A SaixOC story written in Collaboration with Always Honest Sai. It will be three chapters long; I hope you all enjoy it. This is my first submission, and hopefully it will not be my last.

Naruto was, in general, not someone who was easy to annoy. Sure he could get worked up if you pushed the right buttons, but usually the youth was more than happy with the simplest of conditions; a bowl of ramen and maybe a chance to flirt with Sakura-chan. Things didn't inherently 'bug' him. This, however, was proving to be a situation which very, very much annoyed Naruto. He sulked along the inner streets of Konoha, followed very closely by none other than Sai, who was smiling away at nothing, as usual. At first, Sai's insistence on 'hanging out' with Naruto was acceptable; even kind of fun, but Naruto soon realized that Sai had an uncanny ability to drive away anyone who may have otherwise wanted to hang out. Sai's rude and blunt comments caused others to slink off, or avoid him altogether. Everywhere Naruto went, Sai drove neighbors and friends away. After one particularly slovenly comment directed to a tardy waitress, they were even kicked out of the Ichiraku Ramen bar. Sai's people skills were lacking, to say the least, but even he took notice of Naruto's foul mood. He grumbled under his breath, but Sai couldn't quite catch what he said.

"What was that, Naruto?" Naruto raised his eyes up to Sai from his slumped position.

"I said, 'Don't you have anything better to do?'" Sai blinked down at Naruto, who frowned back up at him. Sai had been given instructions from Danzo-sama to lay low. That meant blending in until another assignment came up, acting normal. So Sai kept smiling and replied in a chipper tone,

"No, of course not! Friends bond by spending time together, at least that's what I read." This only seemed to make Naruto frown more, which didn't quite make sense to Sai. Why was Naruto so unhappy in the first place?

"Isn't there... anyone ELSE you can hang around?"

"No." It was the truth, after all. Sakura-san was being kept busy for the day, and Sai wasn't on familiar terms with anyone else in the village. Naruto sighed and hung his head, dejectedly remarking,

"Why don't you go get a girlfriend or something?" This thought hadn't occurred to Sai before. 'Dating' seemed to be a fairly common practice among his age group, but Sai wasn't exactly sure what the whole point of it was. He was unfamiliar with all of the rituals that went into courtship. Then again, it WAS the social norm. If nothing else, it would be an interesting study on how to behave. Sai struck his palm with the side of his fist gently.

"Ah! That's a very good idea, Naruto!" Naruto was clearly not expecting that response. His eyes widened and he blinked at Sai in a manner which suggested surprise. Sai smiled wider than before. "I'll have to get some reading material on the topic." Immediately Sai bolted off in the direction of his favorite bookstore, much to Narutos relief. He was just about to make his escape when Sai stopped halfway down the road and turned around, coming straight back for Naruto and grabbing him by the arm. "Naruto! Come to the bookstore with me!" He was then rather forcibly dragged down the street with a look of thorough disappointment plastered to his face.

Naruto managed to give Sai the slip in the bookstore, but Sai was unperturbed. He went home with a stack of new books crooked under one arm, his nose already buried in one titled 'The Practicality of Girlfriends: A Guide for the Hopeless.' Which had some very informative passages on just WHY Sai should establish such a relationship. He read late into the night, and while the book on practicality (Sai developed a sneaking suspision that it was satirical) offered very few legitimate reasons behind having a girlfriend, Sai could tell on observation alone that this was an achievement which was desireable and a social norm, for whatever reason. Sai would debate the practicalities of it later, he supposed. It seemed like most of the time people just sort of figured it out as they went along anyway. And that wasn't the only thing there was to know. Sai had been mildly surprised at the abundance of literature on the topic of girlfriends. Among the titles he took home alone there were books on how to get a girlfriend, how to maintain a relationship, how to make a relationship last, what to do and what not to do, even how to break up with women. Sai had his work cut out for him. But it wasn't troublesome at all. Sai smiled down that the open books with little tags marking certin notes and references, absent-mindedly drawing his brush against blank script paper. The dim light cast against his pale skin and shilouetted him in the window, bright against the black night.

"Finding the Right Girl for You;" he read silently to himself. "When you're going out on the dating scene, it's best to know what you're looking for in a partner, ideally. Try and visualize which qualities and traits you value in a person." Sai tapped his bottom lip thoughtfully with the end of his brush. What traits were ideal in a partner? He'd need to take some time to think over that one. Skill? Cunning? Loyalty? Yes, loyalty was important, wasn't it? What else? Sais smile faded into a slight frown. There was a lot to consider, for this sort of thing. He read on, "It's good to keep in mind, however, that each person is different, and no one will fit your standards exactly. It's best to find someone who you are comfortable being with and talking to. It's also recommended that you be with someone who you can relate to. It's easier to relate to someone who shares common interests and views with you." This only made Sai frown more. What was the point of establishing standards if they couldn't be met? Sai read on, trying to understand all the facets of 'dating,' until his eyelids grew heavy and he was forced to retire for the evening. He couldn't stay up too late, otherwise his performance would be affected in the morning. The next morning, Sai strolled down the streets at a leisurely pace, his eyes down in one of his dating books. Naruto, apparently having completely forgotten his annoyance at Sai's company just the day before, trotted up to him with his usual, wide grin.

"Neh, Sai! What are you reading?" He cocked an eyebrow, peeking curiously over Sai's shoulder. Sai looked up from his reading and smiled, not breaking his stride.

"Ah, Naruto! I was just reading up on how to get a girlfriend. There's an awful lot to learn, it seems."

