Hmm. Not much got the correct answer--which makes this chapter a lot more interesting. :))
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"Teme, what do you mean she left already?! She can't possibly vanish into thin air; she was just right there a second ago! God, where is she?" Naruto asked hysterically, his fists on his blonde head as he jumped repeatedly from where he was standing.
Sasuke grunted impatiently, regarding Naruto with his extremely bored façade. He had poked the blonde until he woke up just so they could go back home and forget everything that happened earlier only to be stopped by Naruto's incessant inquires. This is seriously grating his nerves.
"The concert's already over," he replied casually, even though he know how devastating that might sound to the frantic blonde.
The effect was priceless, since Naruto turned paper-white in a split second, his mouth falling, and his posture stiffening.
"N-N-N-N-Nani?" Naruto gagged dramatically. Realization hit him as he remembered Mizaki coming out of the stage, giggling at the sight of her fans, and then… nothing. "Y-y-y-you mean I fell asleep right then? Like, I fainted?! I. DID. NOT!"
Sasuke knew better that his affirmation will push Naruto to his limits and probably unleash his suicidal tendencies. Letting Naruto figure it out for himself was the best idea for now, seeing that he already managed to reach halfway through.
"Oh. My. God! I've let a once in a lifetime chance down the drain! What did I do to deserve such cruel fate?"
Sasuke cringed. He was never a fan of Naruto's other side, which resembles another Gai-sensei-wannabe…
—which reminds him of yet another one with a similar proclivity. Sasuke heaved a genuine sigh of relief when he found Tenten still lying unconsciously on the floor.
"Teme, tell me! Tell me what happened after I passed out!" he growled, pulling Sasuke's collar. Naruto could've been mistaken as a mugger by anyone if not with his nonsensical outbursts of his favorite pop superstar. "How many song did she sang?! What else did she do?! Did she mention anything about her next performance?!" Naruto demanded. "Did she notice her future husband was handsomely waiting for her to come out?" Naruto later hoped, pointing dreamily to himself.
"If by that you mean me then she did… Naruto."
"What the hell?" Naruto hissed, turning to the newcomer, obviously outraged on such blasphemous claim. "How dare you—EHH?!"
Kiba grinned, baring his fangs as he waved his hand. "Yo!"
"What are you doing here?" Naruto asked, looking very much skeptical at his classmate's presence.
Kiba looked affronted. "Of course we have front row tickets," he exclaimed, emphasizing the last three words of his assertion just for the sake of it.
Naruto overlooked the egotistical remark and tilted his head, regarding a silent figure beside Kiba he later realized as Shino – yet another classmate since Junior High. His nose then scrunched up, obviously confused. "But… but our seats were just inches apart. How come I've only come to notice you two just now?"
Kiba scratched his head sheepishly, unable to hide a blush that put the red tribal paints on his cheeks in shame. "Well, Mizaki was so great earlier I even forgot Akamaru was with me. Hell, I almost forgot who I am the moment she sang! She had the voice of an angel and I felt like I evaporated on her presence!" Kiba answered excitedly, grinning from ear to ear. "Hell yeah, I'm going to marry her!"
At that same moment, Naruto pouted. Sasuke then turned back to his friend curiously due to his lack of opposition on Kiba's improbable declaration. He noticed that Naruto inched a little closer to the corner and rocked back and forth, appearing envious, regretful and gloomy all at the same time.
Sasuke huffed impatiently at his friend's antics before he sat back on his seat, knowing where the conversation between Naruto and Kiba might lead. And from the looks of it, they're taking all the time they need.
"What are you doing?"
Naruto sniffed and his sapphire orbs swelled with shinny tears. "Well I…"
Kiba furrowed his brows, baffled at the sudden change of Naruto's mood. Knowing Naruto back in Junior High, such depressing stunt was never one Kiba could ever associate to the loud mouth. "What?"
