Spotlight

“What? Congratulations, Sak!” Ino blurted in the middle of the stationary store causing heads to turn, curious glances their way. Sakura motioned with her hand for Ino to lower her voice and sheepishly apologized to the patrons in her vicinity. The two of them were out running errands and stopped by the stationary store for school supplies on their way back from registering classes on campus. The school year was fast approaching and while Sakura wasn’t always a fan of school, she couldn’t wish for it to come sooner.

Ino clicked her tongue and took her cue to quiet. “Your mom would be so proud of you.” Her voice, while soft, was fervent with pride, as she reached for Sakura’s hand to give it a squeeze. Sakura smiled as she gave it a squeeze back without meeting Ino’s gaze, afraid it would trigger a waterfall of tears- happy ones at least.

As they wandered around the store picking up and putting down planners, pens, highlighters and other items, Sakura detailed her role, contract, and expectations in a low voice as Ino battered her with questions along the way. Yes, she would still be attending school. No, she did not have to pay for it. Yes, she would be choreographing Sasuke’s comeback and hopefully part of his upcoming tour (which is information not yet released to the public). Yes, she would get her free tickets if she can.

Sakura could typically keep up with Ino's chattiness but her friend must have been holding back all this time because, wow, was she exhausted trying to keep up. By God's grace, her questioning stopped as they paid at the register, a careful move just in case someone would hear. As they left the store and got into Ino’s car, the questioning continued.

“How does Sasuke feel? I’m sure he’s as ecstatic for you as I am!”

At the mention of his name, Sakura was reminded of his reaction:

—

“She did what?” Sasuke spun around to meet Sakura’s gaze, eyes glimmering with a sheen of wonder. She nodded excitedly until she noticed the tightness in his jaw and noticeably deflated. Hurriedly, he took her into his arms and kissed her on the crown of her head. “I mean-Sakura, I’m so happy for you,” he paused for another kiss, “This is what you’ve wanted!”

She pulled away just enough to look up at him, unconvinced. “But?”

“No ‘buts.’ You deserve this.” He breathed, “It’s just so like her to work as soon as she gets home.”

Sakura could feel the contempt in every syllable he uttered, her chest building with shame despite being an unknowing participant in perpetuating his mother's habits.

His fingers brushed her hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear gingerly as if he could feel her concern from where their chests touched. She had nothing to do with his feelings for his mother and it was unfair to make her feel how he did, even by pure accident. The tensing in his jaw dissipated as fast as it appeared and revealed something more complicated. Sakura thought it to be simple, but underneath there was hurt and loneliness as he pulled away from her.

She was quiet for a moment, watching his back as he made towards the couch while the curiosity bubbled in the back of her throat until she couldn’t contain it. “Why do you resent her?”

She realized this came out crass but it was too late to take it back. Even if she could, she decided she wouldn’t.

He gave a sidelong glance at Sakura and exhaled as he leaned defeatedly against the couch frame and crossed his arms, his hesitancy deriving from an insecurity of speaking his emotions aloud. Growing up, it was never normal to express feelings about his family to anyone, even his closest friends. Speaking it almost made it feel real, and real meant he couldn’t hide from it any longer. “She’s always been like this. A workaholic, I mean. Even after her husband and first born son’s death, that was all she did.”

Sakura studied how his inky black eyes seemed to glaze over, hazy and empty, as if he were reliving the very moment he found out and the difficult months of grief afterward. She made her way to his side and leaned against him gently, just enough to remind him of her presence.

“After it happened I saw less and less of her. She was always in that goddamned room- my brother’s room- now turned office.” He let out a brittle laugh and shook his head disapprovingly. “She was never there for me, Sakura. My world was torn apart and she never bothered to help me put it together, never bothered to ask if I was okay,” Sasuke’s voice wavered and trailed off into nothing. Sakura nestled deeper into his side and he wrapped his arm around her as naturally as he breathed air. “The only escape I had was to write songs. It was good for her company, but she cares more about that than she does me. We barely spoke a word and the first thing she does is crack a business deal.”

