Song of a Cherry Blossom
by Diana-san

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 19

Sakura groaned as she stared blankly at the sheet of paper in front of her. She wasn't expecting to go to music class so early in the day and she hadn't exactly finished her homework from last week. It was unlike her to leave homework unfinished but after the events of the past few nights, homework was the last thing on her mind. She had hoped to use her study period to work on it but it seems like that choice was out of the option now.

Kurenai walked in and Sakura stiffened as she quickly shoved the papers back into her folder.

"Okay, Sakura, today's lesson is going to be a bit different due to your…uh, circumstances," Kurenai said as she sat down on an armchair beside Sakura. "You write your own songs, am I correct?" Kurenai asked.

Sakura nodded.

Kurenai rummaged through a folder on her lap as she handed Sakura a brochure. "This is the brochure for the end of the year competition. Each year, all schools participate by sending their best students to this competition. There are categories for everything including songwriting and vocal performance. We placed first each year in every category but the arts."

Sakura gulped. "Are you expecting me to place first on my own?"

"Well, it's a lot to ask but you are on a full ride scholarship to this academy." Kurenai smiled. "I expect a lot of hard work outta you. Let's begin our lesson for today."

The cherry blossom nodded but she couldn't help but feel the immense pressure riding on her shoulders. She wondered if her success or failure would determine her standing at this school.

Kurenai flipped through some papers in her folder. "I've noticed that most of your songs lack a certain appeal." Kurenai looked up at Sakura before continuing, "You see, most songs are written about personal experiences. And while the composition and melody of your songs are wonderful, the lyrics seem to lack meaning."

Sakura blinked twice. "What do you mean?" she asked, not sure where this conversation was going at.

Kurenai pursed her lips as she tilted her head to one side. "I can't see deep within the song. What you are trying to say to me. I can't sense the emotion. What you write is just things on the surface. It's so different from what I heard in your audition tape. That one had emotion. I could feel the hurt and pain you felt in that song. You must have drawn that from a deep personal experience that affected you greatly."

Sakura looked down at her hands. "I wrote that song after my parents died."

Kurenai nodded. "I want you to explore deep within yourself and write something that ties greatly to your heart. This could be what makes or breaks you in the songwriting category."

"How am I supposed to do that? The lyrics just came to me for that song," Sakura exclaimed.

"When you find something you truly cherish, the inspiration would just come to you."

"Something I cherish?" she echoed.

"Have you ever been in love, Sakura?" Kurenai asked gently.

A deep red blush crossed Sakura's face. "I-I don't think so. I mean, I never had a boyfriend before," she replied rather meekly.

Kurenai smiled. "You don't have to have a boyfriend to have experienced love. Although it helps more often than not." She cleared her throat as she shifted her eyes to look away from Sakura. "And, I don't want to butt into student's personal affairs but about Sai…"

Her voice trailed off as she turned to look at Sakura for a reaction.

"Sensei, did you read the tabloids?" Sakura asked softly.

"Well," Kurenai said with a sheepish smile. "I do try to keep up on my current events even if it's mostly gossip magazines!"

"Those rumors aren't true, you know that right?" Sakura asked. The cherry blossom looked up at her teacher with pleading eyes.

"Of course," Kurenai responded gently. "I know half of the things in there are not true. But pictures speak louder than words for some people. Which is why I'm worried about you." Kurenai gently grasped onto Sakura's hand.

"You're my precious student so I don't want you to get hurt. Although there may be a silver lining to this…perhaps you can find some positivity in this mess and channel your feelings to your music."

Sakura nodded. "Thank you Kurenai-sensei."

Kurenai smiled but she couldn't help but have an uneasy feeling in her heart. She had read her fair share of scandals and gossip in magazines. Somehow, it struck her odd that a high-profile teen idol like Sai could have slipped so easily in getting caught by the paparazzi. Kurenai frowned as she looked down at her student. Sakura, I don't trust this Sai kid. Please be careful.

