Chapter 19: Chapter 19
-Hinata's POV-
The moment I woke up the next morning, I knew the day was going to be a serious one. When Sakura and I met in the living room to do some quick yoga, the air was filled with a focused vibe. Today's the final day before our debut on LMC. It's our last full day as trainees.
There won't be a giant audience while we perform, but there'll be about two hundred people who'll include family members and friends of ours that made proper reservations, some LMC VIPs, along with the people at home watching live on their phones or televisions.
I know Sakura has her mother, her mom's boyfriend, and that asshole she said keeps trying to force himself on her. Gaara's brother and sister are supposed to be there. Sasuke also mentioned he had someone coming, but didn't go into detail on who it was. I suspected it was Itachi and secretly hoped not to run into him. The bachelor and I spoke on occasion during our families' events through the years and he's never once done something to cause me unease.
For some reason, I felt uncomfortable with the idea of Sasuke finding out I knew members of his family. If Itachi tells his little brother about having met me in the past, he might be tempted to look me up like I had him and most of the articles about me through the years were terrible. I'd be so humiliated if he learned how pathetic my life has been up until now. Either way, that's an issue for a later date. I only have Neji coming to support me. Yes, the fact that my sister and father aren't coming gets to me, but there isn't any time to feel sorry for myself. There's too much to do in preparation for our debut tomorrow.
I glanced over at Sakura as we stretched. Her new, more lengthy, hair was tied back into a high ponytail and her tired eyes were focused on the floor. She looked just as stressed as I felt. Regardless of our nervousness, we had to get through this final day of rehearsals with our best foot forward. We'll even be running a full set on the LMC stage at the end of the day to ensure a smooth show.
After finishing up and getting ready for practice, we met the guys in the same practice room where our dance practices are held. Waiting for us were Tenten, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Kakashi. There was an odd, serious, aura about the room so we stood silent in front of them while we waited to be addressed.
Kakashi soon spoke with a stern expression on his face, "We need to have a chat."
My blood ran cold.
Are they canceling the show?
Did something happen?
My mind reeled with anxious questions. By the tone of his voice, we were obviously in trouble for something, but I couldn't figure out quickly enough what it could be.
He started pacing in front of us, back and forth, for a moment before continuing in a serious tone. His usually charming smile was nowhere in sight. "It's come to my attention that Prestige has been involved in an unusual amount of mischief in the past two weeks. While I was aware of a few things that happened, I've only recently been made aware of some others. I want you all to understand that I will not stand for misrepresentation of this agency. Do I make myself clear?"
We stood there, shocked as a group. Does he really believe that all the drama was our fault and not the Uzumaki family's? Despite our disagreeing with his words, we all nodded quickly in response to his statement, knowing it was better not to question the person in charge of our futures.
I could see where he was coming from as I tried to mentally put myself in his shoes. Even if everything wasn't our fault, we were still highly involved. If things like that kept happening after our debut and we end up being a successful group, the consequences would likely end up being severe and I'm sure he doesn't want to be the one dishing them out.
He faced us straight on and visibly relaxed after receiving our wordless agreements, "I don't want you to think that I'm angry with you. I have high hopes for Prestige and offer my full support in your creative endeavors. All I ask is that you don't tarnish my, or the company's, name in the process. Are we clear?"
We all nodded in agreement again, less nervous now that he'd lightened up a bit. Soon, we began our last day of practice with Kakashi spending the entire day with us so he could see the final result of our training. The hours flew by in a whirl of sweat, nerves, and focus. All four of us performing were dead set on being perfect for our first show. No one talked about anything off-topic throughout the entire day, only commenting here and there on things we could help one another correct. Even Tenten was in work-mode. I didn't even have the time to focus on the fact that Sasuke and I were dancing so closely because I was too nervous about potentially messing up my dance moves in front of the CEO.
Finally, after hours of grueling work, we rode in a company car to the LMC building to run our final practice set on stage. We climbed out of the car and stood shoulder to shoulder in front of the large building. The majority of its outside paneling was made of screens that constantly played clips of performances from the past. There were intimidating security officers standing near the entrance, similarly to Lee's salon.
Sakura grabbed my hand with her own shaky one and I squeezed it supportively before following Kakashi and Tenten into the building. Crisp white floors with soft black walls, lined with screens very similar to the ones outside the building, made the place feel very modern and elegant. Quickly, we were led through hall after hall until finally we arrived backstage, just yards away from the stage where our futures would be decided.
