Sakura's phone rang from where it sat on her weight bench across the room, drawing her gaze from Kakashi.
This was a mistake, of course. Kakashi shifted his hips and reversed their position, pining her under him again. He pinched her side.
"Focus," he ordered drily, his eyes flat with irritation. Sakura slammed her forehead into his chin in retaliation.
He hissed and released her, rubbing his jaw, his eyes shining with something akin to appreciation.
She scrambled up and lunged for her phone before it could go to voicemail. Chiyo's name flashed on her screen.
Sakura answered just in time and gave Kakashi the finger over her shoulder as she climbed upstairs.
"Good morning, Chiyo," Sakura answered the phone pleasantly. One did not miss the designers call when you were asking a favor of her.
"Girl, do you have any idea what you're asking of me?" The old woman sounded entirely unimpressed. Sakura sighed.
Chiyo was the best goddamn designer and seamstress Sakura had ever seen, and keeping her happy was essential to Sakura's existence.
"You've got 5 minutes to convince me not to fire you as a client and scrap the costume I've already been working on."
Sakura took a deep breath as she stepped outside her back door into the early light, Kakashi's dogs following on her heels.
"I'm so sorry for the last minute order," Sakura started, preparing herself to grovel. Her eyes snagged on a hawk sitting on a low branch just beyond her pool, watching her with shrew eyes. Pakkun barked at it. Sakura 'shh'ed him sharply.
"You know that I would never ordinarily ask you to create something in such a short amount of time," the hawk took flight, circling up above Sakura's head. "But there can be no one but you for this, Chiyo. You are priceless to me, and I would be forever indebted to you for this."
The old woman hummed on the other end of the line, the sound indicating nothing of her thoughts.
"No one else could possibly pull this off," she went on, her eyes trailing up to the hawk above, its wings turned gold in the light. The blood drained from Sakura's face as it tucked its wings and dove. It swooped towards her head, and Sakura shrieked, dropping to a crouch as it whooshed by.
But the hawk didn't touch her. She looked up.
The unreasonably sharp talons of the bird hooked into Pakkun, hauling the pug off the ground. Sakura started running, trying to keep her conversation with the designer.
"I just-was really hoping—" Sakura waved her arms, pulling the phone away for a moment as she tried to get the hawk to drop the dog. Pakkun stared balefully down at her. Her foot slipped on the dew damp grass.
"Young lady, my time is very valuable-" she heard Chiyo's voice drift down from her phone speaker.
"I know, I know-" The hawk didn't seem inclined to drop Kakashi's dog. Squeezing her eyes shut for a heartbeat to ask for strength, Sakura wound her arm back. "I'm so sorry, Chiyo, just one moment-!" Sakura threw her cell at the bird. It arched above her and smacked the damn thing in the head.
The stupid flying chicken released the dog. Sakura leapt forward, arms outstretched, and caught him. He huffed as they landed, his little face filled with displeasure. Sakura's phone thudded into the grass beside them.
She released the dog and snatched her cell back up.
"Chiyo?" She gasped, only half hoping she hadn't hung up.
"I'm already on the plane. I'll see you in a few hours." The line went dead.
Sakura flopped onto her back, staring up at the pale sky above her. Pakkun pressed his wet nose to her cheek.
"You are one lucky, lucky dog," she told him.
With stiff movements, she finally pulled herself off of the ground and turned to go back to her sliding glass door.
Kakashi was standing just inside, his sides shaking lightly as he laughed.
The first time Sakura had received a fan package with a dead animal inside, she had thrown up for 30 minutes. Her fame was rising, but still fresh. All packages and letters from fans and for her work were sent to Senju's building. Packages to her house were sent under a pseudonym. So, if anyone wanted to send her anything she hadn't expressly ordered herself, it could only reach her at work. The package had arrived on her 16th birthday, wrapped up all pretty in happy yellow paper with a matching bow.
Sakura had hoped beyond hope it was a gift from her parents.
She had been very, very wrong.
When she'd finished vomiting, she'd thrown a diva sized fit about it. The rage had hidden the terror and disgust that had been instilled in her when she'd opened the package. Before then, she'd received a few letters written in blood, lots of death threats, the usual. But the dead animal was new.
In the three months it took Senju Entertainment to install airport tight security in their mail room, Sakura received seven-seven-more of the disturbing parcels. Now all of the mail went through drug and explosives testing, and an x-ray check. No more surprises.
