Gold

This was a k-pop song I listened to back in March when it came out. It's a beautiful song, to me anyway. I don't know what your music tastes are. The lyrics might not make sense but they are translated from Korean so what makes sense in that language may not in English.

I structured the lyrics in this so the chorus is only at the end. There's no need to write three sections for each time the chorus appears. I also think there were too many drama cliches in this for my liking but I utterly suck at writing romantic stuff.

Sasuke might seem a bit OOC but his family is alive in this fic so I think it's understandable.

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto or 'Gold' by Hyomin of T-ARA. I do not own the lyric translation. Lyric translation from link in profile because I'm a lazy ass who has only learned how to read (but not understand) Korean.

Konoha University was the largest college in the Fire Country, with a campus exceeding eight kilometers. Its students were average in number: around 17,000 undergraduates. Besides the outrageous amount of space and students, the university was well-known for its courtesy to students.

Well, that was a load of crap. Haruno Sakura understood why: there were 17,000 students to cater to and only one staff member for every 35 students.

That should have given extra reason for the administration to make larger dorms. She woke up on the floor more times than the actual bed. She lived in the scholarship dorms which were practically the size of a half-bathroom. Only the carefree rich students could afford the larger, newer dorms. Kudos to them for living the life.

One day, I was lost in a dream

About one thousands stars you came to me

Sakura's parents were too far away to aid her with finance, not that they would want to anyway. She had been lucky enough to get a scholarship to the university. If she had not, it would probably be about ten years before she made enough to pay her way into university. Her parents would not have offered to pay for it with their money.

She managed to get a job at one of the campus cafés as a dish washer because she was strong enough to clean up the heavy things without help. It barely offered enough to pay for her dorm each month but luckily, she got huge discounts on food.

It was late and almost time for nighttime closing when the final employee left, leaving Sakura to close for the night. She was about to do just that when she heard someone say: "can I get a coffee?"

Sakura whipped around, surprised at another presence. It was a man, or boy (his age was questionable), just above average in height with oddly shaped dark hair and matching eyes. She narrowed her eyes at him; she was sure she knew who the guy was.

"Do I know you?" she could not help but ask.

He rolled his eyes, apathetic expression unchanging. "Practically everyone does."

After a few more seconds of thought, she shook her head. "I don't actually. Let me get that coffee for you."

He stared after her as she walked back inside.

And put my shattered life back together

I saw myself reflected in your eyes for the first time

Sakura saw him again at the café, this time during decent hours. He was with Uzumaki Naruto, the prized shortstop of the baseball team.

"Ne, Teme! You have to try the croissants here!" Naruto exclaimed, drawing the attention of every person in the vicinity.

Sakura rolled her eyes. KU was so big they must have accepted students if they just sent an application. It worried her that he had pronounced "croissant" as "kroi-sant."

"Stop being stupid, dobe."

Really, pet nicknames were nice and all but Sakura was rather curious about Naruto's friend's name. She did not want to ask it outright. Naruto's friend probably had more strangers oh-so-sweetly ask his name than any other guy based on his looks.

All of them probably got their hearts broken too.

Sakura proceeded to act like she usually did, indifferent but with decently friendly expression. The girl who was working as cashier was having the best day of her life. She seemed to be well aware of who he was and did not waste time in pulling out a voice that made many customers both cringe and gag.

"Sasuke-kun! How sweet of you to come to where I work!"

The sound was shrill and ear-piercing. Sakura decided her ears were far more important than finding out more about this Sasuke guy and headed to the kitchen. That did not stop her from watching the scene through the window in the door.

"What can I get for you?!" The cashier practically leaned over the counter to stick her face as close as she could to Sasuke.

Sakura really did not blame Sasuke for backing away; she would have too, as well as any person in their right mind. Naruto on the other hand, did not seem to mind and shouted his order back in her face. "I wanna egg sandwich and water!"

That got the girl to come to her senses. She was coldly polite as she took Naruto's order. Since Sasuke did not speak to her again, Sakura assumed Naruto ordered for him. She briefly considered leaving the kitchen to pretend to clean and drop something around the table where the two sat down but fiercely decided against it. Who was she to think she had the right to pull off a romance movie cliche? Then again, why was she even thinking about having romance movies cliches with a guy she hardly knew? And again, what business did she have associating her dry and drab life with anyone else's? Was that even a cliche? Why was she thinking about cliches?

Sakura spent the next fifteen minutes pretending to clean in the kitchen to refocus her thoughts, only occasionally glancing out the door window. Sasuke looked irritable by the time they left. She figured the cashier girl must have tried to get a response out of him again.

It was then she had a gut feeling she would not ever see him again.

'Why does it even matter to you anyway. I don't have an interest in him,' she told herself. Despite her thoughts, she felt like she was lying to herself.

It was so pretty and beautiful, my smile

Your warmth embraces me

Sakura had always had a dream of becoming a doctor. It had been her dream ever since she had helped a kid back in elementary school after a PE class gone wrong.

What she did not know about Konoha University's Health Sciences' Medical Program when she was applying to the school was who was in charge. Senju Tsunade, while well-respected in the medical field, was the worst-tempered woman Sakura had ever met. The only thing she was lenient about was what her students wore to class, because she herself did not seem to care what people thought about her attire. (Sakura figured that if one could look that young and their breasts that did not sag, then they could wear whatever the hell they wanted)

Tsunade was much stricter about everything else though. If someone came to class late, she blew her fuse at them after saying that however long they were late could cause a patient's condition to go from worrisome to fatal. That one was accompanied by a rather threatening glare that would make anyone feel like their heart just shriveled. When people forgot even the slightest thing, whether it be a pencil or a concept from the notes, she always told them that school let people forget but the real world did not.