Sai turned a corner as he sensed a presence following him. He narrowed his eyes as he realized that it wasn't just his bodyguard that was behind him. He turned and waved his bodyguard off.

"Ino-san, what pleasure do I owe to have you in my presence right now?" Sai asked with a smile as the two of them stood in the corner of the hallway alone.

Ino got straight to the point as she questioned him. "Sasuke's been acting a bit unusual lately and I noticed there seems to be a bit of tension between the two of you."

"Oh, has there? I haven't noticed. Although Sasuke always does act unusual," Sai mused. "I always thought he was just an irregular child."

Ino laughed half-heartedly at his jester. "Are you and Sakura really a couple?" Ino asked softly as she changed the subject.

Sai glanced at Ino as if trying to read her thoughts. "Does it matter to you?" he asked after some time.

"No…but it will matter to your fans."

"And why does that concern me?" he asked coolly.

"Your fans won't attack you but instead they will attack her. You know that don't you?"

Sai smiled. "Ino-san, it seems as if you have some fondness for Sakura."

"A-as if! I'm just letting you know if you care about your little girlfriend."

Ino turns to leave in a huff as if angered by Sai's one-sided way of responding to her.

"You're not a bitch like the other students fear you are." Sai called out to her.

Ino laughs as she stops in her tracks. "Oh don't worry. I am a bitch alright," she said softly.

A young Ino sighs as she enters the classroom. It was the start of a new school year and this year, she and her best friend, Sakura, were placed in separate classrooms. Ino walks warily into the room as she eyes the other students in her new class. She notices some familiar faces but most of them were unfamiliar to her. One particular girl with dark brown locks and even deeper brown eyes stood out to her. Sitting in the center of the classroom, it was clear that she was the one who ruled the classroom.

Ino bit her lip. It was going to be hard to fit in if she stands out too much. The class order seemed to have already been decided as she watched a group of girls crowd around the brunette.

"Yo, you in the orange shirt," the brunette suddenly called out.

The room got silent as the class turned to look directly at Ino. Ino blinked. 'Were they referring to her?' she wondered. She looked down at her shirt. It was orange.

On the first day of class, the group of girls are relentless as they bully Ino. She tries to ignore it as she tries to focus on her reading assignment instead. One girl pulls on her blonde hair from behind as another walks past and drops trash on her desk. Ino grits her teeth as she tries to hold in her anger. She looks up and glares at the brunette girl sitting innocently in the center. If it was one thing Ino was sure of, the other girls didn't matter because they were all following the leader's orders. 'Aoi!' Ino's inner voice screamed as she glared daggers into the back of Aoi's chair.

Ino couldn't understand quite why they chose to target her. Suddenly, Aoi turned around to look at her and their eyes met for a brief moment. It was then that Ino realized the reason as to why. It was quick just as it was brief but Ino saw it. The flash of jealously that flickered across Aoi's deep brown eyes. As she sat in the bathroom stall during the break time, she heard the reason why Aoi chose to target her. Ino bit her lip as she listened in on the conversation between two girls in her class.

"Why Ino?" one voice asked. It was the girl who pulled on her hair today.

"Oh, you know Aoi. She always targets the strongest ones. Probably because she sees Ino as a rival who can take away her position," came another girl's voice. It was the girl who dropped trash on her desk.

"I actually think Ino is kind of cool though."

"Yeah, but if we pick the wrong side…Aoi might pick on us. It's better to just follow Aoi."

"Okay. You're right."

Ino's shoulders slump down as she hears the end of the conversation. 'So that's why,' she thought sadly.

At lunch, Ino sees Sakura come running towards her. A bright smile was on Sakura's face. Ino bites her lip as she tries to keep the tears back but it seems only harder now that she knows the reason behind to why she is bullied. Ino turns to run the other way as she runs towards the bathroom. Not in a million years does she want to show Sakura her tears. She can't show that weak side of her to Sakura. After all, she was the one who always protected Sakura from being bullied. If anything, Sakura was the one who looked up to her the most.

