Vertigo

Chapter Two: Still Waters Run Stagnant

On her first day off in weeks, Sakura was awoken at the crack of dawn by the Apocalypse.

At least that's how it seemed to her sleep-fogged mind, judging by the loud crashing and thumping coming from the direction of what sounded suspiciously like her kitchen. Reaching for the kunai stashed under her pillow, she slipped from her bed and padded silently down the hall, channeling chakra into her fist in preparation to firmly lodge that kunai into the skull of whoever had dared wake her up this early.

Upon rounding the corner and discovering the source of the racket, she immediately wished the kunai in her hand was a baseball bat.

"Sai! Naruto! What the HELL are you doing?"

Her shriek visibly startled both men. Sai's dark head whipped around to stare at her from his crouched position atop her kitchen counter, while Naruto shot up abruptly from halfway inside the refrigerator, banging his head on the doorframe hard enough to make the interior light flicker. Several of her pots and pans were scattered across the floor.

"Owww! Sakura-chan, don't startle us like that!" Naruto grumbled, rubbing the top of his head.

Sakura huffed in indignant outrage. "I startled you? Why the hell are you two in my kitchen in the middle of the night?"

"It's not the middle of the night. It's four twenty-seven a.m. That's technically morning," Sai informed lightly.

"I don't care what time it is! It's too goddamn early to be woken up by you idiots and you still haven't told me what the hell you're doing here!"

Naruto grinned sheepishly. "Well, you see…we had this really great idea, but the stores are all closed right now and…do you have any cheese?"

Her jaw dropped. "Cheese? You broke into my house and raided my kitchen in the middle of the night for cheese?"

"Um…yes? See, we had this totally awesome idea—"

She threw a hand up. "Stop! I don't. Want. To know." Her eye was beginning to twitch, but she sighed heavily and willed herself to remain somewhat calm. "Why are my dishes all over the floor?"

"We didn't want to turn a light on, but neither of us really knows our way around your kitchen…and well, I guess we just bumped into stuff," Naruto explained lamely.

She rolled her eyes. "You guys are the worst ninja ever. And Sai, why exactly are you rummaging in my cupboards?"

Sai glanced at the open cabinets before him and shrugged. "I'm not familiar with the proper place to store cheese; I've never had it. So when Dickless said there wasn't any in the refrigerator I thought I'd look here. So…do you have any?"

Sakura's only reply was to walk up to the artist and smack him hard upside the head, and then she turned to Naruto and did the same to him. Both men knew better than to try and dodge; that would only set them up for a much harder beating.

She glared at them with arms crossed. "It's too early for your shenanigans. Both of you assholes get out. Now. Before I kill you." She turned and stomped back toward the hallway, but then stopped and faced them again. "Actually, clean up your mess first, then get out. I'm going back to bed."

As she walked away, Naruto glanced at his accomplice. "She's more like Baa-chan than ever lately," he muttered under his breath.

Sai nodded and hopped down. "Let's go. She must be on her period."

Whatever Naruto intended to say in reply was cut off by a yelp as a kunai thudded into the wall between their heads.

Sakura shut her bedroom door loudly, locked it, and then flopped onto her bed with an aggravated sigh. She loved her boys, but sometimes she really wanted to strangle them.

She surrendered to the pull of sleep, hoping this didn't foreshadow what the rest of her day off would be like.

Due to the unexpected 'visit' and loss of precious sleep, Sakura didn't wake up again until nearly noon. Which was a bad thing, because she was supposed to meet her friends for lunch in less than an hour.

She rolled out of bed and plodded to her bathroom on autopilot, bleary eyes still half closed. Damn those two for waking her up like that! They'd better have cleaned up their mess and they'd better have locked her door on the way out. And they'd better not have stolen her beer.

Twenty minutes later she was back in her room, fully refreshed after a shower and teeth brushing. She stared at herself in the full-length mirror on the back of the door, jade eyes critically scanning her appearance. No new bruises today, a little surprising considering she'd been training every day after her hospital shifts with her teammates, or occasionally Tsunade if she had the time, and the sessions had become increasingly rigorous lately. But it had been months now since her drive to perfect her abilities had kicked in, so maybe her body was finally hardened to abuse and didn't take injury as easily anymore. Exactly how she wanted it.

