| Flourish |

Golden light dribbled over the land like honey on oatmeal. The vivid leaves shimmered like a mirror flecked mosaic and the morning dew sparkled on the bejeweled cobwebs and grass. Sakura lied in the greenery of the forest floor, one arm tucked under her head, while the other was raised up in the air. She stared at her hand in detachment, illuminated by the sun, contrasting with the light blue sky beyond, and felt the slightest tickle of tingling heat upon her skin.

Sakura sighed, letting her hand fall back down to her side. Team Seven had agreed to meet at training ground three that morning and Sakura had arrived at 0700 hours sharp, just as planned.

Really, she should have known better. Just as planned, in Naruto and Kakashi terms, meant give or take an hour or three, and o'seven-hundred hours sharp roughly translated to noon. And so she found herself alone - well, not completely alone, but considering the company, she might as well have been.

The light scratching sound of charcoal on paper reminded Sakura of the only person that had been prompt that morning other than herself. She rolled over onto her stomach and stared at the impassive face of Sai, who was preoccupied with the sketch pad on his lap. He was dressed in his normal training attire, midriff jacket showing off his abdomen to the world and hitai-ate firmly in place, his back against a large oak tree a few feet away. His ebony eyes, which reflected nothing what so ever, never strayed from the page he worked on as his right hand never ceased movement. If he sensed her stare, which Sakura was sure he did, Sai never said anything of it.

"I'm bored," she spoke needlessly to herself out loud. Her teammate nodded subconsciously, not really hearing what she was saying.

"Where in the world is Naruto?" She demanded to no one in particular; Sai shrugged.

"And God only knows where Kakashi-sensei is..." Sakura grumbled in annoyance, flicking a stray blade of grass off her jacket.

"It is probable that Kakashi-senpai is currently helping elderly women cross the street. He informed me that it is a pastime of his." Sai finally spoke, and Sakura rolled her eyes. The comment would have been funny if she knew he genuinely wasn't trying to be sarcastic.

"Kakashi-sensei is a big liar with terrible excuses. He's probably off lazying around with that damned book of his, and Naruto is probably still in bed asleep," she mused in annoyance, and Sai blinked at her.

"Is that so..." He murmured to himself in small revelation. His eyes slid back to the sketch pad in his lap and, without further speculation, he continued his drawing. There was a moment of silence as Sakura watched him, eying the sketch pad. She propped herself up on her elbows.

"What are you drawing?" She inquired curiously.

"The scenery," he supplied nonchalantly without looking up.

"May I take a look?" She asked. The question made him pause, and Sai looked up from his lap to give her a puzzled glance.

"Sure..." He replied eventually, sliding over slightly to give her room. Sakura crawled over and settled beside him to peer over his shoulder inquisitively. The scene was drawn from Sai's point of view of the field that stretched out before them. Oak trees, looking almost regal in their definition, lined the distant clearing. There were even a few birds in the branches, and some in the sky mid-flight. Tall grass spiked up in the distance, the length growing shorter as the scene grew closer. Each blade was drawn with such detail that Sakura could even see the drops of morning dew there, glinting from the sun. She blinked when she noticed a figure lying in the grass leisurely, enjoying the morning atmosphere in the summer foliage. It took her a moment to realize that it was, in fact, her - if the smudged spot of pink was anything to go by.

"Wow, Sai... This is really good." Sakura praised, impressed.

"It's nothing, really. Just a sketch." He said offhandedly. If Sakura didn't know any better, she would have thought he was being bashful. She looked up at him just in time to see him avert his gaze purposefully, and she realized with a start that he was being somewhat bashful. If she squinted hard enough, she thought she could make out a pale, barely-there flush on his face. Then again, perhaps she was imagining things...

"I wish I could draw." Sakura sighed as she leaned her back against the tree. She wasn't expecting a response, so she was surprised when Sai spoke.

"Everyone can draw," he insisted, "if they practice enough." Sakura snorted at this.

"Oh yeah? Well, I used to draw all the time since I was a kid but I'm still absolutely terrible," she said wryly. Sai opened his mouth to speak then closed it, evidently thinking about what to say next. He looked down at the sketch pad and flipped to a new page, then turned to her expectantly. Sakura stared blankly for a moment and, when she didn't make a move, Sai placed it in her lap instead. Sakura's eyes widened, half realization, half panic.

"What are you-"

"If you really are as bad as you say, then you need practice." Sai explained, offering the charcoal pencil to her.

"Oh, I don't think so." She said warily, eying the pencil as if it were a snake poised to bite her.

