Song of a Cherry Blossom
by Diana-san
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Chapter 18
"Hey, wake up!"
Sasuke woke up as a rough shaking startled him from his sleep. He looked up as he saw Jiraiya peered down at him. Sasuke closed his eyes once more. That wasn't the face he wanted to wake up to.
"We're closing up so you can't sleep here," Jiraiya informed.
Sasuke glanced around his surroundings. He looked at the clock and saw that it was past midnight. "Where is Saki?"
"She already left hours ago. Told me to wake you up and send you home in a cab." Jiraiya sighed in frustration. Taking care of a hormonal teenager was definitely not the top of his list of things he wanted to do that night. "I called a cab so it's outside waiting."
Sasuke nodded. It was a little embarrassing to be caught asleep in the dressing room of a girl he barely knew but he wasn't going to let the old man in front of him know that. So he said nothing in reply. Jiraiya crossed his arms. "I don't know what your intentions are boy but if you hurt her…" He lowered his stance so that his face was directly in front of Sasuke's. "I'll hurt you," Jiraiya warned in a low tone.
It was silent as Jiraiya let his words sink in. Sasuke gave a look of shame as he turned away. He didn't think Jiraiya was serious about hurting him yet he suddenly felt a cold chill spread throughout his body.
Jiraiya suddenly yelped loudly as he got up and noticed something from the corner of his eye. The serious mood suddenly shifted as Jiraiya panicked in front of the wardrobe. "AH! Why is she always leaving her wardrobe door open?! The dust will ruin the clothes!" Jiraiya exclaimed. "Huh? What's this white dress? This isn't ours," he said as he pulled out the dress that Sakura wore the night before.
Sasuke glanced up as he watched Jiraiya hold the dress up. He frowned as he recognized the familiar white dress.
Jiraiya froze as he suddenly recalled the dress. "Last night, when Sakura—ah!" He quickly turned around and stuffed the dress back on to the hanger as he closed the wardrobe doors shut tight. "Never mind, probably nothing!"
Sasuke stood up. "I'll be going now," he said as he excused himself. He took his leave but the thought of the dress kept tugging at the back of mind. He clenched his teeth. His head was beginning to hurt as he tried to recall what happened earlier. He remembered looking for Saki and kissing her and them talking for a bit. But then everything after that became blurred in his memories. He thought back to the dress. "Sakura…"
His fingers brushed against his lips as he suddenly recalled the kiss they shared. She must have gone here last night instead of home.
In his memory, the kiss he shared with Sakura at the party still burned through his mind. He was still trying to figure out what spurred him on to do such a thing. Mostly, he just wanted her to shut up when she kept babbling on and on. She was always so annoying. The way she seems to have him all figured out. The way she acts unaffected by his presence.
Most girls would flock towards him like moths to a flame. He didn't care for them since they always liked him for something superficial. It didn't matter to him that they were using him for his wealth or status or even his devilish good looks. He was using them as well after all. He was an Uchiha and the only heir to his father's company. There was no one at his school that could match up to him as a potential partner. So it was all fun and games to date around to see how far he can play as he spend his high school days waiting to graduate.
That was until she came. With her bright pink hair and her instant look of disdain for him in her flashing emerald green eyes. He didn't know why she disliked him so much at first. Perhaps, maybe he was a tad cruel to her ever since he hit her with that basketball. He had always had an aloof and cold personality towards every girl in his class. They still seemed to fawn over him despite it. Except for her.
For the first time in his life, he was met with a challenge. He was surprised to be able to see so many different emotions on a girl's face. The look of anger on her face when he ripped up her invitation to Sai's party. How her eyes would flicker with annoyance each time she sees him such as that time they ran into each other at the beach party. The sad look on her face when she was sitting by the water and wiping away tears that she thought no one would notice. The burst of laughter that came out in fits of giggles when she was standing in the kitchen with her hair dripping wet despite having been punished with dish duty.
Then there was that one time. The immediate look of concern on her face after she stomped on his foot. The very look that made him think that she didn't hate him after all. That she cared just a tiny bit about him. More so than any of the other girls he ever dated. That she was worried about him despite hating him before. Her many faces were all so genuine and different each time he looked. He had wonder what she would do if he kissed her at that moment. Just exactly what other expressions would he continue to see in her? He wonder if he would see someone who loves him.
He hated it. How she had this effect on him. Making him question his own feelings. He couldn't fall in love with her. He didn't want to end up like his brother. Loving someone would make him weak. What he needed was strength. The strength to be able to stand proudly by his father as the next in line for the company. Love was what made Itachi weak. That's why he couldn't fall in love with Sakura.
"So damned annoying," he muttered.
He glanced up at the sky as he walked out of the club and into the brisk cold night. A cab was out in front waiting for him just as Jiraiya had said. He walked up to the cab as he got in. Watching the scenery change before him as the cab took him home, he realized one thing.