"Well, what do you expect? This is the first time I'll be seeing her live. I mean, though I had watched all her concerts ever since she started out I was never really this close to seeing her and now—"
"Now WHAT?" Kiba asked, obviously impatient.
"I passed out! There!" Naruto confessed.
Kiba blinked.
"Go on. Laugh all you want," Naruto sulked. "I waited for this all my life and I screwed it up. Marvelous!" he added sarcastically, turning away from Kiba.
Kiba then bit his lip. He took a delicate gulp before he tapped Naruto's shoulders reassuringly. "Don't fret, my friend," he suddenly exclaimed. He faked a sniff before he turned to Naruto with outmost determination. It didn't go unnoticed to him as Naruto sported another baffled front. "I did too on the first three concerts I had access to front row tickets. Man, she's just so adorable that it was just normal to do anything irrational and/or commit such inevitable acts," he comforted, holding Naruto's shoulders firmly.
Sasuke fought the urge to puke. 'Stupid' was the word that summarizes it all – which includes going in this concert in the first place.
Naruto's eyes then exploded with new-found hope. "R-really?" he asked, touched.
Kiba nodded enthusiastically. "And don't worry, my friend. I've got awesome pictures!" He then fished his digital camera on his backpack and began browsing the pictures Shino took throughout the concert. "See? See! She's perfect!"
Naruto just giggled in affirmation.
"Man, I can't believe someone like her exists in real life!"
"Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!"
"And look! She has the body of a bombshell!"
"Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!"
"God, I'll give up anything just to touch the tip of her hands!" Kiba murmured dreamily. "Isn't Hinata-chan the luckiest person in the whole wide world…?"
Naruto giggled and nodded. "Yeah! Yeah! Yea – who's Hinata?" he snapped back, bemused.
Kiba turned to him. "Hyuuga Hinata-chan," he repeated disbelievingly. "She's our classmate since Junior High, remember? She's even in the same section as ours right now!" Kiba informed.
Naruto narrowed his eyes, ransacking his brain as to who that Hinata was. "Really? Even now?" he put up disbelievingly. Naruto, the recipient of the Mr. Congeniality award since birth, is pretty much convinced that someone he never knew or heard of, especially if she happens to be in the same class as him, definitely doesn't exist. Kiba must be drugged, he concluded.
"Are you serious?" Kiba asked, shocked. "She's like the richest girl in the face of the planet! Hell, she owns this place!"
Naruto gasped dramatically. "She owns this dome?" Naruto exclaimed, with his voice echoing hollowly around the deserted showground. He instinctively turned to Sasuke for an answer, and Sasuke's eyebrow twitch was a clear sign of confirmation. "THE. TOKYO. DOME? Wow, even teme who was able to whip two extra front row seats in a single call wasn't that rich!" Naruto marveled, shaking.
Kiba grinned. "Where do you think we got all those front row seats? Uchiha might be the coordinator of this concert but there wouldn't be a concert in the first place if there hadn't been a venue. All of Mizaki-chan's concerts were held on big-time Hyuuga infrastructures, with this dome not being the only one."
Naruto's eyes widened. "Whoa! How come I've never noticed her?" Naruto asked, mostly to himself. He knew that someone as rich as that Hinata wouldn't remain unnoticed, knowing the stereotypical leanings of rich kids. If Ino had already been so full of herself what more could this Hinata person be?
"Well maybe because she keeps a low profile in school. She wasn't picked up by her limousine until an hour after our dismissal. She's just bashful like that."
"Oh, really?" Naruto murmured, tapping his chin. He gotta find this Hinata first thing on Monday morning and befriend her, knowing all too well the perks of having a wealthy friend under his grasp. He then turned to Kiba. "Well, why bring her up all of a sudden?"
Kiba turned to him. "Hah! You won't believe that she got backstage passes for this event!" he revealed, obviously looking envious. "She had been trying to do so since she became a fan but to no avail, despite all of her connections. That is until her father phoned her an hour before the concert and told her that someone allowed the issuance of backstage passes, though they were very, very limited, with the other four of them already reserved. Hinata then gladly took the last of the passes and there! She gets to be in history on being one of the first five people that were given such a marvelous chance of a lifetime! Man, I'm dying to be on her shoes!"
