Chapter #1

"Happy birthday, Sakura!"

"Thanks, Ino…"

"What's the matter?"

"He's late…"

"Who? Sasuke?"

"Uh-huh…"

"I'm sure he'll be here soon. He'd never miss your birthday party!" Ino reassured. "At least he better not…" she added to herself.

Sakura Haruno looked around her backyard. Everyone seemed to be having fun. Everyone except herself. She was ten years old today, yet it wouldn't feel like her birthday if Sasuke wasn't there. He'd missed the games, party favors, and the main course of food. All that was left was the cake and presents.

"Sakura, dear! Come here and let me take a picture!"

"Coming, Mom!"

--

It was four minutes to three. Sasuke Uchiha was in the middle of the Leaf Village dashing from shop to shop, looking for the perfect gift. It was bad enough that he had to take so long getting dressed, but halfway to Sakura's house he remembered that he didn't have anything for her. But what to get? Clothes? A toy? Jewelry? What about his mother's jewelry piece that he still carried with him in his pocket? No. He wasn't ready to give it up yet.

The bazaar was crowded, and the young boy had to struggle quickly if he wanted to get to his destination. He entered the next small store and took a moment to catch his breath. He looked up¾ it was a book paradise. Shelves lined the walls and tables with chairs were all around the tiny room. A cashier sat behind a counter attending to a customer. He strode straight to the manga section, but remembered how Sakura preferred the kinds with more writing than pictures. Sasuke scanned the titles until he found one that the birthday girl might like.

He was about to pick it up when a sudden thought crossed his mind. Everyone knew Sakura loved to read, so what if someone already got her a book? Actually, several people may have bought her one, but that didn't mean they'd all be the same. For some reason, Sasuke wanted his present to be special, to be Sakura's favorite.

"I'm going to regret this if I don't find something good at the next place," he thought as he rushed outside. He stepped inside the mart right across the street. It had a variety of dolls and games. The boy searched carefully until he saw a small green box. Its surface was a picture of a cherry blossom tree in a grassy field. "Perky Puzzle: 150 Pieces" was written across the top. Sasuke had no doubt that this would do fine. Sakura loved to figure things out. Satisfied, he paid for the gift and went on his way. Thank goodness he still had time to find a store to buy wrapping.

--

"Alright everyone! Time for cake! Take a seat," Sakura's mother called. The party guests cheered and ran to the table. By now, Sakura was really worried.

It must've shown on her face because Ino said, "I'm sure he's on his way right now, Sakura." After everybody was seated, Mrs. Haruno left to get a match to light the candles.

"Maybe I should wish for him to show up," the girl thought. She looked at the only empty chair at the table and imagined him sitting there. The sound behind her announced the opening of the back door and the return of her mother.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Sakura. Happy birthday to you."

Sakura closed her eyes, made her wish, and blew out the candles. After they had cake, it was time for the final event. All the kids went inside and gathered around Sakura with the pile of presents.

Meanwhile, Sasuke made his way to the party as fast as he dared. In his hands he carried the red-and-white striped box with a curly red blow on top. If he arrived too late, he'd never forgive himself.

At last, he saw it. He slowed down to a walk until he was right in front of the door. With one hand he knocked and waited. Mrs. Haruno answered it.

"Am I--?"

"No, no. We're all still here. Sakura's opening her presents. Come in."

The brand new ten-year old thanked Ino for the shoes and put them with the rest of the opened gifts. "Now there's only five left." She reached for one that had purple polka dots. "Let's see… This one's from¾"

"Sasukeeeeee!" many girls squealed. Sure enough, the Uchiha had just entered the room.

"Where the heck have you been, Sasuke!?" demanded the blond boy known as Naruto Uzumaki. "It is NOT cool to be this fashionably late!"

"Shut it, Naruto!" Ino pointed an accusing finger at him. "I'm sure he has his reasons!"

"I'm sorry," Sasuke said as he put his gift with the other four on the floor. He was apologizing more to Sakura than anyone else. As he turned to sit down he heard her whisper "I'm glad you're here, Big Brother" to him.

While she unwrapped the polka dot box, Sasuke hoped that she would open his last. She seemed to have heard his thoughts because that's exactly what she did.

