Chapter 1: Akaya Mizaki
Notes: This is Akaya Mizaki's thoughts. This is Inner Sakura's.
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Story Title: The Girl I Used to Know
Chapter Title: The Other Side of Me—Akaya Mizaki
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"I'm sorry about this Sa—I mean, Mizaki-chan, for the short notice. Tsunade-sama approved this performance just an hour ago, without even consulting me. I told her not to mess up with your tight schedule, but she always does. UGH!"
The dark-haired secretary fidgeted on her seat inside the limousine, watching the impressive transformation happening before her eyes.
With a final touch on the porcelain cheek of the girl seated beside her made by Mizaki's make-up artist, the secretary was finally able to sigh in relief.
"I knew you can make it, Anko-san! You are totally able to finish it in an hour! You are so efficient," Shizune exclaimed.
"Of course! Hah! That usually takes three hours but see?" Anko giggled before she began picking up her littered cosmetics, dumping them on her kit she always carry around. Upon locking her box and putting it away, Anko looked up and admired her work.
"Isn't she perfect?" she asked to Shizune, lifting Mizaki's chin for assessment.
The pop star princess blushed evidently before she turned away from her make-up artist. "You're teasing me! Stop it, Anko-san, Shizune-san!" the pop star pouted.
"No, we're not. Look at you. You look so stunning!" Shizune uttered, dazed. Then she blinked, a professional glint invading her dark eyes. "Are you ready for your performance?" she asked softly, concern now evident on her face.
Akaya Mizaki nodded, telling her wordlessly to leave it all to her.
The older lady looked down to her sincerely. "This will never happen again, I promise. I wouldn't let Tsunade-sama approve any urgent performances ever again. It's you who's always on the losing end," Shizune paused before she took Mizaki's hand.
"And I'm so sorry this gets to happen on the night before your first day in Senior High…"
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TWO-TIME QUADRUPLE PLATINUM ALBUM AWARDEE, FOUR SOLD-OUT MAJOR CONCERTS AT THE TOKYO DOME, TWENTY TWO SUCCESSFUL LOCAL TELEVISION COMMERCIALS, EIGHT ACTIVE INTERNATIONAL ADVERTISEMENTS, RECIPIENT OF THE BEST FEMALE PERFORMER ON THE 2006 TOKYO POP MUSICAL AWARDS—all in the span of one year, and still counting. Am I great or what? Well, it's not like that fact is not yet fully established. Well, before, I never thought there's something more to life than crying over what's loss and trying to fit in. I once lost my dreams, effectively losing myself. Honestly, I never even thought I would have a second chance—to bring back the broken pieces of my life, trying to bring back the meaning that's worsened by constantly running away from all I believed in. But then, I realized (with the help of my manager, of course) that I would never find myself anywhere else than to look inside, and the key is to just trust in myself and be thankful to those people who stayed with me during the hard times.
So what the hell happened that brought my life back to the mess it had always been?
Well, let's just say that I messed up. Again. Not much of a shocker, right?
Contrary to what everyone thinks, my story started out as a usual one. That fact saddened me at the beginning. But now I see the value of being ordinary more than anyone else-and that saddens me now. You see, the me with all the awards and achievements started out like a girl I used to know…
And that girl is Haruno Sakura.
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"SAKURA-CHAN! Why are you late?"
"Dobe, you don't have to be so loud all the time."
"But Sakura-chan just missed the bus and she almost missed first period!"
"Hn."
"Che, constipated bastard." Naruto scoffed before he scooted to the chair he reserved for their pink-haired friend. "Why are you late anyway, Sakura-chan?" Naruto inquired, his sapphire eyes showing his eagerness to know the particular reason of this rare occurrence. "You haven't been late since preschool. What could have possibly happen?"
Sakura smiled invisibly at her friend's deep concern before she looked up to him. "Well… You see…" Sakura paused and began rummaging her poor brain for another excuse to keep Naruto at bay. It is quite true that this is the first time she was late.
"I woke up late!" she answered cheerily before Inner Sakura smacked her abnormally large forehead for the lame excuse she came up.