Sakura went along with everything Tsunade said, although she was not sure if it was because she actually agreed 24/7 with the woman or because she felt obligated to.

Regardless, Sakura had turned into some sort of substitute errand girl: available for use when Tsunade's assistant, Shizune, was busy. One of those days after class, Tsunade had pulled a bottle of sake, from who knows where, and told Sakura to take a stack of textbooks to the storage room. Sakura wanted to facepalm for agreeing so readily.

While Sakura had no doubt she could carry a stack of ten books, it was how to see where she was going that she was concerned about. Her face was turned to the left, right cheek pressed against the books. The grip she had on the bottom of the stack was not the greatest but she had faith that it would suffice.

Arts and Health Sciences shared a building, divided into lecture halls and labs for different classes. While large, there was something Sakura always found comforting in the linoleum tiles and high ceilings. They never changed.

Sakura knew the storage room was not far from the Medical Program's lecture hall. She hoped she could get there without running into something or someone. After she passed a large window, her marker to tell her she was close, she sighed in relief. Slowly, she began to drift to the right where she was sure the double doors to the storage room were. As she began to shift her grip so she could reach for the knob, the doors opened, hitting her stack in the process. Sakura lost her grip on almost all the books, falling from the momentum. One book landed on her stomach and she felt the wind being knocked out of her.

Once Sakura regained her breathing, she sat up to see who opened the door, only to find no one there. They did not even bother to leave the door propped open either.

'Jerk,' she thought. 'Manners just go down the drain these days.'

She began to gather the books up. After all ten were stacked in her arms again, she plastered her left cheek against the pile to look at the door. The open door.

'Hell no, there are no such things as ghosts.'

Sakura tried to put on a brave face and walked in. She spotted the textbooks that matched the ones she was carrying in the back of the room and started to head over there.

"Are you actually carrying all those yourself?"

The speed that Sakura turned with caused the books to fall over, again. One fell back towards her head and she ducked to try and avoid it. She heard a swoosh and slowly glanced up to see that someone had caught it.

"I asked you a question."

Sakura recognized that monotone. 'No way, no way. He's not here, that's not him.'

But as she stood up to confirm her thoughts, she realized it was him: Sasuke.

She was feeling all sorts of emotions at once. Surprise, joy, anger...anger decided to make itself known. "What the hell? Couldn't you at least apologize?"

He just tilted his head and Sakura inwardly cursed him for looking like he stepped out of a goddamn magazine.

"I guess 'I'm sorry' isn't in your vocabulary." Sakura bent down to pick up the books, again.

"How about a 'thank you?' Is that in your vocabulary?" Sasuke smirked at her and waved the book he had caught in her face.

Sakura internally seethed and as much as she did not want to thank him, she forced a small "thanks" without looking at him. Truthfully, she felt her cheeks flush and tried her best to cover that with her hair.

"What's your name?"

Somehow, Sakura was taken aback by his question. She glanced at him for a second, hoping to whatever higher power that her blush was gone, before answering, "Sakura."

Sasuke just nodded and she suddenly felt frustrated. "Isn't it courtesy to introduce yourself as well?"

"Why should I? You already know it."

Sakura had been hoping he would introduce himself. She knew his name, but there was something about introductions that, to Sakura, affected so many things between people.

'Wait, how does he know I know his name?'

"You said it after I caught the book," he answered. Sakura wondered if he could read minds.

She just wanted to smack herself.

"Um, just forget I said anything," she said lamely, feeling like a loser.

One of the corners of Sasuke's mouth turned up and Sakura knew he would not forget anything.

At that point, Sakura remembered her purpose for going to the storage room in the first place and resumed stacking books. After she finished piling the ones she had left, she realized Sasuke was holding the last one.

"Can I have the book, please?" she asked expectantly.

Sakura figured he would just hand the book over but instead he raised it above her head. She glared at his smirking face and he lowered the book a bit, prompting her to try and jump for it. He was just too tall for Sakura to do anything effective.

'What am I doing? I look like an idiot right now. Urgh, don't look like an idiot!'

Sasuke put the book at her eye level and she swiped at it as fast as she could. She managed to get a hold on the book but he pulled it away just as her hands were secure on it. Without even knowing the reason, she started laughing.

"Come on!" she shouted in between laughing and trying to grab the book. That jerk was still smirking at her. As much as she did not want to surrender, she crouched on the ground and sighed in frustration, though the ends of her lips were turned up. She glanced up to see if Sasuke was still standing there but she noticed that he was putting the book on top of the stack she had just made.

'That JERK!'

Sakura hit his arm and started laughing again after he took a sharp intake of breath from her punch.

Later on, she realized that was the most she had laughed in a long time.

I believed for many days that there's no truth in things

I hid in a room and gave up on all love

Sakura's parents were not the loving type.

Scratch that, they were hardly parents to begin with. They were her adopted parents, only taking her in because of obligation to her real parents: Haruno Kizashi and Mebuki. They were killed in a robbery committed by friends of her adopted parents when she was ten.

