TK: Ah, well… I am here to happily present to you the third and final part to Rock Star Rising. Hopefully all of you will be able to read it. I'm really sorry for the inconvenience with FFN. Although, they should really be the ones apologizing to you, not me. Either way! I'm sorry, dear readers, for the wait you had to suffer between chapters. Hopefully the ending here makes up for it.
It's not the easiest thing in the world to write a story about rock and roll. Even more difficult than that is to write one about rock and roll with a positive message. I'm a pretty happy person, and I like to write happy endings and stories with good morals and messages. There's a lot of negative content in this story, technically (unprotected sex, drug use, alcohol use, etc), but I really wanted the overall feel/message of the story to be a positive one. Hopefully by the end of this chapter, you all get that impression from it. The positive message is just as important to me as the music itself.
There is an August Rush reference in section XIV.
Music: Part 3 is split into several 'song-chapters' with music that goes along with the story. Listen along while you read if you wish. You might find some music you haven't heard that you like! Or some that you have heard a thousand times. Either way, enjoy.
Soundtrack for Part 3
"Heart-Shaped Glasses" Marilyn Manson
"Cowboy" Kid Rock
"Simple Man" Shinedown
"Sorry" Buckcherry
"Anywhere" Evanescense
"Here's To Us" Halestorm
The cover image belongs to shion1994 on DeviantART and is titled "sakura rock".
[Summary: When Akatsuki, a famous rock band, loses its keyboardist and backup vocals, bass guitarist Itachi Uchiha has the perfect idea for a replacement. Renowned artist and band manager Akasuna no Sasori can't help but agree.]
Rock Star Rising
TK Grimm
Part 3: The Dream
"Music touches us emotionally, where words alone can't."
—Johnny Depp
XII: "Heart-Shaped Glasses" Marilyn Manson
To say that Sakura was unhappy when Sasori explained to her (slowly, like an adult teaching a small child something they deemed too complicated for them to understand) that what happened between them was just sex was a bit of an understatement. Granted, she hadn't expected Sasori to miraculously decide to go off into the sunset with her or anything, but a little bit of commitment would have been nice. Instead, what she got was:
"I don't do relationships, Sakura," he'd told her. "Last night was fun, and I'd probably do it again, but don't make this out to be more than it was."
Had Sakura been younger, less grown up, even less patient, she probably would have found the nearest lamp and thrown it at his face. However, she was twenty-three, a bit older and wiser than she had been with Sasuke. She knew that, while Sasori obviously was attracted to her (and maybe probably a bit oddly fascinated by her, sort of like a nature expert finding an endangered species), there were just some things that men like Sasori were not comfortable with.
If his behavior thus far said anything, it was that feelings and emotions were definitely in that category.
So she brushed it aside. Rather than finding the nearest heavy object and demonstrating Sakura's impressive strength by bludgeoning her band manager, Sakura decided that the best way she could handle the situation was through patient, clever planning.
She was just going to make him see what he was missing by not being with her.
"Okay," she'd said simply.
Sasori's look of surprise almost made her smirk, but Sakura held back. "Okay?" he asked.
Sakura gave a half-hearted shrug of acceptance. "I can't force you to date me. Last night was a blast, but if it was a one-time thing to you, I can't really complain. I mean, that's your choice, y'know?"
Sasori suddenly looked very apprehensive, as if he would take a step back from her at any moment. Or at least, perhaps he would have if he were not lying naked tangled in the bed sheets. He was on his stomach with one arm bent to prop his head up while he watched her get dressed.
"You're handling this surprisingly well."
It took a great deal of effort to look nonchalant, but the initial shock of Sasori's rejection had faded, and Sakura's rational mind had kicked in, so she managed it. "I'm not some princess looking for prince charming to sweep me off my feet. We're both adults here, Sasori."
The apprehension slipped away and was replaced with a look she dared to call impressed. "Indeed."
Sakura buttoned her blouse slowly, facing him as she did so. She didn't miss the way his amber eyes traveled downward for a moment before going back up to her face. "Anyway, I have class today, so I have to get going. I was planning on crashing at Ino's so I brought my uniform. I guess I'll see you around."
"I don't remember the uniform skirts being quite this short back in my day," he said as he watched her adjust her waistband.
This time, she did smirk at him. "Easy there, old man."
Sasori rolled his eyes. He stretched and made himself more comfortable in the bed. "Lock the door on your way out."
"Sure."
She turned to walk out of the room and didn't look back. She didn't have to. She knew he was watching. Whether or not she managed to pull of Konan's 'rooster-strut' was a mystery, but she liked to think that she did. When she closed his bedroom door, Sakura decided the first order of business was to look in Sasori's medicine cabinet in the restroom to find some pain killers. It was a mini-hangover at best, but it would still grate on her while she was at class. Then, she was off and on her way.
Sasori, on the other hand, had folded his arms in front of him to make a makeshift pillow, despite there being several actual pillows available. His hair fell over his eyes, and he raised his head half an inch to watch Sakura leave his bedroom through tangled red locks. He watched each step her legs took, reminded of the way they'd wrapped around his body the night before, and he felt an uncomfortable tingle travel down his spine.
When the door closed, he buried his face in his folded arms to stifle his frustrated groan.
He heard his cell phone ring, and a quick glance at the screen showed him Deidara's stupid beaming face. Sasori silenced it with a tap to ignore the call. A thought occurred to him, and he picked up his phone. A quick search through his contacts found Sakura's number paired with a picture of her smiling coyly at the camera.
Gods, what was she doing to him?
Sasori assigned her a personal ringtone. It was Heart-Shaped Glasses by Marilyn Manson. He didn't care. It fit.
