Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

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Sasuke
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The car ride over was almost unbearable. The only saving grace was that Itachi was driving, so at least he didn’t have to worry about abrupt turns or tailgating. Sasuke loved his older cousin, Shisui, but the man was a speed demon. He leaned towards the center of the car to see the digital clock display. They still had plenty of time.

“Are you sure you don’t want to watch the Youtube video?” Naruto asked. “You haven’t even seen Sakura in years, Sasuke. Don’t you want to know what she looks like?”

“I remember what she looks like,” Sasuke scowled.

Naruto laughed. “You remember what she looked like when we were thirteen. I’m telling you, you won’t recognize her!”

“You look exactly the same,” Sasuke protested. He wasn’t going to forget what she looked like just because a few years had passed. He had many fond memories of the summer he spent at Naruto’s house, before he was sent abroad to boarding school. He’d thought about Sakura Haruno a lot over the years.

“Oh? Is this some former crush of yours, Sasuke-kun?” Shisui teased, leaning his elbow on the console and looking towards him the backseat.

“Just a girl I used to know,” Sasuke mumbled, folding his arms over his chest and staring out the window petulantly. He did not need his older cousin to start teasing him on his childhood crush. Sasuke’s thoughts drifted back to that long ago summer. He and Naruto spent a lot of the time playing basketball in the driveway of Naruto’s house. The girl next door would sometimes join them, but, more often than not, he’d hear her in the backyard next door.. She’d wear her ridiculous bright red earphones with the cat ears and sing along to various girl bands on her playlist, her voice carrying to the driveway. He still had the dark blue set of cat ear headphones she’d given to him on his birthday that summer. Maybe, sometimes, he still wore them in the privacy of his bedroom when he was listening to music.

“Anyways, if you’re looking to complete your band, I’m telling you— Sakura and Ino would be perfect,” Naruto continued. “If they agreed, that is. They like to do these gigs on occasion, but I don’t know how either of them would feel about playing full time. Their song-style is pretty diverse. Sakura can play lead guitar and rhythm. Ino does the keyboard. They can both sing — Ino is more soprano and Sakura ranges from alto to a mezzo-soprano. ”

“I’m sure I can convince them,” Shisui murmured. He reached over and poked Itachi’s upper arm, earning a grunt from the driver. “If I can convince this guy, I can convince anyone.”

Sasuke slouched lower in his seat. He’d also agreed to join Shisui’s band, playing the drums. He’d always enjoyed the feel of the beat flowing through his body like he could feel the music vibrating through his muscles. It was so easy to lose himself into the rhythm of a song.

When they entered the bar, the stage at the back was empty save an unattended keyboard, a crimson painted guitar on a stand, and a drum set that still had the covers over it. Sasuke sat at a corner booth and his bandmates and best friend joined him. His eyes grew wide when Sakura stepped on stage. Of course, he recognized that pink hair and those jade eyes. He chuckled quietly under his breath when he noticed the cat ear headset with the attached microphone.

“She custom-made her microphone headset,” Naruto said, leaning forward, his elbows braced on the table.

“Won’t that make it harder to adjust her volume. It’s easier to use a free-standing microphone and change one’s physical distance,” Shisui reasoned.

“It’s more functional when your hands are full,” Sasuke murmured. He occasionally sang when he played the drums and adjusting his physical distance from a microphone wasn’t an option with his chosen instrument. He had to adapt his volume the old fashioned way with his voice alone. His respect for the woman increased a few more notches. He hadn’t heard her sing in years, but if it was anything like he remembered, they’d be in for a treat.

“I remember you used to wear a cat ear set of headphones,” Itachi said quietly, leaning close to Sasuke.

Sasuke said nothing. Thankfully, the others quieted too when the two women began to play their duet.

“That’s exactly the sound we need,” Shisui said quietly.

“Tonight’s proceeds will be going towards the Konoha orphanage,” Sakura said, smiling brightly as she spoke to the audience after the last echoes of her chord faded.

“That is generous of them,” Itachi murmured.

Sakura’s jade eyes grew wide when she spotted Naruto and Sasuke in the audience. “Oh boy, are you all in for a treat! Give us ten and we’ll be back.” She gestured for the disc jockey to take over and after securing her guitar, she jumped off the stage with a casual grace Sasuke did a double take as she hurried towards their booth in the back, slipping through the crowd with practiced ease. Ino wandered behind stage with a shake of her head.

“Naruto!” Sakura cried out with a big grin on her face and clutching onto the blond’s hands and pulling him to his feet.

Naruto wrapped her up in a hug against his taller body. “Sakura-chan! Of course, I came!” He gestured towards Sasuke. “You remember the Bastard? That’s his brother Itachi and his cousin Shisui,” he introduced in turn.

Sasuke scowled at the derogatory term. “Idiot,” he grumbled before adopting a more neutral expression to meet Sakura’s gaze. “You sounded amazing, Sakura.”

“Thanks, Sasuke-kun!” Sakura smiled at him brightly. “You play the drums, right?”

Shisui snickered at the nickname.

“Yes,” Sasuke answered. “I noticed the set still wrapped up on stage.”

Sakura nodded. “Okay, how do you two feel about getting on stage with us and performing Last Resort by Papa Roach?” She gestured towards Naruto. “No one is better than you at screaming into a microphone.”

“That song has a really good beat,” Sasuke mused. “Naruto and I used to jam out to that all the time.”

“I know!” Sakura said, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “I remember. Come on! Come play with us!”

Naruto scratched the back of his neck. “Eh, it should be pretty fun. Will you join us, Sasuke?”

“Go ahead, little brother,” Itachi encouraged with a none-too-gentle shove of Sasuke’s upper back.

“Alright,” Sasuke agreed, standing from the booth and following both Naruto and Sakura. He tried to ignore the heat building on the tips of his ears at the feel of Sakura’s strong grip wrapped around his wrist as she pulled the two of them back stage.

Ino’s blond eyebrows were high in her hairline at their appearance.

“Last Resort?” Sakura asked. “You remember it?”

Ino reached into the front pocket of her shirt and pulled out a pair of ear plugs. “If Naruto is singing, I’m going to need these.”

Sakura turned towards Sasuke. “I’ve got extra plugs. Would you like a set?”

He nodded. It was this easy? It has been seven years since he last saw Sakura and here he was, back on stage with her like they’d been the best of friends all this time?

Nine minutes later, the four of them were onstage. The audience rumbled with curious chatter. Then Sasuke started the beat, Sakura hit the strings of her guitar and Naruto began screaming. Ino adapted the rhythm guitar to the keyboard.

“Cut my life into pieces. The is my last resort. Suffocation. No breathing. Don’t give a fuck if I cut my arm, bleeding,” Naruto began screaming, bouncing side to side and working the crowd.

Sakura glanced back at Sasuke once and he smiled back faintly. Being in a band with Sakura seemed like a good idea.

“Cause I’m losing my sight. Losing my mind. Wish somebody would tell me I’m fine. Losing my sight. Losing my mind," Naruto continued to wail, rocking his body side to side. "Wish somebody would tell me I’m fine.”

However, over the next couple of months, Sasuke watched as the girl of his dreams was caught in the gravitational pull of his handsome, charismatic, older cousin. She was friendly enough to Sasuke, but Itachi’s worried glances and Naruto’s consolatory pats on his back whenever they hung out showed maybe he wasn’t as good at hiding his feelings as he thought. The only one that seemed to be clueless was Sakura herself.
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Seven Years Ago….
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Sasuke
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He dribbled the basketball, shifting his weight between his wide-spread feet while Naruto waved his arms to block the shot. Sasuke darted past his best friend and released the ball, sinking it into the goal with a familiar swoosh. He caught the rebound easily.

The sound of clapping from behind caught his attention and he whirled around to see a girl his age, long pink hair secured in a French braid with flowers tucked within the strands. “I never thought I’d see someone get past your guard, Naruto,” she said a big smile on her face, shifting her attention away from Sasuke and onto the pouting blond.

“Ah, Sakura-chan, it’s just because he’s taller,” Naruto pouted.

“Is that right?” Sakura held her hands out. “May I have the ball?”

“Ah,” Sasuke agreed, tossing her the basketball.

She caught it easily enough. “Let’s go, Naruto. We’re the same height.” She dribbled the ball and then faked out Naruto, dodging his hands and then shot a three-pointer.

Sasuke caught the rebound again. “You must be losing your touch, Naruto,” he teased. “Beaten by a girl.”

Said girl narrowed her pale green eyes and glared at him.

Naruto snatched the ball out of Sasuke’s hands and scored a basket. “Believe it!”

Sasuke caught the rebound again.

Sakura laughed. “Nice job, Naruto.” She looked behind and waved to someone coming out of the gate on the yard next door. “Over here, Ino!”

A second girl, long blond hair arranged in a similar braid to Sakura’s, also with flowers interwoven joined them. “Playing basketball with Naruto again? Ugh, come on Sakura. We need to head to the sanctuary before it gets too late in the morning.” Her eyes shifted over Sakura and Naruto to land on Sasuke. “Well, hello there, Handsome.”

Sasuke scowled, but turned his back on the trio to take aim again on the basket. “What sanctuary?” He caught the rebound once more.

“The butterfly sanctuary. They’re making their annual migration through here for the next couple of weeks,” Sakura explained. “Would you two like to join us? It’s only a short walk away.”

