Tenth Time's the Charm
A/N: This is the love child of my brain and a particularly vicious plot bunny. And this one goes out to Renalin, to give her a little push in the "Ninja High" direction. :D Anyway, if you haven't read Ninja High, you should do so immediately... after reading and reviewing this fic, of course. To all of you, enjoy!
Disclaimer: My self-esteem is bad enough as it is. Why do you always need me to admit that I don't own Naruto? I don't, okay? Happy now?
Her first "date" was with Naruto. He had just come back after two and a half years, Kakashi had disappeared, and as long as Naruto paid, she said it was okay. "Aw, Sakura-chan!" She could still remember the look on his face as his little frog wallet shrunk. He was more a brother than a boyfriend, anyway.
Her second date? That was with Kiba. She had been looking into getting a puppy and, as it turns out, the Inuzuka clan are the people to buy dogs from. One thing led to another, and Kiba offered to take her to dinner. She had agreed and they had a picnic near the Academy. It had been fun, but Kiba was a bit too flirty for her tastes.
Her third date had been more of a pity date than anything else. Rock Lee had asked her out for the umpteenth time, and, wearily, she agreed. Lee had been very attentive, and had brought her flowers, but he was still very "youthful". And no matter how great a guy he was besides that, there was no chemistry. And those eyebrows!
Her fourth date had been a blind date, set up by her blonde best friend. Obviously, Ino had still been a little sore about the whole "I'll-win-Sasuke!" thing, because when Shino showed up at her door, smiling with a box of what she sincerely hoped were not bugs, she freaked out a little. Minor heart attack freaked out. Of course, Shino took her to the hospital, and Tsunade gave her the okay, but she told Shino it was probably best they didn't try for a second time, because bugs were just not that good for her health.
Her fifth date was actually with Kankuro. She had been working in the Hokage's office when the Sand Siblings showed up. Their eyes met, and after Gaara signed some papers with Tsunade, Kankuro had casually asked her if she wanted a drink. She had said yes, and they went to the local tavern. Kankuro had been funny and had was witty, but the long-distance thing didn't work for either of them, so that was the end of that.
Her sixth date was with Shikamaru. The village thought they were the perfect couple. They were both intelligent and very well trained ninjas. It seemed that if everyone thought they would work, they may as well try it. And, as fun as Sakura found it to learn why everything was "troublesome", she had to pass on the second date. "It's not you, it's me."
Her seventh "date" had been with Kakashi. She was drunk, he had been drunk, and she really didn't want to talk about it. Needless to say, there was not another date.
Her eighth date was with Neji, she wasn't even sure why he had even asked her in the first place, and it had been horrible. He was polite and all, but much too focused on the whole "branch" thing. Really, you'd think he'd have gotten over it, but no. When he brought her home, she smiled and told him that Tenten was much better for him than her. Why didn't he give her a call?
Her ninth date was with Chouji. The poor thing has asked her out in the marketplace, and she didn't have the heart to say no. He had been sweet and kind, but even the slightest of feelings for him was diminished after seeing him finish off three courses of ribs... and ask for more.
Now, Sakura was getting kind of annoyed. Why didn't anyone ever click with her? Couldn't someone just be her soul mate? Apparently, Kami had some grudge against her, because in any man she dated, she found a flaw.
And then, he came back. Dark hair matted to his forehead with sweat, stubble on his sharp features, and blood covering his torn clothing, he turned to her... and he smiled. It was then she knew she'd found true love. Not one of her "mis-dates", but Sasuke-kun.
Tenth guy's the charm.
A/N: I love the fluffiness of Sasuke and Sakura, as you could probably tell. But I also don't like Sakura waiting around for Sasuke-kun to get a clue. Of course, she'd play the field! Anyway, tell me what you thought. Especially you Renalin!