There was an afterparty that night hosted by the rapper Killer B, and Sakura and Sasuke were both going, having scored the in-demand invitations. Even that appearance was choreographed: they arrived separately, Sasuke with the band and Sakura alone. She had changed into a short black dress that gave her a bit more flexibility to move. The party was in a converted events center, a space that had been turned into a kind of nightclub, with hazy red lights and several levels of tables. The press was also turned away at the door, which was a relief.

The two of them met up again once they were inside, and made their way through the crowd hand in hand. Sasuke recognized some faces, but it was a lot of producers and record label people mixed in with the musicians themselves. The rock crowd was mostly absent, and that group held most of the people Sasuke considered friends. There were several pop stars here, wearing outrageous outfits. He didn't normally mingle with this crowd, but collaborating with Killer B had brought the band into this circle for the time being.

"Do you know a lot of people here?" Sakura asked him.

"No," Sasuke muttered. "Some names, maybe."

"Hm." She looked unsure, which he wasn't used to seeing.

"You've got another award. They'll all be jumping over each other to talk to you," Sasuke said darkly (and truthfully).

As if his words had signaled something, immediately someone called her name. "Sakura Haruno!" Karui had come up to them, wearing some kind of jumpsuit, low-cut and with a blinding number of sparkles. "I've wanted to meet you for such a long time." She held out a manicured hand and Sakura shook it.

"Wow, that's really flattering," Sakura said.

"Ugh, don't," Karui said, waving a hand. "You're so beautiful and talented. Best of luck with your relationship!" She was gone a second later after flashing a wide smile at Sasuke.

"Was that…Really fake?" Sakura asked Sasuke. "I can't even tell."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I doubt it. But who cares."

"True," Sakura said. "I just hope she's not a total bitch, for Ino's sake."

"Is she on tour with her?"

"Yeah," Sakura said. "They start soon."

Sasuke nodded.

"You know what's weird? You don't know Ino. She's been my best friend since we were ten. You're the first guy I've dated who's never met her."

"You make it sound like there were a lot," Sasuke muttered, smirking.

"Some day I'll tell you all about my romantic past," Sakura said. It surprised him that she didn't even deny it. He was curious, though he didn't want to be.

"Not necessary," Sasuke said.

Sakura laughed. "Want to dance? I want to get out of this crowd."

"…Sure." He felt the same way; the number of people in the room was claustrophobic.

She wrapped her arms around his neck once they were out on the dance floor. "This feels better. Remember the last time we were on a dance floor?" She grinned up at him.

"Yes," Sasuke muttered darkly.

Sakura laughed. "Sorry, I couldn't resist." She moved in time to the music, but not enough that Sasuke felt like he had to follow. "Thanks for braving the floor with me, I thought you might refuse."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Give me some credit," he muttered, and Sakura smiled. Even with Sakura, he was never going to like dancing, but if it got them away from everyone else than he would follow her lead.

They were already close to each other, and Sasuke kissed her instinctively, not caring that the room was full of people. Even after a few hours, the smell of her hairspray and makeup still overpowered her more familiar scent. It made the kiss feel stranger, like she was a different person.

Than again, she was, at least to a certain extent. Everyone was different in public. He knew what the next step for them would be: there would formulate a careful, publicly available version of their relationship formulated by their publicists, and they would have to stick to it. The thought didn't exactly thrill him, but it was easier than keeping it quiet. He wondered if Sakura had realized everything that was going into this. Other than Naruto, her public persona was closer to her real personality than anyone he'd ever met.

Sakura pulled back from him first, biting her lip. She glanced around, and Sasuke followed her gaze. There were way more people than he expected looking at them.

"Everything good?" He asked her.

"Yeah," Sakura said, frowning. "This just feels…Weird."

"Aa." Sasuke had never been in a public relationship before (let alone a long-term private one). No matter what the public received relating to the two of them, Sasuke realized fully that this, right here, was throwing his reputation away completely.

He didn't care anymore.

"Well, you're the top news all over the country," Orochimaru said. "We couldn't have asked for anything bigger in terms of publicity." He grinned.

