It had been nearly two years since the new team Kakashi had formed. Naruto, Sakura, and Sai were now content with one another; their relationships, with Sai mostly, were those of simple understanding. Still, Sakura had always been the one to go the extra mile to incorporate Sai into team outings, celebrations, etcetera. Often he did not come, but it's the thought that counts, right?
This she thought as she stood outside of his apartment on Valentine's night. She had been sitting at home, curled up in bed, silently wondering if Sai had anyone to spend the holiday with. She figured he didn't, knowing Sai had never been very social. And so at eleven at night, she got up in her night shirt to go to him.
Sakura opened the door on the balcony quietly, trying not to wake him. Icy wind ran up her bare legs, and she closed it quickly once inside. Rubbing her arms to warm up, she looked around. She walked past all of the paintings and drawings hung on the walls in rows to find his bedroom. Sai's bedroom was not much different than the rest of his home. The walls were covered in various pieces of his art, and several boxes were full of artwork beneath his bureau. It was neat and orderly. She would have known this was his house without fail. Sai was a creature of habit. Everything he did he did carefully and precisely.
She had made it to his bed and was climbing in beside him when he spoke.
"What are you doing here, hag?" His voice was monotonous and flat, as if a woman breaking into his house in the middle of the night to climb into his bed was completely normal.
"I didn't want you to be alone on Valentine's Day." she said, curling up beside him, her front to his back. The words felt strange on her tongue. To say something like this to Sai, the walking dead of the human race, was pointless. Her heartfelt words were destined to fall on deaf ears, she knew. Sometimes she wished she would think things through.
For a while, Sai didn't speak. The pair of them had fallen into a somewhat comfortable silence when suddenly Sai said, "Why do you go so far for me, Sakura?" This surprised her. Though he was very observant, Sai was not naturally one to note one's feelings, much less talk about them. He was, for the two years Sakura knew him, an emotionless drone. This must have surely meant some sort of feelings within him. Her heart leapt into her throat at the mere thought of something so preposterous.
"Well?" Sai said when she didn't respond.
"Because I'm your friend." This met silence.
Then, "You don't know anything about me, do you?"
"No. But I would like to, Sai-kun."
He let out a fake chuckle. "Kun? Am I your new crush?"
She figured, what the hell, he felt nothing anyway. "I'd be lying if I said you weren't."
"Well, I suppose you're honest."
The silence that followed was one of comfort. They were content where they were, simply thinking as they lay there in the bed, curled up beneath the covers. Sakura felt as if some huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders—one she didn't even realize she'd been carrying until it was gone. Sai was busy contemplating what type of situation this was, and what sort of expressions he was supposed to have on.
"Sakura?"
"Yes?" Before she had time to say another word, he'd turned over, his lips falling on hers. She sat stunned, even after he had pulled away. "Um, that was…"
"I wanted to see what a kiss was like." He turned over again, as if it was no big deal, and to him, it wasn't. Sakura, on the other hand, was not satisfied. She wanted some sort of other explanation as to why he'd chosen just that moment to do something so intimate so suddenly as if it was nothing.
Oh wow, she thought, I really am getting used to his little tests of emotion.
Anymore, it was commonplace for Sai to do such a thing. Every day it seemed to be something new. A smile, a joke, a laugh, a frown. These were his latest projects, all of which he was mastering slowly but surely. It was similar to a jutsu, really, he had decided. Given enough practice, the skill became easy, second nature.
"Well?" Sakura said expectantly. She wanted an answer.
"You taste like mint." he said thoughtfully.
"That's it?" To this, he rolled over and kissed her again, longer this time.
"Yes." It was a lie, and they both knew it. Sai simply had too much emotion hidden within him for even a kiss to mean nothing. A kiss meant something to every human being.
Sakura called him on it. "Liar."
He sighed and rolled over yet again to face her. He kissed her for a third time, hands on the sides of her face. This kiss was long and passionate, and for a change, Sakura kissed back. After a moment, he pulled away, thinking hard. The pink haired kunoichi waited silently for the verdict, knowing full well that he was feeling something he had never felt before; it was something he couldn't identify.
"I don't know what it is." he finally said, as if it was not already obvious.
"It's a crush." Sakura said, snuggling up to him.
Arms around her, he said, "I already knew what a crush felt like."
"What?"
"I said happy Valentine's day, hag."
A/N: Hoped you enjoyed!