Song of a Cherry Blossom
by Diana-san

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 20

Her legs tried to keep up as they flew past the reporters and photographers. She looked up in front of her and saw the back of Sasuke as he ran in front of her all the while holding firmly to her hand. She smiled as they continued running. She didn't know where they were running to but she figured, she would go the distance for him.

They continued running for a good fifteen minutes before coming to a small park. Sasuke finally released his hand from hers as he tried to catch his breath. Sakura collapsed on top of a small cobblestone rock that was paved out smoothly to be a seat. She looked behind her. There were no signs of anyone following them anymore. She assumed that they had already lost them long ago. How fast can they run carrying expensive cameras and heavy bags with them everywhere?

Sakura quickly surveyed the area with her eyes. There weren't many people in sight and the park looked mostly isolated except for an old couple feeding birds by the park benches. There was a small playground with a swing set and sand box to the right of her and water fountains up front.

She recognized this park. It wasn't frequented much since there was a bigger park just five minutes away but she would always go past this park on her way home. She suddenly noticed that Sasuke was missing. Frantically, Sakura glanced around the park as she wondered where he went. Did he leave and ditch her? Maybe he regretted kissing her and wanted to run away from here as fast as possible to erase the damage done.

But those thoughts were dispelled when she saw Sasuke appearing in the distance. He was carrying two water bottles and tossed one over to her. She caught it in surprise. "Where did you find these?" she asked.

"There was a vending machine by the bathrooms," he responded as he pointed to a path behind him. Sakura glanced in that direction. She hadn't notice the public restrooms in the far distance beyond a grove of trees. As she uncapped the water bottle, she quickly drank until almost half the bottle was gone. She hadn't realized how thirsty she was from all that running.

"Ah, I left most of my belongings and wallet at school," Sasuke said as he sat down on the ground beside her on the rock.

"Then how did you pay for this?" she questioned as she held up the water bottle in her hand.

"The old grandpa gave me the coins for it when he saw that I didn't have my wallet."

Sakura glanced up and saw the old couple that was sitting on the park benches. The grandpa was sitting beside his wife as he handed her a cup of water.

"That's so nice of him," she murmured as she sat perched up on the rock with her knees pulled to her chest.

"Sorry," he replied. "I'm not sure what we'll do about lunch."

His stomach growled as soon as the words left his mouth and an embarrassed blush danced across his face. He clutched his stomach and turned his head away. He hated to seem so incompetent at this very moment when he wanted to show off his seemingly cooler side. Ugh, why didn't I bring my wallet with me before I left?

He heard a giggle and turned to see Sakura laughing at him. She didn't seem at all fazed by the fact that he didn't have money on him or that they didn't eat lunch at all.

She motioned over to him to come closer and Sasuke stood up as he watched Sakura remove her school bag. She opened it and took out a bento box. Smiling, Sakura opened it to reveal perfectly wrapped onigiri all lined up in two rows. She handed him one and he took it with a wary look on his face.

"What? You haven't had one before?" Sakura asked when she saw the look on his face. "They're not poisonous," she insisted.

"I didn't think they were," he mumbled. "Actually, this is the first time I tried one before," he admitted as he gingerly held the onigiri in one hand.

"I made them myself so they might not be as good as the store bought ones. My mom and I used to make these when we were little. Of course, hers always seem to taste better than mine." She bit into one and chewed.

He slowly followed her example and bit into his. It was surprisingly flavorful and he quickly finished it all in his next bite. He held out his hand for another one. Sakura smiled before placing another one in his hand. "They're bonito filled onigiri. I also have umeboshi ones. Those are my favorite."

He nodded as he ate his second rice ball. "Do you always make so many?" he asked between bites. He couldn't help but notice that her bento box had enough for two people's worth.

Sakura frowned. "So many? This is usually how much I eat for one meal. I don't even know if we have enough since I'm sharing with you as well."

Sasuke stopped eating as he stared at Sakura. She's a glutton. He smirked as he continued eating. They ate in silence for the rest as they sat in the park side by side, him on the ground and her perched on top of the rock.

A ringing sound came from inside Sakura's bag as she quickly fumbled to answer it.

"Hello?" she whispered. She didn't know why she was whispering. She was outside. "I mean hello?" she repeated again, this time in her normal voice.

"Sakura!" It was Tsunade's voice.

"Tsunade-sama!" Sakura exclaimed as she almost dropped the phone in surprise.

"Sakura, there are a bunch of weirdoes outside the club. I think they are reporters or something. They kept asking if you were here so I'm calling you to see if you know them."

