Disclaimer: My name is Kishimoto and I'm seriously on fanfiction dot net typing fanfiction instead of working on my actual story. NO. My name is InaGaTa and I don't own Naruto! T . T

Gotta love Valentine's Day! So, as per usual, I thought of this idea while I was once again taking a shower. At least you all know that I'm hygienic, right? :] Anyways, it's a one-shot Valentine's Day special sort of thing! So, something to hold you off while I continue to work on that bonus chapter for Professor Uchiha: My Tutor. Enjoy!

Team 7: Opposite Day

Sakura tossed and turned on her bed, shivering when the cold air swooped in from her opened window. The chill of February was definitely speaking to her—telling her it was time to close the window at night. She huffed, pulling her blanket up to her chin. She didn't necessarily want to keep the room in its freezer condition, but she was also far too cold to get up and out of bed. I wish I didn't have to get up… she frowned. Valentine's Day was a holiday! Why did her team—team Kakashi, out of all the other teams—get chosen for a stupid escort mission?

Sluggishly, the pinkette rolled out of bed and rummaged through her drawers. I wonder if Sasuke and Naruto even remember it's Valentine's Day… she mused, a frown curving on her pouty bottom lip. Naruto and Hinata had been together for about a month now—if that crazy blonde didn't remember Valentine's Day he would have one sad Hyuga on his hands. Sasuke… well, Sasuke wasn't with anyone—and quite frankly he didn't want to be with anyone as far as Sakura could tell.

That's the worst part… she sighed harshly, wishing the guy of her dreams would take at least a slight interest in her. It made her feel somewhat pathetic when she got overly giddy when he would say something simple—something like "Good job, Sakura." Or when he would worry over her: "Watch out—behind you, Sakura!" It was almost as if ever since he returned to Konoha he was more aware of not only his surroundings, but everyone else's as well. Maybe it's that new sharingan… She slipped her shirt on as she continued to think of the raven.

Maybe it wasn't pathetic though. Maybe she wasn't looking too far into it. Was Sasuke literally concerned about her? Before they parted the previous day he had said something worth thinking about: "Before you come to meet up with me and Naruto for the mission, look at your calendar." The calendar… it was Valentine's Day. Everyone knew that. Sasuke wouldn't bring up what he knew as a useless holiday unless he had some sort of plan on that day. And… he only mentioned it to her. Naruto was nowhere around.

Her heart throbbed in her chest as her movements of combing her hair halted. Is he… going to ask me to be his Valentine?! She couldn't help the instinctive grin that was spreading across her lips. There was no way; was there? Could the stoic raven—the Uchiha Sasuke—really be planning on asking her to be his Valentine? A pink tint flushed her cheeks as a new vigor overcame her. "I'm heading out for my mission, mom!" Sakura called out, a giggle overflowing the tone in her voice.

"All right, sweetie, be careful!" Her mother called back, obviously busying herself elsewhere in the house. With that, Sakura strode out her home and walked towards Konoha's front gate to meet with Sasuke and Naruto. Having to do such a low-ranked mission was just a waste of time—it was a D rank! Why didn't they just get Konohamaru and his team to escort the woman?

When she arrived at the gate, there he was: Uchiha Sasuke, his eyes closed as he leaned regally on the side of the gate. The breeze wisped by him, shifting the coal black bangs over his forehead, revealing the headband underneath that he had begun to wear once again. His hands were shoved in his pockets, a metallic bracelet decorating his wrist with Uchiha symbol signs hanging off it.

Sakura placed her hand over her chest lightly. He looked so… gorgeous. It was strange—complimenting a guy with a feminine word. Yes, Uchiha Sasuke was the absolute most handsome man that she had ever laid eyes on, but he was also the most beautiful. "Sakura," he said simply in greeting her, his onyx eyes looking up at her plainly.

"Hi, Sasuke!" She smiled sweetly, making her way over closer. He didn't seem particularly interested in getting into any conversations. When was he ever interested? The pinkette had grown used to the stoic distance that Sasuke kept with the people around him, but it seemed to her that Team 7 held a special place in his heart. He would talk to them a bit more—just a bit. "I think Naruto has been picking up some habits from Kakashi-sensei…" Sakura mumbled in reference to his tardiness. Sasuke just nodded slowly, grunting a short "hn".

