Master and Maid

By Kodaiyu

Chapter One: Beginning of the End

A pair of nervous jade green eyes darted around the library for any unwanted busy bodies, before settling back on the computer monitor. Thin fingers pushed and tapped buttons on the mouse and keyboard, occasionally hitting the 'Enter' key.

Her heart was pumping wildly, like the beating of taiko drums, as she brushed aside a lock of pink hair. If that, her peculiar hair colour wasn't enough to ensure her unpopularity; surely, this would, if anybody found out.

Of course, the act of looking for a part time job is a perfectly normal business for a seventeen year old to go about doing. But the world she lived in was not normal at all.

Sakura Haruno was a student at Konoha High School.

Konoha High School is perhaps one of the most prestigious schools in the country. Wealthy tycoons sent sons and daughters to this school. And they in turn, send their sons and daughters to this school. Certainly, this systematic cycle of enrolment and admittance meant only the most wealthy and the most powerful of families had places at the school, some even as soon as the children were born, had places reserved for them.

One could question how a mere commoner, like Sakura Haruno, could even dream of affording the school fees to attend a school like this.

The answer?

She couldn't. She relied on her brains; she received a scholarship to this magnificent school, filled with the to-be celebrities of the business world.

Luck, on the other hand had left her that morning. It seemed as if every part-time job vacancy wanted somebody who was over eighteen, had experience, or had a Bachelors Degree of so-and-so.

She had none of those.

She was ready to admit defeat, when she read the last advertisement:

Looking for girls aged 16-24 to work as servants.

Part time and Full time.

Food and Board included.

No prior experience required.

Beneath, was a "450 a week part time" and a telephone number and address.

Sakura ran her fingers through her hair nervously. A few last minute pulls and tugs to straighten her uniform and the constant shifting of her résumé in front of her was a sure sign that she was new to job interviews.

She nearly jumped out of her seat when the door clicked open loudly and a woman walked into the polished room. She was dressed like a common maid: a plain black skirt that was no higher than above her meaty knees, covering her enormous bosom was a black shirt whose short sleeves struggled to go around her ham-hock arms, a plain white apron with a slightly frilled edge and black pumps which looked very outdated. Her large figure and haughty distinction was more than enough to say that she was the Head Maid.

"Haruno Sakura…" she said, her voice raspy, chipped away by the scolding of other maids. Grey strands streaked her black hair, which was pulled into what seemed like a very tight bun. Sakura dared to let her eyes stray to the details of the woman's face. Deep lines creased into her plump face, covered by a thick layer of makeup. Large lips like slices of sushi tuna smeared with subtle red lipstick and eyes were lined with clumped mascara. She looked no younger than forty five.

She watched the woman's beady black eyes travel to above her own eyes. "Unusual hair colour you have." She pointed out needlessly. She muttered something, and Sakura was quite sure she had said, "Kids these days…"

"It's my natural hair colour." She blurted out, stupidly. Perhaps she wanted the woman to know that she wasn't one of those kids, or maybe she didn't want to be mistaken. Either way, the old woman didn't look very happy. She wasn't a woman to cross, and Sakura was already on her bad side.

"Really?" she croaked. Sarcasm was dripping from her mouth. "You'll have to do something about it before you start next week."

"Wha- I'm hired?" She never thought it'd be that easy.

"Come by next week with your things."

The evening air was cool. As Sakura walked home, down the streets of the middle class district, she wondered why on earth she wanted a scholarship to go to that wretched school. Thinking back to when she was 14, she probably wanted that scholarship because by attending a school with the prestige of Konoha High School, university would be in arms reach.

As Sakura reached the black lamp post at the end of the block, she gripped the cloth bag containing her bento and took a deep breath. She was about to enter the upper-class district. She pulled over her head the hood of her long woolly coat. The coat, thankfully, covered her uniform properly; she didn't want classmates to see her.

Everyday, as she walked through the upper class district, she kept her gazed glued firmly to the pavement, counting the concrete slabs, till she reached the three hundredth and eighty seventh slab.

On the three hundredth and eighty seventh slab, was the automatic sliding glass doors to the hospital. Once she had passed through them, she felt safe. The nurses and doctors and even some long-term patients greeted her with pleasant smiles and hellos she would otherwise not receive anywhere else.

Opening the door to room 3-B, she saw a pink haired woman sitting in one of the beds, the thin blankets over her thighs, knitting.

"Kaa-san!"

"Sakura-chan, I've told you before, you don't have to visit me everyday to eat with me. I don't get lonely you know. There are plenty of other ladies to eat with."

"It's nice to eat with family, isn't it?" she said, before picking up an onigiri.

For her, eating with her mother and the hospital itself felt like a sanctuary. Although it was both a place of healing and death, she didn't mind the blanched walls and smell of disinfectant that wafted through the hospital. Here, she wasn't judged on her common class status. And for an hour and a half each day, she'd feel at peace, as if she could take off the heavy bag she lugged about each day, filled with the insults, expectations and angry glares the students throw at her.

"Kaa-san."

"Hmm? What is it?"

She didn't like this 'breaking the news' business. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she continued.

"I might not be able to visit everyday from next week."

Her mother looked surprised, but not disappointed.

"I have a part time job, every day and on weekends as well." Sakura avoided her mother's gaze, in case it was disapproving.

"That's great, Sakura-chan!" The sudden praise made Sakura look up, and she saw her mother's facial expression melt into one of strict concern. "Make sure you can still do your homework, okay?"

Before long, it was time to put on that heavy bag again, and say goodbye. Leaving her Sanctuary again.

As soon as she got out, she counted the concrete slabs again.

Luck, at this point, decided it would be funny, and abandoned her, leaving Fate to toy with her. Because on the one hundredth and sixty ninth slab, she had run into what she thought, would end her existence. Because she was so focused on counting the pavement, she didn't realise anyone would be so stupid, as to try and walk through her. So as the top of her head bumped into something equally soft as it were hard, she had to look up, and let her hood fall.

Jade eyes had set onto obsidian ones. And she knew. It was the beginning of her end.

How was it for my first attempt at fan-fiction? Please give lots of feedback!

Some Japanese translations/definitions:

Taiko: Is a large Japanese drum

Bento: A Japanese style lunch box, filled with lots of different things like rice, vegetables, meat, fish, tofu etc.

Kaa-san: Mother or Mum or Mom or Mama or ….

-san is usually a prefix on somebody's name to add formality. The reason why Sakura is called "Sakura-chan" is because her Mother is someone close to her, and it's a cute way of saying someone's name. Usually seniors with use –chan.

Onigiri: Japanese rice ball covered in seaweed. Usually filled with last night's leftovers or a red plum (I'm told).

Also, before you bombard me with flames along the lines of: "OMG 450 a week is SOOO much!!", please think about the hours that Sakura has to work.

Please wait for the next chapter!