"Whoa! Sakura, judging by those dark bags under your eyes it also seems like you slept late!" Tenten called up from her seat in front of Sakura, peering closer to those hideous "bags" she intelligently pointed out.
Sakura smiled sweetly before she nodded. "Well, I guess I did. I didn't notice the time," she lied, biting her lip. She blinked and shifted her eyes away from Tenten's hazel ones, not feeling quite good about lying all the time just for cover.
"Really? How could that be Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked again after popping up in front of her.
"Well… There was a movie marathon in HBO last night, right?" Sakura turned to Tenten for back up, praying inwardly that her guess was true.
Tenten shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. My Mom won't let me watch TV during weeknights."
YES! "I sure hope I still have my Mom to remind me of such," Sakura merrily pointed out.
At that same instant, her friends froze.
Naruto gulped delicately, trying to come up on ways to cheer up the heavy blanket of silence wrapped on them. They're still all too aware of the accident that happened last year that took away both of Sakura's parents and nearly took Sakura away from them after being thoroughly devastated at their lost.
Surprisingly, it was Sakura who first spoke up. "Guys, it's okay. I can take care of myself now. They taught me how to be strong," Sakura assured with a smile on her face.
Naruto grinned at his friend's incredible strength that kept her upright in remorseful times. Day by day, he could see that Sakura is coping up with the loss by looking at the brighter side of everything. "That's right, Sakura-chan!" Naruto added, eying Tenten from the corner of his eye.
"Yeah, we knew that, Sakura," Tenten said, trying to smile despite of the sting. She still hasn't forgotten how painful that incidence was for Sakura and Tenten would do anything to revive her friend's usual cheery attitude. "If you need any help, you know we're all here behind you."
Sakura looked very much appreciative before she nodded. "I know. Thanks," she replied. "But really, there's nothing to worry. You know I got a job. I'll live."
"But Sakura-chan, you still haven't told us where at what it's about," Naruto pointed out, stuffing his hands inside his pockets.
"But we're assuming that it's a good thing since you really are pulling through," Tenten commented before she chuckled. "I, too, would be looking for part-time jobs soon. Senior High is pretty much expensive than Junior High. I'm afraid my parents won't be able to afford it long enough."
Naruto sat on the table he shared with Sakura and nodded in affirmation. "That's right. Well, the only one who doesn't have to worry for his future is right there," Naruto exclaimed sourly and nudged to Sasuke's direction, who was sitting right behind Sakura.
Sasuke's face immediately darkened as Tenten and Sakura tittered.
Naruto raised his arms defensively. "What? I called you up last night but your personal maid told me that you were at the Uchiha Group of Company's Main Building for an important meeting." Naruto articulated the 'Uchiha Group of Company' playfully that Sasuke began glaring at Naruto's direction.
"I don't have a personal maid," Sasuke hissed under his gritted teeth.
"Oh really? Lookie here, Tenten. You can take that job!"
Tenten shook her head tiredly before turning to Sakura. "I would be very much happy to do so but I'm afraid there are people more suitable for the job," she whispered to Sakura before giggling.
A blush crept on Sakura's face before she elbowed Tenten on the side. "Tenten!" she hissed softly.
"I know you told me that you got over your crush to him in fifth grade but I knew better," Tenten teased, keeping the conversation amongst themselves.
Sakura scowled dangerously to her before sighing. She's just too happy in becoming Sasuke's friend that she doesn't want something more. If being a friend is what it takes to be with him then she'd be glad to become one for the rest of her life. "Okay, okay. Just keep that low or those girls would take me out of the picture." Sakura turned her head towards the flock of girls standing a few feet from them, eying Sasuke hungrily. The two laughed.
"You betcha! Hey, Sasuke, your fan girls are back!" Tenten called out.
Sakura can't help but to chuckle as Sasuke buried his face on his palms tiredly.
"You know, he's been trying to ignore them since we stepped in the school bus," Naruto exclaimed indifferently before facing Sakura. "Sakura-chan, why is Sasuke-teme so popular?"