Brat.
XIII: "Cowboy" Kid Rock
Of all the members of Akatsuki, Hidan took to the role of being in a rock band to the greatest extreme, even beyond Deidara's insufferable pyrotechnics. Sex, drugs, & rock 'n' roll had been the tagline of the genre for as long as he could remember, and Hidan loved every minute of it.
His oldest friend, if that's what you could call Kakuzu, for both of them would deny that, tended to disagree. He stood there in the doorway of the shabby apartment with his arms folded over his chest while he watched Hidan spend over four hundred a gram on heroin balloons. It was some expensive shit straight out of Hong Kong.
The disapproving look on Kakuzu's face spoke volumes, but Hidan happily paid the dealer with a grin on his face.
"Be careful," Kakuzu warned, "or you will die."
Hidan seemed to think he was immortal, for he rolled his eyes and said, "Telling me that, Kakuzu?"
Kakuzu saw no reason to waste more words on the drummer, so he didn't bother. Instead, Hidan ranted and raved about what an amazing lifestyle he had since joining Akatsuki while Kakuzu drove them to their shared apartment in downtown Konoha.
Hesitant friends, reluctant roommates—sometimes you just couldn't label things.
"That fucking concert last week was amazeballs," Hidan said as Kakuzu unlocked the door. "And watching Sakura knee that asshole in the dick was probably the hottest thing I've ever seen."
"More than your obsession with your reflection?" Kakuzu drawled.
Honestly, the amount of money Hidan spent on hair care products made Kakuzu want to cut Hidan's pay in half.
Hidan paid him no mind and started opening up one of the balloons of fine white powder on the kitchen table, much to Kakuzu's distaste. Kakuzu went to great lengths to ignore Hidan. He sat himself down on the living room sofa and began typing away on his calculator while filling in numbers on various statements. Preparations for the upcoming tour were just about done, and he was eager to get on with it. Soon, he found himself sailing away in the bliss of figures and profits.
Hidan blasted Kid Rock through his overpriced speakers and began setting up his sterile needle for shooting up the heroin. He tied a tourniquet around his arm with his free hand and his teeth. Using a simple metal spoon and a lighter, he cooked the white powder into a bubbling liquid. It was clear in the vial as he pressed the needle into a vein under the skin of his arm. The drug went in, and Hidan leaned back in his seat with an expression of blank bliss.
The dreamlike state that settled in was cozy and comfortable. All worries and stressors faded away into nothingness. Hidan felt as if he were high up in the air, soaring through the clouds as a warm, tropical breeze caressed his face like a gentle lover. He was wrapped up in a warm blanket with no pain, no worries, and no inhibitions. Nothing but pleasure and euphoria.
Hidan knew the dangers, knew the risks, but he just didn't care. He was immortal. Nothing could touch him.
暁 Rock Star Rising 暁
Sakura was home in her apartment with a sappy romance novel when she got the call on her cell phone. She glanced at her phone and saw Kakuzu's name. He was one of the only contacts she had that didn't have a picture paired with it. She bookmarked her page, set the book aside, and answered the phone with a cheery, "Hello?"
"Haruno, this is Kakuzu. There is a taxi outside your apartment building. Get in it."
"Huh?" Sakura got up off the couch and peered out the window. Sure enough, the busy city street below held a yellow taxi cab parked on the side with the engine still running.
"There's no time," said Kakuzu. "Hurry."
The line went dead.
Thoroughly disturbed by the nature of the call, Sakura didn't have time to think. She ran for her black Akatsuki trench coat and sprinted downstairs as fast as she could. When she emerged outside, she all but dove into the backseat of the taxi cab.
The drive was a tan-skinned foreigner whose origins she couldn't begin to place. She hadn't even buckled her seatbelt when he sped off the curb and down the road. Sakura hastily buckled the belt with an outraged cry.
"Hey! What's the rush?"
"I—I donno," he said through a heavy accent. "I donno, I take you. I donno."
Every time he turned, Sakura found herself pressed into the door beside her or the empty space on her other side because of the car's breakneck speed. When it finally jerked to a stop, Sakura peered outside and saw that she was in front of a grungy-looking apartment complex.
"Where am I?"
"I donno," the driver repeated. "Number 312! I donno. Already paid! You go!"
Realizing that her efforts were in vain, Sakura thanked him and stepped out of the taxi. She ran to the door and looked at the keypad. Without a key, she would have to be buzzed in. Sakura typed 312 on the pad and hit enter. There wasn't a single word from Kakuzu for confirmation; she simply heard the door click as it unlocked. She opened it and ran up to the third floor, skipping two to three steps in giant leaps up the stairs.
The door was open, and Kakuzu was standing in the doorway looking at his watch. "It's already been seven and a half minutes," he said. "Hurry."
He beckoned for her to quickly follow him, so Sakura sprinted into the room in time to see Hidan twitching on the floor. His silvery hair was splayed out behind him in an uncharacteristic mess, and he was making choking sounds while he clawed at his throat. His legs twitched every so often, and his eyes were wide but unseeing.
"Holy shit," Sakura said, her face set in disbelief. She stumbled over to Hidan's body and immediately felt for a pulse. "What happened?" she demanded. She felt a pulse, but it was irregular and weak.
"Heroin overdose."
Sakura nearly fell over. "WHAT? We have to get him to a hospital!"
Kakuzu shook his head severely. "Can't."
"Why?"
"Are you going to waste time asking pointless questions, or are you going to fix him?"
Right. There was no time for that now. Sakura shifted into medic mode and said, "I need a first aid kid at the very least. Does he have any emergency medical supplies for situations like this?"