"Getting the present was partly why it took so long for me to get here…" he explained as she tore the paper away. Naruto made a quick glare at Sasuke.

"…Oh," said Sakura, when the puzzle was in her hands. She looked at Sasuke with a very sorry look in her eyes.

He could feel several more pairs staring at him, but he didn't know why. "What's wrong? You don't like it?"

"It's not that, honest! It's just--"

"No waay…." yawned a boy named Shikamaru. He rubbed his eye with one hand and said, "That looks like the exact same thing as my gift."

And sure enough, there was a green box with a picture of a cherry blossom tree in the pile of presents that had already been opened.

Naruto snorted. "Ha! Looks like you took all that time for nothing! Sucks to be you, Sasuke!"

Immediately, the same girls who had squealed pounced on Naruto like a cheetah pouncing on a deer.

Sasuke felt like he should've just bought that book after all.

--

The celebration was over, and all the guests had left except for the one who had come last. While Mrs. Haruno cleaned up, Sasuke and Sakura had a chance to talk.

"I can take it back¾ I'll get you this book I saw--"

"No, don't-- I don't want you to go through the trouble--"

"It's the least I can do to make up for being late."

Sakura gave a small sigh, but agreed. She handed the puzzle back and said, "At least you showed up."

"Let me guess. That's what your birthday wish was."

Her reply surprised him. "…Actually, no… I wished for something impossible. I believed that you'd make it; I knew you would. So I didn't have to wish for something I had a feeling would come true anyway."

"You weren't worried at all?"

"Of course I was! But… I think I need to be a little more optimistic sometimes."

"I see. So… What did you wish for then?"

"If I say, it won't come true."

"Right…" He should've seen that one coming. "But if it's impossible, it won't come true anyway."

"Don't say that! If I don't give up hope, it may still have a chance!"

"All right, all right!" Sasuke said hastily. Why did girls have to be so complicated? He didn't want to start a fire, so he changed the subject. "So, what'd I miss?"

"You missed the food, but we did save you some cake!"

"…Oh." Now it was Sasuke's turn to look at her with a sorry expression.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't like sweets."

Sakura stared at him like he was crazy.

"Yeah, I get that a lot."

--

The last day of March was a school day. It wasn't a regular day, either¾ it was a field trip day. Sasuke and Sakura's class was visiting the Hokage building. Naruto was the last person anyone expected to complain.

"I've been to that place hundreds of times! I don't need to learn about the old man's job because I've already decided that that's what I'll be when I grow up!"

"Then this'll be a good opportunity for you. There's a lot more to leading the village than you think," said Iruka, their teacher. "And besides the only reason you've been there so many times is because you're always getting into trouble." And so Naruto stopped whining.

The Hokage's office was located in a building in front of the mountain where all four Hokages' faces were carved. The class walked up the long staircase and through the door. They went into the office (which was empty at the time) and listened to their sensei's lesson. After that they followed him out the room and down the hall.

It was during the walk that Sasuke noticed Sakura wasn't by his side anymore. In fact, she was nowhere to be seen in the little crowd of students. Even amongst the talking, his sharp ears caught the sound of running from behind. He slipped away and began his pursuit.

It didn't take long to catch up to the sprinting Sakura. She had just dashed out the same door they had come in. Sasuke did the same and nearly crashed into her when she suddenly stopped. He was about to demand an explanation, but then he saw that they weren't the only ones on the stairs. Uzumaki was there, too. Apparently, she had seen him sneaking away and tried to stop him.

"Naruto, what do you think you're doing!?" Sakura yelled.

"Ditchin'," he replied simply.

Sakura looked speechless, as if she'd never heard the word before.

Naruto smiled. "You're such a schoolgirl, Sakura."

"And what exactly are you planning to do?" asked Sasuke.

"This trip's boring. I decided to go on a little field trip of my own: an adventure!"

"Does your 'adventure' involve ramen?"

"……..Maybe."

Sasuke shook his head. "You're such a knucklehead, Naruto. The chef's gonna ask what you're doing out of school, since he knows you so well. Have you come up with a lie already?"

"Okay, so maybe going to the ramen shop wasn't a good idea. But I'm still going somewhere¾ anywhere but here."