That perhaps maybe he was exactly like his brother.
As Monday morning came, Sakura headed to school with a heavy heart. She gave a big yawn. She hadn't slept a wink last night as she replayed everything that happened from the previous nights. She wanted to skip today. If it was one thing she wanted to avoid, it was having to face Sasuke. She bit her lip as she walked to school. What was she going to say to him? What was he going to say?
She slowed down as she saw the school looming in front of her. Her steps felt weak as she dragged them along across the sidewalk. But Sakura came to a full stop as she saw a huge crowd waiting outside of the gate. It was a large group of what appeared to be photographers and reporters. She slowly took a few steps as she stared at the crowd.
Why are there so many reporters here?
She watched as a car pulled up and out stepped Sai. The crowd began to yell as they turned and started to crowd around him, pushing and shoving to take a picture of him as they tried to interview him. Three bodyguards stepped out and began forming a barricade around Sai as they formed a path for him to get to the school.
"Sai! Is it true?!"
"What is your real reason for coming here?"
"Is it for her? How long have you been together?"
The questions rained down on him as reporters kept shoving as close as they could up to the barricade. Sai said nothing but smiled as he walked calmly towards the school entrance.
Sakura scratched her head. She wasn't sure what was going on with Sai but she didn't know how she was going to get through to the school gate without getting trampled along in the process.
Suddenly, a reporter caught notice of her and started to point.
"Hey! Isn't that her?! She has the same pink hair!" the reporter yelled.
"Huh? Pink hair?" Sakura murmured as she pointed to herself in confusion. It dawned on her that she shouldn't have said anything because the crowd suddenly turned towards her and began to charge at her. She gulped as she begin backing away.
Like a flash, she felt her wrist grabbed from behind as someone pulled her away and began running. Sakura felt herself running along with him as they tried to escape the crowd. "Sai!" she called out as she realized who it was.
"How did you-?" she began to ask.
"No time to explain! Quickly!" he called out as he turned a corner and the continued running.
"Ah! The side entrance!" Sakura recalled out loud.
"What?" he yelled.
Sakura began sprinting as she went ahead of Sai and began to drag him along. "I know a way to get inside the school."
They rounded another corner as she saw the walls of the courtyard. She began to climb onto some vines as she crawled her way over the courtyard wall. "Come on," she said as she reached out a hand towards Sai.
"Are you crazy? I'm not climbing that!" Sai protested.
"Would you rather be eaten alive by the reporters?"
Sai grimaced as he gave that a quick thought before reluctantly reaching up to grab a vine and Sakura's hand. As he climbed over, Sakura dropped down swiftly on her feet. Sai followed suit as he huffed in tiredness. "How did you learn about this?"
"Naruto taught me. He usually goes this way to avoid the teachers who are trying to punish the late students."
"That idiot only seems to know tricks."
Sakura smiled. "But it was helpful wasn't it?"
Sai laughed. "I guess."
Sakura frowned. "Why are their reporters everywhere? And what do they want with me as well?"
He glanced down at his feet. "Ah, I guess you don't really read up on the tabloids?"
"Tabloids?" Sakura echoed.
"SAKURAAAA-CHANNNN!"
A loud voice came from one direction as Sakura and Sai whirled around to see Naruto running towards them with worry in his voice.
"Naruto, what's wrong?" Sakura asked.
"Sakura-chan! W-why?! Why are you on this?!"
He waved a magazine wildly in front of Sakura as he clutched his hair in one hand.
"Hold still Naruto! I can't see!" she growled as she grabbed Naruto's wrist so she can look at the cover of the magazine. Her face turned white when she saw what was on the front page.
A picture of her and Sai standing in front of Icha Icha was plastered all over the front cover as huge bolded letters were written across it: SAI CAUGHT KISSING GIRL AT CLUB. The subtext that followed read, "Is our teenage idol exploring the dangerous night life? Details on page 25."
"WHAAAAAAAAT!" she exclaimed as she grabbed the magazine, not believing what she was seeing. It was definitely a picture from Friday night as there was no mistaking the white dress she was wearing. The light from the streetlamp also clearly captured the color of her pink hair. What made her blood really boil was that the angle made it look like the two were kissing.
"This is bad. This is bad. This is reaaaaaally bad," she repeated over and over, half in shock and half in another state that even she couldn't decipher.
Sai scratched his head. "It's not so bad. They're just tabloids," he mused at an attempt to lighten the situation.
Sakura glared at him. "Just tabloids?! My life is now on public display! Look at what it says on page 25!"
Sai shrugged. "They'll forget about it and move on once they find something new to write about."
"They think I'm a prostitute!"
Naruto grabbed Sai by the collar of his shirt. "Dammit Sai! If I knew you were going to bring so much trouble along, I would have never agreed to you coming here!"
