Sakura walked along the quiet street, tucking a lock of pink hair behind her ear. She brought a hand up to the smile spread across her face almost incredulously. Ever since she had been placed on the same team as Sasuke her heart had felt like it was soaring high above the ground. Until that day, she had endured many a sleepless night, and nightmares of losing Sasuke to another kunoichi, especially Ino, had made her blood run cold. Now that she and Sasuke were on the same team, however, Sakura had a chance that any kunoichi should envy. She had given her heart away to Sasuke a long time ago, and now she just had to win his. With the spurt of luck that she'd so recently been having, Sakura felt like her chances were better than ever. The hardest part, the part that she had no control over, had passed, and all that was left was he final stretch. Looking up, Sakura noticed a familiar brooding, dark haired boy just ahead of her. She quickened her pace to catch up with him, falling into step beside him.

"Hi, Sasuke!" she beamed.

He turned his head to look at her.

"Could we, uh-I mean, do you want to- we could-can I-" Sakura stopped and inhaled, steeling herself, "Let's do something together?"

The silence that followed her request felt as if it was crushing the young kunoichi.

"To, um, work on our teamwork?"

Sasuke muttered a quick no thank you and the Inner Sakura began worrying that his earlier silence had been because he had tuned her out.

"Okay." Sakura replied, "Maybe some other time."

She noticed that he was already gone. Oh, well, maybe next time. Sakura didn't let disappointment weight her down for long, though. She realized that Sasuke couldn't afford to show to much affection for her in such a public place. He was too cool for that. And besides, whatever he had been thinking about when he'd tuned her out must have been very important. Yes. That must have been in. Sakura felt her face lift again, though she hadn't realized that her wide smile had drooped in the first place. Sasuke was so cool, she was lucky he'd treated her to his presence. She had even gotten a response to her request, which, though not the preferred outcome, was acceptable. She allowed herself another moment to daydream before resuming her question to obtain Sasuke's ever elusive heart. She would need to formulate a complex plan if she ever wanted to make the task any less insurmountable.

Sakura watched Sasuke's thoughtfully, wondering how she would convince the antisocial hottie to go out with her. Perhaps she could trick him into going somewhere with her without specifically calling it a date. Then, she would act as if it had been a date all along. Anyone who walked by would think that they were dating, but, Sakura realized, that might make Sasuke avoid her to keep his cool. Not that he would need to. He was cooler than all of the other male ninja her age combined!

Yawning widely, Sakura stretched her arms up above her head, arching her back as she stretched luxuriously. Team Seven didn't have training that day, so she had been able to get some extra rest. She turned on her side, analyzing the papers spread across her wall, planning her conquest of Sasuke. She'd always been intelligent, and had breezed through the academy, but love was utterly frustrating. No matter what Sakura did, she couldn't seen to figure it out. You had to follow your heart, she knew that much, but what was the difference between what she wanted and what her heart desired? Perhaps she needed to try a new approach? Sakura could think logically rather than acting on the whims of her heart. Yet, somehow, the lines between her heart and mind had blurred so much that Sakura felt as if she was in a haze around Sasuke. She couldn't think straight, and with only her heart to guide her, she should have been fine. That's what hearts are for right?

Sakura shook her head, sending her thoughts in a less pessimistic direction. Throwing her legs over the edge of the bed, she walked through her morning routine, something she had done so many times that she could do it blindfolded with one arm tied behind her back. She ate, washed, primped and was out the door, ready to face her life's goal: Sasuke.

She found him sitting on a bench in the far corner of the park, far from any overly excitable fangirls. (Except for Sakura!) He appeared to be deep in thought. Sakura sighed. He looked so captivating, just sitting there. As if he was the incarnation of the brooding hero from a romance novel. It was all she could do not to start drooling. Sakura sat down next to him quietly.

"Hi, Sasuke." She said quietly.

"Hey." she heard him reply, in his smooth, masculine voice.

"What's up?"

He mumbled something unintelligible in reply.

"It's nice to take a break from training and have a day to ourselves once and a while, isn't it." Sakura expressed, not willing to abandon the conversation before it had even begun.

"I need to keep training." Sasuke disagreed, "I need to get even stronger so that I can kill him."

Sakura supressed a sigh. Sasuke's determination to kill this person was matched only by her determination to win his affection. Oh, how she wished he would feel the same way.

"Your body can't train every day. You need to take a break every once and a while to recover."

"Yeah..." Sasuke said, so softly that Sakura would have missed it if it had been any other ninja speaking.

She relaxed against the back of the bench, subtly sliding slightly closer to Sasuke as she did so. He held a pensive air about him, and Sakura could not bring herself to break the contemplative silence that had fallen. And so she simply sat, letting her mind wander as she enjoyed his closeness. Sakura found herself lost in daydreams of a fantastical future where she and Sasuke were happily married with children. Two children, she decided. One boy, and one girl, the perfect family. She sighed blissfully as her imaginary Sasuke came over and swept her into his arms, planting a long passionate kiss on her lips. She leaned into him, and was snapped back to reality when she made impact after tumbling off of the bench. She blushed furiously, cursing her clumsiness, and realized that Sasuke was nowhere to be found. While she was caught up in her daydreams, Sasuke had silently slipped away without her noticing. Sakura wondered briefly whether this was a good thing, or a bad thing. She was definitely glad that he hadn't seen her fall off of the bench.

"Aww, have you found your place, Billboard Brow?" Ino squawked mockingly.

Sakura shot to her feet, wondering if it was possible for her face to get even redder.

"I was looking for yours." She retorted, "And I think I may have found it."

"I'm really beginning to question your intelligence. You are so far off it's not even funny."

"So you've admitted that you're not the one for Sasuke?" Sakura smiled slyly, "I was just talking to him."

"What? That's not what I said! Apparently you're deaf as well as stupid. I'd better leave before you try to rub it off on me!"

Sakura stood grinning as Ino stalked away, her nose stuck up in the air as usual. It felt good to win for once.