Cover My Eyes
by, Rampantt
Chapter Seventeen: Shannaro!
The cliché that there is no such thing as bad press suddenly held a lot more weight to Sakura than ever before. The days following the launch of her Juicy Cosmetics campaign were wrought with gossip and speculation. All the blogs and magazines were discussing the ever-popular Sakura vs Hinata saga. The critics were foaming at the mouth, desperate to get their opinions out into the world and bask in the engagement this story would undoubtedly get. There were dozens of stories and speculation on what happened when the pair were in the same room together – the first time in months they were linked to the same social event.
Social media was buzzing with stories of that night and Juicy Cosmetics was seeing heavy traffic to their website. Of course, she was happy to see the success of the brand she was promoting, however, she noticed that the fans were more interested in the failure of her love life.
The pinkette's chest tightened as she clicked through dozens of images from the party three nights ago. She looked stunning, as always, but pain twinkled behind her eyes. She wondered if anyone noticed that. A pained smile curled her lips slightly. Even if they did notice, they'd just use her hurt to get more engagement on their blogs. Even though she had been somewhat famous since her early teens, she wasn't sure if she'd ever get use to how thirsty influencers and bloggers could be. A story like this was an obvious hit – everyone had something to say. Sakura hated Sasuke for putting her through this. The strangest part was that Hinata had Sasuke by her side to help her through the chaos; Sakura was on her own to deal with the fall out.
"Just got word, the Shinnaro! Palette just sold out!" a voice rang behind her.
Sakura closed out her social media apps, placing her phone down on the vanity table before her. She gazed at her appearance, adjusting her pink coils behind her ears so that the emeralds that dangled there could sparkle. As much as she hated the fact that her personal life was made into a spectacle, she'd be misguided not acknowledge the impact the story had on her career. It had only been 3 days since the launch and already the palette was sold out – that was faster than she or her team had anticipated.
"We've got a meeting next week with Princess Kaguya's team. They want to talk about making you a brand ambassador for her skin care line."
This was huge for Sakura's career. Her manager had been buzzing in her ear all week about how endorsements were rolling in.
Sakura debated for days over what she should do. Part of her wanted to confront Hinata after the mess between herself and Sasuke a few days ago. Another, more mature part of her thought it best not to. Unfortunately, that part of her was losing. Sakura thought of all the ways in which she could make Hinata suffer, all the ways in which she could make her bleed. Sakura was growing tired of the high road. When she thought of it, what exactly was she protecting Hinata from? The heiress hadn't shown Sakura the same care and grace that she had extended. That bitch rolled up to her campaign launch with Sasuke on her arm. Was she supposed to let the disrespect continue unanswered? Why should they be able to skip into the sunset, unscathed by the fire they set? Sakura couldn't bare the thought of losing this war.
What was the pinkette to do? She knew she would have the public's support – they loved to vilify women and given the opportunity to cask a scarlet A on Hinata's chest isn't something they would pass up. However, leaving petty comments on blogs or being passive aggressive with her posts was beneath her pedigree.
Sakura needed something bigger – something that would hurt those monsters as well as prop her up. If she was going to suffer on the world's stage, she would be sure to reap a few benefits as well. The public's love was fleeting, this much she knew – look how they turned on Hinata. The rumbling wasn't loud enough to Sakura, however. She wanted her buried. If they were going to attach her name to Sakura's for the next few months, she wanted to be sure that bitch suffered for it. Hinata had never had Sakura as an enemy; she was going to finally feel the heat of her betrayal. Sakura was finished playing the high road. Her pride, however, wasn't worth a few likes on social media. She was going to have to go big.
The pinkette decided to take the low road. She was going to take the gloves off and start swinging full force. It was beneath her to engage in an actual cat fight, but why not a public spectacle? They were already coming up with their own stories and theories, why not give them the real one? Something Hinata couldn't deny or hide from.