Not that she needed to train so hard. It wasn't like she was going for ANBU or anything. But perhaps eliminating her physical weaknesses would help to cover her all too easily identifiable emotional ones.

When she was younger she hadn't wanted to train her body much at all, concerned that developing muscles on her arms and legs would make her unfeminine and unappealing to men. Now as an adult she knew that wasn't true, at least among ninja. After years of training Sakura was lithe and toned, a fact she was proud of and had worked hard for. She moved from the mirror and dressed in tight black shorts and a snug mesh tank top. On top of her tank she donned the high collared, sleeveless crimson shirt with her family crest printed on the back. She buckled her medic's apron and slipped on her elbow guards before shrugging into her jounin vest, then returned to the bathroom to comb out her short hair and tie her hitai-ate. Satisfied with her appearance, she flipped the light switch and headed out to the main area of her apartment.

Her teammates had at least cleaned up her kitchen before they left. Their antics weren't much of a surprise, really. They may be elite jounin now, but in many ways they were still like fifteen year-old boys. Their team leader wasn't much better. Kakashi didn't play stupid pranks or act like a fool, but occasionally his mentality was just as juvenile as his younger teammates. And Sakura fit right in, because she had a bit of a petty vindictive streak and inwardly she rather enjoyed the stunts and practical jokes her boys pulled, as long as it wasn't on her. Yes, they made quite the team.

Briefly she assessed her living space to make sure they'd left it intact. Not that she had much worth damaging, since she wasn't home enough to worry about things like matching furniture or stylish décor, and hadn't made much attempt to personalize the place since moving in a year ago. Satisfied that nothing was broken or missing, she pulled on her knee-high leather boots and headed out the door.

She was running a little late, so she was slightly surprised when she arrived at the small café to find only two of her friends waiting. Ino and Hinata occupied a booth by the window, and as she approached the blonde threw her an enthusiastic wave. Hinata looked over her shoulder and smiled at her. Sakura smiled back as she drew up to the table.

"Hey, Forehead."

"Hi, Sakura."

"Hey guys. Where's Tenten?" She slid into the booth next to Hinata.

Ino shrugged. "Don't know. She didn't cancel, so I guess she's just running late."

"Maybe she overslept because two obnoxious guys broke into her house last night too," Sakura said, picking up the menu.

"Say what?"

"Oh, nothing. What's the special? I'm starving."

Tenten arrived fifteen minutes later and slid in next to Ino with a sheepish smile. The three girls stared at her, bemused, because the weapons master was slightly flushed and her long brown hair was pulled into a loose ponytail rather than the customary buns.

"Sorry I'm late. I overslept," she said quickly.

"See?" Sakura remarked smugly.

"See what?"

"Were you woken late at night by some guy? Because apparently Sakura was, but she won't give details," Ino explained. She was staring expectantly at Sakura, but she still noticed Tenten nearly choke on her water.

"It wasn't some guy; it was Naruto and Sai. They broke into my apartment in the dead of night, looking for cheese of all things."

She was met with blank stares.

"Cheese," Tenten clarified flatly.

"Yeah," she affirmed, just as mystified as they were.

"What's wrong with those two?" Ino groaned.

"Kiba-kun does things like that, too. I think it's funny actually," Hinata said with a small giggle, clearly finding the guys' antics more cute than annoying.

"So Tenten," Ino redirected, casting a sly look at the brunette, "did you really oversleep this morning…or were you imprisoned in bed by a pair of muscular male arms?"

Tenten refused to meet Ino's perceptive aqua gaze. "I overslept."

"Pig, your mind is always in the gutter. You need to get laid or something."

Ino raised a finely manicured brow. "Don't we all. Well maybe not Tenten…I think she already did."

Three pairs of eyes turned intently to Tenten, who had turned a deep shade of magenta.

"So is it true?" the blonde prodded.