Although they took her in, Sakura's adopted parents did not have plans of raising her as their own. Sakura lost count of the times she had to walk to and from school because they just forgot. She could remember all the times she sprinted home in the dark after late-night study sessions were over. There were also all her birthdays that went by so uneventfully because her parents did not ever remember unless she told them.

To top it all off, they did almost nothing. Her adopted father ran a programming business out of the house but he was so unmotivated to finish anything that there were hardly any sales. Sakura remembered getting her first job at age fourteen just to pay bills. Her adopted mother was not much better. She did not have a job and had dropped out of high school because she considered it to be too much effort.

Besides their character flaws, what made Sakura feel the worst was when they acted like she did not exist. She even asked them why they practically ignored her. Their response was that she should be grateful they even accepted her into their house and not to expect anything more. Although it had been hurtful at the time, Sakura accepted it as a fact and proceeded to leave them alone as well. She spent most of her time in the basement where her room was, studying, because if she could get the career she wanted, she could get out of that house forever. If they ever actually decided to turn to her for help one day, she could say: "you did nothing for me, why should I do this for you?"

Sakura honestly did not realize it until she was accepted into college, but the reason she had no friends in middle and high school was her own self. All the time that she spent hoping someone would talk to her was her pathetic hope. Nobody talked to her because she holed herself up in the library or hid at the end of the hallway to study, study, study.

By the time she got to university, however, she learned early on that a quick transition from an awkward introvert to a social butterfly was impossible. Much too soon, she found herself in the library once again, still with the same slivers of hope that someone would talk to her.

You came to me as I was curled up

And comforted me and said it was a bad dream

Sakura had seen Sasuke appear in the café every once in a while. Perhaps she was just oblivious but she had never seen him anywhere near the café until that night he had asked for a late night coffee.

There were times when he visited that Sakura wished she were a barista instead of a dish washer. Then each time she rolled her eyes at herself by even thinking she mattered when there were girls out there so much better than she was. Those thoughts did not stop her from occasionally walking around where he sat, throwing away trash. He caught her eye once in a while but each time he did, she turned away with a red face.

It was about a month after the incident with Sasuke, Naruto, and that cashier girl when the café manager pulled Sakura aside and told her she was fired.

"I've had too many complaints about you. Turn in your apron and go."

Sakura had wanted to protest but she could not find it in her to do so. As she thought about possible reasons why, nothing would come to mind. She had not picked fights with the customers or other employees. She was not late to work and did not leave before her shift was over.

After she handed the manager her apron and was almost out the door, she heard snickering from behind the counter. Go figure, all those girls must have complained about her for some reason. But as she stood with one foot outside, she knew there was nothing she could do and left.

Sakura was sure she could pay for her dorm that month, but the following months? She had no job, her parents certainly would not offer their money, nor would they reply to a request. To ease her mind, she went to the only place she could take comfort in: the library. She had already finished her homework for Tsunade's class and her other classes were not difficult for her so she decided to just grab whichever book caught her attention. Although Sakura did not read fiction, she grabbed the first book in that section she saw and found a small table in the corner to read at.

Just as she started to forget all her misfortunes in the last hour and enjoy the book, she noticed someone sit at her table. She wondered who would want to sit at her table when it was so small and slightly glanced up to see Sasuke staring at her with his hands folded.

"W-What?" Sakura was more surprised than anything.

"You got fired," he said.

"How do you-"

"Naruto's...girlfriend...works there."

Sakura wanted to ask about Naruto's girlfriend rather than focus on her own problems. She was about to do just that until Sasuke said, "don't avoid the subject."

'Does he read my mind? Can you hear this?'

To Sakura's relief, he did not reply to her thoughts.

"Yeah, I got fired. What about it?" She wanted to dismiss the topic.

"You need a new place to work."

She was miffed about how he kept stating things instead of asking. Regardless, she nodded.

"The place the dobe works at is hiring."

Sakura vaguely recalled Sasuke calling Naruto "dobe" when they both went to the café. She briefly wondered if they were going to continue with pet names even after college.

"Is it on campus?" she asked.

"No, it's down the road from the main entrance."

"How far down the road?"

"You ask a lot of questions."

She gave a wry lip turn. "My apologies," she started sarcastically. "How far down the road?"

"Driving distance."

Sakura sighed. "I don't think I can get the job then."

Sasuke just raised an eyebrow instead of asking why.

"I don't have a car, or a license for that matter. Buses don't come by here either unless you call them and-" Sakura realized she was rambling.

He seemed to contemplate it for about thirty seconds before glancing down. Sakura thought she heard him mumble something but her ear could not understand it.

"What did you say?" She was more than a little curious about what he said.

"I can drive you," he repeated, barely loud enough to hear. He was still looking down.

Sakura blinked in surprise. They hardly knew each other, and he wanted to drive her to the job she might not even get? She did not voice this out loud, instead asking, "but what about your schedule?"

"If you get the same work schedule as Naruto then there shouldn't be a problem," Sasuke replied.

It was her turn to glance down. The book she had chosen earlier sat closed on the table, long forgotten. Was that what she had to do? Just go for it like she had with the book? She had actually started to enjoy it. After a long breath, she glanced back up at Sasuke and said, "okay."

He stood up and a corner of his lips tilted up ever-so-slightly. "I'll meet you here at noon tomorrow." Just like that, he left.

Sakura glanced down at the book and pondered if she should not have agreed.

'This is why you didn't have friends,' she thought to herself. 'You never took risks.'

