Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I wish I do but I don't.
Habits
-Sakura-
The first time Sai kissed her, it was only to shut her up.
Both were walking through town from lunch with Naruto, but after the blonde saw Hinata enter Ichiraku's, he abandoned Sai and Sakura to hang out with the purple-haired Hyuuga. So the two had no choice but to walk home together. Sakura was rambling on and on about the last mission they were on, how annoying she found Naruto's constant chatter at the ramen shop, and book suggestions on emotions for Sai to check out.
"… I think you should read her book, I think it's absolutely amazing," she was saying. "And if you're done with that, take a look at the sequel. It's pheno-."
The next thing she knew, his lips were pressed onto hers into a kiss. The pink-haired kunoichi squeaked in shock. Focusing all of her chakra into her fist, she punched him in the gut and he flew towards the nearest tree.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she screamed at him.
The dark-haired shinobi rubbed his jaw before blinking at her. He got up from the ground, dusted his clothes, and fake-smiled at her. "You were talking too much."
With her arms crossed, Sakura cocked an eyebrow. "So?"
Sai continued to smile. "It was annoying."
A vein popped dangerously on Sakura's forehead, but she didn't punch him again. Instead, she glared at him. "Why did you have to kiss me?"
He shrugged. "Kakashi-senpai lent me one of his books and the female character wouldn't stop talking so the male character kissed her and she shut up." He tilted his head to the side in confusion at the death look she was giving him. "What's wrong, Ugly?"
She shakily pointed a finger at him. "You stole my first kiss!" she accused. "And the nerve you have of reading those ridiculous perverted books! Have you no shame?"
Sai simply shrugged and continued to walk home, leaving her behind.
lovelovelovelovelovelove
After that incident, Sai had taken a liking to teasing her by kissing her, but not on the lips anymore. Oh no, he would end up with broken bones if he ever attempted that again. Instead, whenever they finished a mission or accomplished training, he would either take her hand and kiss it or peck her on the cheek or forehead. Also, he only did this when Naruto wasn't around. The blonde was very protective of his sister-of-sorts and any guy who dared ask her out, had to go through him first.
The first couple of times Sai got into this new habit of his, Sakura would slap him across the face, scream obscenities at him, and dared him to try it again. However, no matter how hard she hit him, no matter how many curses she yelled at him, the artist would simply smile in reply and do it anyway.
At first, she hated it. She wanted to wipe that stupid fake smile off his face. She wanted to pummel him into a pulp and kick him off the face of the Earth. She wanted to murder him!
Eventually though, she began to realize how soft and gentle his lips felt against her skin. A tingle of electricity would spread through her body and the spot he planted his kisses on would tingle, even hours after he had kissed her.
Also, when Tsunade sent Sakura and Sai on a mission together a couple of weeks after the kiss, the pink-haired medic didn't know why but she suddenly felt nervous. A mission with Sai meant spending hours with him, changing clothes and taking a bath with him nearby, and the worst of all, sleeping side-by-side in the same tent. They've gone on missions together before, but for some reason, she felt that this one would be different.
And it did turn out different.
The first night of the mission, while getting their tent and sleeping bags set-up, Sai suddenly offered to cook dinner this time. Usually, it would be Sakura but she decided to give his cooking a shot. Bad idea. He put too much water on the beans, making them soggy and added too little salt, making them bland. And he left the rice in the pot too long and it almost burned, if Sakura had not saved it on time.
"How is it?" he asked, pleasantly after she took the first bite.
It's terrible! You shouldn't cook at all! Don't ever touch my kitchen! Sakura screamed in her head.
However, seeing the expectant and excited look on his face, she forced a smile and took another agonizing bite. "It's good, Sai. Not perfect, but good enough."
She didn't have the heart to tell him that she wanted to run to the nearest tree and throw up. Meanwhile, Sai just smiled and began to eat. Whether he knew how bad his cooking tasted, it didn't show. He just finished everything on his plate.
While getting ready for bed, Sakura was taken aback when he pecked her on the cheek. "Good night, Ugly."
"G-Good night, Sai," she stammered.
When both were safely tucked into their sleeping bags and hearing his slow breathing next to her, the kunoichi placed a hand on her flushed cheek, the pleasant electricity coursing through her body.