Her brown eyes flicked downward, but after a moment a tiny smile curled her lips. "Maybe…"

Ino grinned triumphantly, and Hinata blushed nearly as pink as the brunette, a knowing look on her face.

Sakura couldn't help but be curious now. "Who is it?"

"Who else would it be?" Ino answered. She fixed the girl next to her with a saucy grin. "So how long have you been banging that hottie Hyuuga?"

Tenten's eyes widened, and Hinata blinked quickly and stared at her lap, uncomfortable with Ino's crass comment about her cousin.

"Um…since last night. Apparently I'm wearing a sign or something," she muttered dryly.

"Who made the first move?"

"He did." Her expression said she couldn't quite believe it herself.

Hinata looked up at that. "Really?"

"Woooowww. 'Bout time you staked your claim on that, Ten. So is it like, official now?" Ino wondered.

Giddiness overcame her embarrassment, and she smiled. "Um…well, Neji doesn't really do anything on impulse, so…I guess it is."

Sakura smiled at her. "We're happy for you, Tenten."

"Thanks. So Ino, let's discuss your love life now, shall we? Who's your boy-toy thisweek?" Tenten asked, turning the tables on her nosy friend.

"I'm not dating anyone at the moment," Ino replied airily, flipping her ponytail over her shoulder.

"Shocking. I never thought I'd see the day you weren't interested in someone."

Much to their surprise, Ino – vain, confident, and often shameless – was actually blushing.

"I didn't say I wasn't interested in someone…just that I'm not dating anyone."

"Spill," Sakura commanded.

Ino looked around shiftily. "It's a really new development…you guys promise you won't tell anyone else?"

"No," Tenten answered wickedly.

Ino looked anxious, which baffled them all. "Guys…"

"I was just messing. No, of course we won't tell. Now spill it!"

Ino took a deep breath. "Okay, well…lately I've sort of been having these…feelings…for uh…oneofmyteammates," she blurted.

"Shikamaru?" Tenten hissed, leaning downward as the four women huddled over the table conspiratorially. "That's bad, Ino; he's engaged to Temari!"

Ino sputtered and nearly choked. "Oh hell no. Not him. She can have him; she's probably the only one who can put up with him anyway. I can barely get him to listen to me half the time. I mean don't get me wrong, I adore the guy, but he's just so…" She waved a hand abstractedly, lacking the proper word. "No, it's uh…not him," she finished meekly.

Tenten gasped. "Oh…oh wow…Ino! Seriously?"

She looked embarrassed, but smiled softly and nodded. "Well, yeah. I guess I'm tired of all the usual guys. I mean, I only go out with them 'cause they're hot, and I think they only go out with me because I'm hot…and it's just…unsatisfying." Her friends were too shocked to roll their eyes at her vanity, and after a moment she sighed and continued. "But Chouji is different from other guys. He's never treated me like that…like I'm just some trophy to parade around. He treats me like a real person, a person he actually likes talking to. He's always there…and just, well…he's great."

"Our little Ino is all grown up," Sakura teased.

"Shut up, Forehead," she retorted, but couldn't hide her silly grin.

"I think it's really great, Ino. I think Chouji-kun would be very good to you," Hinata said.

"And good for her," Tenten added.

"That's if I ever get the guts to do something about it," she muttered, mashing her straw repeatedly into her icewater. "I would just die if I confessed to him and he didn't feel the same."

Sakura gave a small laugh. "I don't think you'll have to worry about that. I think Chouji's had it bad for you for a looong time."

Ino brightened. "Really? Why do you say that?"

She shrugged. "Call it woman's intuition."

"Hm. Maybe I will, then." A familiar twinkle appeared in her aqua eyes. "You know…he's not even fat anymore, really. He's like a big, strong…bear. I find it rather attractive, actually."

The girls sat back as their food was brought to the table, and their conversation turned to lighthearted things. But after a while Sakura found herself tuning out as the topic rotated from men, to village gossip, to clothes, to the season's new shade of nail polish. Hinata was nearly as quiet; the modest girl only changed the subject if she was offended by the topic, which was rare. Tenten could usually be relied on to discuss more interesting things, like new prototypes of weaponry, but apparently the new development with Neji had her in a particularly girly mood today.