She stood up so quickly her chair made a screeching noise as it slid back. People glanced at her and she felt their stares but for once, it did not bother her. She grabbed the book and headed to the checkout counter with conviction and handed it to the librarian.

"I never see you check out fiction. Felt like a change?" the librarian asked as she passed Sakura the book back.

Sakura just smiled. "Yeah."

My black and white life

Dyes into a rainbow

My swollen heart beats

An unusually well-dressed Sakura waited in the library at the same table that Sasuke had said to meet at. Her usually wardrobe consisted of tees and shorts with the occasional hoodie. What possessed her to suddenly wear the only blouse she owned and jeans was beyond her.

At 11:59, Sasuke appeared. He looked awkward and uncomfortable, although there was not much difference from his usual demeanor.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," he answered stiffly. "Since the dobe's shift starts soon, I have to drive him." He arched an eyebrow, like he was questioning if that was alright.

"It's fine." She gave a grin. "He's your best friend, right?"

Sasuke practically cringed. "You can call him that."

"But you're not denying it."

Sakura took his silence as confirmation of her question. She then grabbed her backpack, which she had been using since middle school, the rips and holes in it were proof, and gestured for him to go.

Just after they walked out of the library, there was an unforgettable voice shouting obscenities at Sasuke in the distance. Sakura heard Sasuke curse back under his breath and figured without much guessing that it was Naruto.

"Teme! You just disappeared and I was so mad and-" Naruto stopped his tirade when he saw Sakura. He shifted his gaze to Sasuke and back to Sakura, several times in fact, and a big grin appeared on his face.

Sakura coughed to show her discomfort and the blonde seemed to snap out of it. "Is that her, Teme?! For a while there I was really concerned about you and if she was real and your mom called to ask if you had a girlfriend yet and-"

Sasuke interrupted him this time with a shove. He led the way outside to his car, a black expensive-looking SUV, while Naruto started ranting stories about Sasuke to Sakura. She was full-on laughing at the story of Sasuke starting a food fight with baby tomatoes in first grade over a stolen crayon by the time they reached the car. Naruto just seemed to have the power to make anyone feel at ease.

"Stop making things up, dobe," Sasuke hissed at him.

"Those were great times, Sasu-chan," Naruto responded and winked.

Sasuke just scowled.

Sakura wondered why Naruto was sitting in the second row rather than the passenger's seat. "Naruto? You don't want to sit here?" She gestured to the seat.

"Nah, you sit there." He gave a rather creepy-looking grin.

She noticed Sasuke narrow his eyes at Naruto in the rearview mirror as she sat down. "Is something the matter?"

Sasuke stiffened so quickly that he caused the blonde in the back to burst out laughing. "No, it's fine," he said.

She grinned slightly at them as Sasuke drove off.

When Sasuke told her the place Naruto worked was in driving distance, she expected the trip to take seven minutes at the most. As the time passed ten minutes, she looked incredulously at Sasuke who did not seem to notice.

Fortunately, Naruto did and he reassured her, "don't worry, Sakura-chan! It's a fifteen minute drive."

She was somewhat relieved for a second until she realized she never told Naruto her name. "I never introduced myself to you. How do you know who I am?"

"Same way you probably learned mine: through Sas-"

"Hinata works at the café," Sasuke interrupted, his voice somehow louder than Naruto's.

"What are you talking about, Teme?! You know where she works! She doesn't work at the café!"

"Shut up, dobe."

"Well I think it's a big deal you don't know where my girlfriend works!"

"I said shut it."

As they continued to bicker, Sakura thought back to her conversation with Sasuke the previous day. Was that why he did not let her ask about Naruto's girlfriend? How did he know she got fired then? Was he stalking her?

Although she wanted to ask these things, she figured they could wait until she was done talking to Naruto's boss. Sasuke parallel parked, rather well in Sakura's opinion, in front of a ramen shop. It was a small place but somehow looked like it could stuff unlimited amounts of people in there.

"Ichiraku's! I've been coming here since I was a little kid. Now I work here and get discounts on all the ramen I eat," Naruto said with a giant smile as he hopped out of the car.

Sakura got out as well and swallowed thickly after seeing how many people were inside. After seeing Naruto practically jog inside the shop, she forced her feet to follow. She noticed Sasuke pass by her and wondered what he was in such a hurry for. Until he got to the door, that is, because he held it open for her. For a few seconds, she stopped walking in shock.

"I can't hold it open all day," he said with an annoyed look.

She looked down at her feet to hide her damn blush as she walked through the open door. "Thank you," she spoke awkwardly, not used to people holding doors open for her. Usually, she used doors that no one else was around or went to places with automatic entrances so she could avoid other people.

'You're starting on a new foot, go to the busy places,' she mentally noted with a resolute expression.

"You must be Sakura. Naruto's told me a lot about you," a broad-shouldered, gray-haired man approached Sakura with a smile.

"Uh, yes, that's me," she bowed in greeting. Naruto told him a lot about her? They had never met before.

"I'm Teuchi, the man who runs this place. Good news for you, you're already hired."

Sakura widened her eyes. "Already? Don't you need to interview me?"

He laughed. "No, this is my busiest time of the day and Naruto and my daughter are the only employees I have. Any new employee is welcome right now."

She bowed again. "Thank you, sir."

"Thank me by working hard. You don't have to work today. Come back with Naruto when he has his next shift." Teuchi left to return to cooking ramen.

