Song of a Cherry Blossom
by Diana-san

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Summary: Sakura takes a job as a local club singer under the alias name Saki. But things begin to get complicated when the guy you hate starts to fall in love with your other self. Especially if that guy is Uchiha Sasuke.

Chapter 1

Haruno Sakura hummed as she combed through her tangled pink hair with her slender fingers. She stared at her reflection in the mirror as she placed her hands down on her lap. Tsunade, who was Sakura's make-up artist among several other identities, had just finished applying all the necessary make-up on the cherry blossom's face. Sakura brought one finger up to her lips and examined the rosy color of the lip gloss on her lips. The description on the tube of lip gloss had read that it would any pair of lips look soft and luscious.

Sakura sighed. Somehow it did not apply to her lips. I wish they didn't have to force me to wear make-up. I look like some cheap imitation of a plastic Barbie.

A knock came at the door and Sakura turned her head abruptly. The door opened and a head stuck in. A devilish smile played at the man's lips but disappointment appeared when he saw that the person he was hoping to be in there wasn't in the room.

Sakura tried to stifle a giggle when she saw the white-haired man's smile turn into a frown of disappointment. "Sorry, Jiraiya-sama. Tsunade-sama left awhile ago."

The white-haired man laughed nervously when he saw that his intentions were found out. "Tsunade? I wasn't looking for her," he proclaimed.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Then what are you doing here?"

"Well, you're going to be on stage in a few minutes so you better get ready," Jiraiya explained.

"Alright," Sakura responded monotonously. Jiraiya took another glance around the room before disappearing behind the door.

Sakura picked up the honey blonde wig lying on top of the vanity table in front of her. She placed it carefully on her head and made sure that any signs of pink hair were tucked hidden behind the blonde curls. The blonde wig came down to below the chest whereas her pink hair went only to just past her shoulders. She played with her bangs as she strategically styled it to cover her forehead. Sakura was always self-conscious of that part of her face since it appeared giant at any angle that she looked at it.

She stared into the reflection in the mirror again. It was shocking to see how much her look has changed from just the mere switch of her hair color. She chuckled quietly. "This still surprises me even though I have been doing this for three weeks," she mused to herself.

Sakura thought back to when she first came to this place. It was a popular night club where many high school and college students come to get away from the stress of school. When she first walked by, the 'Help Wanted' sign had caught her eye. Ever since the death of her parents a few months ago, Sakura had been on her own. She had to sell the house in order to move into a smaller but more affordable apartment. However, she had to transfer out of her school since it was too far away to commute to every morning.

After applying to several schools and getting rejected since she had missed out on a whole trimester, she began to lose hope. That was until one day, she received an acceptance letter to Konoha Academy offering her a full music scholarship. Konoha Academy was a prestigious high school that she didn't even consider until it was her last and only choice. Despite its reputation for elite high school kids, she couldn't pass up on the scholarship that would guarantee her expensive tuition fees to be paid in full. It was hard to fathom how an elite private school decided to choose her, a girl with no money or status, but she wouldn't be one to argue.

Sakura still needed to find a job to help pay for cost of rent and food. She had a part-time job as a waitress at a small diner but the pay wasn't enough. Not to mention that the tips were lousy and the staff was mediocre. But she couldn't say it was all bad since it was what led her to find out about the club Icha Icha. Or rather, it was Jiraiya who had found her.

She was closing up the diner that night and decided to play the jukebox machine since she was alone that evening. While belting out the latest hits of the 90's, she didn't realize that Jiraiya was passed out asleep in the back booth. Somehow, one thing led to another and she ended up with a frightened shock and a business card directing her to Icha Icha. She immediately found work as a part-time singer at the club and the pay was able to cover her monthly rent. After finding out her situation, Tsunade also hired her as a part-time waitress to cover the rest of her expenses for food and bills.

Sakura sank back into the plush velvet of her chair. Everyone who worked at the club had been really nice to her and they felt like her family. It was nice to have that feeling again. She was still trying to cope with the loss of her parents. But she was grateful for the support she got from everyone at work. Even though Jiraiya was always gazing love-struck at the college woman, there was always Tsunade who kept Jiraiya in check. Then there was Morino Idate, a year older than Sakura, and a bartender at the club. He was always joking around with Sakura and they had nice chats after each performance.