Sakura didn't fit in with this kind of thing anymore. She wished she could slip away to somewhere else, talk about something else, do something else. But it always wound up like this. Every day was starting to feel like the same old, same old. It felt like stagnation was slowly creeping over her life. She had fallen into a rut; hospital, train, hospital, mission, hospital… She needed a change. A big one. She could always join ANBU, but it wasn't really her thing. Too many lunatics, and her medical skills were better used helping the majority and not obscured in the shadows. And it would take her away from her teammates and friends, which she definitely didn't want, because they were all she had. That left her with few options for the kind of change she was looking for.

Sakura wasn't really unhappy, it was just that she thought life as a shinobi should be more exciting than this. Not that she was looking for a war to break out, or for Akatsuki to show up outside the gates…but she felt like something was missing from her life, and she just didn't know what it was.

Tenten was the first to leave after they finished eating, smiling and murmuring something about having agreed to meet Neji in a little while. Hinata said goodbye shortly after, quieter than usual and lost in her thoughts. Sakura stood up to let her out of the booth and then settled back in, absently stirring her half empty glass as Ino fixed her with an appraising stare.

"You're being awfully quiet today."

"Sorry if I'm not that interested in the latest sale on skincare products," she said dryly.

Ino emitted a long-suffering sigh and rolled her eyes at her oldest friend. "Yeah I know. You always were a tomboy, Forehead. Even though you faked it for so many years I still knew. But you've been kinda off lately, even for you. You sure nothing's bothering you?"

Sakura gave a slight shrug. "Not really. I've just been really…bored, lately. Nothing exciting ever happens anymore."

"In our line of work that's usually considered a good thing."

"I guess. I just feel like I need more out of life than I'm currently getting, that's all."

A knowing smirk pulled at Ino's full, glossy lips. "What you need is a man."

Sakura scoffed. "Right."

"Seriously, Sakura. You haven't dated anyone since Sasuke, and it's been over a year since he—"

"I don't want to talk about that, Ino," she cut her off tersely.

Ino frowned at her. "Fine. But you need to move on."

"It's not about that," she defended irritably. "I've explained all this before. Finding the perfect man isn't my top priority in life."

"It doesn't have to be. But I think you'll find a big piece of the puzzle will always be missing until you find somebody to love. You're better than what you got from that asshole and you deserve to be happy."

Sakura shot her a brief glare, but let the comment go since she knew Ino was only looking out for her. That, and she was right.

"What about Naruto?"

Her gaze sharpened. "What about him?"

Ino gave her a pointed look.

Sakura sighed wearily. "It's not like that with him, Ino."

"Doesn't mean it couldn't be…"

"I'm surprised you of all people are advocating Naruto."

Ino shrugged. "He's changed a lot over the years. Grew up into kind of a hottie too. And he's most likely going to be Hokage someday. He's a good guy."

Sakura nodded. "He is a good guy. Probably the best I've ever known. But it's never going to be like that with us."

"How do you know?"

"…Because we've already talked about it," she said quietly.

Ino's brow shot up in surprise. "When did this happen?"

"…Not long after the whole Sasuke thing."

A look of understanding came over her features. "Ah. And?"

She shrugged. "We don't have those kinds of feelings for each other, that's all."

"How sure are you about that? He used to have a huge crush on you…"

"He got over it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Ino. Naruto and I love each other very much, just not in that way and we never will. I know he's probably the best guy I'll ever find. I wish I could love him like that, believe me. But I just can't. We'll never be more than best friends, and you know, it's probably better that way." Ino was her best female friend, but she was also the village gossip, so Sakura wasn't about to tell her that she and Naruto had already been down that road.

After Sasuke betrayed them again, they turned to each other for support, helping each other through one of the worst emotional trials of their lives. One night Naruto had been helping her move into her new, hastily leased apartment, but they hadn't unpacked much and sat around drinking instead. After a lot of talking and a lot of alcohol, they ended up making out on Sakura's couch, and then fell asleep together shortly after. Confused about what had happened and unsure of what it meant for them, they tried again a couple days later when sober. What they both realized after that second experimental kiss, was that they just didn't feel it for each other. The spark just wasn't there. They agreed then not to go any further down that road and try to force something that just didn't feel right. In the awkward days that followed, Sakura had been afraid something had been ruined and she would lose him, too. But in the end their mutual realization had solidified their bond of friendship; it eliminated that uncertain factor of 'what if' and allowed them to become truly close.