She twiddled her thumbs, trying to pull out more random sentences that might spark a conversation. "Um… did you sleep well?" She asked loosely, not quite sure of the question herself. What fifteen year old girl asks anyone if they slept well? She sounded like a mother. To her surprise, Sasuke's expression changed into a slight curve of a smirk, a chuckle slipping from his lips.

"No," he responded, making no further effort to accompany her in starting a conversation. Sakura sighed. For once, she was glad to see Naruto running their way to interrupt their alone time. As much as she wanted to, Sakura couldn't bring herself to talk to Sasuke. It was definitely an art: how did Naruto do it?

"Hey guys!" Naruto called out, grinning like a Cheshire. His hand waved over his head in exaggerated sways. When he reached them, he huffed out large puffs of air, apparently out of breath. "Sorry… I'm late…" he spoke between breaths of air. "Where's the lady?!" He placed both of his fists on his hips, looking around for the woman they were supposed to be escorting.

"Did you even read the report?" Sakura groaned, slapping her forehead. This boy could be so difficult at times. "She said she'd meet us in the forest!"

"Sounds fishy to me…" Naruto grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest, a frown plastered on his lips.

"Let's go," Sasuke ordered, beginning his trek outside of Konoha: their home village. His two other comrades followed behind him, continuing to argue about the supposed suspicious actions of their client. Honestly, Sasuke could care less if she was trying to kill them. That would make this mission a lot more interesting.

As of now, this was just an annoying task in which he took no interest. A traitorous client would definitely spice things up. Then again, if the mission stood at its easy pace they would get done faster, and he would be able to commence what he had planned the previous day.

To Sakura's relief and Naruto's surprise, the woman was ordinary: nothing traitorous about her. How did Sasuke feel about it? Simple: he didn't really care. Either way, the mission was getting done, wasn't it? Or so he thought he didn't care. This woman, who was named Kaori, seemed to have taken a special interest in him.

Sakura didn't like it. That woman had some nerve flirting with her Sasuke! Well… he wasn't really hers, but it was the principle. "Your hair is so silky," Kaori giggled, lifting her hand to stroke through the charcoal mop of the raven. He grunted. She seriously reminds me of Karin… he spat in disgust, pushing the woman's hand away. Unfortunately, he still had to be somewhat… kind. Sasuke still wanted his paycheck, and to get his paycheck, Kaori had to stay alive.

"Don't touch me," he said simply, walking faster and away from her. Sakura could help but allow a victorious smile to spread on her lips. That woman could never woo a distant stoic like Uchiha Sasuke—no woman could. That fact, however, caused her smile to be replaced with a frown. Not even I could woo Sasuke… she mused, sighing with defeat.

Their escort mission didn't take as long as it could have, thankfully. Sakura didn't know how much longer she could silently stand by and watch the woman drool over Sasuke. How old was she again? I guess no one could really help but find the raven attractive, but even still. "Whoo! Now we can finally head home! What a boring mission!" Naruto whined, raising his hands and resting them on the back of his head. His lips were curved downward into a frown of disappointment. "The least grandma Tsunade could do is give us an interesting mission! That would be sort of like a Valentine's Day gift…" he grumbled while he pouted.

"I'm glad it's over! Who wants to be on a mission all day on Valentine's Day?" Sakura crossed her arms over her chest. "Geez, Naruto, you can be really dense sometimes… what about Hinata?" She frowned, making a point to remind the forgetful blonde about his girlfriend. Naruto's eyes popped open and his hands dropped to his sides.

"Oh gosh! What time is it, Sakura?!" He looked at her frantically. Was he going to be late for their date?! He didn't want to disappoint Hinata!

"It's four," Sasuke answered for the pinkette, stopping in his tracks as they arrived at Konoha's village gate. Naruto groaned aloud and fisted tufts of his hair.