“Aw, well, we were in the middle of a game,” Naruto started to protest.

“Yes,” Sasuke agreed, interrupting Naruto. He set the basketball between the fence and the garage. “Is that why you have flowers in your hair?” He gestured towards the two girls’ hair. “To attract butterflies?”

“Exactly,” Sakura agreed. She pulled out two violet colored flowers from her hair and stuck one behind Naruto’s ear and then stepped cautiously towards Sasuke and did the same to him. Her soft fingers faintly brushed across the shell of his ear and sent a shiver down his spine.

“Sakura-chan is the captain of the girls’ basketball team that Ma coaches,” Naruto explained. He gestured towards Sasuke. “Sasuke is on the team with me.”

“Nice to meet you, Sasuke.” Sakura looped her arm through Ino’s. “This is Ino. We’re best friends and the top ranked students at the academy.” The two girls started to lead the way. “Follow us.”

Sasuke and Naruto fell into step behind them. He didn’t recognize either of the girls. “Do you attend the All Girls’ Academy? How long have you lived next door to Naruto, Sakura?”

“Yes and all my life,” Sakura answered his questions in turn. She glanced over her shoulder. “How long have you two been friends? I’ve not seen you around, Sasuke-kun.”

“Since we joined the basketball team,” Sasuke answered, feeling somewhat pleased by the endearment she attached to his name. “My parents are pretty strict. This is the first time they’ve let me come over.”

“But it won’t be the last!” Naruto vowed, slinging his arm over Sasuke’s neck in an awkward embrace, made more awkward by Naruto’s shorter height.

Sasuke shrugged out of his friend’s hold. “My parents are over-seas for the next few months for a work thing. I’ll be spending the summer at Naruto’s house.”

“You’re in for a treat!” Sakura said with a laugh. “Auntie Kushina is the best cook and Uncle Minato has the patience of a saint.”

Sasuke arched his eyebrow at Sakura’s casual reference to Naruto’s parents. Why hadn’t he heard about her before now? He shot Naruto an annoyed look and was met with a sheepish shrug.

“And Kakashi is supposed to be home for a few weeks next month when he takes his Leave,” Naruto added.

“Your older brother is one fine specimen of a man,” Ino sighed.

“Don’t objectify him like that, Pig,” Sakura hissed. Then she giggled. “But you’re right, he’s a gorgeous man.”

Naruto fake gaged. “I’ll be sure to not tell him you said that.”

Sasuke frowned. The girls knew Kakashi? Sasuke and Naruto were best friends and even he hadn’t met the older adopted brother. Though, apparently Kakashi and Sasuke’s cousin Shisui were good friends in the military, serving in Anbu together.

It wasn’t a far walk to the butterfly sanctuary. The iridescent blue, green, yellow and violet butterflies were attracted to the aromatic flowers in the girls’ hair. Then Sakura took a photo of Sasuke with her phone’s camera. He’d been about to protest, when she showed him the digital image of himself with a bright yellow butterfly settled on the flower tucked behind his ear. “I can send this to you. I’m sure your mom would love it.”

“She probably would,” Sasuke agreed. He gave Sakura his number and that started the beginning of countless texts they would exchange throughout that summer.

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Chapter Text

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Sakura
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It was a pretty good crowd, certainly bigger than the dive bars she and Ino used to play it. Though, those days were fun too and they had earned twenty thousand dollars for their charity during that time. It was nice looking into the audience and actually seeing their faces, watching their foot tap along, their lips moving to the words. Though, if Sakura was being honest with herself, her favorite part was witnessing the romance blooming as couples peered into each other’s eyes and the soft touches of affection. Smaller audiences kept the musicians more engaged and involved with their listeners and it simply felt much more intimate. It was the same with actors whom preferred the stage rather than filming for movies.

Sakura couldn’t help it. She was a romantic at heart and always had been. Ino was even worse considering her family’s business of the local flower shop — weddings, anniversaries, and date night floral arrangements were her speciality. When they had decided to take time off from university to travel and have fun with their musical talents, she had no idea it would lead them to performing before such a massive audience.

Part of Sakura’s motivation had been to add a little depth to her application for the Medical Program in Suna. Top grades wouldn’t be enough, she needed to stand out. Earning money for a reputable charity through musical talent certainly helped her resume stand out.

She’d been hesitant at first to join a band on a more professional level. They weren’t playing for fun anymore, but more as a job. However, Shisui Uchiha was a very persuasive man and the band still donated ten percent of proceeds to the charity. He’d even convinced Sakura to set aside her reservations to join the band with Sasuke Uchiha.

That boy had broken her heart when he disappeared from her life as abruptly as he’d entered it seven years ago. She learned second-hand from Naruto that Sasuke been sent to boarding school by his parents and his phone had been disconnected. The two of them lost touch for years, yet he still emailed with Naruto, so there was no reason for the radio silence.

She thought their friendship that summer had meant something, but it must have been one-sided on her part.

Now, they were in the same band, touring throughout the Land of Fire, playing at small to medium sized venues. They’d made a good amount of money too — certainly more than a summer job would have afforded Sakura. They’d even managed to double the donations for the charity. The band’s manager, Orochimaru had them recording for hours every week, working on an album to kickstart an international tour throughout the continent. They’d just finished the final session two days ago.

During the interlude, Sakura had been admitted to the medical program. Though, she had to submit a deferral so she could continue to tour with the band. Shisui had been ecstatic when she told him the day before that she was all his for the next year. He promised that she wouldn’t regret committing to him and the band. It would be worth it!

The stage lights were sweltering and Sakura’s throat was parched but she took a quick sip of her water to slip into the duet with Shisui. She was grateful for her bare legs exposed under her bedazzled bluejeans shorts, the comfortable ruby red sparky canvas shoes and red halter top. It was sexy yet modest at the same time.

“Ain’t no mountain high enough, aint no valley low enough. Aint now river wide enough, to keep me from getting you, baby,” Sakura and Shisui sang together.

Shisui took over the next stanza, dancing easily with Sakura. She had to resist the urge to laugh while they both strummed their guitars— her on lead and him on rhythm. He simply had the most infectious smile and his eyes were always so lively and fun! And he looked pretty damn fine in his ripped jeans and dark green muscle shirt.

The song came to an end and she focused on playing her guitar while Shisui started the next song. Sakura was rarely nervous on smaller stages with more intimate audiences. These larger venues were more challenging, however as they traveled through out the Land of Fire over the past six months, she grew more confident.

Shisui had an innate talent for charming her right into taking centerstage with confidence. All it took was the feel of his large, strong warm hand on the small of her back and she was able to belt out those lyrics as if she’d just been serenading him alone back at his apartment. He simply made anything and everything seem possible. It was easy to imagine him in the military, with his troops following both confidently and loyally behind him into battle.

Then Sakura’s charming boyfriend, Shisui Uchiha, pulled her into an impromptu dance. He was careful to avoid crushing her guitar with his.

Shisui released her in time for her to start playing her guitar during the instrumental portion, letting the energy of the rock song build. Her preference was playing rhythm guitar and that often meant collaborating closely with Sasuke. However, Shisui wasn’t quite as good as her on lead, so more often than not, she played the more complicated riffs. Years of experience, learning how to play from both Naruto’s dad and his older brother Kakashi, she’d mastered the six-string instrument many years ago. She glanced over her shoulder briefly and caught Sasuke’s dark gaze as he kept the rhythm on the drums, his hands flying and his feet pumping. She smiled at him softly, glad that they’d let bygones be bygones and had formed a pretty solid friendship this past half-year.

Then Sasuke’s drum solo filled the stage and Sakura bobbed along with the beat, feeling the vibrations from the soles of her feet up to her scalp, pulsing with the impact of his foot pedal hitting the bass drum.

“Great job, Sak, I’ll take it from here,” Shisui whispered quietly, gently nudging her away from the standing microphone. This was another reminder of why she preferred wearing a headset microphone. He started to coax the crowd from polite applause to raucous screams.

Sakura watched dumbfounded as Shisui stripped off his shirt, revealing a smattering of tattoos across his biceps and a large crow across his upper back. He sauntered across the stage to lean towards the audience where he started to serenade several young women. He gave one of them his shirt and she squealed so hard Sakura grimaced at the high pitch. She caught Ino’s eye and her friend shrugged while she continued to play the keys.

It was Sakura’s turn to sing, so while Shisui gyrated before the screaming crowd, she took over the melody and moved back towards the microphone. As the song drew to the final chorus, Shisui joined her in harmony, but avoided her eyes as he marched back towards the center stage.

Sakura glanced briefly behind again and noted Sasuke’s brow was furrowed in concern as he met her gaze. He was equally bewildered by Shisui’s actions and shrugged .

The next song, Sakura didn’t sing, but focused on strumming her guitar while Itachi’s deep baritone crooned, causing another surge of screams throughout the crowd. She knew good and well that the audience was half men and half women most nights, but it certainly seemed like tonight was seventy-percent screaming females.

Itachi was equally skilled at playing the four-string bass guitar as he was at singing in that deep pitched voice of his. She and Ino liked to tease him that he’d make a killing if he voiced audiobooks in the romance genre. Wouldn’t he make a great protagonist to accompany Junko in the Icha Icha series?