Sakura stared after him, dumbfounded. She did not even realize Sasuke was still next to her until he said her name.

"Yeah?" She blinked and turned her focus to him.

"The dobe's calling you."

Sakura was appalled she did not hear Naruto shout her name. She glanced around to see where the blonde was and saw him sitting at a large table with other people who looked their age. Sasuke led the way over to them since Sakura's feet seemed stuck to the floor.

"These are our friends, Sakura-chan!" He proceeded to point and name each one of them. Sakura tried to pick out their most memorable features:

- the Sasuke-looking pale guy was Sai
- the blonde, blue-eyed girl was Ino
- the guy with pineapple hair was Shikamaru
- the guy who was practically inhaling the food was Chōji
- the guy with sunglasses was Shino
- the guy with the dog was Kiba
- the guy wearing a green jumpsuit was Rock Lee
- the girl with twin buns was Tenten
- the guy with hair like a girl was Neji
- Neji's cousin was Naruto's girlfriend; a girl with indigo hair named Hinata

Sakura nervously bowed. She, in all honestly, did not expect them to do anything. Her face must have been a dictionary example of surprise when Ino told Naruto to leave so Sakura could sit where he was.

"I'll be back, Hinata-chan!" Naruto tried to give a kiss to Hinata but his attempt was thwarted by Neji, who seemed like the overprotective brother type. The boy with endless energy shouted his goodbyes before heading to the kitchen.

"Come sit, Sakura! I've never seen you around before. Naruto said you go to KU too," Ino said, waving Sakura to the seat she had forced Naruto to clear.

Once Sakura sat down, she noticed Sasuke pull a chair from an empty table to sit next to her. She wished she could grow immune to blushing.

"I don't really make myself known," Sakura replied to Ino softly.

"Aw, you should! You're so pretty!" Tenten complimented from across the table.

"Thank you." Sakura smiled, feeling meek but much more at ease.

The group went on to discuss classes and more superficial topics. Soon enough, Sakura found herself laughing alongside the rest of them. She surprised herself again each time she added something to the conversation. Sakura was not sure how to react when Rock Lee started shouting declarations of love but he seemed to stop after glancing in Sasuke's direction. She had glanced at the dark-haired boy beside her to see why Lee had so abruptly gone quiet only to see his usual expression. Was Sasuke just scary to some people?

When Neji announced it was 5:30, Sakura wondered where the time went. Did she really just spend four and a half hours...talking?

"What's your number? I wanna add you in the group chat," Ino said with her cell phone out.

Sakura grinned sheepishly. "I don't have one. If you want my email I can give you that."

Ino, and Kiba strangely, went slack-jawed. "Who doesn't have a phone these days?!" the blonde seemed to ask everyone sitting around them.

"People like me, I guess," Sakura suggested when there was silence. In middle school, she had eyed one in the window, hoping somehow she could get one. However, the more she thought about it, the more useless it seemed. Who was she going to talk to anyway?

"Uh, yeah! I don't ever use my email so scratch that." Ino put her finger to her lips in thought. "We'll just have to meet up more often."

Sakura, if possible, grinned even wider. These were people that were friendly and she could joke around with. These were people who probably saw how weird she was but let her in anyway.

Maybe she would get that phone...when she actually had money for it.

You make me, you make me so

My heart can, my heart can show

You make me, you make me gold

Just two days after meeting Naruto and Sasuke's friends at Ichiraku's, Sakura woke up to see Ino grinning at her. Questions ran through Sakura's mind as she fell off the bed in surprise. How did Ino find out where her dorm was? What was she doing there? How was she even fitting in the impossibly cramped dorm with all the stuff Sakura had laying around?

"Reeelaaaax," Ino started slowly. "I'm totally friends with the supervisor here. No, she didn't give me the finger!" Sakura realized her judgmental facial expression.

"Don't you have class today?" Sakura asked, recalling Ino reciting her schedule word for word the other day. According to the old alarm clock on the floor, the blonde was supposed to be in her botany class.

"Psh, yeah. But it's totally worth ditching if I can drag you to the mall!"

Surprise was just becoming Sakura's most frequent facial expression. "Wait, but I don't have any money to spend-"

"Oh give it a rest! You're a friend, and all my friends are spoiled, so therefore you need to be spoiled too."

Ino all but dashed over to Sakura's excuse of a closet and started going through the clothing. Sakura was starting to doze off again after she laid back down on her bed until a strangled shriek nearly burst her eardrums.

"W-What's-" Sakura started but Ino suddenly appeared in her face.

"How are you living?!"

"Um...normally?"

"'NORMALLY?!'" Ino quoted her. "We're going to my dorm this instant!"

As Ino grabbed Sakura's arm to drag her from her bed to the door, the pink-haired girl tried in vain to detach herself. "Wait, I'm not leaving my dorm like this!"

"What you have on is ten times better than what's in your closet!"

Ino let go of her grip on Sakura who disdainfully eyed the clothing she had on. She had a very faded pair of cotton Doraemon shorts, which were originally pants but after about six years they were in the need of alteration. Her shirt, also so thoroughly used it had become practically translucent, was something she had possessed since she was a little girl. Instead of the princess nightgowns at the store, she had considered her birth mother's t-shirts true princess dresses because she had a train of fabric following her whenever she wore it. She stole plenty of them back then.

"My room's in another building but-"

"Ino."