It was this memory that popped into Sakura's head when she arrived at her dressing room at Raikiri Film Studios to a large package, wrapped with a bow on top. Her eye twitched.
The movie and television studio had security as tight as Senju Ent., but Sakura was wary nonetheless.
Genma, a toothpick in his mouth as always, went ahead of her into the spacious room and inspected the tag.
"It's from your lady friends." He said, a mischievous smile on his face. Sakura walked up and snagged the tag, glancing over the handwriting she recognized as Hinata's.
Sakura-chan,
A gift to congratulate you on your engagement.
We'll see you Saturday at 7. Ino's.
Love,
The girls
That was all it said. A slow smile split Sakura's face. This was just what she needed.
She'd woken up Friday morning and found that a lot of the aches in her body had returned, though blessedly lessened after Kakashi's ministrations. He'd also managed to sneak her back into her own bed without waking her. The man himself had then spent the morning making her practice again what she had learned yesterday, followed by a new lesson: striking.
Sakura had a whole new slew of bruises from that, some of which she knew would need to be covered with makeup for today's filming shoot.
Delighted, Sakura pulled the lid off of the giant box, and found soft, glittering white tissue paper hiding whatever was inside. Under the paper were a few different items.
First, she pulled up two carefully wrapped crystal champagne flutes, with the words 'bride' and 'groom' on each respectively. Next, she pulled out an actual bottle of her favorite champagne, an insanely pricey brand that was parallel to none. Those had to be from TenTen. She wasn't a very frilly woman, but she appreciated a good glass of champagne as much as Sakura.
She pulled out a pair of white sunglasses that had the word 'wifey' written on either side. Sakura snorted. That would be Temari, she had no doubt. Her friend from the Land of Wind was never embarrassed to wear anything, and owned everything she put on.
Sitting under the glasses was a gorgeously crafted glass jewelry box. Definitely Hinata's gift. The Lady of the Hyuuga empire was an exceptional gift giver.
Very last, Sakura pulled out a strip of white silk. She held it up, frowning.
Genma started laughing. Hard. Kakashi, who had been lounging by the door to the hall, began to turn pink, his eyes wide with alarm.
"What?"
Genma, bent in two from the force of his hysterics, twirled a finger in the air, telling her to turn the scrap of silk around.
This too, had writing on it.
In big, bold black letters, smack in the middle, were written the words 'YES SIR', in a flirty font.
Ino.
Sakura gripped the end of what she realized was a blind fold in between her thumb and forefinger, and tossed it back into the gift box. She watched it flutter to the bottom, where she noticed another note was sitting.
More to Cum
Sakura was going to light Ino Yamanaka on fire. But even as she thought that, her imagination conjured an image of herself, wearing nothing but the blindfold. Her legs tucked under her, and her head tipped back, mouth open, waiting.
Kakashi had silently slipped up behind her and snorted down as he read the note over her shoulder.
"Your friends are so charming," he commented in a slightly amused voice. She shook the imagining from her mind.
Sakura huffed, flipped her hair over her shoulder, and checked the time. Her wardrobe and makeup artists were running late.
Sakura put the lid back on the box and deposited it on the couch against the back wall, deciding she would deal with it later.
She took her seat in front of the vanity, LEDs shining down on her and revealing every miniscule detail of her face. Every pore and dark spot. And what was left of the split in her lip from Tuesday. Sakura would give Ino points for that scar preventing cream she had sent over.
Kakashi cleared his throat beside her. She met his eyes in the mirror, jade and storm alighting against one another.
"I have something for you, also." He said quietly. Her eyebrows shot to her hairline, and she saw Genma's wrinkle in his reflection. She rotated her seat towards Kakashi and looked up at him. Her knees bumped his shins.
His fingers tugged nervously at the hair at the base of his skull, which Sakura found a little fascinating.
"A gift?" She asked, her lips tugging up at the corners ever so slightly. She probably looked a little foxish, but she didn't care as she watched him intently.
"Kind of." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a little black jewelry box, which he set on the vanity counter beside her. "Here."
Not just a jewelry box. A ring box. Sakura's smile filled all the way out as she picked it up and flipped the lid open.
"I had Shizune pick it up. Can't get married without a ring." He was back to rubbing the back of his neck, uncomfortable.
