note.

Long time no see.

Blood Sweat & Tears was the prompt for day 5 of SasuSaku Month '18. I'm slowly working through the prompts for inspo.

track 57.

"This!" Synth beats blazed through the rehearsal room as Sakura shoved a phone towards them. "You guys should do a cover!"

Taking a step back to get a clearer view of the lighted object, Neji squinted down at the video on her mobile. "Blood Sweat and Tears?"

"You haven't heard it? They're like the most popular group at the moment." Her eyes sparkled. "Fan girls everywhere!" Sasuke rolled his eyes, considering her reaction - there was one right in front of them.

"Of course we've heard it." It was only playing in every shop and radio on repeat everywhere. How could they miss it? Acting as if Sakura hadn't requested anything, the boys continued to busy themselves with their respective instruments, fine tuning and practicing the tune from the day before.

Sitting down legs crossed with her head supported by a lone arm, Sakura wasn't having any of it. She was their part-time manager after all! She was in charge of marketing them, selling them, encouraging and guaranteeing their success! And Haruno Sakura definitely did not do things in half measures! "So why not? Did you not like it? I thought that the music style fit you guys quite well."

"It's not that we don't like it, it's just-" Naruto peered over to Sasuke for backup when he couldn't think of the right words. "We don't do boy bands."

"Oh?" Sakura raised an eyebrow. "I thought I was the only one that would do someone from a boy band here, but if you guys have already thought that deeply into it... I mean I won't judge, I just hadn't expected it."

"Oh my gosh, Sakura-chan! How did your innocent mind become so quickly tainted after being with the bastard? That isn't what he meant!" The girl laughed, waving her hand in front of her face nonchalantly, replying with a rapid string of 'of course not' - albeit a little too sarcastically for the band's preference. She'll back down for now, nodding along to their music until practice was almost over before she tried again.

Sure enough, when they finished she timed it right before they packed everything away to ask again. "So... you guys sure you don't want to at least give Blood Sweat & Tears a go? I've got the sheet music ready and everything."

"Sakura." Sasuke nodded towards the amplifier.

"Yes, Sasuke-kun?" She asked, voice seeping with as much girlishness as she could muster as the rest of the band pretended to gag. Did he want her to plug him in again so they could finally go with her plan?

"Pass me my amp."

Sighing, she swung her hand over and dropped the amplifier by his feet. What use was above average strength when she didn't have above average persuasion skills to match?

"Why are you guys being so stern?" It would've been such great publicity!

"We're still trying to build up our own image, doing too many covers at this stage isn't good." Sasuke said, patting her over her head as Sakura turned away from him in mock crossness.

Shikamaru nodded. He wasn't one for conflict if he could avoid it but he knew just how stubborn Sakura could be. It made Sasuke and her so similar he feared for the day they both decided they had the same goal they wanted to extort off the band. "Especially if it's a popular song. Popular songs are covered by everybody - it makes it easy to compare skills when one plays the same music."

"But you guys are good!" She argued.

"And there will those that are better than good." Neji reprimanded. "There will always be skies above skies."

Dammit. Why was Neji here today instead of university? He knew too many proverbs for her to argue with him! Worse was that they both made sense though, it wasn't even like they had to listen to her. She was just an outsider that cared a little too much. A huff escaped the girl as her shoulders slumped in surrender.

"Fine." Sakura picked up the sheet music next to her and threw it in the paper collection by the exit, but not before giving the boys a pointed look, as if to say 'see, I'm giving up for now, be grateful that I still love and care for you guys'.

Trying to make sure her boyfriend wasn't going to have a hard time later by cheering up the annoyed pinkette, Kiba and Naruto shared a look.

"On another note..."

"Sakura-chan..."

"When you said you wouldn't mind doing somebody from a boy band-" Kiba pointed at Sasuke. "Weren't you a bit loose tongued in front of your boyfriend? You sure he isn't getting ready to go cause serious bodily harm to whichever idol caught your heart?"

Blushing crimson she turned to look at Sasuke. His eyes were focused on studying the sheet music in front of him and his body angled away from her. She didn't notice from her disappointment before, but he did seem a bit annoyed.

"Well," she replied, purposefully louder than before. "You guys are a boy band, and I'd totally do Sasuke-kun."

Shameless shameless shameless. Haruno Sakura scolded herself. What was wrong with her tongue today!

"Sakura..." Sasuke looked over warningly, having caught on to the trap that the boys had laid. Ears burning from - embarrassment? Well hidden happiness? A hint of pride? - he didn't have enough time to cut in before the duo continued.

They put their hands over their mouth in a mockingly girlish gesture. Relishing their success. "You mean you've already-?"

"OF-OF COURSE WE HAVENT YET!"

Increasingly red, in a daze Sakura stood and ran out of the rehearsal room after dropping a quick 'Illseeyouguystomorrowbye'. She wanted to hide inside a cupboard and die! She's never been this embarrassed!

"That's it bitches! Pay uuup!" Naruto pulled out his frog wallet as Kiba and Shikamaru grudgingly dropped a 1000 yen note in, Kiba slightly more reluctant to say goodbye to his hard earned money. He had to take care of three dogs for 1000 yen! And they were small evil poms!

"You guys." Neji shook his head disapprovingly.

"You. Guys." Sasuke repeated. Enunciating each word with annoyance, laced with undertones of future retribution. Clearly angry that they had cornered his girlfriend and further embarrassed the two of them.

"Aww, it's okay Sasuke Chan, you're Virgin status doesn't bother us big boys," Naruto and Shikamaru guiltily averted their eyes; they knew Kiba was still proud to be the only one in their year who wasn't still a virgin. "And I'm sure your fan girls don't mind."

"Right. Uh he he he..." Naruto awkwardly laughed, pulling Sasuke aside. He was beginning to feel a little bad.

"Look on the bright side, Sakura-chan said that you guys haven't done it 'yet'."

xxx

Walking home, the blond vocalist knew he must've done well today. Grinning, he mused how his wallet was a little heavier, and his best friends relationship was about to get a little saucier.

"Ojii-san, extra plate chashu please!"

Tekuchi lifted a thumbs up from behind the counter. "Going all out today I see!"

Of course. He deserved it.

The hand that he had previously draped around his best friend's neck had nearly been burnt off. Maybe he should make himself name-cards as a professional matchmaker.