Twenty minutes later, the show was over and the majority of the band was hydrated and fully dressed in their lounge. They were all indulging in their comfort dinners. Sasuke was eating his turkey, cheese, tomato and kale sandwich— heavy on the tomatoes. Sakura and Ino had each devoured a ham and cheese toastie. Itachi ate a couple of shortbread cookies and a large cup of green tea.

Shisui was no where to be found. Sakura was a little worried about his absence. Normally, the two of them liked to cuddle next to each other on the couch in the lounge whispering softly, letting their voices recover and sipping on lemon water.

A few minutes later, Shisui finally strode in with their manager Orochimaru leading him. Shisui’s pitch black hair was more disheveled than usual, there were lipstick stains on his neck and the upper part of his new shirt where it was only partially buttoned. Sakura also recognized his kiss-swollen lips. She knew what that looked like, because usually she was the one that kissed them into such a puffy state.

Shisui continued to avoid her eyes as he moved to sit next to Itachi on the opposite couch.

“What the hell?” Ino whispered, leaning close to Sakura’s ear. “I’ll hold him down and you can knee him in the groin.”

Orochimaru continued towards Sakura and Ino. “Ladies,” he greeted. He held out an envelop towards both of them. “Your pay for the show and serving as backup for the recording, you’ll be properly credited of course. On behalf of the Sharingans, I would like to thank you for your hard work and dedication to this tour. However, we will no longer be needing your services. The band will be going in a new direction — an All Boy band and as such, I’m afraid there’s no room for you ladies on the roster.”

Numbly, Sakura took the envelop. Ino ripped hers open and scoffed. She rose to her feel abruptly and yanked Sakura up next to her with surprising strength. “Come on, Sakura.” She took her elbow and started to pull her away from the manager. Sakura didn’t care for the self-satisfied sneer on the serpentine man’s face.

Her Aunt Tsunade had warned her about Orochimaru, but Sakura had wanted to give him the benefit of a doubt. Besides, he couldn’t do this if the boys in the band hadn’t agreed. “If you were going to be a Boy Band then why did you ever invite us to join?” She looked past Orochimaru and focused on her supposed boyfriend, sitting so far away.

Shisui was studiously ignoring her. What was happening? Was this real? She looked past him to Itachi who was frowning into his tea cup, completely unhelpful. Then she turned her attention to Sasuke. He was standing, his sandwich half-eaten his eyes narrowed angrily. She was confused. He looked as pissed as she felt. Was he also in the dark?

“This makes no sense,” Sasuke declared. “Shouldn’t this decision have been discussed together as a band? All five of us? Sakura and Ino are as much a part of this band as the three of us guys.”

“It’s been decided, Sasuke. Let it go,” Itachi murmured. He finally looked towards Sakura and Ino with a sympathetic smile. “It’s been an honor working with you two, but this is the right move for our target audience.”

“Shisui?” Sakura asked. “Maybe we should talk privately? I don’t understand what is happening right now.”

Finally, her boyfriend met her eyes. However, it was like looking at a stranger. His eyes were not warm with the affection she was used to seeing over the last three months of their whirlwind relationship. There was no teasing smile on his lips, and his shoulders were tense. “Sorry, Sak. It’s been real, but it’s time to move on.” He smirked, but his eyes were void of any emotion. “I’ll see you around, yeah?”

Sakura stepped back as if she’d been punched in the gut. Ino’s grip on her arm was bruising. “Keep it together and let’s get out of here,” Ino warned quietly in Sakura’s ear. “You can fall apart later. Don’t you dare let him have the satisfaction of seeing a single tear. I mean it.”

Sakura shrugged Ino off and strode towards Shisui. She grabbed the front of his new buttoned up shirt, causing one button to fly off and hit Itachi in the forehead and hauled him to his feet. Shisui’s dark eyes widened in surprise. “Explain yourself, Uchiha.”

Shisui gripped her hand and gently pried her fingers from his shirt. “I served ten years in the military, Sakura. I’ve been out for a little over six months. You’re a nice girl, but I’m not ready to settle down with anyone.” A brief flash of familiarity warmed those dark irises. “I’ve put my life on the line countless times for the Land of Fire. Don’t you think I deserve to have a little fun?”

Sakura released him as if his words had burned her. He didn’t think she was fun? He wasn’t taking this seriously? He wasn’t taking her seriously? She’d deferred her studies for him and this stupid band! She shook her head in disbelief and turned her back on him. With barely contained rage, she plucked up her guitar case and Ino secured her keyboard case over her shoulder. With Ino at her side, Sakura strode out of the lounge with her head held up high with a confidence she didn’t feel.

They’d made it halfway down the hall, when Sasuke caught up to Sakura. The tips of his ears were crimson, the only indication of his anger. “I’m so sorry, Sakura. I had no idea.” He ran his fingers through his dark, spiky hair, mussing it in the process. The look only made him look more handsome. Damn Uchiha men and their innate good looks! ”I don’t know what’s going on. Can I walk you two to your car?”

“I rode in with Shisui,” Sakura murmured, just realizing her predicament and feeling numb. “Ino, will you take me home?”

“Of course and we can pick up some mint ice cream and gorge ourselves until we feel better from the twenty-four hour market,” Ino suggested. “Maybe we can pick up some lactaid tablets just in case.” She held her stomach with a slight grimace. “Last time was a little rough.”

“Actually, wait, Tenten has her boyfriend over. Maybe my parents’ house?” Sakura pressed her thumb and index finger against her temples, trying to stop a migraine from forming. “That’s on the other side of town from you though.”

“I’ve got my truck,” Sasuke offered. “There is plenty of room for your guitar with my drum set.” He’d loaded it almost immediately after their performance. He was anal retentive about such things. Though, the fact that he took care of his possessions was a good thing. Sakura admired that about him. And frankly, he was the only Uchiha she could stomach at the moment, which was ironic considering her animosity towards him just a few months back.

“It’s up to you, Sakura,” Ino said quietly.

Sakura nodded. “Okay, then I’ll go with Sasuke. Thanks, Ino, but the idea of ice cream is making my stomach churn. We shouldn’t be miserable tonight and in the morning when we try to burn off those misbegotten calories.” She released her temples and winced. The familiar throbbing of a headache started.

“Alright,” Ino agreed. “I’ll come by your parents’ house in the morning then. I might go home to my parents place too. Nothing makes me feel better than a late night stroll through mom’s flower garden in the backyard.” She sighed with a wistful look on her face. “Jasmine is always more fragrant under the moonlight.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow then,” Sakura agreed, looping her arms around Ino’s shoulders in a solemn hug. “I’ll text you after I wake up so we can figure out breakfast.”

Ino nodded, stepping back. “Sure, Sakura, sure.” She wagged her finger at Sasuke. “Drive safe, Uchiha. Don’t make things worse for my best friend or I’ll find out where you live and hunt you down.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “Tone it down, Yamanaka. You’re mad at the wrong guy.” His expression softened slightly as he looked down at Sakura. “You want me to get your instrument?” He held his hand out.

Sakura shifted the weight of the guitar over her shoulders. “No, thanks. I appreciate the offer though,” she murmured.

“Alright,” Sasuke agreed. He nodded his head once at Ino and then set off in the opposite direction. Sakura fell into step alongside him, walking a bit faster to match his long-legged stride. “Kicked out of the band and broken up all in one evening.” She laughed. “Then saved by my former childhood crush.”

“You were more to me than a crush,” Sasuke pointed out, looking over at her briefly, something unreadable in his dark eyes. “I’d like to think we were friends then and now.”

“Semantics. Besides, friends would have kept in touch. You dropped me like a bad habit, Sasuke Uchiha,” she huffed. “I had to hear about you in tidbits from Naruto over the years.” The pounding in her temples started to come back. This was not the time to visit old feelings of abandonment with one Uchiha on top with the more current ones.

He said nothing to that. What could he say? “I’m glad you and Ino don’t call each other Pig and Forehead anymore,” Sasuke commented quietly.

“We’re not thirteen anymore and dropping those nicknames seemed the mature thing to do,” Sakura pointed out.

Sasuke scoffed. “Wish Naruto would stop calling me Bastard.”

Sakura snickered and then she reached up and pulled the scrunchie out of her high ponytail, letting her long hair fall down her shoulders. Maybe that would help the headache? “I just don’t get it. Everything seemed fine with Shisui earlier and then— this just seems to have come out of nowhere. We seemed fine this morning and even earlier this evening. It just started to get weird that last set on stage.”

“You are the longest relationship he’s ever had,” Sasuke said, looking down at her, his eyes narrowed in concern. He learned his throat. “He normally doesn’t make it past a few weeks and you two were together for fifteen months. Maybe you scared him.” Sasuke cleared his throat and looked away. “Or Orochimaru put ideas into his head and you didn’t fit neatly into the algorithm.”

How did Sasuke know how long they dated? Fifteen months was a hell of a lot more specific that she’d thought he would notice. “Shisui is ten years older than me, yet I felt that I was the more mature one of the two of us,” Sakura said. Though she should get used to not using the word ‘us’ when referring to Shisui. “I just, really thought he liked me.”

“Sometimes, like isn’t enough,” Sasuke said quietly. He gestured towards the familiar red pickup truck in the garage. “I’ve really enjoyed the last few months together. I always felt we made a good team, Sakura. Are we still good?”