Sakura's face turned white. The reporters were already searching for her. "Uh, Tsunade-sama. Whatever you do, just don't tell them anything. I'm really sorry. I think I got into a bit of a mess…" Sakura's voice trailed off.

"Never mind that Sakura! I think it's best for you to not come to work today. They might be coming to look for you at your apartment so be careful going home!"

"Tsunade-sama…"

"Listen, don't worry about us. Jiraiya and I can handle them. It's been awhile since Jiraiya got to yell at somebody. Just be careful okay?! You can explain to me later." With that said, Tsunade hung up and the phone line went dead.

"What happened?" Sasuke asked when he saw the worried expression on Sakura's face.

"N-nothing," she stammered. "Actually, I think the reporters are looking for me at work. I better call my landlady to see if they're there as well."

She dialed her landlady's number as she waited for her to pick up. "Takimoto-san!" she cried out as she heard the line clicked.

"Who may I ask this is?" a kind voice asked.

"Takimoto-san! It's Sakura! From apartment 3C. Is there by chance any reporters around the area?"

"Ah, Sakura-san!" Takimoto-san responded. "Yes, they're all over the front of the apartments. They kept asking me if you lived here but I told them nothing. Don't worry dear! I saw the news! Oh my, what a handsome boy you found my dear."

"The news?"

"Ah, I must go now. The kettle is boiling. Bye bye my dear." The line went dead.

She stared at the phone.

"Now what?" Sasuke hovered in front of her as his face came within inches from Sakura's.

"Um, I don't know. I don't think I can go to work or home right now."

"Then let's just stay here for now," he responded.

He got up as he walked over to the swings and sat down on a swing. Sakura followed after him and sat down on the swing beside his. As she rocked back and forth, she wondered what to do about everything. Was she going to be followed around 24/7 from now on? Is this what celebrity life was like?

She sighed as a big yawn escaped her mouth. She hadn't realized how tired she was. Of course, she hadn't slept well the past few nights. Sasuke glanced at her as he watched Sakura's swinging slowly slow down and then come to a halt. Her eyes began to droop as she hung her head low.

Is she….? As soon as the thought left his mind, he reacted quickly as he caught Sakura from the front as her body dropped into his arms.

"Oh," she murmured in realization. "Sorry, I must have dozed off for a bit."

"Just sleep," he muttered.

They sat in the sand as he leaned against the pole of the swing set with Sakura leaning against his arms. She didn't reply but she closed her eyes as her head fell against his shoulder and rested there. He closed his eyes but opened them again after a few minutes. Sakura was already fast asleep against him.

"Onigiri," she murmured in her sleep.

Sasuke couldn't help but stifle a laugh. Even in her sleep, she was a glutton. Wait, she dreams of food instead of me?

When she awoke, she saw that the sky was turning a deep orange color indicating that the sun was nearly setting. She sat up quickly when she realized where she was sleeping and her face quickly turned pink.

She glanced around the park and saw that it was empty. Sasuke was beside her with his eyes firmly shut as if he was sleeping or meditating. Sakura glanced at the watch on her hand. It was almost 5 PM. She must have knocked out for a good four hours.

"Sasuke?" she said softly as she waved a hand in front of him. He didn't stir and Sakura couldn't help but gaze at his features. She slowly reached out to brush back a strand of hair that fell in front of his face. As soon as her hand came within a few centimeters from his face, he opened one eye and stared at her.

She froze in place as she quickly swatted the air. "Ah, mosquitoes everywhere!" she said absent-mindedly. Sasuke smirked as he grabbed her wrist. "You're awake finally."

"Were you even asleep?"

"No, I was meditating."

"Oh," was her only reply.

"Are you hungry? You kept mumbling different food items in your sleep."

Sakura's ears turned pink. Did she really?

Sasuke stood up as he helped her up from the ground. "I don't think there are any restaurants nearby but I saw a mart not far from here when I was getting water earlier."

"Ah, I have my wallet with me. We can get cup ramen!" she said in excitement.

She began to drag him along as they left the park and she made him show him which way the mart was. It was a small convenience store stocked full of all kinds of snacks and instant meals. A cashier was dozing off in front of a small television and only glanced up once when he heard the bell ring as they entered. Sakura quickly ran to the ramen aisle as she checked out all the different varieties available at that store. "Ooh, I never tried this before," she exclaimed happily as she picked up a brand from the bottle shelf.

Sasuke glanced at the number of ramen flavors that lined the shelves. He randomly picked one up from the top shelf and read the label.