A knock came at the door again and Sakura whirled around to see who it was. A head poked in and a young woman's head appeared. Mitarashi Anko motioned to her that it was time and Sakura nodded. The dark violet head went back behind the door and the door shut itself.

Sakura picked up the sunglasses on top of the table and placed it on. Then she walked out of the small dressing room and walked a short way until she was at the steps of the stage. The curtains that were drawn back shielded her from the view of the audience. From her position, she could clearly see a glimpse of the dance floor in front of the stage as she peered around the curtains.

Music was playing loudly as a crowd of young teenagers were dancing the night away. She smiled. Of course. It is a Friday after all.

She sighed. She wasn't nervous to be on stage but she was getting jitters since she was starting at a new school next week. Especially since she was going to be starting the second semester in a class that was already well-acquainted with each other. She peeked out of the curtains again to look at the students who were probably second or third years in high school. I wonder if any of them are going to be my new classmates.

The music started to die down and some of the weary dancers went to sit down. Jiraiya walked out from the other side of the stage and walked up to the microphone which was placed in the center. Jiraiya started to speak a few words before starting to introduce Sakura.

After a moment, Jiraiya extended his arm out and gestured towards the left side of the stage where Sakura stood behind the curtains. "And now, the moment you have all been waiting for. The lovely voice talents of Miss Saki accompanied by her band."

Applause sounded from the audience as Sakura smiled. Saki was the stage name that Jiraiya devised for her since Sakura didn't want to use her real name. The pink-headed girl who was now a blonde stepped out into the spotlight. The applause grew as she walked up to the microphone. Even though she wasn't a famous singer or anything, she was the most popular act at the club and most people came to hear her sing. She looked at the band and nodded at them. The drummer raised his drum sticks and started the beat. Music began to flow as the lights dimmed to a blue glow.

Sakura had only known the band for a short period of time, but she felt like she knew them forever as they bonded over the late nights practicing and early morning rehearsals. The band consisted of three members with Dosu Kinuta on bass, Kin Tsuchi on guitar, and Zaku Abumi on drums.

As the opening music played, the spotlight shone onto the center of the stage where Sakura stood. With confidence, she grabbed onto the microphone in front of her and stared out into the audience. A smile danced across her face as she opened her mouth and allowed the words of the song to flow through her. She never felt more at home than she was right now on that stage.

She proceeded to take the microphone out from its holder and stepped back as the chorus came on. The crowd began to get livelier and was dancing to the beat of the song while waving their hands in the air. Sakura smiled as she sang. She had found her new home.

Uchiha Sasuke leaned back against the plush leather of the couch he was sitting on. He was at the local nightclub, Icha Icha, since his girlfriend for this week had dragged him here rambling on about how the singer there was really talented. He was disenchanted by the interior design of the club and lamented on how unrefined the whole place was. It certainly was a step down from the usual clubs he frequented. He was shocked, however, at the enthusiasm of the club when the singer came onto the stage. It was something he never witnessed before since most clubs he been to didn't have any decent acts. Or maybe he just held higher standards.

He was enthralled by her presence. She looked plain enough on the outside but had a certain charm about her that he couldn't pinpoint exactly. Her voice was smooth and enchanting and he felt as if she was pulling him. It was bit irritating to know that a girl he had never met had already captured his attention before he could capture hers.

Sasuke observed the young woman's dress. It was a simple floral print dress and it was worn over a pair of faded jeans. The spaghetti straps of the dress showed the slender woman's smooth porcelain white skin. He couldn't see her face clearly since it was hidden behind a pair of sunglasses but there was an aura of radiance that emitted from her stage presence.

His attention was broken off when his girlfriend, Yamanaka Ino, started to cling onto his arm. "Isn't this club the best?" Ino squealed. Sasuke rolled his eyes at Ino's dramatic behavior. She was just like the rest of the girls he dated. Clingy and manipulative. He sighed. Since his freshman year of high school, every girl there seemed to have a crush on him. He couldn't walk down the hallways without having at least one girl blushing in his presence or giving him a confession. Now that he was entering his second year of high school next week, he expected to find hoards of freshmen girls after him. He smiled smugly when he thought about that.

Sasuke sighed happily. He had a wonderful life growing up. After all, he is the son of a multi-billionaire father and was the only heir to the business since his elder brother had decided to give it all up to marry a girl that their parents gave full disapproval for.

