SasuHina: Beyond The Camera

Chapter 72

-Hinata's POV-

By the end of the week, Sasuke and I didn't manage to do it, and it was all my fault. So, that put a damper on my mood when Prestige, Akatsuki, and one of Evolution's assistants loaded up on a tour bus and hit the road.

The agency's logo was on either side of the large white bus, but our group names were not. That's probably for the best because if it was advertised that two of the music industry's most popular idol groups were aboard, it might cause an uproar during pitstops or even on the road.

Tenten, who had initially planned to join us as our mentor for the length of the tour, overbooked herself and couldn't. However, she promised to be at the final show, which would naturally be held in Konoha.

Sasuke, who was acting weird, likely because of me, said we should just wait until the tour's finished to sleep together so we're not distracted from our work. When he said that, I could've slapped myself. It was me who brought up the idea of having sex, and now things are awkward because I'm too self-conscious that he thinks I'm fat and ugly.

It makes no sense for me to feel that way because he's never made me feel unwanted. In fact, the longer we date, the more he openly lets it show that he appreciates my appearance. What makes it worse is that I can't bring myself to talk to him, or anybody, about what's bothering me.

I was a fool for looking at those photos. I know myself well enough that I should've closed the app the moment I saw the tags for the post. So, I decided to take Sasuke's advice and put it on the back burner until the tour ends. Our fans deserve our best, and I won't be able to offer that if my mind's preoccupied with social media.

My initial thought was that the tour bus would be cramped and uncomfortable, but actually, it was rather cozy. Only four beds were built bunk-style into the walls, so we all must take turns or share. Since the agency's assistant is friends with Sakura, she agreed to keep her relationship with Gaara a secret so the two can sleep together at night. That, and the fact that Akatsuki already knew about them, meant there wasn't much to worry about.

It also put the rest of us in a tough spot, though, because Kakashi had expected the girls to pair up and the guys to pair up, hence only providing four beds. Since Sakura and Gaara were together, Sasuke and I had to pretend to hate the idea of sharing, despite secretly enjoying it.

Yahiko and Deidara ended up pairing because Kisame's a big guy who snores loudly. Apparently, he's also a cuddler, and neither wanted to suffocate in their sleep.

Our first performance was at Kumogakure, or Kumo for short. The city was large and surrounded by mountains. The area was notorious for almost constant thunderstorms. The night of the concert, it began raining shortly after the show started. I thought it'd be scary, but instead, it was exhilarating. The wind had whipped my hair around, and the water kept me cool throughout the night.

Our tour's opening night was an overwhelming success, to all our relief.

We stayed in a hotel that night but quickly got on the road the following day so we wouldn't hinder our tight schedule. Next up is Kirigakure, or Kiri. We'll have three performances, one a night for three days. Since the city is surrounded by water, we're driving to an airport on the coast of Kumo to make our flight.

Everyone was loosely gathered around the kitchenette area of the bus, drinking coffee and making small talk about last night's concert. Other than rehearsals, it was the first time Akatsuki and Prestige shared a stage. Our groups even debuted a brand new song last night, Kakashi's idea. It's called Unfamiliar, written by Shikamaru and Gaara.

Sasuke suddenly got up, tearing me from my thoughts, and wordlessly trudged to the beds to toss himself onto one.

"-are lucky you get to dance with Hinata and Sakura all the time. Do you think Kakashi will let me join Prestige? I can be your fifth member!" I tried to focus on Deidara's joking words and mask my concern.