Sakura watches, confused, at the sight of her friend's retreating back. They had been separated all morning and just when they had the chance to talk, Ino had run off to somewhere else. Sakura glanced down at her lunch in sadness. She wondered if she did something wrong to upset Ino.

Ino runs inside the bathroom and quickly wipes away the tears as she hides crouched on top of the toilet. It was becoming an all too repetitive thing of her now. Locking herself away in the bathroom stall like a wimp. She clenches her fists as she makes a determined vow. 'I'll be stronger and surpass Aoi if it is the last thing I do. I won't let her win.'

She leaves the bathroom and goes out to the hallway with a brand new determination in mind. She looks up in surprise when she sees Sakura running down the hallway in search of her.

"Ino, is everything okay?" Sakura asked, almost scared to hear what the response would be to her question.

Before Ino could respond, Aoi comes down the hallway with her group of friends. The group spots Ino and Sakura as they saunter over to crowd around the two.

"Who is this?" Aoi asks as a few girls edge closer and closer to Sakura. Aoi turns to Ino. "Is she your friend?"

Ino doesn't know what to say. She glances at Sakura, who looks absolutely petrified as the group of girls huddle around her. Ino remembers that look of fear all too well. It was the same look that came whenever Sakura was bullied for her unusual pink hair or her seemingly large forehead.

"No, she isn't." Ino replies coolly. The girls look up at Ino as Sakura blinks in confusion.

Aoi smirks. "Hm, okay then. Ino, let's each lunch together."

Ino nods as she follows behind Aoi and the rest of the group. Ino doesn't dare to turn back to look at Sakura as she tries to hold back the tears. She knows that if she acknowledges Sakura right then and there, Aoi would relentlessly bully Sakura. Ino didn't care if Aoi bullied her but she couldn't bear the thought of them going after Sakura. As of now, Ino is just a small fish in this bigger pond. Ino clenched her fists. 'Soon, I'll be strong soon,' she thought.

Ino glance down at her phone as she sees a reply from Sasuke. Earlier, she had texted him to meet up. He gave a short one-worded response when she asked where he was. "Rooftop" it said. She smiled. It was unusual for him to reply back. Usually it would take more than ten texts to illicit any sort of response from him.

As she head up to the rooftop, her heart felt heavy with what she was about to say. She sees him lying on the ground near the edge of the rooftop. He appeared to be sleeping but Ino knows otherwise.

"Sasuke-kun," she started. She walked towards him and looked down at his sleeping face as she stood towering over him. Her presence casts a shadow over him. "Let's break up."

It was silent for a moment as a gentle breeze blew past. Sasuke opened one eye and looked up at Ino. He made no show of emotion on his face as he spoke, "This is unexpected."

"You can tell everyone that you broke up with me if it matters," Ino said.

"Why all of a sudden?" Sasuke asked as he sat up.

"I'm just tired of keeping up this image. Honestly, this isn't me at all. I dated you to reinforce my popularity and now, it all just seems meaningless." Ino tried to hold back tears as she clenched her fists.

Sasuke keeps quiet as his back is turned towards Ino. He hates when girls cry because he doesn't know what to say.

"Sakura used to be my best friend," Ino said softly.

This was news to Sasuke as his ears perked up and he turned to look up at Ino.

"Used to?"

"We were friends in elementary but grew apart when we got placed in different classrooms. As you know, Aoi and I knew each other from before high school. I tried to shield Sakura away from Aoi but I didn't go about it the right way. By ignoring Sakura, I ruined our friendship and before I had the chance to apologize, Sakura had already moved away and transferred schools."

"Why are you explaining this all to me?"

"I used Aoi to gain popularity just like I used you. I don't want to do that anymore. The only reason I wanted to be popular was so that I would be able to protect Sakura when we were kids. Now that this scandal with Sai has popped up, I realized how little I can do."

"Did you two recognize each other?"

