"Oi Teme."

Their plans have been finalized, and are about to be set into action. The two friends walk side-by-side as they make way towards the exit of their headquarters, about to grab their lunch. The next upcoming months will be hectic and tiring for Sasuke's crew now that another tour is on the works.

"What?" Sasuke only stares ahead.

"One of the locations of your concert, isn't it only two cities away from Sakura-chan?" Naruto tells him.

The raven-haired halts from his tracks at the sudden realization. While the thought of meeting each other has never been brought up in their conversation, he knows at some point, they have to. And it is more than just out of curiosity.

"Don't you think it's about time you guys meet?" The blond adds. "If you ever plan to, I think now's the chance."

However, is he ready? Can he do it? He couldn't gauge her reaction if she learns his true identity because from the start, she has been honest with him while he... He averts his gaze to Naruto who waits for his reply.

"...you're right."

~O~

- two weeks before the concert -

Sakura.

2:35 PM

2:37 PM

Do you want to meet up sometime?

2:37 PM

Naruto, who is peering over his shoulder, smacks him. "So fucking direct!"

He shoots him a glare, before turning back to his phone. For the first time, he feels nervous especially when Sakura takes a longer time to reply than usual.

~O~

The pink-haired med student reads the message for the nth time since she receives it. She blinks. Refreshes her messaging app. Wipes her phone's screen. Anything that will snap her away from the illusion that Sasuke is asking to meet up. Like seeing each other. Personally.

Even though they live in the same country, she knows about his busy work schedule and has become content on knowing each other digitally. However, she can't deny the fact she wants to see him, even just for once, when he's been a constant in her life ever since they met.

Following her heart's desire, she begins typing.

~O~

2:50 PM

Sasuke feels his shoulder slump in relief, but his friend gives him another hard smack on the shoulder. He resists the urge to punch him in the gut.

"Congratulations! You've got yourself a date!" He snickers.

~O~

It's only a week before their planned meetup.

"Are you saying we're going to meet at Ryosuke's concert?!" She yells at him on the phone, unable to hide her astonishment. On her hand was a shiny VIP ticket that she picked up from the post office. From Sasuke.

It is strange to think he knows the schedule in advance, where she informed him the day before but her ticket, the first ever ticket to her first Ryosuke's concert, is sitting for a week already in the office. Although she's been questioning nonstop how it happened, he simply says he knows a friend.

She moans in exasperation, rolling her eyes then breathes to calm herself. "Are you even a fan of him?"

Sasuke scoffs, which she hears. "That's what I mean! I might be the only one enjoying it."

The smug in his tone puzzles her.

With a defeated sigh, she relents. "Okay... if you insist." But then offers again. "We can always meet somewhere else, in case you change your mind."

He grunts.

And he drops the call.

Setting aside her phone, she flops herself on the bed, and stares at the ceiling. She takes long deep breaths and closes her eyes. Since he proposed the meetup, she's been feeling a little anxious and excited at the same time. She wonders what he'll think of her? Will he find her pretty? She scrunches up her face. Ugh. She hopes he doesn't care about looks because she lacks in that department. And then she mulls over his appearance... She does love hearing his voice because of its deep soothing lull. If she is only brave enough to ask him to sing, she has done so long ago. Especially when he and Ryosuke sound the same.

"Ahhh!" She grabs her pillow and squeezes it tightly.

Add the fact that she's going to Ryosuke's concert! And see him up close! The moment she got her ticket, the first thing she did was to look where she would be seated and to her surprise, she sat in the center of the first row. It's the best view she could think of for a first timer!

Sakura knows this ticket comes with a hefty price, yet Sasuke doesn't even bat an eye buying her one. She's definitely going to bombard him with questions on that day.

The mere thought of seeing him is sending flutters inside her chest. Aside from watching Ryosuke live, it's meeting her mystery friend slash crush that's keeping her on her toes.

~O~

It isn't hard to reach the location of the concert, she thinks as she follows the crowd heading into one direction. She wears a striped black and white shirt, and a skirt jumper over her black leggings and sneakers. Thankful that the event happens on a weekend, she misses nothing at school. As she inches closer to the entrance gates, she is breathless at the sight of the sea of people.

But her heart thumps faster, eyes wary of the people she passes by wondering if Sasuke has already arrived.

Her phone rings and she instantly answers.

"Sasuke-kun!" She looks around her. "Where are you?"

Her brows furrow. "Why? What happened?"

He explains.

She fails to stop herself from raising her voice. "Are you serious?! But Sasuke - "

after

"But - "

She huffs. "Please tell me you're kidding."

"Sasuke-kun!" She becomes exasperated. This isn't going exactly how they planned it.

"Should we just set up at another - "

see you

Sensing the firmness in his tone, she gives up. There's no point in arguing with him. Work is work, and it happens. Well, at least they're still going to meet after right? It's what matters.

"Fine..." She pouts. "That means I can go all out without embarrassing myself in front of you." She says with a smile hoping to cheer up the atmosphere.

He chuckles, sounding relieved.

"Oh you bet I will! See you later!"

~O~

She steps in line and observes her surroundings.

Once it is her turn to be inspected, she notices the stunned expression of the ticket crew examining hers. She almost panics, until they grin and welcome her inside with much enthusiasm. Strange. She thinks. Is that how it always is on VIP tickets? Flashing them a nervous smile, she walks inside.