Sakura looked up at the normally reserved man. “We’re still good, Sasuke.” They walked in silence as she followed him to his truck. He opened the passenger door for her and stood holding it open while she climbed inside. She set her guitar in the floorboard, propped against the console. “I appreciate you driving me to my parents? I think I’d like to stay with them for a few days. My roommate’s boyfriend is visiting from medical school between his rotations. I’d like to give them some privacy if possible.”

Sasuke nodded. He waited for her to secure her seatbelt and then he shut the door before he walked around to climb into the driver’s seat. “Sure.” He reached past her briefly for the glovebox and opened it, pulling out a bottle of naproxen. “For your headache.”

“Oh, thank you,” Sakura murmured, surprised that he’d noticed. She opened the bottle and palmed a tablet and tried to work on making enough saliva to dry swallow it.

“Here,” Sasuke said, pulling a dark blue reusable water bottle out of his door cupholder. “I’m not sick or anything.”

“Thanks,” Sakura said quietly, accepting the bottle. She tossed the headache medicine back and chased it with a generous swig from Sasuke’s water. This was the exact brand of pain relief medicine she preferred. Did he have the same preference? It wasn’t exactly a common brand. It was one that was imported from Suna. Surely, he didn’t happen to remember the headaches she got during that summer when her hormones were all in disarray. It was probably just a coincidence.

He’d started driving, so she just placed the bottle back into the glovebox and held on to the steel water bottle in the meantime. It was surprisingly cold even though it had to be sitting in his truck for at least a few hours. It probably had good conductivity. She remembered Sasuke wanting to studying engineering when they’d been younger. Was that still a passion of his? Why hadn’t she asked him?

Sasuke turned on the radio and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel absently, perfectly in sync with the music’s beat. “Are your parents still living next door to Naruto’s parents?”

“Yeah,” Sakura answered. “I wonder if he’s visiting them this weekend.” Sakura started to laugh and Sasuke turned towards her in concern. “It’s fine, really.” Sakura waved and then rubbed at her eyes. “I mean, what was I thinking? Twice now, I’ve fallen for an Uchiha only to realize my feelings were one-sided.”

“Sakura—,” Sasuke started.

“No, no, I don’t want to hear it, Sasuke. It’s fine,” Sakura protested. “It’s been years. I’m sure I’ll get over this latest heartbreak eventually. I should probably return to my medical studies anyway. Maybe it’s not too late to contact Suna’s program and start. It’s only a couple of weeks into the new semester. This rock band phase was fun, but that’s just it, it’s a phase.”

“You’re really talented,” Sasuke said quietly.

“And so are you,” Sakura said lightly tapping his shoulder. “I thought you were just a smart jock, but really you’re a musician at heart too.” She leaned back in the passenger seat to look out the window. “You always have such a good sense of rhythm.”

“Text Naruto. Tell him to go to his parents and that I’m with you and we’re heading that way. We can stay up late and play video games, like we used to that one summer,” Sasuke suggested. “I think Kakashi might even be there. He just finished his last military tour. He should be in the village for a few weeks.”

Sakura stared at him incredulous. “We’re not thirteen anymore, Sasuke. We don’t need a video game playing slumber party.” She laughed at the idea, though to be honest, it did sound sort of fun. “Besides, I’m a little old to be having a slumber party with boys.”

He glared at her once they stopped at a red-light. “What? You don’t still like video games? Besides, are your parents even home?” He narrowed his eyes. “And we’re men, not boys. I’m highly doubt it will be your first time staying the night with a man.”

She blushed at the implication, but she wasn’t about to admit to him that she had NOT in fact stayed the night with a man before. Things might have gotten a little close a few times, but she wouldn’t allow herself to be distracted by a man. It would be best to not address that particular can of worms. “Um, no, my parents are at a conference,” she said quietly. She had mentioned that a few days ago to the band during a practice session. How could she have forgotten? How did Sasuke even remember such a trivial detail?

“Then we’re staying the night with Naruto at his parents’ house,” Sasuke said decisively. “And we’re going to discuss the future of our band.”

“Your band. I just got kicked out,” Sakura reminded him glumly.

Sasuke started to drive again as the light turned green. “We’ll form a new band. If Shisui wants to do his own thing, we’ll let him. Itachi doesn’t really care, he’s just trying to be supportive.” He gestured between them with his right hand, keeping the left secure on the steering wheel. “Sing with me. This song playing now— Shallow. I’ll start.”

“Tell me something girl, are you happy in this modern world? Or do you need more? Is there something else you’re searching for? I’m longing for change,” Sasuke sang. He arched his dark eyebrow at her in challenge.

“Tell me something, boy,” Sakura sang, a faint smile on her lips as the words sprang from memory to her lips. This song! She remembered convincing the band to watch A Star is Born about a month back while they were sharing a hotel suite. “Aren’t you tired trying to fill that void? Or do you need more? I’m falling in — in all the good times I find myself longing for change and in the bad times I feel myself — I’m off the deep end. Watch as I dive in. We’re far from the Shallow now!”

Sasuke and Sakura grinned faintly at each other as their voices blended in unison for the final chorus. “In the shallow, in the shallow, in the shallow we’re far from the shallow now.”

“Wow,” Sakura whispered as the song continued with the instrumental portion while Sasuke hummed. He stopped humming and turned down the volume from the controls on the steering wheel. “You’re an amazing singer.” He was actually better than both Shisui and Itachi.

“Yeah, wow. Our voices are extremely complimentary together,” Sasuke pointed out. “You remember your favorite band from that summer? The one with the male lead guitarist and the female drummer were the two primary singers? Skillet?” He gestured between them again. “We can do that.”

“You hate singing in front of people,” Sakura whispered.

Sasuke turned towards her sharply, his dark eyes flashing with determination. “I do. However, I’d do it for you, Sakura.”

“We’d still need a bass guitarist and while I can play lead guitar, I prefer rhythm,” Sakura said, considering the idea. She’d played lead more than she would have wanted over these last few months.

“I have a couple of friends — a couple I used to hang out with back at boarding school,” Sasuke said, a faint smile on his lips. “I’d ask Naruto, but he can’t sing and he has no rhythm.”

Sakura punched his shoulder gently, but he grimaced. Maybe she punched harder than she realized. “Naruto can rap and he can belt out lyrics to certain rock songs. And he has rhythm. He’s just as good at playing lead guitar as I am. Minato and Kakashi taught both of us.”

“Well there you go, we can ask him tonight,” Sasuke pointed out. “We know we perform well together. We did that night at the bar, remember?”

She could hardly forget that impromptu performance. It had gotten a great deal of donations to the orphanage. “I don’t know, Sasuke. Your brother and Shisui are relying on you,” Sakura protested.

“I’m not planning to be living as a musician all my life, Sakura. Eventually, I’ll want to finish at the Police Academy and you’ll want to complete your medical program.” Sasuke turned down the familiar residential neighborhood where Sakura and Naruto’s parents lived. “This is supposed to be fun. Playing with you is fun. Itachi and Shisui are big boys and besides my cousin Obito also plays drums. They can ask him if they want to do the All Boy Band deal.” He turned towards Sakura sharply. “They didn’t ask my opinion when they decided to kick you and Ino out of the band. I don’t feel I owe them much explanation for my choosing to leave.”

When they parked on the driveway, right underneath the old basketball hoop, the floodlights were switched on and Naruto raced outside to see them. He wore one of his usual graphic black t-shirt’s and orange athletic shorts. Today’s shirt had a nine-tailed fox on it.

The moment they were out of the truck, he crushed the two of them into a hug. “I’ve got the media room all arranged and I checked the closet and there’s fresh sheets for the sleeper sofa, Sakura-chan. And Sasuke and I have sleeping bags. Sorry, the guest room is out, since Kakashi’s back home for the next month at least. I’d wake him, but he looked really exhausted at dinner. Oh! Ma and Pa prepared snacks and refreshments. And you can sleep in one of my old t-shirts, Sakura-chan and we can wash your stuff. Unless you have like extra stuff at your parents, because it’s next door, you know?”

“I have extra clothes too,” Sasuke interjected. “And my shirts aren’t black or orange. And they’re soft.” He cleared his throat. “And they smell like fresh rain fabric softener and not like stale ramen.”

Sakura laughed, feeling strangely eager to stay up late with these two men. While her halter top had been great for performing on stage, she felt a little exposed now. “Unfortunately, I don’t have any spare clothes at my parents’ house that fit. And since Sasuke’s shirt won’t smell like ramen, I’ll borrow his. Thank you, though, Naruto. I really appreciate you having us over. I’ll have Ino bring some extra clothes for me tomorrow.”

“Pshesh, ramen smells great,” Naruto muttered. “So what’s going on? Why are you both here?” He pulled them back to him in another hug.

“We’re starting a band,” Sasuke answered, ducking away from Naruto.

“Oh? Aren’t you already in a band?” Naruto asked, scratching the back of his head. “I hope you don’t want me to join. I can’t sing — you know that.”

The three of them entered the house, kicked off their shoes and placed them in the shoe cabinet in the front foyer. Sakura had her guitar and Sasuke his duffle as they followed Naruto to the basement media room. A drum set was covered in the back and a six and four string guitar were secured in the cabinet from Minato and Kushina’s musical days.

Sasuke handed Sakura a soft, blue t-shirt before he stretched out in the recliner. Sakura faced away from the guys and slipped off her halter top and pulled the shirt over her head. She discreetly took a big whiff and smiled at Sasuke’s familiar scent of fresh rain laundry detergent and a faint touch of cinnamon he always seemed to smell like. Avoiding Sasuke’s curious stare, Sakura sat on the arm of the sofa and Naruto stretched out across the sofa next to her. He gestured towards the gaming controllers and large television on the far wall. “For later. We can play whatever. So what’s the deal with the band? Did you two come straight here from the concert?”