"Naruto, he's a straight A student, the heir of the Uchiha Company, a soccer captain, and the editor-in-chief of our school paper back in Junior High. If you don't get what I mean go figure it out yourself," Sakura replied, sticking out her fingers to emphasize her point.
Sasuke scoffed. "Sakura, stop it. I don't want another fan," he mumbled under his palm.
"Huh! Are you talking about me?" Naruto crossed his arms on his chest cockily. "FYI, teme, my life is now dedicated to the girl of my dreams and fantasies," Naruto proudly confessed. "And there's no way I would exchange her for anything else."
Tenten raised her brow. "What are you talking about?"
Naruto wiped out an impossibly large tarpaulin on his back and revealed a life size picture of a captivating raven-haired girl smiling sweetly, her sea-foam sapphire eyes glistening brightly. Her face was framed perfectly by short bags and her long curled hair cascading down her back. She was wearing a marvellously elegant white dress that made her perfect skin glow like an angel.
Sakura's jaw fell comically upon seeing the picture she posed for a teen magazine last week.
As Akaya Mizaki, of course.
"OH MY GOD, NARUTO, WHERE DID YOU GET THAT?" Tenten squealed before she began hyperventilating. Sakura nodded, too. As far as she knew, the picture won't be out until next month.
Naruto just grinned pompously. "I just have it, okay? But isn't she perfect? She is a goddess in my eyes and I worship on her feet," Naruto declared boldly as some of their classmates stepped in, marvelling the beauty of none other than Japan's most sensational pop princess. "I have all her CD's, all the magazines she's in, I've watched all her TV interviews, heard all her radio conferences and I will marry her, DATTEBAYO!"
"Naruto, stop talking nonsense," Tenten butted in and snatched the poster from Naruto's hands even before someone else could do so. "But this picture is too good it'll be a waste if you keep it." Tenten turned the poster to her and hugged it like any other crazy fan. "I'll be very much happy to do the honors of taking care of it. Besides, it looks good on the shrine I put up for her in my room."
"No fair! I want it too!" a random student exclaimed.
"Yeah, me too!"
"Bring it back to me, Tenten!"
"Naruto, this is necessary!"
"I went through too much trouble for that and there's no way you'll separate me from my future wife!"
"I guess it can't be helped," Tenten yelled out before recoiling and smacking Naruto right on his face.
The said blonde seethed in anger. "True love will always prevail, dattebayo!"
In the short span of time, the whole class fell into a riot where pretty much everyone was tearing each other out over a glossy poster. The sound of crashing and loud yelling reverberated across the halls which drew the attention of the teachers on the neighboring classrooms. The clamor lasted much longer as students refuse to back down, all fighting with each other, claiming that they deserve such life-size tarpaulin through self-proclamation of being the number one fan of the pop star in the picture.
And even before Sakura could think straight to discern that students are actually fighting over the other side of her, Sasuke pulled her out of the commotion as teachers arrived, pulling down the tackling students.
"Security, we need security!" a teacher yelled upon realizing that the situation was uncontrollable. "Call the guards! FAAAASSSTTT—"
Sakura dodged a flying book towards her direction and the deadly thing hit the yelling teacher, effectively putting him out of commission.
The classroom turned undeniably into a war zone, with crazed teens hungrily reaching out for the poster.
"Oh god…" Sakura gasped as a chair was thrown carelessly into the air and crashed on the teacher's table. Few more objects were tossed and coursed around before a siren sounded in such a deafening manner that Sakura had to crouch as she felt her ear drums get to the brink of exploding. The students did the same before teachers filled the room.
The next thing she knew was a stunning silence.
And then a shrill voice announcing that the whole class of 1A will be under detention.
And then, nothing.
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"Why haven't you told me that you are this school's principal?" Sakura blurted out, looking quite affronted on what's been happening on the first day of senior high, her senior high.
"Does it make a difference?"
"It makes ALL the difference!"
"I thought you will figure it out eventually. Besides, isn't it great that I get to watch over you—"
"But I told you not to meddle in my personal life!" Sakura screamed angrily, her face flushed in annoyance.
