A/N: I really like Linkin Park for the sound of the band. So, in tribute, RIP Chester Bennington who passed in 2017.

Chapter Three: The Band

Sakura

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The video game playing went like it always did before, even though years had passed since the four of them had played together. Sasuke was quietly intense, his eyes narrowed and body leaned forward with muscles tensed in anticipation. Naruto button mashing, his thumbs flying rapidly over the controller while he taunted about impending victories. Kakashi was completely chill, half-asleep looking with his heavily lidded eyes focused on the screen, with barely any effort, he would use a few special moves to win in his Vs matches quickly. Sakura had shifted to the floor, sitting lotus style and chewing on her bottom lip in concentration while she studied the screen and tried to focus on destroying the virtual environment, disrupting the flow of her opponents.

Currently, she had just thrown a piece of furniture on the sparring match through the scene's wall and caused the building to collapse on top of Naruto's character.

"As destructive as I remember," Sasuke murmured, his deep voice surprising her in its proximity.

Sakura turned towards him to say something, surprised by the feel of his silky, inky hair that brushed her cheek. They were suddenly eye-to-eye and onyx clashed with jade. "Its an effective technique," Sakura whispered.

Sasuke's gaze flickered between her eyes and lips. "Sure it is," he agreed with a faint smirk before leaning back.

Sakura redirected her attention to the screen, only to see Naruto had caught her character into a combination attack. She sighed. Was Sasuke just distracting her to help Naruto?

"Sorry," Sasuke whispered. He snatched the controller from her numb hands and performed a complicated reverse technique and then locked Naruto into unbreakable attack. He handed the controlled back to Sakura just in time for her to land one more punch that knocked out Naruto's character.

"Aw man!" Naruto whined. "I thought I really had you there, Sakura-chan!" Bright blue eyes turned towards the couch and Naruto frowned, noticing the proximity of the two of them.

"I think I've had enough violence for the night," Kakashi interrupted. "Good night. I'll see you kids in the morning for practice." He looked pointedly at Naruto. "You know, you have a perfectly fine bedroom upstairs. Why don't you let the two of them have some time alone?"

"Huh?" Naruto gathered the controllers and turned off the gaming console. He turned towards Sakura and Sasuke when Kakashi continued upstairs. "Do you guys want me to leave?" He rubbed at his eyes and yawned. He'd worked an extra shift at his father's office earlier that day. "I'm not that tired."

"You do look like you could use a good night's sleep," Sakura worried. She stood from the couch and laid the back of her hand across Naruto's forehead. He felt normal temperature, but those dark circles under his eyes spoke volumes.

"You can have my room if you want," Naruto offered.

Sasuke cleared his throat. "You want her to navigate the landmines of your room?"

"Oh, eh," Naruto laughed nervously and scratched his cheek absently. "It's not the cleanest, but to be fair I've spent most of my time at my apartment, so…."

"And you snore," Sasuke added. He rubbed at his own ear pointedly. "Loudly. I need a good night's sleep too."

"I have those nasal breathing strips," Naruto pouted. "It's not that bad."

Sakura smiled faintly, feeling a bit pleased since she's the one that introduced Naruto to those strips. She hugged him. "Thank you for opening up your house to us, Naruto. I could just go home next door."

Naruto hugged her back. "No way. You're not sleeping alone in that big empty house. Don't you remember?" His bright eyes flashed with worry. "What about Mr Ukki?"

Sakura was about to protest, when Sasuke interrupted.

"Mr Ukki?" Sasuke demanded.

"The ghost," Naruto explained. "It was scratch at the walls at night and there would be these smells sometimes." He shuddered.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Mr Ukki ended up being a rat that got into the walls and had a little family. The pest control agency took care of that three years ago, Naruto. It was never a ghost."

"I don't know, it sounds like you shouldn't risk it," Sasuke said quietly.

Sakura turned towards him in surprise. Did he want her alone with him? Why would he choose her over his brother and cousin? "I'll just sleep on the pullout sofa, like planned." She gestured towards the sofa. "Sheets are still in the linen closet, right?"