Kakuzu left the room without answering her.
Sakura spoke out loud to calm her erratic nerves. "Shallow, difficult breathing. Weak pulse. Disorientation." She grabbed her cell phone and turned the flash light app on. Without warning, she held Hidan's eyelids on his right eye open and shined the light. "Extremely small pupils." She turned the light to peer into his mouth. "Tongue discoloration. Dry mouth."
Hidan suddenly began convulsing on the floor in front of her. A mixture of foam and saliva dripped down the side of his face from the corner of his mouth.
Sakura's eyes widened in frenzied horror. "Shit," she swore loudly. She struggled to hold Hidan down so he wouldn't hurt himself as she yelled for his roommate. "He's dying, Kakuzu!"
Kakuzu returned with a steel-colored briefcase. He sat down on Hidan's other side and helped Sakura hold the drummer down during his seizure. As quickly as it had come on, it passed, and Hidan suddenly stopped moving completely. Sakura felt for a pulse, and her panic escalated when she found none. He wasn't breathing.
Kakuzu flipped the clasps on the side and opened the lid. Sakura peered inside, and to her immense relief, she saw a large adrenaline shot.
"Do you need to stab that in his heart?"
"No," Sakura said as she prepared the shot. "Fatty tissue. Thigh or ass." She couldn't form complete senses in her current state.
Without so much as a by your leave, Kakuzu reached his tan hand over Hidan's side and turned his body ever so slightly to expose his backside to Sakura. It was a rare moment in which Sakura was grateful Hidan never wore shirts, because she had less clothing to work around.
Sakura gripped the top of his leather pants and pulled down to have access to a good half of Hidan's backside. In a rush, she jabbed the needle into his flesh and released the adrenaline shot.
It happened very quickly.
One second, Hidan was on the floor, unmoving. The next, he leapt up into the air and ran around the apartment with an adrenaline shot sticking out of his ass. Had the situation been any different, Sakura would have laughed herself to death, but at the moment, she was so relieved to see him alive that she couldn't manage more than a muted expression of shock.
Hidan pulled the needle from his rear end with a loud, "Ow!" Without further ado, he slumped into the sofa, his breathing heavy with exhaustion. "What the fuck just happened?"
His magenta-colored eyes looked down where Sakura and Kakuzu were sitting on the floor. It was a once in a lifetime occurrence of both of them staring at him like gaping fish with mirrored looks of disbelief on their very mismatched faces.
Sakura decided to ignore Hidan in favor of turning her stare toward Kakuzu. "So… why couldn't you take him to the hospital again?"
"Financial scandal," Kakuzu said. His green eyes bore into hers as if daring her to challenge his authority. "It would create a crisis if the press were to discover the idiot overdosed on heroin."
Sakura's jaw dropped. "And you called me why?"
"You're in med school."
"He could have died, Kakuzu! He did die for a few seconds! Just because I'm in med school doesn't mean I know anything about drug overdoses! What if he'd gone into a coma? What if—" she broke off, realizing that Kakuzu wasn't reacting to her words or angered tone at all. Sakura stared at him for a while and then Hidan and then back at Kakuzu, completely flabbergasted. "I don't even… I'm going home… to have a heart attack… and then stay in bed for the rest of the day…"
"Band practice tomorrow," Kakuzu said.
Sakura glared at him. "Okay, first of all, stop measuring people's lives with money!"
Hidan made the mistake of laughing, and Sakura whirled around to send her glare to him.
"And you!" Hidan shrank back a little while Sakura raged. "DRUGS ARE BAD. THIS IS WHY YOU DON'T DO THEM."
She let out one final slur of vulgarity at both of them before Sakura kicked the apartment door and left Hidan and Kakuzu staring at her like scolded schoolboys.
XIV: "Simple Man" Shinedown
The weeks went by in the blink of an eye. Sakura kept up with her classes at University of Konoha online as best she could, and when she wasn't studying and turning in assignments on her fancy new laptop (a thank you present from both Hidan and Kakuzu), she was practicing with the band.
Their tour had kicked off its first show in Ame, Pein and Konan's hometown. Despite being a smaller city than Konoha or one of the other big ones, the venue still completely sold out. Sakura felt alive on stage with Akatsuki, and when they weren't partying at each stop, they were hanging out doing whatever they wanted on the tour bus, from practicing music to just hanging out and shooting the shit. They got up to all kinds of fun activities that they could only get away with because they were a famous rock band, from throwing ice cubes at girls in bikinis to hiding each other's clothes in a random part of the tour bus.
At one point, Deidara stole one of Sakura's bras and tied it to the antenna of the tour bus. It lasted the entire drive from Ame to Iwa before she finally saw it. Of course, after the massive punch she'd delivered to his jaw, Deidara never touched Sakura's undergarments again.
"Deidara, you bastard!" she'd screamed at the time—in front of a crowd of fans, of course. "If you touch one of my bras one more time, I swear to Hidan's god that I will SMITE YOU."
"You better listen to that shit," Hidan warned, completely serious. "Pinky don't fuck around."
When they weren't driving between cities, they stayed at hotels. It was during these times that Kakuzu and Sasori usually stopped by, as they rarely if ever stayed on the tour bus with the band. Both of them were older than most of the other members and liked their peace and quiet. This gave Sakura plenty of time to spend with Sasori during their hotel room time and left them both craving more whenever Sakura would disappear back into the tour bus.
Occasionally she would get calls from friends and family back home asking how she was and getting general updates on her life since becoming, well, a rock star. The idea was still so unreal to Sakura, even after a handful of shows on their tour.