“Shisui and Itachi decided to switch to an All Boy Band genre,” Sasuke explained. “So, we are starting our own group. It will be me, Sakura, Ino, Suigetsu and Karin,” Sasuke answered shifting his dark gaze between Naruto and Sakura. “Suigetsu can play lead guitar and Karin plays bass. Their singing voices are only a little better than Naruto’s, so the lyrics will fall upon me, Sakura, and Ino.”

“I kinda want Naruto in the band too. He can play a six-string just as well as I can and if there’s any rapping or angry screaming lyrics, no one is better than him,” Sakura argued. “And I mean— six people is pretty big for a band. I think we could probably get away with percussion, keys, lead and rhythm for most of the songs we’d play.”

“I’ll be around. I’ll play bass,” Kakashi offered, standing on the lower stairs leading into the basement. “Five people — the perfect sized roster.”

“Oh! Crap! I’m so sorry, Kakashi! We didn’t mean to wake you!” Naruto cried out.

Kakashi was suddenly beside him on the sofa, hand over Naruto’s mouth and holding him in a headlock like only older brothers were capable of. “Quiet! Use your inside voice, Naruto,” Kakashi hissed. He glanced over at Sakura and Sasuke and smiled in his eye-crease smile they both remembered from their youth. “Good to see you two again. It’s been far too long.”

“Kakashi, it’s good to see you,” Sakura said, smiling shyly and glad she was wearing Sasuke’s over-sized shirt and not her halter top.

“Nice to see you again, Sakura,” Kakashi said reaching over and ruffling her hair like she was a little kid and earning a scowl. He looked over at Sasuke and tapped his throat. “I suffered some damage from smoke inhalation, so I can’t help with vocals.”

“Not a problem,” Sasuke murmured. He closed his eyes and let out a relieved sigh. “Welcome to the band, Kakashi.”
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Chapter Text

Sakura
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The video game playing went like it always did before, even though years had passed since the four of them had played together. Sasuke was quietly intense, his eyes narrowed and body leaned forward with muscles tensed in anticipation. Naruto button mashing, his thumbs flying rapidly over the controller while he taunted about impending victories. Kakashi was completely chill, half-asleep looking with his heavily lidded eyes focused on the screen, with barely any effort, he would use a few special moves to win in his Vs matches quickly. Sakura had shifted to the floor, sitting lotus style and chewing on her bottom lip in concentration while she studied the screen and tried to focus on destroying the virtual environment, disrupting the flow of her opponents.

Currently, she had just thrown a piece of furniture on the sparring match through the scene’s wall and caused the building to collapse on top of Naruto’s character.

“As destructive as I remember,” Sasuke murmured, his deep voice surprising her in its proximity.

Sakura turned towards him to say something, surprised by the feel of his silky, inky hair that brushed her cheek. They were suddenly eye-to-eye and onyx clashed with jade. “Its an effective technique,” Sakura whispered.

Sasuke’s gaze flickered between her eyes and lips. “Sure it is,” he agreed with a faint smirk before leaning back.

Sakura redirected her attention to the screen, only to see Naruto had caught her character into a combination attack. She sighed. Was Sasuke just distracting her to help Naruto?

“Sorry,” Sasuke whispered. He snatched the controller from her numb hands and performed a complicated reverse technique and then locked Naruto into an unbreakable attack. He handed the controlled back to Sakura just in time for her to land one more punch that knocked out Naruto’s character.

“Aw man!” Naruto whined. “I thought I really had you there, Sakura-chan!” Bright blue eyes turned towards the couch and Naruto frowned, noticing the proximity of the two of them.

“I think I’ve had enough violence for the night,” Kakashi interrupted. “Good night. I’ll see you kids in the morning for practice.” He looked pointedly at Naruto. “You know, you have a perfectly fine bedroom upstairs. Why don’t you let the two of them have some time alone?”

“Huh?” Naruto gathered the controllers and turned off the gaming console. He turned towards Sakura and Sasuke when Kakashi continued upstairs. “Do you guys want me to leave?” He rubbed at his eyes and yawned. He’d worked an extra shift at his father’s office earlier that day. “I’m not that tired.”

“You do look like you could use a good night’s sleep,” Sakura worried. She stood from the couch and laid the back of her hand across Naruto’s forehead. He felt normal temperature, but those dark circles under his eyes spoke volumes.

“You can have my room if you want,” Naruto offered.

Sasuke cleared his throat. “You want her to navigate the landmines of your room?”

“Oh, eh,” Naruto laughed nervously and scratched his cheek absently. “It’s not the cleanest, but to be fair I’ve spent most of my time at my apartment, so….”

“And you snore,” Sasuke added. He rubbed at his own ear pointedly. “Loudly. I need a good night’s sleep too.”

“I have those nasal breathing strips,” Naruto pouted. “It’s not that bad.”

Sakura smiled faintly, feeling a bit pleased since she’s the one that introduced Naruto to those strips. She hugged him. “Thank you for opening up your house to us, Naruto. I could just go home next door.”

Naruto hugged her back. “No way. You’re not sleeping alone in that big empty house. Don’t you remember?” His bright eyes flashed with worry. “What about Mr Ukki?”

Sakura was about to protest, when Sasuke interrupted.

“Mr Ukki?” Sasuke demanded.

“The ghost,” Naruto explained. “It would scratch at the walls at night and there would be these smells sometimes.” He shuddered.

Sakura rolled her eyes. “Mr Ukki ended up being a rat that got into the walls and had a little family. The pest control agency took care of that three years ago, Naruto. It was never a ghost.”

“I don’t know, it sounds like you shouldn’t risk it,” Sasuke said quietly.

Sakura turned towards him in surprise. Did he want her alone with him? Why would he choose her over his brother and cousin? “I’ll just sleep on the pullout sofa, like planned.” She gestured towards the sofa. “Sheets are still in the linen closet, right?”

Naruto nodded. “Alright, fine. I’ll sleep in my room.” He grabbed hold of Sasuke’s shirt front and pulled him close. “No funny business, Uchiha.” He released him and smiled from ear to ear before leaving the two of them alone.

Sakura brushed her hands over her borrowed shirt— Sasuke’s borrowed shirt. “I’ll just go get the linens,” she murmured. There was a half bath in the basement level and a small cabinet with fresh towels and bedding. She washed her face and pulled out the drawer to the vanity and found spare toothbrushes and paste. After brushing her teeth and clutching the sheets to her chest she re-entered the media room. It was just her and Sasuke now.

“There is extra toothpaste and toothbrushes in the bathroom,” Sakura said, moving towards the sofa. Sasuke had already pulled it into the opened position. It was a big sleeper sofa.

“Ah. I’ll brush my teeth after I help you make up the bed,” Sasuke offered.

They worked in tandem, saying nothing, securing the sheets over the mattress and then spreading the top sheet over it. Sasuke handed her the throw blanket and then went past her to the bathroom to fresh up himself.

Sakura had stripped out of her daisy duke ripped shorts and halter-top shortly after arriving to Naruto’s. She still wore her under shorts and the shirt she borrowed from Sasuke. The shirt fell pretty low on her thighs, so, she decided to be brave and stripped out of her shorts and panties. She needed to ‘breathe’ down there.

She folded her clothes up and placed them on the bottom shelf of the coffee table and slipped under the sheets. They were cool and silky against her bare legs. She stiffened slightly at the sound of the bathroom door opening and Sasuke walking back towards her.

He was still wearing the sweatpants he’d put on once they got to Naruto’s, but he’d taken off his shirt and held it folded neatly in his hands. He noticed her pile of discarded clothing and set his next to it under the coffee table. He unrolled the sleeping bag and set it out on the floor near the sofa. He looked over at her briefly.

“Are you okay?”

Sakura shivered, not really sure if it was from the chill in the room or something else. “I’m alright. I’m just a little cold.”

Sasuke frowned and looked down at his sleeping bag for a moment before he strode towards the bed and spread it across the mattress and Sakura. “The house is on one temperature setting. It’s always coldest in the basement and since Aunt Kushina is at that time in her life, Uncle Minato won’t dare adjust the temperature.” He started for the recliner.

“Wait,” Sakura called, sitting up and clutching the warmer covers over her chest in the process. “We can share, okay? It’s a big bed. We’re both adults.”

Sasuke’s dark eyes met hers. Then he nodded and slipped into the sheets beside her, they laid facing one another. “Mr Ukki, huh?”

Sakura groaned. “Kakashi named him. I was spending the night here because the scratching was so loud and my parents were at a conference. Naruto had a scheduled FaceTime call with Kakashi while he was overseas. I told them both the whole story. I had Dad call the pest control the next day and the ghost ended up being a family of rodents.”

“If you had a cat, you wouldn’t have had that problem,” Sasuke pointed out, his eyes twinkling in amusement.

“I wish,” Sakura sighed. She’d always wanted a pet, but her mother was allergic — or so she said — to cats and dogs. Sasuke’s bangs fell over his eyes and Sakura reached over and brushed the unruly hair behind his ear. “Sorry,” she mumbled.

“It’s okay,” Sasuke rumbled closing his eyes.