Of course, going to war with Hinata would make her feel better. There was a fire in her chest, burning her alive, desperate for her to speak on the pain and humiliation she felt. Sakura wasn't some dumb model either. She understood the power of being the topic of discussion – she knew other brands would be looking at her numbers as well. Things with her name attached to it gained a lot of attention with attention came money. She was hot right now and staying hot would bring in more brands and sponsorships. The more brands that wanted her, the higher her star would raise. Sakura was beginning to appreciate this split from Hinata. There was no doubt in her mind that she was going to be a superstar before, Hinata just gave her an easy route to get there. The world loved to see two women clawing at each other, especially over a man.
"Sakura-chan?" her manager's voice called to her, breaking her thoughts.
The pinkette sat up straight, squaring her shoulders before tossing a look behind her.
"Get in touch with Yamanaka Ino," she said finally.
Surprised, her manager tossed her a skeptic look. "From KonoPop?"
Sakura bobbed her head, a certain twinkle in her eye. "Yes. Tell her she's about to get the biggest interview of her career."
Hinata could feel the steam oozing from her ears. Her face was beet red, and it was damn near impossible to control her reaction.
The heiress was standing, pacing back and forth in the living room of her luxury condo. She kept pausing every now and again to ogle the screen, making sure her eyes did not deceive her. Her heart was hammering in her chest, threatening to burst from her ribcage if she didn't scream. She ran her fingers through her raven hair, pulling it up in a ponytail then letting it fall again.
"It's hot in here, Hanabi, open a window" she said finally, fanning herself with her hands.
It was the middle of winter, snow piling up on the ground outside. Hanabi knew the heat her sister was feeling was not from the weather. The pinkette on television was giving her much deserved pressure. She stood up anyway, opening the window; it was the least she could do for her older sister.
"Well, I can't say you don't deserve it" Hanabi said with a shrug, plopping down on the couch again.
Hinata shot her a look, watching as her sibling curled her legs under her, getting cozy on the couch. "How could you say that?"
Hanabi shrugged again. "Please, that's nothing in comparison to what they're saying about you online"
Hinata wanted to pull her sister's hair out but resisted the urge. Hanabi's little jabs were nothing in comparison to the boulders being tossed at her by the hands of her former best friend. The heiress was truly shocked. She never would have imagined that Sakura would discuss their scandal like this, in front of the world. Up until this point, there was a silent agreement that neither one of them would discuss the issue. Bloggers and influencers were free to make their own speculations, tell the stories as they saw fit. Sakura clearly had other ideas.
"What was it like, seeing the two of them?" Ino asked, a concerned look on her face.
Sakura gave a pained smile, her eyes a bit misty. "It was hard, I didn't expect to see them at all."
Ino nodded her head. "I can only imagine the thoughts you must have had up there on stage, seeing them flirting in the crowd."
Hinata scoffed. They had not been flirting.
"We were not flirting," she insisted, speaking to Hanabi and the TV at the same time.
"I was surprised honestly." Sakura said, tucking a lock of pink hair behind her ear. "The event was sponsored by Hyuuga Enterprises, but I didn't think they would ask her to attend on their behalf."
"That must have been hurtful," Ino suggested.
"It was very hurtful," Sakura said. "I really hopped we could let this story die, eventually, something more interesting would turn the focus away from this embarrassing situation."
"Well, if you want the story to die, why are you doing an interview?" Hinata shouted at the TV.
Hinata watched in mortification as Sakura aired their dirty laundry. She was genuinely shocked she took this route against her. Hinata had been friends with Sakura since middle school and had seen her destroy many rivals in pursuit of her own interests. Hinata never thought one day she would be on the receiving end of Sakura's vicious tongue. What's worse was, she wasn't even sprouting poison. She was making herself the victim. Hinata supposed she was indeed the victim; however, this approach isn't something Sakura would have normally taken. And to use Yamanaka Ino of all people to do this – Hinata was sure it was an intentional selection.
"Wait…" Hanabi said, breaking Hinata's thoughts. She leaned forward with a squint. "Isn't that Naruto's girlfriend?"