Naruto bit his lip in equal envy. He would definitely kill for those passes, if only he were given a chance – "Chotto… Did you say four other passes?" Naruto gasped in panic.
"Yeah."
Naruto swiftly turned to Sasuke. "No way in hell…" he mumbled in a trance.
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Title: The Girl I Used to Know
Chapter Title: The Runaway Pop Star
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Sakura narrowed her eyes slowly.
If she hadn't remembered that she was still Akaya Mizaki, she could've appeared flabbergasted at the sudden emergence of a stranger, let alone allowing the newcomer witness the not-so-good conversation she just had with her manager.
She took a step back, turning to her manager with questioning eyes.
Why was there someone who wasn't part of the crew present here on the backstage? Inner Sakura echoed her thoughts. Sakura could tell just by the girl's plain clothes and the absence of an ID, which is a proof that she wasn't one of the tonight's concert team.
Tsunade's mouth immediately twisted into a frown.
Bad sign, Inner Sakura pointed out. Sakura took a delicate intake of air and turned back to the person in front of her, still eager to hear the answer of THE question.
"Y-you're Haruno Sakura?" she repeated, squinting. From the looks of it, the girl wouldn't be dropping that inquiry off anytime soon.
Who wouldn't be? That's the biggest secret on the planet! Sakura sighed. Of course it is. And if worst comes to worst, Akaya Mizaki would be the one who'll be suffering a tremendous shake on her popularity due to such scandal, no matter how ironic it might sound. Haruno Sakura wouldn't lose anything, since she never owned anything in the first place.
Sakura then furrowed her brows, turning to the inquiring lass. Where had we met this girl before? Inner Sakura asked inwardly.
"I—"
The girl bit her lip, her pearl eyes reflecting outmost recognition that Sakura forgot what she was about to say.
Tsunade seemed to have noticed it too that she suddenly pulled Mizaki behind her, towering the smaller girl's figure with hers. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" she inquired. She bundled her fists as a lot of things raced through her mind. This can't be happening.
"Ano…" the stranger started, obviously intimidated by Tsunade's presence but she remained on her ground when her eyes fell on Mizaki again, disbelief etched on her pale face. "S-she's Haruno-san?" she uttered and Tsunade's fears were confirmed.
"Hyuuga Hinata," Tsunade recognized. How could she ever miss the Hyuuga heiress? Her father, one of the most prominent people in the country, enrolled his first daughter on Konoha High personally just a couple of weeks ago, entrusting Hinata to her, being the new principal and all. Hinata might not be successful in outliving the affluence of their clan with her simplicity but her eyes were a giveaway of her status. The question would be howshe was able to hold access to non-existent backstage passes that Tsunade herself made sure they remain such.
"H-Haruno-san?" she repeated. It seemed like she was too shocked to mumble something coherent and that the only thing on her mind was that fact she heard from the earlier banter.
Sakura, shell-shocked, turned to Hinata with wide eyes. Her manager was correct. Though Hinata was the only person in their class, both when they were still in Junior High until now, who evaded everyone else's attention, Sakura was vaguely sure that they had once shared a light conversation, though it had ceased to exist on her memory until now, along with Hinata's identity. For some strange reason, Hinata had blended amidst the crowd all too well that Sakura wasn't surprised that only a few would know her existence inside the four walls of their classroom. But the fact that Hinata was right in front of her rattled her nerves to no end. How did she manage to get pass the security? And what's she doing here in the first place? Inner Sakura thought, also in a complete loss.
But one thing's certain, though.
Her secret's out.
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"You mean you were the one who issued such passes?" Kiba exclaimed in outmost disbelief, turning to a motionless Sasuke. "I should've known!"
