"Sakura, you totally need a boyfriend." Ino announced on the phone.

Sakura sighed and flopped down on her living room couch, muffling her face in a pillow.

"Pig, we went over this already! I don't need a boyfriend!" She groaned.

"Yes, you do! You're just in denial. I swear, you're so stubborn sometimes," Ino huffed, "tell you what, how about a couple of blind dates! I'll set you up with a few charming young men and you'll be free to pick out your lover!"

Sakura sat straight up. "Ino, do you remember the last time you tried to set me up with a boy?"

The phone was silent as Ino was most likely recalling the incident when she had set Sakura up with some sleazy dude who assumed Sakura was "a cotton-candy stripper," and ended up unconscious with a big red handprint on his face.

"Good times… Good times…" Ino murmered.

"INO! Did you hear what I said?" Sakura snapped.

"Wha-? Oh! Yeah, sorry about that. I promise it'll be different this time!" Ino pleaded, "Trust me girl, I have my sources."

"Hmph. Your sources sure sound trustworthy."

"They totally are! I won't let you down, forehead! I'll find you a smoking hot and awesome guy in a flash."

Sakura sighed, blowing a few stray strands of her pink hair out of her eyes.

"Fine, whatever. I'm only doing this because you helped me rub my aunt's feet with lotion for three hours."

Ino cackled. "I knew you'd see the light, forehead."

Sakura tapped her fingers on the glossy surface of the table, irritated. Her first date of the week and the date in question wasn't even here! She surveyed the coffee shop around her for what seemed like the millionth time and then rested her chin on her hand. When she got her hands on that Ino-pig, she was going to—

"Pardon me, are you by any chance Haruno Sakura?"

Sakura turned around, surprised. She was met with a handsome young man with lustrous dark brown hair and curiously pale eyes. He eyed her curiously, waiting for an answer.

Sakura was too busy gawking at his perfect hair to respond to his question.

The youth stood around awkwardly and contemplated whether he should ask again or not. He snapped his fingers in front of her face. "Um, hello? I kind of just asked you a question?" He said unsurely.

Sakura was broken out of her reverie. "What? Oh, yes! I'm Haruno Sakura! But you could just call me Sakura, okay?" she announced with a large grin.

"Hyuuga Neji. Pleased to meet you." He extended out a hand.

Sakura slapped it straight on. "Yeah! High-five!" she shouted.

Neji stared at her, mouth slightly open. Did that girl just give him a high-five?

"What's wrong, Neji? Sit down!" Sakura gestured to the open seat in front of her.

Neji took a moment to regain his composure and silently took a seat.

Sakura started fiddling with the strap of the clutch she had with her.

Neji cleared his throat.

"So… Sakura, what are your interests?" Neji winced at the generic "first date" question.

Sakura tapped her finger on her chin, eyes trailing up thoughtfully. "Hm, I really like doing things like gardening, and cooking, and working out, and long walks on the beach, and bothering Ino-pig, and—"

"May I take your order?" A waitress from the café interrupted Sakura in the middle of her sentence.

Neji let out a breath, this girl talked a lot.

Apart from looking slightly irritated, Sakura ordered a small cappuccino while Neji ordered a small black coffee. The waitress set off to retrieve their orders.

"What was I saying, again?" Sakura furrowed her brow in an attempt to remember what she had been talking about. "Argh, I forgot!" she huffed.

The corner of Neji's mouth lifted slightly.

"Never mind that," he responded, "where do you go to school, anyway?"

Sakura sat up a little straighter in her seat. "I go to Konoha Medical Institute right now, I'm pursuing a degree in medicine and I plan to become a surgeon in the future," she stated in a rather serious tone.

Neji was impressed. Konoha Medical Institute was one of the toughest schools in Japan.

The waitress came back to Sakura and Neji's table and placed their respective beverages in front of them.

"How about you, Neji?" Sakura asked, taking a small sip from her cappuccino, "what university do you go to?"

"I'm majoring in business management at Suna University, and I plan to open my own business in the future." Neji replied impassively.

Sakura's eyes widened. "Ooh! That sounds pretty awesome, I'll give you that. But I'm curious, what kind of business do you plan on opening?"

Neji cleared his throat awkwardly, eyes shifting side to side. "Erm… Haircare products…" he trailed off quietly.

Sakura spat out the draught of coffee she had taken.

"HAIRCARE PRUDUCTS?" She managed to splutter out before she broke into a fit of uncontrollable giggling. "I have to say," she said between breaths, "it suits you quite well!"

Neji could feel his face grow redder by the second as he flushed in embarrassment.

Sakura wiped a few tears from her eyes and dabbed at the spilled coffee on her shirt.

"Nevertheless, that actually sounds pretty cool." She said good-naturedly, "you can expect me to buy your products in the future!" She finished with a cheeky smile.

Neji managed to let out a grunt in response.

The rest of the afternoon they conversed about miscellaneous topics ranging from things like the recent warm weather in Konoha or whether tomatoes were fruits or vegetables..

"They're totally vegetables!" Sakura had hotly argued, "they're not even sweet!"

"Ah, but they have seeds, which makes them fruits," Neji had countered smugly, his present smirk growing bigger as Sakura huffed in response when she had no retort.

The evening was ended with Sakura and Neji leaving the café and exchanging goodbyes at the front of the café.

"So…" Sakura trailed off.

Neji cleared his throat. "I had a good time," he admitted, "it was fun."

Sakura smiled and gave Neji a hug.

Taken aback, Neji hesitantly wrapped his arms around Sakura until they rested on the small of her back.

Sakura could feel her face warming up as she blushed. Slowly pulling away, she ran her hand through her bangs in an attempt to make sure Neji didn't notice the redness of her face.

Neji gazed at her face for a few seconds, chuckling to himself as she fiddled with her hair, and scribbled down his number on a piece of paper. "Here's my number, call me whenever you feel like hanging out again." He said quietly with a small smile. He then turned away and began walking towards his car.

"Bye, Neji!" Sakura hollered, clutching the paper in her hands and then tucking it into her clutch when Neji drove away.

She headed towards the parking lot, contemplating the afternoon she spent with Neji and wondering what Ino had in store for her the next day.

Oh, hey!

So this is my first fic, it'd be great if you guys could leave a review :)

Constructive criticism is appreciated, mean comments will result in me slapping you with a ham.

Tell me what you think of it so far, and leave any ideas for pairings you like.

Read and Review :D