Ino tugged on the sleeve of Sasuke's navy blue shirt and brought Sasuke back to attention. Their drinks had arrived and the waiter placed down a tray with four drinks stacked on the tray. He placed each drink in front of each person. Sasuke glanced over at the other two who Ino had invited. One was Hyuuga Neji who also came from a rich family. He was the only heir to the fortunes of the Hyuuga family and even though Sasuke was friends with Neji, they were also rivals since they competed against each other in everything that was possible to compete in. Seated next to him was his girlfriend, Tenten, who had chocolate-colored hair held up in two buns on top of her head. The attractive brunette snuggled close against Neji and sipped at her drink.

Sasuke looked down at his own girlfriend who had her head against his arm. Ino's long blonde hair was held up in a single ponytail and a loose strand of hair hung over one eye. She was slowly sipping her drink and Sasuke reached over to get his drink off the table. He brushed back his dark locks which covered over his eyes.

The song that the girl on stage was singing had begun to end and as the music died down, the crowd standing in the front began to applaud and shouted for an encore. The white-headed man who owned the nightclub came out onto the stage and whispered something into the singer's ear. Sasuke watched in amusement to see what the girl would do next. He saw her give a nod and then proceeded to give the band a sign indicating which song she was going to sing. The band responded by beginning to play. The blonde girl began to sing and once again, her beautiful voice rang out. The crowd cheered and some people got up from the tables to go over to the dance floor.

"That girl sure is good, isn't she?" Tenten remarked. Neji nodded in agreement as he set his drink down.

"I bet she's going to make it big one day. Her voice is just begging to get discovered," Ino exclaimed.

Neji folded his arms. "Music industry is a tough business to crack into. She needs to have some tenacity to break through."

Tenten laughed as she playfully punched Neji's arms. "Stop being such a downer. I would buy her CD if she ever does release anything."

Ino sighed blissfully and snuggled up against Sasuke. "I wish I was a celebrity."

Sasuke laughed. "So you want to be a star?"

Ino looked up at Sasuke with a gleam in her eyes. "Wouldn't you? I mean, it's every girl's dream to become a famous star."

Tenten retorted, "Not every girl. I don't want to be a famous star. It's too much stress."

Ino stuck her tongue out at Tenten playfully. "Of course you wouldn't. You rather much be doing stuff like running around and getting sweaty." Ino wrinkled her nose in disgust at the thought of getting sweaty.

Tenten stuck her tongue back out at Ino. "What's wrong with getting sweaty?"

Neji chuckled. "Of course, Tenten's the kind of girl who doesn't mind rolling around in mud."

Tenten laughed and leaned against Neji's arm. Ino sighed in despair. "Sometimes I don't understand you people."

The brunette rolled her eyes. "If you ask me, I don't understand you Ino. Always obsessed with fashion magazines and spending your whole day at the mall."

Neji and Sasuke exchanged looks. Sasuke smirked as he couldn't agree anymore with Tenten's words. Something about girls that they never could fathom to understand. But he held his tongue as Ino scowled at Tenten before sipping at her drink.

They remained silent for quite some time as they listened to the soulful voice of the girl on stage. Sasuke stared intently at the singer's face and tried to picture what she really looked like without the sunglasses. When he couldn't, he sighed and sank against the leathery couch.

The song ended and the crowd applauded and shouted for more but the girl declined and took a bow before walking offstage. The honey-blonde head disappeared behind the curtains as music was heard playing over the sound system.

Ino muttered something about trying to get an autograph but Sasuke was too deep in thought to hear anymore. I wonder if I can see her again.

Sasuke gazed up at the ceiling. "Say, Ino. What was the girl's name?" he asked.

The blonde looked up at Sasuke with her blue eyes. "You mean the singer?"

The raven-headed man nodded. "I think the old guy said it was Saki," Ino responded.

"Saki," Sasuke whispered as he let the two-syllable name roll off his tongue.

Ino looked up at him. "Did you say something Sasuke-kun?" she purred.

The raven-haired man shook his head and went to pick up his drink. He placed the edge of the tall glass at his lips and stared at the now empty stage.

The stage was a desolated place until you came and lit it up with your smile and charisma.

Sasuke smiled as he took a swig of his drink. Miss Saki. I hope we can meet again one day.