Spotlight

It was ten at night when Sasuke finally released Sakura for the day and it had been this way for seven straight days. It wasn’t by Sasuke’s benevolent hand as much as it was Naruto who threatened to call his mother- a childish yet effective method. If Sasuke feared his own mother in such a way, Sakura could expect to grovel on her knees similarly for fear of hellfire.

Sakura’s body, sore and tender, rejoiced as she fell to her bed with an “oof” escaping her lips. For a moment, she stared at the ceiling blankly, thankful for the quiet solitude of her room. Much of her days were inundated by orders and snide remarks from Sasuke himself as he sought to fulfill his promise to her.

“I’ll make your life a living hell.”

A year ago, it would have been difficult for her to imagine that one day she would grow to dislike Uchiha Sasuke, but that was when his image was photoshopped. A doctored personality, a ruse to gain millions of fans. Sakura was deceived, humiliated by her blind affection for an idol she never truly knew yet trusted with her heart wholly. It was miserable, noticing her heart shift from adoration to disdain.

The woman’s chest heavied with sorrow and tears stung her eyes before focusing on her breath, bringing it to a steady. Sakura wracked her mind for a sliver of sanity which seemed a foreign concept. Her fingers stretched for her phone, hoping a distraction could deliver it to her.

“Hello? Sak?” The woman on the other line said with a sound of relief and fatigue. "You haven't called me since the day you moved in! How are you doing?"

"I'm sorry Ino, I've been busy. Like, really busy." Sakura sighed into the receiver her feet against the headboard now. "Do you want the lie, or the truth?"

"The lie, please." Ino answered.

“Sasuke and I are best buds! He doesn't assign too much work so it's pretty easy around here. But my favorite part is that my co-workers get to sit back and watch me clean!" Sakura exclaimed with fake enthusiasm.

Silence.

"Sounds like fun over there. Sasuke's such a peach, isn't he?" Ino said sarcastically, causing Sakura to scoff.

”I know what you’re going to say, but I’m gonna ask anyway. Are you going to quit?"

"I don't even see why you ask in the first place." Sakura laughed, "I would if I could find another job that offered the same bonuses, but minus the idol.”

“Well hey, it’s not all that bad! You could leave whenever you want. It’s not like they’re holding you against your will or blackmailing you.” Ino joked, expecting to hear her friends voice in agreeance or a snide remark.

Sakura's silence spoke louder than she could express with her own voice.

The line became quiet. ”You," she started, "can't be serious?"

Sakura stuffed her face in the cool satin of a pillow case and screamed insults about the man she once admired. The muffled curses lost in translation over the phone.

"Oh my god," Ino bursted with laughter "this is too good!"

"He's wearing me out like a five year old does an eraser." Sakura whined into the receiver.

“Well, have you been taking care of yourself lately? Self-care?“ An earnest question. She remembered back in their hometown, Ino would watch Sakura shed her troubles in the dance studio like a second skin.

"Do you think I have enough energy or time to do that?" Sakura snapped, immediately apologizing for her lost temper. Sakura inhaled deeply and exhaled all at once as if to exercise the demon that possessed her fleetingly. ”Sorry Ino, I haven't. The first day I have time I’ll make sure to take care of myself."

Their goodbyes were short, and within the next five minutes, Sakura's teeth were brushed and body clothed with an old T-shirt and pair of sweats. The woman slid into the plush bedding, burrowing herself up to her neck.

They keep it chilly in this place, I hope I don’t get sick.

Sakura flattened her hand on the side table and pulled open the drawer which held knickknacks and her music player. She grabbed the device and placed it next to her as she switched the light off.

Adjusting her head on the pillow, Sakura unraveled the headphones blindly and stuck a bud into her ear. She thumbed through her music app, feeling particularly uninspired which she guessed was due to fatigue. Indecisively, she shuffled her playlist and by sheer, dumb luck, her favorite song queued. One sung by Sasuke.

Her eyelids grew heavy and mind blank as she drifted off into slumber.
__________

"Sakura-chan? Sakura-chan! Hello, are you in there?" A gentle voice from the outside of Sakura's door.

The groggy woman lifted her pink head toward the sound and squinted at the window which was illuminated the room with bright light. Too bright to be her 6am alarm.