"—and help you out in extreme situations to protect your secret?"
Sakura inhaled deeply before she slammed her palm on the principal's desk. The marble name laminate on it with the words 'Tsunade—High School Principal' wobbled, along with the tall stacks of papers on the sides.
Tsunade, her manager and the person Akaya Mizaki owed her popularity to, leaned towards her. "Okay, to be honest, this is just coincidence," she confessed casually.
Sakura narrowed her eyes into slits. "How come you never told me you are a principal? All this time I taught you were just a full-time manager."
"Well, people have secrets, am I right?"
Sakura turned away from her and crossed her arms on her chest. She shifted uncontrollably before she sighed in defeat. "Okay, okay! I get your point. Just don't let out my secret and we're fine."
After calming down, Sakura sat on the couch in front of the table. "But why did Sasuke-kun got detention, too? We weren't part of the commotion, I swear! If there's someone that needs to be punished it's our Math teacher because if he hadn't arrived so late the commotion could've been prevented," Sakura defended, feeling peevish that Sasuke was on the list of the students on detention, along with Naruto and Tenten.
"Uchiha Sasuke." Tsunade paused in contemplation. "He's your friend right?"
"Well, yeah, since fifth grade," Sakura replied.
"It seems like you are forgetting the contract you signed on Fire Records and to the Sharingan Entertainment Company," Tsunade pointed out.
"What does it have to do with him?"
Tsunade sat straight and cupped her chin casually. "Well, that company basically belongs to the Uchihas. And I included him in detention because the tarpaulin, which is the source of the riot was stolen by that Naruto in one of his trips to the Main Branch to visit Sasuke. Sasuke, on the other hand, confirmed that he was aware Naruto did take it but didn't do anything about it, so he's included to the students that needs to be punished."
"What? Why haven't you told me?" Sakura asked hysterically. "You know how much I tried to keep away from the people I know when I'm Mizaki. And now you're telling me that I would be the official endorser of Sasuke-kun's future-owned company? What if he notices? No one will surely treat me the same!"
Tsunade snorted. "Nah! No one will notice, even someone like him; and you're all fine, you still get to keep your identity."
Sakura gagged. "But what if I slipped?"
"You are just paranoid, Sakura. Besides, everything's present in the contract. It's not my fault that you completely missed out the fact that Sharingan belongs to them," Tsunade explained, feeling much comfortable on her chair.
"But what if he does find out? Everything would change!"
Tsunade just sighed. They've had this conversation before. "I told you that you should've let your friends know the truth from the start. If you did then everything would be easy and you wouldn't have to live behind a shadow with guilt and mistrust." Tsunade paused and began looking for the bottle of sake she hid on the fourth drawer. She found it immediately and picked it up. She was about to pour out some of it on a small cup when she noticed her talent looking down silently on the floor.
Tsunade knew she hit a nerve, but that's the best way to deal this situation. She knew that, she's Mizaki's manger after all. "Well, I can tell that the Uchiha boy was keen but I'm pretty sure he won't find out. If he could, he should've noticed it since the day he first saw Akaya Mizaki. But if he do find out something tells me that he would understand… Friends nowadays are surprisingly very much accepting…"
Sakura looked up, not quite convinced. "I hope he does. I do not want a repeat on what happened earlier." Sakura shook her head and felt her temples. "It's just a god-damned tarpaulin and students were already on the brink of killing each other. Ugh, imagine what will happen if they ever find out." Sakura grimaced.
"C'mon, cheer up! That would never happen again because I confiscated the tarp," her manager exclaimed. "If you don't I will schedule you a gig tonight."
"You wouldn't do that," Sakura said, narrowing her eyes dangerously. "You haven't even explained why you accepted that appearance last night! I woke up late and almost missed first period because of it!"
"Alright, alright. Just don't tell Shizune where I keep my bottle of sake, okay?"
"We'll see," Sakura smirked before she dashed out of her office.