"I didn't at first. Sakura was always so shy. That was why she was easily bullied. The girl I saw at school and at the club was so different from the girl I once knew. She had the guts to talk back to you and Aoi. It wasn't until I found this that I realized." She pulled out a picture from her pocket. "It's a picture of me and Sakura from when we were younger. We signed our names on the back as a promise to always stay friends."

She handed the photo to Sasuke and he took it in his hands. It was a picture of two girls with arms linked and smiling. One girl had short blonde locks with her side bangs clipped to one side and a confident smile on her face. The other girl had pink locks held up with a big, red ribbon and a shy smile as she looked at the camera.

He flipped to the back of the photo and scrawled across the back were the names Haruno Sakura and Suzuki Ino.

"Suzuki? Isn't your last name Yamanaka?"

"Legally, I am Yamanaka Ino. But my family had some financial issues when I was younger. They wanted me to use my mother's maiden last name to protect me in case debt collectors came looking. Of course, everything is fine now. But I assume that Sakura doesn't know I am the same Ino from her childhood past."

He handed the picture back to her. "I still don't exactly know why you're telling me all this," he stated. "About Sakura that is," he added.

"I don't know what Sai's intentions are with Sakura but I don't believe for a second that they are dating. I'm worried for Sakura and I know you are Sai's cousin and probably the closest person towards him. Will you help me protect Sakura?"

"Protect her? Why can't you?"

"I don't have the confidence yet to reveal myself to her and face her. I know it's a lot to ask from you since you don't have any reason to do this for me." Ino looked down at the ground. "But please," she pleaded. "Please at least talk to Sai for me. I tried to talk to him earlier but I don't know how much I can say to him without me revealing my relation to Sakura. I don't trust him but I do trust you Sasuke. At least, in the time that I spent with you as your girlfriend, I had hoped that you weren't as heartless as you are made out to be."

"Very well."

Ino glanced up in surprise. "Very well?"

"I'll talk to Sai. But I can't guarantee that things will turn out the way you wish it to be."

Ino smiled. "It's ok. I can only hope for the best."

Sasuke shoved his hands in his pocket. "Y-you're a good friend to Sakura."

"This is the most I can do right now to make up for before," Ino said softly. She turned around. "We should get back soon. Break is almost over."

He said nothing as he followed behind her. But in the back of his mind, he wonder what more he could do.

Sakura walked out of the classroom as break time came. As much as she loved music class, there was only so many hours of the day she could take in being trapped in that musty, old room.

As she headed out to the hallway, she couldn't help but noticed the many stares she got as she walked down the halls. She sighed as she turned a corner. She assumed that everyone by now has heard the news. Maybe I should have stayed in the music room after all.

"Psst, hey, it's her."

"No way, that's Sai's girlfriend?"

Sakura's ears caught the whispers going down the hallway as she heard the new rumors now circulating about her and Sai's relationship.

"Sai just confirmed it like a few minutes ago. My friend is in their class and texted me."

"I can't believe they're actually dating."

By now, the whispers could barely be considered whispers as a group of students walked down the hallway, deeply engrossed in their conversation and not noticing the pink-headed girl.

Dating? Sakura thought in a panic. She clenched her fists as she felt her blood boiling. What exactly did Sai think dispelling rumors meant?

She marched down the hallway in giant stomps as she ignored the strange stares she got. She thought she was mad earlier when she saw the tabloids but now she is just furious. It was one thing to have scandals going on about her but to have Sai confirming them when they weren't true, that's a whole other matter.

Sakura stops when she sees the exact person she was looking for. Sai was standing by a vending machine with a nonchalant look on his face as he picked up a bag of chips. "SAI!" she bellowed as she yanked him by the ear and dragged him to an empty classroom.

He winced but willingly let himself be dragged along as Sakura pinned him up against the wall by the collar of his shirt. "WHY ARE PEOPLE SAYIN' THAT WE ARE DATING?" she shouted.

Sai flinched as he held a finger to his ear. "Uh, I may have said something along those lines."