It came to the point when Sakura no longer minded Sai's kisses. In fact, she started looking forward to them. Now, instead of frowning and feeling the urge to kill him, she would smile softly and even responded with a few light pecks of her own on his pale cheeks. She liked watching his fake-smile turn into a look of utter confusion.
Naruto, noticing the sudden change in the atmosphere between the two, was curious and went as far as to ask Sakura about it when she was tending to his broken arm at the hospital one day. The pink-haired medic just shrugged.
"Maybe we're just starting to get along," she replied, wrapping bandages all over his arm.
Naruto scoffed. "Right. Don't you care anymore that he still calls you Hag or Ugly?"
"A bit, but I think I've begun to realize that the nicknames are Sai's way of trying to create some sort of connection between us."
The blonde tilted his head to the side. "Connection? Like soul mates or something/"
Sakura, in surprise, dropped the roll of bandage and it rolled away. Heat rushed into her cheeks and she shook her head furiously. "T-That's… That's ridiculous, Naruto. How could you even think we'd be soul mates?"
Naruto pursed his lips. "Hmm… Yeah, I guess you're right. I mean, come on, this is Sai we're talking about. The guy can't even feel proper happiness, so he can't have a crush on you, right?"
"R-Right." Sakura didn't know why but she could feel her heart throbbing, painfully at his words.
lovelovelovelovelovelovelove
Sakura knew that Sai's kisses were mere teasing. They didn't mean anything to the dark-haired artist. He didn't kiss her out of need or because he liked her. He kissed her because he enjoyed watching her fume in anger or flush scarlet red in embarrassment. However, Sai's kisses began to become comforts as well.
The first time he kissed her because he knew she needed support was when they came home from, yet, another failed Sasuke Retrieval Mission. They had a confrontation with the ex-Konoha Shinobi and all three emerged with cuts and scrapes from the encounter. The most fatal scars of all were the ones on Naruto and Sakura's hearts from their failure of bringing their old friend home.
While the blonde was seeking solace and comfort from Hinata, Sakura clung to Sai. Both sat on the ground of Team Kakashi's training field from afternoon 'til twilight. The whole time, Sakura tried to hold back her tears. She didn't want to look weak and helpless in front of the painter. But when she felt his hand on hers and his thumb stroking her knuckles comfortingly, she broke down. Tears fell in torrents down her cheeks as she sobbed quietly.
Sniffling, she hastily wiped the tears with an arm. "Gomenasai, Sai. I don't want you to see me like this. I look pathetic."
She expected a comeback like, "Don't worry, Hag. You couldn't look uglier than you already are."
However, she didn't expect fingers under her chin lift her face up to meet his. Her heart stopped as green met onyx. He had such pretty eyes, they had a certain softness that Sasuke's eyes never had.
Without a word, Sai pressed his lips to hers.
Shocked and confused, Sakura just sat there. His lips… they felt so nice… Why was her heart beating so fast? And why was he kissing her? Was he teasing her again? Or an attempt to make her smile, maybe?
He pulled away and Sakura's eyes fluttered open. Wait, when did she close them?
Sai smiled at her, a smile she distinguished to be one of his rare real ones. He leaned his forehead against hers.
"Don't worry," he whispered. "Everything will be alright."
And Sakura believed him. That was when the truth hit her hard in the face; she was in love.
lovelovelovelovelovelovelove
Sai had also developed the habit of walking Sakura home after a weary day of tending to the injured and sick. The first time it happened, she was surprised yet glad to see him standing outside the hospital doors.
"Hey, what are you doing here?" she asked, coming up to him.
He shrugged. "I was on my way home when I happened to pass by. I knew your shift was almost over anyway so I might as well walk you home. It's getting pretty dark."
Sakura felt touched with his concern. "I see. Well, I'll have you know, I'm used to walking home by myself." She giggled. "But I guess some company is nice. Thanks Sai."
"Hn."
"Now, since you're here, I might as well tell you all about my day."
They began to walk. "Konohamaru-chan's team just came back from a mission today and boy, was he beaten up so bad! I swear, that kid's going to become a second Naruto…"
And the whole way home, Sai never interrupted her, not once.
