A/N: More fluff! If you have Craig David's "I'm Sorry", do play it! And the song does not belong to me, nor was it really composed by Sasuke.
Snapshot
She looked at the whole place in awe, stepping inside on the marbled floor of the A-class café. Her eyes wandered to the cakes that were refrigerated yet displayed for customers to see. A coffee maker behind the counter with a few espresso machines, some fruits for smoothies, and an open view of where the kitchen is. She could clearly see the way things were maintained clean and neat, as well as organized.
"Like it?" he asked as she turned to him, nodding. He pocketed his hands, along with the key of the place and his own motor keys. "It's still too early, and the others won't be here for an hour. This opens at around 7:30AM until 10PM or later. Depends on Neji's decision." He said and walked over to the small stage and began to fix the amplifiers and instruments.
Sakura watched him as he tuned the lead and bass guitars then checked the position of the drums and the wires attached to the keyboard. He bent down on one knee, crouching as low as he could to see if there were damages or scratches on the instruments, as well as wires. Satisfied, he walked to the microphone stands, adjusting them to the right height, pushing the microphone down so that the instruments can be heard played. Walking to the front, he tapped on the mic, hearing it echo against the speakers. He twisted the stand, pulling it up a bit as the microphone was near his lips and was at the right height.
Sasuke turned back to Sakura, feeling her gaze on him as he raised a brow at her. She just blinked and smiled, shaking her head, indicating that it was nothing. Shrugging, he continued to fix the whole stage and stepped down to take a look at the results. "Can you play for me?" he heard her ask and he just lowered his head a bit, glanced at her smiling face and returned to the stage, stopping in front of the keyboard as he turned it on, playing the intros of the music he chose, a music he had ended up writing when she broke up with him, the song the gang had made her listen before she left.
"The song… it's 'I'm sorry'…" she thought, hearing the keynotes, the melodious tone ringing in her ears as she unconsciously walked up to him, standing beside him and closed her eyes, hearing his voice singing on the right part.
Chapter 3: Ice Cream
"Rain outside my window pouring down," she slowly opened her eyes and listened to the lyrics "What now, you're gone, my fault, I'm sorry." and his hands moved fluently on the keyboard. "Feeling like a fool cause I've let you down." She sighed and eyed him. "Now it's too late to turn it around. I'm sorry for the tears I've made you cry, I guess this time it really is goodbye, you made it clear when you said:" he looked at her. "I just don't love you no more…" and he ended the song with the last notes. They shot their heads up when they heard claps coming from someone who stood before the stage.
"Still the best soloist…"
"Neji," Sasuke murmured and turned off the keyboard, his head lowered and eyes half-closed. Sakura gave a small smile and raised her hand as a greeting. "Hey Neji!" she grinned. Neji gave a nod, returning the greeting as he turned to Sasuke. "You better make sure Shikamaru doesn't find out you used his keyboard again."
"Hn." He said, stepping down from the stage and walking to the kitchen as he pushed open the double doors. Sakura slowly descended from the three steps of the stage, eyes not leaving Sasuke's figure, even when he disappeared behind the doors. Something was bothering him, she could tell, and Neji felt her urge to ask him but decided against it. "He's always like that whenever he's finish playing or singing a song, especially that song."
"But… why would he play such a song?"
"Wasn't it one of your favorite ones?" he asked back and proceeded inside the kitchen, leaving Sakura to think of what he had just said. "Yeah, it was and still is my favorite song, but… if he's so affected by it, he should've played another…" she sighed and entered the kitchen as well, seeing Neji talking with Sasuke about the café. "I don't really mind uniforms, just as long as they're not too formal or steamy." She heard her ex mutter. "You mean you guys don't have a proper dress code?"
Neji shook his head. "You know how Ino fusses over fashion so much." At this, the two men sighed. "Not only that, Uncle Hiashi told me it would be proper and appropriate." Sakura nodded at this and approached them. "So what do you have in mind?" he handed her a brown envelope he had with him when he came. "The design is inside. Although it's still not final."
