AN: It's me, back with another 2006 nostalgia hit. I do hope you enjoy this AU.

"I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I'm close to something real / I wanna find something I've wanted all along / Somewhere I belong" - Somewhere I Belong by Linkin Park

Sasuke stares at his plate and ignores his family, feeling like he's fifteen all over again. The chatter washes over him and for an instant he considers dumping his plate upside down to provoke a reaction. Which, of course, would achieve nothing but a waste of the staff's hard work. Restraining himself, he unfocuses his gaze until the room is blurred nonsense.

Dinner as usual, then.

But the thing about eating at the Uchiha residence: it is never just a dinner. If his father is there, it's a sermon where Sasuke gets upbraided for the slightest missteps. If Fugaku is absent, it's a running stream of relatives invited by his mother, with an extra course added for each auntie and uncle at the table.

Sitting amidst both his father and his endless relatives, Sasuke isn't sure who is more exasperating. For a dinner that was supposedly to celebrate his first performance with DNH, it sure feels like torture.

Naruto usually acted as a buffer - the Uchiha aunties love Naruto - but he'd begged off to see Hinata. Sasuke doesn't like to push in on their rare dates, though he regrets it now as his father makes a dissatisfied huff in his direction.

"We celebrated together last night," Naruto had chirped, excited from the prospect of an evening with his girlfriend. "Let Mikoto-baa-chan fuss over you for a change."

Fat chance of that, Sasuke thinks. Itachi has made a rare appearance, and while Sasuke is happy that it makes his mother happy, he can't help but feel like his thunder has been stolen. Again. He's still disgruntled hours later despite Itachi arriving with a congratulatory gift (a voucher for his favourite clothing store) and a determination to bore a hole in his forehead with his affection.

"Sasuke, did they record the acts last night?" Itachi asks, speaking over the excited fretting of their mother. "I'd like to see your performance."

Several relatives turn to face him and Sasuke feels his face warming, knowing he looks like a sulking child. It's somehow worse that Itachi is considerate; if he stole the attention shamelessly he'd be a lot easier to dislike.

"I-"

"I don't see why they would," Fugaku interrupts. The background chatter freezes. "It's an in-house warm up, not a debut. Nothing special."

"But it was our Sasuke performing… someone would have thought of it, no?"

Bless his mother; she'd never win an award for tact. Nobody ever speaks up when Fugaku is grumbling, but Sasuke sometimes wishes she'd step in on his behalf.

"Well, Kakashi is still performing with the band," says a new voice from further down the table. "The team will hardly have considered it an official performance."

Obito. Sasuke's cousin looks casual on the surface, but there's a simmering current of anger as he drops that revelation into an already tense situation. He wears an unpleasant smirk, causing Itachi's expression to go carefully blank. Silence reigns at the table as Fugaku frowns at his youngest son, pinning him with the gaze that haunted Sasuke's childhood.

Nobody speaks on it further, but Sasuke knows Itachi will certainly grill him about the interaction later.

"I don't think we were recorded," he says to his brother, ignoring Obito completely. "It was a… last minute decision to have us perform. Rather out of the blue."

Let everyone make of that what they will. Certainly it might make his father think. Sasuke suddenly wants to be done with the meal, wants to stand on the upstairs balcony and look over the city without his family intruding upon his thoughts.

"You'll have done well," Itachi persists, only dropping the topic when Sasuke gives a small nod and their mother clasps her hands in delight.

The conversation quickly flows on, though it's clear that his brother has latched onto the awkward tension. Itachi is incredibly perceptive; Sasuke hopes that he'll get distracted for long enough that he can make himself scarce.

Another dinner course comes out, another uncle appears unexpectedly, and Sasuke feels himself disappearing into the furniture of the room. He ends up watching the old grandfather clock in the corner, tick-tick-ticking away until his father finally decides it's time for after dinner drinks.

