Sasuke at her side.

Sakura hadn't noticed that Mrs. Uchiha had moved from her spot until she came back with a stack of papers and a pen in hand.

"I see that you're thinking hard over this and I'm glad that you are. There are a lot of things to consider here when in the industry. It’s a vicious place for idols but people in these background positions- they feel it too. ” Her tone was intense, conveying the content of her sentence so well Sakura had nearly wavered.

As she set the packet of paperwork in front of Sakura, both her and Mrs. Uchiha were on the edge of their seats hunched over, Sakura reading the fine print and the other watching her intently. Slowly, the woman extended her arm, pen between her thumb and index finger,

"Sakura, the choice is yours."