Sakura took out the two pieces of paper and her eyebrows twitched when she saw the drawing of the uniforms. Sasuke, curious as to why she reacted like that looked over her shoulder and turned a bit pale as he eyed Neji with an "are-you-serious" look. The older man just shrugged.
For the girls, they were to wear a tight micro mini-skirt and a white long-sleeved blouse with a red vest over it. Judging from the curves, especially on the chest area, it was obvious how tight and emphasizing it was meant to be and Sasuke only took it, tore it to pieces and left them lying on the floor, scattered and… well, torn. Neji glared at him. "There is no way she," he pointed at Sakura. "Or any of the girls are going to wear that! Not with perverted men still around in this world."
"Don't blame me, I didn't design it."
"Who did?" Sasuke asked. "It better not be Naruto and Kiba."
"Close, but it was only them who approved the girls' uniforms, yet they aren't responsible for the design. It was Jiraiya's. He even offered to pay for the cost of the clothes, seeing that as a good opportunity, I agreed. But of course, only if everyone agrees."
"Over my dead body." The Uchiha deadpanned and crossed his arms. "If it's the money you're worried about then leave it to me." Sakura turned her head to Sasuke with wide eyes. "What..? Is he serious?" she coughed. "Sasuke, you'll need money for your needs at home, especially since you're living alone, I can help you there and I can even spend for the-"
"No you won't." he said, eyes narrowed and averted back to Neji. "And I will definitely not wear that clothing!" he eyed the paper that Sakura held, where a sketch of the boys' uniform was. It was… very embarrassing to even look at it. It was like an old-fashioned suit, with lots of ruffles and such. They'd look like idiots and dorks if they were to wear that.
Neji scratched his head. "I agree, I just didn't care since he was gonna spend the money for it." He shrugged. "I'll make it yours and Sakura's assignment to design our uniforms then. I need it by tomorrow. For that, you don't have to report to work today. I'll take your place and Sakura, you can start working here tomorrow if you want."
"But what about tonight's performance?"
"You can come back tonight just for that."
"Stupid pervert old man…" he hissed while Sakura only giggled at this. They were taking a walk around the park and had stopped in front of an ice cream booth. He turned to her. "You want one?" she blushed a bit and shook her head. He raised a brow at her. "Honestly, I know you want one." And he approached the counter, Sakura following him and trying to stop him when the ice cream man grinned sheepishly. "I only have one cone left though." Sasuke shook his head "It doesn't matter, it's for her." He took out the right amount of yen and paid the man as the guy nodded and scooped out a strawberry ice cream.
Sasuke then turned and walked over to a bench. Sakura smiled and added a few more yen as the man quirked a brow at her. "Add a vanilla flavored one please." He nodded and scooped the said ice cream then handed her the cone as she smiled her thanks and walked over to Sasuke who stared at the ice cream in her hands. "Two? I only paid for one scoop-"
"I paid the other." She said, grinning. He narrowed his eyes. "Why didn't you tell me? Didn't I already tell you before, when you're with me, you're not spending any money." She stuck her tongue out at him playfully and he blushed, turning away as he recalled a few of their high school years. She smiled at this. "You remember that too huh?"
He nodded. How could he forget? The first time she stuck her tongue out at him, he captured it in his mouth and started a French kiss with her in public, in front of the school's entrance, with many students and teachers gaping at them. She laughed and looked at the untouched, rather, "un-licked" ice cream and turned back to him.
"Strawberry has been my favorite, and vanilla has been yours. When I was in the States, I learned to love the two flavors together."
Sasuke looked at her as she inched closer, the ice cream in-between them as she grinned. "Come on, I know you can't resist vanilla." He blushed and shook his head. "Sak, we're no longer kids." She only smiled some more. "But we once shared a single ice cream cone." He sighed. Knowing her, she won't give up. "Fine." And he caught how she smiled triumphantly as he hesitantly licked one side. "There, now you finish the rest." She frowned, and then pouted, and again, he was defeated. "Why me?" he asked himself, looking up at the sky. He shut his eyes, cheeks dark red as he licked the vanilla ice cream some more.