Slipping away with skills that would've impressed the shinobi of old, Sasuke decides to head to the garage. The balcony isn't isolated enough. Better to leave the house completely, lest his mother decide he should entertain the cousins while the adults drink.

He's unlocking his car door when a shadowed figure steps out from behind one of the pillars in the house's spacious garage.

"Nii-san," Sasuke sighs, not particularly surprised. "I won't ask how you made it down here before me."

Itachi leaves the shadows to lean against the car, though he flashes a smile at Sasuke's unimpressed stare.

"Remember who taught you all your tricks," he says, sliding into the passenger seat as soon as the door unlocks. "Where are we headed?"

For an amiable guy Itachi could be wonderfully stubborn, and Sasuke knows there's no point in arguing for solitude. The car engine rumbles to life and with it the last thing on his playlist. Music fills the space aggressively, his brother's guitar creating an electric vibration in the dark.

Of course it's an Akatsuki album, Sasuke thinks, abashed. But it's no secret he's a big fan, so he tries his best to ignore it and pulls out of the garage, buzzing open the gates to the main street.

"I'll go anywhere as long as it's away from here," he answers Itachi. "Did your manager drive you here tonight? Want me to drop you off at your apartment?"

Itachi, through virtue of having made a staggering amount of money, enjoys the rare privilege of leaving the Uchiha complex and living in the centre of Konoha. Sasuke's jealous, but it's not like that emotion is new when it comes to his brother.

"Sure," Itachi agrees. "You can fill me in on what's happening between you and Obito on the way. Don't think I didn't notice that."

Resigned, Sasuke shifts into gear and sets off downtown. It's not too far a drive, but it's long enough to give his brother at least an idea of the situation.

"Oh, and let's stick your music on while we drive," Itachi says, pulling said demo up on the car's music system. "I'm in need of something new to listen to."

Seriously, Sasuke thinks, hiding a smile. Itachi would be a whole lot easier to dislike if he wasn't such a good brother.

There's a commotion in the studio when Sasuke arrives. Kakashi's pacing back and forth, chewing a pen with such ferocity he's surprised it hasn't caused an accident. Sakura is alternating between kicking the rim of her bass drum and tensing the sticks as though she'll snap them, growling ominously under her breath.

And Naruto is completely motionless. Naruto, who doesn't stay still even when he's passed out after practice. Naruto, who hasn't been quiet since the day he was born.

"That bad?" Sasuke asks, dreading the answer.

Naruto tuts explosively, as though he'd been waiting for Sasuke to appear before he could let loose. Kakashi speaks first, running a hand through his silver hair until it stands up straight from his forehead.

"I don't know what happened at the Uchiha household last night," he says, "but either your father is really pissed at you, or Obito has been whispering in his ear."

Sasuke pauses in the act of setting his guitar case down, remembering his father's dismissal and his cousin's bad attitude. He'd slipped out of after dinner drinks, cruising around the city with his brother instead. Plenty of time for Obito to catch his father in conversation.

"Both?" he hedges, wincing when Sakura throws her drumsticks on the ground.

"This must be what Ino warned me about," she hisses. "She told me that Obito was playing dirty. I didn't know what to think. I should've-"

"It's alright, Sakura," Naruto half-yells, "this ain't the usual in-fighting. That scumbag-"

"Okay," Sasuke interrupts, "someone tell me what's going on, and then I'll listen to your rant. I might even join in."

Wordlessly, Kakashi hands him a printed memo. When Sasuke sees his father's personal letterhead at the top of the page his stomach sinks. Sitting down with a thud, he reads the notice with a rising sense of dread.

TO: Hatake Kakashi, Division 3 Lead

FROM: Uchiha Fugaku, CEO

CC: Secretary Shizune, Division Leads Group

SUBJECT: Termination of Temporary Performance Duties

Effective immediately: Hatake Kakashi, Division 3 Lead, will no longer assist in performance duties under the role of bass player for Dai-Nana-Han.

A permanent replacement must be found within 30 days, or Dai-Nana-Han will not be eligible for debut within this year's graduating idol class.