Naruto tackled the unsuspecting Uchiha down, rage leaking out of his system. "Is that true?"
Sasuke narrowed his eyes consequently before pushing Naruto off of him. "Got any problem about that?"
"Why you—!" Naruto then jumped back to him again.
"What?" Sasuke asked sternly, urging him to go on.
Naruto huffed. "You – you liar!" he shot back. "You told me that was never possible!"
Sasuke then turned sluggishly to him. "Is it my fault?"
"But!"
Kiba barely noticed the annoyance etched on Sasuke's face, as if trying to keep things from getting further out of hand. Naruto, on the other hand, for once, was silenced. The only evidence that that time was actually passing was a stirring Tenten near his foot.
"What the hell? Why are you all shouting?" she demanded, turning to the bickering sound, her vision cloudy for some strange reason. The last time she had this feeling upon waking up is after a late night trip to a bar with Neji's best friend, Lee. She vaguely remembered emptying her third sake bottle before everything felt heavy. She creased her brows and turned to her two friends, eying her like a retard. "What's the problem?"
Naruto stuck his pointing finger towards her. "You've been lying there for hours. On the floor."
An evident shriek was heard before Tenten managed to get up, all weariness a minute ago vanishing to thin air. "How did this happen?" she asked frantically, dusting off her sleeves.
"It's either Sasuke-teme knocked us all out or you too passed out after seeing Mizaki-chan," Naruto answered dutifully, not occurring to him that the said teme was still pinned under him.
Sasuke fought the urge to rip his hair out when Tenten's eyes widened like saucers. He swore he already saw such scene.
After much waterworks, regret on the side of Tenten for deliberately falling asleep, consolation from both Kiba and Naruto, and the renewed shock on Tenten's face because of the backstage passes, everything was back to where it's supposed to be.
"See? And he told us that was never possible, at least NOT IN A MILLION YEARS!" Naruto repeated, filling Tenten the details she missed because of her unexpected slumber.
"You mean we just let four backstage passes go to nothing?!"
"You bet!"
Sasuke shook his head at his friends' antics, along with Kiba's weird ones. He never knew the dog-boy would bend at the mere sight of an overrated pop super star. Kiba was part of the soccer team after all, the one Sasuke just joined a week ago.
Sasuke just let the three go on with their noisy conversation as he heaved out a pained sigh. It's almost past midnight. Judging by the number of paperwork he wasn't able to finish due to this unscheduled event, he would have to work double time later. Not to mention that he should be building up his patience in case his secretary goes berserk due to his absence.
Time to go.
"Oi, I'm leaving," he said but his announcement only reached deaf ears.
That's it. He'll—
"To think that all of this happened because of Sakura," Tenten absentmindedly mumbled. She realized her slip almost immediately before she waved her hands defensively. "Forget about it."
Kiba turned to Naruto questioningly.
Naruto shrugged back. "You know her, right?" he started out.
Kiba nodded.
Sasuke then narrowed his eyes dangerously to Naruto. It's a good thing he overlooked Tenten's apprehension as a mere verbal slip up, but he won't forgive Naruto if he commits such equal act. Their friendship isn't worth a single… offense. He shuddered at the word. "Well…" Naruto dragged, looking thoughtful for a minute.
"If we had known this would happen, we should've been completely honest to her. Sakura-chan is a great person, after all. She would've understood."
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Sakura never expected that what her manager meant by 'getting acquainted' was nothing but a typical slumber party on her humble, single-room apartment. It still bugs her that she's with the richest teenager on the planet, and that Tsunade had entrusted the heiress to her for the night.
She came back with a cup of tea and settled it down mutely on the table before she sat down. She looked down on her lap as she thought of ways to get used to the curious look Hinata was portraying. It's unnerving in every sense of the word.
"Uhm… Tea?" she offered unsurely.
Hinata snapped out of her trance then and blushed furiously, knowing it was rude to keep the owner of the house waiting. "Arigato, Haruno-san," she mumbled as she wrapped her hands on the cup.