"If you don't practice, then you will never get better." He replied logically.

"I don't particularly care about getting better." Sakura grumbled, unconvinced. Sai observed her for a moment before realization dawned on him.

"You're one of those types of people." He declared matter-of-factly, somewhat satisfied with himself for his observation.

"...What type of person?" Sakura gritted out, eyes narrowing. Sai, oblivious of the warning signs, plunged right ahead.

"I read it somewhere..." He pulled his bag from his back and unzipped it to retrieve a book with a green cover, entitled Persons and Personalities; Sakura's left eye twitched as he leafed through the pages.

"Ah, here it is. Illiberal people are those who are restrictive to individual choice and freedom, narrow-minded, bigoted, and are notorious for being unreceptive to new ideas or information; not open to any agreement." Sai barely had time to finish his sentence before the book was ripped from his grasp and thrown across the field. It sailed in the air, landing in the distant treetops, and a flock of birds took off squawking in protest.

"I am not illiberal!" Sakura snapped incredulously, offended. Sai merely stared at her wordlessly, the charcoal pencil still dangling from his finger tips deliberately. Sakura glared, intending to ignore him, but his silent persistence broke her down.

"Fine," she grumbled, "but don't you dare laugh."

"I won't." He assured needlessly. They both knew he wouldn't because, after all, he couldn't. Sakura held the pencil over the paper for a moment with a frown.

"What should I draw?"

"Whatever you'd like." Sai said with a shrug. Sakura chewed her lip in thought.

"Okay... I'll draw a tree, then." She finally decided, hoping it would be an easy feat. She subconsciously stuck her tongue out as she made the first stroke on the page. Her brows creased as she worked, lips pursed, green eyes squinted in concentration.

"I can't do this!" She eventually declared, throwing her hands up in aggravation. Sai leaned over to take a look at the poorly drawn tree in the middle of the page. It was a single straight vertical line, slashed with diagonal lines on either side. All in all, it resembled the art of a toddler. Sai did not say this out loud though, because he imagined it would be upsetting to hear. He inwardly praised himself for the astute observation.

"You just need practice," he repeated instead, nodding to the page.

"I give up." She said with an air of finality. Sai quietly thought of what to do as Sakura sulked to herself.

"Here," he finally said, and Sakura nearly jumped out of her skin when he shifted himself directly behind her, leaning over her shoulder. He took the sketch pad from her and flipped it to the other side of the same page to start fresh, then handed it back to her.

"Draw the trunk of the tree and draw your way up. Details don't matter for now, just draw the general shape of the tree," he instructed. Sakura found his looming presence to be particularly distracting, especially since warmth seemed to radiate from him. Sakura only needed to lean back an inch and her back would be pressed against his chest, she thought. And-

"Sakura?"

"Right, got it." She hastily said, glad that he could not see her flushed face. She made a few jerky upward strokes to make a pair of parallel lines, each flaring out at the bottom. Sai nodded in approval.

"Observe and try to get it into the paper. Start with one of the main branches and the main twigs. Make sure that you draw the tree largely." Sakura took a deep breath in preparation, only to catch an odd scent. It was smoky, somewhat ashy, like a creosote bush after an evening rain... It was Sai, she realized, and she swallowed tightly. Her hand moved mechanically over the page, making new lines off the original pair.

"Draw as much bark detail as possible. Add shadows and lines to make your work more realistic." Sai advised, pointing at the paper to indicate where. Sakura slightly stiffened when his arm brushed against hers, skin meeting skin. It wasn't until then that she really noticed that his one sleeve was short while the other was long.

"O-okay..." She stammered, and she mentally slapped herself. What had gotten into her? It was just Sai! So why was she... Reacting, though perhaps that was putting it a bit lightly... In such a manner? Her eyes slid over to catch a glimpse of him leaning over her shoulder. His face was very close, she realized. If she wanted, she only needed to turn her head for her lips to come in contact with the pale skin of his cheek. If she wanted, that is.

"Draw the smaller twigs. Remember that smaller twigs branch off of larger ones and even smaller twigs branch off those." God, she could literally feel his voice from behind her. Had he scooted closer? She couldn't tell if she was imagining the sudden distance - or lack thereof - between them or not.

"Now, make the leaves. This is the tedious part. Drawing them individually can be difficult, but be sure to make each one unique. Nothing in nature is exactly like anything else of the same kind," Sai said encouragingly. Sakura couldn't help but notice that she had somehow ended up sitting between his propped-up legs, practically in his lap. She bit her lip and followed his instructions, shoving the confusing thoughts to the back of her mind. Sakura frowned when the drawing wasn't coming out the way she wanted it to. Instead of a bush of leaves, it looked like an unidentifiable blob.