"That's hardly your decision to make Naruto," Sai said calmly as he removed Naruto's hands from his collar.
Sakura groaned. "Just great! What if they look me up and dig into my personal life?"
"Gee, prostitute? Isn't that a little much for high school kids?" Sai quipped.
Footsteps could be heard as the three saw Sai's bodyguards run over along with Kakashi.
"We found you!" one of the bodyguards exclaimed as he reached out and took a phone from his jacket pocket.
"Danzo wants to speak to you."
Sai took the phone as he listened in to the other end of the line.
"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura exclaimed as she rolled up the magazine in one hand in embarrassment and tried to hide it behind her.
"Sakura, it seems that the school is in an uproar today over rumors about you and Sai," Kakashi stated.
"It's not Sakura's fault!" Naruto jumped in defense.
Kakashi sighed. "I know these are all groundless rumors but until this clears, it's best for you to not be in class today," Kakashi advised.
"What! If she doesn't go to class then it's like telling everyone that the rumors are true!" Naruto exclaimed.
"Only for today Naruto. The reporters can't come onto the school grounds so they are only allowed as far as the front of the school gate. But the students have all seen the mess and I don't want them to be spreading any more rumors if they see you, Sakura. The girls especially are already agitated as it is and it seems they are bent on lashing out at you so I came here looking for you before they find you."
"I understand," Sakura said softly.
"Kurenai-sensei will be taking care of you for the rest of the day. I handed her your schoolwork for the day and so she will be covering extra lessons with you for the day since you have private lessons with her."
Sakura nodded. They all glanced at Sai who had just hung up the phone without speaking a word. He glanced back at them but made no expression of what went on in the call.
"Class is about to begin in a few minutes so Naruto and Sai, you better run along now," Kakashi continued.
"How come Sai gets to go to class?" Naruto complained.
"It is better that he goes to calm down his fans and try to dispel the rumors. I think they will believe more in his words than Sakura's at this point."
"Girls can be pretty ruthless, huh, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.
"Well, at this age. I assume their hormones are out of control," he stated as he pulled out his book Icha Icha Paradise. "This is almost like chapter 9 of Icha Icha," he remarked.
The bell rang signaling the start of school and Sakura parted ways from the rest of the group as she headed to her music classroom.
Naruto and Sai walked in silence as they followed behind Kakashi. The three bodyguards followed closely behind the two boys as they stood guard outside the door.
"Is it necessary to have all three here?" Kakashi asked as he opened the door for Sai and Naruto.
Sai glanced back at him. "It's okay. Two of them will go out to the school gates."
Kakashi nodded as two of the bodyguards bowed and took their leave.
As they walked through the classroom door, the students immediately turned their hushed conversations to a loud convention as they clamored for Sai's attention.
"SAI! IS IT TRUE?!"
"You and that girl?"
"Did you two sleep together?"
The questions kept coming in succession and Naruto yelled out to all of them in anger, "Shut up! You guys don't know Sakura-chan! She would never do such a thing like that!"
The class got even louder as they continued with the volley of questions as they began to jump out of their seats to get closer to Sai.
A loud thud was heard as the class looked up and saw Kakashi slammed a yardstick on the blackboard. His eyes glared at them as he walked to the front of the room.
"If you are not in your seat by the time I count to three, there will be much discipline involved," he said in a stern voice. He didn't raise his voice but everyone could hear the ruthlessness in his last words.
The class quieted down as gulps were heard from the back of students' throats. There was a chilled feeling in the air as fear could be felt down their spines. It was unusual to see Kakashi get mad. But rumors had it that the last student who made Kakashi irate was removed from the school.
Sasuke sat quietly in his seat as he watched Sai make his way down the fourth row to settle into his seat. Sai flashed a quick smile at Sasuke before turning his head towards the front. Sasuke felt a slight jab of annoyance at Sai's calm composure. He was just as in shock as the rest of the school when he found out about the news in the morning. In fact, he was feeling a little more than just miffed.
Sasuke glanced at the empty seat in front of him as he watched Naruto sit down in the seat in front of Sakura's.
Where is she?
He glared at Sai's back. And why were they together that night?
The morning wore on as lessons continued without interruptions. But everyone could sense the anxiousness in the air as they all eagerly awaited for break time to come. As the students bowed to their teacher, Kakashi left with a stern look in his eyes. He couldn't do much now to prevent them from gossiping so he could only hope that Sai had the situation under control.
As soon as Kakashi left the door, the room exploded with a clamor of noise as everyone rushed to crowd around Sai with the anticipation that he will fill them in on the true story.
"So tell us Sai," one guy snickered. "Was she any good?"
"Bastard!" Naruto shouted as he jumped up out of his seat and slammed his hands on his desk. "If you say another bad thing about Sakura-chan, I'll rip your mouth out."