"Why don't we start it all out by calling me by my first name? Is that fine with you?"
"S-sure…" she stammered. "Sakura-san."
Sakura smiled before her gaze fell on her own cup, the uncomfortable silence once again settling in. She wasn't quite sure if what she was doing now is right, not that she's questioning her manager's decision. She thought that if this time comes – when her secret is revealed to anyone (no matter how accidental it turned out to be) – Tsunade will manage to pull her out of the hell hole. That's why she was downright surprised when Tsunade just sighed upon the overheard revelation and approached Hinata, giving her a small talk and forcing Hinata to stay with Sakura for the mean time, or at least until Hinata gets used to the new found information.
Following the logic of her manager, Tsunade would want them both to get to know each other – probably to get Hinata understand the extent and reason behind Sakura's secret personally. That way, Hinata would think twice of revealing her secret to anyone else.
In short, they'll try to be friends.
In that case, Sakura could be relieved that her secret is in good hands.
But there seemed to be a single problem to get this plan in action.
You just can't befriend anyone that easily, which explains her small number of friends she had with her now.
And it seemed that that was the case on Hinata too.
Sakura lifted her gaze hesitantly on the squirming Hinata in front of her. What should we do now?
"So," she started out lightly. "How long have you been a fan?" she teased, testing the waters.
Hinata blushed frantically, her grip on the tea cup slipping. "A-ano…" She turned to Sakura who was waiting patiently for her answer. Sakura would never know the effect of that question had, coming from none other than Akaya Mizaki herself – but it's not like Hinata would say it out loud, with her stuttering problem hindering her to do so in the first place. "L-last year. O-on you first concert in the Yokohama district," she answered shyly.
Sakura smiled. It had been a year since her first ever performance but the feeling it brought still lingers. "That long already? But I was just a mere front performer that time."
"H-hai."
Sakura took a sip on her tea and watched an anxious Hinata, seemingly afraid to meet her eyes. "Well, don't be afraid of me. I'm still the same Haruno Sakura in school, though I know you don't know me that much back there," she said softly. "I know it takes a long time to get used to it but I'm sure you'll manage. It's just a good thing that someone like you found out, rather than one of those crazed fans that tears my eardrums every time. I guess we can give it a chance. What do you think?"
Hinata peeked to her meekly before nodding. "I-I think so, Sakura-san."
Sakura smiled genuinely. At least she still gets to be Haruno Sakura to Hinata, which meant that the Hyuuga heiress wasn't constantly overshadowed by the secret she found out and was actually trying to befriend her in her own small way.
And that's all that matters for now.
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Naruto had waited for this day. Sure there had been moments he had dreamed of for quite a while now but this takes the cake.
He grinned as he fanned a white, wax-sealed envelope on his neck, feeling unbelievably stoked. He never knew this day would come, but after seeing Mizaki's concert last Friday night, and the issuance of backstage passes (though they became total wastes in the end), he knew that some things could actually happen, especially when it involves a certain Uchiha.
Naruto spent the whole weekend with Kiba and Tenten, marveling the pictures and video clips Shino got on the concert night. The three quickly became acquaintances and decided to build a new Mizaki-chan homepage, though the World Wide Web is already overflowing of it, to flaunt their nicely captured pictures and up-close clips of Japan's most sensational pop star. A lot of planning also took place when they got a hold of Mizaki's schedule from a teenage magazine, which was allegedly ripped off from the singer's manager herself, or so according to the editor. The three had checked out all the upcoming guestings and performances of the said pop star and decided to attend them all – all for the sake of their addiction.
But nothing tops the news Naruto got this Monday morning when Sasuke called him up.