U. Fugaku

Sasuke crumples the page in his fist. Throwing it on the ground in disgust, he's vindicated when Naruto launches the memo into the wall with a well-placed kick.

"Your father's secretary left that on my desk right before practice," Kakashi says with a sigh.

"I went to his office to ask what had happened, but he was in a meeting. And when I got back to my own office, Obito was hanging around outside like the cat who's got the cream."

Shaking his head, the executive sits on the floor, frustrated.

"I've got Shizune on hand to tell me when your father is free," he continues, "but it's not looking good. This will have been sent to everyone senior in the agency."

"Bastard," Naruto says vehemently. "Obito, I mean, but your father's not looking too blameless right now either, Sasuke."

"I agree," Sasuke replies, glancing at Sakura from under his lashes. She hasn't spoken since her comment about Ino.

"Hey," he calls, diverting her attention from the floor. She huffs miserably. "You alright?"

Sakura shakes her head, scuffing her feet on the studio floor. "I feel like this is my fault."

"You couldn't have known this is what Ino meant," Naruto says. "You told us about the conversation as soon as it happened. None of us predicted this."

"That's right," Kakashi interjects. "Even I didn't predict my former bandmate would stoop so low. I thought he'd stick to the usual bullying: second billings, booking the best rooms first. You know, normal jostling before the debut."

"This is outright sabotage," Naruto declares.

"It is," Sakura agrees, morose. "What a shit time to discover the dirty side of the business."

The atmosphere in the room feels utterly hopeless, which isn't going to lead to good practice. Sasuke picks up his guitar case, freeing his second-best strings from their sleep with a twang. In times like this, nothing worked better than to jam the sour mood away. And he'll be damned if he lets his jealous, ego-maniac cousin ruin his chance at showing the family that Sasuke can live off his music, too.

"Let's think on what to do while playing," he suggests.

Thankfully, everyone else agrees: Sakura's halfway to her kit before he finishes speaking, and when she counts the lead in it's with a smile. And he's right, because they've played for less than an hour when he comes to a stop mid-chord, causing a jangling discord that's amplified by the studio acoustics.

"I have an idea," Sasuke says abruptly.

Naruto, who'd been about to yell at him for disrupting the flow, stumbles over his words in his sudden change of mood.

"Wh-what is it then, teme?"

"I think it's time to call in a favour," Sasuke intimates. "If my cousin's gone running to my father, then it's only fair game we do the same."

"Talk to the CEO?" Sakura sounds unsure; even though she's never met the man, the rest of them moan about him often enough.

Sasuke makes a moue of distaste. "No, that won't work. Let's talk to my brother."

Kakashi gives a slow, appreciative whistle, clapping his hands in approval.

"I like it," he says. "Akatsuki have contacts with everyone. And even better than your father… everyone likes Itachi."

The decor, the outdoor balcony, the address: this is by far the fanciest apartment Sakura's ever been in, even compared to Ino's bachelorette pad. Thinking of her estranged friend dims her excitement, but then a deep voice calls out her name and she has to take a steadying breath before turning around, pasting a totally-normal-and-not-starstruck smile on her face.

"Sakura-chan," repeats the man, handing her a drink with a flourish. "Extra fruit, just like you asked."

"Th-thanks," she manages, barely stuttering.

By some incredible stroke of luck she's currently accepting a drink from Hoshigaki Kisame, her favourite member of Akatsuki and one half of the apartment's residents. Through the open archway she watches as the other owner - the real-life Uchiha Itachi - wrestles his younger brother's jumper over his head. Sasuke clearly needs to be rescued, but there's no way she's brave enough to step into the centre of attention.

It's an intimate party - barely twenty guests - and Sakura is convinced she's actually in her bed asleep, because otherwise she's surrounded by the country's biggest stars. One of whom has just made her a drink, and Sakura's so nervous she almost chokes on one of the blueberries Kisame has thoughtfully added to the sour tonic.