"Sai," Sakura said as she looked down and tried to calm her tone. "What part of the term 'dispelling rumors' that Kakashi-sensei said don't you get?" She looked up Sai in the eyes with a sharp and beady gaze. "Because," Sakura continued quietly. "YOU'RE NOT DOING IT RIGHT!"

"Sorry, sorry!" Sai said as he held his hands up in apology. "Things have taken a sudden change. You see, my image is at stake and my manager said that if you're not seen as my girlfriend, then it kinda makes me look bad. I mean, honestly, me at a club with a random girl. What would the media portray me as?" Sai didn't wait for an answer as he wagged his finger at Sakura. "Plus, you will have a more wholesome image as my girlfriend rather than a prostitute." Sai smiled. "Chip?" he said as he offered the bag of chips in his other hand.

Sakura released her hold on Sai's shirt collar. She collapsed to the floor with a defeated look on her face. "Are you kidding me?"

Sai straightened up his collar as he smoothed down the wrinkles on his uniform. "Besides, I think Sasuke-kun is jealous of us," he said with a smile.

She glared at him. "That's the least of my worries. All I wanted was to live a normal, quiet life and graduate from this school unnoticed."

"Seems like that plan has failed," Sai remarked rather chipperly.

"Forget it," she muttered as she stood up. Sakura opened the door of the classroom and marched out. She needed to let off steam somewhere else. As she marched past the wandering gazes of her fellow schoolmates, she thought to herself, Definitely somewhere more isolated.

She went up to the rooftop and was about to run out to the fence that surrounded the rooftop when she spotted two familiar figures standing near the edge.

Crap, she thought as she quickly turned back and ducked in order to hide her presence. She slowly peeked out from the stairwell as she gazed out at the two people in front.

It was Ino and Sasuke. Sakura bit her lip as she watched the two talk to each other. She couldn't quite make out what they were saying since she was far away but judging from the looks of it, the conversation seemed pretty serious.

What are they talking about? She suddenly felt a guilty tug at her heart. It didn't matter what they were saying. They were boyfriend and girlfriend. The worst part of it was that she had kissed Sasuke when he was still in a relationship. Even despite what Sasuke said before to her about him and Ino not being serious about each other. Still, it's not fair to Ino. I didn't want to be the other woman.

Sakura slowly walked back down the stairs with an even darker cloud of depression hanging over her shoulders. Today does not seem to be getting any better.

After the break, lessons continued on as Sakura waited for lunch time to roll around. She assumed that perhaps she would be able to meet up with Naruto or Hinata at least to talk to. She hadn't seen them at all the entire day and she was getting rather restless mulling over her latest misfortunes.

As Sakura bowed goodbye to Kurenai, the door opened to the music classroom as Kakashi waved a hello.

"Sensei!" Sakura exclaimed in surprise as she stood up from her seat by the piano.

"Yo," Kakashi replied as he nodded to Kurenai who left with a curt hello.

"What's the matter?" Sakura asked, almost afraid to hear what the answer may be. Perhaps it was more bad news. Maybe the girls in her class have staged a coup and were shouting for her head on a pitchfork. Frankly, she wouldn't be all too surprised. She even knew who would be the one leading it as she thought of the prickly and unsettling Aoi.

"Don't worry. I didn't come here with bad news if that's what you're wondering."

Sakura couldn't help but smile at the irony. It was exactly what she was wondering.

"It seems as if Sai said something that calmed everyone down," Kakashi continued. "I'm not sure exactly what but the kids have been a lot quieter now since after the break."

Sakura crossed her arms. That was hard to believe. Surely, the news of her as Sai's girlfriend would elicit at least some crazed fan response.

"Sakura," Kakashi began softly. "You should go home for today."

"Why? It's only lunch time. I still have the rest of the afternoon."

"The school board isn't exactly pleased with the attention they're getting from this scandal. It's painting them more in a negative light than a positive. I talked to the principal and he thinks it is best if you and Sai return home for the rest of the day."

"But…"

"No, buts Sakura," Kakashi said firmly. He patted her on the head. "It's better if the paparazzi outside leaves early. Then you can come back when they're gone."

