Sakura arrived at the studio to find a small crowd already gathered. She had to hand it to the fans. She was also not surprised to see several journalists and reporters from various media outlets already hanging outside the entrance to the studio, no doubt hoping for a quick comment from the star as he arrived.

Which could be anytime within the next thirteen hours.

She was glad she had stopped to grab coffees on the way – one for herself and one for her friend. She spotted Ino in the crowd, wearing a little black dress that clung to her curves in all the right places. Her blonde hair was knotted up in a classy bun, and she looked every bit the model that she was.

"Aren't you cold?" Sakura asked as she approached her friend.

Ino smirked. "I've done bikini shoots in sub-arctic locations. This is nothing," she joked, and Sakura had to laugh. "You could have worn a dress," Ino remarked, as she accepted the coffee Sakura brought her gratefully.

Against Naruto's advice, Sakura had gone with a jacket over a plain singlet and skinny jeans. It was the time of year for chilly mornings and hot afternoons, and Sakura never knew how to dress for the weather.

"Unlike you, I'm working," Sakura replied.

"Good luck getting him to notice you in that," Ino said, earning a playful whack from Sakura.

"Why do you think I brought you?" Sakura retorted.

They stood surveying the crowd for a few minutes. Sakura grew impatient. It was not the first time Naruto had asked her to do this, and she found it ridiculous that he expected her to spend an entire day just standing around and waiting.

"Keep watch, Ino. I'm going to see if I can find out anything," she told her friend, as she moved towards a group of huddled journalists she recognised.

"Haruno," one of them greeted as she approached. "I see you're still the EP Mag woman of choice for this sort of operation," he said, making reference to the magazine she worked for.

"Nice to see you too, Kabuto. Hinata, Temari, Shino." Sakura greeted each of them in turn. "We all know why we're here, and it's not because we're employees of the month," she continued dryly.

"Well," a woman with grey eyes spoke up, "We're all here for the same story, and we know how this works. Mad dash as the car pulls up for a five second window to get his attention."

"You got it, Hinata," Kabuto said obnoxiously. "And as I remember it, you haven't been the winner in any of the last five contests."

Sakura shot the man a glare. Hinata was a sweet girl, new to the profession and still too shy to be as pushy as the job required. Kabuto looked sheepish, regretting the comment as soon as he said it. "If you want to know if we know anything more than you do, the answer is no. We're all in the same boat," he said quickly.

Sakura nodded, surveying the crowd. It was a mixture of young women and children – fans of the actor and of the superhero character he played, respectively.

Suddenly, a black car pulled up to the entrance of the studio. Fans began screaming in anticipation, and there was a general surge towards the vehicle. A young man in sunglasses stepped out flashing a wide grin. He was handsome and dressed in a suit, but it was obviously not the star that everyone had been hoping for.

"Sorry to disappoint," the man said cheekily, as the crowd calmed down and returned to a state of quiet expectation. The man strode uninterrupted through the crowd towards the studio, but Sakura recognised him and called out as he passed.

"Shikamaru."

The man turned at the sound of his name, his look of surprise breaking into a grin as he spotted Sakura. He motioned for her to follow him into the studio, and she complied. Once inside, he embraced her like an old friend.

"It's been a while," he said.

"Yes, it has," she replied, pulling away. "Are you working this campaign?" she asked.

Shikamaru laughed. "Look at you, Sakura, all business, as usual. What's it been? A year? Two?" he said.

Sakura frowned, and the man became serious. "Yes, I'm working this campaign, and no, I'm not going to tell you when he's arriving, neither am I granting you a one-on-one just because we're old friends. So don't ask."

Sakura smirked. "Wouldn't dream of it," she said nonchalantly.

Shikamaru was one of the best publicists in the industry. Sakura hadn't known he was campaigning for this new movie, and she grudgingly admitted he had done a very good job so far. They had studied journalism together back in the day, and she sighed inwardly at the difference between the level of success he had achieved in his career compared to hers.

"I could take you to dinner, though," he continued. "After the interview. We'll grab a late bite."

Sakura shook her head. "I don't think so," she said, moving to walk away.

Shikamaru caught her by the arm. "Don't be like that," he said softly. He sighed. "Sasuke will be here at 8:50 tonight, just before the interview. He loves meeting the fans, but his agent is trying for the "less is more" tact, so he'll arrive at the side entrance to the studio."

Sakura nodded as he continued. "I don't know why you're still doing this job, Sakura. You could be writing real news."

Sakura frowned again. "Don't patronise me," she said. "Thanks for the tip," she added, shaking him off and walking away.

"So I'll see you for dinner at ten?" he called after her.

"Nope," she said without looking back.

"Sixteen months," he said, stopping her mid-stride. She turned around.

"What?"

"Sixteen months," he repeated, softly. "That's when I last saw you."

Sakura held his gaze for a moment, the ghost of a smile playing on her lips. For a moment he was hopeful. Then she shook her head and walked out of the studio.