Hinata licked her lips in agitation, sinking her teeth into the pink skin there. "Yes."
Hanabi chuckled. "Wow, she's not playing fair, is she?"
Hinata's brows furrowed. "Why are you even here? You're making me feel worse!"
"Sorry," Hanabi said with a shrug. "What do you want me to say though? You betrayed her first."
Hanabi had a point. Hinata crossed the line first. She shouldn't have expected their history to make Sakura hesitant.
"Was this the first time you saw Hinata since the scandal broke?" Ino inquired.
"No," answered Sakura. "I saw her a month ago perhaps, at Umi."
Hinata remembered that encounter. Sakura had defended her against the attacks from bored housewives. Their husbands were likely cheating and so they took the scandal personally. Sakura didn't owe her anything back then and even now, but her attitude shift was scary.
"I heard there was a tough conversation there with Hinata and some of the ladies shopping" Ino pressed.
Sakura nodded with a small smile. "Yes. They were giving her a hard time," she answered. "I was furious with her, of course, but I didn't like seeing them bully her."
"Would you really say it was 'bullying'? She was your best friend and she stole your boyfriend."
Sakura shook her head. "She didn't steal Sasuke from me," she said firmly. "We had been going through a rough patch. If I'm honest, our breakup was a longtime coming."
"I'm sorry to hear that," said Ino.
Sakura smiled. "Don't be. Love comes and it goes."
"Yes, it does," Ino interjected. "I'm sure you didn't expect Sasuke's love to go to your best friend."
Sakura laughed a little. "No, I did not see that."
"Smart, she's letting Ino do all the slinging," Hanabi said, noticing the strategy.
Sakura is a public figure, unlike the Hyuuga siblings, she made her money by being likeable. Public opinion could make or break her. She already had a reputation for being a mean girl behind the scenes. However, all women could get behind Sakura in this moment. How tragic, to have your long-time boyfriend cheat with your best friend.
"Did you have any inclination that the two of them were becoming more friendly?" Ino inquired.
"No," Sakura answered honestly. "I hadn't realized the two were even friends. To my knowledge, there only interactions were through me."
"People can and will surprise you," Ino said. "How did it make you feel, seeing them in public together?"
"Didn't she already ask that question?" Hinata snapped.
"Honestly, it hurt me," Sakura said, obviously holding back tears.
"Wow.. water works," Hanabi exclaimed. "In all the years I've known her, I don't think I've ever seen Sakura cry."
"She's not one to shed tears," Hinata said, unable to keep herself from rolling her eyes.
"I've thought about it a lot since that night," Sakura continued. "I'm not sure why she chose to hurt me in that way, bringing him there. I really did think I had been a great friend to her all these years. I see now that Hinata must have felt differently about our friendship."
"Damn, she's trying to put you in a body-bag," said Hanabi, now finally concerned for her sister. "Are you going to respond to this?"
Hinata shook her head. She wasn't sure what she should do about this interview. She had been screening her calls the last hour or so. There was even a text message from Sasuke she couldn't be bothered to read just yet. "Not yet," she answered.
Hinata first needed to consider how the interview would impact her professionally. Sakura named Hyuuga Enterprises in this interview. She had to worry over how this scandal would impact her professional reputation. She was sent to the event as the face of her father' business. The heiress knew Hiashi would be disgusted at how she allowed her personal life to interfere with business. Hinata had no one to blame but herself for this situation. She should not have been so arrogant to assume Sakura would not react to her bringing Sasuke to the party.
"Why did you bring him to the launch?" Hanabi asked, almost reading Hinata's mind. "That was really stupid; almost mean."
Hinata shook her head a bit. Why had she done that? She couldn't even remember now. In retrospect, it really was misguided – a poor decision.
"A lot of people are saying it was tasteless," Ino continued.
Hinata watched as Sakura plotted under her eyes, pretending to wipe tears away.