Endless staff members with headsets and all black outfits worked around us, giving us information about our set here and there and expecting us to retain it all. I recalled one saying they'd have a vocal track ready on mute just in case one of us got too nervous to sing or started running out of breath. I felt negatively about that. If someone pays to see you in concert, don't they deserve a live performance? Anyone can look up a recording online if that's what they wanted to see and hear. If and when we make it big, I want to ensure our fans get the most out of any live performances as possible. Since we're still a mere debut group, we don't really get a say in how our stage gets prepared.
After being equipped with our microphone headsets, we were ushered onto the stage and got into our opening positions. We'll only be performing three songs for the live debut and it'll be recorded for replay and promotions. The three songs we're set to perform are We Don't Talk Anymore, Over and Over Again, and Familiar, in that order.
We Don't Talk Anymore is the title song for the album, Over and Over Again was decided so we can showcase our vocals, and Familiar was the song chosen to be promoted primarily by the agency. That means Familiar and We Don't Talk anymore should be the two big songs off of the album, promotion-wise.
Everything was running smoothly during our practice run until the final song, Familiar. Halfway through, there was a loud thump and we all turned to see Gaara laying flat on his back with his eyes closed. Everyone froze in shock, but Sakura recovered first and rushed to his side with concern etched into her features. The music stopped as Sasuke and I quickly joined and brought a bottle of water and towel to him.
The young man woke up almost as quickly as he'd fainted and immediately had a bright red face when he saw Sakura kneeling over him. He sat up before bashfully waving the concerned staff members off, "I-I'm fine."
I was sweating hard from the effort I was performing with, but my body had run cold the moment I laid eyes on his downed form. My heart was beating so quickly in my chest due to my worry. If this was how others felt when I faint, I feel terrible for putting them through it.
Our voices still carried through the microphones. Sakura stared at him as though trying to figure out if he was lying or not, but he pointedly ignored her by avoiding eye contact as Sasuke helped him to his feet.
Tenten and Kakashi arrived on stage with concerned looks, the former pushing her way in front of Gaara so she could do a quick visual check-over of his body, "Are you okay? What happened?"
Kakashi silently waited for the redhead's reply with a more level-headed aura about him.
Gaara shook his head again, face still bright red, "I'm sorry. I just got too hot for a second there. I swear I'm okay now."
Kakashi patted his shoulder supportively, "Don't ever apologize for something like this. Your health is important and I place that above anything. Do you feel okay enough to perform tomorrow?"
Our bandmate nodded quickly, "Of course!"
Kakashi nodded and glanced at his expensive looking watch, "Tenten, please get them home so they can get to bed early. I think they've worked hard enough for one day."
The popstar nodded and started leading us off stage so we could be freed from our microphones and their wiring. A pair of middle-aged gentlemen, who I assumed were producers of LMC, approached Kakashi as he walked off-stage and seemed to voice concerns about us not finishing our practice, but our CEO quickly began his reassurances.
Before we knew it, we were back at the agency and exiting the elevator on our floor. Sasuke and Gaara walked past us and headed toward their room while I unlocked Sakura and I's door, only to be stopped by my roommate speaking in an uncharacteristically nervous voice, "Um, hey, you guys-"
I looked over to see her scratching her elbow awkwardly and avoiding eye contact with everyone, "Do you wanna sleep over? One last hoo-rah before our debut?"
The keys slipped through my fingers and I fumbled to catch them before looking up to see both her and Gaara's faces were as bright a red as mine.
Almost immediately, Sasuke started rambling on and on about how precious his alone time was, but not twenty minutes later we were all lying side by side on the giant make-shift bed made out of a bunch of blankets and pillows. Sakura and I laid on the right side while the boys were on the other. Sakura and Gaara were in the middle. The only way we were able to convince Sasuke to join us was to let him choose what movie to watch before bed.
"Ah! What the fuck!" Sakura let out another yell in fear and the popcorn she was holding was tossed into the air.
Sasuke grumbled in reply, "Are you gonna do this at every jumpscare?"
She grabbed one of her dropped pieces of popcorn and tossed it his way with a glare, "It's not my fault you chose the scariest movie ever! Who watches this kinda stuff for fun, you psycho?"
I would've laughed at her if I wasn't just as spooked. I linked my arm in hers and squeezed closer to her for both her support and mine. She huffed and cuddled closer to me, focusing back on the movie. The only noise for the next ten minutes was the subtle munch of popcorn and eerie sounds from the tv.
When the next jumpscare happened, both Sakura and I screamed in fear and Sasuke let out a dramatic groan before clicking off the tv with the remote, "You guys are a bunch of fuckin' babies."