"Darnnit! I'm gonna be late! I still have to get ready! I'll see you later, you guys! Happy Valentine's Day!" He continued to call out to his friends as he raced homeward to ready himself for a date. Sakura couldn't help but laugh at his comical behavior, but the reality of the situation soon hit her: she was alone again with Sasuke. She looked over to the stoic, meeting his impassive onyx eyes.

"What?" He blurted out simply, his constant stare into her emerald orbs making her legs want to wobble.

"N—nothing!" She stammered, looking away to rid herself of the loss of composure. Even after the years of separation, something about Sasuke always made her flutter like a nervous butterfly. Her confidence would shatter and she'd feel like a completely open book, and that Uchiha would always read her as such.

"Hn… c'mon," he stated simply, beginning to walk again. "C'mon" he said? Where were they going—and better yet, why were they going together? Sakura's cheeks flushed a tint that matched her hair almost perfectly.

"Where are we going?" She voiced the musings that had made their course through her mind. He barely turned his head to look at her as he spoke.

"I'm hungry." The answer was simple, but it meant something completely different. Sasuke being hungry meant they were going out to eat, going out to eat with Sasuke meant that you'd be alone with him in a restaurant, and being alone with Sasuke in a restaurant was… A date?! Sakura squealed excitedly in her mind, a nervous smile spreading on her lips.

To her surprise, however, he wasn't headed towards a restaurant: he was headed towards his home. Why are we going to his house? She wondered, tapping her lips with her index finger. "Sasuke?"

"I haven't gotten paid, so I'm cooking," he answered her question before she could even ask it. She really was just an open book for him to read, wasn't she? Does that mean he knows that I'm thinking of this as a date? She frowned; maybe he wasn't saying anything because he found her utterly ridiculous. Or—just maybe—did he not want to hurt her feelings? Better yet, did he think of it as a date too? Sakura had so many unanswered questions that she didn't know what to do with herself.

After opening the door to his house, Sasuke lead Sakura in. It was completely spotless. Just by allowing her eyes to wander from place to place, examining the interior of his simple home, she could probably make a clear assumption that he was a bit obsessive with how clean his home remained. "Take your shoes off," he ordered as he did the action himself. Yes, definitely obsessive.

Once her shoes were removed, Sakura tiptoed around the home, venturing into the kitchen, seeing that Sasuke had already started making rice. "Onigiri?" She guessed with a smile. Sasuke looked over at her loosely and nodded. "Do you want me to help?"

"Take your liberty," he responded, returning his attention to cooking.

His home was so quiet. Sakura could hear the chill of February air washing in through a window, which was cracked open slightly. There were no lights in his home. To explain the atmosphere in just two words, Sakura would choose cold and dark. Those two words, ironically, also described the boy who was living within the walls of the home.

They both sat across from each other, Sasuke with his eyes clearly focused on his food and Sakura occasionally stealing glances at the handsome stoic. To her embarrassment, Sasuke looked up at her once and caught her eye. A blush flushed across her cheeks and she returned her attention to her food. She could hear him chuckle almost silently when she did so. "W—what?" Sakura looked back up, giving him her attention.

"I don't think you've been this quiet in all the years I've known you," he noted, and what Sakura could have sworn was a playful grin was playing at his lips.

"And I think that's the longest sentence I've ever heard you say in all the years I've known you," she countered with a subdued giggle, giving him a charming smile.

"Hn," was his response, as he returned his attention to his food.

The hours passed by rather quickly—much more quickly than Sakura could have ever anticipated. Cooking alone took some time, and then there was the eating and the cleanup: which she had insisted on aiding Sasuke with. To her surprise, Sasuke didn't kick her right out of his house once they had completed everything involving dinner, so she stuck around.

Small conversations popped up here and there, but the house mostly stood in its quiet state. Sasuke spoke a bit of his past family—mostly his mother, Mikoto, who he said would have had endless conversations with Sakura because they both tended to talk too much. "You don't really act like her, however," Sasuke noted, his head tipping to the side only slightly as he examined the pinkette before him. Sakura giggled.