"Are you having a good time?" Kisame asks politely, watching idly as his bandmate and husband terrorises the younger Uchiha.

"Oh, yes," Sakura replies, wincing on Sasuke's behalf as Itachi exposes the majority of his bare chest in the process of stealing his jumper. There's a few cheerful wolf whistles as Sasuke yanks his t-shirt back down.

"Should we…"

"Intervene?" Kisame finishes. "Nah. Itachi doesn't get to tease him often enough these days. And if he really hated it, I've seen Sasuke-kun retaliate. He's playing along."

From her vantage point it doesn't look like Sasuke is being anything other than tormented. But Kisame has known Sasuke for most of his life so Sakura drops the issue, instead looking around the rest of the apartment in wonder.

"You have a beautiful house," she says, flashing the older man an admiring smile. "I had no idea they'd converted the old government buildings into apartments."

"It's kind of a secret," Kisame replies with a wink. "Sasori lives downstairs. We've got other Uchiha talents in the block, too. A politician or two. Keeps security simple, you know?"

Sakura does not in fact know but she nods along anyway, feeling a million miles away from the world of high profile celebrities. Once again she wonders if she's used her life's allotment of luck to be at the party. To his credit, Kisame is a wonderful host. He'd been effortlessly kind to her when she showed up not knowing a soul, making introductions with such social charm that some of Konoha's most famous citizens were now speaking to Sakura like they'd known her for years.

"I'll split them up if you want to talk to Sasuke," Kisame offers, giving her a sharp-toothed grin.

Sakura waves her hands in refusal, barely managing to avoid spilling her drink. "Oh, no, please, not on my behalf."

Host duties fulfilled, her companion nods graciously and wanders away, drawing two actresses into a conversation that Sakura can make neither head nor tails of. It would be awkward in the extreme to spend her night staring at the Uchiha brothers (Naruto and Kakashi being engaged in some kind of drinking-and-shouting contest), so she plucks up the courage to talk to the only other person standing alone.

Sasori: drummer extraordinaire and third permanent member of Akatsuki. He's younger than his bandmates, she remembers, and though he doesn't look uncomfortable Sakura thinks back to his silence in the band's many interviews. A man of few words. That suits Sakura fine, as long as she can talk to him about their shared interest in hitting things very hard.

"Hi," she says solemnly, gratified when Sasori acknowledges her with a nod. "I'm Sakura, Sasuke's bandmate."

"Yes, we were introduced earlier," he replies evenly.

So much for making connections; Sakura cannot seem to make small talk to save herself. But there's no malice in his oddly flat voice, so she smiles and tries again, gesturing over the general ruckus in the apartment.

"Kisame-san said you lived in the building too. Does the noise travel? He told me they host parties fairly often."

"Penthouse perks," Sasori says with a snort. "And no, it does not. Otherwise I'd never be able to practise. You know how it is, being a drummer."

Surprised, Sakura blinks at her companion. Oh, wow, he remembers I'm a drummer too.

Emboldened by his acknowledgement, she draws Sasori into a discussion on the latest innovation in cymbals, arguing passionately when he claims the new iteration blows her current favourites out of the water.

"I'm serious," Sasori states. "In fact, I have both sets downstairs. Why don't you come down and try them out for yourself?"

Sakura is about to agree when she feels the cynicism creeping in. Sasuke's plan involved the members of DNH being seen on the scene, so to speak. On the other hand… naivety in this business is something she knows to avoid. Missing Ino's cautious voice, she purses her lips and tries to determine if Sasori's invitation is innocent.

After a moment she nods firmly. If it isn't solely an offer to play drums, Sasori could go into acting; the drummer's body language is open and if anything disinterested.

"I'd love to," Sakura replies, mind made up. "Where I live, if I play after 10pm I'll get the police called on me."

"I remember the days," Sasori says ruefully, pushing off the wall and indicating she should follow. "Don't worry, I won't complain."