Naruto nodded. "Alright, fine. I'll sleep in my room." He grabbed hold of Sasuke's front shirt and pulled him close. "No funny business, Uchiha." He released him and smiled from ear to ear before leaving the two of them alone.

Sakura brushed her hands over her borrowed shirt— Sasuke's borrowed shirt. "I'll just go get the linens," she murmured. There was a half bath in the basement level and a small cabinet with fresh towels and bedding. She washed her face and pulled out the drawer to the vanity and found spare toothbrushes and paste. After brushing her teeth and clutching the sheets to her chest she re-entered the media room. It was just her and Sasuke now.

"There is extra toothpaste and toothbrushes in bathroom," Sakura said, moving towards the sofa. Sasuke had already pulled it into the opened position. It was a big sleeper sofa.

"Ah. I'll brush my teeth after I help you make up the bed," Sasuke offered.

They worked in tandem, saying nothing, securing the sheets over the mattress and then spreading the top sheet over it. Sasuke handed her the throw blanket and then went past her to the bathroom to fresh up himself.

Sakura had stripped out of her miniskirt and halter-top shortly after arriving to Naruto's. She still wore her under shorts and the shirt she borrowed from Sasuke. The shirt fell pretty low on her thighs, so, she decided to be brave and stripped out of her shorts and panties. She needed to 'breathe' down there.

She folded her clothes up and placed them on the bottom shelf of the coffee table and slipped under the sheets. They were cool and silky against her bare legs. She stiffened slightly at the sound of the bathroom door opening and Sasuke walking back towards her.

He was still wearing the sweatpants he'd put on once they got to Naruto's, but he'd taken off his shirt and held it folded neatly in his hands. He noticed her pile of discarded clothing and set his next to it under the coffee table. He unrolled the sleeping bag and set it out on the floor near the sofa. He looked over at her briefly.

"Are you okay?"

Sakura shivered, not really sure if it was from the chill in the room or something else. "I'm alright. I'm just a little cold."

Sasuke frowned and looked down at his sleeping bag for a moment before he strode towards the bed and spread it across the mattress and Sakura. "The house is on one temperature setting. It's always coldest in the basement and since Aunt Kushina is at that time in her life, Uncle Minato won't dare adjust the temperature." He started for the arm chair.

"Wait," Sakura called, sitting up and clutching the warmer covers over her chest in the process. "We can share, okay? It's a big bed. We're both adults."

Sasuke's dark eyes met hers. Then he nodded and slipped into the sheets beside her, they laid facing one another. "Mr Ukki, huh?"

Sakura groaned. "Kakashi named him. I was spending the night here because the scratching was so loud and my parents were at a conference. Naruto had a scheduled FaceTime call with Kakashi while he was overseas. I told them both the whole story. I had Dad call the pest control the next day and the ghost ended up being a family of rodents."

"If you had a cat, you wouldn't have had that problem," Sasuke pointed out, his eyes twinkling in amusement.

"I wish," Sakura sighed. She'd always wanted a pet, but her mother was allergic — or so she said — to cats and dogs. Sasuke's bangs fell over his eyes and Sakura reached over and brushed the unruly hair behind his ear. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"It's okay," Sasuke rumbled closing his eyes.

"I still can't believe you'd choose us over your brother," Sakura whispered. Her breath hitched, the feelings of confusion from the abrupt end of the last few months status quo threatening to overwhelm her.

Sasuke sighed and opened his eyes, stared back at her intently. "It wasn't necessarily that I chose you over my brother. I chose me."

"Oh." Sakura felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment. She was such an idiot! "Right, I —never mind."

"No, we should talk. You don't seem to understand." Sasuke stared at her a moment longer before he continued. "Itachi has always followed after Shisui's lead. Itachi was always the best at everything — first in class, captain of his sports teams— just like Shisui was a few years before. I was expected to perform just the same — I was first in my class too and captain more often than not. I always wanted to go into the police force, but Itachi he wanted to be more involved academically —either a professor or a lawyer. He's the reason I was sent to Boarding school. When Itachi had been in high school, he'd gotten involved with a gang — the Akatsuki. To spare me a similar experience, he convinced our parents to send me abroad. I didn't get a choice in the matter."