“I still can’t believe you’d choose us over your brother,” Sakura whispered. Her breath hitched, the feelings of confusion from the abrupt end of the last few months status quo threatening to overwhelm her.

Sasuke sighed and opened his eyes, stared back at her intently. “It wasn’t necessarily that I chose you over my brother. I chose me.”

“Oh.” Sakura felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment. She was such an idiot! “Right, I —never mind.”

“No, we should talk. You don’t seem to understand.” Sasuke stared at her a moment longer before he continued. “Itachi has always followed after Shisui’s lead. Itachi was always the best at everything — first in class, captain of his sports teams— just like Shisui was a few years before. I was expected to perform just the same — I was first in my class too and captain more often than not. I always wanted to go into the police force, but Itachi he wanted to be more involved academically —either a professor or a lawyer. He’s the reason I was sent to Boarding school. When Itachi had been in high school, he’d gotten involved with a gang — the Akatsuki. To spare me a similar experience, he convinced our parents to send me abroad. I didn’t get a choice in the matter.”

He blew out a frustrated breath. “You know that song, Numb? That explains our relationship perfectly.”

“Maybe we should play it for him,” Sakura suggested.

“Maybe we should,” Sasuke mused with a faint smile. “It is a pretty fun song to jam out to and it wouldn’t be the first time I sang it while playing the drum part. Rob Bourdon is one of my favorites.”

Sakura ran her finger through her long braid. “I don’t get it though. I understand why you were sent to Boarding school. Why didn’t you write me?” Sakura asked.

“I didn’t think you’d want me to,” Sasuke answered, his brow furrowed with confusion. “But, even so, I did write you once.”

“What? I don’t believe you,” Sakura whispered, shaking her head, propping herself up on her elbow to stare down at him.

“It’s true. It came back ‘Return to Sender’ with an angry note from your father saying not to harass you,” Sasuke said with a grimace.

Sakura remembered the end of that summer, she’d been devastated, crying for days in her room. She remembered telling her dad how much she hated Sasuke Uchiha for disregarding her feelings.

“It was just bad timing,” Sasuke said sadly. “You kissed me and I didn’t have the guts to tell you I was leaving in the morning. I wanted to enjoy our time together.”

“It was a good kiss,” Sakura admitted. “For a sloppy first kiss anyway.”

“It was my first too,” Sasuke assured her. “And I don’t think it was sloppy. It was sweet.”

“I’m sure you’ve had plenty of practice to improve your skills,” Sakura said rolling her eyes and shifting to lay on her back and stare at the ceiling. She didn’t want to see his face as he confirmed just how much experience he’d gained over their years apart. She’d literally only kissed one other person since him and it had not ended well-- earlier that evening in fact.

“You’d be surprised to find that a sullen personality doesn’t seem to attract too many romantic interests. What about you? You’re a beautiful girl, Sakura. You always have been.”

Sakura scoffed. “I played a few games of spin the bottle, but nothing more than a peck on the cheek. The idea of someone else’s lips on me made me nauseated,” Sakura admitted. When she glanced over at him he was smirking. “Oh you weren’t that impressionable.”

“You were,” Sasuke said quietly, leaning close to her, his hand cradling the side of her face. Then his lips were gently pressed against hers.

Sakura gasped into the kiss and felt Sasuke probing into her mouth and she opened for him, tangling their tongues together. She melted against him, her arms around his torso, hands splayed across his shoulder blades as her front fit against his hard planes.

Sasuke’s hands drifted from her waist, down to her buttocks and he stopped as his hands stilled on the bare flesh. He pulled back, breathing heavily, pupils dilated. “Are you trying to kill me?” Sasuke asked, his voice hoarse and Sakura became very aware of the growing bulge against her belly.

Sakura started to scramble, wanting to run to the bathroom in embarrassment, but Sasuke’s grip was unbreakable. He wasn’t going to allow her to hide. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath and slowly exhaled it before he looked at her again with an intensity in his gaze.

“I’m sorry, Sasuke. I haven’t exactly been thinking straight tonight,” Sakura whispered. She felt the crippling ball of anxiety forming in her gut. She was about to continue with various excuses for why they were half-naked in bed together.

“I know you and my cousin weren’t serious, Sakura,” Sasuke interrupted. “And I can see your mind spiraling right now.” His hands began to loosen their grip, his thumbs kneaded her flesh softly. “I have always been serious about you, Sakura.”

A shiver raced down Sakura’s spine as Sasuke’s hands were pure magic on her. She smiled shyly at him and he smiled back.

Sasuke released her backside and ran his hands down her arms before gripping her fingers, holding their hands in front of them and creating just a little distance. “And maybe I did leave the band for you too,” he confessed. He brought her hands to his lips and kissed her knuckles gently. “But our first time together is not going to be in the basement of Naruto’s parents’ house.”

Sakura giggled at the ridiculous turn of the conversation. She could still feel his length pressed against her but it was softening at his declaration. The man had impeccable will-power, but she was looking forward to being the one to make Sasuke Uchiha lose his cool.

She turned her focus to his arms. He had tattoos — three of them on his arms — lightning, a hawk and a pair of cherries. “When did you get these?”

“Over the past year,” Sasuke murmured. “Got the hawk on my birthday last year — I thought it was cool. They’re efficient birds of prey and majestic creatures. My friends Suigetsu and Jugo had the same ones. Then when I graduated, I got the lightning one.”

Sakura traced her finger down his right arm until she got to the underside of his wrist. It was a painful spot for a tattoo, the skin was extremely sensitive there. “And the cherries?”

Sasuke was silent for a long time and she was afraid he’d fallen asleep. He cleared his throat. “For you. Shortly after you joined the band. It was a reminder that sometimes something sweet can be painful too.”

She remembered him wearing a bandage on his right forearm for about a week after Shisui first asked her out. He usually wore wraps around that arm. She had been so blinded. The boy she loved had been right there, returning her affections, but she’d been too distracted to see it!

“Good night, Sasuke,” she whispered, but he’d already fallen asleep.
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OoO

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Sasuke
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For the last several days, Sasuke had practically moved in to the Uzumaki-Namikaze household with Naruto, Sakura, Ino and Kakashi working on a playlist of their favorite rock bands. He contacted his Uncle Madara to work on the logistics of acquiring the rights to the songs they wanted to cover.

The group even toyed with the idea of playing some original music. With five creative, very different minds working together, they came up with quite an interesting hodgepodge. He had texted Suigetsu and Karin, but the two were unfortunately busy with a previous engagement in Kirigakure. He also texted Jugo and let him know that his friends were very complimentary to the tattoo work he'd done on him. His old friend offered a discount to his new friends, but Sasuke kept that to himself. His Konoha friends were all too straight-laced for tattoos. His old Hawk gang promised to catch up for a jam session in the future though. Sasuke was eager to introduce his Konoha friends with his old group from boarding school.

He only somewhat regretted not making love with Sakura that first night. It would have been fun, but he wanted their first time together to be memorable for all the right reasons. It had been nice to have her feelings for him confirmed, but it was too soon after her breakup and he wanted their friendship to grow first. He was not about to screw up his chances this time around.

Every time Sakura looked at him with affection in those jade eyes or a smile on her rosette colored lips, he knew he made the right decision. He also wasn’t blind to the knowing looks that Naruto and Ino kept sharing or the not-so subtle hints Kakashi kept dropping.

Sasuke played a simple beat on the drums while Sakura sat next to him in a chair, her back close to his, strumming on the guitar as they worked on the rhythm of a song. The vocals included a male and female duet and they were more focused on blending their voices than their instruments.

They just — worked together. Their voices were harmonious and they understood the rhythm and complimented each others’ strengths and weaknesses.

“That was beautiful!” Ino cried out.

“Thanks,” Sakura replied, her cheeks pink and a shy smile on her lips as she met Sasuke’s gaze.

He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket again, but ignored it. “Want to try it again?”

Sakura nodded.

Sasuke did not answer the text messages from his brother and cousin. It wasn’t until late in the afternoon of their fifth day, when Minato entered the basement media room with a tray full of refreshments and a sheepish expression, that Sasuke noticed the angry duo standing behind him.

“You didn’t tell them?” Sakura whispered, leaning close to Sasuke. They’d been sitting next to each other, knees pressed together, her long hair brushing over his forearm while working on lyrics.

“I’ve been busy.” Sasuke shrugged. He set down his pencil and rose from his seat, annoyed to be interrupted. With a carefully schooled expression of boredom he approached the stairway where his family lingered. “How did you know I was here?”

“Uncle Madara told us,” Itachi answered, frowning. “We need to work on our new sets, make our adjustments.”

Sasuke leaned against the wall. “Your band no longer concerns me. I assume Uncle Madara suggested you ask Obito to take over the drums.”

“He did say something to that effect,” Shisui murmured, looking over Sasuke’s shoulder towards a particular guitarist.

Sasuke shifted to block his view. “Look, I’ve only got a few more months before I go back to the Police Academy. I don’t want to spend that time working for someone like Orochimaru. I want to have a little fun with my friends.”

“I thought we were having fun,” Shisui protested, an easy smile on his lips.

“I thought so too. Until you decided to drop half the band,” Sasuke said, folding his arms over his chest. “You don’t need me.” He leaned forward staring down his cousin. “I need them though.”