They're almost to the door when a familiar voice calls out her name. Sasuke manoeuvres himself between the exit and Sasori, giving the older man a shrewd look which he returns with raised eyebrows.

"Are you heading home?" Sasuke asks Sakura, fishing in his pocket for his car keys. "I'll take you."

He glances between her and Sasori, clearly perceiving that they were leaving together. It's rather impressive how he'd managed to observe the situation and act on it instantly; Sakura feels oddly pleased that Sasuke hadn't hesitated to check in.

"Oh, no, I'm popping down to Sasori's apartment for a bit," Sakura replies. "He has a prototype of the new cymbal setup I've been hearing about everywhere."

Sasuke doesn't look convinced.

"It's kind of late to be drumming…"

"Right? What a treat," Sakura replies, trying to indicate that it's fine, she's not being an idiot. It's not like she can outright say that Sasori doesn't have ulterior motives.

Sasuke doesn't seem to feel the same need for tact. She knows for a fact he's very friendly with all the members of Akatsuki, but that isn't stopping him from fixing Sasori with a suspicious stare.

"It's pretty late," Sasuke repeats.

Sasori looks between the two members of DNH for a moment, his placid expression softening into a hint of a smile. Instead of soothing Sasuke's temper, the smile seems, if anything, to make things worse. Sakura worries for a split second that he'll say something he regrets to the older musician. And she'll be damned if she's the cause of him falling out with someone he looks up to.

There's an awkward pause, the party music washing over their silent stand-off.

"Maybe it is past the time for drumming," Sasori interjects, saving her from speaking up. "I'll give you my card, and we can set up a daytime session. I'll convert you to those cymbals yet."

Sasuke finally looks chagrined. Sakura accepts the card with pleasure, promising to get in touch with him and set a date as soon as possible. Sasori throws a casual goodbye to the party at large, apparently having decided to leave anyway. Sakura's about to say her own farewell to him when the drummer puts a friendly hand on her and Sasuke's shoulders, grinning with the most feeling she's seen him display all evening.

"I'll even invite Sasuke, so he doesn't get jealous."

"Hey-"

Sasori leaves before Sasuke can respond, closing the door behind him and leaving her bandmate flustered. It's rare to see the Uchiha off-kilter, so Sakura touches his arm placatingly, intending to give him encouragement.

"Thanks for looking out for me, Sasuke-kun."

"I-" Sasuke bites off his words, avoiding her gaze. "Right, sure. I'm sorry for getting in the way. Sasori is a great contact for you to have, the perfect one, really. Let's visit him soon. For now, though, do you want to head home? I meant it when I said I'll drive you. Seriously."

It's unlike him to ramble, and if she didn't know better Sakura would think he was blushing.

She's about to tell him that she'll grab a taxi when a new voice interrupts them, Sasuke's brother materialising from seemingly nowhere.

"Nonsense," Itachi says commandingly. Sakura can tell he's tipsy. "It's too late for driving. And I think it's a shame you haven't finished your business tonight, Sasuke."

"Nii-san…"

"There are plenty of rooms here," his brother continues, ignoring Sasuke's hissed warning.

"And Sakura-chan, you look about the same size as my manager. She has plenty of clothes here for emergencies. Stay the night, both of you."

Stay overnight. In this incredibly cool apartment, filled with incredibly famous people. Sakura is pretty convinced at this point she's dreaming, or dead, or at least dozing against the wall in the corner. Feeling the effect of a once-in-a-lifetime offer hovering over her head, Sakura nods before she even glances at her bandmate. She doesn't need to look at him to see Sasuke's hand moving to cover his eyes in defeat.

I can rarely say no to my brother, he'd said earlier while briefing her on the likely guests.

Looks like I can't either, Sakura thinks sheepishly, watching as the older Uchiha places a drink in his brother's reluctant hand.

Sleep? Not a chance. The sun is barely present in the sky when Sakura gives up and pokes her head into the guest room's impressive ensuite, feeling the lingering effect of the alcohol she'd consumed the night before.