"She was probably a lot more mature than me," she mused aloud, folding her hands on her lap awkwardly. It was strange to have Sasuke look at her for a longer amount of time than necessary. Actually, everything going on was rather strange; if it wasn't just her, he was talking a lot more than usual. Sakura glanced up at the clock and her eyes widened. "Oh my gosh it's eleven forty!" She gasped, standing to her feet. "I didn't realize the time I'm so sorry!" Sasuke just looked at her, his eyes veering up to the clock.

"I didn't either," he mumbled simply, seeming as he recalled that he forgot to do something. Sakura cocked her head to the side, her mouth forming a confused "o".

"Is something wrong?" She asked, looking at the raven, who was currently drowning in his thoughts. Sasuke looked up at her, following her actions and standing to his feet. He took a deep breath, seeming somewhat… nervous?

"Did you… look at your calendar like I told you to?" Sakura, who had honestly not looked, nodded her head. It was Valentine's Day, everyone knew that. Why would she have to look at her calendar?

"Mhm, what about it…?" Her voice was plagued with a nervous anticipation; what was he going to say? He had said so much already—today had been one of the best days of her life! She had had her first date with Uchiha Sasuke, he had spoken more than two words to her, and he opened up to her and talked about his family. What more was there? He took another deep breath and looked her straight in the eyes.

"Then I'm just going to be straight with you," he said simply, pinching his lips together as his nervousness more readily portrayed itself. "I… hate you. Everything about you I can't help but hate it. After all these years, my feelings have changed, and I hate you." Sakura's heart stopped completely. Her vision blurred with tears and confusion. She could feel her head spinning uncontrollably. He… what? He hated her? He spoke with such a strong assurance in his voice that there was no denying that he was telling the truth.

Sakura bit her bottom lip. Why did he choose today to tell her something like… something like that?! How heartless could he be? She shook her head and ran away from his sight—ran away from those menacing onyx orbs that she was admiring only a few hours earlier. He was such a liar. Such a deceitful menace. She knew he was cold—she knew he was heartless—she knew he had the greatest capacity to hurt her: and he just did it.

She ran into her house, slamming her front door shut and racing up into her bedroom. All the lights were off—her parents were already asleep. There was no one there to comfort her. Sakura threw herself into her bed and cried until her eyes and her head ached, but nothing ached worse than her heart. She loved Uchiha Sasuke: why did he have to hate her? Just why? There was no better question than that. What did she do to deserve such an intense dislike from him? All she ever tried to do was talk to him—to make him understand her feelings for him!

Sakura got up from her bed; it was eleven fifty nine. Now that she was up, she might as well cross the wretched day off her calendar. Depressed, the pinkette trudged up to her calendar, grabbing a pen and raising it to the date. A gasp escaped her lips as she stared at the date with swollen eyes. "Valentine's Day" wasn't the only date marked on her calendar.

Some years back, Team 7 had made it a tradition to celebrate their own personal opposite day every February, and she had forgotten all about it, as had Naruto. And today—Valentine's Day—was that "Team 7's Annual Opposite Day." Opposite…? Her heart pounded rapidly in her chest, her mind taking her back to moments earlier: "I hate you." Does that mean that he…?

"Sakura," she heard a voice from her window, that voice being the unmistakable velvet of Uchiha Sasuke. Her eyes immediately met his, refilling up with tears. She saw her clock in her peripheral vision, reading twelve o'clock midnight. It was now February fifteenth, and Valentine's Day was over—as was opposite day. Stepping into her room, Sasuke encircled her waist with his arms, taking her into a loving embrace. "I love you…" he said the real words this time, team 7's holiday out of his way of a true love confession.

"I love you too, Sasuke…" Sakura breathed, her heart fluttering joyously. Uchiha Sasuke loved her—he had just admitted it. And there was no doubt in her mind: after all, he had technically said it about four times, hadn't he?

oOoOo

Gotta love happy endings… This is my second one-shot. :] I'm not used to them lol but hey, they work. I hope you all liked it and Happy Valentine's Day! Don't forget to tell your special someone how much they mean to you, and if you don't have a special someone, just give your mom or dad some candy and flowers lol. Arigatogozaimasu for all your support—and don't forget to R&R!

InaGaTa