He blew out a frustrated breath. "You know that song, Numb? That explains our relationship perfectly."

"Maybe we should play it for him," Sakura suggested.

"Maybe we should," Sasuke mused with a faint smile. "It is a pretty fun song to jam out to and it wouldn't be the first time I sang it while playing the drum part. Rob Bourdon is one of my favorites."

Sakura ran her finger through her long braid. "I don't get it though. I understand why you were sent to Boarding school. Why didn't you write me?" Sakura asked.

"I didn't think you'd want me to," Sasuke answered, his brow furrowed with confusion. "But, even so, I did write you once."

"What? I don't believe you," Sakura whispered, shaking her head, propping herself up on her elbow to stare down at him.

"It's true. It came back 'Return to Sender' with an angry note from your father saying not to harass you," Sasuke said with a grimace.

Sakura remembered the end of that summer, she'd been devastated, crying for days in her room. She remembered telling her dad how much she hated Sasuke Uchiha for disregarding her feelings."

"It was just bad timing," Sasuke said sadly. "You kissed me and I didn't have the guts to tell you I was leaving in the morning. I wanted to enjoy our time together."

"It was a good kiss," Sakura admitted. "For a sloppy first kiss anyway."

"It was my first too," Sasuke assured her. "And I don't think it was sloppy. It was sweet."

"I'm sure you've had plenty of practice to improve your skills," Sakura said rolling her eyes and shifting to lay on her back and stare at the ceiling. She didn't want to see his face as he confirmed just how much experience he'd gained over their years apart. She'd literally only kissed one other person since him and it had not ended well.

"You'd be surprised to find that a sullen personality doesn't seem to attract too many romantic interests. What about you? You're a beautiful girl, Sakura. You always have been."

Sakura scoffed. "I played a few games of spin the bottle, but nothing more than a peck on the cheek. The idea of someone else's lips on me made me nauseated," Sakura admitted. When she glanced over at him he was smirking. "Oh you weren't that impressionable."

"You were," Sasuke said quietly, leaning close to her, his hand cradling the side of her face. Then his lips were gently pressed against hers.

Sakura gasped into the kiss and felt Sasuke probing into her mouth and she opened for him, tangling their tongues together. She melted against him, her arms around his torso, hands splayed across his shoulder blades as her front fit against his.

Sasuke's hands drifted from her waist, down to her buttocks and he stopped his hands stilled on her bare flesh. He pulled back, breathing heavily, pupils dilated. "Are you trying to kill me?" Sasuke asked, his voice hoarse and Sakura became very aware of the growing bulge against her belly.

Sakura started to scramble, wanting to run to the bathroom in embarrassment, but Sasuke's grip was unbreakable. He wasn't going to allow her to hide. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath and slowly exhaled it before he looked at her again with an intensity I his gaze.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke. I haven't exactly been thinking straight tonight," Sakura whispered. She felt the crippling ball of anxiety forming in her gut. She was about to continue with various excuses for why they were half-naked in bed together.

"I know you and my cousin weren't serious, Sakura," Sasuke interrupted. "And I can see your mind spiraling right now." His hands began to loosen their grip, his thumbs kneaded her flesh softly. "I have always been serious about you, Sakura."

A shiver raced down Sakura's spine as Sasuke's hands were pure magic on her. She smiled shyly at him and he smiled back.

Sasuke released her backside and ran his hands down her arms before gripping her fingers, holding their hands in front of them and creating just a little distance. "And maybe I did leave the band for you too," he confessed. He brought her hands to his lips and kissed her knuckles gently. "But our first time together is not going to be in the basement of Naruto's parents' house."

Sakura giggled at the ridiculous turn of the conversation. She could still feel his length pressed against her but it was softening at his declaration. The man had impeccable will-power, but she was looking forward to being the one to make Sasuke Uchiha lose his cool.

She turned her focus to his arms. He had tattoos — three of them on his arms — lightning, a hawk and a pair of cherries. "When did you get these?"