"You know what your problem is?"

Sakura shot her a flat glare. "Do enlighten me."

"You're a fixer."

"A what?"

Ino sighed dramatically. "A fixer. You have a need to fix things that are broken. You're a medic with too much compassion for your own good, and I think your taste in men is based on that same nurturing quality. Sasuke was as broken as they get, so of course you fell head over heels in love with him. You want to be the one to fix what hurts them, to take away their pain. You can't love Naruto 'cause he's not broken anymore, but I wouldn't be surprised if the next guy you fell for had as many if not more issues than the last."

"I'm not deluded enough to believe I can magically fix anyone." Not anymore. "And that's not why I don't have feelings for Naruto," she said curtly.

Ino clearly didn't believe her, and Sakura sighed heavily before turning her head to stare blankly out the window. "You can't force something that's not there. When two people are together…there should be passion. It should excite you; make your stomach do little flip-flops when you see them, make your heart beat faster when they get close…without that it's not satisfying, like you said. It's just…convenient. I want more than that."

Sakura also couldn't tell Ino that the feeling she'd just described…she hadn't really felt it with Sasuke either. Her mind was travelling to that place again, that secret that only she and two well-bribed ninken dogs knew, of that one brief moment five years ago when she had felt the exact feeling she'd described in the arms of a dangerous wanted man. She'd thought for some time after that it had been the thrill of the moment, the shock, the danger of the situation. But the clarity of experience told her it was more than that. Just one kiss, her first, no more than ten seconds of her life, but she was sure that was what 'it' was; that sense of exhilaration and passion she hadn't really felt since. Even after five years the memory still crept up on her occasionally, mostly at very inconvenient times. Like now.

Ino continued to watch her for a moment, then laughed and shook her head. "You know, I don't know whether to respect you for not settling, or smack you for keeping your head up in the clouds. But you've always been a dreamer, Forehead. Maybe that's why you've excelled so far beyond anyone's expectations, while I'm still a chuunin struggling to master my own clan's higher level jutsu."

Sakura looked back to her friend and couldn't help but smile, though it wasn't entirely heartfelt. "At least you beat me in the game of love, Pig."

Ino grinned and waved a hand dismissively. "Don't lose hope. That guy is out there somewhere; the one that'll rock your socks off. You'll find him someday, Sakura. You'll see."

Sakura left the café shortly afterward, making some excuse about a meeting with Tsunade even though Ino was fully aware it was her day off. The pestering about her love life, or lack thereof, had put her in a bad mood. Especially since Ino had repeatedly mentioned him.

Thinking about it still hurt, in that dull, bitter way that caused no real pain anymore but left a weary feeling of resentment.

They got Sasuke back when Sakura was sixteen. They found him in an old fortress, fighting Itachi in a gruesome battle, and when they came upon them both were near death. Her squad was eight strong but they hadn't interfered, including Naruto, because even he could see it was over. But they hadn't known another Akatsuki was present until he flew out of the wall and snatched a near-unconscious Itachi from harm's way. He had said something to Sasuke about Itachi not being 'allowed' to die yet, and then they had vanished. It happened so fast and they were so surprised that they weren't able to react before the others were gone without a trace. Sasuke had collapsed from chakra depletion and blood loss, Sakura had stabilized him, and then they returned to Konoha.

The next several months were very difficult. Things with the members of Team Seven were strained, and Sasuke and Sai openly despised each other. What they discovered was that Sasuke was not the same person anymore, and neither were they. Their dynamic, fragile as it had been, was ruined. They tried and tried, at least Sakura and Naruto had, but it was gone. Over time they had come to consider Sai a true member of their team, a true friend, and his constant fighting with Sasuke had torn their loyalties. Oftentimes Naruto found himself siding with the artist, as had Sakura, something that confused them both because they never thought they'd see the day.