Sakura looked down at the bright, little emerald that winked back up at her from where it sat on a simple silver band. Normally, emeralds tended to be embraced in gold, but Sakura was glad for the silver, since her skin had cool undertones. It was held on the band in a leafy, cathedral setting.
Behind her, Genma gave Kakashi a bewildered look.
So it wasn't a real proposal. So he had had an assistant get it. So it had likely been paid for with money from her own salary. So the carat was small. So what? Sakura didn't care.
She pulled the ring from the box, almost reverently, and held it up to Kakashi with her right hand. At his confused look, Genma coughed, and she held up her left hand beside her right. Sakura smiled playfully at Kakashi and cleared her throat expectantly, shaking her head to swish her hair back.
Kakashi took a moment to get his face under control, smoothing it into careful, bodyguard neutrality.
He carefully took the ring from her, and then just as delicately slid it onto her ring finger. It fit.
Sakura laughed out loud and threw her arms around Kakashi, just for a second. When she pulled back, she schooled her features into their usual bored, arrogant expression. But it took a lot more effort than usual. She'd only wanted to see the ring on, and now she had to slide it back off and return it to its box for work. She was reluctant to part from it.
Kakashi resumed his place against the wall just as her makeup and wardrobe team breezed into the dressing room. Sakura noticed an extra person, small and ancient, slip inside with them.
"Chiyo!" Sakura stood up and bowed to the ancient designer.
Chiyo waved a dismissive hand, indicating for Sakura to sit.
"While you're getting ready for your shoot, you're going to tell me exactly what you want for your shiromuku kimono. Then later I'll stop by your house-" The old woman paused to see if Sakura would protest, but she remained silent, "to speak with the groom." Sakura sighed through her nose. This little secret was not going to be little for long.
At the moment, Tsunade, Moegi, Sakura, Kakashi, Shizune, Shikamaru and her other five guards knew who her engagement was to. Of those, pretty much all of them knew it was a marriage of convenience. However, none of them, save Kakashi and herself, knew the extent of that convenience. Tsunade and Moegi, even the guards, most likely assumed there had already been some kind of relationship developing prior to the engagement.
Wednesday night, the 'couple' had come to an agreement about who they would tell and what. Anyone who would be told the who would not be told the real why. These people were Sakura's friends, her parents, and whoever needed to know who the groom was. Like Chiyo. And Shizune. And Shikamaru. And while Sakura hated to lie to her friends and bandmates, they all already knew she was a private person, so it wasn't so bad. Or so she told herself. The good news was Sakura felt secure in revealing Kakashi's identity to her friends. No one kept a secret like those in the idol industry. But for all intents and purposes, everyone else must believe this is a marriage of love. Everyone knew she was a foreigner, but no one knew her true status. And when Kakashi's identity inevitably came out, the public needed to buy the love, too.
Sakura's head was spinning at how insanely convoluted her life had become. And all by her own machinations.
Sakura nodded her agreement to Chiyo. Nine days was not a lot of time to design, cut, and fit wedding garments. But there was a reason Chiyo was a living legend.
"Boys," Sakura said over the clamoring of the others in the room preparing to get to work on her. Genma and Kakashi both looked her way, pulling their attention from the other people in the room. She knew they were watching to ensure no one pulled a gun instead of a blow-dryer. "Wait outside, please." They stood at attention, nodded, and filtered out to stand outside in the hall.
Sakura grinned fiendishly at Chiyo, who simply pulled out her sketchbook and pencil.
'Night High' was in the middle of filming for its third season. The had had a mid season break, during which FrireDrive had written, recorded, and filmed music videos for their next album, and now the show was back at it. Sakura milled about off set, watching Temari, TenTen, Sai, and Neji doing their scene. It was thanks to getting this role that Sakura had met Temari and TenTen, and she was grateful. She looked on as they filmed. Genma and Kakashi lounged farther back, out of the way of the film crews running around, watching the show and pretending not to be interested.
"Arata.." TenTen said to Neji, eyes wide as she 'healed' a wound in his side. TenTen's character, Dia, had been dating Neji's since season 2, and despite the character's break up before the end of that season, they were written to be a tragic love story still. Star-crossed lovers, the screenwriter called it. TenTen looked at Neji like he made the sunrise every day, eyes shining with barely restrained emotions.