After telling Naruto that he won't be able to come to school for the day (for a reason Sasuke wouldn't like to divulge), Sasuke asked (threatened) Naruto to drop by his office for special mail deliveries. Though feeling a bit suspicious, Naruto sought after his friend and the invitations Sasuke left on his secretary, who was abnormally looking sulky that day by the way. On his way to school, he noticed that one of the three formal-looking envelopes was addressed to him. At least he could tell by the fine script that read 'Uzumaki Naruto' on the back.
Ripping the envelope open, he gasped upon reading its contents. It was a special invitation at a formal party of the Uchiha Group of Co. at their Main Building tonight. But what really caught Naruto's attention was along with their (him, Tenten's and Sakura's) name on the VIP portion of the note was the name Akaya Mizaki, along with other popular people on it.
Akaya Mizaki.
Akaya Mizaki.
There's no way in hell that Naruto will miss it!
Now, the only thing he has to do is to find Tenten and Sakura to give them their respective invitations, with Naruto hoping Sakura could make it this time.
"Wait until I tell Kiba about this!" he giggled inwardly before he turned sharply into a corner in the school's corridor, only to crash into someone else.
"I'm sorry!" he quickly exclaimed, straightening up. He glanced at the other person who was thrown away by the impact and grinned. "Sakura-chan!" he called out before he pulled her up.
"Naruto?"
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto repeated before he swung an am around her shoulders, his face filled wtih excitement. "I've got something for you!"
Sakura shifted uneasily, knowing that she still hadn't apologized about her sudden disappearance last Friday. She tried to call him out but no one picked up. She thought they were a bit offended when she broke her promise. Sakura bit her lip anxiously before she noticed a white envelope being shoved onto her.
Wait a minute, this looks familiar…
"It's an invitation for teme's party tonight! He wants you to come!"
Oh. no.
Naruto's cheeks blushed. "Well... Don't worry about what happened last Friday. And we're sorry for imposing things on you. I know the invitation for the party tonight is urgent but Sasuke sure is expecting us! Not to mention we'll be seeing Mizaki-chan there again!" Naruto paused. "I mean, you'll get to see her there for the first time!" he dutifully corrected himself. "Anyway, I've got to find Tenten for her invitation, then I'll sneak up and cut for today's class to prepare for tonight." He had whispered the last few words before he primed to dash away, only to bump on Sakura's arm linked to someone else's. His eyes immediately narrowed.
Seeing a small girl with dark hair and pearl eyes on the other end was the last thing he expected. He even got far as to assume that a guy could be hitting on her precious Sakura-chan.
"Eh?"
Sakura pulled her hand free before turning to Naruto for explanation.
"She's Hinata," she introduced, gesturing towards the meek girl. "She's our classmate and I thought I could help her find her locker. She just got hers recently. Hinata, this is Naruto, my friend."
Naruto gasped. "You're Hyuuga Hinata?!" he exclaimed dramatically.
"Naruto, stop scaring her!"
Hinata just took a step back, utterly shocked.
"You're the one who got a backstage pass for last Friday's concert, right?"
Sakura's eyes widened. He knew? She then turned to Hinata indecisively.
Hinata took in Sakura's worried expression and Naruto's anticipating ones before she shook her head, poking her fingers in the middle. This is the time where she could show Sakura that the secret is safe on her, and that she was willing to be her friend. But she never expected it to be this difficult, especially in front of a cute guy she had been secretly crushing since they were still in Junior High. "A-ano… I-I didn't got pass the security, N-Naruto-san. T-they told me they were never informed that the m-management had issued such passes." She squinted, not quite used to lying. "And nice meeting you, by the way, N-Naruto-san…" she added shyly.
Naruto's face crumbled. "Oh."
Hinata nodded before she felt uncomfortable at the silence. Sakura noticed it too.
"So, Naruto, see you around…"
Naruto immediately grinned. "Of course, Sakura-chan! Don't forget tonight's party! Teme will be glad to see you there! Ja!"
Sakura faked a smile as she waved Naruto good bye. Her shoulders soon slumped when he rounded another corner.
"S-Sakura-san…"
"I know," she exclaimed dejectedly. She knows she'll never make it. Haruno Sakura will never make it.
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He never knew why he was here in the first place. Hell, he never even knew what came to him to purposely miss a class for this usual party, with or without his parents' presence. Sasuke stared at the crystal wine glass in front of him and sighed for the umpteenth time, bored to no end. He wasn't even sure why his parents hosted such party on a Monday night in such short notice, without even telling him the reason. He was tempted to just plop his elbows in dullness and show everyone how bored he was if that wouldn't appear insulting to his parents and to the other guests, but later restrained himself upon knowing how his mom would react.
"Sasuke-kun, suit yourself," Mikoto proposed, placing a reassuring hand on her youngest son's shoulder, an unusual wicked grin plastered on her beautiful face.
"But I'm already having sooo much fun."
Mikoto suppressed a giggle on her son's sarcasm. "You should, seriously."
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Why am I here in the first place?"
"Becausewehave something very important to announce," his mom answered, grinning. "You would have to stay put until it's over, okay?"
Sasuke frowned.
"I invited your friends over, and I know that's all you'd want. You know such thing don't happen a lot."
"Hn," he grunted. He was never one to agree to anyone but what his mom said was true. She did invite his friends.
"Now let's just wait until Mizaki-chan and her manager arrives, then we'll start."
Sasuke dismissed the inquiry about the pop star when he spotted a mop of blonde hair and a cheeky grin being escorted by the usherette inside the hall, scratching his head shyly. He also noticed an anxious Tenten lagging behind him, dodging glances on the affluent crowd. Sasuke stood up even before Naruto could do something atrocious like bumping into someone else and/or crashing into anything breakable and asked the first thing that crossed his mind upon reaching their table.
"Where's Sakura?"
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"Saku – I mean, M-mizaki-san…" Hinata said, eying Sakura with outmost concern.
The said pop star stiffened before she turned to Hinata. "I'm fine," she replied almost immediately, though looking a bit wary. She then fumbled on the linings of her dress and avoided Hinata's gaze.
Hinata was about to disagree when Tsunade just nodded to her direction, telling her wordlessly to go on first. When the elevator door opened, the Hyuuga heiress got out first. "I'll be on my way," she announced before she bowed to them. She then turned towards the hall and presented her own invitation to the guards on duty for the occasion, since her family also got invitations for tonight's party.
"What's the occasion?" Mizaki suddenly asked out of nowhere, turning to Tsunade.
Tsunade just shrugged. "I'm not sure. Mikoto-san just asked for our presence. It's not like I'll turn her offer down."
Sakura just nodded monotonously, waiting for her manager's cue to leave the elevator.
Even without sparing her talent a glance, Tsunade knew what Sakura was thinking. She wasn't also oblivious of the fact that both Haruno Sakura and Akaya Mizaki were on the special guest list, and even though Sakura would want to fulfill all her obligations, one would still have to sacrifice for the other. Tsunade knew that time would come that conflicts would rise, and overlooking the event that happened after the concert that led to the leakage of Sakura's secret, she hoped that they could all manage at some point.
But she wasn't all too sure as to how far Sakura could go. People have limits.
"Run along now."
Mizaki then turned to her manager with questioning eyes, not quite able to get Tsunade's order.
Tsunade just sighed. "I've got Shizune on the rest room with your clothes. I think I can handle this party alone."
Sakura gasped. "But…"
Hazel eyes then turned to her with remote seriousness. "I can change my mind—"
"YOU'RE THE BEST!" Mizaki cheered as tears brimmed her raven eyes before she ran towards the rest room, where Shizune was already waiting for her.
"You knew about this," Mizaki pouted as she pulled her wig down, revealing her pink tresses.
Shizune just giggled. "Well…"
"We'll talk about this after I get this thing out," she mumbled as she popped her contact lenses and giving them to Shizune. She then shrugged off her white off-shoulder dress and reached for a simple, red cocktail dress that ended a couple of inches above her knees. It's a good thing Anko pinned her locks in a neat bun that Sakura wouldn't have to worry about her hair. She just dusted off some off her make-up before she turned to Shizune. "Do I look like Sakura now?" she asked with genuine happiness.
