Warning: This fanfiction will eventually describe mature content in graphic detail. You have been warned.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters Kishimoto has so imaginatively created. Unfortunately.

Yum. Sakura smacked her lips audibly in an unladylike fashion as she placed the empty bowl onto the table. She had to admit, ramen was delicious. And not only that, on top of the tasty meal, Sai had remained surprisingly polite and cooperative throughout the entire lunch, and they had made good progress on their plans for the upcoming task.

She glanced over at her mission partner. Sakura had to admit, the boy fascinated her in a way no other individual ever had. Every ninja knew shinobi saying #25, which stated 'a shinobi never shows his or her feelings, no matter what the circumstances', but never had the pink-haired jounin encountered an individual who literally didn't possess any emotions, not even when it came to simple things like care, fear, or anything of the like.

He was…the mere shell of a human being, devoid of the core, of the heart, that distinguished each person from another. Yet, his personality was so flawlessly indifferent, so perfectly unconcerned, that it set him aside from everyone she had met.

"Why are you staring at me?"

Sai's dry voice abruptly returned her to the present. She hadn't even noticed that she had been; her eyes had just naturally rested on his face as she mused over his personality.

"Oh. Um…" Still rather out of it, Sakura had trouble formulating a quick response.

"It's because you're attracted to me, right?"

Sakura blinked. Had he just suggested what she thought he had suggested? Uh oh, bad choice of words there.

"Excuse me?" she asked incredulously.

"When a girl is attracted to a boy, she tends to look at him often. It's a sign of infatuation. I read it in a book" he informed her.

The nerve of that boy. She wanted to slap him really hard across the face. But, of course, it wasn't his fault that he didn't know anything about love.

"Idiot!" she seethed, "I was staring at you because you're such a freak, not because I'm in love with you"

"Oh" was the nonchalant response.

Lovely. Here she was, arguing in a ramen parlor with a boy who possessed the emotional temperament more or less equal to that of a rock. Judging by the look on the restaurant owner's face, he wasn't too happy about the disruptive atmosphere she was creating either. Her gaze traveled to the empty ramen bowl sitting on the counter in front of the pale jounin. Ah, so he was finally done with his food.

"Well, we should pay then" she suggested, reaching for her purse.

"That's okay" Sai's face was all smiles, "I already paid for you. I read in a book that girls think it shows thoughtfulness"

Wow. Sakura didn't want to know which egocentric woman wrote that piece of advice, but was nonetheless grateful that he acted on her counsel. In all honesty, the pink-haired kunoichi's wallet had been lacking considerably as of late. Needless to say, she needed this mission as much as it needed her.

"Thanks Sai" she told him, "I really appreciate it"

"You're welcome"

"Okay. How 'bout we go back to our houses and get ready for our trip. The Hidden Village of Rain is roughly a day from Konoha by foot, so it's best if we leave as soon as we can"

He nodded his agreement.

"Okay"

The pale jounin raised two fingers to his chest.

"Bye" he said curtly, and with a swirl of ink he was gone.

"Bye" echoed Sakura. She gazed unconsciously at the spot where he had just been for a moment, then turned and headed for home to pack.

As the pink-haired jounin walked alone through the streets of Konoha, a wave of something she couldn't quite put her finger on washed over her. With sudden amazement, she realized that she was feeling something she hadn't felt in quite awhile: loneliness.

Sure, she had endured her share of solitude over the years, first through Sasuke's betrayal so many years ago, and then through Naruto's recent discovery of his feelings for Hinata. But, she had always persevered, had always gradually managed to adapt to her loss of companions; truthfully, she had almost forgotten the feel of having one person to talk to, having one person to walk around with for however long.

So, after spending just a few minutes with this strange boy, who ordinarily would have been the last person she'd want to talk to, Sakura found herself longing for his presence. He had evoked a series of powerful memories by unknowingly assuming a position in her life that had too long been vacant. Despite his infuriating personality, he had filled a void in her heart simply by spending some time with her, and for that, Sakura made her decision. She would go out of her way to understand him better, to get to know him better, and maybe by the end of her efforts, Sai would become a friend. Or better yet, maybe even a close friend.

Lost in her thoughts, the pink-haired kunoichi barely noticed when she arrived at the plain apartment which she had made her residence.

Turning the key quickly and opening the door, Sakura took time to glance around at her simple dwelling. They say one can tell a person's personality simply by looking at that person's room. Her room definitely exemplified that principle. It was tidy, but not to the point of emptiness. Pink blossoms were placed strategically in various corners where it lacked furniture. The bed was made, but obviously in a half-hearted manner. All in all, the entire place depicted her as a girl who cared about her appearance, but not overly so. And that was exactly the girl she was.

But enough about herself. She knew what she needed to do in the limited time before leaving on her mission. Sakura grabbed an accessory pouch and threw in a couple of sharpened kunai. After a brief search, energy bars joined the pointy throwing knives.

Good, she thought to herself. That would be all the supplies she would need for a brief seven day mission.

The last thing left on her list was a nice, warm shower. Missions were always unpredictable: sometimes she stayed in hot spring resorts, other times she slept on forest floors with nothing but her clothes to keep her warm. She might not have a chance to take a shower in the next seven days, so she had to get one in before then.

She headed for the bathtub, throwing off her gloves and hair band as she did so. Once in the safety of her closed bathroom, she proceeded to remove her other, more sensitive articles of clothing. A quick pull of a zipper and her tight red vest came off. Another tug freed her of her spandex shorts. Bra and panties were thrown unceremoniously over the shower curtain as she stepped into the tub. With a simple turn of the handle, warm water would spray out of the nozzle and fall like heavenly rain on her limbs, washing away the sores and aches of her day and leaving her a replenished young woman.

Unfortunately, she didn't have the luxury to enjoy such pleasure.

The harsh buzz of her doorbell interrupted her blissful anticipation. Some inconsiderate bastard had chosen the worst time possible to ring her door buzzer. With a sigh of annoyance, Sakura stepped back out of the tub and hastily threw her clothes back on. Whoever was at her door had better be ready to suffer.

Sakura stomped out of the restroom, and angrily pulled her front door open.

"What do you want?" she demanded furiously, fist poised to strike the foolish soul who had disrupted her shower.

Then she blinked.

Sai stood in front of her, face blank, expressionless, as usual.

Oops.

In the midst of her fantasy for a shower, she had forgotten about the urgency of the mission.

Then she noticed that the pale jounin was not looking at her face. He was looking at her chest.

She was surprised that the glare she shot him didn't cause him to combust in a burst of spontaneous flames.

"Stop looking there, you pervert!" she shrieked, covering her breasts with her arms.

His eyes traveled leisurely back up to her face.

"Sakura…" he began.

Humph. She stuck her nose in the air and turned away. He wanted forgiveness? Not so easily. Stupid boys and their incessant peeking.

"…you're wearing your shirt backwards"

Sorry for the abrupt ending :D. Thanks for the reviews and favorites, people. I really appreciate them! -forgivance