The most notable of those calls had actually been from her mother. "…just can't believe you would pack up and leave everything behind to join a rock band. It's a disgrace, Sakura. I expected better from you…"
Sakura was only half listening. She was writing a report on electrocardiography that was due the next day in her online medical class. "Mom, this is really important to me," she said. "The way I feel when I sing or play music… I've forgotten how right it feels. It opens up a whole new world to me and brings color in to this black and white universe we live in."
"What the hell does that even mean, Sakura? Are you on drugs? If I hear you've been smoking marijuana—"
"NO, mom, I'm not high," Sakura said, quickly shutting that down.
Her fellow band members were all sitting at the table in the tour bus playing cards. Itachi had a perfect poker face, but Hidan, Deidara, and Pein were all snickering at Sakura's expense. Her mother's voice was so loud on Sakura's shitty phone that they could hear everything she was saying.
"You don't understand; music is… it's special," Sakura tried. "It's a harmonic connection between all human beings."
"Then why can't you harmonize or connect with more normal people? I'm not saying rock and roll is evil, I'm just saying that if you must pursue music, there are better ways to do it! Why did it have to be rock and roll?"
"Because that's what rock 'n' roll is all about!" Sakura raged. "It's about showing the world who you are and saying fuck you if they don't understand or like you! In this world we live in now… nothing is sacred anymore. People walk all over each other, all over hopes and dreams like they're nothing. Rock 'n' roll is one of the few things we still have, and you can't take something like that away."
Under normal circumstances, Sakura supposed she would be flattered by the muted looks of shock her bandmates were giving her. But at the moment, her mother was yelling at her for using 'the F-word', so she just couldn't process it.
Then, when Pein, Itachi, Deidara, and Hidan all began clapping slowly in approval at Sakura's impromptu speech, she regained that confidence and firm belief in herself and what she was doing.
"Sorry, mom," she said. "I'm busy now. I'll talk to you later, okay? I love you."
"Sakura—"
"All right," said Sakura, smiling at last. "Let's play some Poker."
暁 Rock Star Rising 暁
It was time for one of those epic nights of music and partying. Tonight, the band had a gig in Suna, a huge city in the middle of the desert. Sakura had been there plenty of times because it was close enough to Konoha, and she liked it well enough.
The show was yet another rousing success. Sakura was yet again astounded by the sheer level of talent and ability her fellow bandmates possessed. Hidan used drum lines that blew the other bands away. Itachi and Deidara were probably the best guitarists she'd ever heard. And Pein's voice was phenomenal. He even performed a solo song with an acoustic guitar as the concert's encore.
It was called Simple Man, and while it had originally been written by Lynyrd Skynyrd, Akatsuki had their own version of the song that was heavier and huskier. Sakura felt the piece had more soul. She knew that Konan was watching on the television from home with a smile on her face.
After the partying, alcohol, and sex had worn off, Sakura and Sasori laid together in their hotel room in a tangled mess of white sheets and naked limbs. Moonlight slipped into the room through the open curtains alongside a gentle breeze that made them sway softly. The sounds of the endless party were still going on, and not for the first time, Sakura was glad to be away from it.
The rock star lifestyle was fun in certain moments, but sometimes, it really wore on her.
"Will you leave when the tour is complete?" Sasori asked her.
They were both lying on their sides facing each other. Sasori's arm was bent at the elbow to prop up his head while Sakura's rested between her pillow and her head to elevate her face slightly.
"I don't know," Sakura replied honestly. "I might have to. This life is pretty crazy. And it's getting really hard to keep up with my med school classes. Konan will have had her baby by then, so maybe she can come back to Akatsuki."
Sasori watched her for a moment with a slight frown tugging at his features. "You don't need a medical degree, Sakura," he said. "You'll make plenty of money as a member of Akatsuki."
"It's not about the money," she told him. "It's been my dream to be a doctor for as long as I can remember. I want to help people."
"That's very altruistic." His tone implied that he didn't mean it as a compliment.
Sakura sighed. She wasn't getting anywhere with that route, but perhaps she could make Sasori understand that she was as passionate about healing as he was about art. Still, she didn't really know much about Sasori's days as an artist. Perhaps now was a good time to ask. They'd been 'almost' together for months—even though Sasori stubbornly refused to give their 'relationship' a label.
"Hey… can I see some of your artwork sometime?"
The look in his eyes went from relaxed to guarded in less than a second. Sakura almost regretted asking. Almost.
"Why?" he asked.
"When you talk about art," Sakura began, "you get this light in your eyes. You speak so passionately, like someone who truly loves art more than anything else in the world. Watching and hearing you talk about art… it's beautiful. I can only imagine anything you'd create would be just as wonderful."
Sasori was stunned. When she was looking at him like that, her eyes so bright and earnest while she talked about his art, he just couldn't handle it. He averted his gaze.
Sakura really wasn't suited for this lifestyle. She was a rare, untamable creature whose purity could not be sullied by their music and their parties. Despite him constantly telling her that they weren't together, they weren't a couple or whatever other ridiculous label she came up with, she remained loyal to him, always smiling and supportive. And Sasori, naturally, kept going back to her because he simply couldn't fucking stay away.
These unnecessary, conflicting emotions were precisely the reason he didn't get involved with women for longer than a night.
"It's all gone," he said, his voice surprisingly soft.
Sakura had begun to lose hope that he would even answer her, so his sudden response caught her by surprise. She opened her mouth to speak, but he still wasn't even looking at her. He looked so solemn that it hurt her.
"My…," his voice trailed off, as if he were trying to find the words to say. "…Parents. They died, and I…" Sasori let out an aggravated sigh and turned his head so his palm rested over his forehead. He closed his eyes and said, "I couldn't do it anymore. I destroyed everything and told the maid to burn it all."