Sai said nothing as the guys in the room continued questioning him. "C'mon Sai! You couldn't be seriously interested in her right?"
"Then again, she would probably do it for the attention."
"She's an orphan, isn't she?"
"Maybe she just wants to break into the upper class."
"She's probably doing it for the money."
A crude laugh came from the room. Aoi sneered as she stood up from her seat. "C'mon, why else were they captured kissing in front of a club? Unless they're dating, which they are not, she's definitely a hooker." She smiled disparagingly as she sat back in her chair. "There's no way her waitressing job can pay for everything. She definitely has another job on the side."
"STOP IT!"
The room got silent as they turned to the voice that just yelled. It shocked the whole room because it wasn't the loud, rambunctious Naruto, who said it this time. It was Hinata.
The quiet girl stood up in anger as her cheeks flushed with red. "S-stop it!" she stammered again. "Just stop it!" she demanded, this time finding her voice and her courage. "Sakura-san is not that kind of girl."
Naruto watched in awe. This was the first time he ever seen Hinata speak out like that. She was usually so quiet and mild tempered. He grinned as he walked up to stand beside her.
"Hinata is right! Sakura-chan is nothing like what you guys are saying." He glared at the class. "If you continue this talk, I'll have to take matters into my own hands." He clenched his fists.
Sasuke grunted as he watched the scene before him unfold. It was irritating to have to sit through this. He never knew how annoying his classmates were until today. He kicked his desk away as he got up from his seat and started heading towards the door.
"Sasuke-kun," Ino called out to him.
"So annoying," he muttered as students turned to watch him walk by them.
Sai slowly looked up from his desk as he closed a notebook in front of him. "Sakura's my girlfriend," he stated with a calm expression across his face. "Please do not speak ill of her," he added.
The whole class got eerily silent as they tried to comprehend Sai's words. Sasuke stopped in front of the door as his body went still. His glared at the door before sliding it open and stepping out.
"You're joking right Sai?" Aoi sputtered. "Why would you date a girl like her?"
"Would you rather I choose a selfish, self-absorbed girl like yourself?" Sai responded coolly. "If you would excuse me, I have some matters to tend to." Sai got up as he grabbed his phone and walked out of the classroom, leaving Aoi standing there stunned.
Sai's eyes met with Sasuke's as he came out of the room. "Sasuke-kun," Sai said with a smile.
"Are you telling the truth, Sai?" Sasuke asked as he ignored the warm greeting.
"What? About Sakura-san?" Sai asked coyly. "What about her?"
"Tch," came Sasuke's response. "Never mind." He turned and walked down the hallway, shoving his hands in his pants pockets.
Sai smiled. "Sorry Sasuke-kun," he murmured as he turned to walk down the other direction as his bodyguard followed suit.
Sasuke was irritated beyond relief now. He needed somewhere to cool his head. It didn't help that the cause of all this was nowhere in sight. Maybe if she were here, she would be able to defend herself against all the rumors. Sasuke frowned. They ARE rumors… right?
He let out a frustrated shout as he slammed a fist against the wall. He turned a corner and walked up a flight of stairs. His head was hurting from all this. He shouldn't be caring. What did it matter to him?
Sure, they shared a kiss. A passionate, heated kiss. But he was just caught up in the moment at that time. She was being so annoying with her constant rambling and he just wanted to shut her up. That was what he kept telling himself. It still annoyed him nonetheless. How could she be caught kissing another guy after kissing him? And with his cousin Sai no less. It was almost infuriating.
"Sasuke-kun," a voice called out from behind him.
Sasuke turned around to see his teacher come up from behind with a smile. Kakashi had his book in one hand and a stack of papers in the other.
"What?" Sasuke muttered.
"You seemed distracted today during morning lessons," Kakashi remarked as he closed his book shut and placed it on top of his pile of papers.
"I'm always distracted," Sasuke responded monotonously.
"Yes, but especially more so today," Kakashi said. "It wouldn't be because a certain female student wasn't present today would it?"
"…" Sasuke turned back around. "You're just seeing things. Probably because you're half asleep all the time," he muttered.
"Mm, maybe you're right. I could have sworn that with the intense gaze of yours, you could have burned a hole straight through Naruto if you moved your head up just a little."
Kakashi smiled again. "Guess it was my mistake." He waved as he walked off but not before leaving a seething Sasuke behind.
"I wasn't gazing intensely," Sasuke growled to no one in particular but himself. He tugged the collar of his shirt as he loosened a button. The hallway seemed stuffy all of a sudden as he walked briskly towards the stairwell. He needed fresh air.
"So annoying," he muttered as he trekked up another flight of stairs to the rooftop. The thought of Sakura kept gnawing at him as he gazed out at the school yard from his view on top of the roof.
It was just as he feared. Falling for a commoner. He was becoming exactly like his brother.