Are these the things the idiot always clamor on and on about? His thoughts flash to Naruto as he placed the cup ramen back on the shelf. No way. If I eat these, I might become as stupid as him.

He walked over to the refrigerated section and saw something that caught his eye. Hmmm…

Sakura picked out two flavors she liked as she tried to decide between the two. As she walked over to the cashier to ask for her opinion, she caught a glimpse of the TV screen. On the screen was a picture of her and Sasuke kissing. It looked like an entertainment news channel as it showed several photographs of her school as well as the picture of her with Sai.

Sakura froze in place as she stared at the TV screen. Suddenly, she didn't feel hungry anymore. She quickly turned around with both cup ramen still in her hand, deciding to put it back in place. She stopped when she saw that Sasuke was standing right behind her with a salad in one hand and two rice balls in the other. He was watching the TV screen too and he stood there with a harrowed expression.

"Sasuke…" Sakura said softly when she saw him.

"Sorry," he replied, his eyes never leaving the screen. "I don't think we can have dinner together today. I have to go." He handed her the things in his hand as he turned to leave.

Sakura watched him go, not quite sure what to say to him. She somehow knew this was going to happen. It was just all unexpected as to how it would happen or when exactly. She sighed as she placed the items in her hand back in place and left the store. Sasuke was already long gone by then and she turned to walk on her way home.

As the sun was nearly setting, she saw that there were no reporters in sight in front of her apartment. Nevertheless, she called her landlady again just to make sure. After confirming with Takimoto-san over the line, she walked to the front of the building but was surprised to see a dark sedan parked in front.

Her suspicions were confirmed when someone stepped out from the back door to greet her.

"Miss Haruno-san?" an older man inquired. He had a stern look on his face with short, black hair that reached to his shoulders. His eyes were the color of onyx much similar to a certain Uchiha she knew.

"Y-yes?" she responded.

"Uchiha Fugaku," he stated as he held out his hand.

The name sounded familiar. Fugaku? Isn't that Sasuke's father? She remembered Sai mentioning that name in the car when he was talking to her. Sakura glanced at his hand and realized he was extending it out for a handshake. She shook it and replied back rather timidly, "Haruno Sakura."

As he pulled away from the handshake, he took out an envelope from underneath his simple kimono. "I would like to extend an invitation to you to come to dinner tomorrow night."

She hesitantly took the envelope in her hands but the question still hung in the air. "Dinner? For what reason may I ask?"

"It has come to my attention of your sudden relationship with my family. I hope to get to know you better if we are to have reasons to meet again in the future."

His words were simple and direct yet Sakura couldn't make out any meaning from it. He gave a slight nod and turned to get back into the car. "I hope to see you," he said before shutting the door.

Sakura nodded but the sedan was already leaving and driving off to wherever it came from. She glanced at the invitation in her hand. She wondered what to make of it. Should she be telling Sasuke about this? Or should she keep quiet? Should she go or should she stay home? These questions burned at the back of her mind as she walked up to her apartment.

She sighed. She realized that she didn't even have time to register what anything meant the entire day. Things just came and went in a flash. She thought back to the kiss that Sasuke gave her by the school gates. Despite him kissing her so openly, she never really heard from him of what he thought about her.

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

His words rang in her ears as she repeated the scene over and over in her head. Collapsing on top of her bed, she stared at the ceiling. Was that a confession? Or did he just not like losing to Sai?

Sakura frowned. All these thoughts were too much for her. Her stomach growled in response as if tired of her deep thoughts and wanted to be fed instead.

"Okay, I'll feed you first before I contemplate anymore about boys," she murmured to herself as she patted her stomach.

The next morning, she woke up and realized that she had fell asleep after a night of staring at her ceiling and then at the invitation still on her bedside table. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was half past noon. She had already missed all of her morning classes since she didn't remember to set her alarm. It didn't matter though. She had plan to skip today anyways judging from the aftermath of what happened yesterday. She wondered what the whole school was saying about her this time.

Kakashi glanced out as his class as he peeked out from behind his book. It was emptier than usual but no less quiet. His eyes shifted to the back of the room, particularly to the corner by the windows, where three seats that should have been filled are empty instead. Looks like the love triangle is absent today. I wonder what they are up to.

He sighed as he heard the chattering among his students. Apparently, he wasn't the only one who noticed the three absent chairs. Everyone in school was buzzing about the latest gossip between Sai, Sakura, and now Sasuke. He heard that it was on television last night. Not that he watches any of that. He closed his book. Maybe it was best to start lessons earlier today to get everyone's mind off of gossip and more on trigonometry.

I hope my cute little students are doing alright.