Once his probation ended, Sasuke joined ANBU instead of Team Kakashi. Things got better after that; they didn't have to work together and could try to start over. Sasuke was bitter and resentful that he'd come so close to his goal and failed at the last moment. He must have wanted to blame them, but he couldn't, and eventually he allowed their continued offers of friendship and support, though if he had ever given anything in return they could no longer recall.

A little over a year after his return, her tentative friendship with Sasuke had turned into more. Sakura was never sure why he'd taken it there, and when she thought about it now she wasn't really sure why she had either. She supposed Ino was right. She was a fixer, or at least had been back then, and she had wanted so badly to fix him, to heal him, to give him peace of mind and show him there was more than blood and death and vengeance, that he had them. She wasn't naïve enough anymore to dream of happiness and rainbows, but she had hoped that they might be okay.

And for a while, they were. Physically it was great, because Sasuke always made a point of being good at everything he did. But something was missing even there, because although their bodies connected, they were never intimate. He was cold, detached. Oh, she knew he cared about her in his way, had cared about Naruto too, but that thing inside that allowed him to truly connect to people was long gone.

Another year passed before she fully realized he would never be capable of loving her, but what hurt most was the realization that she didn't love him either. The disillusionment was hard after so many years of dreaming, convincing herself he could become the man she envisioned in her head if only he accepted her love. But he was never that man, and there was nothing to love, because Sasuke was a selfish, empty shell of a person existing only to fulfill whatever ambition he set for himself. Sakura began to lie to him about controlling her fertility with medical jutsu. She didn't want to have his children, not without love. In fact, the more she thought about it the more she realized she didn't want children, period. Sasuke seemed to sense her emotional withdrawal and grew even more distant, but she couldn't bring herself to leave him, because she believed he needed her in ways he didn't even realize. She had been wrong. A third year passed, and Sakura had bitterly waited for her house of cards to fall.

And fall it did. Like an avalanche. Three years after they brought him back half dead and gave so much of their time and effort and hearts to help him, two years after Sakura became his lover, Sasuke left them again. While out on a mission with ANBU he'd gotten wind of Itachi, and had fled after seriously injuring his cell when they tried to stop him. They hadn't been foolish enough to believe he'd given up on vengeance, but they hadn't expected him to go that far. He was a true traitor, and there was no coming back.

Angry, betrayed and heartbroken, Team Kakashi had been part of the multi-squad pursuit, fully aware that it was not a recovery mission. They wanted a confrontation, wanted reasons, wanted closure. But they never got it, because after a month of searching, all they found was Sasuke's corpse. His eyes had been slashed by the kunai found in his hand, as if he'd done it himself as a last resort for some purpose they may never know.

It had all been for nothing.

They were devastated, especially Naruto who remained optimistic until the end. They returned to Konoha, filled with bitter despair. It took a long time to come to terms with everything and overcome the guilt they felt, to accept that they did everything they could, but Sasuke simply didn't want to be saved. It wasn't their fault. It was his, and he brought his tragic end upon himself.

Their team's bond was solid and would remain that way, but in the year since that difficult time they had begun to see less and less of each other. Naruto was kept close to the village due to the Akatsuki threat, for even though there had been no news of their doings in a while, they were still out there. Team Kakashi didn't get many group missions nowadays. Sakura missed her boys. Maybe that was part of the reason why life generally sucked nowadays.

Sakura laughed suddenly upon realizing that as she'd been brooding and walking toward home on autopilot, she'd taken the street where Ichiraku stood and sure enough, Naruto was there on his favorite stool that he'd occupied nearly every day since childhood. Never predictable but always reliable, that was Naruto.

He sensed her presence and turned on his stool to grin hugely and wave her over. She started toward him, mood already lightening. Naruto had an almost magical ability to cheer her up no matter how shitty she felt. She could use that right now, and she returned his smile as she took her usual seat on his left.

"Hey, Sakura-chan. Uh…sorry we woke you up last night." He grinned sheepishly.