As the fog in her mind dissipated with the heat of the light, Sakura bolted from bed and ripped the sheets clean off her body, rushing for the door and flinging it open with wild eyes and a knot in her hair.

The door swung open instantly, her muscles filled with adrenaline as she assessed Hinata standing in the doorway.

"Sakura, you slept in for two hours! It's almost noon. We were going to let you sleep in, until Sasuke noticed that you weren’t there." She said as he watched the pinkette frantically pick up her uniform. The regular one. Naruto made sure to toss the other.

“Damn! You guys should have just woken me up!" Sakura stepped out of her sweatpants in a hurry not minding Hinata’s presence. "Naruto and Shikamaru upset?" she asked, motioning for Hinata to either come in or shut the door and stay outside.

Hinata decided the first option and stepped inside, closing the door behind her. "No, they wanted to you sleep in since you have worked so hard recently.” Hinata said with a smile. “But Sasuke said he's waiting in the kitchen for you.”

"Right, thanks."

Sakura finished changing a while later and made course for the restroom. She finished brushing her teeth, combing the knot out of her hair and jogged out the door when she heard Sasuke summoning her by name.

Recalling her conversation with Hinata, Sakura arrived in the kitchen devoid of the usual intoxicating smells of gourmet food.

I thought this was around the time that they started cooking for lunch? She thought to herself as she scanned around the room for any form of life.

At the far end of the kitchen, she spotted Sasuke who wore a bored look on his face. As she approached, Sasuke turned his eyes to Sakura with a glimmer of amusement, like a cat sizing up their prey. Sakura extended a hand, leaning against the island countertop across from the tall man.

"What." Sakura said flatly.

"Is that the only greeting you know? How about a, 'Hello master, good morning. I'm sorry for being so careless as to sleep in.'?" Sasuke mocked in a high pitched voice and fluttering his eyelashes.

"First of all, how about no. Second of all, I do not do that." Sakura’s defiance only adding fuel to the fire.

"Say it.” He demanded, “Remember the pictu-"

"Hello master, good morning. I'm sorry for being so careless as to sleep in." Sakura mouthed quickly.

"Good. Now, I called you in here to punish you." He kicked a bucket of soapy water from behind him into view.

“Tch, what’s new.” Her jade eyes rolled.

"Clean the floors with this." The man held up a packaged toothbrush and dropped it into the bucket with a plop. "Finish quickly, because you're also going to do all of the bathrooms in the house."

Sakura eyed the man, and then the bucket, then back up to the man. "You've got to be kidding me." She stood straight now.

"As you can see, the chefs aren't working right now- in here. I convinced them to barbeque some meats outside for everybody to share. That is, excluding you, since you'll be busy working. And, just to make sure you don't fall back asleep, I'll be supervising you."

Sakura stood rooted in the same spot, mouth agape and staring fiercely enough she figured she could burn a hole through him. Sasuke returned the gaze with a smug grin.

“Careful, you might catch a fly with your mouth hung open like that, sweetheart. If you're hungry, I suggest getting to work right now and you might make it for the leftover scraps.” He kicked the bucket which slid across the floor towards Sakura’s feet, meager waves of soapy water sloshing over the tin edge and onto the floor.

The maid looked down towards the bucket with resentment, not for the chore but for her master. Reluctantly, she neatly squatted next to the bucket, dipped the brush in suds, and began scrubbing the tiles.

After an excruciating hour on her knees, Sakura barely completed the first half of the kitchen. Not due to its large size, but the complaints that followed her work. The idol often thought she 'missed a spot' or ‘left a tile too brown.’ With every cynical word at his venomous lips, Sakura’s simmered in a silent rage, unwilling to expense her energy more than need be.

As she fingers worked, a chef skillfully held a tray sporting a variety of foods and set it gently down in front of the master. As the plump man took his leave, two words lingered in the air.

“Thank you.”

These common, yet uncommon words from Sasuke startled the man who backed out of the room slowly, as if he were expecting to be blindsided. Sakura lifted a brow curiously as her mind recalled a conversation she had with the other maids about how the idol never thanked anyone besides Naruto on occasion. A brief distraction from the pressure she felt in her pelvic region.

Slowly, Sakura got up from the floor with care, allowing her bones and muscles to adjust accordingly and started towards the nearest bathroom. Onyx eyes darted to her quickly.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m going to use the restroom.”

“No, not until you’re done.”