Sakura sighed. "Fine. Do what you want. And don't worry, we won't tell on you. C'mon, Big Brother." She turned around and put her hand on the doorknob. She looked back curiously when Sasuke didn't move.

"Sorry, Sakura," he said, "but I'm bored too."

Naruto was pleasantly surprised. "Come with us, Sakura! Live a little!"

The two boys knew that she thought nothing came before school. She would never do something like this in a million years, not even for Sasuke. Yet neither were shocked when she let her hand go.

"All right, I'm in. But just this once."

"Hooray for peer pressure!" thought Naruto. "I'll lead the way." He hurried down the steps, thus beginning their journey.

"Um… Won't Iruka-sensei notice that we're gone…?"

"Relax, Sakura. And don't jinx it," Naruto answered.

They traveled into an area of the village where it wasn't so crowded. Random shops and other public places were lined up on the road. For once, Naruto was being extra cautious. Someone might recognize them in broad daylight. He led his two classmates behind a row of buildings. There was nothing but some trees, grass, plants, dirt, flowers, and wooden fences as far as the eye could see.

"This is more like it. No one will come here, and we can do whatever we want!"

Sasuke asked, "So, what should we do?"

"If only we had a blanket and a basket, then we could have a picnic!" Sakura suggested.

"No offense, but that's too girly for me," the blond student responded. "But I am hungry."

"Maybe we should go back. For all we know, they could be having lunch right now."

"I thought I told you to relax. We haven't even done anything yet. I promise that we'll head back before the field trip is over, so don't worry about it Saku¾ Ow!" An apple had hit him on the head. Looking up, he saw that there was fruit growing on the tree he was under. Sasuke was the one who had already jumped up on the branches and thrown one at him. "You could've at least warned me, Uchiha!" He picked up the apple and polished it off before taking a bite.

"Thank you," said Sakura as Sasuke came down and gave her one. All three of them found a suitable spot of grass to eat the small snack. When they were done Naruto was about to toss his core, but Sakura scolded him, saying "Don't litter!"

"Apples are part of the earth! Its seeds will make another tree, or it'll feed the birds!"

"Or you can just throw it away in that dumpster over there," Sasuke interrupted.

"…Dumpster?" said Sakura and Naruto in unison. Sure enough, behind a large bush was a dumpster. Not only that, there was a red door next to it.

The trio went and threw the apple cores away and then looked at the door. "Arcade Back Door" was labeled on it.

Naruto grinned widely. "Perfect! An arcade! We'll have lots fun in here, and it's dark inside!" And without another word, he rushed inside. Sasuke and Sakura went in as well, thankful that he hadn't slammed the door in their face.

The place was in darkness because the light was given off by the videogame systems. They saw racing games, DDR, and even logic games for Sakura. They combined their loose change and divided them up equally. The three played by themselves for a while until Naruto challenged Sasuke to a two-player fighting match. Apparently Sasuke was just as good at sparring in a game as he was in real life. After Sakura got another high score on a difficult thinking game, it was time to head back.

"Umm, wait… I have to go to the bathroom," Sakura stated. The two boys followed her, intending to wait outside the restroom door. But when they got to the back hallway, the girls' door had an "Out of Order" sign.

"Hm…" Naruto pondered. "Now that I think about it, I hardly saw another girl besides you here. Can't you hold it?"

By now Sakura was holding part of her outfit in a tight fist. "N-Noo…" she whimpered.

Sasuke suddenly took her free hand and led her further down the hall, to the boys' lavatory door. He let go to check inside. Luckily, it was empty. "Go," he said, holding it open for her. Seeing she had no choice, she obeyed.

Naruto had his mouth wide open in shock.

"Stop it, Naruto. You look even dumber than usual."

The boy shut his lips and gave his rival a quick suspicious look. They both waited patiently and hoped no one would show up needing to use the bathroom.

"I hope I never have to go in there again," Sakura declared the instant she returned.

The bright sun blinded them as soon as they came out the back exit. They shaded their eyes and moved towards the Hokage building. The adventure was over.

"It could've gone better, but at least it was something," Naruto commented. Then he addressed the girl by his side. "You know, if you want to be a ninja, there's gonna be missions that last a long time. You're gonna hafta travel through places where there aren't public restrooms. Maybe you should start learning how to use a bush."

