Chapter 14

"The correct answer…is Opinicus." The emcee said, turning at Sakura's direction and smiling slightly at her. "Guess we have our new champion."


At the car…

"Thanks for the lucky charm, Sasuke-kun…" Sakura said to Sasuke, moving her head to the left so that she faced him. Sasuke looked at Neji and smirked, who shook his head in return.

Sasuke turned his head towards Sakura. "Don't mention it." Then his eyes traveled to the Uchiha symbol. "You can keep it if you want."

"No, take it for tonight." Sakura insisted.

Sasuke shook his head. "No, it is a fake so I don't need it."

"What!"

Sasuke gulped, while Neji made a snorting noise which he successfully turned to a cough. "What he means is…it is a fake. It is not a real charm."

Sakura draw back a little and looked outside the window of the car. "But it worked…"

"That's because you believed in yourself…" Sasuke reasoned out, stretching his arms above his head.

Sakura pouted. It's no point arguing with him now he is in such a good mood.


"Ready?" Sakura asked Naruto, as she watch him push his hair up, making it stand up a little bit more. The backstage is really busy, adding a few finishing touches to the band members, a few dancers are practicing at the far end, Shikamaru moving around to see if everything is alright and everything that is needed to be checked is being examined.

When Naruto was done, he flashed Sakura a bright smile and thumbs-up. Sakura returned the thumbs-up then saw Sasuke approaching her. "Hey." Sasuke said.

He just smirked and bent down to Sakura's ear. "Get ready for a surprise later."

"What do you mean, 'surprise'?" Sakura whispered back. Then she noticed Sasuke is holding something in his hand. The pile of papers she saw at his room!

"Or maybe you can look for clues here." Sasuke putted the papers in Sakura's hands.

Sakura looked at the papers on her lap. She gave Sasuke a questioning look. He just shrugged then strengthened himself, clapping his hands and shouting to everybody to get ready.

Sakura soon heard a booming sound from above as Sakura jumped up as a stimulus. She watched as Sasuke pull down what Sakura thought earlier as a curtain, but she was certainly wrong. It was a small elevator. She watched in awe as Sasuke and Naruto enter through it, and it ascended up, while Neji and Gaara wait for it to come back, adjusting the small microphones stuck in their ear.

Sakura felt someone tap her shoulder and she turned around, seeing Shikamaru asking for her to follow him. Sakura left the pile of papers in the chair she sat on earlier, following where Shikamaru is going. She saw him lead her to the operating room, where she heard from Sasuke earlier that it is where the special effects are being produced.

Sakura watched in amazement as she watched the concert on a lone computer, where the camera is showing Sasuke doing a fighting scene with Naruto onstage. Sasuke had something close to a ball of electricity in his hand while Naruto is like holding a small ball in his hand. Both charged at each other, but missed by a few inches.

"How did you do that?" Sakura suddenly asked, earning a few chuckles from the people controlling the computers.

Shikamaru was the one who answered her. "Actually, it is a trick up the Bad Luck's sleeves, and we have no idea how those guys do that." Shikamaru putted a finger on his chin, crossing an arm around his chest as support. "Naruto has this ball-like blue thingy in his hand while Sasuke has some sort of electricity ball in his, I remember that Neji can make both of his hands move in different directions rapidly, I mean, you could actually hear the air if you are near him, then Gaara can have sand in a matter of seconds."

Sakura nodded her head, muttering, "Amazing," under her breath as she turned her head once more to see more action. Now she saw Naruto and Sasuke pull off both their jackets, revealing the sleeveless white shirt they wore underneath. Her hands immediately shot up to her chest, where, she just realized, she still wore the gold medal given to her as one of the rewards.

She smiled. If she is in for a surprise, the boys also have no idea what's in store for them.


"I always thought that Russia is not to cold." Ino said, pulling her purple buccaneer-styled jacket closer to her body.

"Heh, you shouldn't complain, besides you thought of this idea, there's no point arguing." Tenten replied, her chocolate brown hair swaying as she walked forward.

Hinata retaliated. "Hey, I think it is not fair to blame her. Besides, you also agreed."

Tenten pouted. "Alright."


"I might as well tell you all that Bad Luck is not going down. I promise you." Sasuke said in a reassuring tone, his right arm around Naruto's shoulders, while Naruto's left is on Sasuke's. There came a reply of shouts from the crowd. Naruto visibly smiled, he had been on this a few times before. First, the mounting tension, then when you are already onstage, all is forgotten. Sasuke spoke again. "There is one thing though. When we are on practice, Neji accidentally played a song 'Underneath the Waves' on the CD player. I liked the tone so I let Neji play it and not change it. Then Naruto had this…stupid…but wonderful idea of actually playing it first time in concert here in Russia!" he raised his microphone and waved it, while Naruto raised a hand and plastered on his face a goofy grin.

More shouts came.

"But then that would be later. For now, I will leave Naruto here for a while to…think about things…or maybe…even someone." Sasuke quickly caught the microphone being thrown at him by Naruto, earning a few 'ooohhs' and 'ahhhs' from the crowd.

Naruto caught the microphone being thrown back at him. "So, how are you?" a few made rock-signs and Naruto nodded at them. "I love having friendly fights with the other Bad Luck members, specially Sasuke-teme." Naruto pouted. "But sometimes it gets too much." Naruto smiled. "But it is true, what he said."

Some Naruto fans started crying will some rolled their eyes, thinking that it is one of Naruto's jokes. Naruto putted the microphone in the stand, and then got an acoustic guitar from a dancer and a stool from another one. "I'm dedicating this song to one of the most important people in my life. Wish you were here, but…" Naruto smiled bitterly. "...you are not here."

Naruto sat on the stool and placed the guitar on his right thigh. He strummed the chord combination of C-G-Am-F and added solemnity on the melody. He spoke on the microphone while doing the intro. "Hinata, this is for you."

So long to you my love
Don't be afraid to run away
I know you'll be okay
Just take your time to find

But i need you here tonight
I need you here inside
I need you here tonight
I really, really need you here tonight

Made up my mind on this
Too late for me to hold you back
Maybe to short or dumb
To cry for you but i will anyway

It's all my fault
To feel this way for you that day
I know i am and i will
Though it's wrong,so wrong

Cause i need you here tonight
I need you here inside
I need you here tonight
I really, really need you here

I need you, i need you
I need you here inside
I need you i need you
I really, really need you

He finished the song using the chord F, strumming it down four times, one time up and down for the last time. He closed his eyes, oblivious to the fact that the one that he dedicated the song to, is actually listening to him.


Sorry if I have to do this in a rush. We're going to Batangas in a few days, and I still have to do advance studying since my parents DEMAND that I do it, to, uh, you know…advanced.

Hehe…sorry if I updated slowly and the shortness of the chapter. Thanks anyway! JA!