Sakura glanced up at her teacher. "Sorry," she muttered as she looked back down. She didn't do anything wrong but she felt terrible for bringing such a mess to her teacher.

"What is there to be sorry for? I'm your teacher and will always be looking out for what's best for you." He bent down so he was at eye-level with Sakura. "Cheer up!" he said with a smile.

She sighed. If only, she could.

As they headed out of the classroom, Sai was standing and waiting to the side. His bodyguards were nowhere in sight.

"Alright you two," Kakashi stated. "Since it's lunch time, it will be easier for you to leave the campus unnoticed. Just try to be discreet and not draw any attention to yourself when you exit, okay?"

Sai and Sakura nodded. They all walked a short way before parting at the stairways. Sakura quickly skipped down the steps as she walked out to the courtyard. She could see the reporters from a distance and decided her best bet to escape undetected was back the way she came from this morning.

But before she could move a step further, a hand reached out and grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her along towards the front entrance of the school.

"Hey!" she yelped out as she winced from the sharp grab. She glanced up and was shocked to see who was pulling her along.

"Sasuke!" she exclaimed in confusion. What was he doing? Why was he pulling her? Where was he taking her? Why are they going in the direction of the reporters?

All these thoughts ran across Sakura's mind as she tried to come up with an answer for each but drew a blank at each.

He stopped suddenly as they stood just a few meters away from the reporters outside the school gate. It was mostly desolated except for the sparsely spread out groups of students having lunch in the area or curious about the reporters outside.

He whirled around as he released his hold on Sakura. "Are you really dating Sai?" he blurted out.

She blinked twice. "You're dating Ino," was her only response.

"We…broke up," he admitted. He gazed into her eyes with a soft expression as he asked his question again, "Are you dating Sai?"

She didn't know what to say. She was still trying to register the fact that he told her that he broke up with Ino. So that was what that conversation on the rooftop was. Then she had to register the next thing he said which was a question directed towards her.

The first thought that popped up in her mind was the word 'no'. Because no, she wasn't dating Sai. But she felt a tinge of guilt in the back of her mind as she recalled Sai's earlier words. She could care less about Sai's image. After all, Sai didn't even have the least bit of sincerity in asking her to pretend to play the little charades for the press. Besides, telling Sasuke the truth wouldn't be so bad. It wasn't like Sasuke would rat out his cousin to the media.

But, she somehow couldn't reply as the word got caught in her throat. For a moment, she saw a bit of clarity. She was given a position that could very well determine her relationship with the boy in front of her. If she says yes, maybe he would give up on her. She looked down on the ground. The rumors that were spreading like wildfire about her, as innocent as she was, she no longer felt confident to uphold the pure image she wanted to maintain. She certainly didn't want to drag Sasuke into the media mess with her. What if he got caught in it with her or worse, what if his parents found out?

Perhaps he sensed her inner conflict because he decided to take it upon himself to answer his own question. "You can't date Sai," he stated.

She looked up in confusion. "W-why not?"

His eyes darted over to the crowd of reporters by the gate. "You know what's worse than having the whole world watching your every move?" he asked. He reached out an arm and wrapped it around Sakura's waist as he pulled her closer to him.

Sakura's breath hitched as she found herself face to face with Sasuke, his eyes piercing through her green orbs as his lips remained merely inches away from her own.

"Hearing that your own cousin is trying to steal the girl you like."

Sakura's eyes widened but not long before closing shut as Sasuke's lips pressed against hers. This kiss was different. It was possessive but sweet at the same time as if she was his and his only. As gentle as a light breeze, he pulled away from the kiss.

Sakura opened her eyes. Cameras were flashing behind them as everyone scrambled to get a good picture of what just went on. She was in a daze but not before realizing what had just happened. She seemed to have inadvertently jumped from one scandal to the next.

Sasuke sighed as he took hold of Sakura's hand in his own. "Run," he ordered as he sprinted towards the gate and bulldozed his way past the crowd with Sakura in tow.