"Your grip on the pencil is too harsh," Sai's voice came from the right, his even breaths ghosting across the skin of her neck. She shivered involuntarily, gooseflesh invoking from the contact. When Sai reached over and gently placed his hand over hers, Sakura's heart leaped into her throat. He began to make light strokes on the page, guiding her hand through the motions. Sakura thought she would faint, because suddenly there wasn't nearly enough air in that open clearing. She licked her lips briefly before daring to take a look at the oblivious male who was completely enveloping her. He was probably straight faced as always, in comparison to her flustered state, with a deadpanned visage. Her eyes slid over to confirm this when-

Sakura's breath caught in her throat. He was smiling. Not fake smiling, but actually smiling. It wasn't the picture-perfect, symmetrical grin he normally attempted to fool people with. No, this was a mere tilt of his lips, slightly crooked and barely there. His eyes held a sort of soft look, still focused on the picture. He was very relaxed, Sakura noted. As if he was completely comfortable and at ease in that very moment, nearly holding her in his arms while they drew together. At his expression, Sakura felt the need to relax herself. She didn't panic when her calmed muscles resulted in her leaning back against him fully. If he was surprised or bothered, he didn't show it. Sakura smiled to herself. It was just Sai, she had told herself. This was very true. It was just... Sai. And that was okay.

"There," he said with finality, and Sakura was broken out of her daze. She looked back at the picture and nearly did a double-take at the drawing there. It was a large oak tree, similar to the one they currently sat under, but it literally looked alive. She had never dreamed of creating something so great or realistic, especially when it came to drawing.

"Now you sign your name," he replied, and Sakura smiled before writing her scrawly signature underneath.

"Wow..." She breathed out, and a grin spread across her lips. "I did it! This is great!" Sakura turned to look at him, forgetting their closeness in her excitement, and their noses bumped. Sakura's eyes widened; Sai blinked. Neither moved away... Sakura's face flushed as she met his gaze timidly, yet an odd sort of confidence overtook her, and Sai slowly parted his lips as if to say something or do something-

"Sorry I'm late, Sakura-chan! I overslept! My alarm didn't go off!" The sound of Naruto's booming voice sent Sakura scrambling to her feet in a hurry, face even redder than before, while Sai simply stayed put, seemingly confused. When Naruto came into view she briskly walked over to him and bopped him on the top of his spiky blonde head.

"Ow! What'd you do that for?" Naruto rubbed the bump with an exaggerated look of pain on his face.

"You were late, baka!" She snapped angrily, taking her flustered feelings out on him. That was close. Too close. Or maybe... Not close enough? Sakura shook her head to rid herself of the thoughts to no avail.

"Kakashi-sensei still isn't here..." Naruto observed with a pouting scowl.

"That's okay, let's just start without him." Sakura insisted with new-found urgency, much to Naruto's delight. As they began to walk off, Sai looked down at the sketch pad in his lap. He observed the drawing there fondly, a smile on his face that he wasn't entirely aware of.

But don't pictures usually have titles? Portraits usually have the person's name, other pictures have the situation at the time, and the artist's feelings...

Sakura's words from long past entered his mind. His thumb traced lightly over the scrawled signature underneath the oak tree on the page as he mused over this. It needed a title, he decided. The artists' feelings...

Sai picked up the discarded charcoal pencil and wrote the character for flourish underneath the drawing. He sighed contently; it was finished.

"Are you okay?" He looked up to see Sakura looking at him expectantly, slightly concerned. He thought for a moment, noting the odd stirring in his chest that her voice seemed to always invoke.

"I'm great," he answered truthfully, and Sakura smiled.

"Well then, come on. Hurry up before Naruto throws a fit." She offered him a hand to help him up off the ground, which he took. It might have been her imagination, she thought, but he seemed to hold her hand a second longer than necessary... And, oddly enough, she didn't mind.

Sai took a side long glance at his teammate. Yes, he thought, flourish indeed.

A/N: Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto; all rights belong to Kishimoto Masashi.

I am going through a HUGE SaiSaku phase right now. I think they are so cute together, and watching Sai stumble on the path to love is hilarious. The author of "Protected" and "Old Dogs, New Tricks" - yuugiri - has really inspired me to write my own little SaiSaku oneshot. Maybe I'll write longer ones in the future. In any case, I dedicate this to you, yuugiri, and hopefully you update "Protected" soon! ;D

Please enjoy my first SaiSaku fic! ;3