Sakura gave a content smile and leaned closer as well, licking her side of the ice cream. He made a mistake by opening his eyes, especially since their faces were a tad bit close, and he blushed some more when she licked the frozen treat. He backed away a bit and closed his eyes, trying to shake off the unwanted feeling he suddenly had.
"Is something wrong?" she asked.
He shook his head and took out his cell phone when it began to ring. Checking the caller's name, he sighed and opened the flap of his phone, answering the person on the other line. "What do you want?" he asked.
"Is that any way to greet your superior?" the voice asked teasingly. "Anyway, come over to the studio, I need to discuss a few things with you."
"Like?"
"Like finding a female model as your partner for photography; you know, for advertisements or just plain pictures for displays or something."
Sasuke glanced at Sakura. "Does she need to have a license for modeling?"
"No, all she needs to do is agree to the terms and conditions in the contract, sign it, and she has the job. Why do you ask?" he paused. "You have someone in mind already?" The photographer smirked at the way his boss' voice sounded amused. "You could say that. I'll bring her to the studio then." And he hung up, stood and turned to Sakura who just finished her ice cream.
"Come on," he told her. "I'm taking you to the studio."
"Why?" she asked, blinking. "And what about the designs?"
He took her hand and pulled her with him, the other one in his pocket. "I'm sure you'll flip when you find out why. As for the designs, they can wait." Sakura half-stumbled and half-walked as she kept up with his pace towards his bike. He took one helmet and put it over her head then took the other one for his own. "Get on." And she did as he started the ignition and rode off to the studio.
"Good afternoon Uchiha-san, what brings you here?" the secretary asked,pushing her glasses up a bit and returned to fixing some papers. "Kakashi told me to come here, is he inside?" the woman checked her papers and took a ball point pen. "Ah, here it is! Yes, he's expecting you right now. You may go in." and Sasuke did, Sakura following him.
"Kakashi," Sakura whispered then gasped. "As in the Hatake Kakashi?"
"Yeah, you heard of him?"
"My mom told me everything she knows about him! From being a big action star to a mere talent scout manager!" he smirked at her enthusiasm and then gave a few knocks at the large mahogany door before them. They heard a "come in' from the other side so they entered, seeing a silver haired man seated on a swivel chair and having his arms crossed and back leaning against the chair's back rest. His nose and mouth covered by a mask and his left eye bore an eye patch.
Sasuke raised a brow at this. "What happened to your eye?" Kakashi chuckled, motioning the two to take a seat. "Had an accident, I won't be getting a new one until someone donates their eyeball. Anyway, moving on to why you're here." He turned to Sakura. "Is she who you're referring?"
"Aa, Haruno Sakura."
"Wait a minute," Kakashi abruptly turned his head back to Sasuke. "She- you- are yu sure?" he whispered so as Sakura wouldn't hear. She only picked up a few words such as "she" and "you". The rest were hard to figure out. "Yeah, positive." Came her ex's reply. Kakashi cleared his throat and faced Sakura once more. "I'm sure you'd like to know what's going on?" he asked with a smile.
"Yes please." She said politely.
"Well, the reason you're here is because Sasuke has recommended you to be one of our models." He took out a few papers and handed it to her. "What is written there are the terms and conditions, if you agree to them, just place your signature below and you'll be a model in no time." He paused as Sakura read over the whole deal, finding it fair enough. "That is, if you would accept the offer. It's also important that you're fond of this job and up for dealing with the press or any questions once you're famous. So," he grinned. "How about it Haruno-san?"
Unsure, she glanced at Sasuke who gave a reassuring smile then back at Kakashi, giving her own grin, she nodded as the man handed her a pen and she took it, signing her name below the contract. "Now, we will have to assign you to our best teacher when it comes to posture and modeling!" he pressed a random button on his phone and spoke through the speaker. "Nami-san, send in Kurenai-san and Tsunade-san."