"…Great," Sakura said, not able to summon much enthusiasm. It had been past two in the morning when she had finally gotten back to her apartment from the party. After a shower to get off the remains of makeup and hair products, she'd fallen right into bed. It felt like she hadn't slept at all when she was roused at seven by the arrival of Shizune (and Orochimaru) to prep her for a radio interview. Sasuke had gone back with the rest of the band last night; they had an early call in the morning as well. It didn't look like she would see him for a few days.

"This is good, Sakura," Orochimaru said. "Be prepared, because the next few weeks are going to be crazy. A good kind of crazy, but crazy nonetheless." He gave her a wide smile that Sakura didn't like.

She nodded. "Okay."

"Excellent. Now, I have to get on the phone with some news friends. Everyone wants the story."

"Are you giving it to them?" Sakura asked. She didn't even know what the story was, in his book.

"Oh, just some tidbits. Don't worry, Sakura, we won't let this eclipse anything. You've got an album coming out, after all. Remember not to let Sasuke overshadow that."

"Why would he?" Sakura asked. Orochimaru's tone was starting to bug her.

"I'm just bringing it up," Orochimaru said lightly. "Now, I'll see you tonight in the studio. Read over my notes before you go to the interview this afternoon."

Sakura watched him go, frowning.

"Don't let him get to you, Sakura," Shizune said. "He just wants to make sure everything's on track."

Sakura nodded but didn't say anything.

In the free hour between her interview and the time she would be picked up to go to the studio, Sakura called Ino, craving a normal conversation with her best friend. She couldn't remember the last time they'd talked, not just texted, and it made her feel guilty.

"Holy fuck, Sakura. Why didn't you tell me you two were going to make an entrance like that?" Ino demanded before Sakura even had the chance to say hi.

"Sorry," Sakura said. "I didn't tell anyone, I swear. I would've told you in a second if I could."

"I may have screamed very loudly and terrified the neighbors, so that's on you. But it's all good. Tenten and I danced around the room for a while and missed a bunch of cameras zooming in on your dress."

Sakura laughed. "How is Tenten? I haven't seen her in ages."

"You haven't seen me in ages either. But she's doing well. I was over at her apartment, we had a watching party with no food because I'm on a strict rehearsal diet."

"You're eating, though, right?"

"Yeah. Are you?" Ino challenged.

"Yes," Sakura said with a sigh.

"You'd better be," Ino said. She didn't say anything for a minute. Then, "Look, I'll admit that I was wrong about him. Sasuke Uchiha doesn't seem like he'd give up his reputation easily."

"Well, you've never met him," Sakura said.

"Just goes to show how the media throws things off. I mean, I definitely believed you learned how to play guitar in a day." Ino's tone turned more serious. "But seriously, he's surprised me."

Sakura traced a finger along the seam of her shirt. She hadn't said anything about the brief break-up, and keeping secrets from Ino always weighed on her. But it also felt good to be able to say that she had been right about Sasuke. Ino had always been the one with the best instincts about romance.

"Good," Sakura said after a moment.

"But God, if you wanted to send all the gossip magazines into total chaos, then you've succeeded. You guys are on every cover I've seen."

"Ugh," Sakura said.

"Come on, that was your goal, wasn't it?"

Sakura rolled her eyes and sighed. "We wanted to make it public, so it couldn't be misread. Obviously awful magazines weren't the intended targets."

"They come with the territory," Ino said. "I mean, at least you looked amazing in every picture."

"Thanks, I guess," Sakura said. "I hope you didn't buy every magazine you saw."

"Just the heavy-hitters," Ino said. "Come on, I have to save them for posterity, don't I? When you're old and wrinkled and want to look back on the good times, I'll whip them out."

"Wow," Sakura said.

"I'm kidding. They're pretty awful, actually. I just couldn't resist. I used to read Gossip all the time."

"I remember," Sakura said, sighing.

"Anyway, you guys looked really good on the red carpet together," Ino said. "I always knew your chemistry would be unreal. But, like, it makes me angry."

"Don't be ridiculous," Sakura said.

"Don't be modest," Ino mimicked her tone.

"Alright, I have to go. Studio session," Sakura said.

"And I have rehearsal. Look at that, we're both so busy," Ino said.