She cast him a sidelong glare, one that lacked any real anger. "You're lucky I didn't have to work today. Next time you break into my house try to be a little stealthier; you are a ninja after all. Did you ever find what you were after?"

He nodded and slurped another mouthful of noodles. "Yup. We got it from the kitchen in the Academy, you know, the one they use to teach kunoichi how to cook and stuff."

"You broke into the Academy? I hope you were quieter than you were in my house."

He shrugged dismissively. "Psh, it was too easy."

Sakura didn't ask him to elaborate. Contrary to popular belief among the villagers, Naruto was neither clumsy nor stupid. He liked to throw people off so he let them think what they wanted, a trick she believed he cultivated from his mentor, Jiraiya. However, she was one of the few who knew that when he wanted to be, Naruto was one of the most skilled and dangerous shinobi alive. He was also one of the goofiest practical jokers in the five nations. "So what did you need cheese so badly for?"

"Thought you didn't wanna know?" he answered slyly.

Sakura shrugged, a smirk pulling at her lips. "I didn't. But I'm curious now that I know you went to so much trouble to get it."

Naruto snickered and gave her a knowing look. "Yeah, sure. We know you get a kick out of our pranks, Sakura-chan."

She gave him a playful shove. "Just tell me already."

A very mischievous, fox-like expression formed on his features, and he leaned closer. "We took the cheese and hid it under the bottom of Kiba's ANBU locker."

Sakura was incredulous. "So not only did you break into the Academy, you snuck into ANBU HQ as well? You guys are insane. I take it this was payback for Kiba replacing Sai's ink with soy sauce last week?"

"Damn right! It's gonna be fuckin' awesome too; that dog nose of his will be smelling it rot for weeks!"

She had to laugh at the mental image. "I can't believe you guys still do this kind of thing at your age. You still act like teenagers even though Sai's twenty-one already and you'll be twenty in a couple months."

Naruto slumped in a pout. "Don't remind me I'm the baby," he grumbled. "Want some ramen? I'll buy this time."

"No thanks. I just had lunch with the girls."

Naruto visibly perked at that. "Yeah? Was Hinata there?"

Surprised by his sudden interest, she gave him a shrewd look. "Of course. Why do you ask?"

He busied himself with gathering a huge cluster of noodles onto his chopsticks. "Uh…no reason, really. Just curious," he replied quickly before stuffing his face.

Sakura continued to stare at him as he chewed, and Naruto casually ignored her. She gave up after a couple minutes and her gaze wandered out to the street where the busy market was in full swing.

"I think I like her."

She'd been spacing out, but at the abrupt comment her eyes snapped back to her friend. "Who?" Then it dawned on her, and her eyes widened. "Oh! Really?"

Naruto grinned and scratched at his head self-consciously. "Yeah..."

"Since when?"

"Um…I don't really know. Not very long ago. It just kinda hit me one day. I know a lot of people think she's weird…and, well, she kinda is…but she's also really nice, and she's given me really good advice a couple times, and…" he grinned even wider, "and she's really pretty."

Sakura beamed at him. It was about damned time. Though, everyone always figured Naruto would finally realize Hinata had been pining for him for years and then come to this conclusion afterward. But she was glad he'd come to it on his own, otherwise it may not have sunk in for another decade. "So when are you gonna ask her out?"

Before Naruto could answer, two ANBU suddenly flickered into sight directly behind them. They both turned around in surprise.

"Haruno Sakura," addressed a muted voice.

She recognized their masks as two of Tsunade's personal ANBU guard. "Yes…?"

"The Hokage wishes to speak with you."

"Just me?" she asked hesitantly, glancing at Naruto, who was equally puzzled.

"Correct. Please report to her office immediately." And with that, they vanished.

"Weird. Wonder what Baa-chan needs you for on your day off…"

Sakura stood up and straightened her medic's apron. "Maybe there's an emergency at the hospital. Whatever it is, it's best not to keep her waiting when she makes it all official like this. We'll finish talking later, okay?"

"'Kay. Bye."

She gave a short wave and jogged across the street, then leapt onto the rooftop and sprinted away toward the Hokage tower.