“We understand,” Itachi said and reached over to lay his hand gently over Sasuke’s shoulder. “We’re naturally disappointed. I had hoped to continue to play with you.”

“We could tour together?” Shisui suggested. “Your group could open for us?” He straightened suddenly.

“What’s up Captain Uchiha?” Kakashi greeted, suddenly at Sasuke’s side. “Is there a problem?”

“No problem, Commander Hatake,” Shisui answered. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Oh? It is my parents’ house.” Kakashi covered his mouth with an exaggerated yawn. “I’m going on a caffeine run. You want anything, Bastard?”

Sasuke growled. “Seriously? You too? Naruto’s bad enough.”

Kakashi grinned. “But you’re so cute when you’re flustered!”

Itachi chuckled and then quickly cleared his throat when Sasuke glared at him. “We’ll ask Obito, but maybe we should consider touring together. There’s only a three week break before we’re supposed to hit the road again.” He gestured towards Sasuke’s friends. “Do you really think you’ll be ready by then?”

“We’ll be good. You should be more concerned about yourself and Obito,” Kakashi interrupted before Sasuke could speak. “Why don’t I show you two out? I’ll remind Sasuke to text you later, mmkay?”

Sasuke snorted in amusement as he watched Naruto’s older brother drag out his his older brother and cousin. Feeling a weight lifted off his shoulders, he returned to his spot next to Sakura.

“Are you okay?” Sakura asked.

Sasuke touched his fingertips to the side of her face, smirked faintly when she leaned into his hand. He pressed his lips against her forehead. He wanted to kiss her, but it had been ingrained into his very core to keep passion and affection limited to behind closed doors. They would have plenty of time for that later.

“Ugh! Get a room, you two!” Naruto complained loudly, throwing a pillow at their heads.

Sasuke caught the projectile one-handed. “Idiot,” he growled, tossing the pillow back.

“Bastard,” Naruto snapped. The two glared at each other before Naruto started to cackle. “Hey, Ino, let’s work on that piece now.”

“Yeah, sure,” Ino agreed, tossing her long ponytail over her shoulder.

Sakura shoved the notebook under Sasuke’s face. “What do you think?”

He studied the notes she’d written and drummed his fingers to the beat while nodding his head. “Yeah, that works. That works real well,” Sasuke murmured. Without really thinking he ran his fingers through the length of her pale pink hair. “I used to love those little cat ear phones you’d wear. You should wear them again for our performance.”

“Yeah? I think I will. You remember the set I bought you for your birthday those years ago?” Sakura asked.

“I still have them,” Sasuke admitted. “They still work.”

Sakura stared at him in silence, her mouth slightly ajar. Sasuke used his index finger to gently close her mouth with a slight push under her jaw.

“Do you want me to make you a set for our song?” Sakura asked.

Sasuke smirked. “You always wanted a pet cat,” he teased.
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OoO

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Sasuke
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He wasn’t sure how he let his bandmates talk him into revealing who his tattoo artist was, but here they were in Jugo’s Ink Shop-- that he inherited from his uncle, looking over stencils. Kakashi had driven and the entire band quintet had shown up. Kakashi was already sitting in a chair, having an old tattoo on his chest — the face of a pug — touched up and brightened.

Naruto and Ino were hunched over the sample book, indecisive about what to get. Ino was likely going to get a purple iris and Naruto a nine-tailed fox. They were just waiting for their turn.

Sasuke sat next to Sakura, holding her left hand. “Are you sure?”

She nodded. “I’m sure.”

“Are you ready?” Jugo asked. He’d already used the stencil to draw out the outlines for a small black cat on her right inner wrist — the same location Sasuke had his cherry tattoo.

Sakura squeezed Sasuke’s hand and nodded. “Ready,” she said, eyes bright with determination.

Jugo’s gaze flickered up to meet Sasuke’s. They’d been friends for a long time and he knew what he was asking. For a tattoo artist, Jugo was incredibly sensitive to people’s pain. “If she says, she’s ready, she’s ready,” Sasuke agreed.

He watched with his jaw clenched tight as Sakura sat through the process without flenching. He was impressed by her resilience, but also not surprised. When it was over, she smiled up at him and breathed a sigh of relief.

“I finally have my cat,” Sakura said.

Sasuke nodded. He couldn’t help but notice the cat somehow had an uncanny resemblance to himself. He helped her stand and slipped his arm around her waist, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head. “Yes, you do.”
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Chapter Text

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Sakura
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“Do—a deer a female deer, Ra — a drop of golden sun, Me — a name I call myself, Fa — a long, long way to run, So—,” Sakura was singing the scale’s solfège, while adjusting and tuning the tension on her guitar’s strings.

She didn’t have Ino’s ear for hearing a song once and being able to play it back on the piano, but it didn’t take her long to understand music. Her analytical mind and eidetic memory allowed her to learn songs quickly and make adjustments to suit her needs. She was quite good at ad-libbing and playing something on the fly — their whole quintet was.

Ino was in the back of the dressing room, currently trying to squeeze into a pair of glittery purple skin-tight leggings. “Julie Andrews you are not, Sakura, but it’s a good key.” Ino grimaced as she managed to secure the leggings before breathing a sigh of relief. “Tonight’s show is sold out. It’s not a huge auditorium, but the club is a moderate size. Sasuke said the acoustics are to die for,” she continued.

“Well, let’s hope it doesn’t come to audience members dying.” Sakura finished with the final adjustment of her guitar. She hadn’t seen Sasuke in a couple of hours, not since she saw his family hovering about him. She didn’t want to be involved in anymore Uchiha drama. There was only one Uchiha she was interested in associating with and he was averse to drama. While their friends knew of their relationship, they kept it private otherwise. Even Sasuke’s beloved older brother Itachi didn’t know.

“You’re so dramatic,” Ino said, tossing her hair brush at Sakura.

She caught it with her free hand and scowled at her friend. “Watch it!” The door to their dressing room opened suddenly, startling both women. “Hey!” Sakura called out, throwing the brush at the intruder.

Naruto rushed inside and slammed shut the door. He barely managed to bat away the brush before he was panting, resting with his hands over his knees and leaning forward. “Sorry, I just got mauled by a fangirl.” He straightened and grinned at them both, a very evident tear in the collar of his black graphic t-shirt with a bowl of ramen on prominent display on the front.

“Ramen, Naruto? Really? A tear in that shirt is an improvement,” Ino scoffed.

“Oh no!” Sakura rushed to his side to inspect the shirt. She wasn’t a big fan of the shirt either, but she knew he loved it. The rip was conveniently located near the center of his belly, revealing a glimpse of the Uzumaki swirl tattoo on his belly. “You want another rip so you can show off the fox tattoo?”

“Hm, that’s not a bad idea,” Naruto mused. He started to rip off his sleeve, but Sakura stilled his hands and neatly rolled up the sleeve, revealing his toned biceps and the vibrant orange tattoo.

“I’ll grab a couple of safety pins to hold it in place,” Sakura murmured. She scrambled back to her purse and pulled out her little emergency sewing kit. She’d seen too man live performances over the years where singers suffered wardrobe emergencies. When duct-tape couldn’t solve a problem, usually safety pins could. She returned to Naruto with the pins clenched between her teeth as she secured his sleeves in the rolled up position.

“Ah, that’s a better idea.” Naruto agreed, watching her with his intense electric blue eyes. He shoved his hands into his front pockets. “So, what are you two talking about?” He grinned with his happy-go-lucky attitude firmly in place.

“Audience members dying,” Ino deadpanned.

“No way!” Naruto’s eyes bulged in dismay. “Say! Did Sakura-chan tell you about the time she did CPR on me and saved my life? I knocked myself unconscious diving into a swimming pool when I misjudged the distance.” He pulled Sakura into a fierce hug. “She saved my life! I’m the first of many for when she becomes a famous surgeon!”

Sakura felt her cheeks heat up under the praise. “I still can’t believe you dived into the shallow end.” For a moment, in her mind she flashed back to the duet with Sasuke in his truck, singing the song Shallow. She shook her head, clearing those wayward thoughts and scowled at her good friend. “You could have died!”

“Yeah, I know, that’s why you saved my life,” Naruto said, scratching the top of his head, mussing his sunny blond hair more than usual. “It was an accident and I haven’t touched a drop of my parents’ liquor since then.” He picked up Sakura’s guitar and played a few chords absently. “So, you’re playing rhythm tonight and you want me on lead?”

“Yeah,” Sakura agreed, standing in front of Naruto and carefully mussing his hair in the carefree dashing style, rather than the I just rolled out of bed and couldn’t find my brush way. Once satisfied, she snatched her guitar back out of his hands. Naruto might have been like her family, but that didn’t mean she wanted him touching her guitar. One should never play someone else’s instrument without permission. “Except for the duet,” Sakura explained. “I’ll need lead on that one.”

“The duet you’re singing with Sasuke,” Ino said, batting her heavily mascaraed eyelashes suggestively.

Naruto was also sporting a mischievous grin. “I can’t wait to hear it.” He stretched out on the couch in the dressing room and yawned. “We still have twenty minutes, so I’m just going to take a power nap, alright?”

“Why don’t you take a nap in your own dressing room?” Sakura snapped. “This is supposed to be the girl’s room.” She stared at the couch forlornly. She had intended to take a power nap herself.