When they reached her apartment complex, she turned to him. "Thanks, Sai."
Feeling brave, she leaned into him and pecked him on the cheek. Smiling widely, she entered her apartment before he could say anything. She missed the goofy grin that appeared on Sai's face and as he turned to walk home, he knocked over a potted plant.
lovelovelovelovelovelove
One night, as Sai walked Sakura home and listened to her ramble about her day, he took her hand. Surprised, she stopped talking.
"Why did you stop?" he asked.
"Um… I forgot what happened next," she lied.
"Ah, I see."
They walked in silence now. Besides that time when he comforted her during the failed mission, he never really held her hand. And Sakura was much to distressed last time to feel the rough and strong yet gentle hands of Sai. And her hand fit his just right, like a puzzle. It felt… nice.
"Sakura."
Another surprise. Since when did he call her Sakura? But boy, did it feel great to hear his velvety voice finally say her name.
"May I ask a question?" he said.
"Um… Sure. What is it?"
He paused and gestured to a bench. Upon closer inspection, Sakura realized that this was the bench she fell asleep on the night Sasuke left Konoha. Usually, whenever she saw this bench, her heart would start breaking. But now, it wasn't. It ached, that's for sure but it didn't break.
She sat down and Sai settled himself next to her. Both remained silent for a while, unsure of what to say.
"Did I ever mention that this was the exact spot I told Sasuke that I loved him?" she narrated. "That was also the night he betrayed the village."
Sai hesitated before saying, "Oh?"
She nodded. "Yeah. And I fell asleep right on this bench." She chuckled softly, patting the smooth stone surface. "It's funny. Usually, I could never sit on this bench without breaking down. Now, however, it feels different." She beamed at him, pink tints on her cheeks. "Maybe it's because I'm with you."
Sai looked at her, blankly. "Do you still love him?"
She sighed. "True love means letting that person go if you feel that it's the best not only for him, but also for you. I love Sasuke and I would never give up in returning home; that's my duty as his friend and teammate. But," she looked up into the starry sky. "I'm no longer in love with him. That's why, I'm letting go of my feelings for him. It hurts, but it's for the best."
Besides, I'm in love with someone else, she added in her head.
Sai remained quiet. After a while, he whispered, "What's it like to fall in love?"
Heat rushed into Sakura's cheeks. She tucked a stray strand of pink hair behind her ear. "Um… Well… it's when you care about somebody so much that you can't imagine life without that person. This person can be considered your life as well. You can't bear to see them sad and hurt and when they are sad and hurt, you will do anything just to see them smile and laugh again. Usually, you want the pain they feel to transfer to you. It also means sacrificing everything for that person, your happiness even your own life." She looked into his face, curiously. "Why do you ask?" A mischievous grin played in her lips. "Are you in love, Sai?"
Sai chuckled. "Yes, I believe I am, now that you've made it clear to me."
"Oh really?" Sakura could now feel her heart breaking and tears threatening. She forced a smile. "Who is she?"
Sai only smiled. "I believe I am in love with you, Sakura-chan."
The said Cherry Blossom gasped, her eyes widening. The dark-haired artist was still smiling, as if he hadn't just confessed that he was in love with the teammate he had teased and taunted for the two years he became a part of her team.
Before she could even comprehend her own actions, Sakura launched herself at Sai, arms snaking around his neck and her lips crashing to his into a passionate kiss. He stiffened before relaxing. His arms found their way around her waist as he returned the kiss, eagerly.
His early kisses were simple pecks, dry and closed lipped. But this, this had a lot of tongue action. Whoever knew that a guy who had no clue about emotions most of his life could kiss like he'd done it so many times before?
Feeling the need for oxygen, Sakura reluctantly pulled away, breathing heavily. Sai was likewise trying to catch his breath. Placing her lips at his ear, the pink-haired kunoichi whispered, "Aishiteru, Sai-kun."
How good those words felt as they left her lips. Sai flashed her another heart-melting smile before lifting a hand to caress her cheek. She leaned into his touch as he leaned closer to her.
"Aishiteru, Sakura-chan," he whispered, before pressing his lips to hers.
After that night, kissing his Cherry Blossom under the stars had become a new habit for Sai. And the Cherry Blossom encouraged this habit.