"Damn," Sakura whistles in appreciation when the shower whispers into action, a cascading stream of water hitting all the right spots between her shoulder blades. This was the kind of shower that people dreamt of after heavy workout sessions.

Standing motionless under the hot water she contemplates the success of the evening. Itachi had listened to his brother's request over the phone for barely a minute before declaring he'd "handle it", inviting them to a party the very next day. Sakura misses Ino fiercely; her friend would have died to be invited, but they haven't exchanged words since her warning after the performance.

At least Sakura knows she's okay: Shikamaru had called yesterday afternoon, letting her know he'd run into Ino in the grocery store. The posh grocery store, on the other side of the city from where he and Sakura live.

Oh, Shika, Sakura thinks, lathering her hair with the ultra-fancy shampoo. You've got it bad.

She can't afford to be distracted by her friends' plight for too long, however, because now she's washed, dressed in borrowed clothes, and ready at the crack of dawn in someone else's house. And it's not just anyone's house; it's Uchiha Itachi's penthouse apartment, and now she has to act as normal as possible in front of the musicians whose faces decorate her bedroom walls.

Easy. If she thinks that enough, maybe she'll be convinced by the time it's acceptable to leave the bedroom.

At least Naruto is also present, sleeping in one of the other guestrooms with his girlfriend. She's only known him for a few months, but Sakura knows he'll break any kind of awkward atmosphere. Plus, Hinata seemed nice, if a little shy.

"Alright, it's weirder if I sit here by myself for hours," Sakura mutters, psyching up before opening the bedroom door with a sneakiness born of years of sneaking out of her parent's house as a teen.

In the calm light of morning the apartment looks remarkably tidy. Had Itachi-san somehow hired early morning cleaners to come and spruce the place up? Sakura's half-convinced of the habits of rich people when she cautiously creeps to the kitchen area and spots the culprit.

"Good morning, Sasuke-kun," she greets, surprising him from his silent counter-wiping.

"Oh, hn," he replies with a yawn, "you're early."

"I'm an early riser," Sakura says with a shrug, rounding the kitchen island and gesturing for another cleaning rag.

"I would've guessed," Sasuke replies, "and don't worry about it, I'm almost done. Sit."

Perching on a stool, Sakura watches him finish cleaning the kitchen, popping the dishwasher on before reaching into the fridge and pouring them both a glass of water. She's honestly surprised at the sight of him tidying: at this point she's well aware of the status of his family, and the Uchiha household almost certainly has staff on retainer for kitchen work.

"I worked through high school," Sasuke explains, clearly reading the surprise on her face. "A real job, not an intern in the Studios."

"Oh yeah? Anywhere I'd know?"

Sasuke names a popular deli in the city centre. Sakura laughs into her water, because she'd once wanted to eat there, and the queue had been so long she'd had to rush back or miss class.

"I wonder if people were queuing up to see you?" she asks, still laughing.

Sasuke only shrugs.

"Probably not. It's not like the customers knew I'm an Uchiha."

"Oh," Sakura continues before her brain catches up, "I meant with regards to your face."

"Uh-"

Though the sun has barely risen, there's enough light in the kitchen to see the pronounced flush that spreads across Sasuke's cheeks at her remark. In classic Sakura fashion, her own blush is delayed but devastating, turning her red from the roots of her hair to the top of her chest. She'd meant it half-jokingly, but the undeniable fact is that Uchiha Sasuke is gorgeous, and she'd just told him that while they were sitting alone on a Sunday morning.

"Um- sorry,"

"No, don't be-"

Throwing her hands up in embarrassment, Sakura forces out a laugh that's more of an awkward giggle, resisting the urge to put her face in her hands. She's not in the habit of telling men their faces were worth queueing for, and Sasuke's abashed reaction has thrown her off too. She bites her lip and smiles at him, realising that a lot of her assumptions about her bandmate might be just that: assumptions.