"-I think you'll be just fine."

"Ino."

"Besides, you could probably use a boyfriend so all the more reason you should stay the way you are."

"Ino!"

"What?! I'm just saying!"

Sakura sighed. "Just please let me wear a hoodie. I'm not comfortable like this."

Ino glanced at her for a prolonged second before grinning and pointing to the closet. Sakura gladly grabbed a giant orange hoodie that Ino immediately frowned at but the pink-haired girl winked to tell her she could not take back her decision.

"Ugh, smart people!"

After Sakura remembered to grab shoes, she was again dragged to Ino's dorm where the blonde proceeded to dress Sakura in what she deemed as "attire safe to be seen by the public." Sakura was just thankful that Ino had clean taste rather than trashy, like some of the girls that wandered around campus late at night. Said girl had handed, or thrown, a skinny pair of cropped jeans and a over-sized red, cotton pullover with short sleeves.

"Off to the mall!" Ino shouted gleefully after she decided Sakura was suitable enough for the occasion.

"Let me go get my wallet. I can't let you pay for anything," Sakura objected.

Her words seemed to fall on deaf ears as Ino started to once again drag her to the parking lot. "You said you didn't have money. Tenten and Hinata both went through this and Hinata's loaded. Now, for more important things..."

The entire way to the mall in Ino's, clearly treasured, purple car was full of discussion about things of unimportance to Sakura, such as the adorable pink dress that Ino saw the week before on a mannequin. Sakura was feeling extremely nervous, perhaps because 1) she had never been to the mall and 2) she had never been anywhere with a friend.

'Don't think about it. Bravery!' she shouted internally, displeased with how corny she sounded.

Once they arrived at the mall and Ino, somehow, found a parking space, Sakura was immediately yanked inside. She gaped at the mall's massive size and suddenly felt very small. From what she could see at the entrance, it was at least three floors and polished to an impeccable shine. Sculptures decorated the centers of the walkways with the occasional fountain. Dim pop music could be heard from speakers in the high ceiling. Her thoughts about the building were cut off after Ino started to drag her to a store to their left.

"If you like anything, just tell me!" she ordered and began searching through racks of clothing.

Sakura felt like she would need to tell Teuchi to have her work more shifts. She would need to pay Ino back sometime soon.

Anytime Sakura would stare at something for more than three seconds, it was snatched by Ino who proceeded to purchase it, despite protests from Sakura. This continued from store to store and the pink-haired girl wished she wore better shoes than the slip-ons she haphazardly grabbed before she was practically towed to Ino's dorm. After about a good two and a half hours plus the first floor of stores, Sakura was flat-out pooped, for lack of better word. Luckily, Ino saw this and led her to the food court, which to Sakura looked more like a convergence of every type of food from every country in the world. Her first choices would be the Italian or Japanese food but knowing how much those tended to cost, she pointed to a fast food place.

"No way! I'm not eating fried food!" Ino immediately opposed and instead gestured to a salad/sandwich bar. Sakura was quite open about her food tastes so she had no objections.

While Ino chose what Sakura thought looked like the healthiest salad one could possibly eat, the pink-haired girl decided on a panini. Seating was impossible to find in the food court so they took their food to sit at a fountain edge. Sakura was the first to finish and she waited until Ino had filled herself before taking their trash to the nearest waste bin. When she returned, Ino and their numerous shopping bags were nowhere in sight.

'I...didn't get ditched, did I? Stay calm, Sakura. Maybe she just went to the bathroom,' Sakura said mentally as she fought to maintain even breathing. 'I'll just wait here, not like I have a choice.'

As Sakura sat down at the fountain, she tried to busy herself by twiddling her fingers and braiding her hair. The obnoxious pink locks had grown about two inches since the start of the semester, reaching her mid-arm. She mentally noted to find time to trim it.

"Sakura?"

Said girl glanced up and widened her eyes when she saw Sasuke. She did not take him for an "I love shopping" kind of guy.

"Hey," she greeted.

He ambled over to sit next to her. "How did you get here?"

"Came with Ino, but she just disappeared a little while ago. What about you? What are you doing here?"

"Drove the dobe here. He ditched me about ten minutes ago."

"...Ramen?"

"Probably."

Sakura considered other reasons for a brief second. "Maybe a gift for Hinata?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "If he could afford anything here, sure."

"So...is that why you're here?"

He looked at her with a surprised expression, as much surprise as he could give anyway.

She jumped in quickly, "I-I don't mean to make assumptions but I kinda guessed from your car."

He gave a resigned sigh. "My father has a big corporation. I'm living off his money until I get a job."

Sakura nodded, although she felt a twinge of jealousy. She did not expect him to continue talking, but he did.

"He's expecting me to work for him after I graduate." His gaze turned to the shiny floor.

"You don't want to though," she said.

"Right. But I always feel like I have to. He always compares me to my brother."

"Your brother works for him."

A nod. "I want to study criminology and go to the police academy." A bitter exhale. "I'd probably never be able to talk to my family again if I did that."

Sakura hesitantly put her hand on his shoulder. He jolted, like human contact was a new thing. "Is your brother supportive of you?"

Sasuke nodded.

"Have you told him you want to change majors?"

"No."

"Then tell him. If I knew my sibling was supportive, I'd tell them anything."

Her words seemed to pass through his head for a long second before he gave what looked more like a grin than a smirk.

"Come on," he said, suddenly standing up.