“Hey, I appreciate women,” Naruto protested. “And if you ladies need to actually get naked or something I’ll just close my eyes. Besides, Sasuke’s family showed up — they’re in the guy’s dressing room. Kakashi’s keeping things cool, but it still was too awkward for my taste. I forgot how irritating Obito’s laugh could be. I swear he was a super villain in another life.”

“And you left Sasuke to fend for himself?” Ino asked in disapproval, hands on hips.

“Eh, he has Kakashi?” Naruto argued weakly.

“Are they still trying to convince Sasuke to rejoin them?” Sakura asked, chewing on her lower lip. She was still somewhat surprised that Sasuke chose them over his family. Though, she knew he cared about them — a lot. Maybe even more than cared, but she didn’t want to make assumptions. Though, she’d catch him looking at her. And they’d shared some magical kisses that night at Naruto’s basement and she’d wanted to kiss him since then, but she wanted him to be the one to chase her. She was done chasing boys. Though, Sasuke did have a tattoo of cherry blossoms on his wrist representing her and she had a black cat on her wrist representing him. She glanced down at it briefly smiling as the tattoo peeking out at her from underneath her bangles. Wasn’t that better than a few stolen kisses?

She and Sasuke worked well together when it came to writing music, working out the chords and lyrics. They seemed to intuitively understand one another.

“Yeah, but Sasuke wasn’t interested,” Naruto explained. “He’s mostly giving them dirty looks and Kakashi’s trying to convince them to leave, so as not to interrupt our performance.” He met Sakura’s eyes and frowned. “He’s worried that they’ll upset you.”

It had been several months since their original band had split and the Amaterasu had formed. “Honestly, I’m not sure I would care anymore,” Sakura admitted. She moved to join Naruto on the couch. “Move over.” He shifted down so that he could settled his head on her lap and prop his ankles over the arm of the couch. His long ripped black jeans clad legs seemed to stretch for miles and his custom-made bright orange converse sneakers bounced up and down to a rhythm only he heard. The boy was boundless energy. “I’ve never had more fun than these last few months with our group.”

“Well, the Amaterasu is pretty badass,” Naruto pointed out . He gestured towards Ino. “I still think if you wore a sun crown it would really sell the idea that we’re representing the sun goddess.”

Ino tossed her long, high ponytail over her shoulder. “No thanks.”

Naruto’s face creased into an easy smile. “I’d be happy to worship you.”

Sakura flicked his ear, earning a frown from the man-child in her lap. “Behave,” she hissed.

He rolled his eyes. “Yes, Mom!”
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OoO

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Sasuke
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He tapped his drumsticks on the table idly while his brother and cousins once again tried to convince him to tour with their group. Thankfully, Kakashi didn’t mind telling them to shove it where the sun didn’t shine. Sasuke could handle confrontations, but he preferred to avoid them. People tended to be so dramatic— especially people in his family.

“Thanks for that,” Sasuke murmured. “They’re becoming annoying,” he said once the trio had been ushered out of their dressing room by security. Some of Kakashi’s old war buddies had been hired once their popularity started to grow — Guy, Genma, and Tenzo. More often than not, they seemed to be around mostly to share war stories with Kakashi and drink beer. But they occasionally proved their worth — like this evening.

“Some people don’t recognize a good thing until its gone,” Kakashi explained. He picked up his guitar and strapped it over his shoulders. “Jiraiya is going to be here tonight. He’s wanting to talk to us after the show about a tour and a record deal.”

“Who?” Sasuke asked.

“An old friend of Minato’s,” Kakashi explained. “He and Orochimaru are rivals. He’s always enjoyed besting the other man.”

“You think you might stick around long enough to consider a tour?” Sasuke asked. He was under the impression that Kakashi was just passing through.

“I haven’t had this much fun in a long time,” Kakashi said quietly. “And I don’t have to kill anybody. It seems like a win-win.” His dark eyes met Sasuke’s. “What about you?”

“It has been fun. And I cannot stand Orochimaru. I’m not above letting someone’s spite get me ahead,” Sasuke confessed smirking. He glanced at the clock on the wall. “Let’s go.” He twirled his sticks and then shoved them into the back pocket of his stonewashed jeans to make their way towards the stage.

They found their other three bandmates standing back stage and Sasuke could only stare. He’d spent most of the last few weeks in Sakura’s company and when they weren’t together they texted all the time. They’d only kissed that one night — but boy had he been tempted. She was distracting and he found himself disarmed by her time and time again. Tonight, seeing her was especially potent and looking at her standing there so confidently and happily, it made his breath catch. Then, as if feeling his stare, Sakura turned towards him, her jade eyes wide in concern.

She rushed over towards him, the back of her hand against his forehead. “Are you okay? You look pale,” she worried, her cool, gentle hand caressing his face.

“I’m always pale,” Sasuke said, catching her hand and lacing their fingers together. Sakura’s long hair was styled in two playful braids, her skin-tight red dress reminded him of just how fit she was, and those legs. He’d always been a sucker for those legs of hers. He cradled the side of her face and dipped his head down to brush his lips against hers. He should have been kissing her all along. When she responded, he deepened the kiss, enjoying the way she melted against him. Then he pulled back, satisfied by the plumpness of her lips from his ministrations. “Let’s go be rockstars, my Cherry.”

She looked up at him with a dazed smile and stars in her eyes. She reached up and toyed with the dark blue cat ear headphones with attached mic he wore. “They look good on you, like a sexy cat.”

Sasuke felt like the biggest rockstar to ever live and the only audience he cared about was the woman before him. He tapped the crimson headphones and mic she wore. “Meow,” he joked.

“Adorable,” Sakura said catching both sides of his face to pull him towards her again for another kiss.

Sasuke felt the tension in his shoulders ease. He definitely should have been kissing Sakura all along.
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OoO

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The fire marshals had to escort a few patrons out of the concert, it was packed beyond capacity. She spotted her former bandmates and Sasuke’s replacement on the balcony, but she hardly paid them any mind. She also spotted her Aunt Tsunade and a man by the name of Jiraiya — Kakashi said he was a talent scout much like Orochimaru. She didn’t care about all that. She was here to make music with her friends and raise more money for the orphanage.

One of the reasons she adored her bandmates, they weren’t in this for profit, but for fun and to help the community.

She strummed her guitar and smiled faintly as Sasuke’s melodic tenor began to sing Linkin Park’s song Numb. Itachi leaned his forearms over the balcony to listen intently.

“I’m tired of being what you want me to be. Feeling so faithless, lost under the surface. I don’t know what you’re expecting of me. Put under the pressure of walking in your shoes. Every step that I take is another mistake to you. I’ve become so numb, I can’t feel you there. Become so tired, so much more aware. I’m becoming this, all I want to do is be more like me and be less like you.”

Sakura glanced over her shoulder and caught Sasuke’s dark eyes as he continued to sing, his voice becoming stronger under her encouragement.

When the song ended, the crowd roared. Then Sakura strode across the stage and a chair was placed right next to Sasuke’s drum set. She sat next to him and the audience began to scream in anticipation.

Sasuke began playing softly while Naruto and Kakashi started the chords in unison. Ino counted silently, waiting to join in. Then Sasuke started with the percussion on the snare. Sakura took over lead. And they started rocking out to Skillet’s Hero while flares and lights went up around the stage — dazzling and exciting at the same time.

“I’m just a step away, I’m just a breath away,” Sasuke sang. “Losing my faith today.”

“We’re falling off the edge today,” Sakura answered.

“I am just a man, not super human,” Sasuke rejoined, catching her eye while he hit his drums.

“I’m not super human,” Sakura answered.

“Someone save me from the hate,” Sasuke sang.

Together they sang in harmony. “Who’s gonna fight for what’s right, who’s gonna help us survive? We’re in the fight of our lives and we’re not ready to die. Who’s gonna fight for the weak, who’s gonna make ‘em believe? I’ve got a hero living in me!”

Sakura glanced up at the balcony to see their former bandmates rocking out and grinning wildly. It felt good.

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He listened while Jiriaya made his offer. It was generous and their band had been having a great time together. They wouldn’t commit to anything just then. They were just going to take things day by day. And maybe he would consider it. He’d always dreamed of joining the police force, but now he had more dreams. His dreams included these friends of his and experiencing life in ways he’d never imagined.

While their bandmates had left for home some time ago, Sasuke and Sakura had gone to the club’s roof. Tenzo had volunteered to stand guard at the stairs to keep away any unwanted visitors. It was the night of a new moon, so the stars were more prominent without the additional lunar light. They stretched out together on blankets and enjoyed the constellations together, snuggled up against one another.

“You okay?” Sakura asked, shifting so that she was resting on his chest and looking down into his eyes.

Sasuke wrapped his arm around her waist comfortably. “I am now.”

“I never dreamed we’d have so many options,” Sakura murmured, laying her cheek against his chest.

He shifted his free hand into her hair, running his fingers through her silky pale hair. “So long as we’re on the same beat,” he said quietly. It had taken a while, but he’d found his rhythm and it was with Sakura. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and pointed out a shooting star. “Hey, look.”

She followed his finger and smiled. “Time to make a wish.”

Sasuke smiled when she squeezed her eyes shut, as optimistic as a child sometimes. He waited for her to open her eyes again and he arched his eyebrow at her. “What did you wish for, Sakura?”

“It hardly matters, I’ve already got everything I ever wanted,” Sakura said quietly.

“Me too,” Sasuke said, and he hugged her tighter against him, determined to keep her this time.
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