Sakura gulped as she stood in front of the gated Uchiha mansion. It still looks daunting to her every time she sees it and this time, it would already be her third time. She took a deep breath as she tried to summon the courage to ring the doorbell. She pressed it once and instantly, the gate opened as if it knew she had been standing there for the past ten minutes. She took another deep breath as she walked down the long pathway that led her to the front door.

Another doorbell.

She pressed it, this time with more confidence as she already knew she couldn't back out when she entered past the gate. She clutched the side of her dress in nervousness. She didn't know to dress for a dinner with the Uchiha family so she decided to go as classy as she could. She tugged at the black fabric of her dress. She actually didn't know she had such a dress until last night when she opened the unopened presents that were stored underneath her bedside drawer. They were the birthday presents from her parents before they had passed away. She fingered the velvet lining of the fabric. She realized that she hadn't actually celebrated her birthday at all this year and she didn't even remember about the presents until she tore apart her room to look for something to wear.

As she waited for the door to open, she sighed. She wondered if her parents gave her this dress knowing that she would be wearing it to meet the father of the guy she thinks she likes. Or maybe I'm just walking into a big trap, she mused.

After waiting by the door for five minutes, the door finally opened and Sai's head poked out.

"Ah, you're here," he stated, not at all surprised to see her but instead, he seemed to be expecting her.

"Sai!" she sputtered out. "What are you doing here?" she asked in a hushed tone as her eyes darted around. Were there reporters nearby? She couldn't be sure. She couldn't risk getting caught in anything scandalous again.

"Never mind that," he said as he pulled her inside and shut the door closed behind her.

He dragged her over to an empty room and shut the door behind them.

"W-what are you doing?" she demanded to know. What if someone walks in? Like a maid? Or worse, Sasuke's father. She didn't want to be caught with him Sai. It would just make her look worse. Like a mistress or something.

Sai sighed. "I was hoping you wouldn't show up but who am I kidding? Of course you would do the opposite of what I want." He laughed softly as if he found his own words to be amusing.

Sakura frowned as she crossed her arms. "Why shouldn't I show up? Wouldn't it be rude to turn down a dinner invitation?"

Sai glanced at her from the corner of his eyes. "That's what I'm saying. Dinner invitation? Why would uncle Fugaku go out of his way to invite you? Something is strange."

"Strange?" Sakura uncrossed her arms. Was it strange? She didn't know because she was caught completely off-guard when she received the invitation. She hadn't thought that perhaps there might be some other intentions behind the dinner invite.

"Does he think you and Sasuke are dating?" Sai asked.

"Uhhh…" She thought back to what Fugaku had said to her. "I'm not sure. He just said that I seem to have some relationship with the Uchiha family. He didn't really specify what he meant."

"I see." Sai leaned his back against the door as he crossed his arms and looked off into the distance. "Then, pretend to be my girlfriend Sakura."

It was silent as Sakura let his words sink in. "WHAT? WHY WOULD I DO THAT?"

Sai clamped his hand over Sakura's mouth as he shushed her. "Geez, why do you have to say that so loud? You want everyone to know we are in here?"

She pushed his hand aside. "Why do you keep wanting me to pretend to be your girlfriend? Being associated with you is the reason I'm in this mess in the first place!" she retorted.

He sighed. "Look, this is probably the best way to go about it. I'm not exactly sure what uncle Fugaku is up to with this dinner thing but last night, I thought he would have said something to either me or Sasuke, but he didn't. He pretended nothing happened and instead acted calm and like he normally does. This is unusual since I'm sure he would have questioned one of us if he knew of Sasuke's little public display of affection."

He glanced up at the ceiling. "The fact that he is so calm about it all makes me think this dinner is more than it seems. I didn't even know about it until this morning when the maids kept rushing around trying to prepare for something big. When I heard that you were invited, I knew that something was up."

"What do you think his reasoning is then?"

"I don't know. I wanted to talk to Sasuke but he locked himself up in his room the whole day."

"I don't know why I still have to pretend to be your girlfriend. Why can't I just say the truth that I am not dating either of you?"

"Really? A girl who is supposedly single has been seen kissing two guys from the same family? Do you really think my uncle would believe that there is such a coincidence?"

Sakura glared at Sai. "First of all, what WE had between you and I was not a kiss. It was just the camera capturing us at the wrong angle!"

He smirked. "Should I make it real then?"

Sakura pinched him by the ears. "Joke about that one more time," she growled as she pinched him harder.

"Ow, ow, ow! Okay, I won't make kissing jokes anymore!" he yelped as she let him go. He rubbed the top of his ears to relieve the swelling.