"Getting a girlfriend?" Naruto (having clearly forgotten about his comment to Sai from the previous day as well) blinked at him in surprise.

"You mean you're actually trying to get a date? As in, with a girl?" Sai stared at Naruto for a moment, and then made a quick check of his notes. Once he confirmed it to himself, he smiled at Naruto again.

"Yes. That's exactly it." Naruto broke out into his mischievous, toothy grin.

"You're in luck! I'm an expert when it comes to the ladies! I can help you get a girlfriend, easy!" He threw his arms out enthusiastically while Sai considered it. It seemed like a good idea. Reading was helpful, certainly, but Naruto had something that the books couldn't give him; real-world experience.

"Do you think you could really help me get a girlfriend? I think there aren't any girls interested in me." Sai remarked, clearly oblivious to the women watching from the sidelines, making bedroom eyes at the beautiful pale boy. Naruto didn't seem to notice it either.

"Sure! They'll be begging for dates by the end of the day!" Sai smiled appreciatively.

"Thank you, Naruto!"

Naruto then proceeded to ruin Sais chances with each and every one of the girls who had started out admiring him at the beginning of the day. By the evening, Naruto and Sai were still alone; completely girl-less. Sai was thoroughly discouraged by this development. Naruto, however, seemed almost accustomed to this sort of rejection. The blond ninja simply shrugged, completely unfazed.

"Aw, It's all right, Sai. Sure none of them made a move today, but you just have to try again tomorrow. It's not easy, after all. I mean, look at me! I'm still single too." It was then that Sai had a shocking revelation; Naruto was the LAST person he should have taken advice from. All this time AND so much experience, yet he still didn't have anything to show for it! Clearly Naruto was not the skilled dating guru he made himself out to be. He'd made a terrible mistake, and now his chances with any of the village girls were shot. Naruto took notice of Sai's sudden quiet.

"Neh? What's the matter, Sai?" A slight twitch of the eyebrow was the only outward indication of Sai's displeasure.

"I... should get going. Good night, Naruto-kun." Quickly Sai hurried away, leaving Naruto to simply shrug and head off for some ramen.

Sai hurried away through the village, hastening his way home until he could safely latch the door behind him. How could he have missed that crucial detail? He would never get a date at this rate! Sai rubbed his temples lightly, moving over to his desk and plopping down into his usual chair. Papers were spread out over the surface of it, filled with an assortment of unimportant notes and doodles. What was he going to do now? He cast a dark eye over the half-open books and the notes, contemplating. One phrase caught his eye; 'Visualize.' Visualizing his ideal partner, right? Maybe the day hadn't been a total loss. After all, the book stated that none of the women who'd rejected him fit his criteria anyway. With a light intake of breath, Sai unfurled his art supplies. Laid down a few sheets of blank scroll and started painting. They were just doodles at first. An arm, an eye, a face. He started to get a feel, visualizing and re-making the ideal in his head. A woman, someone he could relate to, rely on. The ideal partner. Before long, it seemed like his brush moved almost without his influence. The paper gave way to his minds eye and the image formed. Sai looked down at what he'd painted, looking long and hard at every line, every detail. There was something he was overlooking. But what? The night grew dark and thick, and Sai didn't emerge until the morning. The next morning, Sakura and Naruto were together, discussing some piece of news that Tsunade had warned them of. Some obscure enemy to be wary about. It was an interesting enough topic, more than enough to keep the two occupied; that is, until something much more prominent and interesting presented itself. Sai strolled up to his team mates with his usual smile on his face and a casual greeting on his lips. But it wasn't Sai, in and of himself, that was making Sakura and Naruto stare in mild confusion and disbelief. What was shocking was the young woman standing with him, her arm looped in his in a very familiar way.

"W...who is this!" Sai just smiled away.

"Naruto, Sakura, this is my girlfriend." She certainly looked like someone Sai would date. In fact, she somewhat resembled Sai. Her skin was very pale, like his was, and her eyes and hair were just as black. Her serene smile complimented her petite frame and oval face. In a light, airy voice, she said

"It's nice to meet you, Sakura-san, Naruto-kun."

"G-girlfriend!" Naruto was more shocked than Sakura. He'd been with him all day yesterday! Then he suddenly got a girlfriend, quite literally overnight? It made no sense.

"Where did she even come from! How did you guys meet? Where!"

"I painted her." Sai said, obviously pleased with the outcome, and seeing nothing at all out of place with it. Somehow, this wasn't so surprising. In fact, it was the most plausible explanation. Still, the idea of Sai just up and painting himself a girlfriend was... difficult to grasp. Yesterday, this girl didn't even exist! And now... Sakura tried to be positive about it. After all, she couldn't see anything inherently wrong with it. It was just... odd. Very, very odd.

"Soooo... what's her name?" Sakura asked with a nervous smile, attempting to feign politeness towards the painting... girl. Was she a painting or a girl? Sai blinked at Sakura's question, taking a moment to think. The pale woman looked at Sai expectantly. After a moment or two of contemplation, Sai admitted,

"I haven't actually thought of one yet!" Both Naruto and Sakura made faces at this. Naruto rubbed his chin, and then spoke up.

"Well, what were you feeling when you painted her?" Sai looked thoughtful for a few moments, recounting the night before. After a long pause, a light blush crept over his cheeks, vibrant against his pale skin. He smiled, a little differently than his usual smile, and said, simply,

"Her name is Ai." Naruto and Sakura both made faces again, one muttering and the other thinking 'How unoriginal...'

To Be Continued . . .