They sat in silence while Sakura considered what to say. In the end, she settled with a quiet, “I understand,” and held him closer.

Of course he resented her; She never provided him the support he needed when he lost half his family. Sasuke was just a kid. He needed his mother and she wasn’t there to rub his back until he cried himself to sleep at night or tell him to be strong when his resilience wavered. It makes sense how he acted. His tyranny was the only way he could feel in control of the things around him and get the attention he wanted, regardless of it being negative. She admitted it was wrong of her to assume Sasuke had no good reason for his hatred. And while the pieces began to fit, there was always more to consider.

Mikoto lost too.

Sakura shifted and positioned herself in front of Sasuke, holding his warm hands in hers, wondering if what she was about to say would be crossing a very thin line.

—

“Ah, I see. And does she… know about you two?”

“That’s actually where Sasuke is right now."

_____

Uchiha Mikoto breathed in the sweet, smokey air of marinated skewers cooking on a wire rack above a hot charcoal pit at the center of their table, her son sitting across from her visibly uncomfortable. They were tucked into the darkest corner of the restaurant with Sasuke wearing a baseball cap in an attempt to conceal his identity. As the fat of the meat skewers sizzled and popped, Mikoto’s index finger tapped the table slowly, a habit to prevent herself from reaching for her work phone. Not to necessarily to work, but to at least put a screen between herself and her brooding son who had surprisingly asked her out to lunch.

“So,” she started, breaking the silence. “Is this a date or a business lunch?”

“Everything is business with you, mother.” Initially, the edge in his voice stung like alcohol on a wound, but he reminded himself that wasn’t what he was there for. “But I guess this can be both.” He finished. Nearly all wounds needed a bandaid and this was one he needed to patch up.

Mikoto hid her shock at her son’s subtle softening behind a smile and sip of her teacup. She kept tabs on things at home and was well aware of what was going on, but to see it first hand was refreshing.

The intensity between them began slowly melting away the icy permafrost of their relationship as the two of them discussed random things between mouthfuls of chicken, beef and char-roasted vegetables. There were many more layers to excavate before truly leaning into the development of their relationship, but this was a start, Sasuke thought.

He caught himself smirking in amusement at a story his mother told and heard Sakura’s voice in his head telling him to embrace it, and gain perspective from it. His whole reason for being here, with his mom, was to do just that. Sakura gave him that perspective, reminding him that not only did he lose his family, but so did his mother. It was hard for him to imagine how it must have been for her, and maybe one day he could gather the courage to ask her about it. But for now, he was content with the concept of reintroducing himself as a son.

And with that, came the secondary responsibility of carrying the weight of his other identity: an idol. There was ulterior motive for this lunch today.

In the comfortable silence between transitioning topics, Sasuke reached for his miso soup and sipped it from the edge of the bowl before clearing his throat.

Mikoto met his eyes and momentarily, he thought he was looking in a mirror.

“I already know, Sasuke.” She declared before he spoke.

The man coughed into his sleeve erratically, obviously thrown off by his mother’s omnipotence. Mikoto only chuckled and pushed his water glass closer to him which he accepted graciously.

“About me and Sakura?”

She only nodded and flipped over the last skewer causing the charcoal beneath to hiss. “You really think I don’t keep tabs on things? For as long as I’m gone? Please!” She laughed.

She definitely was not as out of touch as Sasuke thought her to be, which could be a good sign, given she hasn’t intervened. He was reluctant to ask, partly because he had a predetermined answer in his mind, already preparing for the worst.

“So?” He paused, clearly wanting her thoughts on his relationship but leaving it open-ended to broach from multiple angles. Sasuke’s fists were clenched atop his lap now, bracing himself for the impact of the scenario he made up in his head and ready to defend his relationship with a list of reasons why stardom shouldn’t get in the way of his happiness.