"Eww, quit being so gross! I don't wanna worry about that now!"

In the next few minutes they were back. They climbed the stairs¾ first Naruto, then Sasuke, then Sakura. They were barely up ten steps when the latter screamed.

"KYAAAAAAAAAA!!"

The two boys turned to see what was going on.

Tiny tears were flying from her tightly closed eyes. "A wasp, a wasp! It's right behind me!" The most important thing to her right then was to get away from the insect. She ran blindly forward only to trip and bump so strongly into the surprised Sasuke that the two collapsed.

"Calm down, Sakura! It's flying away now!" Naruto exclaimed. She quieted down, but still looked scared.

"Sakura. You're crushing me." She didn't budge, so Sasuke carefully pulled both of themselves to their feet. She slowly opened her eyes and gradually stopped clinging to his arm.

"Well what do we have here?"

For one split second, Sasuke thought something happened to Naruto's voice, but it wasn't him who had spoken. Iruka and the class were just filing out of the door.

"Sensei! I, uh¾"

"Don't even bother, Naruto. It's awfully quiet when you're not around, but I had no idea that Sasuke and Sakura would also disappear. The field trip is over, and everyone is dismissed, but next time I want all three of you to stay after class."

Sakura's face turned pale. She had never been in trouble with a teacher before. It was Sasuke who came to her rescue.

"Please, sensei. It wasn't Sakura's fault. She wouldn't have gone if Naruto and I hadn't talked her into it."

So Iruka showed mercy on her. Once everyone had left for home, Naruto stayed behind with the other ditchers to apologize to Sakura.

"It's all right, Naruto. I had… fun," she told him honestly. "We should hang out together more often."

"S-Sure! I'll treat you to ramen next--"

"I think she meant all three of us, stupid."

Naruto's face fell in disappointment. "Oh… Right."

Sakura turned to leave. "Well, goodbye."

"I'll walk you home, Sakura," said Sasuke.

Naruto was about to interject, but decided against it. Instead he gave a sly smile and said, "See ya in detention, Sasuke."

--

Their teacher couldn't have been crueler. He sentenced Sasuke and Naruto to detention on a Friday. The Uchiha gave a small wave to Sakura as she and the rest of their classmates left the academy.

The punishment was to clean the whole classroom. Iruka didn't stick around to watch them; he would know soon enough whether they had done a good job. The two boys scraped off gum, washed the chalkboard, polished the seats, and so on.

After an hour had passed, Naruto spoke. "Sasuke… Can I ask you a question?"

Both of them kept their eyes on their work as they talked. They were scrubbing the floor with large sponges.

"…Yeah."

"….."

"Spit it out."

"…Do you have a crush on Sakura?"

Sasuke stopped what he was doing, but Naruto continued as if nothing happened.

"Wh… Why do you ask that?"

Naruto sat up and wiped his hands with a towel. "I dunno. You're with her a lot, always helping her… You let her in the men's room, got her out of detention, walked her home… Anyone can see that you're nicest to her."

He had a feeling that something like this would happen to him someday. But he wasn't prepared for it now. What should he do? He wasn't even totally sure about the answer himself.

"Idunnomaybe," he mumbled. He gave one final scrub and wiped his hands.

"…" Naruto just stared at him in silence, with a tiny annoying smile.

"…What? Why're you lookin' at me like that?"

"…"

"It's not what you think."

"…"

"Shut up, dammit!"

--

"Finally! I think we're done!" Naruto stretched and looked at the clock. It was just before five. They took a few minutes to put all the cleaning tools away. Then they went outside and walked until they reached the point where they had to go different ways.

Sasuke said, "See ya, then." He took a few steps and heard Naruto stop him.

"Sasuke."

He looked back at the kid, who had his back turned.

"I guess this means we're even bigger rivals than before."

"You're wrong, Naruto. I don't think I like her that way."

"Sometime in the future, you're gonna know for sure. And I'm pretty sure on what you'll decide…" And with that, the conversation was over.

The house Sasuke now lived in was very different from the one he had grown up in, but he had gotten used to it over the past three years. He made dinner and stayed up late watching television. When he went to bed, he was still thinking the same thing.

"What if Naruto's right? What if… I do have a crush on her?"