Finding The Light / SasuSaku

Chapter 12

"It's distracting with all the gossip and the teens squealing at the latest pictures," I muttered to myself. Usually, I had to dress conservatively to avoid drawing attention. Despite the cold, I decided to take a break outside. Studying had consumed my thoughts for too long, and I needed to stretch my legs. As I walked out of the school library, a figure ran up to me.

Out of breath, he managed to say, "Taking a little break? Wanna have some hot chocolate?" He offered a thermos.

We sat there, sipping on warm, chocolatey drinks. I talked to him about my day-to-day schedule, the chaos of class and the excessive number of photoshoots I had to do.

"Does your modeling agency really let you take breaks like that? I thought they would be stricter and want you to quit school?" Sasori inquired.

"Yeah, I don't know. Right now, I'm on hold because my teacher, Sasuke, is currently working on a movie. Also, they don't want to do anything without his knowledge, I guess. But I'm glad they are being lenient about me attending school. Pretty soon, I'll be back into the swing of things, but not right now. The modeling industry here in Konoha has hit a snag. Everyone is working towards the upcoming fashion show, so there are designers who don't want to present until that day," I explained as I savored another sip of my drink.

"You're as diligent as ever. How's Sasuke been? I haven't seen or heard from him recently," Sasori pointed out.

"He's not around because he has to promote his movie everywhere but here," I said bitterly, but I quickly shook off the negativity and tried to be cheerful.

"That reminds me, do you want to accompany me somewhere this week?"

"Sure, I guess. What is it?" I asked, unsure.

"It's a surprise. Say you will come?" he pleaded, flashing his famous "please do it for me" smile.

"Okay, I agree," I complied.

"Good. I'll let you know about the details later," he said, waving as he ran back in the direction he came from.

I decided to return to studying and endured the torture a little longer.

SASUKE'S POV

"Again? Why do these magazine covers always spread the same rumors?" I yelled, tossing them against the wall.

I grunted in frustration, wondering how many times I had to explain that Karin and I were not together.

"Sasuke, you have to get used to it. You're young and hot; they'll want to talk about you no matter what you do," my assistant consoled, attempting to calm me down.

"I understand that," I smirked, running my hand through my hair.

I walked over to the desk in my dressing room and picked up a picture frame. I often admired the pictures within whenever stress overwhelmed me. It was a collage-type frame, capturing various moments. In one corner, there was a picture from our school field trip with Sakura, Naruto, Shikamaru, Hinata, Sasori, and me. We huddled around a fire, with Naruto sitting atop Shikamaru. Hinata fed Shikamaru a marshmallow, and I sat there with a solemn expression while Sasori flashed a peace sign next to me. Sakura stared into the fire, seemingly entranced by it. Another corner held shots from Sakura's earlier shoots, when she worked with animals. Lastly, the center showcased Rima and me at the beach. The background featured water, as I held her from behind, both of us laughing.

Her soft skin on mine felt like a cherished memory, captured by Hinata during a fun outing. Back then, Sakura had been stressed with her new job and needed some fun, so we took an hour-long drive to the beach.