"Anyways, it's better for you to pretend to be my girlfriend. We can pass off what Sasuke did as a way to get me jealous or something. I don't want to draw any attention to uncle Fugaku about your relationship with Sasuke. It won't do either you or Sasuke any good in the long run." Sai winced as he touched the top of his ear.

Sakura sighed and nodded. "I guess it's best to go that route. I don't want any attention on us either."

Sai smiled. "I was right though. We did make him jealous. Why else would he have been so brazen to act like that with cameras everywhere?"

He opened the door and peeked out as he motioned for Sakura to step out of the room. She followed him as he walked into the dining room where a grand table was set out before them. Sai pulled out a chair for Sakura and she sat down, amazed at the table settings and the layout of the entire room. There were beautiful china plates laid out in front of each chair and all the silverware were a stunning golden color.

She glanced up towards the ceiling and saw a glass chandelier hanging above her. The lights twinkled as the crystals reflected off one another to cast a beautiful display of colors.

Someone entered the dining room and Sakura snapped out of her awe. "Sasuke," she exclaimed as she jumped out of her seat.

Sasuke entered wearing a collared dress shirt underneath his black suit with a simple black tie. Although the outfit looked like he put it together in less than ten minutes, he made it look effortless. Sakura's heart skipped a beat when she saw him. She never noticed how stunning he looked in a suit. At least, when he was quiet and wasn't making biting remarks at her.

"Sakura?" he said in surprise when he saw her. He opened his mouth to say something more but closed it shut when his parents followed in behind him. He took a seat across from Sakura and their eyes locked for a moment.

"Please sit," Fugaku motioned to Sakura and she compliantly obeyed as she sat down in her seat. He gestured over to the woman beside him. "This is my wife, Mikoto."

Mikoto bowed and smiled at Sakura. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

Sakura bowed her head down. "N-no, the pleasure is all mine," she replied. She was stunned. Sasuke's mother was so beautiful with a fair complexion and long, black hair that came down past her shoulders. Her face had a gentle smile and it seemed that she was genuinely pleased that Sakura was there. Fugaku and Mikoto sat down beside their son.

"Are you a schoolmate of Sasuke and Sai?" Mikoto asked with a warm smile.

"Y-yes!" Sakura stammered. She glanced around the table. Sai was seated beside her but there were three other place settings set out. "Um, is there more guests expected?" she asked.

"Yes," Fugaku answered. "They'll be arriving any moment now I believe." As soon as he said those words, a stout older man entered in tow with two women behind him.

Fugaku stood up and greeted them as he shook hands with the man. "You have arrived just in time," Fugaku said as the other man laughed heartily.

"Let's sit," the man responded as he gestured over to what appeared to be his wife and daughter. The daughter looked to be the same age as Sakura and Sasuke. She had bright red hair that was kept straight on one side yet short and spiky on the other side. Sakura couldn't be sure if that was done purposefully or not.

"This is my wife Kanako and my daughter Karin," the man introduced to the table. He glanced at the boy in the corner. "Ah, you must be Sasuke. I heard all about you from Fugaku. I am Tojo Hebi, president of Taka World Bank."

Sasuke only grunted an incoherent reply but quickly mumbled a "pleased to meet you" when his father kicked his shin from underneath the table.

"Karin, please sit beside me. The rest of the kids are on this side anyways." Fugaku moved a seat over to conveniently make a seat beside Sasuke. Sasuke glared at his misfortune to be seated beside a complete stranger.

"Ah, yes Karin. Go along now," Hebi motioned to his daughter. With a saunter, Karin walked over to the seat and sat down with a curious smile across her face.

"Who may these two be?" Hebi asked as he gestured over to Sakura and Sai.

"You know Sai? He's the son of my younger brother so my nephew," Fugaku answered. "And this is…." Fugaku hesitated as he looked at Sakura.

"She's my girlfriend," Sai blurted out. That caught Sakura and Sasuke by surprise as Sasuke froze in midair with a glass of water in his hand. Sakura glanced down at her lap in embarrassment as she tried not to let her face turn any pinker than it already was.

"Ah, is that so? That explains somewhat," Fugaku replied.

"It's a pleasure to finally have this meal, Fugaku," Hebi said with a smile. "It pleases our family greatly to be able to marry off our little Karin to a family such as yours."

Karin smiled. "I'm happy to finally meet this fiancée of mine that my parents keep gushing about. He sure is handsome." She turned to Sasuke and smiled.

Marry?! Sakura looked up in shock as her eyes widened. Sasuke and Karin are engaged?!