"Well," says Sasuke after a moment, draining his glass in a clear expression of embarrassment, "can I drive you home? It's early, but it's better to clear out before everyone else wakes up."

Sakura hasn't been to many high-profile sleepovers and she's already made an ass of it this morning, so she agrees emphatically. Any chance of embarrassing herself less is one she'll jump at, even if Sasuke doesn't seem particularly put out by her statement. If Naruto had overheard… she shudders inwardly at the teasing that would have followed.

"If you don't mind, can you drop me off somewhere I can get a bite to eat? I'm famished, and I don't like to wake papa before he starts work for the day."

"Sure," Sasuke agrees easily, rooting around in the cupboards for something before pulling out a designer tote bag. It's the kind of accessory people would take on a cute shopping trip downtown, made to hold trinkets and artisan breads.

"You can put your stuff in this," Sasuke explains, handing her the bag. "Nii-san gets sent so many of them he'll never notice one missing."

Flipping the bag over gingerly before wincing at the brand - one of Ino's favourites - Sakura is about to decline politely before she realises the alternative is stuffing last night's underwear into the pockets of her borrowed trousers. Since she'd rather jump out of the window than leave it behind, Sakura accepts the offering gratefully, promising to meet Sasuke at the door in a few minutes.

"We might even manage to sneak out before someone starts demanding coffee," Sasuke replies mysteriously, sending her off with a salute.

Luckily, he's right: the soft-close front door comes in clutch, and they're in the elevator celebrating success when Sakura questions what he'd meant.

"I make a decent espresso," Sasuke admits. "I worked at the deli for long enough to learn a bit of everything."

"I'm jealous," Sakura says, nodding in thanks when he gestures that she leave first. "All my jobs before now were more along the lines of manual labour."

"I was too precious about my fingers for that sort of work. Though I did have a few close shaves with the ham slicer."

Sasuke wiggles his hands for emphasis before retrieving his car keys from his pocket. He's driving the expensive Suna car again - Sakura wonders if it's his only ride - and she drops into the passenger seat with a frisson of excitement. By this point he'd given her a few lifts home after practice, but she enjoys the ride every time.

"Where do you want to go?" he asks, leaning his elbows on the steering wheel and fixing her with his dark gaze.

"Um, there's a cafe run by my friend's mother near where I live," Sakura says. "It opens early for the labourers, and it's close enough that I can walk home after."

Sasuke nods, starting up the engine without further comment. As always, music starts playing when he shifts into gear. It's normally Akatsuki, but this time Sakura is treated to the sound of their own demo tape, her drumming the soundtrack to their early morning cruise through the city streets.

"My brother wanted to hear it."

Sasuke sounds proud, as though Itachi had liked what he'd heard. Sakura grins fiercely at him, and their first completed track - Seal of Heaven - plays while the sun rises over the streets of Konoha.

"I want this to be on the radio someday," Sakura states.

"It will be," Sasuke says firmly. At that moment, she believes it'll happen.

When Sasuke parks and steps out of the driver's seat, he can tell Sakura didn't expect him to stick around. She can be cagey about her local spaces, so he leans against the hood of the car in what he hopes is a nonchalant manner.

"Mind if I come in?" he asks. "I'm hungry too."

"Sure," she says after a pause, glancing between the cafe and his car. "It's a little… um, retro, though."

"My most likely place to eat is Ichiraku," Sasuke retorts without venom. "I think I'll survive."

Honestly, it should annoy him more that Sakura considers him irredeemably posh. He knows it comes from her own insecurities about her background, so he drops it, though there was satisfaction earlier in telling her that yes, he had worked an ordinary job. If the deli regularly served the rich and famous, well, he was still sweeping the floors, right?

Following her through the yellowing glass door, Sasuke is hit with the scent of fresh orange juice and cooker grease. He instantly knows the place will be good when there's not even a hint of a menu. Doubly so when the proprietor spots Sakura and blows her an exaggerated kiss, stumbling only when she spots Sasuke behind the drummer.