“No, I need to go-“

“Sure, but these pictures will be up on multiple sites by the time you return.”

Sasuke grabbed his glass of ice and sparkling water, slurping what remained obnoxiously through straw. A bead of sweat formed on her forehead, her thighs squeezing tightly.

"Sasuke, please let me go to the bathroom!" She pleaded.

Sasuke touched his finger to his chin as if in genuine thought. "Uh, how about no."

"I'll piss on your damn floor!"

"Go ahead, you can clean that too!”

Sakura bit her lip mumbling a curse when Naruto walked in.

"Sasuke, your mother just called in and said her business trip would be cutting short. She doesn't have an exact date- Oh, good to finally see you awake Sakura!" He said happily, and shot Sakura a quick grin before scowling at Sasuke. "You're horrible."

Sasuke ignored the insult. “She’s so annoying, I hate being around her. Can't you just send her away somewhere else for another couple of months?" Sasuke wiped his fingers clean with a towelette.

The words made Sakura freeze mid-scrub, appalled. She paused as Sasuke and Naruto continued on with their conversation.

“This again? Stop, she’s very kind. You just piss her off so much that it seems like she's mad all the time." Naruto spoke as if the idol were a broken record.

"I don't care. She should stop being such a bitch and maybe we could get along.”

What the hell did he just say?

Sakura threw the toothbrush with force against the wall between Sasuke and Naruto, causing it to break in half. The pinkette looked at Sasuke with daggers, producing goose bumps in the latter.

“What… did you just call your own mother?"

Sasuke remained quiet, a puzzled face crossed with shock from the sudden outburst. The question went unanswered as Sakura stood up from her squat and picked the bucket up from its handle, making her way toward Sasuke.

She stood in front of the man, looking up at him with a frown. Sakura dropped the bucket from her hip which tipped and spilled over Sasuke's shoes.

"What do you think you're doing-"

"You fucking listen here you ungrateful little shit!" The woman poked the center of Sasuke's chest backing Sasuke into the counter. ”Don’t you ever talk about your own mother like that!"

She inched closer to his face, her voice low, vehement, "How dare you, when she gave you a life without want or need! I bet you’d be nothing without her. You wouldn't be where you are today without her love and support."

"You're a fucking asshole." Sakura backpedaled toward a door leading to the foyer. Just as she pushed through, she hesitated, stopping half way. ”You know, you never know exactly what you have until it's gone.”

With tears threatening to belie her icy glare, Sakura disappeared from the kitchen.

Stunned, Sasuke’s breath hitched, a mix of confusion, guilt, and rage coursing through his body. He wasn’t going to let her have the last word; She knew nothing about his relationship with his mom and Sakura had no business sticking her nose into family business. She didn’t know the pain he went through. He had a right- he deserved- to be angry.

Sasuke stomped across the wet tiles and followed Sakura out the door, ruminating on the last words she spoke:

You never know exactly what you have, until it's gone.
_________

Sasuke shoved the door open forcefully, the wood making a cracking sound as it made impact with the wall on the other side. The man pounded through the halls in search of the pink-haired maid, each step a harbinger of rage and destruction to be unleashed.

Without a trace of her in sight, Sasuke stomped towards her living quarters, ears buzzing with the last words she spoke. Replaying the incident in his mind sent surges of irritation and adrenaline through his body, a red tint coloring his thoughts. The man’s jaws clenched, a familiar feeling of loneliness gripping his chest as he thought back to difficult times. He was loved by so many people -complete strangers, some on the other side of the world- yet he couldn’t shake the feeling of isolation. The feeling of a single spotlight in an empty arena, bright, searching to bring purpose. What did she know of that?

A grunt vibrated from his throat as the wall crumbled beneath his fist, leaving behind a shallow hole and bits of drywall piercing his skin.

When Sasuke reached her door it was shut. Thinking that she had to be in there, door locked, the idol pounded on the door demanding Sakura let him in. Sasuke pressed his ear up against the wood for any sign of movement behind the door.

Silence.

“I’m coming in anyway!" He gripped the knob of the door and propelled it forward. ”You stupid-“

His insult fell off, noticing the room empty.

Cautiously, he took a step in and scanned the room on defense, ready for an ambush that never came. If there was one thing his security team taught him was to stay vigilant, a man of his stature a common target for obsessed, delusional fans and jealous, malicious rivals. Sasuke glanced behind his back, behind the closet door, in the wardrobe, under the lumpy covers.