"Last year," Sasuke murmured. "Got the hawk on my birthday last year — I thought it was cool. They're efficient birds of prey and majestic creatures. My friends Suigetsu and Jugo had the same ones. Then when I graduated, I got the lightning one."

Sakura traced her finger down his right under until she got to the underside of his wrist. It was a painful stop for a tattoo, the skin was extremely sensitive there. "And the cherries?"

Sasuke was silent for a long time and she was afraid he'd fallen asleep. He cleared his throat. "For you. Shortly after you joined the band. It was a reminder that sometimes something sweet can be painful too."

She remembered him wearing a bandage on his right forearm for about a week after Shisui first asked her out. He usually wore wraps around that arm. She had been so blinded. The boy she loved had been right there, returning her affections, but she'd been too blind to see it!

"Good night, Sasuke," she whispered, but he'd already fallen asleep.

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OoO

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Sasuke

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For the last three days, Sasuke had practically moved in to the Uzumaki-Namikaze household with Naruto, Sakura, Ino and Kakashi working on a playlist of their favorite rock bands. He contacted his Uncle Madara to work on the logistics of acquiring the rights to the songs they wanted to cover.

The group even toyed with the idea of playing some original music. With five creative, very different minds working together, they came up with quite an interesting hodgepodge. He had texted Suigetsu and Karin, but the two were unfortunately busy with a previous engagement in Kirigakure. They promised to catch up for a jam session in the future though. Sasuke was eager to introduce his Konoha friends with his old group from boarding school.

He only somewhat regretted not making love with Sakura that first night. It would have been fun, but he wanted their first time to be memorable for all the right reasons. It had been nice to have her feelings for him confirmed, but it was too soon after her breakup and he wanted their friendship to grow first.

Every time she looked at him with affection in those jade eyes or a smile on her lips, he knew he made the right decision. He also wasn't blind to the knowing looks that Naruto and Ino kept sharing or the not-so subtle hints Kakashi kept dropping.

Sasuke played a simple beat on the drums while Sakura sat next to him in a chair, her back close to his, strumming on the guitar as they worked on the rhythm of a song. The vocals included a male and female duet and they were more focused on blending their voices than their instruments.

They just — worked together. Their voices were harmonious and they understood the rhythm and complimented each others' strengths and weaknesses.

"That was beautiful!" Ino cried out.

"Thanks," Sakura replied, her cheeks pink and a shy smile on her lips as she met Sasuke's gaze.

He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket again, but ignored it. "Again?"

Sakura nodded.

Sasuke did not answer the text messages from his brother and cousin. It wasn't until late in the afternoon of their third day, when Minato entered the basement media room with a tray full of refreshments and a sheepish expression that Sasuke noticed the angry duo standing behind him.

"You didn't tell them?" Sakura whispered, leaning close to Sasuke. They'd been sitting next to each other, knees pressed together, her long hair brushing over his forearm while working on lyrics.

"I've been busy." Sasuke shrugged. He set down his pencil and rose from his seat, annoyed to be interrupted. With a carefully schooled expression of boredom he approached the stairway where his family lingered. "How did you know I was here?"

"Uncle Madara told us," Itachi answered, frowning. "We need to work on our new sets, make our adjustments."

Sasuke leaned against the wall. "Your band no longer concerns me. I assume Uncle Madara suggested you ask Obito to take over the drums."

"He did say something to that effect," Shisui murmured, looking over Sasuke's shoulder towards a particular guitarist.

Sasuke shifted to block his view. "Look, I've only got a few more months before I go back to the Police Academy. I don't want to spend that time working for someone like Orochimaru. I want to have a little fun with my friends."

"I thought we were having fun," Shisui protested, an easy smile on his lips.

"I thought so too. Until you decided to drop half the band," Sasuke said, folding his arms over his chest. "You don't need me." He leaned forward staring down his cousin. "I need them though."

"We understand," Itachi said and reached over to lay his hand gently over Sasuke's shoulder. "We're naturally disappointed. I had hoped to continue to play with you."

"We could tour together?" Shisui suggested. "Your group could open for us?" He straightened suddenly.