"And a for your personal pho-"
The door opened and all heads turned to the two women who had entered the office. Kakashi smiled and stood up, nodding at them. "Haruno-san, this is Tsunade-san, she will be the one in-charge of your health and figure." Sakura looked at the blonde woman who smiled at her and gave a nod as she returned the gesture with a small bow. "As for Kurenai-san," she then faced the crimson-eyed girl with wavy black locks. "She will take care of how you walk, pose and what clothing you should wear when in front of the camera."
"It's nice to meet the two of you." Sakura said, standing up and bowing slightly. The two returned with a smile and a nod. "Ladies," the older women turned to Kakashi who looked at Sakura. "This is Haruno Sakura, and you all know who Sasuke is." Kurenai nodded and turned to Sasuke who stood up as well, giving his respects.
"Who would ever forget this little brat." She grinned, ruffling the boy's hair. "Just kidding, brat doesn't suit you at all." He shrugged, giving a small smile. "So I've been told." Tsunade grinned. "Still a smartass Uchiha." Again, he shrugged, pocketing his hands. "And still looking young as usual." He retorted sarcastically, smirking when the blonde woman forced her grin to stay on her face as her brows twitched dangerously. "Watch it Uchiha."
"Anyway, please bring the two to you know where!" Kakashi said in a sing-song voice, shooing them out of his office.
He watched her adjust, reaching to the demands and orders of the two women who checked her physique, eyed her hair and eyes. A smirk tugged on his lips when she nearly tripped from walking in two-inch heels. He was glad that he brought his digicam with him, and secretly, he took it out, turned off the flash and readied it, taking a picture of Sakura falling right on time.
"Okay Sakura, please give us one twirl." Kurenai said.
The twenty-eight year old woman nodded, giving one spin and almost stumbling on her own feet. She cursed inwardly, recalling how she sucked at dancing when she was still in high school. It always was her boyfriend- rather, ex-boyfriend, who did the dancing, making her look like she was an expert as well. Be it the tango, the waltz or the sway. Funny though, especially since she came from an A-class family with high standards.
Her eyes caught how Sasuke held in his laughter, seeing him turn around, a hand covering his mouth and his eyes shut, the other hand holding onto his stomach which also held a digicam. She blushed furiously, and like what some people say, old habits die hard. "Uchiha Sasuke!" she yelled, catching the attention of the raven-haired photographer who blinked and faced her. "You're so dead!"
"Oh shit." He thought and raised his hand which held the camera above his head, keeping it out of reach from Sakura. Although, it didn't help much since she had heels on. "Sakura, stop it! Come on!" he said while she kept yelling and reaching for the thing. "Give it Sasuke!" she yelled. "No way! I miss doing this!" he countered. Sakura only glared at him and he gulped, knowing what was to come. "Give. It. Now." She repeated.
He looked thoughtful for a moment, giving her hope that he probably would give it but he grinned and opened his mouth: "No." Having enough of this, she tackled him, making the two of them fall on the floor, Sasuke still holding onto his camera and making sure it was still in one piece. He could afford to buy a new one but that would be another waste of money. "Delete that picture!"
"I will as soon as I upload it."
"No!"
"Yes!"
"WHY?"
"Because I miss taking pictures of you!"
She blushed, and so did he when he realized what he had just said. The two women who watched them from a far blinked, eyeing the two when they suddenly stopped arguing or… flirting, as some would call it. Kurenai tapped her chin. "Kakashi did say that they were once lovers." Tsunade nodded. "But from the way they act, it makes one think what made the two broke up." Kurenai eyed them for a while before responding. "Her father, he's fussing about their different standards in society. She's filthy rich, as for Sasuke, all I heard was that he lives alone in an average house."
"You… do..?"
He didn't answer but just looked away from her gaze, his blush not fading. "Aa." He replied, sitting up as she moved over a bit, getting off of him but not entirely. She continued to stare at him as he returned his gaze at her. "You should know that by now…" he stood up afterwards, offered a hand to her which she took then turned towards the exit of the modeling room. "I'm gonna get some coffee, you girls want anything?" he asked before closing the door behind him, waiting for their answers.