"Morning, Yoshino-baa-chan," Sakura yells over the chatter. "For two, please!"

Yoshino nods and a teenaged girl comes over with two glasses of juice and their cutlery, shooting Sasuke an all-too-familiar coquettish look from under her fringe. He ignores it completely, content to listen to Sakura chatter away about how the place belonged to her friend Shikamaru's mother.

"I've told you about him before. Works in the local bar, lives through the woods next door to me."

Sasuke nods, feeling his hangover dissipate with the first sip of orange juice. "Your gym buddy, the one who needed help recently."

"That's the one," Sakura replies. "He saw Ino the other day, so at least we know she's alright."

Sasuke hasn't spared much of a thought for the idol beyond what she'd said to Sakura after the performance, but he's glad to hear she isn't staying completely away. Even if she's only relevant to him as Sakura's rival, Sasuke still doesn't like to hear of people caught in the nasty business that is his cousin's recent actions.

"We'll find out what is happening with her and Obito soon," he reassures Sakura. "It'll come to light as we look into what his problem is with me, or DNH, or Kakashi."

Just as she's about to respond, Sakura jumps suddenly, her flip phone practically dancing out of her jumper with the force of its vibration.

"Speak of the devil," she says ominously, flashing Kakashi's name on the screen before taking the call.

"Hello?"

There's a muffled response. Sasuke winces in sympathy at how obvious their manager's hangover is down the line. Last night he'd gone to bed before Kakashi left, but he'd heard the older man singing as he exited the party in the small hours.

"Uh huh, in fact. He's dropping me off at home right now."

Sasuke grins when she winks at him. Sakura flushes prettily, listening to whatever Kakashi is saying with an amused expression.

"Oh, so soon? Sure, I can pass that along. Or do you want to speak to him yourself?"

There's a brief discussion before the phone is handed to Sasuke.

"Morning," he says down the line, pursing his lips together to keep from laughing as Kakashi simply groans.

"I told Sakura, but I'll tell you as well, and then one of you can deal with Naruto for me. I can't manage to listen to his voice today."

"Go on," Sasuke prompts, nodding at the server as she brings their food. It looks incredible, and he's keen for the conversation to be finished.

"We have our first candidate for my replacement," Kakashi says proudly. "Last night before things got too crazy I spoke to the Division 2 Lead, and he had good news for my plans to poach someone from Danzo's side of things."

"I'm not sure about an idol, Kakashi-"

"Let me finish. The guy's going to flunk out of ANBU training, but believe me when I say that's going to be in our favour. Something about being unable to smile properly or something, I don't know."

"Doesn't matter so much for a rock star, and I've heard this guy play the bass."

"He good?" Sasuke asks.

Sasuke taps his fingers against the table, interested. Kakashi is a genius at identifying talent; Sakura is proof of that.

"He's going to be," Kakashi replies cryptically. "I've got a few other people lined up for auditions, but this way, we get to piss off Danzo."

"Tempting," Sasuke replies.

Across from him, Sakura begins her breakfast, smiling in genuine pleasure at the first bite. Sasuke finds himself watching her as Kakashi rattles through a few names on his list.

"It gets better, too. I also heard that Obito's interested in him for a project under his own division."

"Now I'm really interested," Sasuke admits. "Alright, what's his name?"

"Like most of the idol trainees he's using a mononymous stage name," Kakashi explains. "I don't know his real name, but he's registered as Sai."

"Cool," Sasuke says. "Let's get him in the studio this week. I'm gonna go now."

The food is truly too tempting to wait any longer.

"I'll let you get back to your date!"

Kakashi's smug laughter haunts him as Sasuke ends the call abruptly. It's not like this was a breakfast date. He looks over at Sakura, smiling at him in her borrowed clothes with her still-wet hair curling on her shoulders. There's an intimacy to her vibe, especially when she refills his glass with a smile.

It wasn't a date. Or was it?

AN: Thanks for reading! We have our Itachi appearance. And a hint of Sai. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, my loves.