Sakura finished finalizing her masterplan with the help of Rukia's and surprisingly Naruto's analytical skills, Uryu's brains, Orihime's sadistic methods and the information provided by Ichigo about what they knew about the Shinigami so far. It took her a few moments or so to complete it but thank God they had finished. 'What's left is the action,' she thought warily. She had discovered several loopholes in their plan which were overlooked but she kept quiet for the better of it. She just hoped that her backup plan would be enough to help them defeat the bad guys.


"Guys, since we're putting out plan into action tomorrow, I thought that maybe we should at least have some fun," Ichigo suggested. Everyone turned to look at him. They were sitting in the cafeteria eating their lunch. It had been almost a week since they decided that they would fight Aizen. It was Friday and they would fight him tomorrow, since Saturday was a free day. "We need to have some fun before we die tomorrow," he said with a cheeky grin. "Way to spread the optimism," Rukia muttered lowly but loud enough for everyone to hear.

"I think it might be a good idea," Sakura said after a pause. The male Shinigami smiled. "You can go on without me," the raven-haired girl said as she waved her hand lazily. "Don't be such a sour bum. We gotta go together. It'll be fun," the boy reasoned. Rukia looked around to see everyone looking at her expectantly. "Why are you all looking at me like that?" she asked as she shifted uncomfortably under their gaze.

"C'mon Rukia. It'll be fun. For memory's sake, dattebayo!" the blonde all but shouted. Rukia still wouldn't budge but after being given the famous Uzumaki puppy eyes, she knew she had lost this one. "Fine," she muttered as she looked away from the blonde's adorable face, her face tinged pink. Everyone cheered.


They were attending a musical concert in which Kana Boon was performing the song Silhouette. Chad was dressed in a black muscle shirt, white jeans and white Air Jordan sneakers. For once, Uryu wasn't wearing a shirt but instead was clad in a white polo shirt with black jeans and white Converse. Rukia and Orihime were dressed in black skirts which ended just above the knees. However, Rukia had a maroon t-shirt with a grey hoodie on top and Orihime had a purple t-shirt and a leather jacket on top. Ichigo was dressed in black casual jeans, a green t-shirt and a black hoodie on top.

The loudmouth blonde was dresses in a screaming orange t-shirt with ramen the front, black jeans and an orange hoodie plus white sneakers. Talk about a screaming orange freak, Ichigo had commented under his breath which earned a glare from the blonde and a bonk from Rukia. Sakura was wearing loose black shorts, a red t-shirt and a white crop-hoodie on top. All the girls were wearing sandals.

Ichigo had boasted proudly about Kana Boon saying they were the best band in the city. Neither of the Karakura citizens had denied and so the two ninjas chose to believe him. "It's about to start," Ichigo whispered into Sakura's ears as the crown began to quiet down. The guitar and drums started playing and the people went into a frenzy.

Isse no se de fumikomu gōrain bokura wa

Nanimo nanimo mada shiranu

Issen koete furikaeruto mō nai bokura wa

Nanimo nanimo mada shiranu

Udatte udatte udatteku

Kirameku ase ga koboreru no sa

Oboetenai koto mo takusan attadarou

Daremo kare mo shiruetto

Daiji ni Shiteta mono wasureta

Furi o shitanda yo

Nanimo nani yo waraerusa

Everyone was shouting at the top of their lungs as the band performed. Naruto was the loudest, as usual. The band continued to play on.

Isse no de omoidasu shounen

Bokura wa nanimo kamo o hoshiga tta

Wakatatteiru tte a kidzuitieru tte

Tokei no hari wa hibi ka tomaranai

Ubatte ubatte ubatteku nagareru toki to kioku

Tooku tooku tooku ni natte

Oboetenai koto mo takusan attadarou

Daremo kare mo shiruetto

O sore de amaru koto shiranai

Furi o shitanda yo

Nanimo nani yo waraerusa

Hirari to hirari to matteru

Konoha no you ni yureru koto naku

As the band did played with instruments only, Sakura was jumping up and down. She was screaming at the top of her lungs. 'If Konoha had this type of music, I'd go there every single day of my life!' she thought as she screamed wildly.

Shousou nakusu sugoshiteitai yo

Oboetenai koto mo takusan atta kedo

Kitto Zutto kawaranai

Mono ga aru koto o oshiete kureta anata wa

Kieru Kieru Shiruetto

Daiji ni shitai mono motte otona ni naru nda

Don'na toki mo hanasazu ni

Mamori tsudzukeyou soshitara itsu no hi ni ka

Nanimo kamo o waraeru-sa

Hirari to hirari to matteru

Konoha ga tonde yuku

Everyone clapped hands as they finished the song. "Thank you! Thank you!" the members of Kana Boon said as they left the stage.


"That was one of the best songs ever!" Naruto exclaimed as they sat around a table. They were at an afterparty. They were drinking spiked drinks and the alcohol was starting to get at Naruto's head. 'I hope he won't have a hangover otherwise tomorrow's battle won't work,' the kunoichi thought as she studied her blonde best friend warily. "I hear you clearly Naruto, can you turn the volume down?" Rukia said as she plugged her ears. The blonde was seating beside her and was literally screaming in her ear. "What'd you say Rukia?!" he all but shouted again. Rukia groaned loudly.

"Guys, I think Naruto should go home. If he gets a hangover….." the kunoichi trailed. "I'll head first with him," Rukia quickly volunteered. 'I need to get out of this hellhole,' she thought desperately. "Okay, you can go ahead. Just make sure you don't drop him," Sakura commented as she saw the female Shinigami sling the shinobi over her shoulder. "I'm not making any promises," the girl replied as she walked away.