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"Sasuke-kun," Sakura called up upon seeing her raven-haired friend exiting their classroom. She had been waiting for them. "Eh? You're not with Naruto and Tenten?"
The Uchiha stopped on his tracks and looked up to her. "Hn."
"Really...?" Sakura prodded, waiting for his answer. The Uchiha fought the urge to sigh.
"The detention facilitator let me out earlier than the rest. He's pretty much convinced that I didn't participate on the commotion," he answered meekly.
A frown graced her lips, Sasuke noticed. "How about the others?"
"Naruto and Tenten still have to clean up the room for the next two hours. Were you waiting for us?"
Sakura nodded in response.
Sasuke tugged the left long sleeve of his uniform to reveal his watch. "You've been waiting for an hour already. You should've gone home."
Sakura shook her head, eyes distant. "I can't. I already missed the bus this morning and because of the commotion; I haven't had much time to spend it with the rest of our friends. I missed you all during our vacation and I thought I need some time keeping up on what's been happening to your lives. Walking with all of you home seems to be a good idea... But I guess I need to wait for tomorrow…" Sakura trailed as her empty gaze fell on their classroom door.
Sasuke's obsidian eyes, on the other hand, lingered on his friend's small frame. It is true that they lacked communication last vacation, with him helping out on his family's company, and Naruto having a part-time job and Tenten flying to China to visit her relatives. "Well, I guess you're right."
"Yeah, but don't mind me. I'm just being overdramatic and all," Sakura said before grinning sheepishly, but never quite reaching her eyes. "I think I should really go home. I'll just have to see to it that I won't be missing the bus tomorrow morning," she said, mostly to herself.
Sasuke paused for contemplation for a minute before he cleared his throat. "Well, I can offer you a ride home."
Sakura looked up to him questioningly.
"I can't take the bus now since I'm very much needed to our company. I settled on taking the bus in mornings and having my chauffer taking me straight to the company after dismissals," he answered.
A crease formed in her forehead. "But… how about soccer practice? You would try out for this year, right?"
Sasuke sighed. "I guess I can't. Maybe next year."
Sakura's face fell. "Even after all the trouble Konoha High had gone through just for your recruitment?"
"It can't be helped," Sasuke replied, deadpanned.
"But, Sasuke-kun, you're really good down the field. It'll be a waste not to see you play this year…"
Sasuke spared his pink-haired friend a sideward glance.
"And again, don't mind me. I'm just thinking out loud, that's all," Sakura confessed, aware of her 'status,' before she adjusted her small duffel bag.
"Well, should we get going?" Sasuke asked and grabbed Sakura's wrist. "I don't want to be involved in a bloody wreckage again. I've had enough. The farther we are to the classroom, the safer."
Sakura giggled inwardly. There are only three things Sasuke hated so much and those were attention, being stuck in the middle of a fuss, and his brother. Sakura could now tell how annoyed Sasuke was on what happened earlier. "I'm actually impressed that you didn't join those Mizaki crazed fans," Sakura teased.
"Sakura," Sasuke threatened as they continued walking down the hallway.
"Just kidding!" she exclaimed. "But seriously, everybody just loves Akaya Mizaki, don't you think?" Sakura mentally congratulated the other side of her for a job well done in stringing everyone to the Mizaki-fever. Who would've thought that a wig, a pair of sky blue contact lenses and cosmetics could turn a nobody like her into Japan's most sensational pop star princess? Sakura giggled inwardly upon remembering all her sold-out concerts, successful album launches, famous TV commercials and—
"Sakura."
Sakura snapped out of her reverie before she scratched her head, "Sorry about that."
"I knew it. You are a fan of that girl, too, along with the whole student body."
Inner Sakura sweat dropped. Sasuke-kun, I AM HER! I AM MIZAKI! I AM THE GIRL ON THE TARP THAT CREATED A HUGE UPROAR SO HOW CAN I POSSIBLY BE A FAN—
Sasuke shook his head upon seeing Sakura on a daze again. "That girl's face is all I see," he started out as Sakura's absent mind returned back to reality. "Who is she anyway?"