Sakura took a quick breath in shock. "All of it?"
"It's all gone," he repeated. "Every last piece." Sasori raised his head again, and he turned his face toward Sakura. The coldness was back in his eyes, that frozen exterior that she had tried so hard to pierce with care and compassion. "It doesn't matter anymore. Art is dead. You just have to get with the program like the rest of us."
"Sasori," she said, her voice slightly chiding. "Why do you need any of this?" She gestured around them, as if her arm could encompass their world right now, from the rock 'n' roll to the partying lifestyle. "Why can't you be that artist with your dreams?"
"Because dreams are foolish," Sasori said, his voice low with warning that she was pushing him too far. "You should abandon your dream. That's all reality is, Sakura—it's the place dreams go to die."
His words felt like icy cold water—a thousand knives hitting her in the face in tiny pinpricks. Her eyes burned. She squeezed the fabric of the sheets between her fingers. "You don't mean that," she said. She knew she had to be patient with Sasori. He was damaged—but damages could be repaired. "You're just… you're still hurting from what happened to you—"
"No, I'm not," he snapped.
They both rose up to seated positions in the bed. Sakura clutched the white sheet to her body.
"I don't feel anything, Sakura," he told her, his words lost in a rage mirrored in the depths of his eyes. "And you shouldn't either. This world is run on money and power. There's no room for things like dreams."
Sakura scowled. She knew part of his sour response was his foul mood, but most of it was that Sasori actually believed that. "I refuse to accept that," she said. "My dream is to be a doctor. To make a difference—to save people. And I will never give up on that dream."
"What could you hope to accomplish as a doctor anyway? You think you can save lives? All the doctors in the world couldn't put my parents back together again, and you wouldn't be any different. This world is vile, and the only thing you're doing by clinging to that dream of yours is wasting your time and Akatsuki's."
Sakura stood up, her fingers clenched into fists. There were limits to even her patience, and Sasori had pushed them to the point and beyond. She slipped on her clothes in silence. Neither of them spoke, because they were both fuming and had nothing more to say.
Once Sakura was dressed, she marched to the door and opened it. Before walking through the open doorway, she hesitated and looked back. "Reality doesn't kill dreams, Sasori," she said. "People just give up on them."
XV: "Sorry" Buckcherry
The lights from the cameras were like blinding strobes flashing in Sakura's face and making her see stars behind her eyelids. It hurt, but as the months went by, she got more and more used to it. This was her sad excuse for a life now—being the subject of photographers and journalists who couldn't get enough of her, and civilians who bought and read the magazines that fueled them.
"Miss Haruno! Miss Haruno!"
"Is it true you dated Sasuke Uchiha?"
"How are your studies faring in regards to your new rock star lifestyle? Have you considered dropping out of university?"
"Can you confirm that you left him to join his brother's band because of your illicit affair with Itachi Uchiha?"
"Miss Haruno, how does your family feel about your involvement with Akatsuki?"
"Is there any truth to the rumor that the Uchiha family wouldn't let you marry Sasuke Uchiha?"
"Miss Haruno!"
Interviews, concerts, parties, road trips between cities—it all passed Sakura by in a blur, and with each day, her dream of being a doctor slipped further and further away.
She had hardly seen Sasori at all since their fight, and when she did see him, he made it very clear that they were back to being mere acquaintances. He rarely acknowledged her, and when he did, he was the picture of professionalism.
Maybe it was for the best.
And then, before she knew it, their first tour was completed. The band was back in Konoha and writing songs for their next album. Almost a full year had gone by since Sakura joined.
"It's been about ten months, yeah," Sakura said. She was sitting down in a café with Ino for the first time since she'd left to go on tour with Akatsuki. It was some extravagant place at the top of a tower where other celebrities occasionally went. It was one of the few places Sakura could go where she wouldn't be bothered by the press.
Ino was seated across from her. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and she was wearing a purple summer dress that looked cute on her. She sipped her strawberry milkshake and listened to Sakura curiously.
"Looking back on it all," Sakura began, "it feels like an out of body experience. Like all those things happened to someone else, and I just watched. It's unreal."
"I bet. How's your classes coming? You still taking them all online?"
"I've put a lot of them off, but my grades are still really good. Not like it matters."
Ino snorted. "You know you're a geek when procrastination doesn't affect your grades." She stirred her milkshake with the bright red straw sticking out of her glass. "You still thinking of quitting?"
Sakura sighed and looked out the window. It gave a nice view of the various skyscrapers of Konoha, but the clouds were gray with incoming rain. "Yeah."
"Well, you shouldn't," said Ino. "I never thought I'd have to tell you of all people not to give up on your dreams, but this is just ridiculous." She set down her milkshake and gave Sakura a levelled look. "Listen… whatever you two argued about, ignore it. This world was built on dreams. You think the human race would have gotten anywhere if everybody just gave up the moment their dreams became inconvenient? Or too difficult?"
"Ino…"
"Don't you 'Ino' me, I'm serious," said the blonde. "You think women would have got equal rights if we didn't kick a few dicks back then? You think half these awesome inventions like hair dryers and waterproof eyeliner would have been invented if someone didn't have a dream to make beauty easier? Just because things look shitty now doesn't mean you can't ever achieve your dream."
"I have a good thing going for me in this band," Sakura said. "If I quit and go back to school, I'll lose all of that."
"So what?" Ino challenged. "You've got enough money now to pay for the rest of your tuition. All you have to do to become a doctor is get the grades. I've known you my whole life—you always get the grades."