After a few drinks and a nice chat, Orihime stood up to go home. "I should accompany you," Uryu said as he stood up as well. "No, it's okay. I can manage," the redhead said as she waved her hands dismissively. But Uryu persisted. "He should accompany you Orihime. It's not safe to walk alone at night especially when you're a girl," Sakura piped in. She had noticed Uryu's obvious infatuation to the girl and was helping him make a move. "But-" she was cut off with a stern glare from Sakura.

"You're only saying that so you have Ichigo all to yourself," the girl muttered lowly with a tinge of contempt. The noise made it hard to hear but Sakura was the only to hear due to her sharp ninja senses. Her eyes widened a fraction. Then it hit her! Orihime was obviously attracted to Ichigo and she saw Sakura as competition. She had seen the signs and chose to ignore them. 'Oh gosh,' she thought warily.

After Uryu, Orihime and Chad left, there was only Sakura and Ichigo. An uncomfortable silence dawned upon them and neither of them knew what to say. After what seemed like an eternity, Ichigo decided to break the silence. "I think we should leave," he said awkwardly. "Yeah," the girl replied none too quickly.


After they left, they roamed the streets of Karakura town. They were walking in comfortable silence. The Sakura trees were in full bloom and the streetlights were glowing, giving the street a heavenly feeling. "These are so beautiful," Sakura commented as she walked down the street. Ichigo nodded in return. "Just like you," he said softly with a smile. Sakura stopped in the middle of the street to look at him but he continued walking. Sakura felt like a fool for standing there gaping at him like a fish out of water. After regaining her composure, she hurriedly trotted after him.

They reached a bridge and they stood there, looking at the sky. For some odd reason, the stars were really shining. 'Or is it because I'm beside Sakura that I'm now acting like a lovesick schoolboy?' the Shinigami thought to himself. "So have you ever had a love interest?" he found himself asking and he mentally slapped himself. He looked to the side to find her staring at the moon.

"Yeah," she replied softly.

"Can I know about him?" he asked in a meek voice. She didn't answer. Deciding to let it pass, he was surprised when she spoke up. "I met him when I was 5. I had just entered the Academy," she started. "He was the most handsome and coolest kid of our group. Almost every girl had a crush on him, me included," she said as she chuckled. Ichigo ignored the jealousy burning in his chest. "We were put in the same team when we were made genin. I was delighted. Of course, Naruto was my other teammate and it nagged me but I endured," she continued. She sighed.

"Did something bad happen?" he said as he noticed her sudden sullen mood. "Yeah. He left three years ago on a quest of power. I tried to talk him out of it but he knocked me out and left me on a bench," she replied sadly. He couldn't help but feel pity towards the girl and towards the bastard who left her. "What about now? Do you still like him?" he asked.

Sakura was quiet for a moment then she smiled. "Not anymore. There's someone else," she said as she smiled coyly. "What's he like?" he asked. He hoped that maybe it could be him. It was only hope, he didn't know whether she felt the same way. "Well," she said as she placed a finger on her chin. This is going to be fun! Playing with his mind, shannaro! Inner exclaimed as she punched the air victoriously. "He's sweet and cute," she said as Ichigo silently compared himself to what she was saying.

"He's loud, a bit bossy, likes to smile a lot, talks about, is an idiot at times," she said as she counted off her fingers. 'That's a bit like me,' he thought as he smiled like a little kid. 'She likes me!' he celebrated inwardly. "But!" she said as she cut his thought process. "He's also very, very DENSE," she finished proudly. "Dense?" he repeated. She nodded like an eager kid. But he wasn't dense. Naturo was the dense….. His eyes widened. "It's that blonde idiot," he seethed. Sakura looked at him quizzically. "Nothing. I said nothing," he said quickly. But inwardly he was thinking of the multiple ways he would slaughter that blonde. Sakura, seeing his furious expression, burst into laughter which infuriated him more.


The two arrived to find Ichigo's house battered. It was barely recognizable. They could only stare in shock as they stared at the ruins. "What happened?!" he yelled to no one in particular. "Ichigo?" a meek voice said. They turned around to find Orihime walking over to them, her clothes battered and bloodied. She staggered towards them. "Orihime!" they both exclaimed. Sakura rushed towards, her hands glowing green with healing chakra.

She made the girl lie down and started to heal her wounds. They didn't seem to be very serious but they needed to be treated immediately. "What happened?" he asked concernedly. "Aizen….a-attack….too early….p-plan…..Naruto and Rukia…f-fight.." she tried to speak but couldn't form the words. Sakura hushed her. Both of them were angry to have been in lover's paradise while their friends were fighting. "We need to go over there now," Ichigo said as he eyed the kunoichi. She nodded her head. After making sure that she had dealt with the more serious injuries, she stood up to leave. Ichigo turned to go but was stopped by Orihime's hand on his wrist. He looked back at her.

"Please don't die," she croaked painfully, her eyes pleading him before falling down unconscious. Sakura looked at the girl sympathetically. She knew how strong her feelings were towards the Shinigami and how ashamed she felt at being so vulnerable. She created a clone which picked up the unconscious girl and shunshined towards the nearby hospital. "Let's go," she said in a stern tone. He nodded.


I'm done with this chapter. Sorry for the late update. I was just too lazy to write and also very busy. I'll be going back to school soon so I might not update for a long time. I just hope the network is terrible.

So what do you think about this chapter? I tried to put some IchiSaku fluff but I'm just not meant for it considering I'm more of a Naruto hence I don't know much about Bleach. The song played was Naruto Shippuden opening 16 called Silhouette by Kana Boon. I really like, one of my personal favorites.

Read and review.

Toonana

AfricanFire