The two women smiled, shaking their heads then he turned to Sakura who just stood there, staring off in space, face looking a bit sad. "I shouldn't have mentioned that." He thought, suddenly having an idea as he smiled slightly at Sakura's direction before leaving the place. "Sakura, come on, we still have a lot to do." Tsunade said, catching the younger girl's attention. "H-hai!" and the newly-appointed model walked over to the two.
"Now then, try walking with this book on your head." Kurenai placed it above her ink tresses and smiled. "Walk down the stage with that on your head on those heels, if the book falls, you'll do it again until you perfect it." Sakura nodded and stepped up the platform, positioned the book above her head and began to walk. "Walk with your legs crossing over!" Tsunade ordered and she did, making her hips sway involuntarily, which made her feel a bit weird since she was not one to walk like that.
But not all would perfect the stunt so easily, halfway through; the book fell from her head. She sighed, picked it up and walked back to the end, then repeated the routine, determined to succeed. Again and again, when she was close to finishing the whole walk, the book fell. "Damn it." She hissed under her breath and picked it up, not seeming tired or willing to give up. Her spirit amused the two women, making them feel proud of her.
"And what would you have sir?"
He eyed the menu that was displayed at the back of the counter, located above the heads of everyone in the room. Finding the drink he was looking for, he smiled slightly, not noticing how the girl behind the counter had blushed. "I'll have the strawberry and vanilla frappe. Take out." the girl nodded, punching his order and asking for the right amount of money. He took out his wallet and cursed inwardly, forgetting to bring some of his cash. "Miss, do you accept credit cards?"
"Yes we do sir."
He took out his Visa and handed it to her, watching as she swiped it, typed a few things and handed him a pen and paper for him to sign. Sasuke did so and passed the paper back, took his receipt and sat down on one of the chairs inside the café, browsing at the pictures he took with his digicam. He smiled when he stopped at the picture he last took, where Sakura had tripped on her high heels. "Still clumsy." He thought and kept the object back in its case.
Standing up after hearing his name being called, he walked over to the claiming counter and showed the receipt, then took the two frappes with him, not knowing a pair of eyes had looked at his way after hearing the name. They were wide with shock, and he wondered why the boy looks familiar. Most of all, he couldn't believe that he paid with the use of a credit card.
With a sigh, he took his phone out and dialed a number, brining it near his ear and mouth; he waited for the receiver to answer. "Kishiro, I need you to spy on a guy named Uchiha Sasuke, and fill me in about every information you get." He hung up and eyed the man who crossed the street and entered the building adjacent to the café, eyebrows narrowing at the same time. "How far have you gone Uchiha?" he thought, watching until the said boy's figured disappeared behind the glass doors.
"Odd, I felt like someone was watching me." Sasuke thought, walking towards the door that led him to where the models-in-training were. But only Sakura and the two women were inside, much to his relief. He twisted the knob and pushed the door open, stopping right there as he stared at Sakura with wide-eyes. What she did made him whisper "Wow…" and it somehow caught the attention of the three.
Sakura blushed a bit, looking down with a small smile on her lips. All she did was walk like a model, without the book, since she has perfected the posture and stance. She was wearing white Capri pants that fit her legs perfectly, and a pair of stiletto heels to go with it. Her top consists of a baby pink spaghetti strapped shirt, with black hem and neck lines. She was supposed to have a denim jacket over it but while she walked and reached the front, she removed it, swung it over her right shoulder and posed, her hair swaying with her movements, right in time for Sasuke to witness the moment.
"Um… Sasuke, you can… stop staring now…" she said meekly.
He blinked and shook his head, cheeks flushed as he entered the room, closing the door behind him afterwards. She saw the plastic bag that he was carrying, the contents being two frappes, one vanilla, and the other… "Strawberry frappe…" she thought, blushing a bit when he neared her and handed the drink to her. "Well, I guess that's it for today then!" Tsunade said, nodding as she and Kurenai took their things.