Sakura laughed. "That's for sure."

"Call me soon. I have no idea what's going on in your life anymore, I can't rely on the Internet."

"I will, I promise."

Sakura hung up and immediately got a text saying that her ride was there.

They had started recording her next album a few weeks before the award show, and despite how hectic everything was, it felt good to be putting down tracks. It was strange: she had written a lot of angsty, lovesick material pre-Sasuke, and now that was the last thing she wanted to record. Some of her new material had been approved for recording, but overall this was a darker record than her first. She was crossing her fingers for more control when it came to production, but judging from the way Orochimaru was in the studio all the time monitoring her work, he wasn't going to let her have any more of a say than with the first album.

Sakura wished she could say that didn't bother her (producers know best, and all that), but in her head she knew what she wanted every song to sound like, and the final album would definitely be different from her version. Not necessarily in a bad way, she kept reminding herself, but…Different.

Even the producers were buzzing with the Sasuke news, Sakura realized that night while she was in the studio. Murmuring about bringing him in for multiple songs. Orochimaru, in a gesture that Sakura was surprisingly grateful for, put his foot down and refused. "Unless that is what Sakura wants," he said, looking at her through the glass of the control room with a smile. She nodded at him, trying not to be disturbed by his smile. He'd had her best interests at heart since the beginning, hadn't he?

"They're gonna make you pose with him all the time now so he won't scowl," Naruto said. "Just look at those photos." He was scrolling through his phone, chuckling.

"Shut up, dobe," Sasuke muttered, and Sakura laughed. She and Sasuke were on the couch in the band's apartment. It was a week later, late at night; Sasuke had picked Sakura up in a car with darkened windows, the first time she had been in a car with him at the wheel. They had gone to his apartment, only because it was easier to get to without attracting attention.

Any time she was at the band's apartment, Naruto always put his all into making her feel comfortable. The four guys were seeming less and less like Firestyle the band and more like, well, four regular guys. They were all incredibly down-to-earth; it was almost surprising, when Sakura thought about it. Naruto had a long-distance girlfriend who he'd met on the band's second tour, a sound-tech. The other two weren't dating, but (at least to her knowledge) they didn't use fame to their advantage in that area.

They had had a surreal rise to fame, and it had never really slowed down for them. And yet money and celebrity hadn't gone to their heads.

She mentioned it to Sasuke later that night in his room and he just snorted. "What?" Sakura asked. "Don't tell me that was a dumb observation, it's not something you'd realize if you watched you guys perform."

"Naruto wouldn't let any of us turn into fame assholes," Sasuke said. "Point blank. Keeps everyone in check." He rolled his eyes.

"That's good," Sakura said, smiling slightly.

"None of us are like that, anyway," Sasuke said. "Never easily swayed by that stuff."

Sakura nodded and then checked her phone. "I should get home. Early morning tomorrow." The thought of it made her tired. "I don't even know where the time's going."

"What do you mean."

"It's February. Christmas and New Years' just went by and I didn't even realize. I haven't seen my parents since October and I don't even know when the next time I'll be able to go home is. I miss Konoha and real seasons and I can only relax when it's scheduled." She let all of it out in one breath and then shook her head. "I know this is what I signed up for, but sometimes I just want a little privacy. I don't want to worry that paparazzi are trying to climb up the building to my balcony."

"Has it been worse?" Sasuke asked her, frowning.

"A bit. Which I expected," Sakura said. "I talked to Konan about it. We're doing a song together for my album and that's where the conversation ended up. Inevitable, I guess." Konan, once an extremely famous singer, had lost some of her identity when she had started dating one half of the world-famous rock duo Akatsuki.

"We should get an apartment, then," Sasuke said. "Together."

"For real?" Sakura looked at him with raised eyebrows. "I mean, you're ready for that?" Their first attempt to find an apartment had fizzled out for obvious reasons (the breakup mess).

"Yeah," Sasuke said. "Let's do it." He looked thoughtful. "I'll look around. Know a few good areas."

"Okay," Sakura said, smiling. The thought of a place of their own, unbothered by paparazzi or unexpected interruptions, immediately made her feel better.

A/N: Happy holidays :)