I glanced across the others, still trembling slightly in fear. He looked just as annoyed as he sounded before he turned onto his side with his back facing us, obviously giving up on finishing the horrible movie and wanting to simply get some rest. It was kind of cute to see him pouting like a child, but I'll never admit that out loud.
I noticed Sakura's other arm was clasped around Gaara's, similar to how mine was with hers. She must've latched onto him when she was scared. In an attempt to avoid bringing attention to it and potentially causing an awkward situation, I followed Sasuke's lead and turned onto my side to try and fall asleep.
-Sakura's POV-
Things have definitely gotten a bit tense between Gaara and I since the morning I woke up cuddling him in my bed. We wordlessly agreed to try and act as though it hadn't happened, but I simply couldn't stop thinking about it. If Gaara wasn't feeling the same way, he could at least sense something off about me because he's been a bit distant ever since. It doesn't help that we're always paired together for everything so we're forced to constantly be around eachother.
It's not that I don't like Gaara. In fact, I like him more than I likely should, but it'd never work out and I don't want him to feel led on. I've even been considering getting a boyfriend to distract me from my bandmate.
The timing's just really bad. We've been so busy with practices that I haven't had a chance to get out there and find a decent guy to focus on. No matter who it could potentially end up being, we'd have to keep it quiet because debuting as an unavailable girl is like signing your success away. As terrible as it sounds, male fans would be incredibly against it.
Hinata let out a sigh in her sleep and scooted further into my side, squeezing me closer to Gaara and simultaneously tearing me from my preoccupied thoughts. I turned onto my side and froze when reserved teal eyes locked onto mine. For a few moments, I unintentionally dazed out and couldn't tear my gaze away. He was so handsome and for just that moment, I selfishly let myself admire him. All good things must come to an end, though, and Hinata grumbled under her breath before getting up and stumbling toward the restroom.
I squeezed my eyes shut so as to pretend to be asleep, just in case she glanced back and saw us so close to one another. After hearing the door to the restroom shut behind her, I peeked to see Gaara was still gazing at me with an unreadable expression. He looked so tired that he even had bags under his eyes.
We learned a few days ago, by accident, that he suffers from severe insomnia and rarely sleeps more than a few hours a night. After realizing that, I wondered if he often seems so reserved and subdued because he's exhausted, but was too nervous to talk to him about it. As I tried to memorize the details of his face, I wondered if he'd be a different person if he didn't suffer from the sleeping disorder.
A jolt shot through my body when he gently pushed my hair out of my face and over my shoulder so it wouldn't fall in the way again. My brow furrowed and I could feel my heartbeat quickening steadily in my chest.
How long have we been staring at each other? Seconds? Minutes?
I've gotten so comfortable around him because of our constant close proximity that I often lose track of time. I also often forget that he's such a calm and passive guy that he's likely to let me do whatever I want around him without judging me in the slightest.
With my face hot, I swiftly turned my back to him in panic, cuddling some of the blanket to my chest for emotional support. The action must've woken up our other bandmate because Sasuke suddenly complained under his breath, "...hogging the damn blanket..."
I watched as he went into Hinata's room, still grumbling about how stupid it was to sleep on the floor when a perfectly good bed was available. A laugh got caught in my throat in reaction to his moodiness, but it was cut off when an arm gently rested over my side. Gaara's an incredibly reserved person, regardless of who he was around, and it was rare for him to make physical contact unless we were dancing so you can imagine how shocked I was to see his hand resting near my stomach.
Before I could address the situation, Hinata emerged from the bathroom and I had to pretend to be asleep once more. After a moment, there was a small sound of surprise that could only have been Hinata laying eyes on us cuddling. Then, I heard her rush toward her room. After waiting for her to reappear and her not, I chanced a peek before confirming that she wasn't coming back out.
A small smirk crept up my lips and I glanced back at Gaara to see if he'd noticed, too, only for him to appear to be asleep. His face was relaxed and the small bit of tension he usually held in his shoulders was gone. If he was able to fall asleep that quickly, he must've been truly exhausted. He had fainted during practice, after all.
My face warmed as I nervously tried to verify that he was truly asleep by whispering his name. His face didn't show even the slightest reaction and I found a small smile naturally forming on my lips as I relaxed once more against my pillow instead of arching my neck to look back at him. A warm feeling spread slowly throughout my chest as I closed my eyes and greedily let myself enjoy this moment.
Just for tonight, I'll let myself be selfish, but come tomorrow I'll have to be harder on myself. He deserves to be with someone who wouldn't have to hide the fact that they're together.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone