Behind the Scenes

Chapter 4

Susanoo snuck up behind Tora, his camera at the ready. "Say cheese," he announced before snapping a quick photo. Tora whipped around, her eyes wide with surprise. "You could have given me a warning, I wasn't prepared. I didn't even smile," she complained. Susanoo simply shrugged, studying the photo on his camera's display screen. "It still looks good," he said with a grin, showing her the image. Tora nodded in agreement before turning back to her work, scribbling furiously on a sheet of paper.

Susanoo watched as Tora scribbled on the paper. "What are you writing?" he asked curiously.

Tora looked up at him and smiled. "I'm writing a duet," she said.

Susanoo smirked as he grabbed the paper from her and began to sing.

(Stuck with U By: Ariana G. and Justin B.)

[Susanoo, with Tora & Both]

Woah

Baby, come take all my time

Go on, make me lose my mind

We got all that we need here tonight

I lock the door (Lock the door) and throw out the key

Can't fight this no more (Can't fight this no more), it's just you and me

And there's nothin' I, nothin' I'd rather do

I'm stuck with you, stuck with you, stuck with you

So, go ahead and drive me insane

Baby, run your mouth, I still wouldn't change

All this lovin' you, hatin' you, wantin' you

I'm stuck with you, stuck with you, stuck with

You, oh, oh

After their duet, they shared a lingering gaze before Tora broke the silence by gathering her things. "I should probably get going. I have a date. Don't wanna be late," she said, but Susanoo stopped her by grabbing her wrist. "You can't. The manager wants us to go on a date," he said, causing Tora to let out a frustrated sigh as she set her things back down. "Let me message him really fast," she said, reaching for her phone. Susanoo released her wrist and took out his own phone, quickly typing a message to Sakura that he wouldn't be back at the dorm until late that day.

Tora sighed again before looking up at Susanoo. "Where are we going?" she asked.

Susanoo hummed, scanning through the messages between the manager and him on his phone. "We're going to Sukiyabashi Jiro," he replied. Tora smiled. "At least it's sushi! I love sushi!"

Susanoo chuckled. "My friend is obsessed with sushi. The face you made reminded me a lot of her," he said. Tora tilted her head a little.

"It sounds like you guys aren't close anymore," she observed.

"Well, I started dating, and maybe a year after, she started dating too, and we slowly started to drift since we are almost always with our partners, but I see her sometimes," he said, somewhat sadly. He missed hanging out with Hinata as much as they did in high school, but life got in the way. "She seems happy though," he added. Tora smiled. "That's what matters, right?" Susanoo hummed.

They arrived at the famous Sukiyabashi Jiro restaurant, where they were greeted by the head chef himself. Susanoo and Tora were seated at the sushi bar, where they watched the chef expertly prepare their dishes.

Tora couldn't hide her excitement as she tried each piece of sushi. "This is amazing!" she exclaimed between bites. Susanoo smiled at her, happy to see her enjoying the meal.

As they finished their meal, Susanoo's phone rang. He excused himself to answer it, leaving Tora at the sushi bar. After a few minutes, he returned looking slightly troubled.

"Is everything okay?" Tora asked him.

Susanoo hesitated before responding. "That was the manager. She said paparazzi are coming and we need to appear as a couple in love," he said, putting his arm around Tora's shoulder and pulling her close. "She also said I need to kiss you." Tora's eyes widened in shock at what Susanoo said. "W-wait, w-w-" Before she could finish her sentence, he planted a kiss on her cheek, making sure it was at an angle that looked like he got her lips. Tora was caught off guard before she closed her eyes, feeling a rush of warmth in her cheeks. The kiss was short-lived. Susanoo pulled back and looked into her eyes, smiling softly before turning to the sushi bar. Tora couldn't help but cover her face with her hands in embarrassment.

---

Naruto's heart sank as he read the message from Hinata, letting him know that she wouldn't be able to make it to their date. He had been looking forward to it all week, planning to take her to a special place to show her how much he appreciated her. Despite struggling with finances at the moment, Hinata had been a constant support, helping him get back on his feet, and he wanted to do something special for her in return. With a heavy sigh, Naruto put his phone down and tried to think of a backup plan for the evening.

Naruto sighed, feeling disappointed that his plans with Hinata fell through. He glanced around the restaurant, noticing that Sasuke was not there yet. He decided to take a walk and clear his head. As he walked down the street, he spotted Sakura walking towards him.

"Hey Naruto, what are you doing out here?" Sakura asked, looking surprised to see him.

"I was supposed to have a date with Hinata, but she had to cancel," Naruto replied with a sigh.

Sakura's expression softened. "I'm sorry to hear that. I was supposed to meet up with Sasuke, but he had other plans too."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "What kind of plans?"

Sakura shrugged. "I'm not sure. He didn't really say. But knowing him, it's probably something related to his job."

Naruto chuckled. "Yeah, that sounds like him. So what are you up to now?"

"I was thinking of grabbing a coffee. Do you want to join me?" Sakura offered with a smile.

Naruto grinned. "Sure, why not? It's not like I have anything else going on tonight."

The two of them headed to a nearby café, chatting and catching up on each other's lives. Naruto couldn't help but feel grateful for Sakura's company, especially since he was feeling down about his canceled date with Hinata.

"It's nice having a friend like you around, Sakura, even if you do have a mean punch," Naruto said with a grin. "Remember that time you broke my arm? And the time you gave me a concussion? Oh, and let's not forget about that one time when you..." Sakura interrupted him by cracking her knuckles and giving him a fierce glare. "I get it, Naruto," she said with a roll of her eyes. Naruto gulped and quickly put his hands up in surrender. "I was just kidding," he said nervously, letting out a forced laugh.

---

Later that night, Hinata arrived at her dorm and threw her bag on the floor before collapsing on the couch. She couldn't believe what had happened today. Her cheeks still burned at the memory of Susanoo's kiss on her cheek, which was dangerously close to her lips. She shook her head and scolded herself for even entertaining the thought of another man kissing her when she had a loving boyfriend whom she adored with all her heart.

Hinata sat up and looked at her phone. Departing if she should call her boyfriend to come over to make up for lost time. Or just wait until tomorrow. Her thoughts were interrupted when someone knocked on her door. She got up from the couch and slowly went to the door before opening. Her eyes widened at the person on the other side.