"No more, no less."
Sakura smiled. "Thank you!" After Shizune handed down her invitation to her, Sakura dashed towards the entrance of the huge executive hall where the party's currently taking place.
As Haruno Sakura.
And she couldn't be any happier.
"Naruto," she called out upon recognizing him amongst the crowd. She waved when he turned to the familiar voice. So did Tenten and Sasuke.
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto mouthed in surprise. The next thing she knew, her friends had huddled in front of her.
"I told you she can make it!" he said, laughing, as Tenten joined him.
"You skipped your work tonight." It was a statement from Sasuke, not a question.
Sakura grinned as she spotted Tsunade talking to Sasuke's mother. The older Uchiha seemed to have been quiet disappointed at the absence of her favorite pop star but Sakura knew Tsunade could pull through. "I did," she giggled.
Sasuke then glanced at her in the corner of his eyes, a ghost smile tugging his lips. Ignoring Naruto and Tenten, he asked, "You aren't getting yourself in trouble for that, are you?"
"Nope," she replied, feeling giddy. "I guess."
Naruto then turned to Sakura, taking her hand. "You've got to see Mizaki-chan tonight, Sakura-chan. Teme's mother invited her and if what teme told me still stands, his mom can make her sing a few of her songs. You hear that, Sakura-chan? Not only that we'll all get to be in the same room as hers, we'll also see her perform! Up close!"
Sakura shook her head. "I don't think she'll be coming at all."
Both Naruto and Tenten gasped.
"That's her manager right there. And she's not with her," Sasuke filled, pointing towards Tsunade.
"She looks familiar though," Tenten pointed out vaguely.
Sasuke just nodded. "She's our school principal."
Tenten gasped. A trip to the principal's office because of the commotion at the start of the school year drilled the image of the principal on her head, immediately recognizing the elegant blonde that stood amongst other important-looking guests in the middle of the hall. But associating the scary woman that took Sarutobi's position to the country's most popular pop star's manager was way unfathomable to her. "Whoa! I never knew!"
"So you knew each other when she put us all in detention?" Naruto inquired.
"Yes."
"Really?" Sakura marveled. She didn't know. At all.
An earsplitting boom in the speaker got the four out of their conversation when Mikoto tapped the microphone in front of her, earning all the guests' attention. The Uchiha matriarch just grinned, motioning to the crowd. "Pardon for my husband's absence," she started out, elegantly rooted on the marvelously decorated makeshift platform. "But I'm still happy that a lot took their time to share this party with us. Before the joyous celebration begins, I have an important announcement to make."
Whispers enveloped the crowd as well-known producers and directors joined her on the stage, along with Tsunade that for some strange reason was wearing her flabbergasted frown – Sakura pointed out nervously. Maybe letting Mizaki go was a bad idea. Sakura hesitantly turn to face her manager's intent gaze, only to read something in the lines of "we'll talk about this later" or something.
Sakura was brought back to reality when Sasuke squirmed his way behind her, as if hiding. She wouldn't demand for an explanation upon seeing his mother looking for him excitedly. But Sasuke was Sasuke. He stood out amongst the crowd – Sakura would know – and in mere seconds, Mikoto found him.
"Ah, Sasuke-kun, would you join us please."
The said teen grunted in protest but nevertheless obeyed. He knew something's up, but he also knew that something wouldn't turn out to be shocking in any way. It is true that his mom was a bit twisted sometimes but he knew that gone are those days. Or so he thought. Upon reaching the platform, Mikoto just patted his head.
"I'm pleased to inform you all that my very own Sasuke-kun would be signing a contract on Sharingan Records for a movie in collaboration with the most sensational pop star in the country today. Ladies and gents, my son!"
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