Safe.

But there was something partially hidden that caught Sasuke's eye. Easily overlooked as a treasure trove of knowledge: An iPod, pink and green case tucked haphazardly between the bed sheets and pillows.

Curiosity nipped at him as his temper cooled a degree. Sasuke tapped his long fingers against the mattress, considering his options. He could learn something of value about this mystery woman while he had a chance, maybe find some weaknesses he could further use to his benefit.

Okay, just quick look. He reasoned with himself.

With care, Sasuke shut the bedroom door as a precaution. Anxiety and excitement coursed through him, the thrill of being caught was a welcomed distraction from his earlier feelings. Sasuke's finger twitched as he unlocked the iPod, unguarded by a passcode.

Only a couple of games, music, tools, and a locked app.

A locked app? He smirked to himself. Locked apps meant secrets, and secrets were things that Sasuke admittedly couldn’t keep- On accident or on purpose. Now, the problem was dealing with the passcode.

Randomly, he tapped a few numbers in hope that a sheer miracle would manifest but was met with an error message. He considered using Sakura’s birthday, a common code combination, but he didn't know her birthday in the first place. A few more tries with popular holiday dates and Sasuke had one more chance before being locked out for an hour- An hour where Sakura would inevitably make her return and his chance lost.

The man ran his fingers through his dark locks which fell back into place, a sigh escaping his parted lips. He thought it was worth a try.

He typed in his own birthday, feeling more doubtful than having a winning lottery ticket. A half a second passed and to Sasuke's surprise, the code was accepted. The man's eyes widened at the hundreds of files that he found confined inside that app.

Files of him. Pictures from photo shoots, to fancam videos of him during live performances, to edits, even amateur edits Sakura made herself.

Sasuke snickered as he scrolled through the collection, a noise between amusement and satisfaction. A wide grin split his lips.

So she does know about me, she’s such a liar!

He thought back to the moment he took off his sunglasses and stared into the woman’s jade eyes and the fleeting recognition it belied despite her opposing words. Her eyes sparkled in that moment, a trick of the sun, perhaps, Sasuke couldn’t say, but he couldn’t ignore how they danced lively in his own dark ones.

Sasuke’s mind wandered back to the task at hand and made his way to the woman’s music app. To his convenience, a list of his songs loaded on the screen, producing an approving hum.

He locked the iPod and placed it on the bed where he found it. Lazily, his eyes dragged over different parts of the room. He noticed a stack of classical music CDs with a picture of a beautiful young lady propped up against it.

Carefully, Sasuke held the old and beaten photo paper between his fingers, noticing the rips and tears and folds damaging its integrity. The woman in the photo smiled gently, her brown eyes slightly crinkled at the corners. She stood in the photo with hands on her hips, her stance strong and blonde hair parted into two ponytails trailing behind her. Mentally, he compared this woman with Sakura’s physical features and wondered who they were in relation to one another as he put the photo down.

The last place Sasuke checked was the closet. Of course, nothing seemed out of the ordinary at first with coats and other belongings hung up neatly. That was, until he noticed an unmarked box at the end of the closet partially hidden. Sasuke bent down and summoned the box with ease after pushing other things aside.

With no time to waste, his heart began thumping in his chest again. A somatic realization and reminder that he had been in there for way too long now. Hurriedly, he flipped up the sides of the container and smoothed them down to find exactly what he expected.

The cardboard box contained various objects of shapes and sizes and Sasuke recognized every one. Light sticks, banners, photo books, folded posters, buttons, and the expensive deluxe versions of all his albums. While Sasuke expected to find these items, the quality and quantities of the items shocked him. He thought as he examined each trinket closely before moving on, considering how much this would have costed in total, his brow lowering in a concentrated attempt to add an approximate amount in his head.

His fingers drifted towards his third album and nodded approvingly at the way he looked on the front cover. He opened the album expecting to find the photo book, but instead a tiny slip of paper fell out.

"Hm?" His throat sounded. Sasuke unfolded the half sheet of binder paper and read the small, faint print:

Again, Sasuke-kun never fails to disappoint me with his beautiful lyrics.
I camped out for the first time for this album, knowing that it would be worth it.

This man is what keeps me alive.