"What's the point?" Sakura asked. "Even if I become a doctor, what good will that do me?"
"You'll be able to help people, Forehead. Isn't that the point of practicing medicine? To heal wounds and cure sickness? You being a doctor will make the difference for every patient you see. Sure, you can't save everyone, but nobody can. Just do your part, and you'll fulfill your dream."
Sakura stared at Ino in shock. Everything she said throughout that entire conversation had been true, and it had al struck Sakura to her very core.
"You're right," she said. It all made sense. Of course she was right. Somehow, along the way, Sakura had forgotten that. "I can't believe I almost gave it up. Thank you, Ino. I don't know what I'd do without you. Everything you said—it just makes so much sense."
"Well, I should hope so," Ino replied with a satisfied smirk. "I pretty much copied my argument from textbook."
Sakura smacked her palm to her forehead. "Jeez. Only you would take psychology classes for the sole purpose of manipulating people in arguments."
"Please, I am so freaking brilliant, I just wish I could turn it on and off on cue."
"Hey, can you do me a favor?" Sakura suddenly asked.
Ino looked at her curiously. "A favor, huh? What is it?"
"Your dad's a private investigator," Sakura started. "Do you think you can find where someone lives?"
"Uh. Maybe." Ino was a little weirded out by the request, but she decided to roll with it. "Who are they, and why can't you just ask them yourself?"
"Because we're not talking right now. And it's not his house I'm looking for. It's his grandmother's."
"Huh?"
Sakura tried to keep her embarrassment down. "I need you to find out where the Akasuna family house is. You know how Sasuke has that Uchiha Estate where most of them live? Sasori is from one of those old families, too. I think his grandmother lives there. I really need to talk to her."
Ino suddenly looked very suspicious. "You're not gonna like, bring her a goat and three bags of rice and ask to marry Sasori, are you?"
"Of course not!"
"Okay, okay, yeesh. Just making sure." Ino brought her hand to her chin and looked toward the ceiling in a thoughtful pose. "I don't know, Sakura. That's kind of a weird request. I don't know if I can get my dad to go along with it."
"Please!" Sakura begged. "I will totally make it up to you. I'll—I'll buy you the new edition of the Akatsexy Calendar!"
Ino grinned at her. "I heard Sasori was November."
"Yeah, and I'm March," Sakura said with obvious distaste. "C'mon, Ino, what do you say?"
"Hmm… throw in Hidan's phone number, and we have ourselves a deal."
暁 Rock Star Rising 暁
"You're being especially broody lately."
Sasori was sitting at the bar staring at his unfinished bourbon. He looked at the person next to him from the corner of his eyes and saw Konan smiling at him. He closed his eyes with a sigh and brought his glass to his lips for a drink. When he lowered it, he asked, "Am I bothering you?"
Konan had four different drinks in front of her, all of which were fruity alcoholic concoctions. Now that she'd finally had her baby, she could drink again, and since it was Pein's turn to take care of the little tyke (an adorable baby boy they'd named Yahiko after their old friend from childhood who died), Konan was hanging out with the band for old time's sake.
A song was playing in the radio of the shitty bar. It was Buckcherry's "Sorry", and it was doing nothing for Sasori's mood.
"Oh no, not at all," she said. "You could mix it up a bit, though. Maybe smolder a bit. Give me the cold shoulder."
She was comparing him to a male protagonist in some asinine romance novel, and Sasori didn't like it. He downed his drink and set the glass on the bar. "You're ridiculous."
"Maybe," Konan said. "But at least I know when I have a good thing going for me."
"What are you trying to say?"
She gave a half-hearted shrug and sipped her strawberry daiquiri from a pink silly straw. "I just find it a shame you broke up with Sakura, that's all."
"We were never dating," Sasori said.
Konan rolled her eyes. "Right, because sleeping with someone for months completely monogamously isn't a 'relationship'. My bad."
"Konan," he warned.
She held up a hand in a placating gesture. "Look, I'm not trying to push your buttons. I'm just saying, I haven't seen you this miserable since—" she quickly broke off and looked away. Sasori's eyes narrowed. Konan quickly amended, "—in a long time. And maybe I'm being ridiculous, but I think Sakura made you happy. You certainly made her happy. Just something to think about."
Without another word, she spun around in her chair and stood up to leave. After a quick, second thought, Konan turned around and snatched up her remaining three drinks before trotting off to join Itachi and Hidan at the pool table. It wasn't a fancy night club like Elixur, but at least no one bothered them in a place this dingy. It suited the band's occasional grunge taste.
Sasori almost thought he was home free until Deidara of all people sat in the seat Konan had just left. He pushed aside her empty daiquiri glass and looked at Sasori with concern etched on his face.
"Hey man, you okay… yeah?"
Sasori scowled. He was not moping—why did everyone in Akatsuki react to him as if he was? "I'm wonderful."
"You're being sarcastic, aren't you?" Deidara asked.
"No. Me? Never."
Deidara leaned in and peered closely to Sasori with a scrutinizing gaze that made Sasori lean back. "Pretty sure that's your sarcasm face… yeah."
Sasori put his hand flat on Deidara's face and pushed him backward out of Sasori's personal space. "I don't have a sarcasm face, you pig-headed ignoramus."
"Aw, come on, Danna," Deidara whined as he wrenched Sasori's hand off his face. "Why don't you call Sakura? I'm sure she'd forgive you if you apolo—"
Sasori snatched a napkin off the bar table and shoved it into Deidara's mouth to gag him.
"Shut up, Deidara."
XVI: "Anywhere" Evanescence
Ino had gotten back to Sakura a lot faster than she thought she would. Of course, Sakura had wrongly assumed Ino was joking about Hidan's phone number, but as soon as Ino started retracting the slip of paper with the Akasuna Manor address, Sakura quickly went through her phone and provided the number to her. They went their separate ways, and Sakura hailed a taxi to the estate.
So there she was, meeting Sasori's grandmother when she hadn't actually said more than two words to Sasori since they fought two months ago. Chiyo was a short old woman with neck-length gray hair and many, many wrinkles to show for her age.
"You're… here for Sasori, you say?" she asked. Her face showed her surprise at having such a random guest. "I'm sorry—he doesn't live here anymore. He hasn't for many years."
"That's not it," Sakura said, trying to be as polite as she could in the given circumstances. "I just… Sasori is very important to me. I was…"
A wide grin spread over Chiyo's face, and she cackled happily. "Oh, of course! You must be my darling grandson's girlfriend! I'm so happy he's finally settling down. Please, please, come in!"
"Ah!" Sakura exclaimed as Chiyo pulled her into the foyer. "It's not like that, I—"
"Would you like some tea? Oh, I'm so happy!"
Sakura grimaced. "Maybe I should start from the beginning…"
暁 Rock Star Rising 暁
"I never want to see that look on his face again," said Sakura. "The way he looked when he dismissed his dream of being an artist—and mine of being a doctor. He was this cold, broken shell—nothing like how he was when he talked to me about art. When he spoke of art, he…" she trailed off, her eyes lighting up at the memory, "he spoke so passionately. So full of longing. It was beautiful. I want to bring that light back into his life."
Chiyo stared at Sakura for a long time. It seemed like ages passed within those short minutes. They were sitting on a long sofa with a low coffee table in front of them. Two steaming cups of tea rested on saucers, mostly untouched.
Finally, Chiyo opened her mouth and said, "Sasori… he has always been alone. He was close to his parents, once. But my son and his wife were frequently busy with their trips to other nations. They rarely had time for him. Sasori was always a strong boy. He simply… adapted. He got used to his solitude and grew cold.
"I told his father what he was doing to his son," Chiyo continued. "Everything Sasori's parents did, they did for the well-being of our family. They never meant to isolate their only child. And so, as a family, we got together and had a nice, long, heart-to-heart talk. His parents promised that when they returned from their current business trip, they would stay home and not go on another. They promised we would be together like a proper family."
Sakura brought her hands up to her mouth. She knew what was coming. "They never… they never made it home, did they?"
Chiyo let out a slow, unsteady sigh as if the subject still caused great pain for her. "Sasori believed his parents, and for the first time, I saw him smiling again. He starting working on his art, eager to show them when they returned. But… there was an accident. While they were in Konoha, their car collided with another and veered off the road. Sasori's parents were killed. In the other car, it was just another boy and his father, and his father died in the crash as well. That boy, Kakashi Hatake, I think, was the only survivor."
Sakura lowered her hands to her lap, her gaze falling to the floor. Of course Sasori abandoned his art. It was the one thing he loved as much as he loved his parents, and all he wanted was to show them and make them proud of him. And he never got the chance.
"Burn it all."
"I want to show you something, Sakura," Chiyo told her. The old woman stood up from the sofa and walked toward a glass hutch in the corner of the room. Many small figurines were displayed that looked like hand-carved wooden people and creatures. Chiyo opened the glass door and withdrew a small brass key.
"Come with me."
暁 Rock Star Rising 暁
She knew he'd be home. There was no band practice today, and Sasori only rarely went to those anyway. Sakura rode the elevator all the way up to Sasori's skyline penthouse. She stopped outside his door and tried to gather her courage. Would he give her the time of day? Would he tell her to stop being a stupid little girl and go away? She had no way of knowing for sure how Sasori would react, but she had to try.
She raised her hand and knocked.
And then, as if it could ever be so simple, the door opened, and there he was. Sasori leaned against the door frame and looked down at her. His red hair was a disheveled mess, and his brown eyes surprisingly soft, though tired. He looked paler than usual, as if he hadn't been outside in quite some time.
"Sakura."
"Hey," she said. She took in his clothes with a raised eyebrow. Sasori was wearing an unbuttoned white shirt and a pair of black jeans with tears in the knee and thigh of all things. It was not a classy, Sasori look at all. "You look—err—" she broke off, trying to think of something polite.
Sasori raised an eyebrow.
Sakura switched her gaze to his face and smiled. "Are you doing anything today?"
"Why?"
"Well… I have something I'd like to show you. And it's rather important."
Sasori's expression was guarded, though still curious. "What is it?"
Sakura took a slow breath. "Well, if I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise."
He frowned. "Sakura—"
"Just—" she cut him off, raising her hand for silence, "come with me, okay? After I show you, you can retreat again to your man-cave or whatever it is you've been doing since the tour ended."
Sasori studied her for a moment. He had a feeling this was Sakura's last ditch attempt to be with him. He was curious to see what it was she wanted to show him, but being alone with her reminded him of how dangerously close he'd gotten to losing himself to her touch. To her love.
Still… he had to admit that it was good to see her again.
"I'll get a coat."
Sakura beamed at him and happily waited in the doorway while Sasori buttoned his shirt. He grabbed his black Akatsuki trench coat and followed Sakura out of his home. To his surprise, Sakura had a taxi outside waiting for them. They took their seats, and the car drove off.
"Where are we going?" Sasori asked her.
She looked to the ceiling of the car and said, "You'll see."
To Sasori's immediate distaste, the taxi dropped them off in front of his family's estate. "Sakura—"
"Hush," she said. "It's just the two of us. I just want to show you something."