With thirty minutes to spare, she decides to look around and take pictures. She has to make a lot of memories. It's a once in a lifetime event for her!

She first captures her special ticket, then takes a selfie on a life-size portrait of Ryosuke. As she roams the venue, she can't shake the feeling that a lot of the concert staff are watching her closely. She tries to ignore this by telling herself it is due to her excitement and nervousness.

Unbeknownst to her, all the staff know who she is.

~O~

Meanwhile, Sasuke is feeling restless.

Not only because of a huge performance, but also from seeing Sakura. After he confirms that she's inside the vicinity, the more his heart pounded in apprehension. While he knows it's unfair of him to meet her first, he figures there's no other way to do it. He wants to see her genuinely have fun as she watches his other persona serenade the crowd. Her.

While the idea of bringing her up on the stage is tempting, he feels it's more special to do the reveal privately, and let her enjoy his performance. He also doesn't want to risk blowing up his cover when she's beside him.

"Man, this is probably the grandest meet up I'll ever witness." Naruto whistles with a thumbs-up.

He ignores the comment and looks at the clock. Ten minutes left.

The lady's seated now. The walkie talkie toots. And the blond assistant immediately turns to the singer, a wolfish grin sporting his face.

Seconds after, his phone vibrates.

I'm here! I can't believe I'm sitting meters away from the stage.

6:50 PM

He exhales loudly. He knows exactly where she is... because he personally reserved the seat for her.

I am so going to faint if Ryosuke looks at me! AHH! Can't wait to see him!

6:50 PM

Her message is full of emojis that display her excitement. And it releases a bit of tension in him.

Thanks for the ticket! I still wish we watched together so you'll know how awesome he is! :P

6:53 PM

He is in the midst of sending her a reply when a knock pulls him away from his phone.

"Ready?" Kakashi pops from the door.

That was fast. He thinks, instantly tapping his phone shut. He meditates for a moment, trying to ease his body into relaxation. Silence reigns over the lounge in a few seconds before he snaps his attention to the man at the door. He gives his gray-haired manager a nod.

This is it. No turning back now. Because it's not just a concert that's out there.

Naruto gives him firm pats on the back as he makes way towards the exit. Of course he isn't oblivious at his friend's jitters. He rarely shows hints of worry before his performance. Today is an exception. It seems the arrival of a special friend is putting pressure into him.

"Try not to fuck this one up just because your girlfriend's here aight?"

~O~

The entire arena goes dark. Her heart races. She hears the gasps of the audience around her. Any second now, she whispers in anticipation, eyes fixated on the stage. Close, she is so close to him!

And then the first strum of his guitar bursts through the speakers. The roar of the audience echoes throughout the vicinity as the show officially starts. Then the drums make an entrance and the energy of the crowd only fuels, she stands up to join the vibe.

The lights danced around the stage until it zeroed in on the center.

A lone figure stands in front of a microphone stand wearing a denim button up shirt, over a plain white tee, a pair of black jeans and sneakers. One hand grips the neck of his guitar while the other strums the notes of her favorite song.

He faces the crowd with his infamous smirk.

~ I don't wanna talk about it ~

Sakura screams her heart out as she finally sees him. A colorful swirl of lights brightens the stage, and the crowd hollers even louder. Their energy is infectious. Standing from her seat, as does everyone around her, she begins singing along with heartfelt enthusiasm.

Ryosuke walks forward, guitar swaying as he steals the mic from the stand. Sakura can feel her heart is about to burst. He stares ahead for a moment, obsidian orbs savoring the fans before him. Until, to her shock, their eyes meet and she stiffens at the connection. His stare lingers for more than a second and time seems to slow down. She isn't sure if it is her mind playing tricks on her, but his black pools soften before he finally averts his attention back to the audience.

She gasps, unable to process what happened but her cheeks flush a crimson color.

He looked at me! She thinks, dumbfounded. But she shakes away her daze and convinces herself that she is practically in the center of the crowd so their gazes are bound to meet some point. She is only startled that it happens at the start of his song.

The show goes on.

She admires him with sparks in her eyes, mesmerized at the sound of his voice. It feels surreal to look up at him in such closeness when she's only seen him on pictures and on TV shows. She quietly tells herself she is living the moment, and it's all thanks to her friend!

~ You've got me off track

Got me thinkin' abstract

Baby, look at what you've done ~

Sakura is so engrossed by his singing that when Ryosuke reaches the chorus and he throws another glance at her, her mouth drops in an 'o', stunned by the artist for the second time, leaving her in a puzzled state. Did he really look at her again? Is it her imagination? What. Is. Happening?

When she tries to return his gaze, he is already off to the side, microphone raised to let the crowd sing.

She gives herself a mental slap because it might just be her excitement clouding her vision and it's merely coincidence that they have looked at each other twice now. Yet her heart races at the possibility that Ryosuke does it on purpose, that he does know her.

---

Almost there. I hope this chapter brought suspense to everyone! This is probably one of the most enjoyable chapters to write! Building up their anticipation has me at the edge of my seat as well!

I'd love to know what you guys think!

The next one is the last chapter and their official meeting! So please stay tuned!

btw. song featured is 'Daphne Blue' by The Band Camino.