"I don't know what it was," she answered. "I want to think she wouldn't hurt me like that, but she's shown me that I don't really know her. I don't know Sasuke either, it seems."
Ino nodded her head in sympathy. "This behavior is out of character for the both of them. I'm not too familiar with Uchiha-san's interests, but personally, I've never seen him attend events like this in the past. Do you think the goal was to hurt you?"
Sakura shrugged her shoulders a bit and leaned back in her seat. She herself was surprised by his appearance. He did not enjoy industry parties. She remembered him explicitly avoiding events where he might cross paths with someone from Uchiha Industries. He was very adamant about being independent from his family, he didn't even want to cross paths with long time investors and stakeholders. Sakura remembered how she would have to pick and choose which events she begged him to attend with her. It was odd now that he would show his face at a campaign launch – the biggest of her career yet – with another woman. Her heart burned in her chest.
"I can't really speak to that," she said softly, her eyes misty again. It was genuine this time. "Sasuke was never really a fan of those sorts of events. I was surprised to see him."
"I heard there was a private conversation between you and Uchiha-san that night, away from the cameras. Can you tell me about that?" Ino asked.
Hinata's eyebrows raised. Sasuke didn't mention anything to her about speaking with Sakura privately. It's not that he can't talk to her, she just didn't expect him to. For a moment, she wondered whether she could really trust Sasuke.
"He apologized to me," Sakura said simply.
"Do you forgive him?"
"No."
Ino's eyes twinkled. "Do you forgive Hinata?"
"Hell no," she said firmly. "Sasuke betrayed me; I'm healing from that as best I can. I'll find love again one day.
What Hinata did to me, what she continues to do to me, I can't wrap my head around. Sasuke has always been a dog, if I'm honest. It's Hinata who I'm afraid of."
Hinata wanted to scream. Now the pinkette was afraid of her? Hinata spent years in Sakura's shadow, watching as she conquered every mountain in front of her. Hinata saw firsthand how the super model brought down many women over the years. She was petty and selfish; she used her star-power to make her rivals feels small.
Hinata had never felt small in comparison to Sakura – her father would have never tolerated any of his children feeling small next to anyone. That sort of weakness would have been stomped out by force. The only way she was able to remain friends with Sakura all these years was because she always had a strong sense of self and purpose. Her looks and pedigree afforded her privilege unlike that of the women Sakura skillfully took down and so she never needed to fear her. She wondered if that's what made Sakura value their friendship. She was the only woman who wasn't too intimidated to be her friend.
Hinata had nothing to gain from their friendship and they never competed because they were titans in their own lanes. The difference now was that Hinata made the mistake of swerving into Sakura's lane. It was naïve and misguided for her to assume that Sakura wouldn't retaliate eventually. The campaign launch was the nail in the coffin of their friendship it appeared. Sakura was no longer sparing her.
"You're afraid of Hyuuga Hinata?" Ino pressed.
"Yes."
"She's so small, hardly a threat to anyone, why would you be afraid?"
Sakura looked Ino square in her eyes. "Hinata is a very powerful woman and I underestimated her until now. She's not someone you can trust beyond her own self-interest. When faced with temptation, Hinata will choose herself."
Hanabi quickly shut off the TV. "That's enough of that." While she was enjoying the show at first, it was getting uglier and uglier as the seconds went by.
"She's not just going after me personally," Hinata said, sitting down finally. "She wants to assassinate my character."
Hanabi nodded her head. It did appear that way. Her sister was under a lot of pressure with their father to prove that she was the rightful heir and not their cousin. This interview was not going to do her any favors. As a woman, the playing field is a lot different. No one would care if she were a man, cheating with her best friend's partner. It would be a cliff note at best, one news cycle and the story would go cold. Because she was a woman, Hanabi knew her sister had to battle against certain stereotypes that her male counterparts didn't. Even in this story, Hinata was the bigger villain than Sasuke. Sure, in part due to her name, but even bigger because she is female.