Temari and Sai were busy fighting a contingency of Vampires, defending their two friends on the ground.
The show was a 16+ Fantasy Drama and was incredibly popular. While being fantastical, the show also covered topics like substance abuse, sex, and death.
"Cut!"
TenTen helped Neji stand, and beamed up at the handsome Hyuuga, while Temari and Sai let their acting faces drop, resuming the disinterest they usually wore.
"Sakura-chan," Lee said, coming up behind her. "I'm heartbroken to hear I have another foe!" He grabbed his chest dramatically. "First Sasuke, then Omoi, now some stranger? How will a man survive?"
Sakura rolled her eyes. "Omoi and I were never together. That's our characters, not us!" She couldn't help but smile good naturedly, regardless of Lee's unceasing affections for her.
Lee pouted, but Sakura was called onto set, saving her.
The end of last episode had left Sakura and Omoi in the school library, finally leaning in for a kiss after their relationship slowly burned into existence. Fans had been left bereft of the actual kiss when the episode had aired. Sakura and Omoi had actually filmed the kiss, but the producer and director had decided they wanted to reshoot and move things around.
The original kiss had had Omoi simply leaning in. This time, they wanted him to bring his hands up on either side of Sakura's face, and really kissing the shit out of her character. In order to avoid breaking the continuity of the scene from the last episode, they started this one with their kiss being interrupted before it began, and the actual lip contact moved to another time. Sakura was done up in her school uniform, a rippling silver skirt and white button down shirt, with a matching silver jacket. Omoi was dressed in jeans and a leather jacket, his character a school rule breaker.
Haruhi's back hit the shelves behind her, Daisuke blocking her in. A furious blush lit her face, but she was unable to look away from those dark eyes. That white hair.
Slowly, sweetly, Daisuke raised his hands and cupped her face. His eyes were soft. A crash sounded from outside the library, but they ignored it, too caught up in one another.
When Omoi kissed her, Sakura felt her blush deepen. He tasted sugary, like the suckers he was always keeping in his mouth, though he'd lost his favorite candy for the filming. His hands tipped her face up a bit higher, allowing himself more access. His body pressed in closer.
Omoi's character, Daisuke, was a 'hate everyone but you' bad boy, and girls and women alike loved him, and loved Omoi.
Little did they know Omoi himself was one of the most anxious people Sakura had ever met.
She could already hear the way fans would squeal when they saw this kiss.
Sakura's hands tightened on Omoi's shirt, trying to pull him closer as enemies pounded at the door.
He pulled back, slowly, and rested his forehead against hers. "Together, Haruhi." His voice was low and undeniably sexy.
"This time, you won't go alone," Sakura swore, her voice laden with emotion.
They pulled apart, and then went together around the bookcase, to where other actors dressed as the enemy were waiting, looking devious and evil.
Omoi and Sakura leaped forward to engage, whipping out their wands.
"Cut!"
They halted, everyone stopping and relaxing.
"Omoi, Sakura, let's try that again."
"Oh no, I messed that up, didn't I? Are they going to fire me?" Omoi looked forlorn as they went back around the bookcase to reset. Sakura rolled her eyes teasingly at him.
This time, Sakura couldn't help a giggle that escaped her as Omoi leaned in for the scene. The director called out again, and they had to reshoot.
They had to do it again when Omoi began to laugh, which caused Sakura to laugh.
The more frustrated the crew got, the harder it was to control their amusement, until finally Omoi and Sakura were kicked off set, so the show could film other scenes, and Omoi and Sakura could calm themselves.
She wasn't discouraged. She'd done some scenes a hundred times before, due to the difficulty of what the writers required. She would take her time, and she and Omoi would get it right. Haruhi, her character, had not been kissed before, and was the last of her friends to get a boyfriend. Sakura knew they intended a sex scene for her character later, too. A cut-to-black sex scene, naturally.
This episode of season 3 was an hour long, instead of 30 minutes, and Sakura was elated when they were released for the day. Daisuke, Haruhi, Temari, and Lee's characters had all just run into one another in the great hall, so the crew had called it. The rest of the day would be spent filming TenTen and Neji's struggle, so Sakura took her leave.
As she passed Kakashi and Genma on her way out, the two blending in with the wall of security personnel belonging to her friends, she noticed the sly look Genma gave Kakashi. The two men said nothing, however, only fell into place behind her.