She blinked. "Where?"

He appeared to be a little embarrassed. "You're here to shop, aren't you?"

"Not of my free will," she answered honestly, with a touch of dramatics.

"Your ride just disappeared. Come on."

Sasuke just started to walk away and Sakura figured his words must have made more sense in his head than out loud. He was right though, Ino was nowhere to be found. Her only option to get back to her dorm at normal sleeping hours was to go with him.

"Hey, wait up!"

Later on, she realized she had not purchased a single thing that day. Similarly to Ino, if Sakura stared at something longer than three seconds, suddenly she was carrying it and Sasuke had a smug look on his face. She tried to protest and to not look at anything but both proved fruitless because her gaze would wander and he just followed it. Despite her offense to him paying for anything, she could not deny how grateful she was. If she had a list for how many times she said "thank you" that day, it would probably top the amount of times she used the phrase in her entire life.

"Why are you doing this?" Sakura asked Sasuke after he brought her another shopping bag.

"Because," he just said with a smirk.

"You haven't gotten anything for yourself."

"Don't need anything. "

When it started to get dark, Sakura told Sasuke she wanted to head back to campus. He said they had an entire floor left and Sakura started to yell.

"I don't want you to buy all this for me!" she shouted, drawing the attention of everyone walking by. At that moment, she could not care less.

He looked frustrated. "Well...maybe I want to buy stuff for you."

Her eyes widened and lips parted in surprise. Somehow, even if Ino was just as sincere when she demanded to pay for all her purchases that day, something was different about Sasuke saying the same thing.

'Why would you want to buy me anything?' Sakura mentally asked him, not expecting a reply.

He was not looking at her and seemed to be at a loss for words. "You...you're smart...and different..."

She was about to say something regarding mind-reading but he interrupted her. "Just let me take you to dinner so I don't keep making a fool of myself."

It was her turn to not know what to say. "I-I...well...you...I...okay."

Sasuke glanced at her then and Sakura could have sworn he smiled for a second before it changed into something that was a little more than a smirk.

"Thank you, Sakura," he said and tapped two fingers gently on her forehead. She felt a blush appearing but it disappeared as quickly as it came when she spotted two blondes snickering behind a wall.

"I pretty sure we've been set up," she stated and glared when Ino made eye contact with her.

"Hn. Let them be," Sasuke responded, surprising her. He intertwined his fingers with hers, spreading warmth from her arm through the rest of her body. That blush was no doubt reappearing. As they started to walk away, Sasuke threw a glare over his shoulder at a waving Naruto.

Even if they had been set up, Sakura could not have cared less. Pink seemed to be stained on her cheeks the entire rest of the day.

I'm always moved by how love is

It became a new light

For my life which was at stake

The day after dinner with Sasuke, Sakura was wide awake. It surprised her, as she had not gotten any sleep whatsoever.

He had taken her to an upscale restaurant down the street from the mall. She had immediately voiced her protests to him treating her for overpriced food but any time she did so, he came up with some witty response. The restaurant had not been very busy; she could tell both of them enjoyed that bit. What astounded her more than being awake after a sleepless night was how willing he was to talk. From what Sakura could tell and what she had heard about him, he was more reclusive than Neji, which was saying something.

She had asked a question about when he met Naruto, because it was obvious that they had known each other for more than their college lives.

"Elementary school, we hated each other then. He's still a dobe though."

She had expected him to remain silent after he answered her. Instead, he had a question for her, several actually. She responded honestly, until she asked about her family; her reply was brief.

"Why are you asking me these things?" she asked after she told him her family was "fine."

"Because I have a feeling you won't. And aren't people supposed to ask questions on dates?"

So it was a date. Following his words, Sakura had stared at him with wide eyes but he either did not notice or did not care. The thought of their dinner being a date had her smiling the morning after.

'So, was getting fired a good thing?' she asked herself.

Being fired led to her checking out a fiction book. Being fired got her a new job. Being fired helped her find friends. Being fired brought a date...with Sasuke.

As Sakura smiled even wider, if that was possible, she heard a knock at her door which sounded more like pounding. Ino was on the other side, looking the happiest Sakura had ever seen her. Before Sakura even fully opened the door, the blonde shoved herself through the opening.

"Tell me everything!"

Sakura did not tell her everything, because there was something about the date that just felt too personal to explain to the closest friend she had ever made. She felt no guilt about it whatsoever. Chalking it up to talking, dinner, and Sasuke walking her to her dorm building seemed to be enough for Ino.

"You guys are so cute together! You'd better invite me to your wedding!" Ino pointed an almost accusatory finger at Sakura.

"Wedding?! We just went out to dinner!" Sakura exclaimed, flustered.

"Exactamundo!"

Sakura laughed. "It was just dinner, Ino. Nothing that big is going to come out of it."

"Says you!" Ino looked at the clock beside Sakura's bed and gasped. "I'm late for class! Damn you! Talk faster next time!" she shouted as she rushed out the door.

As Sakura stood up to close it, she smiled again. She really chalked up what she told the blonde.

Although she might tell Ino one day, but she was not going to mention Sasuke's request for another date...or the kiss that followed.

You make me gold

You make me even brighter

Naruto was the one that drove Sakura to her first day working at Ichiraku's. She did not tell him but his car could use some heavy duty maintenance. He seemed proud of it though so she did her best to ignore how the passenger's side door had to be opened from the inside...or how the seats stuck to her clothes.