Sakura sat down on the platform, taking the drink from him and giving a smile. "I see you still remember." He grinned sheepishly. "How could I not?" and he took a sip from his own drink. "Hey, we still have to work on the designs!" she said all of a sudden. "I already have one in mind for the guys, I don't know what to do with you girls." She pouted and he raised a brow. "Not fair." He smirked. "I'll help you, don't worry about it. Besides, it's only 4:18PM, there's still plenty of time."
"Hey you two, we'll be going now." Kurenai said, walking towards the door with Tsunade tailing behind. "Oh, and Sakura?" the pink-haired girl turned to her. "I'm sure you already know who your photographer is." And she left after smiling at them, Tsunade grinning and leaving the two alone.
Sakura turned to Sasuke with wide eyes. "You're my personal-"
"Yeah," he answered, finishing his drink and dumping it in a nearby trash bin. "If you want, I can ask someone else to-"
"No, no!" she shook her head and smiled. "I'm glad it's you actually." She looked down, a blush on her cheeks. Sasuke smiled as well, and offered her a hand. She took it as he pulled her down, assisting her on her feet. Sakura, however, forgot that she wore heels, so as soon as she landed on the floor, she tripped and fell, Sasuke catching her, preventing her from falling as he wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close.
Sakura felt her heart skip a beat as their gazes locked; eyes wide and dilating, faces beat red. "Sasuke..?" his eyes softened as his hand reached up and brushed away the strand of hair that was on her face. "You okay?" he asked. She nodded, avoiding his gaze as she straightened herself up and turned around, her back facing him. "I better go and change back to my clothes." She said, walking towards the back stage.
"S-Sak," he suddenly said. Sakura stopped and turned her head to him. "I… um… it's nothing, forget about it." He looked down, scolding himself mentally for being such a coward. "Why didn't I just say it? It's like I haven't said it before." He wasn't the only one having these thoughts for the girl that was changing in the dressing room also thought about the same things. "And I thought for sure he would say that he…" she sighed, shaking her head, removing the Capri and putting on her black denim skirt, reaching an inch below her knee. She took her white windbreaker and discarded the denim jacket and white Capri. She changed into her sneakers after putting on her socks then stepped outside to meet up with Sasuke.
"Not bad." She said, eyeing the sketch he made for the guy's uniforms. It was a white long-sleeved button-up shirt; the sleeves were folded up until their elbows. Black slacks and navy blue apron finished everything up. "Simple, just like your character." She grinned and he only smirked at that. "What about you?" he asked, taking the sheet of paper that lay in front of her on the kitchen table. "Are you sure you didn't take up fashion designing?" he asked, teasing her. "This is a really good design."
"You really think so?" she looked down, blushing a bit. He nodded, eyeing the drawing. It was also a white long-sleeved button-up shirt, a black skirt that reached below the knees for about two inches. Over the shoulders was a small cloak, reaching mid-chest level, a red ribbon securing it. Just like the guy's uniform, it also had an apron, only at the color of dark red. "And the name plates will be gold with black lettering?" he asked. She nodded. "Then I guess we're done!" he kept the two pieces of paper and inserted it in a brown envelope.
The two got up and proceeded to the living room, Sakura stopping all of a sudden which Sasuke noticed. "Is something wrong?" she stayed quiet for a while before looking back up at him. "Your brother told me about your journals." She watched as he gave a sigh and turned the other way. "Is it true? Is it really true that you still love me?" He froze and his fists clenched and shook. "Sasuke, please, I need to know..."
"Why?" He looked at her, eyes in a serious expression. "Do you?" and she was speechless.
To be continued…
Next on Snapshot: Chapter 4: Forever
Everyone had started to gather around the campfire, ready to listen to Sasuke. He was going to fulfill his promise to Sakura that he'll sing for her, no matter who will be there to listen. He smiled slightly from his friends' encouragement and pleads that he brought out his guitar from its case and tuned it. "As you all know, this song is dedicated to Sakura."
A/N: So, are they back together yet or not? Take a guess!