-Sakura

She camped out just to buy my album? But this album released in January, it was snowing…

He fished blindly for the previous album before that. There was another note, a review of praise to Sasuke’s genius yet again, the album before that proving the same.

Sasuke searched for his first breakout album, eagerly awaiting more compliments and blackmail fuel. This time, the paper attached to the album was worn like the picture of the woman, the hand writing was shaky, almost indiscernible.

I bought this album because it gives me the little bit of sanity I need to continue on living this life.

How is it even possible for somebody as young as Uchiha Sasuke, to deliver such strong emotion into words I have to search up in a dictionary?

It’s magic, listening to him. He's been the only hope of keeping me alive, ever since the day I nearly ended it all.

I wonder if he knows that he just saved a person's life.

I wonder if he really cares, like he says he does in his lyrics.

If only mom were still around, I wouldn't be so irritatingly attached to this guy. I wouldn't be devoting my time and money for a famous man who doesn't even know who I am. Doesn't even know that I exist.

As long as he continues to inspire me through his art, I think I have a chance.

Uchiha Sasuke, you're my hero.

The note trembled in the idols hands. She was fourteen years old when she wrote that. She was fourteen years old when she wrote her suicide note which lay beside Sasuke’s knees, an untouched piece of Sakura’s history, afraid of defiling something so pure with eyes not meant to read it. Written documentation of her pain and suffering.

Sasuke’s heart ached in solidarity with the woman’s affliction, thinking back to the times he was inspired to write these songs from his own experiences and hoping they would be received by people who needed support.

His conscience was silent as he packed up the items and returned them to its original places.

Sasuke’s hands dangled loosely to his side having lost all fervor conjured just twenty minutes prior, replaced by regret, somber longing. Not long ago his motives were clear and now, murky ambivalence. He was disgusting, impure, and to be frank, an asshole. He was reminded of times he he had wronged others with a snide remark, a scorned referral, sabotage, and the easily forgotten humanity of each person.

Sasuke’s palm and fingers were glued to the doorknob, feeling a pull to do something before he left the room, but he didn't know exactly what. He couldn't just go up to Sakura and pity her. "Sakura I went through your things and I'm so sorry about what you've been through."

He needed to start out small.

Releasing the metal knob, Sasuke walked back over to the desk with a slight smile at the woman. Again, he gently grasped her between his fingers and turned her over to examine the blank side of the photo. In the bottom right corner, was the name Tsunade Senju-Haruno.

"You're coming with me." His smile sorrowful.

Following the creases in the paper, Sasuke folded the young woman into his pocket and left the room as it was.

When he exited, a maintenance man was already having a look at the hole Sasuke punched earlier. To his right was Naruto who was jotting down notes on his clipboard. Naruto took a double take when he realized Sasuke emerged from Sakura's room and immediately his voice lined with irritation.

"Uchiha Sasuke! You really went too far this time!" He yelled, startling the other worker in the process. He whispered an apology and watched as Sasuke passed by cooly.

“Maybe so, but I have a job for you, Naruto.” Sasuke grabbed hold of his friend’s bicep, pulling him towards Naruto’s office.

"Oh, what is it?" He asked excitedly.

"I need you to search up the history of Tsunade Senju-Haruno, and go to the store to buy me something."

_________

It seemed an eternity laying there in the grassy fields looking up at the clouds lazily floating by. Sakura cried and wiped her tears and cried again until the surrounding skin puffed and stung beneath her touch. With a sniff of her nose, Sakura sat up allowing herself the luxury of rolling a stem of a flower between her fingertips. Taking her time, Sakura propped herself up on her elbows, then to her hands, watching the fields below her dance and wave in one way or the other. It was insane how large their front yard was, but it doesn’t begin to compare to the backyard.

She gazed up towards the sky once more and began her trek back to the estate. Sakura frowned as Sasuke's words, echoed in her ears and she finally registered, she accepted, that the man she idolized, was a fraud. He never existed, the name and face only representing a shadow of who he really was. Sakura was a fool, she knew now.

It made sense, all the praise Sasuke received from movie critics, since he was so good at building and remaining in character. It made sense, everything he has said, done and will do, on and off camera.

What else is there for her to do except exterminate the admiration she once had?

"Uchiha Sasuke," Sakura muttered as he approached the mansion "from now on, you are nothing to me."