Besides the car, she was apprehensive about working again. She was not sure what the girls must have said to get her fired at the café but she wanted to be sure not to repeat any possible incidents.

"You're gonna love it, Sakura-chan! The old man makes the best ramen in the country!" Naruto said after he sensed her nervousness.

Sakura smiled at him. "I'll hold you to that. A ramen expert like you should know his stuff."

"You bet, -ttebayo!" he shouted and accidentally hit the horn.

She laughed. Naruto was one of a kind.

As he parked his car behind the ramen shop, Sakura felt like it was too quiet. She glanced at Naruto to see if he noticed it too but it seemed like nothing phased the guy out of his cheery demeanor. He opened the back door to the shop and showed her where to put her belongings before handing her a black apron. After they heard a happy "what's up, Naruto," he introduced her to Teuchi's daughter, Ayame followed by greeting the owner himself.

"There's one thing you have to see before we start working, Sakura-chan!" Naruto said, waving by the entrance to the dining area.

Sakura followed him and almost gasped to see everyone that she had met the last time she had been at Ichiraku's. Kiba and Shino were arguing over who knew what. Shikamaru seemed to be asleep at the table. Chōji was already eating, clearly not food that came from the ramen shop. Lee was aghast at something Sai had said. Hinata was blushing at Naruto's presence. Neji and Tenten seemed to be closer since the last time she saw them, making Sakura unconsciously glance at Ino. The blond girl only grinned and Sakura sighed at being kept out of the loop.

"This is your 'Congrats on Your New Job Party'!" Ino gestured to all the people in the restaurant. Even other customers that were not part of the group of friends were clapping.

Sakura had believed herself to be somewhat above tears but she felt pressure behind her eyes and did not care. These people she had only gotten acquainted with in the last week or so were here, for her. She had never felt so grateful. As one tear slipped down her cheek, she felt a finger wipe it away. She almost jerked until she saw Sasuke next to her. He gave a small reassuring grin and handed her a tissue.

"Those better be happy tears," he said almost teasingly and took her hand.

Sakura smiled back. That same pleasant feeling she had when he held her hand at the mall returned, making red return to her cheeks as well.

That was cut short by Naruto, who shouted at Sasuke that Sakura would not get paid if he kept distracting her. Sasuke rolled his eyes but Sakura could tell he was resisting glaring at his best friend.

Ayame helped Sakura learn how to talk to customers and how to carry a tray without everything on it falling over. She said Sakura was a natural but the pink-haired girl doubted seriously that. Regardless, Sakura thanked her for encouraging her. Nearing the end of her shift, Sakura was taking orders and delivering things on trays. She figured she had to thank Tsunade in some twisted way for making her carry textbooks around all the time; it helped her carry all the ramen bowls.

When Teuchi told her to be done for the day, Sakura thanked him before going to find Naruto. He was in the dining area, talking with Hinata.

To Sakura's surprise, all of the people that had been present earlier were still there. "You're all still here?" she nearly shouted.

"Of course! It's no party without the guest of honor!" Ino looked at her like she was crazy and Sakura smiled.

Even if Ichiraku's was supposed to close in fifteen minutes, that did not stop them all from talking and joking and making Teuchi annoyed with them for ordering more food. Sakura wondered if that was what it was like to have true friends because in that moment, loneliness seemed like a distant memory. As she glanced around to all her new friends, she felt something inside of her grow warm and swell. And when her eyes landed on Sasuke, those feelings increased tenfold.

Sasuke found her hand again and Sakura wondered if those feelings she had would ever dissipate. She hoped not.

"I forgot to ask you this," she started. "How did you know I got fired?"

He froze. "Uh...I, uh...hn."

At his loss of words, Naruto filled it. "He was on his way to the café that day, Sakura-chan! Hey, I rhymed!"

Sakura raised an eyebrow at Sasuke, grinning at his continuous lack of words. He was still stuttering and from the reactions of their friends, it was greatly abnormal.

"He didn't know 'till he asked some girl where you were! She was all happy about telling him you were fired so he called me to ask where there might be a job for you!" Naruto supplied Sasuke's words.

Although Sakura was bitter about how happy the other employees at the café were after learning she was fired, she could not help the smile that practically ran from ear to ear. It was Sasuke that had learned she was fired and Sasuke that found a new job for her.

Seeing that he was still trying to form words, she took his other hand. "Thank you, Sasuke," she quoted the words that had meant the most to her when he asked her to dinner.

It seemed that he had regained control of himself and smiled, ever so slightly. Sakura was not sure what to say and glanced around nervously before she grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him down so his lips met hers. She felt him jerk in surprise before relaxing and wrapping his arms around her waist. Even though he met the corner of her mouth and the impact was probably painful, neither cared and it felt perfect that way.

A few months before, Sakura would have never thought she would have had friends. She would have never considered the possibility of having a boyfriend. Had it not been for the night Sasuke came to get a coffee or for the friends she had made through him, she would have still been sitting in the library, emptying the nonfiction section and hoping someone would talk to her.

Sakura had forgotten happiness after her parents died. But now, she knew what true happiness was.

And she was more grateful than ever for the new people she met making it come into her life. Especially Sasuke.

This has to be the most writing I've ever done. I'm not quite sure whether or not to be proud of that.

Again, I have a link in my profile if you want to see the lyrics in full. I do not own the translation.

Thank you so much for reading!