Mikoto’s dark eyes did well not to betray her fluttering heart for her son’s involvement with Sakura. “I love her!” She exclaimed with marked enthusiasm. “You two are so cute, you don’t know how long I have been waiting to meet her!”

What the hell? Sasuke was dumbfounded but didn’t let that prevent him from breathing a long sigh of relief. “Do I even need to ask?”

“I told you, I keep tabs on things.” He raised an eyebrow at her, prompting her to reveal her sources. “Naruto and Shikamaru always keep me well informed.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes yet silently thanked them for making this talk easier than expected. However, he definitely would have appreciated a bit of, oh, maybe a heads-up. That would have been nice.

“But Sasuke,” Mikoto shifted in her seat to a more upright position, her tone sobering the lightheartedness of their conversation. “It’s important to keep this under wraps-” She could feel her son shifting on the defensive but before he could object, she continued. “-For now. Listen to me; This is not me making a business decision, this is me speaking as your mother. You of all people know how harsh people can be. I already warned Sakura of the collateral damage she might receive just by being near you as your female choreographer, but just imagine what could happen if you went public.”

Sasuke leaned back against the booth crossing his arms and considered it thoughtfully. Tabloids were ruthless and fans (or anti-fans) on the internet, were even more so. If there were one evil body he would want to protect her from forever, it would be the public eye. It broke him down too many times. He thought of Sakura, her history and what that could do to her now, despite being a grown young woman with years under her belt. Time doesn’t always heal everything and there was no way he could diminish her resilience to a man-made, relative concept, but he still feared for her no matter how strong she was.

Mikoto reached across the table offering her hand to Sasuke who eyed it for a moment before placing his in hers. “All I’m saying is be careful.”

______

And they were.

Sasuke reported back to Sakura with the success of his conversation and laid everything out plainly. Of course, she was giddy at the results and made sure to shower Sasuke with kisses in between saying how proud she was of him. He further explained his mother’s thought process behind their hidden relationship which he told her only what she needed to know and kept his own reservations to himself. As expected, Sakura understood the consequences of publicity on their relationship and agreed on the matter, creating their own plan and terms on the matter. In short, this meant figuring out how to keep their hands off each other- Easier said than done.

They agreed once school started it was easiest to keep their distance despite having every single class together, keeping their interactions acquaintance friendly. Home would be their respite, the place they can allow the facade to drop. Home, where they didn’t have to worry about looking at each other for a beat too long or standing too close or speaking too animatedly to one another.

It was easy to agree to in the moment, but after giving it thought, Sakura became uneasy. She was positive girls would flock to Sasuke, fluttering their lashes and standing just close enough to graze his arm, or maybe bring him a coffee and snacks to fuel him through the day. Sasuke has always been grateful and respectful toward his fans so it was in his nature to accept wholeheartedly. Just the thought of other girls flirting with him burnt a hole through her core and she knew all she could do was watch. They were just acquaintances, after all.

Sakura rolled her neck in a circular motion while simultaneously releasing a long, drawn out breath. The knotted tension she kept in her shoulders and neck subsided slowly as she pushed the negative thoughts out of her head along with the force of her breath. She told herself there was no point getting worked up over her imagination, and there were bigger, urgent items on her agenda. Sakura stretched her arms high above her head, feeling a deep relief in the sides of her ribcage and allowing her eyes to shut in response.

Ever since signing, Mrs. Uchiha has banned Sakura from her typical maid duties, inevitably firing her from her previous job. Sakura has learned Mrs. Uchiha doesn’t prefer the term “fire” but rather “shifting focus” on a different path, laughable opposite from how Sasuke used to run things. Once she “shifted focus” to her new position, Sakura was in the company’s studio full-time meeting other choreographers and interviewing them, hoping to gain knowledge and insight as she settled in and maybe along the way gather inspiration for her current project. When she told them, the other choreographers empathized with and reassured her she would do just fine. All first major projects seemed insurmountable at first, they said, but if only they knew the added pressure of receiving a direct order from the CEO to choreograph her boyfriend’s comeback for the first time ever, maybe they would agree that, yes, this was too tall of an order.