"What's up Captain Uchiha?" Kakashi greeted, suddenly at Sasuke's side. "Is there a problem?"

"No problem, Commander Hatake," Shisui answered. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Oh? It is my parents' house." Kakashi covered his mouth with an exaggerated yawn. "I'm going on a caffeine run. You want anything, Bastard?"

Sasuke growled. "Seriously? You too? Naruto's bad enough."

Kakashi grinned. "But you're so cute when you're flustered!"

Itachi chuckled and then quickly cleared his throat when Sasuke glared at him. "We'll ask Obito, but maybe we should consider touring together. There's only a three week break before we're supposed to hit the road again." He gestured towards Sasuke's friends. "Do you really think you'll be ready by then?"

"We'll be good. You should be more concerned about yourself and Obito," Kakashi interrupted before Sasuke could speak. "Why don't I show you two out? I'll remind Sasuke to text you later, mmkay?"

Sasuke snorted in amusement as he watched Naruto's older brother drag out his his older brother and cousin. Feeling a weight lifted off his shoulders, he returned to his spot next to Sakura.

"Are you okay?" Sakura asked.

Sasuke touched his fingertips to the side of her face, smirked faintly when she leaned into his hand. He pressed his lips against her forehead. He wanted to kiss her, but it had been ingrained into his very core to keep passion and affection limited to behind closed doors. They would have plenty of time for that later.

"Ugh! Get a room, you two!" Naruto complained loudly, throwing a pillow at their heads.

Sasuke caught the projectile one-handed. "Idiot," he growled, tossing the pillow back.

"Bastard," Naruto snapped. The two glared at each other before Naruto started to cackle. "Hey, Ino, let's work on that piece now."

"Yeah, sure," Ino agreed, tossing her long ponytail over her shoulder.

Sakura shoved the notebook under Sasuke's face. "What do you think?"

He studied the notes she'd written and drummed his fingers to the beat while nodding his head. "Yeah, that works. That works real well," Sasuke murmured. Without really thinking he ran his fingers through the length of her pale pink hair. "I used to love those little cat ear phones you'd wear. You should wear them again for our performance."

"Yeah? I think I will. You remember the set I bought you for your birthday those years ago?" Sakura asked.

"I still have them," Sasuke admitted. "They still work."

Sakura stared at him in silence, her mouth slightly ajar. Sasuke used his index finger to gently close her mouth with a slight push under her jaw.

"Do you want me to make you a set for our song?" Sakura asked.

Sasuke smirked. "You always wanted a pet cat," he teased.

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OoO

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Sasuke

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He wasn't sure how he let his bandmates talk him into revealing who his tattoo artist was, but here they were in Jugo's Ink Shop, looking over stencils. Kakashi had driven and they entire crew had shown up. Kakashi was already sitting in a chair, having an old tattoo on his chest — the face of a pug — touched up and brightened.

Naruto and Ino were hunched over the sample book, indecisive about what to get. Ino was likely going to get a purple iris and Naruto a nine-tailed fox. They were just waiting for their turn.

Sasuke sat next to Sakura, holding her left hand. "Are you sure?"

She nodded. "I'm sure."

"Are you ready?" Jugo asked. He'd already used the stencil to draw out the outlines for a small black cat on her right inner wrist — the same location Sasuke had his cherry tattoo.

Sakura squeezed Sasuke's hand and nodded. "Ready," she said, eyes bright with determination.

Jugo's gaze flickered up to meet Sasuke's. They'd been friends for a long time and he knew what he was asking. For a tattoo artist, Jugo was incredibly sensitive to people's pain. "If she says, she's ready, she's ready," Sasuke agreed.

He watched with his jaw clenched tight as Sakura sat through the process without flenching. He was impressed by her resilience, but also not surprised. When it was over, she smiled up at him and breathed a sigh of relief.

"I finally have my cat," Sakura said.

Sasuke nodded. He couldn't help but notice somehow that cat somehow had an uncanny resemblance to himself. He helped her stand and slipped his arm around her waist, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head. "Yes, you do."

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