"Sakura wants to destroy me professionally," Hinata said, blowing out a raspberry. The pinkette knew that this petty spat between them would blow over eventually. No one would care in 6 months' time. It seemed to Hinata that Sakura wanted to hit her where it would really hurt; she was going to jab at what Hinata really cared about.
"Should we go to war?" Hanabi asked.
Hinata looked at her sister. Their father would be proud. The Hyuuga way was certainly to destroy all enemies. Anything in her way needed to be brought to its knees. Hyuugas did not submit. Force was to be met with force. Fire met with bombs.
Hinata wondered if she had the stomach to do that to Sakura.
If she were honest, she deserved the drama she was waist deep in now. She did not pursue Sasuke, but she did give in to his advances. They didn't just sleep together either, they were publicly an item and she brought him to an event where Sakura was the guest of honor. From Sakura's perspective, that must have looked like an act of aggression.
If Hinata were honest, she would have taken that as aggression too. Which is why Sakura's choice of interviewer makes perfect sense. Ino was a symbolic choice. Only those close to them would understand the relationship. Sakura wanted to remind Hinata of something. She wanted her to remember her place.
"We don't have a choice."
"You've got to get your shit together!" Naruto shouted.
Sasuke sat back on the couch, massaging his eyebrows and forehead in exasperation. "What do you want me to do?"
Naruto paced back and forth in Sasuke's living room. Ever since the interview aired Ino had been increasingly busy. Of course, he was proud of his girl, she worked hard and deserved the spike in her numbers. The interview was sure to put her in the spotlight as the go to person for celebrity sit downs. Having Sakura on her show, talking about the biggest scandal of the year, was sure to boost Ino's career. He wanted his girl to succeed, of course he did. He hated that she was mixed up in his friend's drama; he himself had been trying to stay out of it.
"I don't know man, but you need to fix this shit."
Naruto was right, sadly. This entire fiasco was indeed Sasuke's fault. He found himself annoyed at his poor decision making. He did not regret his choice to be with Hinata, but he could certainly admit he handled himself poorly.
"Why did you even go to that party, asshole? You don't even like that sort of thing. A freaking makeup launch; doesn't even make sense."
Sasuke watched as Naruto paced around. "Why do you even care?"
Naruto shot him a look. "Unlike you, I actually give a damn about my friends. How am I supposed to face Hinata now?"
Sasuke shrugged. "So, it's my fault you lead her on and your girlfriend helped my ex bash her?
Naruto punched him in the arm, unable to keep his hands off the raven. "Don't make me mad, teme!" he exclaimed, punching him again. "Ino wouldn't even be in that position if it weren't for your dumbass decision making. Don't try to add me into this mess."
Sasuke supposed that was true. The riff between his friend group could certainly be tied to his selfish actions. Sasuke was used to taking what he wants from life; he acted impulsively, and it backfired on the people closest to him.
"I don't want Hinata or Sakura to think I'm taking sides, but now my girlfriend is involved – how do I explain that to Hinata? I already hurt her once –"
"Hinata is over any romantic feelings she had for you," Sasuke interjected.
Naruto's eyebrows shot up. It was weird seeing Sasuke jealous over a girl. Not once in their 20-year friendship had Naruto ever seen him outwardly care about a romantic partner. Girls usually fell all over the raven, made it hard for him to appreciate any one woman's affection. It was apparently different with Hinata. While he was glad to see his friend found someone, he could be vulnerable with and about, he hated that it had to be so chaotic. He supposed the simple life was too much for Sasuke. He enjoyed the challenges life had to offer.
"I'm sure she is," Naruto said. "I just don't want her to think I'm on Sakura's side after this interview. I'm pissed Sakura would drag Ino into this."
Sasuke shrugged. "You know how she is…"
"You know how she is," Naruto insisted. "Did you really think you two could keep pushing her and she would just take it?"