They walked up to the front door, and Sakura gestured to the lock expectantly. Sasori stared at her, making it perfectly clear he had no intention of unlocking the door. Sakura put her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrows, daring him to defy her. Sasori narrowed his eyes, and the two of them remained in a stalemate for quite some time before Sasori's curiosity won out.
He heaved a sigh that could have levelled buildings and pulled out his keys. When he found the one for the manor, he unlocked the door and pushed it open so Sakura could walk in first. She grinned at him in appreciation and headed inside. With obvious reluctance, he followed her.
After they slipped off their shoes, Sakura took Sasori's hand and quite literally pulled him down the hall and toward a closed door. They stood outside it for some time before Sasori finally asked, "What are we doing here?"
She ignored the question, smiling at him in that mysterious fashion, and gently pushed the door open. Sakura stepped back so that Sasori could proceed into the room first. As the door opened, he saw what was inside. There was a quick intake of breath, and his lips parted in shock.
Sasori stepped into the room and looked all around at his various artworks. It was a complete collection, meticulously repaired piece by piece after he'd destroyed everything. Masterfully crafted puppets lined the walls, sculptures ever so carefully fused back together, canvases painstakingly stitched where they had been cut apart, and it was all his.
His life's work.
He could hardly find his voice. "Did you… do this?"
"Your grandmother helped with most of it. It took us a while to put it all back together."
He felt two gentle hands on his shoulders. They lightly slid down his arms in a soft caress. Sasori slowly turned around, and Sakura slid her fingers over his chest. She was still smiling, watching her fingers draw idle patterns over the fabric of his shirt.
Her voice was melodious, and she swayed gently, slowly, the music in her head. "Dear my love, haven't you wanted to be with me, and dear my love, haven't you longed to be free…"
Sasori brought one of his hands to Sakura's waist and the other picked up Sakura's left hand. He locked their fingers together and allowed Sakura to pull him into their slow, swaying dance.
"I can't keep pretending that I don't even know you, and," she sang, half murmuring, "at sweet night, you are my own…"
Sasori moved closer and tilted his neck at an angle to rest his head against the top of Sakura's. She brought her free hand up to hold the side of his neck. His eyes slid closed as inexplicable bliss enveloped him in a warm embrace.
"Take my hand, we're leaving here tonight… there's no need to tell anyone. They'd only hold us down, so by the morning light…" she pulled back to look him in the eyes as she smiled at him. "We'll be halfway to anywhere, where love is more than just your name."
XVII: "Here's To Us" Halestorm
"And so," concluded Tsunade, her voice echoing through the grand chamber to the entire audience, "it is my great honor to present this final degree to Miss Sakura Haruno, along with my most sincere congratulations on her new position at Konoha United Hospital." She turned toward her favored student with a wide smile. "I look forward to working with you, Sakura."
Sakura accepted the scroll, beaming happily at her teacher. "Thank you, Doctor." She turned toward the cheering crowd and placed both of her hands on the side of the podium. "For as long as I can remember, it's been my dream to be a doctor just like the amazing Tsunade Senju. And so, standing here today and receiving my degree from her is more than a dream come true. I can't begin to say what an honor it has been learning under her and all the other amazing professors here at U of K.
"I also want to thank my friends and family for their support. These last couple years have been quite an adventure," she added with a laugh. There were a few amused chuckles in the audience. Everyone knew of the year she'd spent in the famous rock band, Akatsuki. Her publicity had died considerably since she gave the position back to the former member, Konan, but Sakura saw that as a good thing.
"I wouldn't have made it half this far without all of them supporting me," Sakura said. "There were a few times where I was close to losing myself, and it was thanks to them that I was able to pick up the pieces and keep pushing forward. That's the thing about dreams, you know? If they were easy, you wouldn't have to dream about them for so long before finally making them a reality. But that's just it—and I'm living proof—if you want something bad enough, and you work hard enough, dreams come true. Right guys?"
She winked, and the crowd, full of friends, family members, and various classmates all cheered.
When it was over, Sakura found herself dragged to Akatsuki's after party along with many of her fellow graduates and friends. The stage lit up, and the band came out with one of the hits from their newest album. The crowd went wild.
"That was quite a speech."
Sakura bit her lower lip amid a wide grin. She didn't have to turn around to know who it was. She felt Sasori wrap his arms around her from behind, and she leaned back into him. He rested his head on top of hers, his gaze straight ahead.
"I'm glad you liked it," she told him.
"That could be you up there," Sasori said.
She knew he was referring to the stage. Konan was back (Sakura was keenly aware of this, because more often than not, she was the one who got stuck babysitting little Yahiko), and she was singing this song to perfection.
Sakura smiled wistfully. "Nah, Konan belongs there. It was fun, though. A life experience that I wouldn't trade for anything. I met a lot of amazing people, too. You and the others—you're all wonderful."
"And now you've made your dream a reality." Sasori put his hand to Sakura's shoulder and turned her around so the two were facing each other. They stood close together, their bodies touching as their fingers locked together.
"So is yours," she replied with a coy smile. "Left Red Cloud Recordings to open Akatsuki Studios. It's perfect. I'm sure your fans around the world are glad to see you creating art once more."
The corner of his lips twitched upward. Sasori lowered his forehead to touch Sakura's. "I just don't get it," he said. "How is it a little girl like you can be nothing short of extraordinary?"
"We really need to work on your complimenting skill."
Sasori rolled his eyes. "Well, then," he said. "What do you do when you complete your dream?"
Sakura grinned at him. "Don't be silly. You find a new dream, of course."
"And that is?"
She kissed him.
The End
TK Grimm