It was this which kept Sakura, now, in the mansion practice room late at night tying together movements and orchestrating sequences by herself with only a half-baked demo to work with. And somehow, regardless of the unfinished track, it felt much easier creating movement than it did learning and implementing it. There was something much more intimate about this process and how she danced complementary to her boyfriend’s raw, unedited vocals.

After a quick shower, she cozied up next to Sasuke in his bed.

It could’ve been a dream the way everything wove together so perfectly. The dream job, dream man- Not a single stitch out of place in the fabric of fate unfurling like a blanket across Sakura’s lap. The only thing that proved it not so was when Sasuke shifted slightly in the middle of the night, waking her and coming to the realization she was not in her own bed so late at night. They must have fallen asleep. Carefully, she removed herself from the bed only to be caught by the wrist and a raspy voice in the darkness begging, “stay." Their nightly routine. And every time she wished she could, but respecting Mrs. Uchiha’s only house rule for them took precedent as she quietly slipped through his doors in transit to her own bed.

Mrs. Uchiha insisted this rule was implemented only to be fair and consistent with other couples in the mansion whom were not allowed to share a room at night, but the mischievous wink she snuck in afterward said she would prefer her idol and new choreographer to stay rested through the night. The problem with this rule, though, was how it did the complete opposite.

The curve of Sakura’s body fit his side so perfectly she was like an extension of him. She made him feel safe, allowing for a deeper sleep and when she left, her side of the bed growing cold with each second passing, he couldn't fall back asleep. Oftentimes, he would get up at night and work until his eyes shut.

Tonight was the same old song.

After Sakura left, Sasuke tossed around waiting for sleep to carry him away even when he knew it was futile. When it never came, he swung his legs over the side of his bed and lit his bedside table lamp. Since sleep wasn’t an option, he might as well be productive.

Sasuke sauntered through the dimly lit room and plopped down at his desk, opening an application meant for song mixing. His eyes flashed toward the time on his desktop which read 4:00am and he groaned internally. As he waited for his file to open, he felt around on his desk for a pen to take notes when he noticed his camera sitting on the corner of his table collecting literal dust. Sasuke felt compelled to grab the camera and haphazardly wipe away a layer of dust from the screen. When was the last time his room was dusted? He made a mental note to add it to the top of Shikamaru’s assignments tomorrow.

The idol leaned back in his chair with his attention set on his camera rather than work. The small digital window displayed rows and rows of smaller photos in chronological order of the date they were taken. As he scrolled through, he recognized photos he took while traveling on tour, reminiscing on the feeling of performing a sold out show and the amazing food he tried in his limited free time. Abruptly, the photos went from photos of food to something else he wanted to sink his teeth into.

Sasuke bit his lip as his blood suddenly rushed to his member, leaving him lightheaded. Sakura had just stumbled back against the couch in the dressing room on account of her extra high heels with one leg just high enough in the air to expose a bit of her black panties hidden beneath the short hem of her dress. Although candidly taken, Sakura’s expression was surprisingly sultry, sending a tingly surge directly to the tip of his dick. He palmed his hardened member as he scrolled through the photos once meant for blackmail, now used for his pleasure. It was shameful how these pictures came to be and what he was about to do, but he promised himself he would delete them after he was done.

The next morning, Sasuke awoke in his bed drowsy and faintly confused. Naruto was knocking at his door, urging him to get ready as soon as possible for the day’s packed schedule. Reluctantly, he did as he was told. On his way out the door, Shikamaru caught his eye.

“Shikamaru! Can you get someone to clean my room today? It looks like it hasn’t been done in ages.”

Shikamaru grinned, “That’s because Sakura used to be assigned to it. Don’t worry, Karin will take care of it.”