Sasuke shook his head. No, he didn't think that. If he were honest, he wasn't thinking of her reaction at all. That was the problem all long. Sasuke hadn't been thinking of Sakura enough. Guilt swelled in his chest – a feeling he was becoming more and more familiar with, and he hated it. Realistically, he knew he deserved whatever unpleasant feelings that came from the fall out with Sakura. Fighting back would make him and Hinata look even worse. Sakura decided to play the victim card, there was nothing he or Hinata could say or do that wouldn't make them even bigger social pariahs.
Sasuke gave Sakura some credit. She handled herself well up until now. She had a lot of pride, something he respected about her. He and Hinata took it too far by showing up to her place of work together – this he could admit was a blunder.
The raven leaned back, relaxing into the leather of his seat. More importantly than any hurt feelings, he wondered how the interview would impact his business. He scratched at this chin, running his fingers over the stubble that grew there. He had been making considerable progress in his field – things in the Tea Country were going well and he knew what it's success would mean for his career. Sasuke wondered just how much the chaos in his personal life is would impact his business. This is what he got for dating celebrities he supposed.
If he had dated an ordinary woman, this wouldn't even be news. He is certainly not the first nor last to make undesirable decisions in dating. The woman in his life were stars, everyone noticed when they twinkled. He wouldn't have been so worried had she not named Hyuuga Enterprises in her interview. Sasuke was sure he and Hinata would receive some heat from their bosses and the negative attention they were receiving now.
"This shit better not interfere with business," he said out loud, reaching for the half-finished cigarette he stored in the ashtray.
"Is that all you care about?" Naruto asked, a skeptic look on his face.
"What else matters?" Sasuke equipped, taking a long drag on his cigarette.
Naruto shook his head a bit. He had stopped pacing and found himself on the couch, rubbing his hands across his face. "That sort of thinking is how you ended up here."
Sasuke scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Why do you care so much anyway?"
The blonde shot him a look, cyan and onyx clashing. "Do you not see how your actions effect other people? Do you only see yourself?"
Sasuke wasn't sure how to answer that question. He really couldn't see how this had anything to do with Naruto himself. The raven puffed out some smoke, making himself more comfortable in his chair. "You could just mind your own business."
"I'd love to!" Naruto exclaimed. "I'd like to be home with my girlfriend right now, but I can't because she's buzzing about how her engagement is doing since her interview with Sak. You know she even asked me if I could get Hinata on her show?"
Sasuke tilted his brow. He supposed he could see what Naruto was getting at.
"How am I supposed to ask Hinata something like that? I'm too ashamed to even talk to her right now," Naruto said sadly, sinking down into the couch.
"It's Sakura's fault for being petty," Sasuke said simply.
"Its your fault! How can you not see that?" Naruto asked, a concerned look on his face.
Sasuke closed his eyes, taking another pull of cancer through his lips. "Everything usually is my fault" he said under his breath.
Sasuke was growing more and more annoyed by this situation as time went by. He was growing bored of the guilt and annoyed by how invested outsiders were into his personal life. All he wanted was to design amazing buildings and enjoy his spare time with a certain opal princess. If he had it his way, this story would have been old news months ago. He wasn't a psychopath and so he understood how he had hurt Sakura – he was tired of feeling bad about it now. He opened his eyes again to stare at the ceiling, taking another puff of poison. He wondered what it would take to get Sakura to move on. For as long as she remained single, he and Hinata would have to suffer. Well, really Hinata – Sasuke was used to being the villain. He only felt bad that she had got burned by the fire he started.
Happy new year everyone! It's been 3 years since my last update; I didn't see that coming. My life got very chaotic and took many unexpected turns in the last few years. If I'm honest, I haven't been writing a lot - I was feeling unsure of myself and my abilities and bogged down by the stress of life in general. Thank you to everyone who reread my stories or fell in love recently. Thank you to everyone who left encouraging reviews - you all inspired me to update this story at last. Even the negative comments were a little funny; I missed the trolls too oddly enough. Let me know what you think of this chapter!
With love,
Rampantt